India: The nationwide tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases crossed 62,700 on Saturday and the death toll topped the 2,000-mark after hundreds more tested positive for the infection in several states, while worries mounted globally about re-emergence of the outbreak after reopening of locked down economies.
Adding to the concerns, the fresh cases included at least two foreign returnees who had reached Kerala on May 7 in two separate first-day flights — one from Dubai and another from Abu Dhabi — under a massive ongoing evacuation plan of the central government to bring back stranded Indians abroad.
While large numbers of cases continued to be detected in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi, experts have warned the numbers may rise in the coming days due to the ongoing movement of lakhs of migrant workers being facilitated by trains and buses to help them reach their native places and because of a large number of Indians stranded abroad, along with expatriates, being brought back in special flights.
In its daily update, the Union Health Ministry said the death toll has risen to 1,981 and the number of cases to 59,662, registering an increase of 95 deaths and 3,320 cases in 24 hours.
