Municipal authorities in Mumbai have announced that wearing protective masks will be mandatory in the city which has emerged as a hotspot in the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Violators may be arrested, an order said.

With a population of more than 2 crore, Mumbai and its suburbs have reported 782 positive cases and 50 deaths, the latest health bulletin said on Wednesday. Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country at over 1,000.

The country's financial hub is likely to extend lockdown measures until at least April 30 as authorities race to expand testing to stem the spread of coronavirus cases in the city, news agency Reuters reported on Wednesday quoting three senior officials.

A 21-day nationwide lockdown that Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared in late March to fight the epidemic is officially set to end on April 14.