New Delhi, March 22: India would observe the "janata curfew" or the people's curfew today as part of escalating its efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak. The voluntarily-imposed curfew would come into effect in all parts of India at 7 am in the morning, and would continue to remain till 9 pm at night. While the janata curfew is unlikely to be penally imposed, it would be a litmus test on whether the nation would remain indoors on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal.

The number of coronavirus cases in India surged to 315 by midnight on Saturday. The infection toll was confirmed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) -- the body based in Delhi which is continuously tracking the developments related to COVID-19 outbreak and strenuously researching to find a cure against the disease.

The worst affected is Maharashtra, where the number of coronavirus cases jumped to 63 -- a rise by 11 cases as compared to the previous day. Kerala's tally of COVID-19 infections surged to 52, followed by 25 in Karnataka and 24 in Uttar Pradesh. The death toll remains four - with one death each reported in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab so far.

India Braces For Janata Curfew

As part of the janata curfew, the passenger train services have been terminated from 4 am in the morning to 10 pm on Sunday. The suburban train services, including the metros in Delhi and Bengaluru and the locals in Mumbai, have been reduced to the bare minimum level.

Apart from the Railways, the the civil aviation sector is also supporting the janata curfew call. Domestic flyers including GoAir, IndiGo and Vistara announced that they would be curtailing their services on Sunday to encourage PM Modi's call to remain indoors.

In the national capital, auto rickshaws and taxis would remain off roads between 7 am to 9 pm -- when the civil curfew would remain in-effect. Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh, Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union, Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Congress Union and Delhi Taxi Tourist Transport Association announced that they would be joining the curfew.

Buses in Delhi would ply on half of their strength, announced Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, adding that it was not possible to completely terminate the services considering that the residents may face emergencies.

Religious institutions would also adhere to the curfew call, with several shrines of all faiths to disallow devotees from visiting. The churches would also be conducting Sunday mass through video conference. Temples, mosques and gurudwaras are also expected to curtail entries of pilgrims to prevent mass gatherings.

"Janata curfew should be seen in the largest context of the initiative to insulate people with their voluntary involvement. It is a matter of great assurance that people have responded very positively to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal. People remaining indoors and social distancing are part of measures to curb the contagion virus," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Saturday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 22, 2020 12:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).