New Delhi, The WHO on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on the extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3 due to coronavirus scare.

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director for South-East Asia of the World Health Organization, said that a six-week nationwide lockdown to facilitate effective physical distancing, coupled with expansion of core public health measures, will benefit India in combating the novel coronavirus.

"The WHO commends India's timely and tough actions to stop COVID-19. It may be early to talk about the results in numbers. About a six-week nationwide lockdown to facilitate effective physical distancing, coupled with expansion of core public health measures such as detection, isolation and tracing contact of COVID-19 positive people would go a long way in arresting the virus spread," said Dr Khetrapal in a statement.

"Despite huge and multiple challenges, India has been demonstrating unwavering commitment in its fight against the pandemic. In these testing times, the action lies as much with the communities as with the authorities and the health workforce. It is indeed time for each and every one to contribute their best and together beat the virus."

The total number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in India climbed to 10,363, with 1,211 new cases and 31 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the data of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.

Of these 8,988 are active cases, 1,035 individuals have recovered and since discharged from hospitals, one person migrated to another country and 339 people succumbed to the disease.