New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government Thursday announced a slew of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in India as cases soar to 173, with four deaths having been reported so far.
The Press Information Bureau released a six-point note issued by the government to curb the movement of people aiming to prevent the spread of the virus.
Advisory: No scheduled international commercial passenger aircraft shall be allowed to land in India from March 22, 2020 for one week. #COVID2019india pic.twitter.com/QY1z1xAa2g
— PIB India (@PIB_India) March 19, 2020
The central government, according to the notice, has requested states to enforce work from home for private sector employees, barring those rendering emergency or essential services.
“No scheduled international commercial passenger aircraft shall be allowed to land in India from March 22, 2020 for one week,” the note said.
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The government has instructed that all children below 10 years of age should be advised to stay at home. “State government shall issue appropriate directions so that all citizens above 65 (except for public representatives, government servants, medical professionals) are advised to stay at home.”
They can go out for medical assistance, it adds.
All concessional travel by rail and air will be suspended except for students, patients and people belonging to Divyang category.
The note further instructs to reduce crowding among all Group B and C central government employees. They will be asked to attend offices on alternate week, and the government has also advised staggered timings for all employees.
More measures are likely to be announced as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8 pm today to talk about issues relating to COVID-19 and the efforts to combat it.
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