A health worker collects swab samples from a woman for COVID-19 testing at a collection center in New Delhi, India on April 23, 2020. (Photo by Partha Sarkar/Xinhua)

India's federal health ministry Thursday evening said five new deaths due to COVID-19 and 307 new positive cases were reported across the country, taking the number of deaths to 686 and total cases to 21,700.

"As on 5:00 a.m. (local time), today 686 deaths related to novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country," reads the information released by the ministry.

On Thursday morning the number of COVID-19 cases in the country was 21,393 and the death toll was 681.

According to ministry officials, so far 4,325 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.

"The number of active cases in the country right now is 16,689," reads the information.

Thursday marks the 30th straight day of ongoing lockdown across the country announced by the government to contain the spread of the pandemic.

The lockdown which was announced on March 25 has been extended until May 3.

Meanwhile, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the promulgation of the ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. The ordinance provides for making acts of violence cognizable and non-bailable offences. It also has provision for compensation in cases of injury to healthcare service professionals or damage to their property.

The federal government approved the ordinance on Wednesday taking cognizance of few recent instances of attacks on healthcare personnel.

A man works in a brick field during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in the outskirts of Agartala in Tripura, India, April 23, 2020. (Str/Xinhua)

People work in a brick field during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in the outskirts of Agartala in Tripura, India, April 23, 2020. (Str/Xinhua)