More than 4 lakh people take the Janta Curfew pledge, shows govt data

Janta Curfew is being observed for 14 hours today, starting at 7 am. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to the nation on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for observing the Janta Curfew on Sunday to check the spread of coronavirus disease Covid-19.

A notice put up by the Tamil Nadu Police on closure of Marina Beach due to Janta Curfew. Many public places are closed and people are expected to stay indoors today. (ANI Photo)

During this voluntary self-restraint period, people are not expected to go out, not even for morning walk, or to ration shops. Though people are advised to stay home, essential services are not shut during this period.

“This will be a curfew for the people, by the people,” PM Modi had said during his address to the nation when he announced the move to observe Janta Curfew.

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The government has also set up a page, where people can take the pledge to observe self-quarantine and get a certificate for same. So far, 412,398 people have taken the pledge, according to mygov.in. The number is increasing rapidly.

The website has also divided the number of pledged based on age, gender and state.

Most pledges (70.9 per cent) have been taken by those between 25 and 45 years of age. Men are ahead in taking the pledge when it comes to gender-based categorisation - the number stands at 71.6 per cent.

In states, Maharashtra, which has the highest number of coronavirus disease Covid-19, tops in number of pledges taken. The number stands at 30.5 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu at 9.8 per cent.

PM Modi put in his final appeal to billions of Indians to observe Janta Curfew, the self-imposed quarantine, in a collective fight against Covid-19 as the number of cases ballooned in the country to more than 300.

“In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences. Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace,” the Prime Minister tweeted on Sunday morning.

“The steps we take now will help in the times to come. Stay indoors and stay healthy,” he said with hashtag #IndiaFightsCorona.