Mumbai, Mar 20 (IANS): The total number of coronavirus cases reached 52 on Friday with three more persons testing positive, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope announced.

They include one patient each in Mumbai, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, all with a history of foreign travel.

As Maharashtra continued to lead in the number of active cases, Tope appealed to people to refrain from stepping out of their homes as 'isolation' was the key to battling the COVID-19 virus.

He added that the state has completely banned all flights from worst-hit 12 countries besides exercising extreme precautions for flights from all other nations at the three international airports in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur since the past over a month.

Tope advised people to respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call and observe the 'Janata curfew' on Sunday by remaining indoors.

The health minister also said that around five cases under treatment were improving and would be discharged soon, "proving that COVID-19 can be cured".

On Tuesday, COVID-19 claimed it's first victim in the state after a 63-year-old man with a history of travel to Dubai, passed away in Mumbai's Kasturba Hospital.

However, his wife and son, who also tested positive, are currently under treatment in the same hospital.