As India’s case count crossed the 3,00,000 mark with a surge of over 10,000 cases in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said the doubling time of coronavirus cases in India has improved to 17.4 days, from the 15.4 days that it was a couple of weeks ago. At the time the lockdown was imposed on March 25, the doubling rate of Covid-19 cases was 3.4 days, it said.
Here is a list of State Helpline numbers . You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here .
Here are the latest updates:
2,137 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 36,824, according to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Friday.
This is the highest number of cases reported in a single day in the city and the first time more than 2,000 cases have been reported.
Also, 129 more deaths have been reported taking the total number of deaths to 1,214. But all the deaths did not happen in the past 24 hours.
Of the total cases, 13,398 people have recovered and there are 22,212 active cases.
Modi to interact with CMs on June 16 and 17
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be interacting with Chief Ministers of all States and Union Territories on June 16 and 17. This will be the sixth interaction between Mr. Modi and the Chief Ministers.
On June 16 , Mr. Modi will interact with Chief Ministers of Punjab, Assam, Kerala, U'khand, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Himachal, Chandigarh, Goa, Manipur, Nagaland, Ladakh, Puducherry, Arunachal, Meghalaya, Mizoram, A&N Islands, Dadar Nagar Haveli & Dama Diu, Sikkim and Lakshadweep.
On June 17, the Prime Minister will have discussion with Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu And Kashmir, Telangana and Odisha.
During the fifth interaction on May 11, Mr. Modi said at a videoconference with Chief Ministers that a lockdown would continue in some form or the other even after May 17, but that the State governments should send in their plans for ramping up economic activity in green zones in their States between May 15 and 17 for consideration by the Centre.
In a marathon meeting that lasted (with a half an hour break in between) for nearly six hours, and saw most Chief Ministers speak their mind, Mr. Modi said the imperative was to protect rural areas from the COVID-19 pandemic as these areas were largely untouched at the moment.
Send new teams to sensitive districts to assist in augmenting healthcare system: Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a meeting with officials on Friday to review the COVID-19 situation in the state amid efforts to reopen the economy and directed them to send new teams to sensitive districts to inspect, monitor and assist in augmenting the healthcare system.
He said new teams be sent to Agra, Meerut, Firozabad, Moradabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Jhansi and Basti districts.
Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awanish Awasthi said the chief minister has asked for including a principal secretary or secretary-level officer and another of of additional director or joint director-level from health department in each team.
Both the officers will re-inspect these districts and monitor the healthcare system so as to improve it further.
Finally, Srinagar to reopen 50% shops from Saturday
J&K's summer capital Srinagar will reopen 50% of shops from Saturday, first time since the lockdown restrictions were imposed on March 20.
“A detailed discussion was held with all trade and business organisations. Mandatory observance of standard operating procedures, including wearing of masks, maintaining physical distancing, hygiene and sanitization, was also laid down," an official order said.
Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary, had sought recommendations from experts in the health sector before devising protocols and finalising the phase wise opening of shops selling different commodities.
The government order stressed that equidistant circles in paint indicating mandatory distance shall be marked outside every shop and establishment.
"Every shop or establishment shall be properly sanitized before being made operational. Hand sanitizers and soap etc shall also be compulsorily made available at every establishment,” it read. -- Peerzada Ashiq
Ministry of Home Affairs says "India permits entry of certain categories of foreigners, including Overseas Citizens of India, into country amid COVID-19 curbs."
Maharashtra crosses the grim milestone of 1,00,000 cases
Maharashtra's total case tally crossed the grim milestone of one lakh on Friday with the state reporting its second-highest single-day surge of 3,493 new Covid-19 cases to take its total case tally to 1,01,141. With 127 new deaths, the total death toll has now risen to 3,717.
However, only 49,616 cases of Maharashtra's total case tally are active ones. As many as 1,718 patients were discharged today, taking the total number of discharged till date to 47,796.
With 1,366 new cases reported today, Mumbai's total case tally has now reached 55,451 while its death toll has risen to 2,044. As many as 90 of the new deaths were reported from Mumbai city, 12 from Pune and 11 from Thane among other parts of the State.
West Bengal cases tally crosses 10,000-mark
West Bengal, on Friday, reported 476 new cases taking the tally past 10,000 and stood at 10,244.
A total of 218 persons were discharged taking the total number of recovered to 4,206.
