Govt asks districts to ensure pharma units work seamlessly; 8 Malaysians caught trying to leave India

The government on Sunday directed all district officials to ensure that pharma units making devices and medicines run seamlessly, a day after India imposed curbs on exports of most diagnostic kits, as the Health Ministry assured that there was no evidence that COVID-19 was an airborne infection.

Also Sunday, eight Malaysian citizens who attended a Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin here were caught by immigration authorities at the IGI Airport while trying to flee the country on a special flight arranged for the stranded travellers.

They had emerged fro hiding in the Delhi-NCR region and made their way to the airport to try and get on a special flight arranged by the Malaysian High Commission for their citizens stranded in India.

The Union Health Ministry reported 11 more COVID-19 deaths, taking the toll to 79, and nationwide tally of confirmed cases to 3,374 with 472 new patients being recorded in the last 24 hours. However, a PTI tally based on figures reported by states directly showed at least 106 deaths, while the number of confirmed cases had reached 3,624. Of the total, 284 have been cured and discharged.

Asserting that there was no evidence that coronavirus was airborne, the health ministry also said the rate of doubling of COVID-19 cases in India is 4.1 days currently, but if the cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation would not have happened, it would have been 7.4 days.

"If it was an airborne infection then in a family -- whoever has a contact -- they all should come positive because they are living in same surrounding as the patient and the family is breathing the same air. When someone is admitted in hospital, other patient would have got exposure (if it was air borne) but that is not the case, an official of the Indian Council of Medical Research said.

Unsure of what turn the COVID-19 pandemic will take in India, various key ministries and departments have cautiously started to chalk out re-emergence plans and strategies to come out of the 21-day nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Globally, the pandemic has claimed more than 65,600 lives gand inflicted over 12 lakh people