With rising cases and deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic creating panic across the country, the government has assured yet again that community transmissions of the virus have not yet begun in the country and that there was no need for unnecessary panic.

Citing results of the tests conducted on Thursday that came back with 0.2 percent positive cases, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Health, Lav Agarwal, stated, "Yesterday, we conducted 16002 tests. Only 0.2% cases tested positive. On the basis of the samples collected, the infection rate is not high." And further added, "We will be the first one to tell you when there is community transmission of the disease but that's not the case now." On being asked about the ICMR report, which claimed that 40 patients admitted in government hospitals for severe acute respiratory illness positive for the novel coronavirus although they had no contact with a positive case or any history of international travel, Lav Agarwal mentioned, "Contact tracing has not been done properly and those cases need further investigation."

A total of 911 cases have been registered in Tamil Nadu so far, while 7876 cases have been confirmed across India. Tamil Nadu has reported 9 deaths while 253 people have succumbed to the illness across the country.