A used mask dumped on the road on Janata Curfew day. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty) A used mask dumped on the road on Janata Curfew day. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

India Coronavirus Janta Curfew HIGHLIGHTS: As the number of coronavirus cases rose to 370 on Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Office advised State Governments to issue appropriate orders to allow only essential services to operate in the 75 districts which have reported confirmed cases or casualties relating to COVID-19. The State Governments may expand the list depending on their assessment of the situation. The government also announced that passenger train services will remain suspended till March 31 to prevent the spread of the virus. Not just trains, but metro services, inter-state passenger transport has also been shut till March 31 now. On Sunday evening, people across India clapped, rang bells, and blew conch shells in response to PM Modi’s call for thanking those at the forefront of the fight against the novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the 14-hour Janata Curfew began at 7 am with PM Narendra Modi making a fresh appeal to citizens to remain indoors to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. A day ahead of the lockdown, several busy junctions across the country such as Delhi’s Connaught Place and Sarojini Nagar, Mumbai’s Marine Drive and Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus station and Kolkata’s New Market area wore a deserted look on Saturday.

From suspending metro services to deploying additional cops, the states have also ramped up measures to encourage people to stay indoors between 7 am to 9 pm Sunday. The Indian Railways has already announced to shut down its services, however clarifying that the trains that have already commenced their journeys would reach its destination on Sunday.