Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said many people were not taking the lockdown in around 80 districts of the country seriously, and urged people to save themselves and their family. The Centre on Sunday asked states to make sure appropriate orders were sent out to allow only essential services to function in those districts that have reported confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.
“Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously,” the prime minister tweeted. “Please save yourself, save your family, follow the instructions seriously. I request the state governments to get the rules and laws followed.”
Coronavirus: What you need to know about the lockdown in dozens of districts of India
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As lockdown in Delhi began from 6 am on Monday till March 31, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged residents to “join this fight against COVID-19”. “The lockdown in Delhi begins today,” he tweeted. “My dear Delhiites, you faced troubles and contributed in fight against pollution whenever odd-even was implemented. You embraced the massive campaign against dengue. I am pretty confident that you will join this fight against COVID-19 and support the lockdown to protect your families.”
The Union health ministry has confirmed 29 cases of the virus in the national Capital with one of them being a foreign visitor. Out of these cases, five people have recovered from the disease, and a 68-year-old woman died on March 13. So far, the Centre has said there are 390 confirmed cases of the virus in the country, of which 359 are active. However, the Indian Council of Medical Research’s last update said a total of 415 people were infected as of Monday.
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