With nine deaths reported in the State, the death toll stood at 451. Active cases stood at 5,587.
Containment zone tag to go if no case found for 14 days: Tope
An area tagged as a COVID-19 containment zone will be de-notified if no new infected patient is found there for 14 days in a row instead of the earlier protocol of 28 days, Maharashtra Minister Rajesh Tope said on Friday.
He said that there were around 3,900 containment zones across the State at present.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Tope said that as per the protocol till now, a containment zone comes to an end when no new COVID-19 patient is found there for 28 days in a row.
The Minister reiterated that no movement from and towards a containment zone is allowed except for essential services.
The restrictions in the containment zones continue even though other parts of the state have been unlocked in a phased manner, he said.
Chandigarh suspends interstate bus services till June 30
The Chandigarh administration on Friday suspended interstate bus services till June 30, saying most of the new coronavirus cases detected in the Union Territory have come from outside, an official release said.
The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by UT Administrator V P Singh Badnore, it said.
It was noted in the meeting that most of the new coronavirus cases are those who have come from outside Chandigarh or their immediate contacts, the release said.
The administrator expressed concern about such cases and desired that certain restrictions should be imposed and special care must be taken to prevent the spread of infection from travellers coming from outside, it added.
Govt holds back full IIP data for April
The government on Friday held back the release of complete data of index of industrial production for April, saying it is not appropriate to compare the IIP data with earlier months due to COVID-19 lockdown.
An official statement showed that the IIP — which measures factory output in the country — stood at 56.3 points in April, 2020 compared to 126 in the same month a year ago.
“In view of the preventive measures and announcement of nationwide lockdown by the government to contain spread of COVID-19 pandemic, majority of the industrial sector establishments were not operating from the end of March, 2020 onwards.
“This has had an impact on the items being produced by the establishments during the month of April, 2020, where a number of responding units have reported NIL production,” Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said in the statement issued on Friday.
Anil Baijal constitutes advisory committee of eminent experts
Delhi Lieutenant-General Anil Baijal on Friday constituted an advisory committee of eminent experts, including Director General of ICMR Prof. Balram Bhargava and Director, AIIMS, Dr. Randeep Guleria, under section 17 of DDMA Act to advise the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on various aspects of COVID-19 management including ramping up medical infrastructure and following the best global practices in this regard in the Capital. -- Jatin
Tamil Nadu reports another big surge in cases
On Friday, Tamil Nadu reported 1,982 new cases taking total number of confirmed cases to 40,698. This is the biggest single day surge in cases in the State.
A total of 1,342 persons were discharged on Friday taking the total to 22,047.
The State also reported 18 more deaths taking the toll to 367.
Ukraine’s first lady has virus, but not husband
The wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says she is infected with the novel coronavirus.
First lady Olena Zelenska wrote in an Instagram post on Friday that her husband and their children have tested negative.
She said she feels good, is receiving outpatient treatment and is isolated from her family “in order not to put them in danger“.
Ukraine has so far reported over 29,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 870 deaths.
The government started gradually easing lockdown restrictions in late May with the resumption of public transportation and the reopening of malls and gyms.
UP records biggest single-day spike of 528 cases
Uttar Pradesh on Friday reported 20 more coronavirus deaths and its biggest single-day spike of 528 fresh cases, officials said.
The death toll in the State now is 365 with the coronavirus tally reaching 12,616.
Principal Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said 7,609 of the total infected have recovered. The state has 4,642 active COVID-19 cases.
The recovery rate in the State is now over 60 per cent, he said.
A total of 15,607 samples were tested in the state on Thursday, which is so far the highest in a day, Prasad said, adding that altogether 4,19,994 tests have been done in the State.
Doubling time in India improves to 17.4 days: Health ministry
The doubling time of coronavirus cases in India has improved to 17.4 days currently from 15.4 days a couple of weeks ago, the Union health ministry said on Friday, even as the country for the first time recorded over 10,000 new instances of the infection in a day. At the time the lockdown was imposed on March 25, the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases was 3.4 days, it said.
Amid a spurt in cases, the cabinet secretary held a meeting chief secretaries, health and urban development secretaries of all states through a video link and they were asked to also pay special attention to the emerging epicentres of COVID-19 cases and undertake stringent containment measures to check the contagion, the ministry said.
