India on Sunday extended the coronavirus lockdown for two more weeks with the fourth phase providing more relaxations outside the containment zones including inter-state movement of buses with mutual consent of states that is expected to be of immediate relief for thousands of migrant workers on the roads.
Easing more curbs to step up economic activity, the new guidelines for lockdown 4.0 unveiled by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) till May 31 allowed shops and markets including barber shops, salons and spas except those in malls to open with staggered timings. E-commerce companies were also permitted to deliver all goods, including those considered non-essential.
However, the night curfew will remain which meant that all non-essential travel will remain prohibited between 7 pm and 7 am and authorities will ensure strict compliance, the MHA said.
As the country recorded the highest single day spike of 4,987 new cases, the states were allowed to demarcate the red, green and orange zones depending upon COVID-19 case load, a demand made by chief ministers of several states and union territories. The MHA said the same should be done after taking into consideration of parameters outlined by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
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
Bihar virus cases at 1,284
Bihar registered 33 more COVID-19 positive cases on Sunday, taking the total numbers to 1,284 in the State.
Today's cases were reported from from Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, East Champaran, Arwal, Buxar and Kaimur districts.
5 new cases in Assam
Number of COVID-19 positive cases in Assam touched 100 with five fresh cases, including that of a 9-year-old boy, reported on Sunday. So far, 41 have been discharged, 55 cases are active and the death toll stays at 2, according to the health bulletin.
5 deaths, 242 new cases in Rajasthan
Rajasthan reported 242 new COVID-19 cases and 5 deaths on Sunday, taking the total number of positive cases to 5202. The fatalities were reported from Jaipur (2) and one each in Bharatpur, Bikaner and Kota,
There are 2016 active cases now. Death toll has increaded to 131.
Among the patients, 3,055 have recovered and 2,655 have been discharged. As of now, Rajasthan has 2,016 active cases according to the State Health department.
42 new cases in Telangana
Telangana on Sunday reported 42 new positive cases, while 21 were discharged. The total positive cases in the State are 1551, while 992 have been discharged, leaving the active cases till date at 525, according to the State health bulletin.
62 fresh cases in J&K
Jammu and Kashmir reported 62 more COVID-19 cases on Sunday, 16 from Jammu division and 46 from Kashmir division. Total number of cases in the Union Territory is now at 1183, including 595 active cases, 575 recovies, and 13 deaths, the health bulletin stated.
6 deaths, 101 new cases in West Bengal
In West Bengal, six persons died after contracting COVID-19 virus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 166, while the number of patients discharged during the same period is 67, the State government’s health bulletin noted on Sunday.
Altogether, 959 persons are discharged so far while 1480 active cases are registered till Sunday evening, 28 in last 24 hours. Meanwhile the number of new cases confirmed in the last 24 hours is 101, while the total number of confirmed cases is 2677.
Total number of samples tested till Sunday is 85,956. Total deaths due to co-morbidity remains at 72, the official release noted.
- Suvojit Bagchi
Punjab reports 3 deaths, 18 new cases
Punjab recorded 18 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday and reported three more deaths, taking the tally to 35, according to an official statement.
The number of positive cases has reached 1,964 on May 17. Two patients who died were from Gurdaspur while one was from Ludhiana district. The Health department said the major chunk of cases, six and five, were reported from Amritsar and Ludhiana districts respectively. The active cases are 563 and 1,366 patients have so far been cured, it added.
Health Minister Balbir Sidhu said that in the wake of COVID-19, all civil surgeons in the State have been directed to ensure the supply of medicines to patients with hypertension and diabetes, which are major co-morbid conditions contributing to higher risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection.
- Vikas Vasudeva
U.P. reports 8 deaths, 208 new cases
With 8 new deaths (Aligarh 5, Kanpur 2 and Meerut 1), the death toll in UP climbs to 112. The State also recorded 208 new cases taking the total to 4464, while active cases stand at 1716 and recoveries at 2636, according to the health department.
- Omar Rashid
34 deaths in Gujarat, 391 new cases
Gujarat recorded 34 new deaths and 391 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, increasing the tally of cases to 11,380 and fatality to 659. Ahmedabad alone reported 31 deaths and 276 cases. The cumulative numbers for the city are: 8420 cases and 524 deaths.
- Mahesh Langa
Railways says only special, parcel and freight services to run during lockdown 4.0
Railways on Sunday said only Shramik Specials, other special trains, and parcel and freight services will operate during the fourth phase of lockdown, beginning on May 18.
