Battle against COVID-19: Delhiites respond to PM's solidarity call

Residents of the national capital on Sunday night joined people across the country in expressing India's resolve to collectively fight COVID-19 , lighting up 'diyas', candles and flashing torchlight from mobile phones in a symbolic gesture of solidarity following the prime minister's call.

Much before the designated time of 9 pm, people switched off lights at their homes while lamps and candles lit up the streets as people stood in their balconies and at entrance doors in unison.

Fireworks, thalis, whistles and police sirens were heard. At some places, Hindu devotional songs, mantras and national anthem were also played.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Friday urged the people to switch off the lights of their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat coronavirus.

In a video message of over 11 minutes, Modi had also asked people to maintain the "lakshman rekha" of social distancing by staying indoors and not getting together in groups during the exercise.

Coronavirus cases in Delhi on Sunday mounted to 503 with 58 fresh one and one death being reported in a day, according to the Delhi government authorities.

The overall death toll in the country due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 83 and the cases climbed to 3,577 on Sunday after 505 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry.

India has been on a 21-day lockdown from March 25 to check the spread of coronavirus pandemic that has claimed over 65,000 lives globally since the epidemic first emerged in China in December.

On March 22, millions of people across the country had coming out briefly at 5 pm to show gratitude to health and other essential service providers with sounds of bells, conches and claps following the prime minister's call after staying indoor during a Janta curfew' to help check the spread of coronavirus.