Odisha extends Covid-19 lockdown, India seals many cities amid crisis: 10 points

As many as 23 hotspots in Delhi have been sealed to curb the spread of coronavirus. Madhya Pradesh has also sealed three of its major cities.

Coronavirus cases in the country show no sign of abating with the number of total cases crossing 5,500 on Thursday. Odisha became the first state to announce the extension of Covid-19 lockdown in the country.

Policemen stand guard at a sealed Lalbagh area during the lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic in Lucknow. (ANI)

As many as 23 hotspots in Delhi have been sealed to curb the spread of coronavirus. Madhya Pradesh has also sealed three major cities - Indore, Ujjain and Bhopal - while 15 districts will be in a complete state of lockdown in Uttar Pradesh.

Here are the key developments:

1. The Ministry of Health updated the latest Covid-19 tally in the country to 5,734 on Thursday which includes 5,095 active cases and 166 deaths. As many as 473 patients have been cured or discharged.

2. The Odisha government has decided that the lockdown in the state will be extended until April 30. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the same on Thursday after a meeting with his cabinet.

3. “It’s not possible to lift the lockdown abruptly,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a meeting with the floor leaders of political parties in Parliament on Wednesday.

4. PM Modi on Thursday acknowledged US President Donald Trump’s thank you note and said that India will do “everything possible” to help humanity’s fight against coronavirus.

5. Three new neighbourhoods have been added to the list of 20 areas in the national capital that have been placed under a “hard lockdown” to check the spread of coronavirus. The new areas are Bengali Market near Mandi House in Central Delhi, Sadar area in Old Delhi and some areas falling under the Moti Bagh locality in South Delhi.

6. Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday that the lockdown in Delhi could be extended beyond April 14 if the current situation persists.

7. In a first, the railways has introduced time-tabled parcel trains for nationwide transportation of essential commodities and other goods.

8. Jharkhand on Thursday reported its first coronavirus death.

9. Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain are three major cities in Madhya Pradesh to be sealed completely in the wake of the rising coronavirus cases in the state.

10. The coronavirus crisis could push as many as 400 million Indians, including migrant workers and daily wage earners, into poverty, the International Labour Organisation said.