New Delhi, June 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before beginning the meeting with the Chief Ministers and Union Territories on the COVID-19 situation, made a brief address to the nation. The PM claimed that the impact of coronavirus in India is not as worse as in several other parts of the world. The death rate is also low as compared to most other nations, he added. COVID-19 Live Tracker: Map The Spread of Coronavirus in All Parts of India.

"In last few weeks, thousands of Indians returned to India from abroad and hundreds of migrant workers reached their hometowns. Almost all modes of transport have resumed operations, still COVID-19 impact has not been that huge in India as in other parts of world," Modi said.

The death rate in India hovers around 2.8 percent, which is lower than the global average. The country's recovery rate also soared above the 52 percent-mark on Tuesday.

"For us the death of even 1 Indian is unsettling but it is also true that India is one of the countries where there have been least deaths due to COVID-19," Modi added.

The Prime Minister reiterated the call for "Do gaj ki doori" calling it the best possible way to prevent virus transmission. The use of face masks would also remain mandatory for a considerable time in the future, he said, adding that the norms could be relaxed only if the citizens strictly adhere to them for now.

"To even think of stepping out without a mask or face cover is not right at present. ‘Do gaj ki doori’, hand-washing and use of sanitisers is of utmost importance. With markets opening and people stepping out, these precautions are even more important," he said.

Modi also claimed that the Unlock 1 strategy has yielded success, as the Indian economy has taken the nascent steps to re-emerge on the track. "Because of the efforts made in the last few weeks, green shoots have begun to be visible in our economy," he added.

Notably, India is the fourth worst-affected country in the world due to coronavirus pandemic. The country's tally of cases crossed all European nations in the past week, and current stands at 3.43 lakh. In terms of case count, India is only behind the United States, Brazil and Russia.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 16, 2020 04:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).