Covid-19: Here's a timeline of events since lockdown was imposed in India

In less than six months since the first coronavirus case was reported in China's Wuhan, the pandemic outbreak in India has spread to almost all states and union territories, infecting more than 600,000 people.

The government, taking a cue from other major economies, had decided to impose a nationwide lockdown to contain the highly contagious virus on March 24. Since then, the curve has not flattened and India is now among the top four-worst affected nations across the world.

The coronavirus-induced lockdown led to displacement of millions of migrants, job losses, and economy hitting the rock-bottom level. On the positive front, the lockdown encouraged India to be 'atmanirbhar', which means self-reliant. Various state governments, Centre, NGOs, corporates and individuals rose to the occasion to feed the hungry and help the destitute.

Business Standard brings to a timeline of events since lockdown was imposed in India to trim coronavirus:

March 24: PM Modi announces 21-day lockdown

In a televised speech to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces that the entire country will be in a complete lockdown for 21 days. He said it was not a curfew, but, given the seriousness of the matter, it should be treated as no less.

March 25: Mass movement by migrants

India sees large-scale movement of the urban poor as they head for their homes in rural areas.

In his tweet, PM Modi said that "THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED TO PANIC". By now, India has reported over 600 cases and has tested less than 20,000 individuals.

March 26: FM announces Rs 1.7 trn plan for poor and migrants

Finance Minister Nirmana Sitharaman announces a Rs 1.7 trillion economic stimulus plan that will be released through direct cash transfers and food security measures aimed at giving relief to millions of poor hit by the nationwide lockdown. The relief’s cash support includes payments to farmers, free cooking gas to the poor for three months, state-sponsored contributions to retirement funds for the same duration and insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh to medical workers, she said.

March 27: Light diyas, candles to give hope to the poor, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges India's 1.3 billion citizens to switch off the lights in their homes, stand at their doorsteps, and light candles, diyas, torches or mobile flashlights, at 9 pm on April 5 (Sunday) for nine minutes. "Even though we are at our homes and feeling lonely during this lockdown period, we are not alone. We have the strength of the country's 1.3 billion people, " said Modi, inspiring people to dispel the darkness of the coronavirus pandemic and give hope to the poor who were the most impacted by the present crisis.

March 27: RBI allows moratorium on loan repayment

RBI, in a press conference, announces that all banks, housing finance companies (HFCs) and NBFCs have been permitted to allow a moratorium of 3 months on repayment of term loans outstanding on March 1, 2020.

March 31: Delhi's Nizamuddin emerges as coronavirus hotspot

Delhi's Nizamuddin area emerges as one of the Coronavirus 'hotspots' in India with a large number of attendees at a religious congregation held at the headquarters, or Markaz, of the Tablighi Jamaat, being tested positive. As of now, India has a total of 1,397 cases and has recorded 35 fatalities.

April 1: Nizamuddin event continues to stir trouble

129 new cases in Delhi and 74 new cases in Tamil Nadu are linked to Nizamuddin Markaz congregation. Nine people died in Telangana, all of whom have attended the event in Delhi. India's total number of Covid-19 cases has risen to 2,543, and 72 people have died so far.

April 5: Millions of Indians, light diyas, candles, torchlights

Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to fire up candles and diyas for nine minutes to ‘harness the power of light’ against the coronavirus, people in parts of the country come out onto their balconies and even the streets with candles lit, even bursting crackers. The coronavirus cases jump to 3,577 and the death toll mounts to 83. 

April 8: Vice-President indicates lockdown could be extended

India witnesses a dramatic surge in the number of Covid-19 cases. So far, 5,351 people have tested positive and 160 deaths have been recorded in the country. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu indicates that the three-week lockdown could be extended.

April 9: RBI paints a gloomy picture for the Indian economy

The macroeconomic risks held forth by the Covid-19 outbreak would be severe for India, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) says in its monetary policy report.

The impact of the pandemic came at a time when the economy was just at the turn of a recovery, “but Covid-19 now “hangs over the future, like a spectre,” it says. “While efforts are being mounted on a war footing to arrest its spread, Covid-19 would impact economic activity in India directly through domestic lockdown.”

Punjab government makes wearing face masks mandatory in public places. 

April 10: Modi holds a digital meet with the chief ministers

The total number of Covid-19 positive cases in the country has to 7,600 with 249 fatalities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a digital meet with the chief ministers of all the states and discusses the lockdown extension issue.

The Punjab government extends lockdown in the state till April 30.

April 14: Centre extends lockdown till May 3

10,000 confirmed cases were recorded, as the nationwide lockdown is further extended till May 3.

All states and UTs of India (except Dadar Nagar Haveli and Sikkim) report at least one case of Covid-19. India tested a total of 2,30,000 individuals with a high test positivity ratio of 4.7%.

April 16: Govt allows e-commerce, agri industry to resume from April 20

The government allows opening up of some industries in rural areas after April 20 to reduce the distress caused to millions of people because of the lockdown. The government also allows farm activities, construction of roads and buildings in the hinterland which has so far been less affected by the coronavirus.

April 20: Situation grave in Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata

The total number of coronavirus cases in India has reached 17,615, with 1,553 cases and 36 deaths recorded in 24 hours alone. The Centre says the Covid-19 situation was "especially serious" in Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata and a few other places in West Bengal, and violation of lockdown measures risked the spread of virus.

