Authorities faced double-barrel challenge -- strengthening its check and prevention mechanism, and addressing public panic, leading to hoarding of essential items.

The decision, that would be reviewed on a month-by-month basis, came a day after England registered its biggest jump in death toll of 39 to hit 177.

Cutting across party lines, chief ministers and others leaders urged the people to follow the self-imposed curfew from 7 am to 9 pm, noting that "social distancing" was key to breaking the chain of infection, as the number of coronavirus cases rose to 283 after 60 new cases were detected on Saturday, the highest so far in a day, and states like Maharashtra, Odisha and Bihar imposed partial lockdown till month end.

The prime minister thanked the people but said it was the start of a long battle, as he urged them to follow social distancing to stop the chain of transmission of Coronavirus which has infected 360 people and claimed seven lives in India.

Be it Mumbai, known as the city that never sleeps, Patna or Ahmedabad, life came to a standstill in the country as roads, railway stations and airports wore a deserted look and markets and establishments except those dealing in essential goods and services remained shut during the 14-hour self-imposed curfew that started at 7 am.

As the number of COVID-19 cases is witnessing a spike in India, religious places across the country remain closed to encourage social distancing, a key component in preventing the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The Health and Family Welfare department had issued a detailed order on Sunday, notifying the lockdown in the whole of Delhi, stipulating various restrictions.

The Union health ministry said West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh reported a casualty each on Monday, taking the total number of deaths to nine in the country due to COVID-19.

Authorities have put almost the entire country under lockdown, banning gathering of people and suspending road, rail and air traffic till March 31.

From dancing to playing musical instruments to exercising... balconies across the world have become the hospot as people continue to quarantine and self-isolate themselves at homes to fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The labourers said there was no point in staying back in Gujarat without any income.

India has been put in lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. People have been told to stay indoors, but for many daily-wage earners this is not an option.

From making 'COVIDIOTS' (a term coined for those flouting restrictions) squat on the road and do sit-ups, to making them pose with pamphlets admitting their fault, police officials have pulled out all the stops from their kitty of creativity to drive home the message.

Long queues outside grocery stores, inflated prices, difficulty in getting important items -- these were some of the problems encountered by people in the National Capital Region (NCR).

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that social distancing and staying indoors were the only ways to deal with the fast-spreading coronavirus, pictures and videos of people standing in circles and squares to buy essential items like groceries and milk in many states went viral.

The nation is on Day 2 of the 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.People buying essential supplies maintaining social distancing is now become a feature across the country.

Maharashtra Police found over 300 migrant workers holed up inside two container trucks meant for carrying essential commodities from Telangana to Rajasthan.

With a nationwide lockdown in place, it may have become harder than usual for people, especially for the migrant daily wage earners and the homless. The government has assured people that supply of essential items will continue unabated. But while governments across the country are working hard to provide food to people, there are good samaritans who are helping out fellow citizens.From providing food to sanitizers and masks, these people are nothing short of a godsend.

Trump attributed the spike in the confirmed cases of coronavirus to the large-scale testing of the deadly disease.

The 21-day coronavirus lockdown in force since Wednesday has triggered a mass exodus of migrant workers across the country since the last few days.

At the Ghazipur border, they huddled close together, only some with masks -- aware of the coronavirus threat that had led to an unprecedented 21-day lockdown of the country and taken away their jobs, but helpless to do anything about combating the infection.

To make the modified isolation ward, the middle berth was removed, the lower portion of the compartment plugged by plywood and a provision of partition provided from the aisle side for the isolation of the compartment, the railways said.

The police personnel, who are serving 24X7 on the streets, said that the helmet was proving to be useful in making people aware.

'I am jobless and don't have savings to sustain. Better I go home and do farming. If I am lucky, I will survive'

Hundreds of migrant workers from Delhi, Haryana and even Punjab reached Anand Vihar, Ghazipur and Ghaziabad's Lal Kuan area after taking arduous treks of many kilometers on foot to take buses to their respective native places

Over 2,000 delegates, including from Indonesia and Malaysia, attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin West from March 1-15, officials said as the south Delhi neighbourhood was virtually sealed following fears that some people may have contracted COVID-19.

