New Delhi, March 20 (IANS): The Indian Railways on Friday decided to cancel 90 pairs of more trains, taking the total number of trains cancelled to 245 pairs.

Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said in view of the low occupancy due to Covid-19, 90 pairs of trains have been cancelled from March 20 to March 31 as a precautionary measure.

Earlier the railways cancelled 155 pairs of trains on Thursday as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

On Friday, India saw a spike in the number of Covid-19 patients as the total number of affected persons went up to 223 with four deaths in last one week.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for 'Janata Curfew' on Sunday, the Indian Railways has said that all the passenger trains will remain cancelled.

The railways also said the long distance mail or express train originating after 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. will also remain cancelled.

The decision was taken by the Railway Board after a detailed meeting with the General Managers of the Zonal railways to contain the spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in India.