New Delhi, Mar 29 : The overall number of COVID-19 positive people rose to 979, with 61 new cases coming in, the health ministry said this morning.
The figure includes 87 people who have been cured, 25 people have died. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who declared a 21-day lockdown last week, today warned against violation of the restrictions, saying those doing so were “playing with their own lives’.
In the backdrop of the return of thousands of migrant labourers to their villages, the Prime Minister also apologized for the lockdown decision which, he said, has inconvenienced the poor.
61 new cases of COVID-19 came over the last 16 hours, following yesterday’s mega jump of nearly 200 cases. Overall 25 people have died, the deaths were reported from various states including Bengal, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar.
A death each has been reported from these states. Maharashtra has reported 6 deaths, Madhya Pradesh 2, Karnataka 3, Gujarat 4, and Delhi 2.
The flight of migrant labourers continues, with several of the interstate bus stations in Delhi becoming heavily crowded areas.
A 14-day quarantine in state-run camps has been made mandatory for the labourers who are returning to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in special buses.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has again appealed to migrant workers not to leave.In a series of tweets in Hindi, he said, “I assure you that the Delhi government has made sufficient arrangements for your food and accommodation. For now, do not go to your villages in the country’s interest”.
Technically called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 or SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus causes the COVID-19 disease, originated in China’s Wuhan city. A novel virus is one that has not been previously identified in humans.
Italy, Spain, Iran and the United States have been worst hit by the pandemic apart from China. Italy on Friday recorded 1,000 deaths, highest in a day.
With Agency inputs
