Coronavirus Highlights: 647 Confirmed Cases Linked To Tablighi Jamaat In 14 States, Says Health Ministry

The Coronavirus pandemic continues its grip around the globe with no signs of ebbing away in countries outside China. The global tally of the total number of people infected by coronavirus as of Friday crossed 1,000,000 and the death toll from the disease exceeded 50,000.

The number of positive cases of coronavirus in India has soared to 2,301 with the death toll reaching 56, the health ministry said.

Catch All The Highlights From The Day Here:

8:38PM: Death toll due to COVID-19 rises to 62 in India, cases increase to 2,547: Health ministry. 

7:22PM: Six Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel have tested coronavirus positive in Maharashtra, officials said.

6:50PM: The United Kingdom has reported a record 684 coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours.  

6:35PM: Centre pays first of three installments to 4.07 crore women Jan Dhan account holders, credits Rs 500 each in their accounts. 

6:30PM: Trauma centre at Dr RML Hospital will function as dedicated COVID-19 isolation ward: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

6:29PM: Super Speciality Block at Safdarjung Hospital converted into exclusive COVID-19 management centre, says Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.  

6:22PM: Ensure smooth harvesting, sowing operations while maintaining social distancing to combat coronavirus, MHA tells states.

6:09PM: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has said it had screened over 3 lakh households under its 'high-risk population' survey initiative to contain the spread of coronavirus.

5:44PM: UK PM Boris Johnson says he is still ill and will continue in isolation. 

5:36PM: 4 more test positive for coronavirus in Assam, taking the total to 20. All of them attended the congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, says Health Minister. 

5:25PM: Delhi govt has launched WhatsApp helpline - 8800007722 - for people to enquire about coronavirus, food shelters and other things, says CM Arvind Kejriwal

5:17PM: Two COVID-19 patients in Delhi are on ventilator support. Situation here is under control. There is no need to panic, says Arvind Kejriwal.

5:10PM: One more person, evacuated from Markaz, has died due to COVID-19. Total number of deaths in Delhi stand at 5: Arvind Kejriwal.

5:09PM: 259 cases of coronavirus have been reported from Nizammuddin Markaz, says Kejriwal.

5:08PM: 91 new cases of coronavirus reported in Delhi in last 24 hours; total number of COVID-19 cases stands at 384, says CM Arvind Kejriwal. 

4:59PM: Migrant workers gathering in Anand Vihar, Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin caused a setback to efforts to combat coronavirus, says President Ram Nath Kovind. 

4:50 PM: 8,000 samples tested for COVID-19 in last 24 hours: ICMR

4:48 PM: There are 182 labs in the country for COVID-19 diagnosis, out of which 130 are govt labs: ICMR official

4:45 PM: Out of 12 deaths reported in the last 24 hours some are related to Tablighi Jamaat congregation: Health ministry official

4:30 PM: Union Ministry of Home Affairs has written to state governments to take strict action in cases of attack on healthcare and frontline workers, and ensure security to the medical fraternity.

4:25 PM: "If we look at cases related to Tablighi Jamaat, in last 2 days around 647 confirmed cases related to it found in 14 states--Andaman & Nicobar, Assam, Delhi, Himachal, Haryana, J&K, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand & UP": Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal

4:05 PM: Supreme Court officials contribute over Rs 1 crore to PM-Cares Fund.

4:00 PM: Total number of COVID19 cases in Rajasthan till now is 161 including 21 evacuees from Iran and 24 Tableeghi Jamaat(Delhi) attendees, according to the state's Health Department.

3:25 PM: Over 30,000 doctors - retired govt, armed forces medical services and private - volunteer to help in fight against COVID-19: Official.

3:15 PM: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has unanimously adopted its first resolution on the coronavirus pandemic co-sponsored by India and 187 other nations, calling for intensified global cooperation to defeat the deadly disease that is causing "severe disruption" to societies and economies.

3:10 PM: There has been a steep rise in COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh with at least 46 fresh cases being reported in the last 24 hours, taking to 172 the total number of coronavirus patients in the state as on Friday, a senior health official said.

3:02 PM: After a man was tested positive for coronavirus at Muppalla village in Andhra Pradesh, the local administration has declared the area as a red zone.

The administration has also put his family members in a quarantine facility. The medical team has been asked to collect blood samples of the villagers who came in contact with the man.

3:00 PM: Lok Nayak Hospital and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital (GB Pant Hospital) in Delhi close their OPD services. Medical emergency services at both hospitals to continue. The order will come into effect from tomorrow - 4th April, 2020

2:45 PM: The Indore district administration on Friday invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against four men involved in the alleged attack on health workers in Taatpatti Bakhal area of the city.

2:40 PM: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Friday said that around 1,400 people from the state, who had attended the religious congregation at Delhi's Nizamuddin last month, have been traced.

