The spread of COVID-19 in thecountry has been contained through the prompt, effective and timely measures taken by the Centre, BJP Karnataka president and Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel said on Sunday.The Centre brought in stringent regulations including the lockdown at the right time and ensured that the pandemic did not spread rapidly, he told reporters here.Kateel inspected the railway coaches which have been converted into isolation wards for infected patients at the central railway station here.He said 20 out of the 32 railway coaches re-designed into wards by Southern Railway's Palakkad division, will be stationed here.The wards are equipped with necessary medical equipment and facilities for doctors and paramedical staff.Kateel said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown how such difficult situations need to be handled.The lockdown was announced in time so that coronavirus spread was checked and all the central departments carried out their works efficiently to monitor the situation, he said.Mangaluru South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath was also present.