New Delhi, March 22: India has been placed under partial lockdown as several states have extended restrictions on vehicular and pedestrian movements in view of the rising cases of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Rail transport is suspended across the country till March 31, while large gatherings will remain banned as well. Section 144 has been imposed in Delhi. The unprecedented announcements were made on Sunday when India reported three coronavirus deaths, taking overall toll to seven.

In view of the increasing number of coronavirus patients in the country, the Indian Railways announced stopping of all the trains, except goods trains to maintain the supply of essential services, till March 31. Trains that had already commenced their journey, prior to 4.00 am on March 22 will run-up to their destinations. Sub-urban trains such as the Kolkata Metro service and local trains in Mumbai will also remain shut for commuters. Coronavirus Outbreak Live News Updates.

In Maharashtra, which has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases so far, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced the imposition of Section 144 and extension of "janata curfew" till tomorrow. "The number of cases has increased considerably. I have no option left but to apply Section 144 in Maharashtra. No flights outside of India will be allowed to land in Mumbai," Thackeray said. "Inter-city bus services will also remain suspended till March 31. BEST buses will ply for people providing essential services," he added.

The Punjab government announced a compete lockdown of non-essential services as a preventing step against coronavirus till March 31. All essential government services will continue and shops selling essential items such as milk, food items and medicines will be open. "All DCs (Deputy Commissioners) and SSPs (Senior Superintendents of Police) have been directed to implement the restrictions immediately," Chief Minister Amarinder Singh tweeted.

Punjab is the second state after Rajasthan which has enforced a complete shutdown in view of the coronavirus outbreak. In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Tamil Nadu government on Sunday extended the time of "janata curfew" till 5 am on Monday. The state has reported four cases of coronavirus so far. In Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat announced the extension of "janata curfew" till March 31.

Karnataka on Sunday closed its inter-state border to contain the spread of coronavirus by preventing movement of people and vehicles from neighbouring states. Karnataka, which has seen 20 coronavirus cases and reported the first death in India, has a common border with Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. The Odisha government has ordered lockdown of 40 percent parts of the state including capital city Bhubaneswar for a week.

In Nagaland, all business establishments expect pharmacies, petrol pumps, grocery shops and other essential commodities have been asked to shut till further orders. The "janata curfew" called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday from 7 am to 9 pm. The idea is to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The number of cases in India has crossed 300 in India. Of them, 23 recovered and were discharged. The death toll has risen to 7 from 4 on Saturday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 22, 2020 05:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).