The Union Home Ministry has asked private security agencies not to lay off guards or deduct their salaries during the 21-day lockdown period announced to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 562 on Wednesday while the death toll due to COVID-19 in the country was revised down to nine, according to Health Ministry data.

 A 54-year-old man infected with coronavirus died at a hospital here in the early hours of Wednesday, the first death recorded in Tamil Nadu due to the contagion, state Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said.

India will be collectively failing its healthcare workers if adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are not ensured for doctors, nurses and other staff treating COVID-19 patients, Indian Medical Association National President and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Santanu Sen said Tuesday.

The Union Home Ministry has issued strict guidelines for the enforcement of 21-day complete nationwide lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, invoking the National Disaster Management Act which may result in imprisonment of up to two years for any violation.

Minister Narendra Modi has announced a complete lockdown across the country for 21 days from Tuesday midnight, asserting that social distancing is the only way out for the country in its decisive battle against the coronavirus.

The Karnataka government was taking all necessary steps to control spread of COVID-19, which was haunting like a monster, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Tuesday, as he announced a slew of initiatives for the poor, whose livelihoods have been hit due to the state-wide lock down.

The government on Tuesday banned export of all sanitisers and ventilators with immediate effect in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.