Covid-19: Several people flout lockdown in Bihar's Patna, flocked at vegetable market

Flouting the norms of social distancing on  Saturday several people gathered in a makeshift vegetable market in Bihar's Patna. A video shared by news agency ANI shows vegetable and fruit vendors in proximity to each other even as coronavirus cases are rising in the country. 

Watch the video here: 

READ | Punjab cabinet unanimously approves extension of lockdown in state till May 1

Coronavirus cases in Bihar

According to the state health department, there are 60 confirmed in Bihar so far, 17 have recovered while one patient has died. The recovered patients include six from Munger and five from Patna, leaving the two districts with zero active cases as of now. All cases from Munger were traced to the sole deceased patient of the state who passed away on March 21, suffering from renal failure, a day before test results showed he was also COVID-19 positive. Three hospitals in the state, one each at Patna, Bhagalpur and Gaya, have been dedicated to the treatment of coronavirus patients.

READ | COVID-19: '16,002 tests conducted in one day, only 2% test positive': Health Ministry

Siwan - the hotspot

Siwan district emerged as a hotspot, accounting for 17 of the fresh cases. All belong to Raghunathpur block, which has been sealed by the local administration and from where close to 100 samples were collected and have been sent for testing. The 16 COVID-19 patients from Raghunathpur include a 10-year-old boy, three girls aged between 11 and 12, nine women in the age group of 19 and 50 and two men, aged 19 and 60.

According to Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar, all of them had caught the contagion from a coronavirus patient who had travelled to Oman. Besides, another 36-year-old male from the district, with a travel history to Dubai, tested positive for the virus. The total number of cases from Siwan has now reached 27 - close to half of the statewide aggregate of 58.

Here is a district-wise list of cases in Bihar: 

READ | Coronavirus LIVE Updates

Meanwhile, as per health ministry, India has conducted 1,44,910 tests on 130,792 suspected COVID-19 patients in 146 government and 67 private laboratories. The country till Saturday reported 1035 new cases in the last 24 hours, the sharpest ever increase in cases and 40 deaths, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 7447. Over 642 patients have recovered and been discharged. 

READ | Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan rules out Covid community transmission; 'mass-testing soon'