The national transporter, which has cancelled all its regular passenger services till June 30, said the guidelines issued during Lockdown 3.0 will be in force as far as rail operations are concerned.
While parcel and freight trains were in operation through all the lockdown periods which began on May 25, the Railways began running Shramik Special trains to ferry migrants from May 1 and 15 pairs of special trains on the Rajdhani route for the general public under certain restrictions.
“There is no change in rail operations. It will be the same as in Lockdown 3. The Shramik Special trains and the 15 pairs of special trains will continue to run along with our freight and parcel services,” railway spokesperson RD Bajpai said.
- PTI
Maharashtra confirmed cases crosses 33,000-mark
Maharashtra posted its highest single day surge till date with the state reporting 2,347 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday as the cumulative tally crossed the 33,000 - mark to soar to 33,053. 63 new deaths were reported today, taking the total number of fatalities to 1198. As many as 600 patients were discharged today taking the total number of discharged till date to 7688.
Mumbai's case tally has now crossed the 20,000 mark to reach 20,150 cases, while it's death toll stood at 734. As many as 38 of the new deaths reported today were from Mumbai city, nine from Pune district, six from Aurangabad and three each from Solapur and Raigad among other parts of the state.
After Centre's guidelines, Delhi to announce its lockdown plans tomorrow
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the Centre's guidelines on lockdown-4 are largely in line with the proposal sent by Delhi government based on suggestions of lakhs of Delhiites.
"We have used the lockdown period to prepare our healthcare system if corona cases increase, but it is now time to relax the restrictions to some extent," he said.
He added that the Delhi government will prepare the detailed plan for Delhi based on the Centre's guidelines and announce them tomorrow.
- Jaideep Deo Bhanj
Dharavi in Mumbai crossed the 1200-mark when it reported 44 new cases on Sunday. Total number of cases are now 1242. Dharavi also reported three deaths, pushing the tally to 56.
- Jyoti Shelar
MHA announces guidelines for lockdown 4.0
Click here to read the full guidelines
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday announced the new guidelines for the fourth phase of the COVID-19 lockdown across the country which will be enforced till May 31, 2020.
Inter-State movement of buses allowed with mutual consent of States , except in containment zones.
Metro and air travel remains suspended.
Movement of individuals for non-essential activities remain prohibited from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
States can decide delineation of red, orange and green zones.
Sports complexes and stadia will be permitted to open only for sports activities. However, spectators will not be allowed in these complexes.
Wearing of face covers is compulsory.
Spitting will be punishable with fine as may be prescribed in accordance with its laws, rules or regulations by the State/ UT local authority.
Social distancing is to be followed by all persons in public places and in transport.
Marriage-related gatherings shall not have more than 50 guests. For funerals/ last rites, the maximum number of persons allowed has been kept at 20.
Consumption of liquor, paan, gutkha and tobacco etc., is not allowed in public places.
The practice of work from home should be followed to the extent possible, and staggering of work hours should be adopted in respect of all offices and other establishments.
There should be provision for thermal scanning, hand wash and sanitizers at all entry and exit points and common areas; and all work places and other sensitive locations are to be sanitized regularly.
Local authorities should ensure that shops and markets open with staggered timings, so as to ensure social distancing. All shops shall also have to ensure six feet distance (2 gaz ki doori ) among customers and also not allow more than 5 persons at one time.
Schools, colleges, educational/ training/ coaching institutions etc. will remain closed. Online distance learning shall continue to be permitted and shall be encouraged.
All cinema halls, shopping malls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places shall remain closed.
All social/ political/ sports, entertainment/ academic cultural/ religious functions/ other gatherings and large congregations are prohibited.
All religious places/ places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited.
Use of Aarogya Setu app - With a view to ensure safety in offices and workplaces, employers on best effort basis should ensure that the application is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones.
District authorities have been asked to advise individuals to install the Aarogya Setu application on compatible mobile phones and regularly update their health status on the app. This will facilitate timely provision of medical attention to those individuals who are at risk.
4 deaths in Tamil Nadu, 639 new cases
Tamil Nadu reported four more deaths on Sunday, taking the death toll in the State to 78. Today, 639 tested positive, 634 were discharged. The total positive cases is 11,224.
NDMA in exercise of powers of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 directs Centre and State government to continue the lockdown measures up to May 31 to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Karnataka extends lockdown for two more days
The Government of Karnataka has extended the COVID-19 lockdown in the State for 2 more days, i.e. till 19th May midnight. The guidelines and norms as followed during Coronavirus Lockdown 3 will remain in place till 19th midnight or till further notice.
