Coronavirus Outbreak: Indians Light Diyas, Candles In Show Of Solidarity Against COVID-19 As Death Toll Rises To 83 - 10 Points

New Delhi:

Indians across the country switched off lights at their homes and lit candles and diyas on Sunday night, in response to an appeal made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The prime minister has urged the people to switch off lights for 9 minutes at 9 pm on Sunday to show "collective resolve and solidarity" in its fight against coronavirus. Meanwhile, India saw 505 new infections in the past 24 hours as the total number of positive COVID-19 cases climbed to 3,577 in the country on Sunday. The death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 83, according to the Union Health Ministry.

Here's all you need to know about the latest on COVID-19 pandemic in India and the world:

1. The death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 83 and the cases climbed to 3,577 in the country on Sunday after 505 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry. The active COVID-19 cases stand at 3,219, while 274 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated, the ministry stated.
2. According to the ministry, Maharashtra has reported the most coronavirus deaths at 24, followed by Gujarat (11), Madhya Pradesh (9), Telangana and Delhi (7) each, and Punjab (5). Karnataka has reported four deaths, while West Bengal and Tamil Nadu each have recorded three fatalities. Two deaths each have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana each have reported a fatality each, according to the data.
3. Delhi has reported the highest number of confirmed cases at 503 followed by Maharashtra (490) and Tamil Nadu (485). Kerala has 306 positive cases, while the number of cases has gone up to 269 in Telangana and 227 in Uttar Pradesh. There are 200 cases in Rajasthan and 190 cases in Andhra Pradesh. COVID-19 cases have risen to 165 in Madhya Pradesh, 144 in Karnataka, followed by 122 in Gujarat. Jammu and Kashmir has 106 cases and West Bengal has 80. Haryana has reported 59 infections, followed by Punjab at 57. Thirty people are afflicted with COVID-19 in Bihar, while Assam has 26 cases. Uttarakhand has 22 cases, followed by Odisha at 20 cases, Chandigarh at 18 infections, and Ladakh with 14. Ten cases have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, while Chhattisgarh has nine infections. Goa has reported seven COVID-19 cases, followed by Himachal Pradesh with six and Puducherry with fix cases. Jharkhand has reported three cases, while and Manipur has reported two cases. Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported an infection each.
4. Much before the designated time of 9 pm, people turned off lights at their homes while lamps and candles lit up the streets as people stood in their balconies and at entrance doors in unison. Fireworks, sounds from beating of thalis, conches, whistles and police sirens were heard. At many places the air resonated with the sounds of devotional songs, mantras and national anthem, in scenes similar to the ones seen across the country on March 22 when Modi had sought to rally Indians by asking them to come out briefly at 5 pm to show gratitude to health and other essential service providers.
5. President Ram Nath Kovind along with wife Savita, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu And his wife Ushamma, several Union ministers including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, BJP patriarch L K Advani and prominent personalities from various fields including Bollywood too lighted diyas and candles. PM Modi also posted on Twitter his own pictures of lighting the lamp.
6. The government is likely to allow domestic and international flight operations in India in a staggered manner post the 21-day lockdown period which is expected to end on April 14, officials said on Sunday. All major airlines except Air India are taking domestic bookings for dates post April 14. Air India is taking bookings for dates post April 30 only. 
7. The rate of doubling of the coronavirus cases in India would have been 7.4 days instead of 4.1 if the Tablighi Jamaat event - a Delhi religious congregation in which hundreds contracted the virus - hadn't taken place, the Union Health Ministry said in a press briefing. Nearly a third of all confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India have been linked to Islamic sect Tablighi Jamaat and its gathering in Delhi last month, the ministry had said on Saturday. 
8. The Health Ministry has released an aggressive containment plan for large outbreaks of COVID-19, which includes buffer zones and sealing off areas for nearly a month. The government made the containment plan after clusters posing high risk of further spread of COVID-19 emerged in several states. Some of the steps the government seeks to take include sealing containment areas and stopping movement of people in and out of these areas. All suspect and confirmed COVID-19 cases will be hospitalised and kept in isolation in hospitals. Patients will be discharged only if two samples test negative for coronavirus. Another step mentioned in the strategy is closure of schools, colleges and offices in containment and buffer zones. There will be no public and private transport in these areas. Only essential services will be allowed to move. 
9. The government has started working out the possible post-lockdown scenarios and is considering another booster shot to minimize the impact of coronavirus and revive the economy but nothing has been finalised yet, senior officials said on Sunday. 
10. US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have agreed to ensure smooth functioning of the global supply chains for critical pharmaceuticals and medical goods to fight the coronavirus pandemic and discussed the significance of Yoga and Ayurveda for the physical and mental well-being of people during the major global health crisis.

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