India in “Janta Curfew”. CoronaVirus death toll now 5.

As total number of dead persons due to CoronaVirus rose to 5, a nationwide “Janta Curfew” or voluntary lock-down came into force all over India sharp at 7 am on Sunday, 22-March-2020.

Mumbai reported another death due to CoronaVirus. A 63-year-old coronavirus patient died on Sunday, taking the death toll in Maharashtra to two, a health official said.

The Brihamumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in a statement said the patient had chronic history of diabetes, high blood pressure and ischemic heart disease.He developed acute respiratory distress syndrome leading to his death, the statement said.

Nationwide “Janta Curfew” is a response to an unprecedented shutdown on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for a voluntary lockdown  to help check the spread of coronavirus.

Millions of people across the country are staying indoors. Streets are deserted across the country.

As the 14-hour ‘Janata curfew’ got underway at 7 am, people kept themselves indoors as part of the social distancing exercise to help stop the spread of the virus.

All markets and establishments except those dealing in essential goods and services are closed for the day.

The ‘Janata curfew’ will end at 9 pm.

Ahead of the start of the curfew on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “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”.

“Stay indoors and stay healthy,” he said on Twitter on 21-March-2020.

In Delhi roads were deserted with barely some private vehicles and buses plying. Vendors were off the roads in the morning hours with people confining themselves to their homes.

Curfew-like restrictions on the movement and assembly of people were in force in Kashmir as part of the prime minister’s appeal even as the virtual lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus in the valley entered its fourth day.

Commercial capital Mumbai observed the restrictions on Sunday with the usually bustling western and eastern express highways and other arterial roads wearing an empty look and people staying indoors to support the curfew.

In Madhya Pradesh where four districts of Jabalpur, Rewa, Seoni and Narsinghpur have been placed under lockdown, roadside shops and eateries remained closed in the state on Sunday.