PM Modi reviews COVID-19 situation in country, issues directions to States

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the Coronavirus situation in the country and the preparedness of various states. The review meeting was attended by Union Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, NITI Aayog members, Cabinet Secretary, and other senior officials of the Government of India. 

During the meeting, PM Modi reiterated the need to observe personal hygiene and social distancing in public places and said that there is no room for any complacency in this regard. 

Furthermore, the Prime Minister appreciated the concerted efforts of the Centre, State, and local authorities in containing the situation in Delhi and further directed that a similar approach should be adopted with other state governments. PM Modi also directed that real-time national-level monitoring and guidance should be provided to all affected states and places with a high test positivity rate.

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India's COVID-19 tally reaches 8.2 lakh

Meanwhile, with a record single-day increase of 27,114 cases, India's COVID-19 tally zoomed past the eight-lakh mark on Saturday, just four days after crossing the seven-lakh post, according to health ministry data. The total coronavirus caseload in the country surged to 8,20,916 on Saturday while the death toll climbed to 22,123 with 519 people succumbing to the disease in 24 hours, the updated data at 8 am showed.

This was the eighth consecutive day that COVID-19 cases in the country increased by more than 22,000.

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READ: India's COVID-19 tally reaches 8.2 lakh with 27,114 new cases, death toll climbs to 22,123