The government said there was no immediate plan to extend the 21-day lockdown period, which entered its sixth day on Monday, while the Indian Army dismissed as "fake" social media posts about a possible emergency declaration next month.

They told us to wash raincoat and reuse,a doctor said.

As the world struggles with the deadly coronavirus, there are some who are dealing with the pandemic in their own unique way.Here are 12 images that show how.

When humanity's away, the animals will play.With much of the world driven indoors to quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, some species not often seen -- or, at least, rarely in such large numbers, and certainly not against such empty backdrops -- are exploring cities across the globe. We must sadly report that though there have been many circulating on social media, many of these optimistic posts have turned out to be fake -- there were no dolphins in Venice's celebrated canals, or drunken elephants ambling through China's Yunnan province.However, there are some other instances where animals have, in fact, come out to explore city streets.

'The Olympics postponement may not be a political body blow to Abe Shinzo, but it is no denying that the economic cost of the postponement of the Games will be heavy for Japan,' observes Dr Rajaram Panda.

As countries around the world are in lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, street artists everywhere are responding, bringing a dose of colour -- and urgent messaging -- to a weary public.

An official of the sweet shop said they have decided to offer one Corona Sandesh for free to each customer visiting the shop to lift the spirits of people.

Looking to catch a break from all the events surrounding coronavirus, then here's some amazing images from the pink supermoon that occurred on Tuesday night, enthralling all!

A car museum owner in the city of Hyderabad has made a car, which looks like the coronavirus to spread awareness among the people about the fatal infection.

As you are stuck at home owing to the coronavirus outbreak, here are eight images that will bring a smile on your face -- even if it's just for a while!

The move to resume work in ministries comes nearly a month after the government issued work from home protocols in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Rediff.com brings you some of the memes to cheer you up during this trying times.

The elusive anonymous artist, who usually works in the street, posted a set of images on his Instagram, with the caption: "My wife hates it when I work from home."

Captain Tom Moore had resolved to complete 100, 25m laps before he turned 100 at the end of April.The 99-year-old, who has captured the imagination of the public with his heroics, finished the last few steps of his 2,530-yard walk at his home in the village of Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire with a beaming smile.

Of the total 452 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 194 fatalities, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 57, Gujarat and Delhi at 38 each and Telengana 18.

Nikhil, son of former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, tied the nuptial knot with Revathi, the grand-niece of former Karnataka housing minister M Krishnappa.The marriage was solemnised at Kumaraswamy's Kethaganahalli farmhouse at Bidadi in the neighbouring Ramanagara district, a JD-S stronghold.

Behold the breathtaking winning and shortlisted images from one of the world's most prestigious photography contests.The amazing shots are from the open competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2020, which received 193,000 entries from photographers in over 200 territories.Scroll down and feast your eyes on our pick of the shortlisted and category-winning entries.

Drones are being used for carrying out a host of tasks like surveillance to ensure that people are maintaining social distancing, spreading awareness about COVID-19 in densely populated areas, spraying disinfectants and checking people's temperature

The swearing-in ceremony, attended by Chouhan, was kept low-key in view of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Social distancing norms were followed at the ceremony.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 15,859. While 3,959 people have been cured and discharged, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

Less than six months ago, Delhi was gasping for breath. Authorities said air quality had reached "unbearable levels". Schools were shut, flights were diverted, and people were asked to wear masks, avoid polluted areas and keep doors and windows closed.But during the lockdown that began on Mar 22, the concentration of poisonous PM2.5 particles in a cubic metre of air averaged at 44.18, according to a Reuters analysis of government data, indicating a rare "good" rating, the safest level on the scale.

According to the ministry's data, Maharashtra is on the top of the list with most COVID-19 cases, 5,652 cases of which 789 patients have recovered and 269 patients succumbing to coronavirus.

A total of 37 deaths were reported since Thursday evening of which 14 fatalities were reported from Maharashtra, nine from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh,Tamil Nadu and Telengana and one from Karnataka, ministry data stated.

The shifts are long and the scenes are heartbreaking inside a Maryland hospital where nurses and doctors have been treating coronavirus patients for weeks, unable to let family inside to visit loved ones on their death beds.Some of the hospital staff share their toughest moments to show just how heartbreaking this pandemic has been.