New Delhi:

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 1,074 after 66 more fatalities and the number of cases climbed to 33,050 in the country on Thursday, according to the Union Health Ministry.

 

The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 23,651, while 8,324 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated. The total number of cases include 111 foreign nationals, the ministry said.

 

Out of the 66 deaths reported since Wednesday evening, 32 were from Maharashtra, 16 from Gujarat, 10 from Madhya Pradesh, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Tamil Nadu and Delhi, and one from Karnataka.

 

Maharashtra now tops the tally with 432 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 197, Madhya Pradesh at 129, Delhi at 56, Rajasthan at 51, Uttar Pradesh at 39 and Andhra Pradesh at 31.

 

The toll reached 27 in Tamil Nadu, 26 in Telengana, 22 in West Bengal while Karantaka has reported 21 deaths and Punjab 19.

 

The pathogen has claimed eight lives in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Kerala, while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three COVID-19 deaths each.

 

Bihar has reported two deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported a fatality each, according to the ministry data

 

Meanwhile,the government today issued an order allowing movement of migrant workers, tourists, pilgrims, students and others stranded at various places across the country amid the Covid-19 lockdown to reach their respective native places.

 

In the order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Centre has asked state governments to appoint nodal officers to facilitate the movement of people within the state and between states. The order says all seeking to return should be screened first and allowed to return only if they are found to be asymptomatic.

 

During the chief ministers interaction with Prime Minister Narednra Modi on Monday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had raised the issue claiming that the state government would not facilitate return of students from Kota, Rajasthan, till the Centre allowed movement of all, including stranded migrant labourers.

 

In the order, the MHA has asked all state governments and Union Territory (UT) administrations to make necessary arrangements for return of its residents only through buses. Sources in the MHA added that there was no plan to start special trains for the initiative and only travel by road had been allowed.

 

The lockdown has left a huge number of students and migrant labourers stranded in various parts of the country. Over the past few days, there have been individual efforts by some states to bring standed residents home.
 

MHA guidelines for movement of stranded persons

-States/UTs to appoint nodal authorities and develop standard protocol for receiving and sending persons

-All stranded persons are to be registered with the sending and receiving states

-In case of inter-state movement of such persons, consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road