Coronavirus cases in India cross 8,000; death toll reaches 273

New Delhi: The highly infectious novel coronavirus or COVID-19 has infected 8,356 people in India, killed 273, the Union Health Ministry said today, adding that 909 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, 34 people died.

The latest figures come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held a four-hour meet with at least 13 chief ministers on video conference on Saturday, indicated that the nationwide lockdown would be extended by two weeks.

The "total lockdown" began on March 25 to control the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. This time, however, as the government extends the shutdown, it is likely to expand its focus to salvaging the economy, while trying to control the spread of the virus to save lives at the same time amid rising number of cases.