Coronavirus: India locks down 30 states, Union Territories after death toll rises

India adopted extreme measures to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak on Monday as the nation registered nearly 100 new cases within a day. India reported three Covid-19 deaths on Monday, taking the death toll to 10, while the total number of cases climbed to 499.

Maharashtra and Punjab were put under state-wide curfews, the rest of the country is in lockdown and all domestic flights are set to be grounded.

As many as 30 states and Union Territories have ordered complete lockdown under their jurisdiction in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The extreme measures by the central and state governments were taken in light of the continued upward trajectory of the virus, amid warning of legal action against those violating the restrictions imposed during the lockdown.

Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry has announced that the government has stepped measures to ensure the testing and treatment of Covid-19 cases. The ministry said that 12 private-lab chains have been registered for testing coronavirus cases. These 12 labs have 15,000 collection centres.

Covid-19 cases claimed three lives in India on Monday. A 55-year-old man, who had recently returned from Italy with his family and had tested positive for novel coronavirus, passed away in Kolkata. According to an official statement, the patient also suffered from heart-related ailments. It was West Bengal’s first casualty due to novel coronavirus.

Himachal Pradesh also registered its first death due to Covid-19. A 69-year-old man who recently travelled from the US died of coronavirus at a government hospital in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra. He had returned from the US on March 15. People he came in touch with during treatment and his return journey have been identified and put under home quarantine.

A Filipino man, who had earlier tested positive and then negative for coronavirus in Mumbai, passed away due to kidney failure on Monday. The 68-year-old man from the Philippines had initially tested positive for Covid-19 and was under treatment at the civic-run Kasturba Hospital. He was later shifted to a private hospital after his test report came out negative. He died at the private hospital late Sunday night.

Earlier, seven deaths have been reported from Gujarat, Bihar and Maharashtra (2), Karnataka, Delhi, and Punjab.

India on Monday registered the highest number of cases in a day. Maximum cases (28) were reported in Kerala, followed by 23 new cases in Maharashtra. The other states which reported new Covid-19 cases to include Gujarat (12) Tamil Nadu (2) and Bihar (1). Two cases were also reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida on Monday.

A total of 30 states and Union Territories covering 548 districts have announced a complete lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus. India has 28 states and eight UTs.

Apart from the 30 which have imposed a complete lockdown, three states - Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have locked down districts which have registered cases of the novel coronavirus. U{P has put 16 districts under lockdown, MP 37 and Odisha 5, along with 6 municipality jurisdictions. Lakshadweep has put in some restrictions.

While Punjab and Maharashtra have imposed curfews, the states which have issued no restrictions are Sikkim and Mizoram.

Stepping up its efforts to tackle the unprecedented situation arising out of the coronavirus breakout, the aviation ministry announced that no domestic commercial passenger flight would be allowed to operate in the country from March 25 onward. India has already banned international flights for a week from Sunday.

Late on Monday night, the government announced that it is shutting down all 107 ports of entry at airports, seaports and land routes.

States across India are not taking violations of curfew, lockdown and home quarantine lightly. Scores of people were challaned, booked under the provisions of the Epidemic Act and sent to isolation wards across India for not following measures to ensure their own and public safety.

Several cops across UP, Rajasthan, Gujarat and other states made lockdown violators hold posters saying ‘I am enemy of the state, I venture out during lockdown for no reason’.

The Ghaziabad police on Monday booked 200 people for violating the lockdown orders imposed in the wake of the coronavirus threat.

In Noida, police issued 2,000 challans and penalties against those violating Section 144 on the first day of the lockdown.

In Kolkata, a couple was forced to move to the isolation ward after they were spotted violating home quarantine.

A DSP in Hyderabad was booked after he failed to inform the health authorities about the arrival of his son, who later tested positive for coronavirus. The DSP’s son had returned from London recently.

PM Modi requests people to follow govt instructions

Careless behaviour of a section of society in India prompted Priem Minister Narendra Modi to issue a request urging every Indian to follow the norms of lockdown to make it effective.

“Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. Please save yourself, save your family, follow the instructions seriously. I request state governments to ensure rules and laws are followed,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

PM Modi also 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.

Observing that the human costs of the coronavirus pandemic are already immeasurable, the IMF on Monday said the world is headed towards a recession at least as bad as during the global financial crisis or worse.

The outlook for global growth, for 2020 it is negative -- a recession at least as bad as during the global financial crisis or worse, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.

The Indian stock market suffered worst-ever single-day crash on Monday, with the benchmark indices plunging as much as 13.15 per cent, as panicked investors remained in sell-off mode amid lockdowns in several states in the country due to mounting coronavirus cases.

The BSE benchmark Sensex plummetted 3,935 points or 13. 15 per cent to close at 25,981.24; while the NSE barometer Nifty cracked 1,135.20 points or 12.98 per cent to settle at 7,610.25.

On the currency front, the Indian rupee plunged below the 76-level (intra-day) for the first time.

Global stocks too roiled after nations across the world announced lockdowns in an effort to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, spiking fears of a mammoth global recession.

In the global market, bourses in China, Hong Kong and South Korea plunged up to 5 per cent, while those in Japan ended on a positive note. Bourses in Europe sank up to 4 per cent.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Indian companies to maintain production lines of essential commodities and ensure there is no hoarding as well as black marketing in the wake of the country fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

Interacting with industry representatives via video-conferencing, Modi said the impact of the pandemic on the economy will be felt for some time to come with several sectors such as tourism, construction and hospitality being hit.

He asked India Inc to allow employees to work from home and not to cut down on workforce in spite of the pandemic’s negative impact on their businesses.

Source: India Today