COVID-19 impact: Delhi to be in lockdown from March 23 to 31

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday that from 6 am onwards on Monday, Delhi will remain on lockdown till March 31.

This will mean:

*No public transport, taxis, autos and rickshaws will run

*25 percent of DTC buses to run for essential services.

*Shops, commercial services, weekly bazars and borders will be sealed (except for essential items).

*Interstate bus and train stand suspended

*Domestic and international flights to be suspended

*Construction activities and religious places will be closed.

* All private offices will remain closed but the employees - both permanent and contractual - will be considered to be on-duty; the companies will have to provide them the salary for this duration

Delhi Metro has already, in a separate announcement, suspended services till March 31.

The Delhi CM said no certificate will be required from the people if they move during the lockdown.

"No certificate will be required to move across the city. Gathering of five or more people will be barred. All the private establishment will be shut, while the employees should be paid," Kejriwal said at a press conference along with Lt Governor Anil Baijal.

On the hoarding of masks and sanitisers, he said it is not just against the law but humanity. "We did 327 raids and 437 cases have been filed so far. We will be continuing raiding for hoarding," he said.

Kejriwal said taking preventive steps at this stage will be helpful.

The move comes close on the footsteps of Punjab, Rajasthan and Telangana, which have also announced lockdown till March 31 to combat coronavirus.

The decision for Telengana was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday, and the Chief Minister will make a formal announcement this evening. The decision came on a day when the state is observing a 24-hour shutdown. Backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Janata Curfew' call, Rao extended it by 10 hours.

Telangana has so far reported 21 COVID-19 positive cases. The first secondary transmission came to light on Saturday, sending the alarm bells ringing. The son of a man who had returned from Dubai and tested positive on March 19, was also found infected by the virus.

Punjab too issued a complete lockdown in the state just 12 hours after it was announced by Rajasthan. Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh on Sunday issued orders for shutdown of all non-essential services and businesses with immediate effect till March 31 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

According to a senior government official, all the Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police have been directed to issue relevant orders and implement the restrictions with immediate effect.

After the death of a 70-year-old person in Nawanshahar district due to the coronavirous and 14 others testing positive for the virus, the government on Saturday had ordered shutdown in several districts including Jalandhar, Nawanshahar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Patiala and Bathinda till Wednesday.

Rajasthan announced a complete lockdown late on the night of March 21