Coronavirus India Lockdown Updates: Total Cases Rise To 536 As India Goes Under Lockdown

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has imposed a 21-day total lockdown in India to contain the spread of Covid-19, which has 536 confirmed cases in India.

“If we listen to the health experts we know that 21 days are crucial to break the cycle of transmission,” Modi said in his televised address to the nation on Tuesday. “For a few days forget what it means to go out. Today’s decision of a nationwide lockdown draws a line outside your home.”

India is rushing now to contain the economic and health fallout of the spreading coronavirus outbreak that has so far infected 536 in India and killed 10 people. Cases have more than tripled in the last five days.

Track latest updates on how the coronavirus situation is evolving in India here:

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday set up a Covid-19 relief fund to be utilised for the welfare of people in distress due to coronavirus. He asked people to "donate generously".

According to a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office, the relief fund account would enable people to make contributions digitally through various payment gateways facilitating quick and easy transfer. The chief minister also called upon the people to work towards helping their Punjabi fellows.

He said the people's contribution to the fund would be a welfare step for the poor and the under-privileged during the coronavirus lockdown period.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of a 21-day India lockdown, the Indian Railways said that its suspension of all passenger trains will continue till April 14. Freight movement will continue to carry essential commodities across the country.

The railways had on Sunday announced suspension of all its passenger services from March 22 midnight to March 31 amid concerns that coronavirus-infected passengers were spreading the virus further.

The suspensions also included all suburban train services.

Passengers can claim a full refund for all trains cancelled in this period till June 21.

In view of the 21-day India lockdown that comes into effect midnight, Supreme Court has adjourned all cases which were listed to take place via video conferencing on Wednesday.

The process for framing of the National Population Register and 2021 Census have been deferred indefinitely after the Prime Minister's announcement of the 21-day India shutdown, government officials said.

The cancellation of Indian Premier League looks inevitable after Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared a 21-day lockdown to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier on Tuesday, the 2020 Japan Olympics was postponed to 2021.

When the Board for Control of Cricket in India had postponed IPL 2020 to April 15 earlier this month, it had said hosting the tournament would only come into the picture if the situation around the pandemic improves. The situation has only worsened since then with Covid-19 cases crossing the 500-mark in India.

Speaking to PTI, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said, "I can't say anything at the moment. We are at the same place where we were on the day we postponed. Nothing has changed in the last 10 days. So, I don't have an answer to it. Status quo remains.”

The league was originally scheduled to start on March 29 in Mumbai.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has issued guidelines for the 21-day India lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

• All transport services—road, rail and air—to remain suspended.
• Executive magistrates will be deployed by district magistrate to enforce lockdown.
• Hospitals, nursing homes, police, fire stations, ATMs will continue to work.
• Fair price shops and those dealing with food, groceries, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, fish, animal fodder to remain open.
• Banks, insurance offices, print and electronic media to remain open.
• Not abiding with the shutdown or making false alarm may result in one-year jail.
• Not more than 20 people permitted during funerals in the lockdown period.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said people need not panic about availability of essential commodities and medicines during the 21-day India lockdown as the central and various state governments will work together to ensure this.

Modi requested people to refrain from "panic buying." "My fellow citizens, there is absolutely no need to panic," Modi tweeted soon after his address to the nation in which he announced the lockdown.

He said by converging around shops, people are risking the spread of Covid-19, while asserting that Centre and state governments will ensure all essentials are available. "Essential commodities, medicines etc. would be available. Centre and various state governments will work in close coordination to ensure this," he said.

"Together, we will fight Covid-19 and create a healthier India," he said.

All transport services—rail, air road, will be suspended—as part of the 21-day India lockdown that begins from midnight today, according to home minstry guidelines. Transportation for essential goods, fire, law and other emergency services, will however continue.

SGX Nifty futures fell 3.5 percent after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a full lockdown in India for 21 days to contain the spread of coronavirus infections. The lockdown comes into effect midnight.

The prime minister said his government has allocated an extra Rs 15,000 crore to the country's healthcare infrastructure to fight Covid-19.

“If we listen to the experts we know that 21 days are crucial to break the cycle of transmission,” Modi said in his address to the nation today. “For a few days forget what it means to go out. Today’s decision of a nationwide lockdown draws a line outside your home.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the nation tonight at 8 p.m. amid wide expectations of an official full-scale lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. Thirty out of 36 states and union territories have already announced lockdowns, barring the availability of essential services.

This is the prime minister second address to the nation on the pandemic, which has so far infected more than 500 people and claimed lives of 10 others. In his first address, Modi asked citizens a ‘Janta Curfew' on March 22 with a show of appreciation at 5:00 pm for those fighting the coronavirus.

You can watch PM Modi’s live speech on coronavirus here:

The Indian Council of Medical Research said that it has started the validation of commercial testing kits for Covid-19.

We have received 15 kits so far and out of that three kits have been approved so far, ICMR Chief Epidemiologist RR Gangakhedkar said in a press briefing. Out of the 3 approved, one is a domestic manufacturer.

Besides, the apex health research body has also started approving private labs for testing. It has, till date, selected 22 private labs that have a network of 15,000 collection centres across India.