With 10,956 new coronavirus infections in 24 hours till Friday 8 am, India’s COVID-19 caseload reached 2,97,535 while the death toll rose to 8,498 with a record single-day spike of 396 fatalities, according to the Health Ministry data.
MHA issues new guidelines
Movement of people will remain prohibited across the country from 9 pm to 5 am during the ongoing ‘Unlock 1’, but there are no restrictions on plying of buses with passengers and goods trucks on highways, the Centre said on Friday.
In a communication to all States, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla also said that the purpose of restricting movement of individuals during the night was primarily intended at preventing congregation of people and ensuring social distancing, but not hampering supply chains and logistics.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had issued guidelines prohibiting movement of people between 9 pm and 5 am throughout the country, except for essential activities, he said.
The MHA has noticed that some States and Union Territories (UTs) are restricting movement of people and vehicles on highways between 9 pm and 5 am, which is hindering their smooth passage, Mr. Bhalla said.
TTD employee tests positive for COVID-19 in AP; devotees barred for two days
An employee of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) attached to the ancient Sri Govindaraja Swamy temple here tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, prompting the authorities to stop entry of devotees for two days.
This is the first COVID-19 case in TTD which also manages the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at nearby Tirumala, a temple official told P T I. It has about 7,000 permanent employees besides over 12,000 outsourced staff.
Temples in the state reopned after the COVID-19 lockdown only on Monday.
The daily rituals at the shrine would be performed as usual, he said.
After completely sanitising the shrine and other offices located in the temple complex, devotees would be allowed for worship from Sunday, the official said
COVID-19 may push millions more into child labour: world bodies
The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to push millions of children around the world into child labour , while those already employed may be forced to work longer hours and under worsening conditions , according to a new brief from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the UNICEF .
This could result in the first-ever rise in child labour in 20 years. Since 2000, child labour decreased by 94 million but this gain could soon be reversed warn the two multilateral bodies.
207 fresh COVID-19 cases take the tally to 5636 in AP
In the last 24 hours, Andhra Pradesh reported 207 fresh COVID-19 positive cases.
According to the bulletin released by the Command Control Room, as many as 3091 have so far been discharged after recovery while 2,465 cases are still active.
The death toll stood at 80 with no death reported in the States in the last 24 hours.
Of the 207 fresh ‘positive’ cases, 141 of them are local ones, two are foreign returnees and 64 are other state or migrant workers.
Of the total number of people infected by the virus in the state so far, 4402 of them are local cases. -- Sujatha Verma
SC asks Finance Ministry, RBI to hold joint meeting to clear the air on deferment of loan interest
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Union Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to hold a detailed joint meeting in the next three days to clear the air on whether the deferment of loan interest in place to help borrowers through their financial crisis during the national lockdown will lead to accrual of further interest once the freeze is lifted after August 31.
A Bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, S.K. Kaul and M.R. Shah said the court is trying to strike a balance between the interests of the banks and the borrowers.
"We are trying to balance. Whether there can be a system worked out... Our concern in these proceedings is only whether the interest that has been deferred will be added to charges payable later and whether there will be interest on the interest," Justice Kaul addressed lawyers representing the parties.
The court said, unlike what the RBI apprehends in its response, it is not considering a complete waiver of interest but is only concerned that postponement of interest shouldn't accrue further interest on it. -- Krishnadas Rajagopal
’Faridabad’s ESI hospital lab closed after 70% of its technician found corona infected’
The pathological test laboratory of a Faridabad-based ESI Hospital dedicated to the treatment of COVID-19 patients has been closed after around 70 per cent of its technicians were found infected.
Faridabad is one of the worst-affected districts, having reported 21 COVID deaths and 1,050 patients till date.
The lab had to be closed down three days ago, hospital’s Deputy Civil Surgeon, Dr Ram Bhagat said on Friday.
The medical tests in the dedicated COVID-19 treatment centre would resume only after the induction of new staffers, he added.
Thailand eases more coronavirus restrictions, ends curfew
Thailand announced on Friday it is easing some restrictions that were imposed to fight the spread of the coronavirus, including allowing some schools to reopen and scrapping a curfew.
The new measures, which take effect Monday, were announced after more than six weeks in which the daily increase in cases was usually less than 10, and almost all new infections originated abroad. Four new cases were announced on Friday, bringing the total to 3,129, including 58 deaths.
"We should stay vigilant, the risk of a second outbreak remains," said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, spokesman for the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, who announced the steps.
