Moments after the Central government on Saturday notified coronavirus (Covid-19) as a 'disaster' and announced that it would provide ex-gratia relief of R4 lakh to the families of the deceased, the government reissued a fresh modified order with no mention of compensation. The earlier order read, "R4 lakh for deceased person including those involved in relief operations or associated in response activities, subject to certification regarding the cause of death from an appropriate authority."

In the updated order, which has been "partially modified", there is no mention of any such compensation. The Ministry of Home Affairs in a letter to the states and Union Territories also stated: "Keeping in view the spread of Covid-19 in India and the declaration of it as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the Central government has decided to treat it as a notified disaster and announced to provide assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)."