Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday will represent India at a global meeting of city leaders, organised by the C40 group, to share lessons in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Times Now reported. The meeting will be held via video conference in the evening and the chief minister will address leaders from about 35 cities of the world.

From the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in India, Kejriwal has announced several preventive measures to stop the infection from spreading in the national Capital. The chief minister had banned large gatherings, announced the systematic closure of all public places such as malls, dine-out restaurants and swimming pools, as well as ordered all schools and colleges to remain shut.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal announced that 325 government schools in the national Capital will be turned into temporary kitchens that will offer free lunch and dinner to four lakh people amid the countrywide lockdown imposed to stop the spread of coronavirus.

A total of 39 people in Delhi have tested positive for the Covid-19, the infection caused by the coronavirus, as of Friday, the chief minister said. “Out of these, 29 of them had come from outside and were kept in quarantine, while ten of these are cases of local transmission,” he added.

On Thursday, Kejriwal said all shops dealing with essential services will be open for 24 hours in the Capital to avoid the rush of people amid the lockdown. He added that shop owners will not require any additional license or permit to operate.

Last year, Kejriwal had addressed the C40 Climate Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, via videoconferencing after the Union government denied him permission to travel for the event. The centre had denied him permission to attend the summit of mega cities to discuss climate change, saying his visit there as a speaker at a panel discussion was not commensurate with the level of participation from other countries.

Meanwhile, the toll in the coronavirus pandemic rose to 17 in India on Friday and the number of patients increased to 724, according to the Union Health Ministry’s latest update. This includes those who have recovered and 640 active cases. State health authorities have announced three other deaths – one in Tumakuru, Karnataka, and two in Bhilwara, Rajasthan – but the centre is yet to confirm these. India entered the third day of its 21-day nationwide lockdown on Friday.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world crossed half a million on Friday, with the US leading with 85,505 cases. The pandemic has infected 5,31,708 people globally, and killed 24,053 people across 175 countries or territories, according to an estimate by Johns Hopkins University. As many as 1,22,203 people have recovered.