Chinese charity organizations assist India with medical equipment for fighting COVID-19

People line up to buy vegetables during the lockdown in New Delhi, India, March 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

The first batch of medical supplies donated to the Indian Red Cross Society by Chinese charity organizations the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation has arrived in New Delhi, according to a press release by the Chinese Embassy to India on Sunday.

The remainder of the donation is expected to reach India in the coming days, it added.

So far 25 people have died from COVID-19 in India and the number of confirmed cases rose to 979 on Sunday morning.

The Indian government on Wednesday began a 21-day lockdown across the country in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19. Authorities have imposed strict curfew-like restrictions to prevent the movement of people.