Indian Railways passenger services to stay suspended till May 3

According to a latest development, Indian Railways has decided to extend suspension of passenger services till May 3. The development has been confirmed by news agency PTI. The decision came soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the current lockdown will be extended till May 3, saying it is very necessary to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

In a televised address to the nation, Modi said implementation of the lockdown will be strictly ensured in coming days to ensure that the virus does not spread to new areas. The prime minister said detailed guidelines on implementation of the new lockdown will be announced on Wednesday. Some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in places where there is no hotspot, he said.

He said India has managed to contain the spread of infection well due to its holistic approach in dealing with the crisis and sacrifices made by people of the country in the fight produced positive results. Modi said India received huge benefits from the 21-day lockdown in checking the pandemic and added that the country has dealt with the situation better with limited resources.

The lockdown that came into effect on March 25 was to expire on midnight of April 14.

Late last month, the government announced a Rs 1.7 lakh crore package aimed at providing relief to those hit hard by the lockdown as well as an insurance cover for healthcare professionals handling virus infected people.

Meanwhile, the death toll due to coronavirus infection in the country rose to 339 while the number of cases soared to 10,363 on Tuesday, said the Union Health Ministry. While the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 8,988, as many as 1,035 people have been cured and discharged and one had migrated, it said. The total number of cases include 72 foreign nationals.

Fifteen deaths have been reported since Monday evening, of which 11 were reported from Maharashtra and four from Delhi. Of the total 339 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 160 fatalities, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 43, Delhi at 28, Gujarat at 26 and Telengana at 16, the ministry said in a statement.