Coronavirus Pandemic | 45-Year-Old Man Dies In Maharashtra, State's Death Count Mounts To 8

Two patients died on Sunday in Maharashtra. A 40-yr-old woman died at KEM Hospital due to severe breathlessness. Her COVID-19 positive status confirmed today and a 45-yr-old man also died in Buldhana. The total number of COVID-19 positive cases have crossed the 200 (203 to be precise) mark on Sunday, with the death toll rising to eight in the state. 22 new cases were reported today. 10 are from Mumbai, 5 from Pune, 3 from Nagpur, 2 from Ahmednagar and 1 each from Sangli, Buldhana & Jalgaon. As of now, 35 patients have recovered, and have been discharged from the hospital.

The nationwide tally of confirmed Coronavirus cases crossed the 1,000-mark and the death toll reached 27 on Sunday, even as the central government ordered sealing of all state and district borders to check community transmission of the deadly virus by migrant workers and asked those having left already to be quarantined for 14 days. The national capital alone reported 23 fresh positive cases, taking its count to 72, while more people tested positive in adjoining Noida as also in Maharashtra and Bihar, among other states. The new cases included a SpiceJet pilot with no history of international travel.

The total number of positive cases has increased by 106 in the last 24 hours to reach 1,024 and eight more persons died in this period to take the nationwide toll to 27, according to the latest official figures. As the 21-day lockdown entered its 5^th day, the exodus of migrant workers from big cities continued unabated, desperate to return to their villages after being left jobless and many of them without food or shelter. Charitable organisations, volunteers, religious institutions and government bodies including Railway Protection Force fed tens of thousands of people across the nation but many more remained outside the safety net.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio broadcast, sought the nation's forgiveness for the hardships caused by the stringent nationwide lockdown, saying it was necessary because the country was fighting a battle between life and death. He, however, expressed confidence that “we will definitely win the battle against the coronavirus menace and praised the front-line workers in this fight against as well as countless workers delivering the essential services.

The government announced some more exemptions to the lockdown by allowing movement of all goods, irrespective of those being in essential or non-essential categories. But, a panic-like situation emerged due to mass exodus of migrant workers from various parts of the country, including the national capital, Maharashtra and Kerala, where a large number of people came out of relief camps and demanded being allowed to go to their homes.

A migrant worker reportedly died of heart attack in Uttar Pradesh after walking more than 200 kms on way to his hometown in Madhya Pradesh from Delhi. "People are talking about the danger of some virus which can kill all of us. I don't understand all these. As a mother, I am pained when I cannot feed my children. No one is there to help. All are equally worried about their lives," Savitri, 30, a New Delhi slum dweller, told PTI as she walked along the Mathura Highway carrying her belongings on her head.

"We will die of hunger before any disease if we stay here," she said, determined to walk 400 kms to her village in Uttar Pradeshâ€Âs Kannauj district.

Hundreds of migrant workers also gathered again near the Anand Vihar terminus near the Delhi-UP border, hoping to board buses to their villages but they were turned back by police. A large number were seek walking in groups on highways and even on railway tracks.

(With agency inputs)