On Monday, almost all businesses reopen, including ones with high risks. Now Thailand should focus on developing vaccines and drugs. Social distancing rules will remain in effect for restaurants, and bars and pubs must stay closed. Incoming international passenger flights will remain banned until the end of the month.
Govt mulls including sudden loss of taste, smell as criteria for COVID-19 test
The government is mulling to include sudden loss of taste and smell as a criteria for COVID-19 testing, sources said on Friday as India witnessed a surge in coronavirus instances with total caseload racing towards the three lakh mark.
The issue was discussed in a meeting of the National Task Force on COVID-19 held last Sunday, but no consensus on the matter has been reached yet.
“At the meeting, some members suggested including loss of taste and smell in the eligibility criteria for COVID-19 testing stating that several patients have been reporting symptoms like these,” a source in the health ministry said.
According to an expert, even though the symptom is not specific to COVID-19 as one may suffer from loss of smell and taste when they have flu or influenza, it could be one of the early signs of the onset of the disease and prompt detection may help in early treatment.
Centre’s decision to reopen activities was not taken in haste: Delhi HC
The Delhi High Court on Friday said the Central government’s decision of phased reopening of lockdown was not taken in haste and it was done to ensure a proper balance between containing the spread of COVID 19 pandemic and making it certain that people are not forced to starvation.
The High Court's order came while dismissing with a cost of Rs 20,000 a PIL by a law student challenging the May 30 order of the Centre by which lockdown was extended in containment zones and reopening of activities was done in a phased manner outside containment zones.
Seven States seek Shramik Special trains
Seven state governments have listed their demand for a total of 63 Shramik Special trains from the railways, days after the Railway Board chairman wrote to the chief secretaries to give their “residual demand” for such trains to ferry migrant workers back home.
Of the total, a maximum of 32 trains will depart from Kerala while the destinations of most trains will be West Bengal (23), the railways said.
Apart from Kerala, Tamil Nadu demanded 10 Shramik Special trains, followed by Jammu and Kashmir (9), Karnataka (6), Andhra Pradesh (3), West Bengal (2) and Gujarat (1).
Karnataka withdraws notification on increased work hours
The Karnataka government has withdrawn its notification that extended the maximum work hours from 8 to 10 per day and 60 hours per week for all factories registered under the Factories Act, 1948.
Recently, Uttar Pradesh too withdrew a similar order. - Nagesh Prabhu
Supreme Court asks Delhi govt. to explain dip in COVID-19 testing
The Supreme Court on June 12 asked the Delhi government to explain why its COVID-19 testing had dipped from 7,000 to 5,000 a day when other equally affected cities such as Chennai and Mumbai had increased their testing from 16,000 to 17,000.
The hearing was based on the suo motu cognisance taken by the top court on treatment meted out to COVID-19 patients and the bodies of those who lost the battle with the disease. The court referred to several media reports on the lack of infrastructure, patients and their families running from pillar to post to get themselves admitted and, ultimately, videos of COVID-19 dead being thrown into pits.
The court asked the States of Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal and the LNJP Hospital in the national capital to file responses to these concerns. It listed the case for further hearing next week. - Krishnadas Rajagopal
Services at coronavirus lab of Faridabad hospital hit after over 50% staff test positive
Catering to three districts of Rewari, Mahendragarh and Faridabad in Haryana, the coronavirus lab at ESIC Medical College and Hospital here has been forced to scale down its testing capacity drastically after more than half of its staff members tested positive for the deadly disease a week ago.
One of the two government labs in Faridabad, it earlier tested 500-650 samples a day on an average but that figure has now been reduced to around 30.
Why is it necessary to test more to reduce the impact of COVID-19?
Nearly 6 million people have been infected by COVID-19 resulting in more than 3.65 lakh deaths across the world. Most countries have implemented lockdowns for physical distancing to arrest the spread of the virus, but data collected over three months of the pandemic show that early testing, isolation and treatment is the surest way of reducing the impact of the pandemic irrespective of the stringency of the lockdown.
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After Sri Lanka, BCCI calls off Zimbabwe tour
The BCCI has called off Indian cricket team’s short tour of Zimbabwe in August due to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement was on expected lines after Sri Lanka Cricket announced yesterday that India’s limited overs tour in June-July was postponed indefinitely.
