india

Updated: Mar 12, 2020 22:38 IST

In the wake of coronavirus outbreak in India, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced that all movie theatres will remain shut till March 31, according to ANI. The Delhi government also declared the coronavirus an epidemic.

Schools and colleges where exams are currently not being conducted will also remain shut in Delhi.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting attended by Kejriwal, LG Anil Baijal and top government officials.

As a precautionary measure to control coronavirus spread, all the public places in Delhi will be disinfected. Whereas the vacant flats owned by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board will be used for quarantine, Kejriwal said.

“Disinfecting all public places, including government, private offices and shopping malls, has been made compulsory,” Kejriwal added.

Delhi so far has recorded six positive cases of coronavirus. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases across India, including foreign nationals, shot to 73. Out of these 73 people, 56 are Indian citizens.

As a measure to tackle the spread of COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that no central government minister will travel abroad in the coming days.

“Say No to Panic, Say Yes to Precautions. No Minister of the Central Government will travel abroad in the upcoming days. I urge our countrymen to also avoid non-essential travel. We can break the chain of spread and ensure safety of all by avoiding large gatherings,” PM Modi tweeted on Thursday.

On Wednesday evening, India suspended most visas including visa-free travel facility extended to Indian-origin foreigners from Friday to 15 April in an effort to stop instances of incoming travellers spreading the infection in the country.