Coronavirus India lockdown day 6 live updates | Global death toll tops 35,000

According to WHO's March 29 update, globally, 30,105 have died and 638,146 tested positive

March 30, 2020 08:37 am | Updated March 31, 2020 08:34 am IST

A toddy tapper serves his customer keeping in my social distancing norms, at Nerada Village in Chinthakani mandal of Khammam District on Monday.

A toddy tapper serves his customer keeping in my social distancing norms, at Nerada Village in Chinthakani mandal of Khammam District on Monday.

As India is under lockdown for nearly a week now, the government has said the 21-day period will not be extended. The country is seeing a spurt in the number of coronavirus cases, with Gujarat, Punjab and West Bengal reporting deaths.

The Hindu  has brought out a multi-language e-book  on essential COVID-19 information, in addition to  covering the developments  related to the coronavirus pandemic as it unfolded.

Here are  answers from experts  on your queries about the virus, a list of  State Helpline numbers , and  a map of confirmed cases in India .

The new 24/7 national helpline numbers are  1075 , 1800-112-545  and 011-23978046 .  Email: ncov2019-at-gmail.com.

The Prime Minister has announced a WhatsApp helpdesk number:   9013151515 .

Here are the latest updates:

10.15 pm | Europe

Death toll tops 35,000 worldwide, most in Europe

More than 35,000 people have died worldwide from the coronavirus pandemic since it emerged late last year in China, most of them in Europe, according to an AFP tally on Monday using official figures.

In total, 35,905 people have died, including 26,076 in Europe. Italy has the most deaths with 11,591, following by Spain with 7,340 and China with 3,304.

More than 740,00 cases have been officially detected in 183 countries and territories, including at least 408,203 in Europe, almost 150,000 in the United States and Canada with 2,635 deaths and 106,609 cases in Asia with 3,827 deaths.

Detected cases likely reflect only a fraction of the real number of infections as many countries are only testing the most serious cases.

--AFP

9.05 pm | New Delhi

Delhi govt converts 11 schools into night shelters for migrant workers: Sisodia

The Delhi government has converted its eleven schools into night shelters in a bid to help migrant workers stay in the city during the lockdown period, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Monday.

The move comes in the wake of mass movement of migrant workers in big cities, including Delhi, to their home states after they were rendered jobless due to the lockdown that was imposed countrywide for checking the spread of coronavirus.

In addition to the existing 238 night shelters in the city, the Delhi government converted 11 schools into night shelters to help migrant workers.

“We have started night shelter facilities at two of our Delhi government schools near Ghazipur and Anand Vihar. We have made arrangements for food and accommodation for all those in need,” he said on Twitter.

Mr. Sisodia appealed to the poor and migrant workers to utilise food and accommodation facilities provided by the Delhi government.

8.30 pm | New Delhi

25 new cases in Delhi

Twenty-five new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi on Monday, taking the total number of cases to 97, according to the Delhi government.

This is the biggest single-day jump in the number of cases in the city so far.

Sunday and Saturday had also recorded the biggest single-day jumps till then with 23 and nine new cases, respectively.

There have been two deaths due to the disease so far in the city, but there was no death reported on Monday.

Though 97 cases of COVID-19 have been reported so far, there are 89 active cases and five people have been discharged. 

-- Nikhil

New Delhi | 7.50 pm

Prime Minister Modi praises Indian Missions

India has taken unprecedented and early steps to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and prevent its large outbreak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells Indian Missions.

Sources said that the Prime Minister showed appreciation for the role played by Indian Missions in taking care of stranded Indians.

"Extraordinary times require extraordinary solutions," he says and asks Indian Missions abroad to identify best practices, innovations, scientific breakthroughs to deal with coronavirus.

He asks Indian Missions to pay close attention to evolving international political, economic situation triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unity, alertness of all Indians would help safeguard country’s future, he says, on fighting the pandemic.

PM Modi asks the Missions to publicise newly established PM CARES Fund on COVID-19 to mobilise donations from abroad.

- PTI

New Delhi | 7.45 pm

The paramilitary forces have directed that ‘live location’ of all officers and jawans allowed to work from home or on leave should be obtained daily to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after two positive cases were reported among them, officials said on March 30. - PTI

 

Mumbai | 7.40 pm

Mamata Banerjee extends insurance cover to health-care professionals

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the State government will set up a nodal  C oronavirus (COVID-19) hospital in each of the State’s 22 districts.

She also said an insurance cover of ₹10 lakh will be extended to those who have been aiding the government in the fight against COVID-19, including health-care professionals, sanitation workers and police personnel.

