India's tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases rises above 2300

Even as the nationwide lockdown entered its 10th day, the number of positive cases of coronavirus continued to rise on Friday with India's tally climbing to 2,301, including 156 cured and discharged and 56 deaths.

The number of cases spiked after several attendees of Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi's Nizamuddin area tested positive for coronavirus. The gathering has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.

Maharashtra with 423 COVID-19 positive cases so far reported the highest number of cases in the country followed by Delhi with 384 cases. The number of cases in Tamil Nadu, where over 100 Tablighi Jamaat attendees have tested positive has spiked to 309.

Here's a quick read on the COVID-19 related news that remained on the boil through the day

1. Amid a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to countrymen to light diyas and candles on April 5 at 9 pm to fight the darkness spread by the pandemic. He asked the people to turn off all the lights in their homes and stand at doors or balconies and light candles or diyas, torches or mobile flashlights for 9 minutes on April 5.

2. As many as 647 positive coronavirus cases have been reported across 14 states whose linkage can be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Nizamuddin, said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

3. Several state governments have continued tracing and identifying all those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event. A large number of people in different states have already been placed under quarantine as a precautionary measure.

4. After a rise of 91 cases in last 24 hours, a total of 384 coronavirus positive cases have been found in Delhi till now, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today.

5. Andhra Pradesh confirmed the first death in the state due to coronarvirus. A 55-year-old man, who had died on March 30 tested positive for COVID-19. He had a medical history of diabetes and heart disease. His son had recently returned from Delhi.

6. A total of 403 people out of the 1,737 kept at six different quarantine facilities being run by the armed forces have been released after mandatory procedures, the Ministry of Defence said.

7. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against six persons from the Tablighi Jamaat, who were in quarantine at a hospital in the state, for misbehaving with the hospital staff.

8. One more coronavirus case was reported from densely populated Dharavi in Mumbai. The patient is a 35-year-old doctor who has tested positive. Earlier, a 56-year-old COVID-positive patient from Dharavi has passed away.

9. Union Minister Piyush Goyal announced that Rs 100 crore will be allocated for ideas to combat coronavirus with immediate effect.

10. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today informed that the total number of coronavirus cases in India has climbed to 2,301, including 156 cured and discharged and 56 deaths. At present, there are 2,088 COVID-19 active cases in the country.