COVID-19 cases in India rise to 147, Delhi ramps up preventive measures
The ministry in its data showed 14 people have been discharged from the hospitals after showing improvement
NEW DELHI: Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India rose to 147 on Wednesday, India’s federal health ministry said.
“Total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across India is 147,” a statement issued by India’s federal Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. “Of these, 122 cases are Indian nationals and 25 are foreign nationals.”
On Tuesday the number of cases in the country was 137.
So far Maharashtra state has reported the highest number of cases, followed by Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
“The confirmed positive cases in Maharashtra is 38, while as in Kerala the number is 25,” the ministry said. “Fifteen in Uttar Pradesh and 11 in Karnataka.”
The ministry in its data showed 14 people have been discharged from the hospitals after showing improvement. So far India has reported three deaths.
India’s federal government has deputed 30 additional secretaries and joint secretaries to assist the state governments in effective management of COVID-19.
According to officials the officers will be deputed to the states and will work in close coordination with the state authorities for coordinating the preparedness and response measures.
The Indian government has taken the decision to close all the educational institutions including school and colleges, gyms, museums, swimming pools, theatres until March 31 to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
The major sporting events have been cancelled, and people have been urged to avoid mass gatherings and unnecessary foreign travels.
Gatherings restricted
Mass sanitisation of buses is underway at Delhi’s inter-state bus terminals. Sanitation workers wearing masks are carrying containers of disinfectant on their backs, spraying all incoming buses with chemicals.
The Delhi government under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday restricted all gatherings to 50 people: gyms, weekly bazaars, night clubs, pubs and spas will suspend operations till March 31.
This, however, does not include weddings, even though Kejriwal urged citizens to consider postponing such events in light of the pandemic.
“I have directed all DMs, SDMs and municipal commissioners to set up portable washbasins with automatic soap dispensers in public spaces that have not yet been shut,” Kejriwal said on Twitter. “The most foolproof way to stop Coronavirus from spreading is frequent washing of hands with soap.”
This comes days after the Indian capital saw its first coronavirusrelated death last week: a 68-yearold woman who died at the city’s Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital after coming in contact with her son, Delhi’s fifth case of coronavirus. He had traveled to Switzerland and Italy recently.
In order to be eligible for testing in India, you must have traveled to a country with a COVID-19 outbreak or come in contact with a confirmed or suspected case. Just showcasing symptoms is not enough to get tested.
Three hotels near the Delhi airport have been turned into “pay and use quarantine” facilities at fixed rates.
The business of masks
The city is facing an unprecedented shortage of masks and products like hand sanitizers and alcohol rubs.
“The media has created this hysteria that is driving up the cost of masks and sanitizers across the city,” Rajesh Verma, a local pharmacist, told DW.
Pointing towards empty shelves that were used to display hand sanitizers at his establishment, he said, “I get frantic phone calls in the middle of the night from people who are ready to pay Rs. 2000 ($27 or 25€) for a single bottle of hand sanitizer.”
“Where do I get these products from? Suppliers are trying to profit from this situation.” “There have been cases of people picking up used masks outside big hospitals like AIIMS and simply washing them before selling them to panicstricken citizens,” he added. “This just increases the chance of other infections.”