Following the announcement of India's 21-day lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Kerala government imposed a statewide ban on liquor sales. A man in the state committed suicide after suffering severe withdrawal symptoms.

The 38-year-old man, identified as Sanoj Kulangara, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his house in the Thrissur district. Upon inquiry, it was found that Sanoj was an alcoholic and suffered from severe withdrawal symptoms following the alcohol ban. Kerala's tourism minister had earlier said that four people had been admitted to a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram with withdrawal symptoms. The police have registered a case of unnatural death.

In an attempt to contain the spread of the virus across the country, PM Narendra Modi imposed a nationwide lockdown that came into effect on March 25 at 12.00 am and will be enforced for 21 days. 642 cases and 11 deaths have been reported in the country so far, of which 35 cases have been recorded in Uttar Pradesh alone.