BJP's Sambit Patra hospitalized after showing coronavirus symptoms
Sambit Patra, the national spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was hospitalized in Gurugram, Haryana, after he displayed symptoms of coronavirus, reports said on Thursday. He was taken to Medanta Hospital, sources told PTI. Of late, Patra has been defending the initiatives taken by the government to curb the spread of coronavirus. Here's more.
Earlier, Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha tested positive
Patra, who is one of the most known BJP faces on news channels, remains active on social media. He posted tweets a few hours ago too. To note, just last week, Sanjay Jha of the Congress, tested positive for COVID-19. "I am asymptomatic I am in home quarantine for the next 10-12 days," Jha had tweeted urging people to not underestimate transmission risks.
India will soon surpass Turkey to become ninth worst-hit nation
Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases in India touched the 1.58 lakh mark on Wednesday, with over 7,000 new cases reported in a single day. The death toll reached 4,533. After Friday, India could surpass Turkey—that has reported 1.6 lakh cases— becoming the ninth worst-hit nation. On Wednesday, Maharashtra witnessed the highest jump in single-day fatalities as 105 people lost their lives.
Lockdown extension on cards, but states will get more authority
Separately, speculations suggest the nationwide lockdown, whose fourth phase was supposed to end on May 31, will be extended for another two weeks. While the Centre will keep larger decisions about the closure of schools and religious places to itself, it might give more authority to states regarding resuming markets and allowing dine-in restaurants to work. Hotspots will also be decided by states.
