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India witnesses steep rise in COVID-19 cases amid lockdown

India witnesses steep rise in COVID-19 cases amid lockdown

IBNS | @indiablooms | 31 Mar 2020, 08:06 am

New Delhi/IBNS: India is witnessing a steep rise in the number of Novel Coronavirus cases, which has already crossed 1,400, as the vast country of 28 states and eight union territories entered the seventh day of a massive three-week lockdown on Tuesday.

According to the last update, 1,417 people including 43 deceased and 144 cured have been tested positive with COVID-19 which has engulfed almost all parts of the country of 1.3 billion people.

The jump in the number of cases has been witnessed in the last few days though the country is presently going through an unprecedented lockdown called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi exactly a week ago to stop the spread of the deadly virus.

Plight of migrant workers

While experts are fearing that the surge in the number of cases would overwhelm the poor health infrastructure of India, the Modi government has struggled to address the crisis of migrant workers who took to their feet to cross state borders to reach their homes in remote villages or towns.

Despite repeated assurances of sufficient food supply by the Centre and respective state governments, migrant workers were spotted boarding buses in large numbers blowing the idea of social-distancing out of the window.

As per media reports, 20 odd migrant workers including their kin have lost their lives in their efforts to reach home during the lockdown which has exempted essential services like grocery shops, pharmacies, banks, ATMs and media.

In another heart-breaking incident, an 11-year old boy in Bihar's Bhojpur area reportedly died out of hunger due to the strict enforcement of the lockdown. 

In major cities too, the idea of social distancing went for a toss as long queues with huge number of people were a familiar picture outside the grocery shops though the governments have repeatedly said no to hoarding.

Roles of cops

The hyper-active roles of policemen have also come under the scanner as some cops dressed in protective gears had forced migrant labourers in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly to take open bath in chlorinated water before their entry into the district.

However in a much different picture, police officers in a video which trended on social media were seen singing songs to encourage people to stay indoors.

Though it was speculated that the lockdown, which will remain in effect till Apr 14 midnight, could be extended by the central government at least for a month, the Centre on Monday rubbished the rumours and media reports calling it "baseless".

Delhi stares at surge in COVID-19 cases

Twenty-four people have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) while seven died in the national capital of India following a mass gathering of Tableeghi Jamaat preachers at a religious event which was held at Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid in Nizamuddin here.

Over 300 people, who were present at the event, were earlier admitted to different hospitals across the city.

The gathering, which took place in mid-March, hosted visitors from Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan. 

Taking swift action immediately after the incident came to light, the Delhi government- headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal- had ordered a First Information Report (FIR) against Maulana of Markaz, Nizamuddin though the Delhi Police falls under the central government ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

(Image Credit: UNI)

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