No community infection yet

New Delhi: Fighting the Covid-19 crisis on a war-footing, the government on Monday reported 92 new confirmed cases of infection and at least four deaths across India but maintained it was still in the local transmission stage. The Supreme Court, however, cautioned that fear and panic are becoming a bigger problem than the coronavirus.

The government also said there was no immediate plan to extend the 21-day lockdown period, which entered its sixth day on Monday, while the Indian Army dismissed as "fake" social media posts about a possible emergency declaration next month.

Interacting with organisations involved in social work via video conferencing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked them to counter misinformation and superstition on coronavirus as he observed that people have been flouting social distancing norms in the name of belief.

As fresh cases of coronavirus cases were reported from various parts of the country including in Rajasthan, Haryana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, including in Noida in the national capital region, the Delhi Police cordoned off a major area in Nizamuddin where several people showed symptoms of coronavirus after taking part in a religious gathering a few days ago. Police said the gathering of around 200 people was organised without permission from authorities.

However, some good news came in the latest update from the Union Health Ministry which said the COVID-19 is still in local transmission stage in India and it took 12 days for cases of infection to rise from 100 to 1,000 at a rate of increase slower than some of the developed countries.

Addressing the daily press briefing on the actions taken, preparedness and updates on Covid-19, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal said 92 new cases and four deaths due to coronavirus have been reported in India since Sunday, taking total cases to 1,071 and the number of deaths to 29.

"It took 12 days for cases to rise from 100 to 1,000 in our country, whereas seven other developed nations having lesser population than us have seen multiple increase," he said, while asserting that there has been no community transmission as yet. He urged all to maintain social distancing, saying even one person's carelessness may lead to spread of coronavirus pandemic.

Agarwal attributed the slow pace of rise in cases in India to people's participation in strictly following the social distancing guidelines and the collective preemptive actions taken by the Centre in tandem with state governments. The worldwide tally of deaths has crossed 34,600, with more than 25,000 people dying in Europe. Globally, more than 7,28,000 people have been detected positive so far, out of which nearly 1,42,300 have recovered, as per various reports.