India's nation-wide lockdown is likely to be extended till May 30 with considerable relaxations in the green and orange zones. The current phase of the lockdown is set to end on May 17.
Elsewhere, the United States has recorded 1,680 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing its grim total to 87,493, according to the latest real-time tally by Johns Hopkins University.
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:
6 new cases in Jharkhand
Six more people have tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours in Jharkhand, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 217, officials said on Saturday.
Of the total positive cases, 101 are active cases while 113 have recovered and discharged, according to the COVID-19 bulletin issued by state health officials.
55 new cases in Telangana
Telangana on Saturday reported 55 new cases and 12 were discharged. The total positive cases stands at 1509 and with 971 discharged, the number of active cases stands at 504.
1 death 213 new cases in Rajasthan
With one death reported from Jaipur today, the COVID-19 death toll in Rajasthan increases to 126. The number of new COVID-19 positive cases detected in the State today was 213, taking the tally to 4,960.
Among the patients, 2,944 have recovered and 2,572 have been discharged. As of now, Rajasthan has 1,890 active cases, according to the Rajasthan Health Department
The total death toll in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday stood at 104, the total positive cases stood at 4258 and active cases now is now 1713, after taking into account the total recoveries at 2441.
- Omar Rashid
28 additional cases in Bihar
Bihar reported 28 more COVID-19 positive cases, taking the total number to 1145 in the State. They are from Bhagalpur, Aurangabad and other districts.
- Amarnath Tewary
108 new cases in J&K
Jammu and Kashmir witnessed highest single-day jump of 108 positive cases on Saturday, including 13 pregnant women.
One death was also reported due to the infection, taking the toll to 12. 54 cases have travel history and returned home in the recent evacuation carried out by the UT administration, officials said.
- Peerzada Ashiq
67 deaths in Maharashtra, 1606 new cases
Maharashtra reported 1606 new cases today, the second-highest single-day jump. The positive tally is now 30,706
With 67 deaths, Maharashtra has recorded the sharpest rise in a single day. The death toll is now 1135. 524 patients were discharged today, the total discharged is now 7088.
- Shoumojit Banerjee
Mumbai reports 41 deaths, 884 new cases
Mumbai on Saturday reported 41 deaths and 884 new positive cases, taking the total number of cases to 18,396. 238 patients were discharged today, taking the total discharged to 4806 till date.
The death toll stands at 696, according to the Municipal Corporation, Greater Mumbai.
The Odisha government urges the Centre to suspend Shramik Special trains passing through its coastal areas for 3-4 days due to impending cyclone, PTI has quoted an official.
2 new cases in Himachal
Two more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases to 79 in the State.
One person each tested positive in Hamirpur and Kangra districts, Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal said.
There are 36 active cases in the State now, while 39 people have recovered from the infection, he said. Four people have lost their lives due to the virus.
- PTI
NDMA launches portal to track migrants' journey
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) launches online portal to track the journey of migrants and for Inter-State coordination. MHA asks States to use the portal and integrate data on name, age, destination, mobile number of migrants.
A unique ID will be generated for each migrant, help in contract tracing as well.
- Vijaita Singh
Gujarat reports 19 deaths, 348 new cases
Gujarat recorded 348 new infections and 19 deaths on Saturday, bringing the tally of COVID-19 infections to 10,280 and death toll to 625.
Today, 273 patients were discharged after recovery, increasing the tally to 4308. The State’s recovery rate jumped up after new guidelines which don’t mandate re-testing of asymptomatic patients after 10 days treatment in hospital.
Gujarat has found 708 super spreaders from those infected in Ahmedabad. Total of 6587 samples of super spreaders like vegetable & fruit vendors, shop keepers were tested out of which 709 samples were found to be infected. Total cases in Gujarat jump to 10,989.
Ahmedabad reported 973 new COVID-19 cases, including 709 super spreaders, and 14 deaths, increasing the total cases to 8,144 and fatalities to 493.
- Mahesh Langa
11 new cases in Kerala
Eleven people tested positive for COVID-19 in Kerala on Saturday, taking the total tally of those under treatment to 87 in the State and over 55,000 are under observation.