April 22: Union Cabinet approves ordinance making acts of violence against doctors as non-bailable offences

Against the backdrop of attacks on healthcare personnel fighting coronavirus, the Union Cabinet approves an ordinance making acts of violence against them as cognisable and non-bailable offences. The proposed ordinance will amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

At 5,229, Maharashtra has the highest number of cases among Indian states. It is followed by Gujarat (2,407), Delhi (2,248), Rajasthan (1,888), Madhya Pradesh (1,552) Tamil Nadu (1,596), and Uttar Pradesh (1,449).

April 24: Meeting on second economic package

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman finalise a second stimulus package for industry, the poor, and farmers.

April 25

In some relief to the public, the government allows shops, including those located in residential complexes within municipal areas, to remain open at a 50 per cent strength.

April 29: 1,000 confirmed deaths recorded

As many as 31,360 are suffering from Covid-19 in India and the death toll has risen to 1,008.

The government has cautioned against use of plasma therapy saying there is "no concrete evidence to support plasma therapy as coronavirus treatment."  India cases at 31,787.

April 30

In a significant development, the Centre has now allowed the movement of migrant labourers, students, pilgrims and tourists who do not have symptoms of coronavirus back to their home states.

May 1: Lockdown extended till May 17

The nationwide lockdown has been further extended till May 17. According to MHA guidelines, there will be considerable relaxation in the districts falling in the Green and Orange Zones. The biggest and most economically-important cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad, all marked red zones, will stay under strict lockdown.

Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 42,505, with 1,391 people dead.

May 1: Shramik Special trains for migrants

Shramik Special trains start from today in Centre's bid to ferry stranded migrant workers to their native states amid the Covid-19 lockdown.

May 4: Lockdown 3.0

India has entered the third phase of its nationwide lockdown. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country has reached 42,533 and there have been 1,391 fatalities so far. According to MHA guidelines, there will be considerable relaxations starting today in districts that fall in the Green and Orange Zones. States hit with most cases in India at present are Maharashtra (12,974), Gujarat (5,428), Delhi (4,549), Madhya Pradesh (2,846), Rajasthan (2,886), Tamil Nadu (3,023), Uttar Pradesh (2,645).

May 7

Vande Bharat Mission begins to bring stranded Indians home from various countries like the UK, the UAE, the US, Maldives, Bahrain, and Singapore.

May 13

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announces a second set of measures that are part of a Rs 20 trillion fiscal and monetary package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support India’s economy.

Sitharaman  announces measures of nearly Rs 5.94 trillion to provide relief to small businesses; taxpayers; shadow banks; power distribution companies; real estate; organised sector employees; and contractors working with the government.

May 15: FM unveils third set of economic stimulus

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveils the third set of stimulus measures focussing on agriculture and allied activities — dairy, fisheries, food processing, animal husbandry.

May 16

India with 85,940 cases overtakes China in terms of the total number of cases reported. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveils the fourth set of stimulus measures to bring structural reforms in coal, minerals, defence production, aviation (airspace management, airports, MRO), power discoms in UTs, space and atomic energy sectors. 

May 17: Lockdown extended till May 31

Nationwide lockdown is further extended till May 31, making it one of the longest lockdowns any country has imposed ever.

May 19

Coronavirus cases continue to increase as 100,000 confirmed cases are reported.

India for the first time tested more than 100,000 samples (including the less reliable TrueNat and CB-NAAT) in 24 hours.

May 20: Cyclone Amphan causes chaos in West Bengal

Super cyclone Amphan hit Bengal as an extremely severe cyclonic storm at a time when restrictions are in place due to coronavirus pandemic,

May 31

India records 5,000 deaths

June 1: India is now the 7th-most-infected country

The fifth phase of the coronavirus-induced lockdown begins from today, even as India continues to witness a dramatic rise in the number of Covid-19 cases. The latest figures take the country's tally to 194,504. India is now the 7th-most-infected country, has the 4th-highest number of active cases globally, and second-highest number of serious active cases. Delhi government has decided to seal its borders for a week from today.

Indian Railways starts 200 special trains 

Indian Railways has started running a pair of 100 trains from Monday, after a gap of over two months due to coronavirus lockdown across India. 

June 8: Unlock 1.0

Phased reopening begins after 75 days of lockdown, as India registers over 9,983 new coronavirus cases in a single day, taking its spot as the 5th worst-hit nation across the world. The total coronavirus cases in India now stand at 260,093, and as many as 7,263 have died from the disease so far. 

June 11: India surpasses the UK to become the fourth-worst hit nation

India's total number of coronavirus cases has jumped to 298,283, and death toll to 8,501, in the country's biggest-ever spike in the number of cases and deaths in a single day.

June 17

India registers the highest-ever spike of 2,003 Covid-19 deaths as Maharashtra and Delhi added 'backlog' fatalities to their data.

June 25: CBSE cancels remaining board exams

Centre and CBSE Board informs Supreme Court that the remaining board exams would not be conducted. ICSE, ISC decides not to hold exams either.

June 27

After reporting 100,000 cases on May 19, India adds 100,000 cases in 15, 10, 8 and 5 days respectively to bring the total number of cases to half a million.

June 30: PM's address to the nation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that negligence in personal and social behaviour has been increasing in Unlock 1.0 and noted that there is need to be alert and follow norms as was done during the lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

July 1: India enters Unlock 2.0

India's total number of coronavirus cases has exceeded the 600,000-mark. Around 17,495 people have died from the fatal disease.

July 2: India marks 100 days since complete lockdown was first imposed