Over 50,000 cases; Govt begins evacuation of Indians from Maldives

Coronavirus India Updates: With over 3,500 fresh cases since Wednesday evening, the coronavirus tally in India breached the 50,000 mark to stand at 52,952 on Thursday. The jump in cases came even as the Centre and state governments continued to chalk out lockdown exit strategies for post May 17. As many as 64 flights have been deployed until May 13 as well as as three Navy ships to bring home nearly 15,000 Indians stranded overseas from Thursday. The first of the 64 flights will carry 209 passengers from Abu Dhabi to Cochin International Airport today, while another flight will bring citizens from Dubai to Calicut airport and one from Singapore to the Delhi International airport.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi all those in the frontline of the Covid-19 war, saying their selfless work for others during the pandemic is worthy of praise. He said India is standing firmly with those facing difficult times, both in the country and abroad. "India is standing strong and selflessly in these difficult times with those facing trouble in India or abroad. India's growth will always be aiding global growth," he said.

The total number of active coronavirus cases in the country stood at 35,902 while 15,266 have been cured or discharged so far. As many as 1,783 deaths have been recorded, the Ministry of Health announced, adding that one person has migrated. Globally, as many as 37,55,341 Covid-19 cases have been registered worldwide, according to data released by John Hopkins University. Over 2,60,487 people have died from the novel coronavirus worldwide, with most fatalities in the United States (72,233) followed by United Kingdom (30,150) and Italy (29,684).

(Inputs and image from theindianexpress.com)