Four people were discharged, including an 81-year-old man from Kannur, who left the hospital after 42 days of treatment.
With this, 497 people havebeen cured of the virus, which has claimed three lives so far in the State.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Kerala has now touched 587.
Giving a break-up of the cases, Health minister K K Shailaja said in a press release that four people from Thrissur district, three from Kozhikode and two each from Palakkad and Malappuram districtstested positive for the virus.
All the 11 people had come from outside the state. While seven had come from abroad, two each had come from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, she said.
- PTI
Rahul Gandhi interacts with home-bound migrant workers in Delhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday interacted with a group of migrant labourers near the Sukhdev Vihar flyover here and asked them about their problems as they walk home amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
Mr.Gandhi, dressed in black pants and a white kurta, was seen sitting on the footpath and asking migrant labourers near the Sukhdev Vihar flyover about their ordeal.
The Congress claimed that the police detained the labourers later in preventive custody saying they have “direction from top to do so“.
There was no immediate reaction from the police to the Congress party’s claim.
- PTI
3 deaths, 477 new cases in T.N.
In Tamil Nadu, 477 persons tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. Three more deaths were reported, and 939 persons were discharged today, said Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar.
The total positive cases in the State stands at 10,585, the death toll stands at 74 and totally 3538 people have been discharged. The number of active cases is 6973.
- Serena Josephine
53 new positive cases in Dharavi, no deaths
Dharavi recorded 53 more positive cases on Saturday taking the tally in the Mumbai slum to 1198. The death toll in the slum is 53. No new deaths were reported on Saturday.
- Jyoti Shelar
Now, CBSE to announce dates of pending exams on Monday
Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Saturday said the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) would announce the schedule for pending Class 12 and Class 10 board examinations on Monday, pushing back the announcement that was expected at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
In the morning, Mr. Pokhriyal said in a tweet that the CBSE would be announcing the dates for the exams that were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic at 5 pm.
Just before the expected announcement, Mr. Pokhriyal said the CBSE was still finalising the dates and would announce them on Monday.
"CBSE is taking into consideration some additional technical aspects before finalising the datesheets of the Board exams of Classes 10 and 12, due to which, the datesheets will now be released by Monday i.e. 18-05-2020. Inconvenience caused is sincerely regretted,” he said in a tweet at 4.42 pm.
- Damini Nath
7 more deaths in West Bengal
Seven more COVID-19 fatalities were recorded in West Bengal, raising the death toll to 160 in the State, while 115 new cases pushed the virus count to 2,576, Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said on Saturday.
The State has so far attributed 72 other deaths to comorbid health conditions, where the novel coronavirus was incidental.
At least 115 new COVID-19 cases have been reported since Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,576, he said.
Since Friday evening, 63 people have been discharged from different hospitals after recovering from the infection, leaving 1,452 active cases in the State, the home secretary added.
- PTI
After hitting a ‘zero’, Mysuru now looks to enter ‘green zone'
The two-month long successful combat against the deadly Coronavirus brings ‘Mysuru model’ into focus as all 90 patients, most of them from Nanjangud, have recovered from the disease.
Random sampling done across the district showed no community spread of the contagion as all samples tested negative so far.
Testing of those who returned from various States expected to start from May 18.
- Shankar Bennur
39 new cases in Bihar
Bihar reported 39 more COVID-19 positive cases, taking the total number in Bihar to 1118. All are from Purnea, Nawada, Muzaffarpur, Sheohar, Jehanabad and other districts.
- Amarnath Tewary
83 new cases in Uttar Pradesh, spitting in public punishable
With 83 more testing positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, the number of total infected cases till date rose to 4,140 in the State.
The State government on Saturday also issued a fresh order making it mandatory to wear face masks in public places and making its breach punishable with fine ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 500.
Spitting in public too was made similarly punishable.
"Out of 4,140 total cases, the total number of active cases in the State now is 1,718 as 2,327 people have been cured and discharged," said Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad.
- PTI
2 new cases in Guwahati
Two more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Guwahati on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 91 in Assam, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
A barber and a cart-puller, who tested positive on Saturday, are contacts of the migrant worker who worked in a potato godown and had tested positive on Monday.
