Coronavirus has claimed seven lives in India, out of these, three people died today. According to recent data released by the government of India, the total number of COVID-19 cases in India has surged to 339 across 20 states and three union territories. India is in stage two (i.e local transmission) of coronavirus outbreak and if don’t take action now, our country might reach the third stage, which is community transmission. After a spike in the number of cases within a span of 48 hours, the government has extended restrictive measures.
Also read: 5 Coronavirus Myths Busted
Pan-India Lockdown Across 75 Districts
While some major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru have been put under lockdown, restrictions have been placed in 75 coronavirus-affected districts across the country.
Telangana: CM K Chandrashekar Rao has declared lockdown till March 31. Also, 12 kgs of rice will be distributed to all white ration cardholders, and they will be given Rs 1,500 each.
Delhi: All borders of the national capital have been sealed. Delhi will also go on lockdown from 6 am tomorrow till March 31. No public transport, taxis, autos and rickshaws will run. Interstate bus and train services will also stand suspended.
Uttar Pradesh: Lockdown in across 15 districts including Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Varanasi, Bareilly, Lucknow, Saharanpur, Meerut, Lakhimpur, Barabanki, Murabadabad, Gorakhpur and Azamgarh has been announced. All religious places will remain shut as well.
Here’s a state-wise breakdown of the other districts under lockdown:
Andhra Pradesh: Prakasam, Vijaywada and Vizag
Chandigarh: Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh: Raipur
Delhi: Central, East Delhi, North Delhi, North West Delhi, North East Delhi, South Delhi and West Delhi
Gujarat: Kutchh, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad
Haryana: Faridabad, Sonepat, Panchkula, Panipat and Gurugram
Himachal Pradesh: Kangra
Jammu & Kashmir: Srinagar and Jammu
Rajasthan: Bilwara, Jhunjhunu, Sikar and Jaipur
Tamil Nadu: Chennai, Erode and Kanchipurum
Telangana: Bhadradri Kothagudam, Hyderabad, Medchai, Ranga reddy and Sanga Reddy
Uttarakhand: Dehradun
West Bengal: Kolkata and North 24 Parganas
Karnataka: Bangalore, Chikkaballapura, Mysore, Kodagu and Kalaburgi
Kerala: Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kannur, Kasargod, Kottayam, Mallapuram, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur
Ladakh: Kargil and Leh
Madhya Pradesh: Jabalpur
Maharashtra: Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Mumbai Sub-Urb, Pune, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Thane and Yavatmal
Odisha: Khurda
Puducherry: Mahe
Punjab: Hoshiarpur, SAS Nagar and SBS Nagar
Do Not Panic: Here’s What This Lockdown Means
The government has declared that essential services will remain functional. Delhi CM Kejriwal announced that print and electronic media will continue operations. Also, essential dairy items will be available and grocery stores and pharmacists would remain open. Offices of the Central government will function with only essential staff till March 31.
Amid The Lockdown, India Joins Hands To Thank Heroes
Meanwhile, Indians got together to show solidarity and express their gratitude to the frontline heroes who are doing every bit to keep us safe at the time of the pandemic. The clanging sounds rang in the air as people stepped out in their balconies at 5 pm today.
Karan Johar
Amitabh Bachchan & Family
Akshay Kumar
Varun Dhawan & Family
Karisma Kapoor
Neha Dhupia
Janhvi Kapoor
Not just celebrities, commoners from across the country also clapped, rang bells and were seen clanging utensils.
Punjab
#WATCH Punjab: People come out on their balconies to clap, clang utensils and ring bells to express their gratitude to those providing essential services amid #CoronavirusPandemic. Visuals from Amritsar. pic.twitter.com/PUJgDlCBId
— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020
Mumbai
From #Jogeshwari #JantaCurfew pic.twitter.com/qewxnBKbmh
— Mumbai Mirror (@MumbaiMirror) March 22, 2020
Uttarakhand
#WATCH Uttarakhand: People come out on their terraces and balconies to clap, clang utensils and ring bells to express their gratitude to those providing essential services amid. #CoronavirusPandemic. Visuals from Dehradun pic.twitter.com/5Jn0rYGD9R
— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020
However, is the lockdown and curfew enough? Well, PM Narendra Modi said that today is just a beginning of a long fight against the novel virus. The sad pictures of Italy that has become the new epicentre prove that India can learn from the country’s experience–and mistakes. Therefore, closing down before a high number of cases emerge has become the need of the hour. We as a country must stand prepared to save each other. Let’s make wise choices and act responsibly to save our country from facing thousands of deaths. We are in this together. #StayHomeStaySafe
Featured Image: Twitter
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