IMPORTANT: Here's what entails 'Essential Goods & Services' in Coronavirus times

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday issued a poster entailing the list of all the essential goods and services that are excluded amid the lockdown due to Coronavirus. Taking to Twitter, the Chief Minister's office has urged to spread the poster in order to clear out the confusion. The list gives an indication of what can be considered to be essential in other areas as well.

Meanwhile, CM Uddhav Thackeray announced a curfew across the state of Maharashtra from Monday midnight amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Excluding the essential services,  all places of worship will be closed as well as all forms of public transport will not be operational. On Sunday, the CM had also declared that Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure will be imposed in all the urban areas of the state from March 23. 

COVID-19 cases rise in India

In India, over 470 confirmed cases of the virus have been reported. Along with it, nine deaths have been reported till now. Out of all the states, Maharashtra has the highest number of positive cases of about 97. Numerous states have announced lockdowns till at least March 31, suspending all public transport services and non-essential services. The state governments were advised to issue appropriate orders to allow only essential services to operate in the 75 districts which have reported confirmed cases or casualties related to COVID 19.

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The Coronavirus Crisis globally

Presently, there are around 378,741 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of around 16,499 people. Meanwhile, around 101,608 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.

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