Out of the 91 positive cases, 46 are active cases, two persons have died, two migrated and 41 have been discharged from hospitals.
"2 more persons, related to Aloo Godam case, test #COVID19+ in Guwahati," the minister tweeted.
The duo were asymptomatic and have been admitted to Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital.
"To oversee the evacuation of two new #COVID19 positive cases, I went to Kumarpara along with officials. They have been transferred toCH. Both the patients were asymptomatic, and were found through contact tracing. There is no need to fear," the minister said in another tweet.
- PTI
Over 320 police personnel test positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu
As many as 320 police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 across State so far, with Chennai topping with 276 cases.
A senior police officer said, “Compared to other districts, Chennai has recorded the maximum number of cases among police personnel too. Most of them get exposed to the virus as they are involved in prevention, identification and other bandobust duties to prevent the outbreak. Some of them who were not doing field work also had COVID-19 and they were asymptomatic initially.”
Hotel, restaurant players seek relaxations in lockdown 4.0
Hotel and restaurant players on Saturday urged the government for giving relaxations for the sector during ‘lockdown 4.0’, at least in green and orange zones, that will help mitigate hardships faced by the industry.
The apex hospitality association has proposed that hotels and restaurants in green zones be allowed to operate at 100% and in orange zones at 50% capacities, the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) said in a statement.
FIRs filed against landlords in Delhi for forcing students to pay rent during lockdown
The Delhi Police has registered nine cases against landlords for allegedly forcing students to pay rent during the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, officials said on May 16.
All nine FIRs were registered at northwest Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar police station, they said.
Man tests positive in Goa, claims he was not screened at border
A 46-year-old man from Sangli in Maharashtra who claims to have entered Goa without being checked for COVID-19 symptoms at the border has tested positive for novel coronavirus after being admitted in GMCH here for fever, a senior health official said on Saturday.
The man had come in a car along with two others to supply goods to a firm in Panaji, he said.
“The 46-year-old man who tested positive for novel coronavirus at Goa Medical College and Hospital has said he was not tested or medically screened at the checkpost before entering the state. As per rule, all those entering the state have to be tested at the border, and be quarantined till the reports are out,” the Directorate of Health Services official said.
- PTI
The West Bengal government will bear the entire cost of migrant labourers returning to the State by Shramik special trains, said CM Mamata Banerjee.
No migrant labourer will be charged, she said.
“Saluting the toil faced by our migrant brethren, I am pleased to announce the decision of GoWB to bear the entire cost of movement for our migrant workers by special trains from other states to West Bengal. No migrant will be charged,” Ms. Banerjee tweeted.
A communication in this regard was sent to Railway Board chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav by state Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, she said.
- PTI
M.P. in the middle of a migrant rush
Apart from a late start in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic due to political developments, Madhya Pradesh is also besieged by lakhs of inter-State migrant labour , en route on foot from States such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana towards Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Responding to this, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked his counterparts of the States from where labourers are starting and their home States to coordinate with him in order to ensure that “nobody needs to go on foot.”
One more case reported in Himachal Pradesh
One more person tested positive for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases to 78 in the State, a senior official said.
The 36-year-old man from Hamirpur’s Badsar area is asymptomatic and returned from Mumbai on May 13, Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal said.
There are 35 active cases in the state now, while 39 people have recovered from the infection, he said. Four persons have lost their lives due to the virus.
- PTI
15 inmates, staffer test positive for COVID-19 at Delhi’s Rohini jail
Days after a 28-year-old inmate of Rohini jail tested positive for coronavirus, 15 others who shared a barrack with him and one head warden have also tested positive for the infection, officials said.
The Delhi Prison Department had tested for coronavirus 19 inmates from the barrack of the prisoner whose reports came back positive for the infection on Wednesday, they said.
All inmates and the staffer are asymptomatic so far.
- PTI
NGOs want better co-ordination with district administrations to get migrant workers home safely
Confusion prevailed in Gummidipoondi on Friday night, after the Tiruvallur police shifted hundreds of migrant labourers -- who were in the care of NGOs -- to a private engineering college in the district. The NGOs have stressed on the need for better co-ordination between them and the district administration to help migrant workers reach home safely.
