To counter the threat from the highly contagious COVID-19, which has disrupted economies and killed thousands across the world, today million across the country are staying indoor.
All train services shall be suspended till March 25 as the number of Covid-19 cases in India went up to 324, indicates reports citing Indian Railways. A notification in this regard is likely today. Of the confirmed coronavirus cases in India, 296 are active cases, while 23 have recovered. The total figure also includes four fatalities.
As the number of cases continues to rise, India is witnessing an unprecedented shutdown following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for a ‘Janata curfew’. The ‘Janata curfew’ got underway at 7 am and will continue till 9pm.
People are largely keeping themselves indoor as part of the social distancing exercise to stop the spread of the virus and bare number of public transport vehicles are plying on nearly empty roads. All markets and establishments except those dealing in essential goods and services will be closed for the day.
Punjab, meanwhile, has become the fifth states to announce a lockdown till March 31, following similar announcements by Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Bihar.
No passenger train will originate from any railway station in the country till 10pm and Metro services, including in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, will remain suspended for the day.
Air carriers like GoAir, IndiGo and Vistara have announced that they will be curtailing domestic operations on Sunday.
The ‘Janata Curfew’ will end at 9 pm. Ahead of the start of the curfew, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences. Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace”. He said the steps to be taken now will help in the times to come.
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