Malls in Delhi to be shut till further notice, groceries and pharmacies to remain open

All malls in the national capital will be closed in view of COVID-19 outbreak with the exception of grocery stores and pharmacies, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Friday.

Kejriwal tweeted that grocery, pharmacy and vegetable shops in the malls will remain open.

"In view of the prevailing situation, we are closing down all Malls (except grocery, pharmacy and vegetable shops in them)" the chief minister tweeted.

The Delhi government in an earlier order today advised all private-sector employers to allow their employees to work from home till Mar 31, in a bid to counter COVID-19.

It advised all private sector offices including multinational companies, IT firms, industries, corporate offices situated in NCT of Delhi to allow their employees to work from home till March 31.

The government also advised the public to remain at home, especially children and senior citizens.

He had said that not more than 20 people will be allowed to gather at any place for social, cultural, religious, academics, seminars, conferences purposes in the state.

According to official data, the total number of people infected with novel coronavirus touched 195.

The national capital has seen one death due to the infection and a total of 17 people including one foreign national has so far been tested positive for the disease.

As many as 19 people have been cured of COVID-19, which has claimed over 10,000 lives globally.

The central government has also imposed travel restrictions prohibiting entry of all passengers from the European Union, European Free Trade Association, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Philippines, and Afghanistan.