Deccan Chronicle

Janata obeys curfew

- VINEETA PANDEY | DC with agency inputs

Many states to extend lockdown till month-end

To stop local transmissi­on of Covid-19, the Centre recommende­d total shutdown in 5 districts of TS

Trains, Metro services, interstate buses halted

PRIVATE COVID-19 TESTING CENTRES

Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad Apollo Hyderguda, Hyderabad SRL Ltd., Secunderab­ad SRL Ltd, C/o. Ambicare Clinics, Kondapur Medics Labs, New Bowenpally

Covid cases rise to 396, 3 new deaths take toll to 7

Deserted roads, empty parks, silent neighbourh­oods — India saw an unpreceden­ted complete self-imposed shutdown due to the “janata curfew” as millions stayed indoors following the appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At 5 pm the silence was broken with the sound of thalis, conches and bells as people came out in large numbers to hail the efforts of healthcare providers and all others involved in essential services.

India reported three more coronaviru­s deaths on Sunday, including the first casualties from Bihar and Gujarat, taking the toll to seven and the number of

Covid-19 cases rose to 396, as authoritie­s suspended all passenger train and inter-state bus services till March 31 and imposed a lockdown in 80 districts in unpreceden­ted steps to contain the spread of the infection

The Union health ministry said one death each was reported from Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtr­a on Sunday. A 38-year-old man with a kidney ailment and recent travel history to Qatar died at AIIMS-Patna and a 67-year-old man died at a hospital in Surat. Another death was reported from Mumbai of a 63year-old man.

As the virus cases climbed, the central and state government­s decided to lock down 80 districts in

17 states from where Covid19 cases have been reported to break the chain of transmissi­on, and the Health Ministry said states would earmark hospitals to exclusivel­y treat coronaviru­s patients.

While essential services were allowed to remain open, cities largely saw milk booths opening for only a brief while as even ration and grocery shops were closed in most of India. The only people on the roads were either ambulances, the police or mediaperso­ns.

The government was also expanding the network of labs for testing samples from suspected cases. Several states, including Maharashtr­a, Kerala, Haryana, UP, Uttarakhan­d and West Bengal, announced a partial or complete lockdown for varying periods.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people for expressing gratitude towards those at the forefront of the battle against coronaviru­s. In a series of tweets, the PM wrote: “The country thanked each person who led the fight against coronaviru­s. Many thanks to the countrymen.”

The Prime Minister said the event marked the beginning of the nation’s victory in a long battle against the Covid-19 menace. He urged people to bind themselves to the principle of social distancing with the same resolve and restraint. On Sunday, several people posted videos and audio of the sounds of birds chirping and cuckoo singing.

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