No fresh COVID-19 case in Noida, Gr Noida; Gautam Buddh Nagar tally stays at 48

No fresh coronavirus case was detected in Noida and Greater Noida on Thursday, with the total number of COVID-19 cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar staying at 48, officials said.

Gautam Buddh Nagar in western Uttar Pradesh, adjoining Delhi, has been identified as one of the COVID-19 hotspots in the country as it has recorded the maximum cases for any district in Uttar Pradesh.

The tally in the state is 121 so far, according to official figures.

"A total of 699 samples have so far been sent for the COVID-19 test from Gautam Buddh Nagar, of which 48 have tested positive, 545 negative and the results for the remaining are awaited," the state health department stated in its daily statement.

Six persons have been cured and the number of active cases stands at 42, it stated.

Currently, 2,005 people are under surveillance across Noida and Greater Noida, while another 393 have been quarantined -- 92 of them at a Gautam Buddh University hostel and the rest in special isolation facilities at hospitals in Noida and Greater Noida, the health department added.

Meanwhile, two FIRs were registered in Noida and Greater Noida and four people arrested on Thursday for defying the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the police said.

A total of 701 vehicles were checked at 132 pickets in the district, challans issued to 71 of those for various violations, while four vehicles were impounded, they added.

The district police has also started deploying drone cameras to monitor the lockdown situation, even as police teams patrolled the roads to ensure people adhered to the restrictions.

Police Commissioner Alok Singh has directed all personnel and officers to be on the ground on Friday, and appealed to religious clerics to ensure that prayers are not held in groups in mosques or on the terraces of private buildings.

"If anybody wants to offer namaaz, he can do it at home. No religious programme should be held during the lockdown. Strict action will be taken against anyone violating the restrictions," he was quoted as saying in an official statement.