Coronavirus outbreak: From Delhi to Maharashtra, states on a war footing

Faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, state governments are launching their own efforts to fight it in tandem with the Centre’s initiatives. Many states are opting for a partial or near-lockdown, restricting inter-state movement and shutting down commercial establishments. And they are coming out with a raft of measures to mitigate the economic fallout of such steps.
 
 Coronavirus: Delhi border to be sealed, no public transport, says Kejriwal
 
Delhi will be locked down in view of the growing coronavirus threat, from 6 am on March 23, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced at a joint press conference with Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Sunday. The lockdown will continue till 12 midnight on March 31, Kejriwal said. During the lockdown, no public transport will operate and Delhi's borders will be sealed but the essential services related to health, food, water and power supply will continue, he said. Read More…

 

Coronavirus: Maharashtra working on plan to tackle economic challenges
 
Maharashtra, which on Sunday extended the lockdown to all urban centres, is putting a plan in place to tackle the economic challenges thrown up by the pandemic.  “We are working to find a solution to the financial challenges caused by the Covid-19 crisis and a working group has been formed to look into it,” said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Covid-19 has so far infected 74 persons in the state. Read More…
 
Gujarat announces 1,200-bed hospital to treat coronavirus patients
 
Apart from imposing Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) across major cities, the Gujarat Government has announced that a 1,200-bed hospital in Ahmedabad will be exclusively devoted to treating coronavirus patients. The number of positive Covid-19 cases in Gujarat jumped to 13 in three days with no casualties so far. Read More…

 
Karnataka govt announces Rs 200-cr plan to curb Covid-19, forms 100 teams
 
The government of Karnataka has pledged a Rs 200-crore fund towards  immediate expenses to contain the spread of coronavirus. With the number of Covid-19 cases in the state rising, the government has formed 100 teams, each consisting of one doctor, one staff nurse and one medico social worker for contact tracing. Read More…
 
 
Adityanath govt unveils Rs 353-cr financial plan, to give cash to 3.53 mn
 
The Yogi Adityanath government on Saturday announced a financial package of more than Rs 353 crore to give cash handouts to an estimated 3.53 million daily wage earners and labourers, who are likely to be hit due to the coronavirus outbreak. Read More…

 
Coronavirus: Bengal CM announces Kolkata lockdown, free ration for 6 months
 
The state, which announced a complete lockdown of Kolkata and other major towns on Sunday, has adopted several measures to combat the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Read More…
 
 

Coronavirus: Kerala govt declares Rs 20,000-cr package to revive economy
 
On March 19, the Kerala Government declared a Rs 20,000 crore special package to tackle the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak. This includes Rs 14,000 crore to clear all arrears pending in various sectors and a Rs 500 crore health package. Read More…
 

 

Coronavirus outbreak: Tamil Nadu closes borders, constitutes task force
 
The Tamil Nadu government has closed its borders with Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. The state has also constituted a task force to closely monitor the preventive measures against the virus outbreak. Read More…
 
 

Northeast steps up measures to tackle coronavirus, no positive cases yet
 
Although no positive cases of Covid-19 infection have been reported from the Northeast as yet, the Seven Sisters are not letting their guard down. Assam has ordered schools to remain shut till March 31 and asked barber shops, beauty parlours, coaching centres, museum, libraries and so on to down their shutters till March 31. Read More…

 
 
(with inputs from Archis Mohan, Aneesh Phadnis, Samreen Ahmad, Avishek Rakshit, T E Narasimhan, Gireesh Babu, Vinay Umarji, Virendra Singh Rawat, B Dasarath Reddy)