Covid-19 scare: 30 states, UTs in complete lockdown

A total of 30 states and Union Territories have imposed complete lockdown, covering a total of 548 districts in the country, to check the spread of coronavirus, the government said on Monday.

Six other states have put in place similar restrictions in some areas in the wake of the outbreak.

There are 28 states, eight UTs and in the country.

On Sunday, 80 districts were under lockdown.

The central government has also asked states to enforce additional restrictions, if necessary, leading to imposition of curfew in Punjab and Maharashtra.

As many people continued to venture out despite the lockdown order, Puducherry, besides Punjab and Maharashtra, also ordered curfew so that no one goes out of home.

A tweet by the Press Information Bureau said the states which have imposed lockdown in all districts include Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland.

The other states are: Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Ladakh, Tripura, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana, Daman Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Karnataka and Assam.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to state governments to ensure that rules and regulations of the coronavirus lockdown are enforced strictly as he noted that many people were not following the measures seriously.

'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,' Modi said in a tweet in Hindi.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to nine on Monday after West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh reported a casualty each, while the number of confirmed cases soared to 468, the Union Health Ministry said.

The central and state governments had on Sunday announced lockdown in about 80 districts where at least one confirmed case of Covid-19 was reported.

In a late night tweet, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said, 'After assessing the situation of covid-19, we have decided to lockdown not just 9 districts but the whole state of Karnataka starting tomorrow till March 31st. I request all citizens to co-operate and please stay indoors.'

He also appealed to the people not to resort to bulk buying or hoarding.

'Please note that there is no need for bulk buying, hoarding or any sort of panic. Food supply and grocery shops will be open for all as usual. Your co-operation is extremely important here and we can fight this,' he said.

In another tweet in Kannada, he said, the total lockdown was extended to the entire state 'to control covid-19 infection which is spreading at dangerous level'.

In view of the lockdown enforced in urban areas of the state, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday announced a 'package' under which one month ration will be given for free to all the
card holders.

Three months advance pension will be given immediately to all the beneficiaries of schemes like Mukhya Mantri Vridhjan Pension, those given to differently abled persons, widows and old age over pensioners, Kumar said.

The amount will be directly transferred in their bank accounts, the chief minister said in an official statement.

He also announced that Rs 1,000 per family will be given to all the ration card holding families of urban local bodies and panchayat of block headquarters witnessing lockdown due to COVID-19 outbreak.

The amount will be transferafter to their accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer, he said after a review meeting on coronavirus in Patna.

In Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced imposition of curfew across the state, severely restricting movement of vehicles and people by sealing inter-state and inter-district borders.

A senior officer from Mumbai police control room said that the CM's announcement would mean a near-total lockdown.

"Nobody should venture out of their houses if there is no emergency or life-threatening situation," he said on the condition of anonymity.

"People can venture out to buy vegetables, food items, groceries and medicines, milk, bread and biscuits, etc., but those violating imposition of Section 144 will be strictly dealt with" he said.

"Action can be taken against such people under Section 188 (of Indian Penal Code) and the same has been declared by the state administration," he said.

Maharashtra continued to report highest single-day cases with 15 people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in the state in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 89.

Of these 11 are from Mumbai, three from Thane, Vasai-Virar and Navi Mumbai, all part of the commercial capital's metropolitan region, and one from Pune, according to an official statement.

"The total number of Covid-19 patients is now 89. Out of 14 positive patients in Mumbai (metropolitan) region, nine got the infection from their family member or friends who have earlier tested positive for the pandemic disease, while the remaining five have a travel history from Dubai, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Australia and England," it said.

The Delhi Police on Monday appealed to people through social media and public announcement systems to stay at home and venture out only in case of an emergency.

The city will be under lockdown till March 31 midnight amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Delhi Police has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in the national capital till March 31 in view of the coronavirus outbreak, banning protests and other gatherings.

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code bans assembly of four or more people in one place.

Kerala also decided to go in for a total lockdown from Monday midnight till March 31 with 28 new positive COVID-19 cases, the highest on a single day, being reported on Monday, taking the total number of people under treatment to 91 and more than 64,000 under surveillance.

With positive cases continuing to rise, the government decided to go in for the lockdown from midnight tonight till month end, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who held a series of high-level meetings with various departments and stakeholders, said.

At least 64,320 are under surveillance in the state and 383 are in isolation wards of various hospitals.

Of the 28 new cases, 19 are from the worst-affected northern district of Kasaragod, five are from Kannur, one from Pathnamthitta, two from Ernakulam and one from Thrissur, Vijayan told reporters after a COVID-19 review meeting.

This is the highest number of positive cases detected in the state on a single day.

Within the last four days, the state had recorded 67 positive cases.

As part of the lockdown, the state's borders will remain closed, state run KSRTC and private buses would be off the roads, but private vehicles would be allowed.

Banks would be open only till 2 pm.

"All essential materials will be made available. All state borders will remain closed. There will not be any public transportation.KSRTC and private buses will not ply, but private vehicles would be allowed. Petrol pumps would not be shut and LPG distribution will not be affected," Vijayan said.

Hotels will be opened but only takeaway facility would be allowed.

"We will also request the RBI to disinfect currency notes and coins.Essential shops will remain open from 7 am to 5 pm in the evening. But medical shops are exempted from this," Vijayan said.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba wrote a letter to State Chief Secretaries urging them to monitor the situation round the clock.

Gauba said additional restrictions if necessary may be imposed and all current restrictions must be enforced strongly.

All violations should be met with legal action, the cabinet secretary told the states and UTs.