India reports of the seventh death due to the novel coronavirus or the COVID-19 which has infected as many as 341 individuals in the country as of March 22, 2020.
In the midst of all the chaos and panic that has engulfed the country, a high-level meeting was conducted between the Chief Secretaries of all states by the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.
The Chief Ministers and other state ministers are on high-alert, monitoring the situation of the pandemic ceaselessly.
Whether it is announcing of a slew of relief measures or to take precautionary actions, the state governments seem to be on their toes to prevent the death toll from rising
Here is what India is doing to prevent an Italy-like situation amid the corona-panic-
The Union government has issued an advisory to the state governments to issue appropriate orders to allow ‘only essential services’ to operate in the 75 districts that have reported cases of the deadly virus. To contain the spread of COVID-19, to curb the non-essential movement of people, inter-state bus services have been stopped till March 31, 2020. The Indian Railways has announced the suspension on the train journeys till March 31, 2020. Delhi Metro services have also been suspended in the states till March 31, 2020. Karnataka, Punjab, Odisha, Rajasthan, Goa, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Gujarat have locked down their borders as a precautionary measure. The Madhya Pradesh government in a bid to ensure the safety of its employees and officials has directed to follow a work-from-home protocol till March 31, 2020. Delhi government and Punjab government is marking the homes of all who are advised to home quarantine to make ensure minimal-to-no interaction. Tamil Nadu has ordered an extension to the ‘Janata Curfew’ till 5 am on Monday. Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra and the Kejriwal government in Delhi has imposed Section 144 to contain the virus. Mumbai local train services have been halted till March 31, 2020 Indian Banks Association has directed the bank branches in India to open only for essential services including cash deposits and withdrawals, clearing of cheques, and remittances government transactions. All non-essential services will be suspended.The Jammu and Kashmir government has declared holiday in all offices till March 25, 2020, to tackle the coronavirus.