 

Lucknow | 7.30 pm

24 new COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh

24 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total to 96, as per UP Directorate of Health Services.

14 of these cases are reported from Meerut, 7 from Noida, 1 each from Agra, Lucknow and Bulandhshar.  

35 people have been put under quarantine in Meerut and 28 in Ghaziabad. One residential society has been locked down at Ghaziabad and a perimeter of 5 kms around this society has been completely sealed off, said the Health Department.  Some areas of Meerut city have also been under total lockdown.

Seventeen patients have recovered and been discharged in UP so far. The State has so far tested 2,704 samples and put 1,344 under institutional quarantine.

- Omar Rashid

New Delhi | 7.15 pm

Finance Ministry relaxes expenditure guidelines

Finance Ministry relaxes expenditure guidelines for Health, Pharma, Textiles, Consumer Affairs and Civil Aviation Ministries to facilitate procurement and transport of medical supplies and other essential materials for COVID-19 operations.

Ministries to submit Contingency Expenditure Plan for COVID-19 relief by April 10. Each of these departments also authorised to spend Rs. 200 crore for this purpose by March 31, and spend up to their entire budget for the first quarter of 2020-21 in April itself, says Finance Ministry notice.

- Priscilla Jebaraj

Paris | 7.05 pm

Global COVID-19 cases top 7,00,000

More than 7,27,080 cases of COVID-19 infection and 34,610 deaths have been recorded in 183 countries and territories since the coronavirus epidemic started in China in December, according to an AFP tally compiled Monday based on official sources.

Italy has 10,779 deaths and has recorded 97,689 cases, Spain 7,340 deaths out of 85,195 cases, mainland China 3,304 deaths and 81,470 cases, Iran 2,757 deaths and 41,495 cases and France 2,606 fatalities and 40,174 cases.

A Greek woman aged in her 70s became the first person to die of COVID-19 on the Greek Aegean island of Lesbos, where the overcrowded Moria migrant camp is based.

- AFP

New Delhi | 7 pm

Congress seeks payment pf 70% of wage bill of MSMEs

The Congress on Monday asked the Union government to pay 70% of the wage bill of the micro, small and medium (MSME) enterprises for the next three months and make it mandatory for the employers not to retrench their employees for the next six months.

 

Lucknow | 6.50 pm

Doctors, nurses and paramedical staff working with coronavirus patients will be lodged in four 5-star hotels of the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Monday. Besides, Avadh Shilp Gram on Shaheed Path and Indira Gandhi Pratishthan have also been prepared as quarantine centres to house those arriving from outside Uttar Pradesh, they said.

 

Bengaluru | 6.30 pm

'Send hourly selfies'

All people in home quarantine in Karnataka have been asked to send a selfie with their GPS coordinates every hour to the government of Karnataka. Those who fail to do so will be sent to mass quarantine centres, a press release by the Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said.

- Tanu Kulkarni

Date | 6.05 pm

Iran's death toll climbs by 117 in 24 hours

Iran had 117 new COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,757, a Health Ministry spokesman said on Monday, prompting the Middle East's worst-hit country to consider tougher curbs on movement.

The total number of infections climbed to 41,495.

 

Jerusalem | 6 pm

Israeli PM enters quarantine after aide tests positive for COVID-19

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Monday that he will enter quarantine after an aide on Knesset affairs tested positive for coronavirus.

 

Bengaluru | 5.50 pm

Five new cases reported in Karnataka

Five new positive COVID-19 cases have been detected in Karnataka, taking the total number to 88. 

Four of the cases are primary contacts of the employee pharmaceutical company in Nanjangud in Mysuru who had tested positive earlier this month. All of them are employees of the same company. All are isolated at a designated hospital in Mysuru.

Another is a 13-year-old boy, a resident of Tumkur and son of patient number 69.

- Tanu Kulkarni

Tokyo | 5.50 pm

Tokyo Olympics rescheduled for July 23 to August 8 in 2021

The Tokyo Olympics will open next year in the same time slot scheduled for this year’s games.

Tokyo organizers said the opening ceremony will take place on July 23, 2021 — almost exactly one year after the games were due to start this year.

Last week, the IOC and Japanese organizers postponed the Olympics until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

This year’s games were scheduled to open on July 24 and close on Aug. 9. But the near exact one-year delay will see the rescheduled closing ceremony on Aug. 8. - PTI

 

Ahmedabad | 5.40 pm

Ahmedabad based Torrent Group commits Rs. 50 crore to PM-CARES fund to fight the Coronavirus epidemic. The group also commits Rs. 50 crore for providing free medicines and other medical equipment.

