East India may witness surge in cases: Experts

Coronavirus cases in India have surpassed 33,000. The country has 33,050 COVID-19 cases and 1,074 deaths. Meanwhile, the government has allowed inter-state movement of stranded people.

The new guidelines which will come into effect from May 4, say that all stranded people can return to their home towns after undergoing strict medical screening, both at the source and destination cities.

States must also organise thermal testing units and quarantine facilities for all those who are stranded, in order to clear asymptomatic cases, before sending them back.

However, the movement of migrants, tourists, and students will be restricted to non-containment zones.

Remember, several migrant workers and students were left stranded after the government announced a nationwide lockdown, last month.

This came as a report said that domestic carrier Air India may partially resume operations next month.

Meanwhile, a worrying trend has been observed in eastern India. Experts fear that the region which has reported fewer coronavirus cases compared to the rest of India may emerge as a hotspot.

A study has found that despite less number of infections, the states of Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal have the highest rate of coronavirus spread in India.

Experts say that West Bengal has the fastest doubling time among large states. Doubling time refers to the time taken for the number of cases to double.

They warn that West Bengal which has so far reported over 750 cases is on the way to become the next Maharashtra- which is worst hit by the outbreak in India. So far, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal account for nearly 4 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in India.