New Delhi/May, 9 : Amid concerns over rising economic costs of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union Health Ministry on Friday said people should “learn to live with the virus” while the nationwide tally of confirmed infections was seen fast approaching the 60,000 mark and the death toll crossed 1,900.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray admitted there has been no success yet in breaking the virus chain in the state — the worst hit in the country in terms of infections and the death toll — while apex industry body CII sought an immediate stimulus package of Rs 15 lakh crore, or 7.5 per cent of the country’s GDP, to help the Indian economy deal with this sudden but “deep distress”.
Industry chambers, including CII, FICCI and Assocham, also demanded suspension of several labour laws for next two-three years to help India Inc come out of the crisis induced by the lockdown to combat COVID-19 pandemic, including by increasing working hours to 12 hours per day from the existing 8 hours per day, a labour ministry statement said.
The Health Ministry, in the meantime, reeled off various datasets, including those showing a rising number of infection-free districts and an increasing recovery rate, to suggest success in the government’s COVID-19 fight, even as it sought “a behavioural change” and everyone’s support in this massive challenge.
In India, big urban centres across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi have been reporting large numbers of positive cases.
Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, saw its tally of COVID-19 patients growing to 11,967 with 748 new cases, while its death toll has reached 462 with 25 more fatalities.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi climbed to 6,318, with 338 new cases and two fresh deaths being reported on Friday, according to the Delhi government authorities. On Thursday, the city had recorded its largest single-day spike of 448 new COVID-19 cases. The total number of cases in the city now stands at 6,318, with 338 fresh cases reported on Friday, the authorities said.
Large numbers of new cases were also reported from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, while Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan and Odisha also recorded higher tallies. Kerala and Himachal Pradesh reported only one fresh positive case each.
