India crossed another grim milestone of four lakh COVID-19 cases recording the addition of one more lakh in just eight days including the latest biggest single-day spike of 15,413 cases amid renewed concerns over the rapid rise in new infections in the country.
India took 64 days to cross the 1-lakh mark from 100 COVID-19 cases, another fortnight to reach two lakh cases and then in another ten days it went past the 3-lakh mark. Also, it took 18 days for the cases to double to the current tally from 2,07,615 that was registered on June 3.
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:
Maharashtra reports 3,870 new cases
Maharashtra recorded its second- highest single- day case surge till date on Sunday, with 3,870 new Covid-19 cases taking the total tally to 1,32,075. As many as 101 new deaths pushed the total death toll to 6,170.
Of the total cases, 60,147 are active ones. As many as 1,591 patients were discharged today, taking the total number of discharged till date to 65,744.
With 1,159 new cases, Mumbai's total case tally has reached 66,488. The city's death toll has risen to 3,671. As many as 41 of the new deaths reported today were from Mumbai city, 29 from Thane and 14 from Pune district among other parts of the State.
Delhi Lt. Governor, AAP and Amit Shah discuss ways to make conact tracing more robust
Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia on Sunday held a virtual meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss strategies to make contact tracing more robust and strengthen medical services in the city's COVID-19 affected areas.
The discussions come ahead of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority's (DDMA) crucial meeting on Monday wherein important decisions such as effective contact tracing are likely to be taken.
"In the meeting with the Union home minister, a detailed discussion was also held to make contact tracing robust in the city. All participants discussed the strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Delhi," an official said.
The national capital on Sunday recorded 3,000 fresh novel coronavirus cases, taking the COVID-19 tally in the city near the 60,000-mark, while the death toll due to the disease increased to 2,175.
After the meeting, the Aam Aadm Party tweeted, "AAP Govt is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation in Delhi.
- PTI
Mizoram extends total lockdown in cities, towns till June 30
The Mizoram government on Sunday extended the ongoing total lockdown in State capital Aizawl, 10 other district headquarters and containment areas for another eight days till June 30 to contain further spread of coronavirus infection.
The total lockdown was imposed on June 9 after the number of coronavirus cases in the Northeastern state has jumped from 1 to 42 in a week. The measure was scheduled to be in force till Monday.
In an order, the government said that it extended the total lockdown as stricter measures imposed for two weeks were found to be effective in containing the spread of COVID-19 and flattening the curve of new cases detected.
- PTI
M.P reports 179 new cases, 14 deaths
Madhya Pradesh on Sunday recorded 179 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 11,903. The number of active cases stands at 2,373.
Fourteen patients died of the illness on the day, taking the State-wide death toll to 515. As for recoveries, 135 patients were discharged from hospitals on the day. So far, 9,015 persons have been cured of the illness, says the State Directorate of Health Services.
Condition of Delhi Health Minister Jain improving, fever subsided: Officials
The condition of Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has improved and fever subsided, officials said on Sunday, a day after he was administered plasma therapy at a private COVID-19 facility here.
Also, a team of senior doctors from a few government and private hospitals has been kept on standby to ensure the best medical care for Mr. Jain who is admitted in ICU of Max hospital, Saket, according to sources.
The condition of the 55-year-old minister is improving and he is being monitored by doctors, the officials said.
His fever has subsided and his oxygen saturation level (Spo2) has increased, and he's likely to come out of the ICU by Monday, they said.
Mr. Jain was administered plasma therapy at the Max Hospital in Saket on Saturday and his condition is stable now, they said.
- PTI
Inexpensive ‘N95-equivalent masks’ to be made by women SHGs in Ganjam
To meet the rising demand for N95 masks in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Odisha’s Ganjam District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has started manufacturing “N95-equivalent masks” with the help of women self help groups (SHGs) in Ganjam district at a cost of only ₹25. The six-layer masks are made with non-woven “hot air” cotton, and hydrophilic and melt-down fabric layers for air filtration that keeps out viruses and bacteria.
Ganjam DRDA’s Project Director Siddharth Shankar Swain said 10,000 masks were being made in the first phase of the initiative.
Delhi reports 3000 new cases, 63 deaths
Delhi reported 3000 new Covid-19 positive cases on Sunday, taking the total number of cases to 59,746. According to a heath bulletin by the Delhi government, 63 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours and the number of deaths was revised to 2175.
1719 patients have recovered. The total recoveries now stands at 33013. There are 24,558 actives cases.
