COVID-19 Update

The total number of Covid-19 infections in India crossed the 6,000-mark as the country entered day 17 of the three-week lockdown. India added 678 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours taking the total tally to 6,412, according to the health ministry’s update. That includes 504 people cured or discharged and 199 deaths. Maharashtra remains the worst affected state with over 1,300 cases. Followed by Tamil Nadu at 834 and Delhi at 720, Rajasthan at 463 and Telangana at 442. Several state governments are in support of extending the lockdown beyond 14th April. Odisha is the only state to have actually extended it till April 30. Prime Minister Modi’s government is now facing the tough choice of whether to extend the lockdown, which has put millions of people out of work, beyond April 14 or not.

• The central government has announced a ?15,000 crore "India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package".
• US President Donald Trump thanked PM Modi for allowing the export of of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ).
• Several other states including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh said they will take a final decision in the coming days on whether to extend or not.
• Delhi, Mumbai, UP, MP and Odisha on Wednesday made the wearing of face masks mandatory for people stepping out of their homes.
• Maharashtra recorded 74 deaths and 1,135 corona patients, giving a mortality rate of 6.34 per cent, the third highest in India.