COVID-19: India in Lockdown, Apparel Factories Closed

NEW DELHI, India — Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday mandated a complete nationwide lockdown, including all apparel and other factories, for 21 days from Tuesday midnight to help stem the outbreak of the coronavirus. Many parts of the country, including Delhi, had already been barred from holding public gatherings amid orders to close workplaces till March 31. “If we don’t handle these 21 days well, then our country, your family will go backward by 21 years,” he said in a second public address on prime time television within the week. The total coronavirus cases in India rose to 536 by Tuesday evening, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research, with 10 deaths. Most factories and workplaces in India had continued to operate normally until last week, and industry analysts were critical that the response to the crisis was too slow. “In India, till last week most factories continued to work without taking adequate steps to prevent occupational exposure to COVID-19. However, from today onwards, factories across most states in India have closed down till March 31 under strict directives from state governments,” the Asia Floor Wage Alliance noted on Tuesday. “Additionally, the Indian government has also issued an order stating that

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