Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with Chief Ministers on the coronavirus situation in India, with focus on a a strategy for a phased exit from the shutdown.
The Indian Railways will restart passenger services today in a phased manner with 15 pairs of trains.
The 15 pairs of trains, meaning a total of 30 return journeys, would be run as special trains from the New Delhi station connecting Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad and Jammu Tawi.
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 is a collection of our daily cartoons on COVID-19 .
Here are answers from experts on your queries about the virus, a list of State Helpline numbers , a State-wise tracker for COVID-19 cases, deaths and testing, and a map of confirmed cases in India.
Here are the latest updates:
Rajasthan reports four new COVID-19 cases, death toll in State rises to 117
Four deaths - one each in Jaipur, Bikaner, Jalore and Nagaur - reported in Rajasthan today, taking the COVID-19 related death toll in the State to 117. A total of 138 COVID-19 positive cases detected in 16 districts today. The tally of positive cases in Rajasthan is now 4,126. Of them, 2,454 have recovered and 2,155 have been discharged. As of now, the State has 1,555 active cases: Medical & Health Department.
Delhi Police registers FIR against former MP Pappu Yadav for violating lockdown orders
Delhi Police have registered a FIR under Epidemic act against former MP Pappu Yadav at Amar Colony police station for violating lockdown orders. On Monday, Mr Yadav went to meet migrant workers from Bihar protesting in Amar Colony area demanding to go back to their native villages.
Tripura BSF officer tests positive for COVID-19
Another BSF officer tested coronavirus positive taking total number of cases to 153 in Tripura. 151 is the total number of active cases in the State.
Madhya Pradesh reports 201 new cases
Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday registered 201 new COVID-19 cases, taking the count to 3,986. The tally of active cases stands at 1,901. Four deaths owing to the illness were reported during the day. The State-wide death toll has climbed to 225. Two deaths were reported from Indore and one each from Bhopal and Burhanpur. As for recoveries, 113 patients were discharged from hospitals on the day after being cured of the illness. So far, 1,860 persons have recovered in the State, says the Directorate of Health Services.
Maharashtra reports 1,026 new cases
Maharashtra breached the 24K mark. With 1026 new cases, tally now 24427
Death toll in State crosses 900 mark. With 53 deaths, single day highest jump recorded earlier as well, the death toll has touched 921
339 patients discharged today in Maharashtra; total of 5,125 patients discharged till date. Mumbai recorded 426 new cases pushing the tally to 14947. The city recorded 28 deaths, highest single day jump, pushing the toll to 5.
Gujarat reports 362 new cases
Gujarat records 24 deaths and 362 Covid-19 positive cases, increasing the tally of deaths to 537 and infections to 8904.
Ahmedabad adds 267 new infections and 21 deaths, bringing its tally to 6353 cases and 421 deaths
COVID-19 cases rise to 830 in Bihar
As many as 29 more COVID-19 positive cases in Bihar take the total number to 830. All male from West Champaran, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Patna, Bhojpur, Arwal and Aurangabad districts.
Jammu and Kashmir witness highest one-day jump in COVID-19 cases
Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the highest one-day jump in COVID-19 patients on Tuesday as 55 persons tested positive, taking the total to over 900.
PM approves ₹2 lakh for kin of migrants run over by goods train in Aurangabad, ₹50K for injured
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday approved ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the 16 migrant labourers who were run over by a goods train in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad on May 8.
¨Prime Minister has sanctioned ex-gratia out of Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) at Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the persons deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the persons who got seriously injured in the train accident in Aurangabad District, Maharashtra,” his office said.
Bombay HC dismisses plea for door to door COVID testing
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation seeking door to door testing to screen all residents in the city for COVID-19.
A bench of Chief justice Dipankar Datta and Justice AA Sayed dismissed the plea holding that there weren’t any existing WHO guidelines or advisories from the Indian Council for Medical Research that mandated such door to door screening tests
NHRC issues notice to Union Home Secretary and Delhi Chief Secretary
National Human Rights Commission issues notices to Delhi Chief Secretary and Union Home Secretary on the allegations of negligence in the treatment of a Delhi Police constable who died from COVID-19.
Maruti Suzuki employee tests positive
A 37-year-old trainee at Maruti Suzuki's HR wing tests positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. He was staying alone at a PG accommodation in Gurugram. Company sources said he had not come for work since lockdown.
Special train with 1,107 passengers leaves for Delhi from Mumbai
A special train with 1107 passengers on Tuesday left for Delhi from Mumbai Central station, officials said.
This is the first train to leave Mumbai after Railways resumed its passenger services on Tuesday, the officials said.
The officials lauded the passengers for their “socially responsible” behaviour, as they maintained the mandatory safe distance while boarding.
