As the coronavirus COVID-19 spreads its claws in India, the number of positive cases reported is 2224 with 2069 cases, 155 cured and 53 deaths as on April 2, as per the date released by Ministry of Health and Family welfare. At least 235 new cases of the infection has been reported in the last 24 hours.

Maharashtra, Kerala and Delhi continue to report the maximum number of infections with 377, 290 and 227 cases, respectively. The most number of deaths have been reported from Maharashtra which is as high as 13.

The Tablighi Jamaat meet which had taken place in New Delhi,has emerged as the latest hotspot in the country with around 400 cases having being linked to the congregation. At least 15 of the 53 deaths have been linkedto the Delhi meet — nine in Telangana, and one each in Delhi, Gujarat,Karnataka, Mumbai, Kashmir and Tamil Nadu.

At the daily briefing, Joint Secretary at Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Lav Agarwal said that about 9,000 people — those who attended the gathering and their contacts — had been quarantined, including 1,306 foreigners.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister held a digital meet with the Chief Ministers of all the states on Thursday, where he asked the heads of statescome up with an exit strategy with the common goal to "ensure staggered re-emergence of the population once the lockdown ends." He also invited the states to send their suggestions for such an exit strategy.

“It can’t be business as usual,” a government release quotedthe PM as saying, at least till next year when we find a vaccine for thisvirus.