Coronavirus pandemic: India to make attack on healthcare workers non-bailable offence; global Covid-19 death toll cross 180,000 

New Delhi: After witnessing a number of attacks on healthcare workers engaged in testing people for the new coronavirus, Covid-19, and treating infected patients, the government has decided to amend the nearly 125-year-old Epidemic Diseases Act to introduce strict provisions for offenders. In the past few days, several healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, were injured, some seriously, when locals attacked them with sticks and stones.

On Wednesday, the information and broadcasting minister, Prakash Javadekar, while speaking during a news briefing, said, “Health workers who are trying to save the country from this epidemic are unfortunately facing attacks. No incident of violence or harassment, against them will be tolerated. The Cabinet has approved promulgation of an ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.”  

He said, “We have brought an ordinance under which any attack on health workers will be a cognizable, non-bailable offence; will carry a jail term from six months up to seven years. It will be implemented after president’s sanction.”

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases in the country has gone past the 21,000 mark. The death toll in the country has crossed 680.

On Wednesday, the number of global coronavirus infections has crossed 2.6 million and recorded a total of over 180,000 deaths since the outbreak of the Covid1-19 pandemic. In the United States alone, the number of infections has crossed 840,000 and the death toll in the country is now over 46,000

Here are some of the latest coronavirus figures from India and the world 

Latest coronavirus India stats:

• Confirmed: 21,370
• Deaths: 681
• Recovered: 4,370

Latest worldwide coronavirus stats:

• Confirmed: 2,626,929
• Deaths: 183,283
• Recovered: 710,285

Top 5 countries with coronavirus infections:

• United States: 840,897
• Spain: 208,389
• Italy: 187,327
• France: 159,877
• Germany: 150,648

Top 5 countries with coronavirus deaths are:

• United States: 46,640
• Italy: 25,085
• Spain: 21,717
• France: 21,373
• United Kingdom: 18,151

[Source: Johns Hopkins University & Medicine]

_{[This story was last updated at 8.08am on April 23, 2020.]}

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