India has 716 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to data from the Health Ministry and State governments. The death toll stands at 18. As India underwent day 2 of the nationwide lockdown, the government announced more measures to ease the stress on Indian citizens.
Meanwhile, in the wake of significant surge in Coronavirus cases across the world, the government on Thursday announced that the ban on international flight operations to India has been extended to April 14.
Central government on Thursday announced the first instalment of a fiscal relief package, worth Rs 170,000 crore, to protect the weaker sections of the society from the economic fallout of COVID-19 in the country.
Announcing the measures, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana will benefit migrant workers, rural poor and women.
The death toll rose to 5 in Maharashtra as a 65-year-old woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 died at a hospital on Thursday evening.
In Mumbai, a woman died at the civic-run Kasturba Hospital, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).She was also suffering from diabetes and hypertension, the BMC statement said.
In the morning, health officials had informed that test report of a woman from Navi Mumbai who had died on March 24 came out positive for coronavirus. Of the five persons who have died in the state so far, three were from Mumbai and two from the peripheral Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
In view of COVID-19, there was an order to temporarily suspend the collection of toll at all toll plaza across India. This will not only reduce inconvenience to the supply of emergency services but also save critical time, said Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways.
The woman who died on Thursday evening had been admitted to the Kasturba Hospital on March 23 after she complained of breathlessness.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking in the video conference of the G20 summit said, "Let's put human beings rather than economic targets at centre of our vision for global prosperity, cooperation."
Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday, announced that "all grocery shops, chemists and other essential services can remain open for 24 hours."
However, Thackeray emphasized on social distancing and further said "These shops will have to follow rules of social distancing and must take care in terms of health of customers."
The Bihar government has provided Rs. 100 crore from Chief Minister's relief fund to the State Disaster Management department to make arrangement of stay and food to all those from Bihar who are stuck at different place, either in the State or outside due to lockdown.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing her and the Congress party's support for the 21-day lockdown.
Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, MHA said that Government is taking steps to ensure that production, supply or distribution of essential goods and services do not get affected during Coronavirus lockdown. States are working to provide food and shelter to migrant workers
States are working to provide food and shelter to migrant workers, There will be Rs 50 lakh insurance per health care worker as a medical insurance cover for them for three months. Hopefully, the virus will be contained in this period.
The police did thorough checking and were not allowing any vehicle or person to roam around. Every one was checked and many who penalised were booked.
In an urgent move towards expanding the COVID-19 diagnostics in India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has invited quotations from manufacturers for supply of kits for testing.
Sitharaman also announced that 8.69 crore farmers would be immediately benefited through Direct cash transfers. Installment of Rs 2000 in the first week of April will be transferred.
The Bihar government has provided Rs. 100 crore from Chief Minister's relief fund to the State Disaster Management department to make arrangement of stay and food to all those from Bihar who are stuck at different place, either in the State or outside due to lockdown.
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