21-day nationwide lockdown, Disaster Management Act invoked: Key Covid-19 developments The government has decided to spend Rs 15,000 crores to ramp up healthcare infrastructure to face the surge in Covid-19 infections in days to come.
Centre has put a ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine with an immediate effect. The agent is used for the prevention and treatment of certain types of malaria.(Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times)
Before India’s complete lockdown was announced by the PM on Tuesday evening, state governments warned those violating partial restrictions that they would be jailed for up to two years and their vehicles would be confiscated if they didn’t stay indoors.
Here are key developments.
1. India has reported 536 coronavirus infections, 10 deaths. The 3-week lockdown in India aims to break the infection transmission chain
2. Government to spend Rs 15,000 crores to ramp up healthcare infrastructure to face infection surge in the coming months
Also Watch l ‘Type of curfew’: PM Modi declares 21-day lockdown over COVID-19
3. Centre has issued guidelines on essential services, what people can and cannot do during the lockdown. Violators will be punished, can face prison time.
4. National Disaster Management Act, 2005 has been invoked for the first time.
5. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced a relief package for businesses, easing tax compliance and bankruptcy rules.
6. For half an hour after trading started on Tuesday, nobody bought or sold a bond on Reserve Bank of India platform.
7. Vegetable prices see a spike in most cities due to lack of connectivity, hoarding and panic buying.
8. Centre has put a ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine with an immediate effect. The agent is used for the prevention and treatment of certain types of malaria.
9. In his nationwide address on Tuesday, PM Modi said the country will have to bear the economic cost of lockdown but saving the life of every citizen is his priority and the priority of the Central and state governments as also of local administrations.
10. Noting that the virus spreads like fire, the prime minister said that if care is not taken for 21 days, the country, a family can go behind by 21 years.
Hundreds of people were booked across the country for violating states’ lockdowns, with many being told to do sit-ups and squats on roads and some being cane-charged. There were also arrests for spreading rumours about Covid-19.
