New Delhi, March 20 (IANS): Henk Bekedam, the World Health Organization's (WHO) India representative, hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'janata curfew' initiative which will come into effect for a day on Sunday.

"We welcome Prime Minister's call for a janata curfew and adopting social distancing. Effective implementation of the strategy will go a long way in controlling the spread of the virus," Bekedam said in a statement released by the WHO after Modi's address to the nation on Thursday evening.

"Along with hand-hygiene, coughing and sneezing in one's sleeves prevents transmission. These measures, together Awith social distancing can be effective in containing transmission. Even as we maintain social distancing, it is equally vital to stand together in solidarity to overcome this challenge," Bekedam added.

In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged the people of the country to opt for the 'janata curfew' on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

As of Friday, a total of 195 -- 163 Indians, 32 foreign nationals -- confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported in 20 states/union territories.

These include 19 who have been cured/discharged, one who has migrated and four reported deaths.

Hospital isolation of all confirmed cases, tracing and home quarantine of the contacts was ongoing.

On March 11, the WHO declared the outbreak as a pandemic and reiterated the call for countries to take immediate actions and scale up response to treat, detect and reduce transmission to save people's lives.