New Delhi: India has reported 24,506 cases of coronavirus infection and the death toll has reached 775. According to the government, these figures would have been much higher if the lockdown were not imposed on time. The rate of infection in the country also seems to be slowing down and the Central government said on Wednesday that the number of Covid-19 cases in the country is now doubling every 10 days.


There seems to be more optimism and today the government relaxed the lockdown rules and has permitted shops selling non-essential goods and services to reopen.

But despite these new developments, three states in the country remain as coronavirus hotspots with rapidly increasing numbers of cases. The state government is finding new ways to control the spread of the virus and ensure that new cases emerge.

Maharashtra

With a total confirmed case of infection at 6,430, Maharashtra is the worst affected by the coronavirus in the country. The death toll in the state has reached 283. Reports say the state recorded 394 new cases and 18 new Covid-19 deaths on Friday.

Several areas remain sealed as they continue to be ‘Red Zones’ such as Pune, which has been sealed along with its twin city Pimpri-Chinchwad. The government also plans to conduct 75,000 rapid tests and has allowed the use of Hydroxychloroquine as a precautionary measure in some pockets like Dharavi of Mumbai.

To ensure that people abide by lockdown guidelines especially during the month of Ramzan the government is planning to use drone surveillance. While mosques will be able to make azaan no gathering will be allowed.

Gujarat

With a spurt of cases Gujarat jumped to become the second biggest hotspot for the coronavirus in India. An IANS report has said that the state reported 191 more corona positive cases on Friday.

The total number of positive cases has reached 2,815. Ahmedabad and Surat have the heaviest concentration of cases. Reports by leading daily The Indian Express said that 70 employees of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) which includes healthcare professional have tested positive for the virus.

Delhi

According to an IANS report, 138 new cases and three deaths were reported from the national capital by Friday. The total number of confirmed cases in the state has reached 2,376 and the death toll is 50.

The state has also reported a new containment zone in Shahdara district. But there are few cases of success, as the Delhi government announced that it has “de-contained" a red zone for coronavirus in Vasundhara Enclave area after no new cases were reported from the area.

For the Ramzan month, the state has allowed azaan but no gathering will be allowed and has urged citizens to abide by lockdown regulations and pray indoors. The Arvind Kejriwal government is also testing plasma therapy as a treatment for coronavirus and has reported that the initial results on four patients were encouraging.