NEW DELHI: India will intensify the Covid-19 lockdown by stopping all domestic flights from midnight on Tuesday and said those out and about without good reason could face arrest and jail time. The infection count rose to 468 on Monday from 396 the day before while the death toll rose to nine. Maharashtra and Punjab stepped up the shutdown already prevailing in the states by imposing a full curfew, as did Puducherry.The Centre asked all states to take strict legal action against violators after PM Narendra Modi tweeted his displeasure amid TV pictures of people milling about in crowded markets and elsewhere.“Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. Please follow directions seriously and save yourselves and your family. I urge states to get the rules and law followed,” Modi tweeted.Apart from those classed as performing essential services, people venturing out could be arrested, fined up to Rs 1,000 and jailed for as much as six months. The global death toll exceeded 16,000 and infections rose to more than 366,000.Chief ministers, including Maharashtra’s Uddhav Thackeray and West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, had called on Prime Minister Modi to suspend domestic flights after other forms of public transport such as trains, metro systems and buses had been halted or severely restricted. Ticket prices shot up for those flights that would beat the ban.The capital’s borders with neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana were clogged with cars trying to get across. Police turned back those who couldn’t show a valid reason for travelling.India also established a fast-track mechanism for validation of testing kits from domestic manufacturers by the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV), in anticipation of a possible surge in cases over the coming weeks. The move will help Indian companies produce kits and supply them to private and government laboratories.Prime Minister Modi called on industry leaders and other stakeholders not to fire workers and said the outbreak’s effects on the economy will be felt for some time to come, with sectors such as tourism, construction and hospitality being hit. He asked companies to maintain production of essential commodities and ensure there is no hoarding. Industry leaders and others who participated in the video-conference with him included Uday Kotak, Anil Agrawal, Sangeeta Reddy, Vikram Kirloskar, Venu Srinivasan and Naresh Trehan.The states will invoke Sections 188 and 269 of the Indian Penal Code, which are both bailable. As many as 30 states and union territories, totaling 548 districts, imposed total lockdowns. Maharashtra and Kerala have reported the maximum number of Covid-19 cases in the country at 89 and 67, respectively. Maharashtra’s district borders will also be sealed, further restricting travel. Tamil Nadu and Assam announced a lockdown from Tuesday.The Prime Minister, who remained indoors at Lok Kalyan Marg residence all day, also held a video call with electronic media chiefs, during which he asked them to run awareness campaigns to persuade people to stay at home, ensure that they didn’t get complacent and become careless besides countering pessimism and panic through positive communication.Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba underlined the need to be strict with violators in a letter to all state chief secretaries as did home secretary Ajay Bhalla in a video-conference with state police chiefs. The Centre will monitor the progress of such legal action in states, which have been asked to even impose additional restrictions if necessary.At least two state police chiefs told ET that action has begun against those who breached the lockdown and were not associated with essential services. The Centre has asked them to take action under the IPC, the Epidemic Diseases Act and the Disaster Management Act. “Arresting someone and taking them to the police station can act as a deterrent to others though they will be given bail there,” one state police chief said.Section 188 implies violation of orders by a public servant that can endanger human life, health or safety. The other two sections that can be invoked, the state police chiefs said, were 269 and 270 for infected people flouting quarantine rules. These sections imply negligent acts and malignant acts respectively, to spread infection of disease dangerous to life.Sections 188 and 269 come with a jail term up to six months and a fine of Rs 1,000 and are bailable. Section 270 stipulates jail of up to two years. Singer Kanika Kapoor, who had tested positive for Covid-19, was charged by the Uttar Pradesh police under all the three sections for attending parties upon her return from the UK and not going into self-quarantine. The states and UTs that have now imposed full lockdowns include Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Kerala Chandigarh, Goa, J&K, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Haryana, Tripura, Karnataka, Assam and Gujarat. Maharashtra, Punjab and Puducherry have imposed curfews, as mentioned above. Uttar Pradesh has implemented a partial lockdown as has Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.