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COVID-19: CM Khattar announces lockdown in Haryana

NEW DELHI: As most of India went into shutdown in a mega effort to stop the spread of Covid-19 — complete lockdowns were announced in 30 states/ UTs and a total of 548 districts — Delhi prepared to step up measures to keep people at home. Delhi Police will be issuing “curfew passes” to facilitate inter-border movement of persons engaged in providing essential goods.Police issued an order to this effect late on Monday evening. As of now, persons from Delhi-based essential services organisations — both private and government — can move around in the city for work by showing their official identity cards. As inter-state borders have been sealed, NCR-based private organisations engaged in providing essential services will need to obtain the passes by 12 noon, Tuesday, from the DCP’s office designated by the department. On Monday, police registered 475 cases for violation of the government order restricting movement of people. Around 100 cases for violations were also registered under section 188 IPC (disobedience of government instructions) and 326 cases under section 65 of the DP Act.The crackdown came even as more areas of India were put under lockdown on Monday as the battle against Covid-19 entered a decisive phase, with the government of Punjab and the Chandigarh administration, imposing curfew. The Pinarayi government in India’s second worst hit state Kerala – which had dithered on the Centre’s directive to impose a lockdown just 24 hours ago – also decided to follow other states on Monday by ordering complete shutdown of the state till March 31. Other states where total lockdown was imposed on Monday were Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka , Gujarat, Assam and Manipur.On Sunday, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram had ordered total lockdown. According to information by the Centre, 30 state/UT governments have imposed complete lockdown in their respective territories. Severe restrictions on movement of people have been imposed in nearly 600 districts in all. Another three governments have brought certain areas in the states under lockdown, covering total 58 districts.