- Mahesh Langa

Chandigarh | 5.30 pm

An NRI couple test positive in Chandigarh

Five fresh confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Chandigarh, taking the total to 13, a government official statement said on Monday.

Among the five are an NRI couple - 32-year-old male and 32-year-old female - who are residents of Canada.

- Vikas Vasudeva

London | 5.10 pm

U.K.'s Prince Charles 'out of self-isolation and in good health'

British heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, 71, who had tested positive for coronavirus, is out of self-isolation and is in good health, his spokesman said.

“Clarence House has confirmed today that, having consulted with his doctor, The Prince of Wales is now out of self-isolation,” the spokesman said.

- Reuters

 

Jaipur | 4.45 pm

Six more test positive in Jodhpur

Six more evacuees from Iran test positive for COVID-19 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

The mother and son of the person earlier found positive in Ramganj area of Jaipur, which has been put under curfew, also test positive.

A 40-year-old man, who was an OPD patient in Bhilwara's private hospital from where infection spread, also tests COVID-19 positive. The tally in Rajasthan is 69.

- Mohammed Iqbal

Indore | 4.45 pm

Fourth person dies of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh

A 41-year-old man dies of COVID-19 in Indore, taking the toll owing to the illness to four in Madhya Pradesh, according to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore.

- Sidharth Yadav

Uttarakhand | 4.30 pm

Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya on March 30 donated one-month salary to PM-CARES fund and appealed to people to contribute as much as they could to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

New Delhi | 4.15 pm

'We can still fail, if even one person fails to cooperate'

India has reported 39 deaths and cases count has crossed 1000 so far, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary- Health & Family Welfare tells in a virtual media conference.

It has taken 12 days for India to reach 1000 cases, while in several nations has seen even up to 8000 cases in this time period, he adds.

We have been able to achieve this because of cooperation of public, our collective preemptive action, social distancing and lockdown, he says.

However we are dealing with an infectious disease. We can still fail, if even one person fails to cooperate, he warns.

We have given guidelines on how public places ought to be disinfected, he says.

38,442 tests have been conducted so far. 3,501 of were done yesterday. Below 30% of testing capacity, says ICMR Chief Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar.

115 ICMR labs are currently functional. 1,343 were tested in private labs. Percentage of cases showing serious illness very less. Only a "miniscule percentage" of assymptomatics have tested positive for COVID-19, says Mr.  Agarawal.

He adds, "We should not use the word 'community' in community transmission. We have to come out of semantics Technically country is experiencing local transmission."

"Overzealous employees" were responsible for spraying disinfectant on migrant labourers in Bareilly, no guidelines were issued by health ministry for such action, he says.

Mr. Agarwal said 'no comments' to Cabinet Secretary saying no lockdown beyond April 15.

- Jacob Koshy

New Delhi | 4.00 pm

Postpone application deadlines for  ICAR exam, JNU entrance exam, UGC NET, CSIR NET, NCHM JEE, IGNOU PhD, All India Ayush PG entrance test and management entrance exams by one month, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank tells National Testing Agency.

Dehradun| 3.50 pm

No inter-district movement of people in Uttarakhand on Tuesday

The Uttarakhand government has withdrawn its decision of allowing inter-district movement of people within the state on Tuesday following a Union Home Ministry order on strict enforcement of the ongoing lockdown.

The state government had earlier decided to allow inter-district movement for a day to help people stranded at different places in the state due to the lockdown.

Chennai | 3.45 pm

TN Governor donates Rs. 1 Crore each to PM and CM relief fund

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has donated Rs one crore each to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund and Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund of Tamil Nadu, the Raj Bhavan said on Monday.

The donation made from the Governor’s Discretionary Grant has been done to assist the Centre and state in their fight to tackle the spread of Coronavirus, the release said.

Lucknow | 3.30 pm

UP Shia Waqf Board waives off rentals for 3 months

The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board has decided to waive off rentals of all its property for three months starting March 1 in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic.

Vice Chancellor Mufti Abdul Qasim Nomani of Deoband-based Durul Uloom has offered to hand over one of the buildings of the theological school to the Uttar Pradesh government to serve as an isolation ward for COVID-19 patients.

Bhopal | 3.00 pm

Samples of a 38-year-old man from Ujjain who had died while undergoing treatment for chest pain at a hospital on March 27, test positive for COVID-19 today. This takes the toll owing to the illness to three in Madhya Pradesh. - Sidharth Yadav

Pune | 2.10 pm

Pune records first death as Maharashtra death toll rises to nine

he district recorded its first death on Monday after a 52-year-old man who had tested positive for Covid-19 a week ago died at Pune’s Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, said authorities as Maharashtra’s death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to nine.