According to sources, thousands of migrant labourers from Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts have been crossing Tamil Nadu’s border at Gummidipoondi to enter Andhra Pradesh to proceed towards their home towns in West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
Tamil Nadu CM urges migrant workers not to walk back home
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has urged migrant workers against walking all the way or making their own arrangements to leave the State for their hometowns. The State government was taking steps for sending them home by trains, he assured them.
So far, 55,473 migrant workers were sent to Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and the Northeastern States on 43 trains between May 6 and 15; about 10,000 were to be sent everyday.
- Dennis S. Jesudasan
Yogi Adityanath instructs officials in border districts not to allow migrant workers to walk home
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has appealed to migrant workers not to risk their lives as well as that of their families by walking back home or boarding illegal and unsafe means of transportation.
In a high-level meeting on the lockdown, Mr. Adityanath instructed officials in border districts to not allow any migrant worker to walk back or board any truck or motorcycle.
Such vehicles running unlawfully should be immediately seized and legal action be taken, the CM has instructed them.
- Omar Rashid
Coronavirus cases on the rise in Uttarakhand with return of migrants
The return of migrants has caused an abrupt rise in the number COVID-19 cases in Uttarakhand with 17 people testing positive for the disease since the process started 10 days ago. All those who tested positive for the disease since the migrants began returning to the hill state are those returning from either Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana or Delhi.
“Ever since the migrants began to return to the state, COVID-19 cases have shot up. In the last 10 days, 17 new coronavirus positive cases have surfaced,” DG (law and order) Ashok Kumar said.
According to official data, 82,834 out of more than 2 lakh migrants, have returned from outside so far and the process is going to continue for the next 10-15 days.
Eighth Vande Bharat flight lands in Hyderabad airport
The Hyderabad International Airport handled its eighth Vande Bharat Arrivals Evacuation Flight on on Saturday. An Air India AI 1839 flight from Newark (USA) via Delhi landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at 03:14 am with 121 passengers.
As many as 438 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 9,333, according to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Saturday.
Also, six more deaths have been reported, taking the total number of deaths to 129.
Of the 9,333 cases, 3,926 people have recovered and there are 5,278 active cases. - Nikhil M. Babu
AP reports one death, 48 fresh cases
The State has witnessed one more COVID-19 death and 48 fresh cases during the past 24 hours after 9,628 samples were tested. On the bright side, 101 patients have recovered.
Koyembedu wholesale market links continue to push the State figures as 31 of the 48 cases are linked to the hotspot in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
Excluding the migrant workers' cases, the number of active cases is 803. - Tharun Boda
One more person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Puducherry, taking the tally of active cases in the Union Territory to 13. - Rajesh B. Nair
Karnataka govt to decide on conducting SSLC exam on May 18
The Karnataka government is expected to take a call on Monday on holding the Secondary Level School Certificate (SSLC) or class 10 examination, which were postponed due to COVID-19 lockdown.
Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar said there was a possibility that the state government may come out with a timetable on Monday.
After a week, liquor sale resumes in TN amid security
Scene at a TASMAC shop in Ramanathapuram on Saturday.
After a week’s hiatus, sale of alcoholic beverages resumed in non-containment zones of Tamil Nadu on Saturday amid police security except in State capital Chennai and neighbouring Tiruvallur.
Clockwise from left: A tippler with his purchase at TASMAC outlet near Anna bus stand in Madurai (R. Ashok); a man after successfully purchasing liquor from a shop at Uthukadu in Kancheepuram (B. Velankanni Raj); people lined up at a TASMAC outlet; an employee distributes token in Thoothukudi (N. Rajesh).
Rajasthan sees 91 fresh COVID-19 cases
Rajasthan reported 91 fresh cases of coronavirus on Saturday, taking the infection tally in the state to 4,838.
“A total of 91 fresh cases were reported on Saturday. A maximum of them, 55, are from Jaipur, including 48 from the district jail. Besides 21 cases were reported from Dungarpur, nine from Udaipur, two from Sirohi and one each from Ajmer, Bharatpur, Jhunjhunu and Kota,” an official said.