18,105 tests were conducted. There are 260 containment zones in the city.
580 new cases, 25 deaths in Gujarat
Gujarat reported a steep rise in COVID-19 infections with 580 new cases and 25 deaths on Sunday, bringing its numbers to 27317 cases and 1664 deaths. With 655 discharges, the total patients discharged so far are 19357.
- Mahesh Langa
Delhi prison reports first COVID-19 death
A 62-year-old inmate lodged in Mandoli Jail here has died of coronavirus, a first COVID-19 casualty in Delhi's prison, prompting authorities to test 28 other inmates who were sharing the barrack with the man, officials said on Sunday.
Kanwar Singh passed away on June 15 and his COVID-19 test report came out positive on Saturday, they said.
Singh was serving a life sentence in a 2016 murder case. He was lodged in Central Jail number -14, Mandoli and was asymptomatic, the officials said.
- PTI
Students-run think-tank launches helpline to find jobs for lockdown-hit workers in Delhi-NCR
A group of students from IITs, IIMs and other reputed institutions on Sunday launched a pilot project and a helpline number to help workers, who lost their jobs during the coronavirus-necessitated lockdown, find work.
The students, who have created Students For Involved Governance and Mutual Action (SIGMA), are being assisted by Deputy Commissioner, Delhi, Abhishek Singh and bureaucrat Durga Shakti Nagpal in their endeavour.
The helpline — 8800883323 — “ekatra” was conceptualized by the students to help the hiring of the unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers across Delhi-NCR, Mr. Singh said during the online launch of the pilot project and the helpline number.
T.N. reports 2532 cases, a new single-day high
Tamil Nadu on Sunday - the day of the total lockdown in Chennai and surrounding districts - reported its highest number of cases in a single day at 2532, taking the cumulative positive cases in the State to 59377. There were 53 deaths and 1438 discharges. The death toll is now 757 and 32754 have been discharged, said the health bulletin.
Meghalaya extends night curfew, ban on inter-state movement of people till June 30
The Meghalaya government has extended the night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am till June 30, officials said.
The night curfew was to be in force till Monday.
The State government has also extended the ban on inter-state movement of people till June 30, they said.
The official orders, however, will not apply to security forces, medical teams on duty, wholesale and retail pharmacies and other essential services, a senior government official said.
- PTI
Rath Yatra to be held without pomp in Bengal this year
The Rath Yatra is set to be a low-key affair in West Bengal this year, as several organising committees of the annual car festival have called off festivities to avoid public gatherings in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) has already scrapped its plan to take out chariots as this involves the risk of contamination with a large number of devotees assembling to have a glimpse of the deities.
The festival is scheduled to be held on June 23 this year.
- PTI
Kanwar yatra deferred
The States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana have deferred this year’s Kanwar yatra due to the COVID-19 situation, the U.P. government said.
The announcement was made after a video conference meeting between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his counterparts Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar and Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat.
Delhi govt. issues revised order on home isolation
The Delhi government has issued a revised order stating that the novel coronavirus patients who do not have comorbidities or require hospitalisation could opt for home isolation following withdrawal of the decision on five-day mandatory institutional quarantine .
“All individuals who are positive will be referred to the COVID care centres for assessment of clinical conditions, severity of illness and presence of co-morbidities,” it said in an order on Saturday.
An assessment will also be done to check whether adequate facilities like minimum two rooms and a separate toilet exist so that the family members and neighbours are protected and a cluster of cases does not develop in that locality, according to the order.
“If adequate facility for home isolation exists, and the person on clinical assessment is found to have no comorbidities and does not require hospitalisation, he would be offered to either continue to stay in COVID centre/paid isolation facility (hotels etc), or can opt for home isolation,” the order said.
- PTI
Spain reopens its borders as state of emergency comes to an end
Passengers wearing masks and wheeling suitcases arrived at Madrid's main airport on Sunday as Spain opened its borders to most European countries and ended a state of emergency imposed to contain the coronavirus.
Spain's borders are now open to all European Union countries except Portugal, as well as Schengen Area members outside the bloc and Britain in a much-needed boost to the country's tourism industry which accounts for more than 12% of the economy.
Cases rise; cops, BMC disagree over lockdown in North Mumbai
Even as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in north Mumbai areas like Malad, Kandivali, Borivali and Dahisar, the police and the BMC are not on the same page on imposing a restriction-heavy lockdown to contain the outbreak, officials admitted.