The patient, who was admitted to the private hospital on March 22 after testing positive, had a medical history of diabetes and hypertension, said sources.

 

New Delhi | 1.00 pm

10 RML hospital staff sent to home quarantine

Atleast 10 medical staff at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi have been sent into home quarantine after one of them reportedly showed symptoms of COVID-19. “Their samples have been sent for testing,” a health ministry official said on Monday.

 

Port Blair| 12.50 pm

Youth tests positive in Andamans

A man in his late 20s has tested positive for COVID-19 in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, taking the number of coronavirus positive cases in the Union Territory to 10.

He was part of a group of people that had gone to Delhi to attend a religious programme and returned to Port Blair via Kolkata on March 24. - PTI

Srinagar | 12.40 pm

Three new COVID-19 cases in Jammu

Three more patients have tested positive for the coronavirus in Jammu taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 41.

"No new cases in Kashmir division on Monday however, three new positive cases were reported from Jammu. The total in J&K is now 41,” J&K government spokesman Rohit Kansal. - Peerzada Ashiq

New Delhi | 12.35 pm

200 people from Nizamuddin develop symptoms; area cordoned off

Delhi police has cordoned off major part of Nizamuddin area after around 200 people were taken to different hospitals after they developed symptoms of COVID 19.

Police has deployed drones in the area to strictly implement lockdown. - Sourabh Trivedi

 

Chennai | 12.30 pm

TN reports 17 new cases in a single day

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said 17 new cases have been reported in the State on a single day, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases to 67.

So far, one person has died and five persons (earlier tested positive for COVID-19) have returned home after treatment, he added.

Self-quarantine is the only  option available for stopping the spread of COVID-19, Mr. Palaniswami said once again appealing people to stay at home.

The local bodies have been issuing emergency passes for people to travel during the lockdown. Only for funerals, weddings scheduled well in advance, or emergency medical conditions will be considered special cases for getting emergency passes, he said.

 - Dennis S. Jesudasan

Vijayawada | 12.10 pm

AP reports two more cases

Two persons whose travel history couldn’t be traced have contracted the novel coronavirus in Rajamahendravaram and Kakinada of East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh on Monday. So far, the State has reported 23 Covid-19 positive cases.

 

12.00 noon

Don't self-medicate, eat home-cooked food: Health Ministry's advisory to senior citizens

A Health Ministry poster regarding precautions to be taken by the elderly.

A Health Ministry poster regarding precautions to be taken by the elderly.

 

Stating that the course of COVID-19 tends to be more severe in the case of the elderly population, resulting in higher mortality, the Union Health Ministry has issued a health advisory, listing some “dos” and “don’ts” for reducing the transmission of the virus among the aged section.

The advisory said globally, COVID-19 has impacted several lives and is steadily increasing its reach.

Click here to read the full list of Do's and don'ts

Noida | 11.50 am

A Noida-based fire safety firm is under scanner for withholding information that its MD returned from the U.K. recently. A woman working in this firm, and her husband have tested positive for COVID-19.

 

11.15 am

Indian-Americans set up helpline to help community members

Several eminent Indian-American groups in the United States have raised funds and deployed volunteers to help community members, including first responders, health workers, students and labourers in America and India, which have been majorly affected by the novel Coronavirus outbreak that has infected over 600,000 people globally.

 

11.00 am

Status at 11 am:

Confirmed cases: 1164

Active cases: 1046 

Deaths: 30

*Data compiled from Union Health Ministry and States

Jaipur | 11.00 am

One more  COVID-19 positive case reported in Rajasthan today.

The 41-year-old male resident of Ladakh is an evacuee from Iran, who landed in Jodhpur on March 25. He is admitted at Mathura Das Mathur Government Hospital in Jodhpur. The tally in the State is now 60, according to Medical & Health Department.

The Ladakh resident was among the 277 stranded Indians who were brought back from Iran by a special flight on March 25. The evacuees were kept at a wellness centre operated by the Army in Jodhpur. After his samples tested positive at Sampurnanand Medical College in Jodhpur, he has been admitted to Mathura Das Mathur Government Hospital.

 - Mohammad Iqbal

New Delhi | 10.50 am

21-day lockdown won't be extended

People waiting in long queue in front of a medical shop  in Thoothukudi on Monday.

People waiting in long queue in front of a medical shop in Thoothukudi on Monday.