- ANI
Fifth tranche of economic package will have transformative impact on health, education sectors: Modi
The fifth and last tranche of economic stimulus announced by the government on May 17 will have a transformative impact on India’s health and education sectors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.
"The measures will boost entrepreneurship, help public sector units and revitalise the village economy," the prime minister said in a tweet.
“Reform trajectories of the states will also get an impetus,” he said.
The government on May 17 announced suspension of new bankruptcy filings on loan defaults for one year and raised the threshold for insolvency as it moved to ease COVID-19 pain for the industry.
- PTI
14 new cases in Kerala
With 14 new COVID-19 cases in Kerala today, the number of active cases in the State rises to 101 now, said Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan. Totally 497 have recovered.
Bihar reported 58 more COVID-19 positive cases on Sunday, taking the total number to 1251 in the State. Among them, 56 were from Patna district alone, one each from Nalanda and Saran districts.
- Amarnath Tewary
Additional ₹40,000-crore MGNREGS fund will ensure migrant families returning home get work: Nadda
BJP president J.P. Nadda on May 17 said the additional allocation of ₹40,000 crore for the rural employment guarantee scheme (MGNREGS) will provide adequate work and earning opportunities to migrant families returning home, as he hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “concern and timely initiative”.
In his tweets, he said increased public expenditure on health, investments in ramping up health infrastructure, creation of infectious disease blocks in all districts and setting up of integrated public health labs at block levels will enhance capability to meet health challenges and future requirements.
“FM Nirmala Sitharaman Ji has today announced additional allocation of ₹40,000 crore for MGNREGS. I congratulate PM Narendra Modi Ji for his concern and timely initiative to provide adequate work and income earning opportunities to migrant families returning home,” Mr. Nadda said.
“New public sector enterprise policy announced today by FM will help the PSUs focus on strategic sectors & make them more efficient and help us realise the full potential for huge sectoral investments and growth in different sectors. This will give a massive push to our economy,” he added.
2 deaths reported in Jaipur
With two more deaths reported from Jaipur today, the COVID-19 death toll in Rajasthan increases to 128. The number of new COVID-19 positive cases detected in the State today was 123, taking the tally to 5,083.
2,992 patients have recovered and 2,577 have been discharged. As of now, Rajasthan has 1,963 active cases, according to the Medical and Health Department.
- Mohammed Iqbal
Goa to charge fee for COVID-19 tests from those entering state
Amid a spurt in coronavirus positive cases in Goa, the State Executive Committee (SEC) on Sunday decided to charge Rs 2,000 for COVID-19 testing per person entering the state, an official said.
The SEC, led by State Chief Secretary Parimal Rai, is responsible for overseeing the COVID-19 management and relief work in the state.
During a meeting held on Sunday, the committee took stock of the COVID-19 situation in the state, where the number of positive cases has gone up to 16.
“After the recent positive cases emerging amongst the travellers, the SEC decided that the practice of testing every person entering Goa needs to continue,” a state government spokesperson said.
- PTI
Stop politicising plight of migrant workers: Nirmala Sitharaman to Congress
Hitting back at the Congress, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said its leader Rahul Gandhi is doing drama and asked the political parties to refrain from politicising the plight of migrant workers and behave responsibly on the issue.
Ms. Sitharaman after announcing the ₹20-lakh crore economic package said the government would seek cooperation from all parties including the Congress to resolve the issue.
The Centre has already informed all States that about 1,500 trains are available to carry migrant workers to their destination based on the request from the respective States, she said when asked to comment on the Congress’ criticism about economic package and the handling of migrant workers .
She wondered as to why the Congress or their alliance-ruled States is not requesting for more trains and help their own migrant labours reach their home.
Modi govt’s economic package to go a long way in making India self-reliant: Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the announcement of the fifth and final tranche of an economic package by the Modi government will go a long way in realising the idea of a self-reliant India.
In a series of tweets, Mr. Shah said the additional allocation of Rs 40,000 crore under MGNREGS will help in generating employment for the poor and migrant workers and create durable livelihood assets, which will greatly boost the country’s rural economy and infrastructure.
- PTI
Fifteen more COVID-19 positive cases in Bihar take the total tally in the State to 1193. The patients are from Rohtas and Patna districts.
