India has become the latest and largest country to introduce a nationwide lockdown in the fight against the coronavirus. Its population of 1.3 billion has been told to stay at home. The country has so far seen about 560 confirmed cases and 11 deaths and there are fears that infections could spread quickly in the densely-populated urban areas of the country.
Crowds formed at pharmacies and shops shortly before the midnight deadline. Non-essential businesses have been closed, most flights and rail services have been stopped, and the busy Bollywood film industry has ground to a halt. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said without the 21-day lockdown, the country could be set back by 21 years. (Deutsche Welle, 25 Mar 2020 at ~6:30AM CT US)