New Delhi: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country inched closer to 9,000 with a total of 918 infections reported in the last 24 hours. It was lesser than Saturday, when there was a record increase of over 1,000 cases. Meanwhile sources said Sunday that the Centre is focused on plans to ease some restrictions during the likely extension of the unprecedented measure beyond April 14. The 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in place from March 25 in a bid to halt the spread of COVID-19 and is scheduled to end Tuesday.
Amid demands for ramping up health surveillance, the Centre said it is expanding the COVID-19 testing capacity in state-run as well as private medical colleges.
Four states – Telengana, Maharashtra, Punjab and Odisha – have already extended the coronavirus lockdown in their respective territories till April 30.
The tally of numbers reported by various states at 6.30pm showed at least 8,933 positive coronavirus cases and 296 deaths. A total of 981 people have been cured and discharged so far.
According to the latest Union Health Ministry update, 918 COVID-19 cases and 34 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of such cases to 8,447 and the fatalities to 273. It said 765 people have so far recovered from the infection.
The Health Ministry also asserted that the government is ‘extra prepared’ if there is an exponential rise in the number of coronavirus patients.
Addressing a press briefing, Health Ministry’s Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said the government is expanding the COVID-19 testing capacity in state-run as well as private medical colleges.
“We are working on an urgent basis to expand the capacity for COVID-19 testing in government and private medical colleges across the country. Fourteen mentor institutes, including the AIIMS and NIMHANS, have been identified to mentor the medical colleges and expand the coronavirus testing capacity,” said Agarwal.
According to ICMR officials, a total of 1,86,906 samples have so far been tested across the country, of which 7,953 have been found positive for COVID-19.
“In the last five days, on an average, 15,747 samples were tested per day and 584 of those were found to be positive per day,” an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) official said at the press briefing
A broad consensus has emerged that the national lockdown should be extended by at least two weeks after a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and state chief ministers Saturday. However, the Centre in consultation with states is moving to restart economic activities in a graded manner in what is seen as a nuanced change in strategy from saving lives a month ago to saving lives as well as livelihoods now in the fight against the pandemic.
It has sought inputs related to production, labour and logistics from clusters in five key sectors to ascertain expected output if they are made operational within a fortnight and procedural support required, official sources said. The five sectors are textiles, chemicals, electronics, steel and pharmaceutical, the sources said.
States are likely to designate districts, towns and cities as red, orange and green zones depending upon the number of COVID-19 case as part of efforts to allow differentiated restoration of normalcy with conditions like uses of masks and social distancing in public.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said talks are underway with state governments to re-start highway construction projects where migrant labourers can be gainfully employed.
PTI
