Coronavirus Janta Curfew Highlights: India observed a 14-hour lockdown on Sunday after PM Narendra Modi appealed for the same on Thursday evening. On Saturday, India witnessed the biggest surge in Coronavirus cases as 80 more people were reported positive for COVID-19. As per the latest data from the Ministry of Health, there were 360 positive cases in India so far, of which 329 are currently active. Of these 360 cases, 319 are Indians, and 41 are foreign nationals. Seven people have died so far in the country, and 24 have recovered.
Maharashtra and Kerala have the highest number of cases at 64 and 45, respectively. Delhi reported 29 coronavirus positive cases, while Uttar Pradesh has recorded 27 cases. Both the states include a confirmed case of a foreigner each. Telangana has reported 22 cases, including 11 foreigners. Rajasthan has reported 24 cases, including two foreigners. In Haryana, there are 21 cases, which include 14 foreigners. Karnataka has 26 coronavirus patients. Punjab has 21 cases while Gujarat reported 18 cases. Ladakh has 13 cases while Tamil Nadu has 7 cases, which includes 2 foreigners. Chandigarh and Andhra Pradesh have five cases each. Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and West Bengal reported four cases each.
PM Modi urged people to participate in Janata Curfew and said this was just the start of a long battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. In a series of tweets, PM Narendra Modi had urged migrants not to travel to their hometowns warning them that such a move could spread the highly contagious infection more. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan and Punjab governments have announced lockdown in the states from March 21 -31. The Gujarat government has decided to lock down in six cities – Kutch, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara.
In Delhi, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced that 7 districts – Central, East Delhi, North Delhi, North West Delhi, North East Delhi, South Delhi, and West Delhi would be ut under lockdown.
All inter-state buses, passenger trains, and metro services have been suspended across the country till March 31, while 80 districts, where coronavirus cases were reported, have been under complete lockdown during the period. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of chief secretaries of all states and the cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the prime minister. The officials stressed that these steps were vital to end the chain of transmission. It was agreed that there was an urgent need to extend the restrictions on the movement of non-essential passenger transport, including interstate transport buses, till March 31 to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19.
Financial Express Online brings to you latest news and updates on Coronavirus cases and Janata Curfew in India, LIVE. Stay Tuned:
Pilibhit becomes 16th Uttar Pradesh district to be locked down till Wednesday: Govt official (PTI)
Shiv Sena MPs won’t attend Parliament’s budget session from Monday in view of coronavirus outbreak: Sanjay Raut (PTI)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel in quarantine after meeting virus-infected doctor: spokesman (AFP)
US Senator Rand Paul tests positive for coronavirus: staff (AFP)
New York has now over half of all coronavirus cases in the US and the highest number of deaths in the country, with state Governor Andrew Cuomo warning that the COVID-19 pandemic is not a short-term situation and could last for about 4-9 months. The US currently has 29,192 coronavirus cases and 374 deaths. Cuomo, addressing a press conference on Sunday, said that the New York state now has 15,168 cases of coronavirus and 114 deaths. “The numbers are still going up. We are trying to turn the trajectory but as of now the numbers are continuing to increase. What we are working very hard to do is to keep the rate of increase of the spread of the disease to a level that we can manage it in our hospital system,” he said. Cuomo pointed out that New York is testing more people than any other state in the country and per capita, more than any country on the globe, describing it as a “positive accomplishment”. (PTI)
Two more foreign returnees test positive on Sunday for coronavirus in Tamil Nadu. Total rises to nine: Govt (PTI)
Italy’s world-topping toll from the coronavirus pandemic approached 5,500 on Sunday after the Mediterranean country reported another 651 deaths. The latest daily toll was smaller than Saturday’s record 793 fatalities but still the second-highest registered during Italy’s month-long crisis. The number of new infections rose by 10.4 per cent to 59,138. Italy’s death toll now stands at 5,476. (AFP)
Of the 27 positive coronavirus cases in Delhi, 21 are of people who travelled to countries hit by the COVID-19 disease whereas the six others came in contact with the infected persons in India, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday. “We currently have 27 cases in Delhi. Of these, six are the ones who came in contact with one another (infected persons). Twenty-one cases are the ones who travelled abroad and they carried this virus from outside,” Kejriwal said. (PTI)
Considering the recent orders of government to lockdown Delhi till 31st March, it has been decided that all Voter centers will remain closed from 23 March till March 31: Chief Electoral Office, Delhi. (ANI)
Odisha: A criminal case has been registered against a person, who was in home quarantine after returning from the US, for defying official instructions and visiting a market in Purighat area of Cuttack, say Police. (ANI)
Nearly 340 people have been arrested in Sri Lanka for defying a nationwide curfew imposed by the government to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic that has claimed over 13,000 lives globally, police said on Sunday. The suspects were apprehended from areas coming under several police stations. Most of the total 338 people who have been arrested were found loitering on the roads despite restrictions. They were arrested for drinking at public places, driving on the roads, keeping their restaurants open, for unruly behaviour after drinking and selling merchandise during the curfew, the Colombo Page quoted police spokesman S P Jaliya Senaratne as saying. (PTI)
Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal appeals to people to stay indoors for next 2 weeks to prevent spread of coronavirus. (PTI)
A curfew will remain in place in Pune city of Maharashtra from 9 PM today to 5 AM tomorrow. No one except people discharging essential duties will be allowed to come out on the streets during this period: Pune Joint Police Commissioner Ravindra Shisve (ANI)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Sunday the coronavirus outbreak was “accelerating”, as fears grew that the crisis in Britain was following the same path as the one devastating Italy. Johnson said the health service could be “overwhelmed” as health department figures showed that 233 people died from COVID-19 in the UK, with the number of those testing positive for the virus standing at 5,018. |READ MORE
