Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Indians to hold candles and mobile phones aloft for nine minutes on Sunday to dispel the "darkness and uncertainty" of the coronavirus crisis.

On Thursday, the confirmed number of coronavirus cases in India passed 2,000 with 53 deaths, although some experts say that the country of 1.3 billion people is testing too few people.

India has been under lockdown since March 25, leaving millions of migrant workers suddenly jobless, and prompting hundreds of thousands to try and get home to their home villages, often on foot.

"Friends, amidst the darkness spread by the Corona pandemic, we must continuously progress towards light and hope," Modi said in an address to the nation on Friday.

"We must defeat the deep darkness of the crisis, by spreading the glory of light in all four directions."

He said people should turn off lights at 9:00 pm on Sunday, light candles and earthenware lamps and switch on cellphone flashlights on their doorsteps and balconies for nine minutes.