There are 118 testing labs active in testing for coronavirus. These labs are capable of testing 12,000 samples a day.

With this access to testing in the county has tremendously increased, Gangakhedkar said.

The cabinet secretary has requested all state chief secretaries to pull all resources for upgrading their health infrastructure and ensure that all medical institutes and dedicated Covid-19 hospitals have the required equipment.

Gujarat, Assam, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Goa are some of the states that have already started work to have a dedicated hospital for Covid-19, joint secretary of health ministry Lav Agarwal said in the daily press briefing. Procurement initiative has also started to ensure that there is no shortage of any essential equipments, he said.

It was also decided at a cabinet secretary level meeting that research-related organisations in India like the DRDO will be roped in to promote indigenous manufacturing and provide ventilators in sufficient quantity, Agarwal said. State governments have also been asked to place order of any equipments that is needed at this point.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment has issued an advisory to states and union territories to use the cess fund collected by the Labour Welfare Boards and transfer them to the account of construction workers through the direct benefit transfer mode.

About Rs 52,000 crore is available as the cess fund and almost 3.5 crore construction workers are registered with these welfare boards, said Santosh Kumar Gangwar, the minister of state for the labour ministry, ANI reported.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to address the nation today regarding “statutory and regulatory compliance matters”, according to her tweet.

Follow live updates from Finance Minister’s briefing here.

As people continue to venture out despite lockdown, the Centre has advised state governments and union territory administrations to impose curfew wherever necessary in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said on Tuesday.

A top functionary of the central government has called up some of the chief ministers and apprised them of the necessity of imposing the curfew if people continue to venture out of their homes.

The state governments and the union territory administrations have been advised to impose curfew wherever necessary as many people continue to go out of their homes despite the lockdown ordered to check the spread of the virus, a government official told PTI.

The state governments have been conveyed that public gatherings could lead to escalation of the prevailing situation as so far nearly 500 positive cases have been reported from different parts of the country.

"Now, it is up to the state governments to take action as per the local situation and give necessary instructions to the district magistrates who have the powers to impose curfew," the official said.

The move came as 32 states and union territories announced complete lockdown to deal with the pandemic. A few states - Punjab and Maharashtra - and a UT - Puducherry - have already declared curfew in their respective areas.

Source: PTI

Authorities in Kashmir tightened curbs on the movement of people to prevent the spread of coronavirus on Tuesday, a day after 49 people were arrested for violating the lockdown order, officials said.

Restrictions were intensified with security forces sealing off many roads and erecting barricades to check unwanted movement of people across the valley to enforce the lockdown for containing the spread of the coronavirus infection, the officials said.

They said the authorities ordered stricter restrictions on Tuesday in view of the instances of non-cooperation and violations of restrictions from the general public reported at several places across the valley.

Police vehicles fitted with public address systems went around the residential areas in the city here and elsewhere in the valley on late Monday as well as early in the morning on Tuesday to announce that restrictions under Section 144 CrPC had been imposed.

They advised people to stay indoors.

The union territory administration on Sunday announced a lockdown across Jammu & Kashmir till March 31 as part of its efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The administration said 16 essential services, including healthcare personnel, have been exempted from the restrictions.

Source: PTI

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has directed all states and union territories to ensure "operational continuity" of print and electronic media in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

In a letter to the chief secretaries of all states and union territories on March 23, the ministry said robust and essential information dissemination networks like TV channels, news agencies "are of utmost importance to ensure timely and authentic information dissemination".

Source: PTI

The Chhattisgarh-based relatives of a Covid-19 patient, who died in West Bengal, have been placed under home quarantine after it came to light that the deceased visited them last month, a health official said.

Soon after getting information about the deceased's travel history, at least 15 of his relatives staying in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh were identified on Monday and advised to stay in home isolation, he said.

The deceased visited Bilaspur last month and had met all these relatives. Their samples are being taken for testing and they are under observation, the official said.

The 57-year-old Covid-19 patient, who was a resident of Dumdum in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, died at a private hospital there on Monday.

Meanwhile, samples of 10 people tested for possible exposure to novel coronavirus in Chhattisgarh have returned negative while reports of six others are awaited, the health official said.

Source: PTI

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India now stands at 492, according to the Health Ministry’s update this morning, with nine deaths and 36 people cured or discharged.

Much of India remains huddled in lockdown and airlines prepare to stop passenger operations in desperate measures to curtail movement of people and curb further spread of the highly infectious Covid-19.

India, which has 492 confirmed cases now, has seen its infections more than double in the past four days. Just on March 19, it had reported 169 cases. The country has also seen nine deaths--the most recent one in Himachal Pradesh.

As the infections kept the upward trajectory, state governments decided to take extraordinary measures and extend restrictions.

Thirty out of the 36 states and union territories in India have imposed a complete lockdown. Only Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha are the ones that have announced partial lockdown of some areas. Lakshwadeep has only announced restrictions on some activities. Sikkim and Mizoram have not issued any order yet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked state governments to ensure that rules and regulations of the coronavirus lockdown are enforced as he noted that many people are not taking the measure seriously. The central government has also said that there will be legal action against violators of the lockdown.