India prepares for lockdown

Coronavirus (COVID-19) LIVE Updates: Ahead of the 'Janata curfew' on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday urged citizens to avoid all unnecessary travel and remain in their cities and towns. "Every small effort on our part will leave a big impact," he wrote on Twitter. The number of positive cases has risen to 298, including 23 recovered and four deaths, the Health Ministry said.

Addressing to the citizens of Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal Saturday assured the national capital is not under lockdown, however, steps will be taken towards it if the need arises. "We are not doing a lockdown currently but we might in future, if necessary for your betterment and safety," he said. The Chief Minister also promised to put several schemes in placet in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Globally, Italy reported a dramatic surge in coronavirus deaths at 627 Friday, taking the total number of casualties to 11,399 while the number of infected people topped 275,000. Wuhan in China reported no new cases even on Friday, sparking a glimmer of hope. While Italy has reported 4,032 deaths so far, China has reported 3,139 deaths, Iran 1,433 and Spain 1,093.

In an attempt to curb the spread of the virus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for a 'Janata curfew' on March 22 (Sunday) asking people to not step out of homes between 7 am and 9 pm. In an extraordinary decision, Indian Railways announced Friday that it would stop its services across the country from 7 am to 9 pm on Sunday during the Janata Curfew.

(Inputs and image from theindianexpress.com)