Modi puts all of India under lockdown for 21 days

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the government would impose a nationwide lockdown from midnight for 21 days to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Francesca Lynagh reports.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered a 21-day lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus.

In a televised address Modi said there would now be a total ban on leaving home, after the government already shut down all air and train travel, businesses and schools.

The nationwide measures, which affect 1.3 billion people, come into force at midnight on Tuesday (March 24).

India has so far reported 482 confirmed cases of the virus and nine deaths, but health researchers have warned that more than a million people in India could be infected by mid-May.

The virus is thought to be spreading out of the big Indian cities where it first appeared, and concern is growing about prospects for its spread into impoverished communities, and the ability of resource-starved public health sectors to cope.