India is set to a halt soon as railway, metro and interstate bus services will be stopped to break the chain of coronavirus, which infected more than 400 people and killed seven persons.
The railways which had already cancelled more than 1,000 trains, has now announced to shut passenger train services as well as metro train till March 31; however, goods train are exempted. Interstate buses will also be suspended till March 31.
Several states, including Punjab and Rajasthan, Jharkhand have declared a complete lockdown till March 31; that involves shutting down public transport, malls and shops.
The Government said, only essential services will operate in 75 districts where confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported. The districts which have announced lockdown mostly are from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Janata Curfew against Coronavirus
More than a billion people in India stayed indoor and observed a 14-hour extended curfew to curb the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the curfew on March 19, asking citizens that it would be a test to assess the county’s ability to fight the virus.
PM Modi had urged people to stay indoors from morning 7 AM to evening 9 PM on March 22.
In a Tweet, PM Modi stated that “Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against Covid-19 menace. The steps we take now will help in the times to come.”
He also urged migrants not to travel to their hometowns, warning that such a move would lead to the spread of the highly contagious infection.
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As part of the curfew, at 5 PM, people around the nation as asked by PM Modi stood at balconies, near windows, outside the home clapped, ringed bells to show their appreciation for medical professionals and sanitation workers.
Religious places cancelled all the activities and actively took part in the curfew.
On March 21, India witnessed the biggest surge in Coronavirus cases as 80 more people were reported positive for COVID-19. As per the reports, Maharashtra and Kerala have the highest number of confirmed cases 67 and 60, respectively.