The state has so far recorded 125 deaths due to the disease. - PTI
‘When a child is hurt, the mother doesn’t give loans’: Rahul’s jibe at Centre’s COVID lockdown package
Criticising the Narendra Modi-government’s self reliance package announced recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said farmers and migrant labourers need cash and not loans.
“They are in pain. Government of India and Mother India can not be sahukar (lender),” he said once again appealing the government to consider Congress party’s proposal of MSME package and NYAY scheme , which aims to disburse cash to the poorest families.
India can avoid 72% of projected COVID-19 cases by closing red light areas, says report
India can add 17 days of additional delay to reaching the peak of novel coronavirus cases, and prevent 72% of projected new cases by closing down its red light areas till a COVID-19 vaccine is developed, scientists say.
Based on modelling studies, the researchers including those from Yale School of Medicine in the U.S., said closing down these places of sex work may reduce projected COVID-19 death toll increase in India by 63% post the easing of lockdown measures.
The scientists said the findings have been shared with the Government of India, and with various State governments.
- PTI
Ship from Maldives with 588 Indians to arrive in Kochi on May 17
Nearly 590 Indian nationals stranded in the Maldives due to COVID-19-induced international travel restrictions were evacuated on Saturday from the island nation on an Indian Navy warship.
In its Phase 2 of Operation Samudra Setu, INS Jalashwa left Male for Kochi with 588 Indian citizens including 70 women, 21 children and 497 on board on Saturday morning, a Defence source said.
The ship is expected to arrive in Kochi on Sunday morning, he said.
- PTI
Cambodia says all COVID-19 patients recovered, no new cases for a month
Cambodia's last patient with the new coronavirus has recovered and left hospital, leaving the Southeast Asian country with zero cases, the health ministry said on Saturday, while urging continued vigilance.
No easing of restrictions related to the virus — including school closures and border entry checks and quarantines — were included in the Ministry of Health statement.
How panic buying created a COVID-19 cluster in Chennai
The normally bustling Koyambedu market in Chennai, touted to be one of Asia’s largest wholesale hubs for perishable goods, has come to a complete standstill. The never-ending rows of shops are empty, and an eerie silence has descended upon the sprawling area of 65 acres. The iron gates to the market are closed to prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus , but it is too little, too late. Keeping the market open till May 5 during a raging pandemic has proved costly for the Tamil Nadu government.
Instead of maintaining physical distancing, people thronged the market during the nationwide lockdown without wearing masks. As a result, the huge market complex is now the State’s biggest COVID-19 cluster . With cases from the cluster spread over half of Tamil Nadu, Koyambedu has changed the State’s COVID-19 trajectory. Other States too have begun to report COVID-19-positive people with a known presence at Koyambedu, or who had contact with those in the market.
Second train with 503 passengers reaches Bengaluru from Delhi
The second passenger train from New Delhi arrived at the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna City Railway Station here. The train, with 503 passengers on board, reached the station at around 6.40 a.m.
Railway officials said passengers were fully aware of institutional quarantine and no objections received this time.
MP govt declares nine districts COVID-19 free
The Madhya Pradesh government has declared that nine districts in the state, which had earlier reported COVID-19 cases, were now coronavirus-free.
Barwani, Agar-Malwa, Shajapur, Sheopur, Alirajpur, Harda, Shahdol, Tikamgarh and Betul are now free from the infection.
Liquor shops open in TN after SC clears way
In the wake of the SC stay order, the Tamil Nadu government announced that liquor shops would function between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Customers should mandatorily wear a mask while coming to the shops.
Token issued at a reopened TASMAC outlet in Uthukadu village in Kancheepuram on Saturday.
Around 3,600 shops will be open across the State, barring Greater Chennai Corporation. TASMAC will be providing tokens to ensure shops are not crowded. "Each colour represents a particular day and the time at which they can buy liquor will be written on the token," another source said. "If the shops are opening at 10 a.m., we will start giving out the tokens at 9 a.m. The second round of tokens will be issued only after the first batch moves out," an official said.
