Karnataka on Friday went into a virtual coronavirus-induced lockdown with a week-long ban on social gatherings, including weddings and birthday parties, even as a clutch of other states scurried to stem the spread of Covid-19 by shutting schools, colleges, cinema halls, auditoriums, pubs, gyms and public swimming pools for varying periods.

While educational institutions, malls, theatres, pubs and nightclubs across Karnataka will remain closed for a week from Saturday, the government has allowed restaurants, bars and shops to stay open. Residential schools have been asked to take special precautions.

In Maharashtra, where three new Covid-19 cases were reported on Friday, CM Uddhav Thackeray announced that theatres, auditoriums, swimming pools and gyms in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur would be shut from midnight on Friday till at least March 30.

Malls and restaurants will function as usual, though Thackeray advised people to avoid visiting any crowded place unless absolutely necessary. "We have asked event management companies to call off all types of cultural, religious and sports events involving large groups. Permission given earlier to organise such events stand cancelled," he said.

The CM appealed to private companies to allow employees to work from home wherever possible.

Bihar, UP, MP, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Manipur were among the states that announced the closure of state-run and private schools and higher education institutes for at least a couple of weeks.

In UP, all primary and upper primary schools will remain shut till March 22. IIT-Kanpur has extended its mid-semester recess till March 29. Annual exams in schools functioning under the basic education department will be held after March 23. Board exams will be held as scheduled.

"There is no need to panic. The decisions taken by the government will be reviewed on March 20," UP CM Yogi Adityanath said.

Bihar ordered the closure of all schools, colleges, private coaching institutes, cinema halls, parks and several other public places till March 31. The state health department also cancelled leave granted to doctors and medical support staff. Bihar Diwas celebrations, scheduled for March 22 to 24, have also been indefinitely postponed.

Punjab ordered the closure of all schools from Saturday till March 31 while Haryana restricted the shutdown of government and private schools to five districts of the NCR region - Sonipat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Faridabad and Gurgaon. Exams will be held as scheduled, officials said.

In Odisha, CM Naveen Patnaik ordered cinema halls and gyms to stay shut till March 31 along with schools. Speaker S N Patro adjourned proceedings of the ongoing budget session of the state assembly till March 29. "Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary responses. This cannot be limited to an individual, government or any sector. Each one of us in Odisha has to rise to the occasion and be responsible. We must remain calm, but not complacent. We must remain prepared, but not panic," Patnaik said.

Chhattisgarh joined Odisha in adjoining its ongoing assembly session till March 25, besides ordering the closure of all schools, colleges, libraries and public swimming pools till March 31.

The Kerala assembly, too, cut short its budget session amid a walkout by the opposition, which accused the state government of trying to cover up its failure to combat the spread of Covid-19.

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat said the government would seal the state's borders, if needed. The state hasn't reported any Covid-19 case yet.

Full report on www.toi.in



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