Delhi HC, lower courts heard over 18,000 cases via video conference
Over 18,000 cases have been heard till June 9 via video conferencing by the Delhi High Court and subordinate courts during the restricted judicial functioning period that began on March 23-24 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The submission was made by the high court registry before a Bench of justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad.
While the Delhi High Court heard 3,787 cases via video conferencing, the subordinate courts heard 14,482 cases till June 9.
During the same period, the subordinate courts also heard 23,339 matters through physical hearing, the high court noted while hearing a plea seeking that all kinds of matters be heard via video conferencing during the restricted judicial functioning.
Bengal government to add mask, soap to mid-day meal items in COVID-19 time
The West Bengal government says it will provide students of State-run schools with masks and soaps along with other items as part of the midday meal scheme from July to help them protect themselves from coronavirus.
These students are getting rice and potato during the lockdown and from next month they will also receive daal, soybean, mask and soap, Education Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters.
Mr. Chatterjee also requested private schools not to hike tuition fees in this academic session as people are facing financial hardship because of the lockdown. - PTI
Chief Ministers quash rumors of lockdown in Chennai, Mumbai
Rumours of complete lockdown in Chennai and Mumbai are doing rounds in social media, especially after both the cities are witnessing rise in the number of COVID-19 cases after lockdown was relaxed. The Chief Ministers have categorically said lockdown will not be imposed again.
"Lockdown hasn't been enforced yet again. CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has requested and pleaded citizens to not crowd anywhere. Follow the instructions of the government and take care of yourself," Maharashtra CMO handle tweeted in Marathi.
Delhi and Jodhpur-bound passengers arrived at Mumbai's Borivali station to catch the train on Friday. The large crowd outside the station was seen not maintaining social distancing norms.
“False news is being spread under my name on social media about the government planning stricter lockdown measures. The government has no such plans. Stern legal action wil be taken against those who spread such rumours. The government has not issued any such order,” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami told reporters in Mettur.
Tamil Nadu gets new Health Secretary amid surge in COVID-19 cases
Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam and Corporation Special Nodal Officer J. Radhakrishnan at the meeting on Monday.
As the number of coronavirus infections in the State continues to climb, Tamil Nadu on Friday appointed J. Radhakrishnan as the new Health Secretary .
Mr. Radhakrishan, who has served as a Health Secretary earlier, was working as a Special Nodal Officer for the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to coordinate coronavirus related issues with the civic body chief.
Serving Health Secretary Beela Rajesh has been transferred as secretary, Commercial Taxes and Registration Department.
Shimla residents can eat at restaurants from today
People in Himachal’s Shimla will be able to eat at restaurants, dhabas and other eateries from Friday in the wake of the State government issuing a standard operating procedure allowing it.
They will be allowed to operate at 60% of their seating capacity and by adopting precautions, including social distancing, to check the spread of COVID-19.
However, according to a hoteliers’ body, hotels will remain shut till the State government allows tourists from outside. - PTI
Odisha cancels all pending UG, PG final semester exams
Odisha government has cancelled all undergraduate and postgraduate final semester examinations except in medical courses in view of the situation due to COVID-19, an official said.
All examinations of medical courses will be conducted as per schedule, the official said.
Examinations of students with more than two back papers in final semester or final year exams, were also cancelled, he said. - PTI
Mizoram to test all Tamil Nadu returnees released from quarantine centres
People waiting to board a bus to Central Station, Chennai, to get on to the Shramik Special train departing to Mizoram on May 12, 2020.
Keeping in mind the soaring coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu, the Mizoram government is making efforts to conduct a COVID-19 test on all returnees from the State, who have been released from quarantine facilities on completion of the quarantine period, said Health Minister Dr. R. Lalthangliana.
A total of 883 residents of Mizoram returned to the State in the first special train, which was from Chennai, on May 15. Besides, stranded workers of the southern State also reached the State by road. Those who returned from other States are still in quarantine. - PTI
No coercive action against private firms for non-payment of full wages during lockdown, says Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre and States not to take any coercive action till July end against private companies, which have failed to pay full wages to their employees during the coronavirus-induced lockdown period.
The Court said that industries and employees need each other and they should sit together to arrive at a settlement on the issue of payment of wages.
The Court's ruling gains significance in the wake of Centre's circular asking all employers to make payment of wages to their workers without any deduction for the period their establishments were under closure during the lockdown to contain COVID-19.