Two more policemen die due to COVID-19
Risky duty: Police personnel on duty near Jijamata Nagar in Worli, a COVID-19 hotspot. File Photo
Two more COVID-19-related deaths of Mumbai police personnel were reported between Friday night and Saturday morning, taking the toll in the force to eight.
A total of 1,140 policemen have tested positive for the virus across the State, with 268 having recovered so far.
Automobile, AC shops to open in Telangana from today
Air-conditioner showrooms, automobile and spare part shops across Telangana are reopening today with the State government relaxing lockdown restrictions on them. They will be in addition to the registration and road transport organisation offices which were already permitted by the government.
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao noted that coronavirus cases were not active anywhere in the State except four containment zones of Hyderabad — L.B. Nagar, Malakpet, Charminar and Karwan. There were 1,442 families in these zones.
Kolkata returnee tests COVID-19 positive in Manipur; count rises to 4
A 21-year-old woman who recently returned to Manipur from Kolkata has tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of cases in the State to four, authorities of a hospital where she is being treated said on Saturday.
The woman, who works as a nurse in a hospital in Kolkata, returned to Manipur in a bus on May 7 and was in a quarantine centre in Imphal West district till she tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, the authorities of State-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) here said.
- PTI
65 new cases in Odisha
Sixty-five more COVID-19 positive cases were detected in different districts of Odisha on Saturday. The State tally is now 737.
The number of active cases now stands at 568. As many as 166 people have recovered. The death toll in the State is three.
India registers over 3,900 new cases in 24 hours for the second consecutive day
India has registered 3,970 new COVID-19 positive cases and 103 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to an update from the Union Health Ministry on Saturday.
With this, the total number of cases in the country is now 85,940, according to Union Ministry data. Of this, 53,035 are active cases. As many as 2,752 people have succumbed to the infection while 30,152people have been cured.
Chennai Corporation to relocate residents from congested hotspots
The Greater Chennai Corporation will adopt a new strategy to reduce COVID-19 spread in high-intensity areas such as Royapuram, Kodambakkam and Valasaravakkam.
From right, Special Nodal officer J. Radhakrishnan and Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash addressing a press conference in Ripons building on Friday.
Speaking to mediapersons on Friday, Chennai Corporation special nodal officer J. Radhakrishnan said the strategy includes roping in residents through NGOs for active participation in promoting the habit of wearing masks, handwashing, social distancing, disinfection of homes and nutritious food.
AAI makes Aarogya Setu app mandatory for passengers
Given that domestic flight operations may resume soon, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Friday said it was mandatory for all passengers to follow certain directives, which includes registration on the Aarogya Setu App.
“With the possibility of resumption of domestic flights soon, AAI has released some steps that must be followed so passengers are fully geared up while travelling. Wear a mask, carry a hand sanitiser, keep docs handy & register on Aarogya Setu App,” it tweeted.
15 new COVID-19 cases in Bihar
Bihar has registered 15 new COVID-19 positive cases on Saturday. With this, the total number of infections in the State is now 1,033.
All the new patients are men hailing from Madhepura, Kishanganj, Saharsha and Supaul Districts.
The death toll in the State remains seven. At least 438 people have recovered from the infection till date.
U.S. to donate ventilators to India: Donald Trump
President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. will donate ventilators to India, moments after he underlined the close partnership between the two countries and called Prime Minister Narendra Modi his “good friend."
“I am proud to announce that the United States will donate ventilators to our friends in India,” Mr. Trump tweeted on Friday. However, the White House did not say how many breathing devices would be sent.
Centre to announce guidelines for lockdown 4.0 today
The lockdown is likely to be extended till May 30 with considerable relaxations in the green and orange zones. An announcement to this effect is likely to be made on Saturday, officials told The Hindu .
The guidelines to be followed during lockdown 4.0 would be finalised by the Prime Minister and released by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday.
Italy to allow travel to and from abroad from June 3
Italy's government on Saturday approved a decree which will allow travel to and from abroad from June 3, in a major development as it moves to unwind one of the world's most rigid coronavirus lockdowns.
The government will allow free travel across the country from that same day. Some regions had pushed for a swifter rollback, but Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has insisted on a gradual return to normal to prevent a second wave of infections.