Also read |Pune, Aurangabad districts report big spikes in new cases
While the police wants a total lockdown to be enforced in the region to stem the rise in cases, a senior BMC official said the proposal was “disastrous” as the civic body was tracking the virus spread and taking measures to contain it.
- PTI
Beijing tests millions for COVID-19, PepsiCo suspends operations after workers test positive
Food and beverage giant PepsiCo has suspended operations in Beijing after some of its employees tested positive for COVID-19 in the Chinese capital, where the city officials are conducting COVID-19 tests on millions, especially employees of restaurants, food delivery services and market vendors.
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said that it had reported 32 new COVID-19 cases in the country.
Despite five lockdowns, COVID-19 not contained in TN: Stalin
DMK president M.K. Stalin on Sunday said that despite the State government imposing fifth phase of lockdown, there is no sign yet of COVID-19 subsiding.
He also said Chief Minister’s remarks on Saturday did not offer any solutions for the problems faced by the people.
According to the State government, the lockdown was the only way to contain the spread of the virus, but the number of cases was increasing day by day.
“This shows the lockdown is a namesake exercise. Despite the increase in number of cases and deaths, the Chief Minister is making statement after statement that the virus is contained,” he said in a statement.
Stakeholders seek phase-wise unlocking of Goa tourism industry
Tourism stakeholders in Goa urged the State government to facilitate phase-wise unlocking of the industry, saying if the shutdown continues, it will result in job and revenue losses.
The tourism industry accounts for 40% of Goa’s GDP and is important for the country’s economy, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), an umbrella body of tourism stakeholders in the state, said in a statement.
- PTI
Chargesheet against 12 Tablighi members from Nepal for violating lockdown norms in Muzaffarnagar
A chargesheet has been filed against 12 Tablighi Jamaat members from Nepal for assembling here in violation of the lockdown orders imposed to combat the coronavirus threat, police said.
According to the prosecution, the members of the Tablighi Jamaat have been charged under the IPC and the Epidemic Diseases Act.
The chargesheet was filed in a U.P. court on Saturday. A case was registered against them in early April, the police said. The Jamaat members have already been released on bail.
Meanwhile, the police have also filed separate chargesheets against 22 other Tablighi Jamaat members hailing from Delhi, Manipur, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
- PTI
Create isolation wards, conduct rapid tests to curb spread of COVID-19 in jails: committee
With several inmates and staff at prisons in the city testing positive for COVID-19, a high-powered committee headed by a Delhi High Court judge has issued several directions, like creating isolation wards and carrying out rapid tests, to prevent further spread of the virus among prisoners.
The high powered committee (HPC), headed by Justice Hima Kohli, also directed prison authorities to take extra precautions with regard to inmates over 55 years of age after a 62-year-old prisoner, who died in his sleep, was later found to be COVID-19 positive.
- PTI
COVID-19 has led to 20 lakh job losses in bus, taxi sector; more on anvil: BOCI
Around 20 lakh people have lost employment and an equal number are staring at job losses as private bus and tourist taxi operators have been hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown, according to the Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI).
BOCI, which claims to represent 20,000 operators with 15 lakh buses and maxi-cabs and 11 lakh tourist taxis providing direct employment to 1 crore people, said these private operators need government support in the form of waiver of taxes and interest on loans as many of them are facing closure.
- PTI
Govt. extends ₹50 lakh insurance scheme for healthcare providers till September
Amid rising number of COVID-19 cases, the government has extended the Rs 50 lakh insurance scheme for about 22 lakh healthcare providers for another three months till September.
The scheme implemented by New India Assurance was slated to end on June 30, as per the announcement made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as part of the Rs 1.70 lakh Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan package in March.
The insurance provides a comprehensive personal accident cover of Rs 50 lakh to a total of around 22.12 lakh public healthcare providers, including community health workers, who may have to be in direct contact and care of patients suffering from coronavirus infection and who may be at risk of being impacted by this.
- PTI
Gujarat High Court stays Jagannath Rath Yatra procession in Ahmedabad
The Gujarat High Court stayed the annual Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in an urgent hearing on Saturday evening. The yatra was scheduled to be conducted on June 23.
The court held that given the COVID-19 pandemic in the city, the yatra should not be allowed to be held as it had the potential to spread the infection in the city as social distancing norms could not be ensured with a large crowd gathering for the procession.
With the court’s intervention, the Rath Yatra procession in Ahmedabad will not be held for the first time since 1878.
Generic drugmaker Hetero launches drug for COVID-19 patients
Generic drugmaker Hetero has received the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approval to manufacture and sell its generic version of Gilead’s Remdesivir for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in the country.
