COVID 19 Outbreak: Death toll touches 27 in India, over 1000 infected

India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the number of infected patients has now crossed 1000.

The PM last week announced 21-day lockdown to fight against the disease which has now reached nearly all corners of the globe.

The disease is believed to have first originated from China's Wuhan region.

Indian Army on Sunday reported two new positive cases of deadly coronavirus that included a doctor of Colonel rank posted at Eastern Command Hospital in Kolkata.

Another personnel who was detected positive was a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) deployed at Dehradun in Uttarakhand.

''They had history of travel in first or second week. They had come to Delhi. Necessary contact tracing was done and identified persons were quarantined,'' an Army official said.

The affected persons are keeping good health and are stable, the official added.

Another Jawan, meanwhile, who has been tested for the virus in Srinagar, was today declared negative.

The first positive case of deadly coronavirus was reported from the Indian Army on late Monday.

A 34-year-old jawan from Ladakh Scouts was tested positive. The infected Army jawan's father had travelled to Iran for pilgrimage and returned to India on February 27. The soldier was on casual leave from February 25 to March 1 and had rejoined on March 2.

The total number of COVID-19 cases across the globe have crossed 6,83,000 and there have been over 32,139 coronavirus-related deaths so far. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged the migrant workers to stay wherever they are, citing risk of coronavirus infection spreading to villages where the contagion has not reached yet.

In a message, Kejriwal promised all possible help to the migrant workers, including payment of the rent in case they are unable to arrange for it,  and added that they should think fo their loved ones and their own health as coronavirus is highly contagious.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing 'Mann Ki Baat' on Sunday apologised to the nation for taking such a hard decision like 21-day lockdown to combat the spread of Coronavirus, while also warning those who are violating the norms stating they "playing with their own life."

"I apologise to the nation for taking some hard decisions that have caused inconvenience to the common man. I believe you will forgive me. I had to take these steps to ensure your protection," PM Modi said during his monthly radio address Mann ki Baat.

"People must be thinking that what kind of PM I am ...Many are also angry with me to force you to stay indoors. But lockdown is the only solution right now. Many people are still defying lockdown... this is sad," he said 

21-day lockdown:

The 21-day lockdown was called on Tuesday after people across the country observed "Janata Curfew" on March 22 in response to PM's call for the same.

As a measure to stop the spread of Coronavirus, Modi-led central government has already suspended all international and domestic flights till Apr 14.

Train services have also been suspended.

The inter-state bus services are not available to the Indians making it tough for the migrant workers to travel back to their native lands though the government has urged all people to remain wherever they were.

Essential services which include grocery shops, pharmacies, media, banks and ATMs have been exempted from the lockdown to help people to buy the basic commodities and materials.

In another step to help the poorer sections, Modi on Saturday announced "Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund" or "PM Cares Fund" for donations to fight against the Novel Coronavirus in India.