COVID-19: 227 new positive cases nationwide with 11 more deaths

PTI, Mar 31, 2020, 8:47 AM IST

New Delhi: The COVID-19 crisis appeared escalating on Monday, March 30 with at least 11 new deaths including of six from Telangana who had attended a religious congregation in the national capital’s Nizamuddin area earlier this month, while the government reported 227 fresh cases of infection nationwide the highest for a day.

While the Union Health Ministry maintained the deadly virus was still in the local transmission stage in India and yet to move to the community transmission phase, the Supreme Court cautioned that fear and panic are becoming a bigger problem than the coronavirus.

The government also said that there was no immediate plan to extend the 21-day lockdown period, which entered its sixth day on Monday, while the Indian Army dismissed as “fake” social media posts about a possible emergency declaration next month.

In its latest update, the Union Home Ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 has risen to 32 and the number of total positive cases to 1,251 as on Monday 9.30 PM, up from 1,024 positive cases and 27 deaths as on Sunday evening. While there are more than 1,100 active cases, nearly 100 have been cured.

While this nationwide update included only one death from Telangana, the state government later in the night said in a statement that six people from the state who attended a congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin have died due to coronavirus.

Officials said that over 2,000 delegates, including from Indonesia and Malaysia, had attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin West from March 1-15. More than 200 people have been admitted to hospitals after showing symptoms of the disease and test results for many of them are expected on Tuesday.

The Delhi Police cordoned off the area after several people showed symptoms of coronavirus after taking part in a religious gathering a few days ago.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal later ordered FIR against the person who led the congregation.

While the nationwide tally of confirmed cases of infection rose on Monday by 227 the largest one-day increase to 1,251, at least 25 fresh cases were reported from Delhi alone, taking the national capital’s tally to 97, as per the Delhi Health Department.

Fresh coronavirus cases were reported from several states including Rajasthan, Haryana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, including in Noida in the national capital region.

The Delhi government converted its 11 schools into night shelters in a bid to help migrant workers stay in the city during the lockdown period, which would be in addition to the existing 238 night shelters in the city.