The generic version will be marketed under the brand name ‘Covifor’ in India, Hetero said about the product that is being manufactured at its facility in Hyderabad. Chairman of Hetero Group of Companies B. Partha Saradhi Reddy said the approval of Covifor (Remdesivir), amid the increasing COVID-19 cases in the country, can prove to be a game-changer given the positive clinical outcomes.
Rajasthan's Salasar temple to open after July 31
The famous Salasar temple in Rajasthan’s Churu district will not open for devotees before July 31 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the temple management.
The management has taken the decision keeping in mind the safety of devotees amid the pandemic, temple priest Mangilal said.
He said the decision was taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the Churu District Collector.
Earlier this month, the state government had formed a committee under district collectors to discuss whether religious places can be opened after June 30.
- PTI
CISF jawan succumbs to COVID-19; 18th death among paramilitary forces
A 41-year-old Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel died of COVID-19 on Sunday, taking the total number of fatalities in the force from the pandemic to six, officials said.
This is the 18th death from the pandemic among the five central paramilitary forces of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
Team of doctors from different hospitals on standby for Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain
A team of senior doctors from a few government and private hospitals has been kept on standby to ensure the best medical care for Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain who is admitted in ICU of a private COVID-19 facility, sources said.
The condition of the 55-year-old Minister is improving and he is being monitored by doctors, officials said.
- PTI
India’s COVID-19 tally crosses 4 lakh with highest single-day spike of 15,413 cases
Eight days after recording three lakh COVID-19 cases, India went past the four lakh-mark on Sunday with the biggest single-day spike of 15,413 new infections, according to Union Health Ministry data.
India took 64 days to cross the 1 lakh-mark from 100 cases, another fortnight to reach the grim milestone of two lakh cases and then in another ten days it went past the 3-lakh mark.
- PTI
ONGC looking at optimising capex after COVID-19 impacts project execution
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic will impact the speed of execution of its projects and the company is identifying opportunities for optimisation of capital and operating expenditure.
While about 9% of the company’s natural gas output was impacted by inability of customers to take supplies due to the coronavirus lockdown, lower oil and gas prices had impacted its revenues, the company said.
- PTI
COVID-19 Trials | In solidarity with recovery
A range of treatments have been proposed, but only extensive population based-trials will provide evidence on their safety and efficacy. The need to fast-track development of drugs and a vaccine, and subsequently, the necessity to scale up manufacturing processes have naturally spurred vast, global efforts involving a large number of people, and in one instance, many nations.
Highest single-day death toll in Navi Mumbai
Navi Mumbai reported its highest-single-day death toll and second-highest surge in COVID-19 cases on Saturday. While 10 more fatalities took the death toll to 157, an additional 172 cases pushed the tally to 4,687.
Work to convert Anna University buildings into care centre begins
The Greater Chennai Corporation has started work on developing a COVID-19 Care Centre on the premises of Anna University. On Saturday, senior officials of Greater Chennai Corporation led by Deputy Commissioner (Works) Kumaravel Pandian visited Anna University and held talks with university authorities, who offered alternative buildings, including the auditorium.
Maharashtra sees highest spike with 3,874 new cases
Maharashtra recorded 3,874 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, its highest surge in a day, pushing its tally to 1,28,205. The State also recorded 160 fatalities, its second-highest single-day rise, taking its death toll to 5,984. Nearly 51% of Maharashtra’s cases and 59% deaths are from Mumbai.
New guidelines for government staff to be implemented from tomorrow
As cases of government employees working at the State Secretariat and other offices in Hyderabad contracting coronavirus keep spiking, the State government has issued a fresh set of guidelines to contain the spread by regulating the physical attendance of various categories of staff.
In an official memo issued by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar on Saturday, heads of all government offices in the city have been instructed to implement fresh guidelines from June 22 (Monday).
Odisha records 72.77% recovery
Odisha recorded a recovery rate of 72.77% following the discharge of 237 persons from COVID-19 hospitals in the past 24 hours.
“The untiring efforts of our COVID warriors have led to an all-time high recovery of 237 patients in a day. We salute the dauntless spirit of our frontline workers,” the Health and Family Welfare Department said on Twitter on Saturday.
Biggest single-day spike recorded in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu on Saturday recorded an all-time high of 2,396 cases of COVID-19. While 1,254 of the fresh cases were in Chennai and 64 were returnees, the remaining 1,078 cases were reported in the rest of the State.
