India continued its battle against coronavirus with the lockdown entering the 13th day and the total number of cases reached 4,281 after the biggest single-day jump of 704 on Monday.
According to the latest update of the Health Ministry, there are 4,281 cases in the country including 3,851 active cases and 318 cured or discharged and 111 deaths.
It said there has been an increase of 704 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, which is the biggest rise so far in India in a day. Maharashtra has the largest number of cases at 748 followed by Tamil Nadu with 571 cases.
The country is in 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. The lockdown was announced on March 24. The total number of cases in the country had stood at 4,067 when Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal held the regular media briefing at 4 pm.
He said 1,445 of 4067 cases were related to Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi last month.
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People with links to Tablighi Jamaat or those who came in contact with the attendees are being identified and placed under quarantine as a precautionary measure.
The number of cases increased in Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana. New cases have also been reported from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Punjab.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with his council of ministers through video-conferencing and said the central ministries should prepare a Business Continuity Plan and be ready to fight the economic impact of COVID-19 on a war footing.
He said the ministers should remain in touch with local administrations, provide solutions to emergent problems and help formulate district-level micro plans.
The Union Cabinet decided not to operate Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for two years - 2020-21 and 2021-22. The funds will be used to strengthen the government's efforts in managing the challenges and adverse impact of COVID-19 in the country.
The cabinet also approved an ordinance amending the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954 reducing allowances and pension of MPs by 30 per cent from April 1, for a year.
Here's a quick read on the COVID-19 related updates
1. A total of 1,445 cases out of 4,067 cases are related to Tablighi Jamaat gathering, Aggarwal told the media at 4 pm.
2. Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Punya Salila Srivastava said that over 25,000 Tablighi Jamaat workers and their contacts have been quarantined across the country. She also said that 2,083 foreign Tablighi Jamaat workers have been identified and 1,750 of them have been blacklisted.
3. A second notice was issued to Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad by Delhi Police after a significant number of people, who had attended an event in Nizamuddin Markaz, tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier, in response to the first notice, Saad had submitted some documents and information to the Delhi Police through his lawyer.
4. R Gangakhedkar of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that an order has been placed for 5 lakh rapid antibody testing kits for conducting COVID-19 tests and 2.5 lakh kits will be delivered by April 9.
5. More than 26,000 people have been home quarantined in Madhya Pradesh's Morena after 12 people, who attended a funeral feast organised by a man on his return from Dubai, tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
6. The Indian Railways has converted 2,500 coaches into isolation wards, achieving almost half of its target of making 5,000 such coaches. It said that 40,000 isolation beds are now ready for contingency.
7. Bhopal reported its first death due to coronavirus as a 62-year-old person suffering from the infection died on Sunday night, said state health officials. Fifteen COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Madhya Pradesh while 217 people have tested positive.
8. Aggarwal on Monday said that there is limited evidence of the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine to deal with COVID-19 and there is not enough evidence proof to advise it for people.
9. The Delhi government has converted Lok Nayak Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital into dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. Both hospitals combined have a capacity of around 2450 beds.
10. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that COVID-19 cases have reached 523 in Delhi, with 20 fresh cases being reported in the last 24 hours.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
