COVID-19 India timeline

With over 18,000 confirmed cases and 590 deaths as of April 21, 2020 - according to data from the Johns Hopkins University - India has seen a steady rise in the number of cases of COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Despite announcing stringent measures to restrict human movement and the closing of all public places by announcing a national lockdown on March 25, cases have continued to rise from smaller outbreaks reported from various parts of the country. On March 24, the number of cases in India stood at 415, but has steadily increased since then.

Here are some of the important dates which track the sequence of the disease’s spread in India:

Timeline

Timeline

Here are some of the important dates which track the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 infection in different parts of India:

30 January 2020: WHO declares global emergency after the outbreak of COVID-19. India reports its first positive cases in Kerala, of a person returning from Wuhan.
2 February 2020: India reports its second case, also from the southern state of Kerala.
4 February 2020: Kerala reports its third positive case and declares the outbreak a state calamity.
13 February 2020: Kerala’s second patient is discharged from hospital after recovering from the disease.
2 March 2020: India's Union Health Ministry reports two more cases, one from Delhi and one in Hyderabad. An Italian man in Jaipur also tests positive, taking the total figure to 6.
3 March 2020: India suspends visas of all travellers from South Korea, Japan and Italy.
4 March 2020: India reports 23 new cases with 14 Italian tourists testing positive in Jaipur.
6 March 2020: India imposes mandatory screenings for all passengers upon their entry to the country.
8 March 2020: Five more people test positive for COVID-19 in Kerala.
10 March 2020: India's total number of cases rises to 50
12 March 2020: India reports first death due to the coronavirus, of a 76-year-old Karnataka man returning from Saudi Arabia.
13 March 2020: Second death in India, of a 69-year-old woman from Delhi.
14 March 2020: India declares COVID-19 a “notified disaster”.
15 March 2020: India’s total number of cases reaches 100, with Maharashtra recording the highest number of cases.
17 March 2020: India records its third death due to coronavirus, that of a 64-year-old in Mumbai.
19 March 2020: India reports fourth death due to COVID-19, that of a 72-year-old patient in Punjab.
20 March 2020: India’s number of positive cases rises to 250.
22 March 2020: India observes “janta curfew” for 14 hours across the country.
23 March 2020: India imposes curfew orders in 75 districts in the country where positive cases and deaths were recorded until March 31. A 65-year-old from Mumbai becomes the virus’ 10th victim in the country.
24 March 2020: India records a total of nine deaths and 434 positive cases at this point. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces a 21-day nationwide lockdown starting midnight of March 24-25.
26 March 2020: Government announces Rs. 1.7 trillion stimulus package for the millions of people affected by the national lockdown in the country.
28 March 2020: India develops its first COVID-19 test kit.
29 March 2020: India’s death toll crosses 30, with five deaths reported in a day.
1 April 2020: India’s death toll crosses 50.
2 April 2020: The death toll crosses 70, while India reports its biggest jump in the number of positive cases - 141 out of which are in Delhi. Several cases, including 74 out of the 75 new cases in Tamil Nadu, are linked to a religious congregation in the Indian capital.
3 April 2020: Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh report a spike in the number of cases, tracing their roots to the gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat at Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz in early March.
4 April 2020: As many as 1,023 cases, amounting to about 30% of the total cases reported in India, are found to have links to the Delhi gathering.
5 April 2020: India observes a nine-minute nationwide candlelight vigil in a show of solidarity towards its healthcare workers from 9 pm to 9.09 pm on PM Modi's call.
6 April 2020: India’s death toll crosses the 100-mark.
7 April 2020: Number of reported cases in India jumps 39% in two days to 4,281 positive cases with over 124 deaths.
8 April 2020: Number of cases rises to 4,789, according to Government of India data, with 10 of India’s most affected districts accounting for over 40% of the cases.
11 April 2020: Numbers continue to rise at a steady rate, taking the number of positive cases to 6,761 with Maharashtra reporting the highest number of cases, followed by Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. Over 40 deaths are reported, the most in a single day in the country due to the disease so far.
13 April 2020: Number of cases continues to rise with the death toll doubling to reach 273.
14 April 2020: PM Narendra Modi extends the 21-day national lockdown until May 3.
15 April 2020: India’s total confirmed cases exceed 11,000, with as many as 39 deaths reported in a day.
17 April 2020: According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, almost 30% out of a total of 14,378 positive cases in the country - 4,291 cases - could be traced back to the religious gathering in Delhi last month.
19 April 2020: Goa declares itself COVID-19 free after all seven positive cases are reported to have recovered from the infection.
20 April 2020: After Goa, Manipur becomes India’s second state to declare itself free from COVID-19, as both positive cases are treated successfully.
21 April 2020: Total number of positive cases stands at 15,122 with 603 reported to have died from the COVID-19 infection.