New Delhi:
Total number of Covid-cases in India rose to 341 on Sunday,as the disease claimed lives of six people in the country.Two people in India, a 63-year-old man from Mumbai and a 38-year-old man in Patna, died due to coronavirus.The man who passed away at AIIMS in Patna and tested positive for COVID19, had foreign travel history to Qatar.
Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of Indians stayed indoors on Sunday, heeding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to citizens to self-isolate as authorities battled to contain the fast-spreading epidemic.
While the curfew is voluntary and is not an outright ban on the movement of people, Modi’s national appeal for social distancing has helped dramatically reduce the number of people taking to India’s densely crowded streets.
Experts have warned that the country’s cases are growing at rates seen during the early stages of the outbreak in other countries, which subsequently reported exponential increases in infections.
With over 1.3 billion people, India is trying to battle a pandemic with limited resources.
Minutes before the self-imposed curfew kicked in, Modi said the curbs would help authorities better fight the COVID-19 menace.
“The steps we take now will help in the times to come,” he said in the tweet.
While the curfew will be relaxed by Sunday evening, authorities have declared lockdowns in many cities and suspended several rail and road transport services as fears of community transmission of the virus grew across India.
“The curfew period has given us a chance to scale down each and every activity across India,” said a senior aide to Modi, adding that a more rigid approach could trigger protests or unrest.
“A breakdown of law and order will be the worst thing to happen at this point of time,” he said on conditions of anonymity.
In India’s financial capital, Mumbai, where millions of people depend on urban rail systems, only workers involved in essential services were allowed to travel on truncated services.
State leaders urged citizens not to rush to villages to prevent the virus spread but tensions have mounted as angry laborers protested at some bus stations against sudden closures of basic transport services.
Private events, such as weddings, and local elections were canceled. The federal government was accelerating the production of masks and allowed deodorant manufacturers to produce sanitizers.Modi has requested citizens to stand at balconies and near windows on Sunday evening to clap and ring bells to praise emergency personnel and sanitation workers who are at the frontline in the fight against coronavirus.
India has canceled most entry visas for people flying in from other countries.
Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp launched a helpline number to ensure circulation of accurate information after India’s technology ministry asked them to ramp up vigilance to prevent spread of misinformation about the virus outbreak.
With 400 million users, India is WhatsApp messenger’s biggest market.
Passenger Train services in the country cancelled
Indian Railways on Sunday cancelled all passenger trains till March 31 in the wake of coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) in the country. The order kicks in from Sunday (March 22).
"In continuation of the measures taken in the wake of Covid-19, it's been decided that all passenger trains shall be cancelled till March 31," the ministry of railways release noted.
Minimum suburban services, Kolkata Metro will continue till Mar 22 midnight. Thereafter, the services will stop. Passengers can avail the refund for all cancelled trains till mid June.
However, to ensure continuity of essential supplies across the country, goods trains are exempted. They will run as per schedule.
Train services in the country may come to a screeching halt as the government plans to curb train travel among panic-stricken citizens, to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The Indian Railways is considering stopping services of the 13,000 trains it runs daily, to prevent people from rushing to their hometowns as mega cities shut down.
This comes while 3,500 to 4,000 train services were already affected on Sunday amid the janta curfew imposed nationwide.
The curb on train travel may be in effect till March 25, according to sources, but clarity will emerge only once an official statement from the government is in.
Cos reduce prices of soaps hygiene products and ramp up production
FMCG players like HUL, Godrej Consumer and Patanjali said they are helping fight the Covid-19 outbreak by reducing the prices of soaps, hygiene products and ramping up production of these items.
Market leader Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) on Friday committed Rs 100 crore to help in combating the coronavirus pandemic.
"In the public interest, HUL is reducing the prices of Lifebuoy sanitizers, Lifebuoy Liquid handwash and Domex floor cleaners by 15 per cent. We are commencing production of these reduced-priced products immediately and these will be available in the market in the next few weeks," HUL said in a statement.
HUL will donate 2 crore pieces of Lifebuoy soaps in the next few months to the sections of the society which need it the most.
HUL CMD Sanjiv Mehta said, "in a crisis like this Companies have a big role to play. We are working closely with the Governments and our partners to ensure that we overcome this global health crisis together."
Haridwar-based Patanjali Ayurved said it has slashed prices of aloe vera and haldi-chandan soap variants by 12.5 per cent.
"In the light of the common man's problem, Swami Ramdev has decided to reduce the prices… to help the common people battle against the coronavirus," Patanjali Spokesperson S K Tijarawla said.
Godrej said it has decided not to pass on raw material price hikes to consumers.