2:20 PM: 6th COVID19 positive case of Odisha detected in Cuttack with recent travel history to Delhi: Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Odisha

2:00 PM: Muslim leaders & legislators have agreed to give details of the persons who attended Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi and also to convince them to undergo tests for COVID19 and strict quarantine for the prescribed period: Karnataka Chief Minister's Office

1:45 PM: Tablighi Jamaat activists who were blacklisted and whose visas were cancelled include 9 British, 4 American, 6 Chinese, 3 French nationals: officials

1:35 PM: SC seeks response from Centre on plea by activists for payment of wages to migrant workers.

1:30 PM: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday urged the WHO and the UN to act against China's wet markets, like the one where the deadly coronavirus is thought to have originated, as they pose "great risks" to the health and wellbeing of the rest of the world.

A wet market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is believed to be the source of the coronavirus pandemic that began in December last year, crossing from animals to humans.

12:49 PM: Odisha government announces complete shutdown for 48 hours in Bhubaneswar and Bhadrak beginning 8 pm tonight. While announcing the shutdown, chief secretary Asit Tripathy said it would be like a curfew. The decision was taken in view of signs that the coronavirus has now started spreading at the community level.

12:41 PM: NSA to be slapped against persons who attack policemen enforcing lockdown in UP, the state government says.

12:24 PM: Woman from Solan district in Himachal Pradesh dies due to COVID-19 in Chandigarh hospital: official. 

12:10 PM: "34 new COVID19 positive cases have been reported in the last 24 hours": Dr. Sudhir Singh, In-charge Isolation Ward, King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow.

12:00 PM: Veteran English comedian Eddie Large has passed away at the age of 78 after complications due to coronavirus. 

11:40 AM: The first COVID-19 positive case in Odisha, belonging to Bhubaneswar has recovered and tested negative, said State Health Department. The patient is being discharged. There are currently three active cases of coronavirus in the state.

11:37 AM:  Elderly man dies due to COVID-19 in Gujarat; with this, toll rises to eight: Official. 

Seven new COVID-19 cases have been recorded in Gujarat; total number of positive cases rises to 95.

11:35 AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding a meeting with 40 top sportspersons from various sports via video conferencing on COVID19 situation in the country.

11:25 AM: Over 20 people tested positive for coronavirus in Rajasthan on Friday including nine who had attended a congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, officials said

11:18 AM: Death toll due to COVID-19 rises to 56 in India, number of cases increases to 2,301, says Health Ministry.

10:35 AM:  Saudi Arabia has imposed a 24-hour curfew in Mecca and Medina as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus, it was reported.

10:13 AM: A 78-year-old man who had tested positive for the coronavirus died late Thursday night here, informed a state health department official.

9:44 AM: One more COVID-19 case has been reported from Mandrem North Goa on Thursday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to six.

9:40 AM: One more coronavirus case has been reported from Dharavi in Mumbai on Friday.

9:08 AM: We have to move towards light from the darkness created by a coronavirus, says PM Modi.

9:07 AM: Do not assemble anywhere, maintain social distancing while lighting the candles on April 5, stresses PM Modi.

9:06 AM: On April 5 at 9 PM, I want your nine minutes: turn off all lights and light a candle,  lamp, torch or the mobile flash lights outside your homes or on balconies to challenge the Coronavirus.

9:03 AM: "Many of you might be wondering about how long this lockdown will last, you might be feeling alone in this fight, but we are all together in it," says PM Modi.

9:02 AM: Many countries are imitating our way of expressing gratitude to the health workers, says PM Modi.

9:01 AM: Coronavirus lockdown has entered in its ninth day and the patience and cooperation you have shown is remarkable, says PM Modi.

9:00 AM: PM Modi shares a video message with the nation on Coronavirus pandemic.

8:53 AM: Two nursing officers at Delhi State Cancer Institution have tested positive for COVID-19. They have contact history with the doctor of the institution who tested positive on April 1.

8:46 AM: "In a short while from now, at 9 AM,  will be sharing a video message for the people of India. Do watch," PM Modi tweeted.

8:40 AM: Two persons in Bikaner, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, have tested positive Coronavirus. The total number of cases stands at 140 in Rajasthan, including 2 Italians and 16 attendees of  Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi.

8:37 AM: Five more persons tested positive for coronavirus in Bihar taking the total number of cases in the state to 29.

8:35 AM: The global coronavirus toll crossed 51,000 late on Thursday with Italy (13,915) and Spain (10,096) accounting for nearly half the fatalities, while the number of cases was fast approaching a million, with the US having over a fifth of them, as per the Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Centre.

8:32 AM: US President Donald Trump has tested negative for COVID-19 for a second time, the White House announced.

8:30 AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share a video message with countrymen at 9 AM amid a nationwide lockdown to combat the coronavirus outbreak.