The government on Sunday said all train, metro and inter-state services will remain suspended until March 31 as part of renewed efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus.

State governments will issue orders allowing only essential services to operate in about 75 districts with confirmed COVID-19, or coronavirus, cases, according to a government statement released on March 22.

These decisions were taken at a meeting with state chief secretaries and Union Cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the prime minister.

“In view of the need to contain the spread of Covid-19, it was agreed that there is urgent need to extend the restrictions on the movement of non-essential passenger transport including inter-state transport buses until March 31, 2020,” said the statement.

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Only goods trains have been exempted from the list of suspended train services.

State governments can expand the list of districts where only essential services are allowed to operate, according to the statement.

Any service connected with the supply of gas or milk or water or electricity as well as with the maintenance of public health and sanitation, including hospitals and dispensaries, is deemed essential.

The government began the fight against the virus by cancelling most entry visas for people flying in from other countries. It later suspended flights and nudged factories, industrial parks and banks to shut down or find ways to minimise public movement.

Also read | Total 236 coronavirus cases in India, says ICMR

On March 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appealed to citizens to stay indoors in self-isolation and millions of Indians heeded, significantly reducing the number of people who take to the streets, malls and other public places every day.