India is observing an unprecedented shutdown on Sunday following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for a ‘Janata curfew’, reported by Private TV Channel.
People have been urged to voluntarily stay indoors to check the spread of coronavirus while public transport has remained suspended or curtailed and all markets and shops except those dealing in essential items are closed.
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No passenger train will originate from any railway station in the country from midnight to 10 pm on while all suburban train services are reduced to a bare minimum as well.
Metro services, including in Delhi, will remain suspended for the day.
From suspending regular prayers involving large gatherings in shrines of various faiths, including Sunday mass, to disallowing jail inmates from meeting their families on the day, organisations and institutions in every sphere have announced restrictions.
Modi had on Thursday called for the ‘Janata curfew’ from 7 am to 9 pm on March 22 (today), saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of their houses, and asserted that it will be a litmus test to show India’s readiness to take on the coronavirus challenge.
