Coronavirus: Delhi heads for a semi lock-down; more Indians to be ferried from Iran

A day after the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 as a pandemic, India's national capital is heading for a semi lock-down with the Delhi government announcing close down of schools, colleges and cinema halls till March 31 after describing the disease as an epidemic.

All schools and colleges except those where term-end and board examinations are going on would remain closed. The teachers and non-teaching staff, however, would have to attend.

Every public place in the national capital would be sanitised. “All the public spaces, government, and private office premises, malls, and shops, have been notified to disinfect their premises, which shall remain compulsory for all,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

“Whatever we are doing, is to contain the outbreak. I hope people will support us. We are noticing how rapid the outbreak has been, but in India, we have successfully been able to contain the outbreak with the support of the public. We shall remain alert to stop this disease from spreading,” he added.

Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex and the Change of Guard ceremony at the forecourt of the heritage building will also closed for the public from Friday onward. Even the exploratory tour of the President House will be shut.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports issued two advisories asking sports bodies to ensure no public gathering takes place in any sporting event. In case a sporting event can't be avoided, it has to be done without the spectators, says the advisory issued to the Indian Olympic Association, National Sports Federation and Board of Cricket Control in India.

A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the money-spinning Indian Premier League as the BCCI is yet to decide whether to organise the event in the days of Covid-19

Asking the people not to panic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said none of his ministers would travel abroad in the upcoming days. He urged Indians to avoid non-essential travel.

Health ministry too officials assured that there is no local transmission of the disease and all the cases in India so far are linked to international travel. The government has one lakh testing kits and additional kits have been ordered.

Follow live updates of coronavirus cases in India here

Tests are being conducted at 52 government laboratories while samples are being collected at 56 locations, all in the public sector.

In the next few days, several hundred Indians will be brought back from Iran, one of the countries worst affected by Covid-19 because of its poor health infrastructure.

The Centre plans to bring hundreds of Indians stranded in Iran. The first flight will take off from Mumbai and return with 130-140 persons. The second flight will go on March 15th and a third flight will travel to the Gulf country on March 16 or 17th. Only those who are tested negative would be brought back.

India so far has evacuated 900 of its citizens from China, Japan and Iran along with 48 belonging to other nations like Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, USA, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, and Peru.