Maharashtra government to temporarily release 17,000 prisoners
The Maharashtra government has decided to release on temporary parole 17,000 of the total 35,000 inmates lodged across jails in the state to contain the spread of the COVID-19, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Tuesday.
Of these, 5,000 undertrial inmates have already been released.
Over 6,000 Indians brought home on 31 flights during first five days of Vande Bharat mission
Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express have operated 31 inbound flights during the first five days of the Vande Bharat mission , bringing home 6,037 Indians who were stranded abroad amid the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Tuesday.
Air India and Air India Express are scheduled to operate total 64 flights between May 7 and May 14 to bring in approximately 15,000 Indians who are stranded in 12 countries.
Over 6,000 Indians brought home on 31 flights during first five days of Vande Bharat mission
India needs basic income scheme to make coronavirus lockdown work: French economist
India needs to come out with a basic income scheme to make the lockdown work, noted French economist Thomas Piketty said on Tuesday. He also said that India has the potential to become the global democratic leader of the 21st century if it manages to address the issue of inequality.
CBI alerts State and Central agencies on possibility of drug trafficking by taking advantage of the global pandemic scenario due to Covid-19 outbreak, based on inputs from Interpol.
Bihar cases total 801
As many as 34 more COVID-19 positive cases was reported from Bihar taking the total number to 801 in the state. 32 male and two female, all from Rohtas, Khagaria, Madhubani, Saran, Patna, Gopalgunj, Siwan and Bhagalpur districts are the new cases.
Next phase of Vande Bharat mission from May 16-22. As many as 149 flights from 31 countries to run.
Countries included in this phase are from Europe, Africa, CIS Australia, Japan and others included in the first phase.
Nagpur COVID-19 cases climb to 300
The COVID-19 case count in Maharashtra’s Nagpur mounted to 300 on Tuesday with two more people testing positive for novel coronavirus, a district official said.
Nagpur has so far reported four deaths due to COVID- 19.
Most of the coronavirus positive patients were reported from Mominpura and Satranjipura hotspots, he said.
A total of 93 patients have so far been discharged after recovery from the COVID-19 disease, he added. - PTI
Himachal Pradesh total cases stand at 65
Five more coronavirus cases surfaced in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, taking the infection count in the state to 65, a senior health official said.
So far, the infection has claimed three lives in the state.
Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal said while three fresh cases were reported from Kangra district and two surfaced in Hamirpur.
The three people who tested positive for the virus in Kangra included a head constable and a person who returned from Punjab’s Jalandhar recently.
Two men, aged 30 and 50, were found infected with the infection in Hamirpur’s Bajrol. Both returned from Delhi on May 1, Jindal added.
The state has 23 active cases of the virus--eight in Kangra; six in Chamba; four in Hamirpur; two in Bilaspur; and one each in Mandi, Una and Shimla.
Thirty-nine people have recovered from the infection so far. - PTI
Here's a video on restarting passenger train services in India amid the lockdown.
3 persons test positive in Jharkhand
Three persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Jharkhand, taking the total number of cases in the state to 164, according to the official bulletin issued. The total number of active cases in the state is 83 at present, while 78 people have recovered, it said. - PTI
3 drivers with Koyambedu market link test positive in East Godavari
Three drivers with a travel history to the Koyambedu market in Tamil Nadu State have been tested positive for COVID-19 in the Kothapeta area in Amalapuram Revenue Division in East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh.
(T. Appala Naidu)
13 deaths in New Delhi
Thirteen deaths and 406 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the toll to 86 and tally to 7,639.
(Nikhil M. Babu)
Bihar cases total 767
Six more COVID-19 positive cases in Bihar take the total number to 767 in the state from Khagaria and Banka districts.
(Amarnath Tewary)
20 of 33 fresh cases in Andhra Pradesh linked to Tamil Nadu's Koyembedu market
The Andhra Pradesh State has reported one more COVID-19 death and 33 fresh cases in the past 24 hours and 20 of them are linked to the Koyembedu market in Tamil Nadu, according to the Health Department's bulletin. In the past day, as many as 10,730 samples were tested.
The tally has gone up to 2,051 and the toll increased to 46. With 58 more patients recovering and getting discharged from hospitals the number of total recoveries, 1,056, continue to be above the number of active cases, 949.
(Tharun Boda)
42 new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka
As many as 42 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Karnataka taking the total cases to 904.
This includes 31 COVID deaths, one non-COVID death and 426 discharges.
(Afshan Yasmeen)
Prime Minister to address the nation today
PM Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8 p.m. today, tweeted the PMO.