Maharashtra minister tests positive for COVID-19
A Maharashtra cabinet minister, who belongs to the NCP, has tested positive for COVID-19, sources said on Friday.
He is the third minister to be tested poaitive after Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad and Public Works Department Minister Ashok Chavan.
Both Mr. Awhad and Mr. Chavan have recovered and joined their respective offices.
The minister, who hails from the Marathwada region, had attended the cabinet meeting held at the State secretariat here earlier this week, sources told PTI .
He has been quarantine in Mumbai, according to PTI . Apart from the minister, five members of his personal staff, including his PA, have tested positive for the disease. - Alok Deshpande
Punjab CM orders stricter lockdown on weekends, public holidays
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered stricter lockdown on weekends and public holidays, even as his State mulls stringent curbs, including mandatory testing certification, for those coming from Delhi.
The decision to tighten the curbs on weekends and holidays has been taken amid apprehensions of COVID-19 reaching the community spread stage in Punjab and projections indicating that the peak in the State was still two months away.
Industries, however, will be allowed to function normally on all days, the CM said. - PTI
Hyderabad Mayor might undergo COVID-19 test for the second time
Bonthu Ram Mohan
Mayor of Hyderabad Bonthu Ram Mohan, who had previously tested negative for coronavirus, might have to undergo a second test soon.
This comes after his driver tested positive for the infection . Following this, the Mayor and his family have been advised to undergo home quarantine.
The driver is the second person in Mayor’s peshi and third person from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation head office to test positive during the last four days. However, there is no official confirmation from GHMC about this.
Our correspondent Swathi Vadlamudi dissects the role of power and privilege in procuring a slot for COVID-19 testing in Hyderbad.
India launches 3rd phase of Vande Bharat Mission
India has launched the third phase of Vande Bharat Mission after over 1.65 lakh Indians returned to the country under the first two phases of the mega evacuation exercise.
Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava said the third phase of the mission will last till July 2, and a total of 432 international flights will evacuate Indians from 43 countries.
He said 29 flights from private carriers including 24 from IndiGo and three from GoAir will also operate under the third phase of the Vande Bharat Mission. - PTI
New guidelines for quarantine, containment zones in Kerala
Kerala has come out with new guidelines for COVID-19 related quarantine and redefined rules for declaring fresh containment zones as more people are expected to come to the State in the coming days.
As per the new guidelines, those coming from abroad can go home after giving an affidavit. But they have to strictly follow the quarantine conditions failing which police would take legal action against the violators, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The local self-government institutions, police, COVID-19 care centre’s nodal officer, district collector and other officials would be intimated about the decision and alerted before the person starts from the airport and the officials would follow up on whether the person has reached their respective home quarantine.
U.S.-based company to test vaccine next month
An update on the global race to find a vaccine for coronavirus: the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. is on track to begin a huge study in July 2020 to prove if it really can fend off the coronavirus.
The vaccine will be tested in 30,000 volunteers — some given the real shot and some a dummy shot. Moderna said it already has made enough doses for the pivotal late-stage testing. Still needed before those injections begin: results of how the shot has fared in smaller, earlier-stage studies.
Meanwhile, an India-developed vaccine is likely to begin human trial in October , according to Principal Scientific Adviser to the government. Listen to the expert's take on the four major approaches to creating a vaccine on our InFocus Podcast.
'Relock Delhi': Twitter users tell Kejriwal
Call to impose lockdown in Delhi gained traction on Twitter after the capital city witnessed the biggest single-day spike in the number of cases on Thursday. According to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government, 1,877 new cases were reported, taking the total number of cases to 34,687.
The city now ranks third in the total number of COVID-19 cases, behind the States of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Many Twitter users used the hashtag #RelockDelhi to appeal to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to impose strict lockdown measures to help government get the situation under control.
Are lockdowns effective in combating COVID-19? Our data team explores why cases in India continue to surge despite a long and stringent lockdown.
India lifts export ban on hydroxychloroquine
A pharmacist displays a box of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets in his store in Hyderabad. File
In the latest development with regard to hydroxychloroquine, touted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a potential "game changer," India lifted the export ban on the anti-malarial drug that was put in place in March as the coronavirus outbreak disrupted supply chains.
However, manufacturers, except export-oriented units and those in special economic zones, would still have to supply 20% of their production to the domestic market, said Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda.
