Positive cases of COVID-19 spike to 206 in India

A total of 206 people have been tested positive for novel coronavirus in India so far, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday.

New Delhi [India], Mar 20 : A total of 206 people have been tested positive for novel coronavirus in India so far, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday.

"A total of 206 positive cases have been reported in the country so far. More than 6,700 contacts of them are being monitored. Four deaths took place. They were all over 64 years of age and had co-morbidity due to which they were vulnerable," said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary of Health Ministry, in a press briefing.

He emphasised on the importance of social distancing as a measure to slow down the transmission of the deadly virus.

"Contact tracing is our immediate identified protocol. It begins as soon as we get to know of a case. All actions under our containment begin too," he said.

Agarwal urged everyone in the society to use the toll-free number 1075 to seek information and steer clear of all kinds of misinformation.

So far 52 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in Maharashtra, which is the highest in any state of the country. In view of this, the Maharashtra government has announced lockdown in Nagpur, Mumbai and Pune.

Earlier in the day, the government refuted rumours about a "complete lockdown" of the country amid COVID-19 fears.

According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), an audio clip of a fake phone conversation between two individuals discussing the "complete lockdown" of the country is being shared widely on WhatsApp."An audio clip of a #FAKE phone conversation between two individuals discussing "complete lockdown" of the country is being shared widely on #WhatsApp. The audio clip is FAKE and work of miscreants. Please do not forward it. #IndiaFightsCorona #CoronavirusPandemic," PIB tweeted.

( With inputs from ANI )