MHA keeps Covid guidelines unchanged till March 31 as India witnesses spurt in cases

NEW DELHI: The Home Ministry said the existing COVID19 guidelines will remain in force till March 31 as India recorded its single-day increase in Coronavirus cases above 16,000 for the second consecutive day. The infection tally rose to 1,10,63,491, while the recoveries have surged to 1,07,50,680.

A total 16,577 infections were reported in a day, while the death toll increased to 1,56,825 with 120 new fatalities. According to the health ministry data, the Union Territory of Lakshadweep has reported its first death.

The number of active cases increased to 1,55,986, which accounts for 1.41 per cent of the total infections, the data stated. Twenty states and UTs have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in a span of 24 hours, while 21 states and UTs have less than 1,000 active cases,

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,07,50,680 which translates into a national recovery rate of 97.17 per cent. The case fatality rate stood at 1.42 per cent.