The Evening Wrap Welcome to The Evening Wrap, your guide to the day’s major news developments with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying home and staying safe. Here are the major stories you need to know about today: India under Lockdown: Day 1 It’s the first day of a 21-day nation-wide lockdown announced yesterday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As we write this newsletter today, India has more than 600 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which more than 540 are active, according to data from the Health Ministry and State governments. The death toll stands at 12, with Tamil Nadu registering its first death on Wednesday. Madhya Pradesh also recorded its first death today. The Ministry of Home Affairs late on Wednesday postponed the first phase of Census 2021 and the updation of the National Population Register until further orders. It’s a stark reminder, if any were needed, that news stories that seemed to hog all the national attention just a few weeks ago have fallen by the wayside as we confront the magnitude of what lies ahead. The Prime Minister announced that the Centre has tied up with WhatsApp to create a helpdesk for providing credible information on coronavirus. The helpdesk number is 9013151515. Speaking in his home constituency of Varanasi, the PM said he was very pained by the misbehaviour of some people against doctors, airline crew, and other workers at the forefront of combating the spread of COVID-19. Reports have been pouring in from across the country of healthcare workers being barred from hotels and hostels, and airline crew being discriminated against in their towns and villages because of their travel histories. There is also a lot of reporting to be done now on the plight of millions of migrant workers who have been left stranded by the shutdown and don’t know when they can go home or return to their livelihoods in urban centres. As a start, we have an excellent report today by our Kolkata Bureau Chief Suvojit Bagchi on how Howrah station has turned into a ‘hellhole’ for hundreds of stranded passengers. There are a number of useful resources that we can point you toward at this time. Here are answers from experts on your queries about the virus, a list of State Helpline numbers, and a map of confirmed cases in India. We are running a daily podcast series tracking the latest developments on COVID-19 in India. In our last two episodes, we looked at the possible fallout from the lockdown, and the potential damage to the economy. If you are at a loss as to how to spend the next few weeks confined to your home, our features team has compiled this interesting social distancing to-do list where leading names from the film and entertainment industry share their choices for what to watch or read during this time. In Brief: India strongly condemned Wednesday’s terror strike on a Gurudwara in Kabul, and pledged to help the Sikh and Hindu communities of Afghanistan. The attack began at 7.45 in the morning and continued till midday, leaving at least 11 dead. About 200 devotees were taken hostage. “We convey our sincerest condolences to the immediate family members of the deceased and wish speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to extend all possible assistance to the affected families of the Hindu and Sikh community of Afghanistan,” a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, has tested positive for COVID-19, his household said. Charles, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth, is 71 years old. “The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus. He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual,” a statement said. Some heartbreaking news for Mumbaikars. Chef Floyd Cardoz, who tested positive for COVID-19, died of the infection in a hospital in New York City on Wednesday. Cardozo was the co-owner of the Bombay Canteen and O Pedro, two of Mumbai’s best-known and best-loved restaurants. All the Indian OTT platforms, including big players such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar and others, have decided to restrict streaming on cellular networks to only SD (standard definition) content until April 14. This measure has been taken to counter the unprecedented surge in mobile internet consumption as India prepares to spend three weeks at home in self-isolation. In international news, Spain’s COVID-19 death toll has overtaken that of China’s, rising to 3,434, after 738 people died over the past 24 hours. China, meanwhile, has downgraded the risk level of the coronavirus in the pandemic’s epicentre, Wuhan, from ‘high’ to ‘medium’ and resumed bus services within the city, according to the Press Trust of India. That’s it for this edition of The Evening Wrap. We’ll see you tomorrow. | 
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