Janata curfew underway across the country as millions stay indoors

An unprecedented shutdown commenced across the country on Sunday (March 22) morning on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for a Janata curfew to help check the spread of coronavirus.

As the Janata curfew got underway at 7 am, people largely kept themselves indoor as part of the social distancing exercise to stop the spread of the virus and bare number of public transport vehicles plied on nearly empty roads.

All markets and establishments except those dealing in essential goods and services were closed for the day. Metro services, including in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, will remain suspended for the day. The Janata Curfew will end at 9 pm.

Ahead of the start of the curfew, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences. Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace”. “Stay indoors and stay healthy,” he said on Twitter.

Related news: Railways to suspends all train services till March 25, awaits ministry nod

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked chief secretaries of all states to ensure that the Janata Curfew is observed properly and to see that local bodies, fire services, police and civil defence blow sirens or ring bells on Sunday evening to express gratitude towards those involved in tackling the disease.

Amid coronavirus scare, various food supply facilities and eateries at railway stations stalls that were supposed to be closed will allow takeaways alone.

In a revised order, issued on March 21 stated that the IRCTC will now allow takeaway food from its plazas, refreshment rooms, Jan Aahars and cell kitchens which it had shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Delhi: In the national capital, the roads were deserted with barely some private vehicles and buses plying. Vendors were off the roads in the morning hours with people confining themselves to their homes.

Delhi: Police personnel near Barakhamba road offer flowers to the locals out on roads, requesting them to stay at home and observe the countrywide #JanataCurfew today. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/SdHy8Vqgms

— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that 50 per cent of the buses will ply on roads on Sunday considering some people may have to travel due to an emergency. Autos and taxis will, however, be off roads in the national capital as several unions including the Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh, Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union, Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Congress Union and Delhi Taxi Tourist Transport Association, have decided to join the Janata curfew.

In Chennai: The city that largely remained indoors saw a few travelling to other states stranded in Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Central railway station on Sunday. Though essential food outlets were open, the city had a deserted look. Authorities have put up boards outside the Marina Beach announcing its closure. There is also adequate police presence in the area. Meanwhile, corporation staffs were cleaning across the city.

Mumbai: The city that never sleeps, on Sunday woke up to empty roads and deserted public places.

Cutting across party lines, chief ministers and others leaders have urged the people to follow the self-imposed curfew, noting that “social distancing” was key to breaking the chain of transmission, as the number of coronavirus cases rose to 324 after 60 new cases were detected on Saturday, the highest so far in a day.

Maharashtra: Juhu Beach in Mumbai wears a deserted look as people observe self-imposed #JantaCurfew, amid rising Coronavirus cases in the country. pic.twitter.com/OaUAcQHSgb

— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

Kerala: Barring a few vehicles, roads in major cities including Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam were empty. State-run transport buses were off the roads while Kochi Metro Rail also stopped its service along with private buses and the auto-rickshaws.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, tweeted, “Kerala will wholeheartedly join the national campaign against #COVID19. We hope that the call of Hon’ble @PMOIndia @narendramodi will help to improve the preparedness of our country to this pandemic. India must together rise up to this challenge. We will prevail.”

State Health Minister K K Shailaja said people must stay at home and avoid crowds while following the directions of the government to prevent the spread of coronavirus. “Its important that people follow the directions of the health department. Strong action will be taken against those who fail to follow the instructions of the state government,” Shailaja told reporters.

Other states and Union Territories observed curfew

States like Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Puducherry, and Bihar have announced either complete or partial lockdown till month end.

Ahead of the curfew, no passenger train were plying from any railway station in the country from Saturday midnight and is expected to be the same till 10 pm on Sunday.

Air carriers like GoAir, IndiGo and Vistara have announced that they will be curtailing domestic operations on Sunday. Traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has announced that they will keep their establishments shut across the country for the Janata curfew.

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.

Related news: Rajnath appeals to people to make Janata curfew huge success

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had also appealed to the people of the state to stay indoors on Sunday.

Streets and beaches remained empty in Goa on Sunday morning in view of the 14-hour curfew. Except for the essential services, everything else including bus services, commercial establishments, restaurants, markets and places of worship were shut and people remained inside their homes.

Similar was the situation of West Bengal, but mostly those engaged in essential services were seen on the roads travelling to work, in Kolkata.

Four cities in PM Modi’s home state of Gujarat have declared a complete shutdown until March 25. However, it also wore a deserted look today.

As people of Jammu and Kashmir also stayed indoors in the view of curfew, authorities appealed them to make the Janata curfew a huge success.

Madhya Pradesh that recorded its first cases of coronavirus on Friday with four persons testing positive in Jabalpur city, remained indoors and streets wore a deserted look on Sunday.

Leaders and other prominent personalities also urged the traders not to hoard essential items and the people to purchase only necessary things.