Won’t lift lockdown even if a single case of Covid-19 is left in UP: Official

Lucknow: The number of coronavirus-positive cases in Uttar Pradesh crossed 300 mark on Monday with 27 more persons testing positive, taking the number of infected ones to 305.

"As many as 27 more persons, of which 21 are linked to the Jamaat, tested corona-positive in the state since Sunday," Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said.

"There is little possibility of lifting lockdown after April 15 as claimed in a section of media. We will not be in a position to lift the lockdown even if a single case of Covid-19 is left in Uttar Pradesh. So it can take time," said Awasthi.

The state has so far reported three deaths, one each from Basti, Meerut and Varanasi while at least 21 of the infected people have been cured.

Among the fresh cases in the state, eight have been reported from Sitapur, five each from Lucknow and Shamli, three from Gautam Budh Nagar, two from Agra, and one each from Kanpur, Bijnore, Allahabad and Kaushambi, he said.

Till Sunday total cases were 278 in which about half of the total were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, from where participants carried the virus to several parts of the country, officials had said.