Staff Reporter / WEB DESK / New Delhi
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has risen to 359. The cases include 41 foreign nationals. Out of the total positive cases, 23 people have been discharged after being cured and seven patients have died. So far over 15.17 lakh passengers have been screened at various airports in the country.
Cabinet Secy, PS to PM review status regarding COVID-19
Cabinet Secretary and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister reviewed the status, actions taken and preparedness regarding COVID-19 in a high level meeting with Chief Secretaries of states through a video conference. The increase in the number of confirmed cases during the last few days was discussed. Centre impressed upon the states the need for urgent and effective interventions. The decision of allowing only essential services to operate in districts with confirmed COVID-19 cases was taken during the meeting.
Centre asks States to stop all services in 75 districts
The Health Ministry on Sunday stressed on the need to stop the chain of transmission of COVID 19. Briefing the media in New Delhi this evening, Joint Secretary in the Ministry, Lav Aggarwal said, many measures are being taken to break the chain of transmission. The Central government has asked state governments to issue directions to the 75 districts that have positive cases to stop all services except emergency services.
These districts include Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Agra, Varanasi, Kolkata, Dehradun, Jaipur, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Thiruvanthpuram, Kottayam. Erankulam, Bangaluru, Sri Nagar, Jammu , Faridabad, Ahemdabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Delhi, Chandigarh, Vijayawada.
The Indian Council of Medical Research Director-General, Balram Bhargava said, the easiest method to break the chain of transmission is to isolate people coming from outside. He said, the virus is not present in the air, and it only can be transmitted through droplets released. Mr Bhargava elaborated that 80 percent of the people who are affected will experience cold-like fever and they will recover. Mr Bhargava said, government has done 16 to 17 thousand tests already.