 

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting tweeted, saying Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has denied media reports claiming that the government will extend the lockdown.

 

Ahmedabad | 10.40 am

Another death in Gujarat

A 45-year-old COVID-19 female patient died in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar, taking the number of casualties to 6 in Gujarat.

Cases of Coronavirus infection jumps to 69 in the State, according to the health department. - Mahesh Langa

Mumbai | 10.00 am

Maharashtra COVID-19 tally jumps to 215

The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra climbed to 215 on Monday as 12 more people tested positive for coronavirus in the state, a health official said.

Out of the 12 new patients, five are from Pune, three from Mumbai, two from Nagpur, and one each from Kolhapur and Nashik, the official said.

So far, eight COVID-19 patients have died in the State.

 

Singapore | 9.40 am

Three Indians test positive for COVID-19 in Singapore

Three Indians were among the 42 new coronavirus cases reported in Singapore on Sunday, taking the total number of infections in the country to 844, according to the health ministry.

The fresh cases take the total number of people infected with the deadly coronavirus in the city-state to 844, it said.

The three Indians include a 35-year-old woman with a long-term pass, a 34-year-old man holding the Singapore work pass. Both of them have a travel history to India.

A 34-year-old Indian holding Singapore work pass was infected locally.

Another 43-year old man, a Singapore permanent resident whose nationality was not listed, is an imported case with a travel history to India.

Also, among the latest cases is a 42-year-old Singapore permanent resident who is a nurse at Sengkang General Hospital and has no travel history to the affected countries.

Bhopal | 9.30 am

8 new COVID-19 cases in MP

Eight new COVID-19 cases have been found in Madhya Pradesh, taking the total number of coronavirus patients in the state to 47, a senior health official said on Monday.

Of the eight new cases, seven were reported from Indore and one from Ujjain, Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Dean Dr Jyoti Bindal told PTI .

 

Kolkata | 9.30 am

West Bengal records its second death

West Bengal recorded its second death due to COVID-19 on Monday, when a 44-year-old woman passed away at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.

“She passed away early in the morning. We are trying to isolate the doctors and medical staff who treated her. Attempts are also being made to isolate the patient’s relative who seem to spread across north Bengal,” P.K. Deb, principal of the medical college and hospital told The Hindu .

 

Chandigarh | 8.40 am

Punjab reports second death, positive cases put at 38

Punjab has reported its second COVID-19 death, after a 62-year-old man died at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Amritsar. The deceased, a resident of Moranwali village of district Hoshiarpur, was a contact case of the 70-year-old man, who was the first casualty of the pandemic in Punjab and had died on March 18.

 

 

Vietnam PM asks major cities to prepare for lockdown

Vietnam's prime minister on Monday asked major cities to prepare for possible lockdowns to stop the spread of coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country reached nearly 200.

Tamil Nadu

10-month-old among eight fresh cases; State tally hits 50

Eight persons, including four from the same family and an infant, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, Health Secretary Beela Rajesh said. All of them had come into contact with two Thai nationals who had also tested positive for the disease. This takes the total number of patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the State to 50.

U.S.

Donald Trump extends distancing guidelines by 30 days

President Donald Trump said on Sunday the peak death rate in the U.S. from the novel coronavirus is likely to hit in two weeks as he extended the coronavirus guidelines, including social distancing, until April 30.

Assuring his countrymen that he expects the United States to be on its way to recovery by June 1, Trump told reporters at a televised White House news conference that he had to extend the social distancing measures till April 30, based on the advice from his two top public health advisors and members of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus: Dr. Deborah Bix and Dr. Anthony Fauci.

 

New York State nears 1,000 deaths

New York State’s coronavirus death toll is nearing 1,000, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. The State accounts for more than 40% of coronavirus deaths in the U.S.

Also read:How does soap use help in tackling COVID-19?

The number of disease-related deaths in the State jumped Sunday to 965 from 728 the day before, he said. The vast majority have been in New York City.

New Delhi

ICMR denies community transmission

Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR, Raman Gangakhedkar, said there was no estimate yet of whether the nationwide lockdown — now into its  fifth day  — had managed to check community transmission. “If we all observe the lockdown strictly then there’s a chance that we will soon reach the peak number of cases,” Dr. Gangakhedkar added. The ICMR continues to maintain that there are no instances of community transmission.

 

New Delhi

Do not leave Delhi, Kejriwal appeals to migrant workers

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday appealed to migrant workers trying to return to their villages to remain in Delhi and assured them that his government has made all necessary arrangements for their food and shelter.

 

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