Thiruvananthapuram, March 19: The Kerala government on Thursday announced a special package of Rs 20,000 crore for combating the outbreak of coronavirus. As part of the package, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government will provide two months of welfare pensions in advance and Rs 2,000 crore for employment guarantee programme. PM Narendra Modi Appeals to People to 'Work From Home', Follow Janata Curfew Amid COVID-19 Spread, Urges Senior Citizens to Stay Indoors.

The state government will also provide loans worth 2000 Crore through Kudumbashree. Rs 500 crore have also been allocated for providing health care facilities. In Kerala, a total of 27 positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported from the state so far. No death has been reported in Kerala.

Tweet by Kerala CMO:

Considering the population of the country, the effect of the deadly virus is minimal in India. Till now, 168 positive cases have been reported so far. Meanwhile, four deaths were also reported in the country due to nCoV. Maharashtra is the worst-hit state with 47 confirmed cases of COVID-19. One person also lost his life in the state. 'Janata Curfew' Announced by PM Narendra Modi Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, to be Imposed on Sunday From 7 am to 9 pm.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on the outbreak of coronavirus. In his address, the Prime Minister urged people to follow "Janata Curfew" or people's curfew. He said that people should remain in their homes from on March 22 from 7 am to 9 pm.

The virus which originated from China’s Wuhan city has now spread across 145 countries. Globally, the deadly virus has claimed more than 9,000 lives so far. Most of the deaths have been reported from China. Italy is the most affected European country. More than 3,000 people lost their lives. Last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a “pandemic”.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2020 09:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).