India lockdown: Violators to be fined or jailed, says govt

The Noida-Delhi border was sealed on Monday in the wake of the coronavirus cases across the country. (Express photo/Prem Nath Pandey)

Violators could either face a fine of Rs 1,000 or a jail term of six months if they do not abide by the lockdown orders which have been imposed across states in view of the rising coronavirus cases in the country, the government said on Monday. The number of Covid-19 cases rose to 415 across India today.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to state governments to ensure that rules and regulations of the coronavirus lockdown are enforced as he noted that many people are not taking the measure seriously.

“Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. Please save yourself, save your family, follow the instructions seriously. I request state governments to ensure rules and laws are followed,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Centre on Sunday advised state governments to enforce a lockdown in the 75 districts that have reported coronavirus cases. However, essential services will be allowed to operate in the 75 districts.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister with chief secretaries of all the states

“The state governments were advised to issue appropriate orders to allow only essential services to operate in the 75 districts which have reported confirmed cases or casualties relating to COVID 19. The state governments may expand the list depending on their assessment of the situation. It was noted that several state governments have already issued orders in this regard,” a government statement said.

Moreover, the Centre has also decided to close down metro rail services on all operational networks across the country till March 31.

Full list of 75 districts under #lockdown ⁦@IndianExpress⁩ #COVIDー19 #covid19India pic.twitter.com/ZwCmmrMU6t

— abantika ghosh (@abantika77) March 22, 2020