India is entering a 21-day lockdown period to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pandemic, but the production of essential commodities will continue.
In an address to the nation, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said that the lockdown was effective from midnight local time, 18:30 London time.
"For the past two days, many parts of the country have been locked down. From midnight tonight, the entire country will go under a complete lockdown," he said.
"This is an essential step in this decisive battle against the coronavirus... No doubt, this lockdown will entail an economic cost for the country, but saving the life of each and every Indian is the first priority," he added.
India's...