COVID-19 positive cases cross 2000 mark in India, 53 deaths recorded

At present, the country is reeling under the threat of 2069 COVID-19 positive cases and 53 deaths already.

However, the John Hopkins University's live map of Coronavirus puts the number of deaths in India at 58.

Raising much worry, most of the cases in recent times have evolved from the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid in Delhi's Nizamuddin which hosted around 2000-3000 people across the country.

Maharashtra remains the most affected state with the maximum number of positive cases.

PM holds meeting with CMs through video conference:

In what seemed as a clear message of not extending the lockdown further beyond the 21-day period, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a video conference with chief ministers and asked them to strategise on the movement of people post-Apr 14.

"It is important to formulate a common exit strategy to ensure staggered re-emergence of the population once the lockdown ends," he said during the conference.

The Prime Minister also announced that on Friday morning he will be sharing a small video message with his countrymen.

Punishment for violators:

Meanwhile, the Centre on Thursday instructed the states to sent to prison all violators of lockdown.

Directing for stern action under the existing laws, the Centre announced that violators of norms or those obstructing officials from doing their duties would land up in jail for one or two years.

Politics over Coronavirus:

Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah lashed out at the country's oldest political outfit Congress accusing it of "playing petty politics" over COVID-19 even when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "leadership" in combating the deadly pandemic virus was acknowledged both "domestically" and "globally".

Shah, who rarely spoke in the middle of the 21-day nationwide lockdown in the country, tweeted, "Under PM @narendramodi’s leadership, India’s efforts to fight Coronavirus are being lauded domestically and globally. 130 crore Indians are united to defeat COVID-19. Yet, Congress is playing petty politics. High time they think of national interest and stop misleading people."

Taking a plunge into politics, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for the unplanned implementation of the lockdown which has caused chaos and pain in the lives of millions of migrant workers all over India.

"The 21-day national lockdown may have been necessary but the unplanned manner in which it has been implemented has caused chaos and pain in the lives of millions of migrant workers all over India.

It has been heart-breaking to see lakhs of people walking for hundreds of kilometres towards their villages without food or shelter. It is the duty of us all to do our utmost to lessen their suffering. I wish to thank all those who are offering them help, our workers, civil society and people who have shown their kindness and compassion to them," Gandhi said.

Global scenario:

Globally the total number of Coronavirus positive cases stand at 962,977 with 49,180 deaths. Over 2 lakhs people recovered.

As per John Hopkins Coronavirus live map, the pandemic has affected maximum people in the United States which now have 216,768 cases while Italy witnessed maximum deaths with the toll reaching 13,155.