India’s COVID-19 deaths have risen to 886, 14 short of 900 with the overall number of positive cases exceeding 27,000. Two states other than Maharashtra that have contributed to the nationwide rise have been Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
Gujarat alone has reported 162 COVID-19 deaths and close to 4,000 positive cases. US President Donald Trump had visited the state in the middle of February with hundreds of thousands of people being forced to line up on road to welcome him. More than one lakh people had gathered at the stadium where Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the crowd jointly.
Many believe that India delayed the measures on social distancing and the country ought to have cancelled Trump’s event particularly when the pandemic was wreaking havoc in China, Italy and other parts of Europe killing thousands of people. India did not start the mandatory screening at the airport for passengers arriving from abroad until mid-March.
In Gujarat, Ahmedabad alone has reported 104 deaths with Surat and Tapi reporting 15 and 12 deaths respectively.
Another state reporting dangerous rise in COVID-19 deaths is Madhya Pradesh, where the administration was forced to function without any health minister. And when the state finally had its health minister in Narottam Mishra recently, even he was seen flouting social distancing.
@ChouhanShivraj got the Health minister after a month, but it seems the newly appointed @drnarottammisra forgets #Social_Distancing and wearing #facemaskholder on return to his home town Datia @INCMP @OfficeOfKNath @ndtvindia @ndtv #moblynching #COVID2019india #Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/BWhMeMRaG0
— Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary) April 26, 2020
Meanwhile, Maharashtra has continued to grab the top spot with 342 deaths. Delhi has reported 51 deaths, Rajasthan 41, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh 31 each, Telangana 26 and Tamil Nadu 24.
For state-wise deaths visit the link of the Indian health ministry here.