Kejriwal seeks suggestions regarding extension of the lockdown
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal speaks to the media: "A Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) teacher Baikali Sarkar was engaged at a Delhi government-run hunger relief centre; she contracted Coronavirus while feeding the poor. She passed away on May 4. May she rest in peace. We are proud of such Corona warriors. The Delhi government will give her family ₹1 crore as compensation.
Last month the Delhi government had provided assistance of ₹5,000 to construction workers. We will do so again this month.
The Prime Minister, at the video conference with Chief Ministers, asked for suggestions regarding the extension of the lockdown to be sent by May 15. Today, I am asking the people of Delhi for those suggestions. Should markets be open? Should public transportation be allowed? What should be open and what should not while maintaining social distancing and taking care of our health but also the health of the economy of the state? Please send in your suggestions by five pm tomorrow. Let me clarify this is not voting but a call for suggestions. All the good suggestions will be discussed with experts, doctors which will form the Delhi government’s proposal to be sent to the Centre.
He asked the people to send in suggestions on 1031, or Whatsapp them to 8800007722 and mail to delhicm.suggestions@gmail.com."
(Jatin Anand)
Class 10 board exams from June 1 to 12 in Tamil Nadu
Class 10 students in the State will begin writing their board exams from June 1, School Education Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan said. The exams were supposed to have begun on March 27, but were postponed owing to the lockdown.
Rajasthan cases cross 4,000
COVID-19 positive cases in Rajasthan cross the 4,000-mark with the detection of 47 new cases today. The tally in the State is now 4,035. Two deaths – one each in Bikaner and Jalore – take the COVID-19 death toll to 115. Of the total number of patients, 2,362 have recovered and 2,077 have been discharged. As of now, the State has 1,558 active cases: Medical & Health Department.
(Mohammad Iqbal)
Over 45,000 bookings worth ₹16 crore so far for special trains
Over 80,000 passengers have booked tickets worth over ₹16 crore on the special trains so far, the Indian Railways said on Tuesday, hours before the first such train is scheduled to depart from the New Delhi station for Bilaspur in Madhya Pradesh.
So far, 45,533 bookings (PNRs) worth ₹16.15 crore have been recorded for the special trains for the next seven days, the railways said, adding that around 82,317 passengers will travel against these bookings.
These special trains will only have air-conditioned coaches. - PTI
Air India headquarters sealed for two days
Air India has sealed its headquarters in Delhi for two days to conduct a thorough sanitisation of the building after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said on Tuesday.
“Airlines House has been sealed for Tuesday and Wednesday,” an official said.
Odisha migrants face a double whammy on journey back home
The prospect of returning home amid the COVID-19 lockdown usually brings cheer to many migrants. But, for Rajendra Dhinda, a worker from Odisha’s Balasore district, the journey back was nothing short of a struggle.
Thanks to the double quarantine Mr. Dhinda and his co-migrants were subjected to, the homecoming keeps prolonging. First, the Andhra Pradesh government put them in a quarantine centre while they were travelling by road. They were again sent to quarantine in their village in Odisha from Tuesday.
15 more COVID-19 positive cases were reported from Bihar taking the total number to 761 in the state.
The cases were from Begusarai, Darbhanga and Supaul districts.
(Amarnath Tewary)
China reports 16 new coronavirus cases amid fears of second wave
China reported one new coronavirus case and 15 asymptomatic infections, a day after a fresh COVID-19 cluster emerged in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) on Tuesday said one imported case was recorded in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday while no local infections were reported.
Manipur gearing to receive special train with 1,141 from Chennai
The special train transporting 1,141 students and others from Chennai will arrive at Manipur’s Jiribam railway station around midnight on Tuesday. Fifty buses had already reached the railway station to bring them to Imphal. They will be screened for COVID-19 by the doctors and paramedics camping at the station.
Twenty-three new COVID-19 cases – 15 in Balasore, three each in Ganjam and Jajpur and one each in Puri and Boudh district – takes Odisha’s total to 437, State Health Department said on Tuesday.
(Prafulla Das)
Vande Bharat: Air India flies 883 people out of country
Over the last few days of the Vande Bharat mission, Air India and Air India Express have flown 883 people out of India on 25 flights.
So far, 23 flights have brought 3,908 Indians back to various airports in the country. In Mumbai, 110 people returned from Dhaka on Monday, while 319 were expected from Newark late in the night. A flight from Kuala Lumpur is expected to bring back 225 passengers on Tuesday.
First flight with NRIs to land in Kannur today
The first flight to the Kannur International Airport with expatriates will arrive from Dubai on Tuesday. The Air India Express flight, which will take off from Kannur at 10.30 a.m., will return with around 180 passengers from Dubai at 7.10 p.m.
In addition to the 109 passengers from Kannur, 47 from Kasaragod, 12 from Kozhikode, seven from Malappuram, three from Mahe, and one each from Wayanad and Thrissur will return.