- Amarnath Tewary
Made-in-India Coronavirus test swabs to cost only one-tenth of imported ones
As COVID-19 pandemic spread quickly, India faced twin challenge - short supply of testing swabs and those imported from China at a steep price of ₹ 17 per stick were proving to be inferior.
A solution was fixed in 10-days combining the expertise of Johnson & Johnson of manufacturing a similar product in earbuds, and Reliance Industries providing custom-made polyester staple fiber that resulted in the cost of swabs coming down to just ₹ 1.7 per unit.
Delhi COVID-19 toll nears 150; total cases 9,755
Delhi reported 19 coronavirus deaths and 422 infections on Sunday, taking the total to 148 fatalities and 9,755 cases, authorities said.
The Delhi Health Department said the cumulative death figures refers to fatalities where the primary cause of death was found to be COVID-19 as per the report of the Death Audit Committee on the basis of case sheets received from various hospitals.
- PTI
Spain has lowest daily death count in 2 months
Spain has registered its first daily death toll of fewer than 100 confirmed fatalities since declaring a state of emergency to fight the coronavirus two months ago.
Spain’s health minister says regional authorities have reported 87 new deaths, the lowest daily count since March 16.
Spain reported over 900 deaths a day at the height of the outbreak.
- AP
3 container trucks carrying over 170 migrant workers seized in U.P.
Three container trucks carrying over 170 migrant workers were seized by police during checking in Uttar Pradesh amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, an official said on Sunday.
Seventy-eight migrant workers were found holed up inside a container truck in Shamli on Saturday evening, SP Vinit Jaiswal said.
The truck which was on its way to Ludhiana in Punjab was impounded by police and all the migrant workers were sent to a shelter home, he said.
- PTI
Traders ‘deeply disappointed’ with govt.’s economic package
Expressing “deep disappointment” with the government’s ₹20 lakh crore economic package, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on May 17 said it would now seek the immediate intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for support.
Prisoners released from jails in different states
The Supreme Court in March directed all states and Union Territories to constitute high-level committees to consider releasing on parole or interim bail prisoners and undertrials for offences entailing up to seven-year jail term, to decongest prisons in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
TN extends lockdown till May 31
Tamil Nadu government has extended the lockdown till May 31, CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced.
- Dennis S. Jesudasan
Nepal thanks India for providing medical supplies to fight COVID-19
Nepal on Sunday thanked India for providing medical supplies, including testing kits, as part of the bilateral cooperation to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the country, which reported the first death from the deadly disease on Saturday.
One more death, 54 new cases in Karnataka
One more death has been reported in the State taking the death toll to 37.
A 54-year-old male resident of Udupi with cardiac issues was admitted in a private hospital in Udupi district. He died due to cardiac arrest on May 14 and tested positive for COVID 19 on May 16.
Meanwhile, 54 new cases have been reported taking the total number of positive cases to 1,146. This includes 37 deaths due to COVID-19, one non-COVID death and 497 discharges.
Indian Council of Medical Research to test random samples from COVID-19 affected places in Coimbatore
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will test 400 serum samples randomly collected from residents of 10 places and their peripheries, affected by COVID-19, in Coimbatore district, to check for community spread of the disease. The serum samples will be subjected to an advanced antibody-based test, according to the Health Department.
Over 60% of sex workers in Delhi return to their home states
Over 60% of Delhi’s sex workers have returned to their home states due to loss of means of livelihood amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown that pushed many of them to the brink of starvation.
The fear of contracting the deadly pathogen has kept customers away, leaving a debilitating impact on sex workers in the city.
Andhra Pradesh reports one death, 25 fresh cases, lowest in the past month
Andhra Pradesh has reported one more COVID-19 death and only 25 fresh cases, during the last 24 hours, which is the lowest day tally in the past one month.
According to the bulletin by the Health department, the tally has gone up to 2,380 including 150 migrant cases, while the toll reached 50. With 103 fresh recoveries, active cases came down to 874 while a total of 1, 456 patients recovered. The recovery rate was 61%. Among the migrant cases, 23 patients recovered in Anantapur.
4.83 lakh persons booked so far in Tamil Nadu for violating prohibitory orders
As many as 4,83,501 persons have been arrested so far across in the State for venturing out without a valid reason and violating prohibitory orders promulgated from March 24.
They were released on bail immediately after collecting a fine, and their vehicles were seized, according to the police.
