India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, MARCH 23— While as many as 78 districts spread over 16 states and one union territory of Jammu and Kashmir went under lockdown with the last addition being that of Tamilnadu, Punjab became the first state on Monday afternoon to impose curfew to ensure that people stayed indoors during lockdown to prevent the spread of dreaded coronavirus.
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh told mediapersons that curfew was imposed because people were moving outside in groups despite imposition of Section 144 and bringing the entire state under lockdown.
Meanwhile, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS ) in New Delhi announced the closure of OPDs including specialty services, all new and follow up patients’ registration from March 24 till further orders, to provide treatment to increasing number of coronavirus infected patients as the coronavirus cases touched a figure of 415 all over the country.
Tamilnadu brought three districts of Chennai, Erode and Kanchipuram were under lockdown on Monday, with strict restrictions on movement and entry of vehicles and people from outside the district.
The national capital of Delhi with a total population exceeding two crores was brought under total lockdown from Monday morning, with no vehicles being allowed from any of the neighbouring states, excepting those transporting essential commodities and medical supplies.
The worst hit state so far has been Maharashtra, followed by Kerala and Maharashtra. The deaths include one each in Bihar, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Karnataka and Punjab and two in Maharashtra.
The states that have declared total lockdown are Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnantaka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Goa, besides Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
