Is Big Basket delivering groceries during India's 21-day Coronavirus lockdown? Answered

Amid the national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, online grocery delivery setup Big Basket has shut its operations due to the restrictions imposed by the local authorities. In an advisory, Big Basket stated that they are working with the authorities in order to start their services soon. 

Meanwhile, E-commerce company Amazon is continuing to provide the most urgent needs that are the 'high priority' to the customers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country effective from midnight of March 25 to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.

According to the official guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, all commercials and private establishments will be closed down with a few exceptions. Under these exceptions, "Delivery of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment through E-commerce" is permitted by the Government.

(This is a developing story, updates are likely. Please check the Big Basket app for the most recent info) 

'Absolutely no need to panic'

After announcing a national lockdown for 21 days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged people not to panic. He stated that the essential goods are services will be available during the lockdown. 

Read: Are private security services allowed amid India's 21 days Coronavirus lockdown? Answered

The Coronavirus Crisis

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India has reported over 536 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Out of all the states, Maharashtra has crossed a total of 100 positive cases becoming the highest number of cases detected in the country. Meanwhile, eleven people have died so far due to the deadly virus.

Read: Swiggy-like food-ordering apps permitted delivery during 21-day Coronavirus lockdown

Along with it, presently, there are around 422,829 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of around 18,907 people. Meanwhile, around 109,102 have reportedly been recovered. The hardest-hit region, after China, is Italy, Iran and South Korea, where the number of cases is rising by the hour.

Read: Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India notes 11th COVID-19 death as it goes into 21-day lockdown

Read: IMPORTANT: Petrol pumps permitted to remain open during 21-day Coronavirus lockdown