Coronavirus Update: Confirmed Cases Rise to 415 Says Health Ministry; HP under Complete Lockdown

With major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai wearing a deserted look on Monday morning, PTI reported 415 confirmed cases of those affected by coronavirus, citing official data.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the death toll due to COVID-19 in the country is seven. In a bid to contain the virus that has claimed thousands of lives across the globe, the Government of India, in coordination with State governments, took several steps on Sunday.

On Monday, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur told the state assembly that HP will be placed under lockdown till further orders.

On Sunday, the Centre announced a complete lock down of 75 districts in 22 states and Union Territories. The government suspended all passenger trains, inter-state buses and metro services across the country till March 31.

Similarly, many state governments including Delhi, Jharkhand, Punjab and Nagaland have declared a state-wide lock down, allowing for only essential services. Similar restrictions on movement and assembly of people have been imposed in other states as well.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted saying that many are not taking the lock down seriously. He urged the state governments to ensure that the directives are followed by people.

In a high level meeting of chief secretaries of all states and union territories on March 22, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba advised “suitable restrictions under Section 144 of CrPC” to ensure no large scale movement or assembly of people.

The cabinet secretary also advised industries and establishments to allow employees to work from home and provide remuneration to them during the period. All states and UTs may take proactive measures to mitigate hardships caused to the poor and vulnerable sections, the official statement added.

On Monday, the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee offered the serai (inn) at Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tilla in New Delhi, for setting up isolation wards and quarantine facilities, PTI reported.

In a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, DSGMC president Manjinder Sirsa said all 20 rooms in the inn, equipped with modern facilities, can be used for this purpose.

He said the DSGMC will provide separate rooms for heath staff, ample parking in Gurdwara premises and “the most safe and secure environment”.

“The Gurdwara Committee is fully prepared to provide packed food packets to government agencies and other needy institutions. We can give 10 lakh food packets immediately to the government,” PTI quoted Sirsa as saying.

On Sunday, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra took to Twitter to announce that his company will immediately start working on manufacturing ventilators. He also offered Club Mahindra Holidays’ resorts as temporary care facilities.