The Health Ministry on Thursday, 26 March, said that 17 states have started work on earmarking hospitals for dedicated treatment of coronavirus patients.
Briefing the press on the COVID-19 situation, the Health Ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said, “There is still no hard evidence to say that there has been community transmission of coronavirus in India”.
He also denied that the virus spreads through mosquitoes.
Assuring the general public, Agarwal said that India is prepared for the COVID-19 challenge.
The Ministry of External Affairs also said that a discussion on travel restrictions has been conducted during a meeting of the Group of Ministers and it will be conveyed to the public soon.
Agarwal said, “If we can maintain 100 percent social distancing then it will be effective intervention in breaking the chain of coronavirus transmission.”
The number of coronavirus cases climbed to 649 in India on Thursday and the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 13, with one death reported each from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, according to the Health Ministry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown for 21 days from 24 March midnight, asserting in an emotional appeal that unless India’s 130 crore people practised social distancing, the country will lose the war against coronavirus and slide back 21 years.
(Inputs: PTI)
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