India reported its third COVID-19 death as a 64-year-old man from Mumbai has succumbed to the disease. The man, who had a travel history to Dubai, had been admitted to Kasturba Hospital. The man’s wife and son have also tested positive for the disease, reports said.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope told the media that the patient was admitted to Kasturba Hospital on 5th March and he had hidden some details and had not revealed that he had come from Dubai. However, the authorities grew suspicious on March 13, the minister said, and his samples were sent for testing. He passed away at 7 am on March 17.
Earlier, a 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi in Karnataka with a travel history to Saudi Arabia and a 68-year-old woman in Delhi died after they tested positive for the infection. There are a total of 125 positive cases now in India, which include 22 foreign nationals.
According to ministry data, 13 people have been discharged so far, including the three Kerala patients who were discharged last month following their recovery.
The Mumbai patient was admitted to the city's Kasturba Hospital and was suffering from multiple health issues apart from being infected by the novel coronavirus, said BMC chief Praveen Pardeshi.
At 39 cases, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had held a high-level meeting. Thackeray asked people to avoid thronging temples, mosques, churches and other public spaces. The government has also decided to postpone all ongoing exams in the state, Thackeray said
Thackeray on Monday asked district collectors to ensure there is no crowding at religious sites in view of the novel coronavirus threat, though worship there may continue. Announcing several measures to stop the spread of the virus after a review meeting here, Thackeray directed that political events, meetings, etc not take place. He said foreign tours have been banned and gram panchayat and other local body meetings have been postponed.
From Tuesday, measures will be in place to stop the flow of people into Mantralaya, the state's secretariat in south Mumbai, the CM informed.
Thackeray also ordered the closure of schools in rural areas and instructed officials to place sanitisers and soaps in public toilets, as part of measures to tackle the coronavirus threat.
The government also announced that People undergoing home quarantine for suspected exposure to the novel coronavirus will be stamped with indelible on the left hand.
With PTI inputs