India adopted extreme measures to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak on Monday as the nation registered nearly 100 new cases within a day. India reported three Covid-19 deaths on Monday, taking the death toll to 10, while the total number of cases climbed to 499. Maharashtra and Punjab were put under statewide curfews, the rest of the country is in lockdown and all domestic flights are set to be grounded.

As many as 30 states and Union Territories have ordered complete lockdown under their jurisdiction in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The extreme measures by the central and state governments were taken in light of the continued upward trajectory of the virus, amid warning of legal action against those violating the restrictions imposed during the lockdown.

Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry has announced that the government has stepped measures to ensure the testing and treatment of Covid-19 cases. The ministry said that 12 private-lab chains have been registered for testing coronavirus cases. These 12 labs have 15,000 collection centres

Covid-19 cases claimed three lives in India on Monday. A 55-year-old man, who had recently returned from Italy with his family and had tested positive for novel coronavirus, passed away in Kolkata. According to an official statement, the patient also suffered from heart-related ailments. It was West Bengal's first casualty due to novel coronavirus.

Himachal Pradesh also registered its first death due to Covid-19. A 69-year-old man who recently travelled from the US died of coronavirus at a government hospital in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra. He had returned from the US on March 15. People he came in touch with during treatment and his return journey have been identified and put under home quarantine.

Filipino man, who had earlier tested positive and then negative for coronavirus in Mumbai, passed away due to kidney failure on Monday. The 68-year-old man from the Philippines had initially tested positive for Covid-19 and was under treatment at the civic-run Kasturba Hospital. He was later shifted to a private hospital after his test report came out negative. He died at the private hospital late Sunday night.

Earlier, seven deaths have been reported from Gujarat, Bihar and Maharashtra (2), Karnataka, Delhi, and Punjab.

Total cases near 500-mark in India

India on Monday registered the highest number of cases in a day. Maximum cases (28) were reported in Kerala, followed by 23 new cases in Maharashtra. The other states which reported new Covid-19 cases to include Gujarat (12) Tamil Nadu (2) and Bihar (1). Two cases were also reported in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida on Monday.

States across India are not taking violations of curfew, lockdown and home quarantine lightly. Scores of people were challaned, booked under the provisions of the Epidemic Act and sent to isolation wards across India for not following measures to ensure their own and public safety.

Several cops across UP, Rajasthan, Gujarat and other states made lockdown violators hold posters saying 'I am enemy of the state, I venture out during lockdown for no reason'.

The Ghaziabad police on Monday booked 200 people for violating the lockdown orders imposed in the wake of the coronavirus threat.

In Noida, police issued 2,000 challans and penalties against those violating Section 144 on the first day of the lockdown.

In Kolkata, a couple was forced to move to the isolation ward after they were spotted violating home quarantine.

Coronavirus global deaths exceed 15,000

The number of deaths around the world from the novel coronavirus cases stood at 15,189, according to a tally compiled by AFP.

More than 341,300 declared cases have been registered in 174 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December.

Italy, which recorded its first coronavirus death in February, now has more fatalities than China with 5,476, as well as having 59,138 declared infections with 7,024 recoveries.

China -- excluding Hong Kong and Macau -- has to date declared 81,093 cases, including 3,270 deaths, with 72,703 people recovered. It reported 39 new cases and nine new fatalities since Sunday.

The third worst-hit country is Spain with 2,182 fatalities and 33,089 cases, followed by Iran with 1,812 fatalities and 23,049 cases, France with 674 deaths and 16,018 cases, and the United States with 471 deaths and 35,224 cases.

By continent, Europe has listed 172,238 cases and 9,197 deaths to date, Asia 97,783 cases and 3,539 deaths, the US and Canada together 36,554 cases with 490 deaths, the Middle East 26,688 cases and 1,841 deaths, Latin America and the Caribbean 5,130 cases with 65 deaths, Africa 1,479 cases with 49 deaths and Oceania 1,433 cases with eight deaths.