Govt of Rajasthan: Private hospitals & medical colleges having a capacity of 100 or more beds are instructed to earmark 25 per cent of their total number of beds for admitting suspect or positive cases of Coronavirus in the state. (ANI)
Jharkhand govt announces a lockdown till 31st March. Movement of all public transport prohibited. All shops, commercial institutions, offices, factories, godowns, weekly markets to remain closed. All places of worship to stay closed for devotees during this period. (ANI)
Budget session of Parliament likely to be concluded on Monday after passage of Finance Bill in both Houses: Sources (PTI)
Besides essential services all other activities will remain suspended in the state. Section 144 of CrPC will be imposed in the state till March 31: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel (ANI)
Kerala: Prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC have been imposed in Kasaragod and Kozhikode districts of the state to restrict gathering at public places. (ANI)
West Bengal: Three more people in the state test positive for Coronavirus. The three are the father, mother and the domestic help of a resident of Ballygunge, Kolkata who had returned from London and had tested positive. The number of positive cases in the state rises to 7. (ANI)
A 35-year-old student who was evacuated from coronavirus pandemic affected Italy last week had a cruel twist of fate when he was informed about the death of his father even as he was in quarantine at an ITBP facility in Delhi. The man, who is asymptomatic to the coronavirus pandemic till now, has been allowed to travel to his home state and perform the last rites of his father after a special exemption was made for him by central government health authorities. He was made to undergo two tests in a span of five days and he is under observation of state authorities, officials said. (PTI)
Delhi: The ongoing protest near Shiv Mandir at Nizamuddin West, against CAA, NRC and NPR, has been temporarily called off in the wake of coronavirus Pandemic. The organisers say that they will continue to register their protest from their houses through social media. (ANI)
Three more test positive for coronavirus in Kolkata, total cases in West Bengal rise to 7: Official (PTI)
China — excluding Hong Kong and Macau — where the outbreak emerged in December, has to date declared 81,054 cases, including 3,261 deaths, with 72,244 people recovered. The country declared 46 new cases and six new fatalities since Saturday. (AFP)
Indian Medical Association (IMA) writes to PM Narendra Modi appreciating his ‘gesture of motivating the public to show gratitude towards the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers who are risking their lives to contain the Coronavirus pandemic. (ANI)
As the number of coronavirus cases across the world continues to rise, Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong on Sunday wished his host country an early victory over the pandemic. “Pay tribute to all those who have contributed to the fight against COVID-19. Wish India an early victory over the epidemic,” Weidong said on Twitter. The total number of positive coronavirus cases in India stands at more than 340, according to the Health Ministry. Seven people have died in the country so far due to the contagion. Many Indian states have imposed partial or complete lockdowns for varying periods to hinder the spread of the virus. (PTI)
A person has been arrested under section 151 of CrPC for spreading misinformation about a girl being infected with COVID-19 in Dalanwala area of Dehradun in Uttarakhand: Police (ANI)
Fifteen more positive cases of coronavirus detected in Kerala; Total rises to 67, including three discharged. Health dept (PTI)
Telangana govt will ensure the availability of all essential services during the lockdown period. The govt will provide 12 kg rice free of cost and Rs 1500 to over 87 lakh people holding white ration cards in the state: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (ANI)
Nepal union cabinet has decided to seal Nepal-India and Nepal-China borders for a week, starting 10 AM (local time) on 23rd March. (ANI)
Six locally transmitted cases in Delhi are those who were in contact with people who returned from COVID-19 hit countries: CM Kejriwal (PTI)
India reported three more coronavirus deaths on Sunday, including the first casualties from Bihar and Gujarat, taking the toll to seven and the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 341, officials said, as authorities suspended all passenger train and inter-state bus services till March 31 in unprecedented steps to contain the spread of the infection. |READ MORE
China has started the first phase of a clinical trial for a novel coronavirus vaccine, records show, as the world’s scientists race to find a way to combat the deadly pathogen. It comes after US health officials said last week they had started a trial to evaluate a possible vaccine in Seattle. The Chinese effort began on March 16 — the same day as the US announcement — and is expected to continue until the end of the year, according to a filing in the country’s Clinical Trial Registry, dated March 17. (AFP)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced that 15 districts in the state would be under lockdown in the first phase till Wednesday in wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The announcement came soon after the Centre and state governments decided to put under lockdown 80 districts across the country, where cases of novel coronavirus have been reported. ‘Fifteen districts in the state will be locked down in the first phase from Monday,’ Adityanath told reporters in Gorakhpur. The districts where the lockdown has been enforced in the first phase are Lucknow, Agra, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Aligarh, Moradabad, Lakhimpur Kheiri, Bareilly, Azamgarh, Meerut, Gorakhpur and Saharanpur. (PTI) | READ MORE
Andhra Pradesh CM announces free ration to poor and Rs 1000 per family in view of lockdown. (PTI)
COVID-19: Jammu and Kashmir orders shutdown of all establishments and services except essential commodities till March 31. (PTI)
Bihar to enforce lockdown in all district headquarters, municipal towns and block headquarters till March 31: CM Nitish Kumar (PTI)
Woman, son test positive for coronavirus in Greater Noida (West), total no. of cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar 8: Officials. (PTI)
Death toll due to COVID-19 rises to 7 in India; total number of cases climb to 360: Union Health Ministry (PTI)
Movement of passenger public and private vehicles coming into Karnataka from neighbouring states shall be stopped. This order excludes goods vehicles, passengers moving under unavoidable circumstances and vehicles carrying essential commodities: Karanataka government (ANI)