Pitching for efforts on a war footing to identify and isolate COVID-19 hotspots, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hinted at a "staggered" exit from the ongoing lockdown after the 21-day period ends on April 14 while the nationwide tally of confirmed cases of the deadly virus infection rose by more than 500 to cross 2,500 with at least 76 deaths.
Meanwhile, many new cases of coronavirus infections have been reported across the country, which witnessed a spike in the confirmed cases tally. The death toll now stands at 53 according to the health ministry. Exactly 2069 positive cases have been reported so far.
Over 150 people have recovered from the pandemic and been sent home from hospitals.
On the other hand, the World Bank on Thursday approved USD 1-billion emergency financing for India to tackle the outbreak.