Bihar recorded its eighth COVID-19 death on Sunday. The deceased was a 55 year old male from Khagaria district, who was also suffering from diabetes. The cause of death was cardio-pulmonary arrest. His COVID-19 test report came positive after his death.
The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Bihar is at1178.
Shramik Special train arrives in Bengaluru
A Shramik Special train from Delhi to Bengaluru arrived at Yeshwantpur Railway Station at around 8 a.m. on Sunday.
The train carried 182 passengers to Bengaluru, most of who were students and tourists stranded in Delhi.
According to sources, around 960 from the State, including students, tourists and migrants, boarded the train in Delhi which reached the city via Hubballi and Kalaburagi, where the others alighted.
Naval ship arrives at Kochi with evacuees from the Maldives
Naval ship Jalashwa arrived at Kochi port on Sunday morning from the Maldvies with 588 Indians who were stranded in the island country following the spread of COVID-19.
The vessel entered the harbour area about 11 a.m. This is the second trip by INS Jalashwa, which had earlier brought back 698 Indians to Kochi from the Maldives on May 10. Naval vessel INS Magar too had reached Kochi with nearly 300 Indians on May 12 as part of the ongoing Samudra Setu mission to evacuate by sea Indians stranded in different parts of the world.
Odisha’s positive cases increase by 91, two more deaths take toll to five
Odisha’s COVID-19 positive cases jumped by 91, taking the State’s total count to 828 while the total number of fatalities reached five following reports of two more deaths on Sunday.
The two men who died in Ganjam district had returned from Surat. While one person was 38 the other was 45, said the State Health and Family Welfare Department.
Positive cases in Assam rise to 95
Four fresh novel coronavirus cases have been reported in Assam, taking the state’s tally to 95, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday. Of the new cases, two are from Guwahati city and one each from Sonitpur and Sivasagar districts. The patients were admitted to hospitals early on Sunday morning, he said.
Wuhan continues mass testing campaign
China has reported 17 new coronavirus cases, including 12 asymptomatic infections, while officials in Wuhan, where the outbreak originated, continued vigorous testing of its over 11 million residents after new clusters of COVID-19 emerged in parts of the city.
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) on Sunday said five of the new coronavirus cases, including three domestically transmitted, were recorded in Jilin Province on Saturday.
Spraying disinfectants can be 'harmful', says WHO
Spraying disinfectant on the streets, as practised in some countries, does not eliminate the novel coronavirus and even poses a health risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
In a document on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces as part of the response to the virus, the WHO says spraying can be ineffective.
"Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces, such as streets or marketplaces, is... not recommended to kill the COVID-19 virus or other pathogens because disinfectant is inactivated by dirt and debris," explains the WHO.
Two more deaths in Odisha
Two people died and 91 new COVID-19 positive cases were detected in Odisha on Sunday.
With this, the State's total case count is now 828. The death-toll, meanwhile, reached five.
More details are awaited.
Over 4,900 new cases in 24 hours, an increase of 1,000 compared to previous day
India has registered 4,987 new COVID-19 positive cases and 120 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to an update from the Union Health Ministry on Sunday.
With this, the total number of cases in the country is now 90,927 according to Union Ministry data. Of this, 53,946 are active cases. As many as 2,872 people have succumbed to the infection while 34,108 people have been cured.
Nirmala Sitharaman to announce final tranche of economic stimulus package today
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will announce the fifth and final tranche of the economic stimulus package at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Steps to indigenise defence production by banning the import of some weapons and platforms while hiking foreign direct investment into the sector were among the highlights of the fourth tranche of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package , which seemed to focus more on industry reforms than any sort of economic stimulus.
Brazil passes Italy and Spain in confirmed coronavirus cases
Brazil's confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus rose on Saturday past those of Spain and Italy, which was once the epicenter of the pandemic, making Brazil's outbreak the fourth largest in the world, according to official figures.
Brazil's Health Ministry registered 14,919 new confirmed cases in the prior 24 hours, taking the total to 2,33,142, behind the United States, Russia and the United Kingdom. Brazil has done just a fraction of the testing seen in those three countries.
Four persons test positive for COVID-19 in Manipur
Four persons, including three women, tested positive for COVID-19 in Manipur, taking the total number of active cases in the State to five, officials said on Saturday.
Of the fresh patients, two have returned from Mumbai, one from Chennai and one from Kolkata, they said.
- PTI
33 new cases in Bihar
Bihar has registered 33 new COVID-19 positive cases, taking the total number of cases in the State to 1,178.
Most of the new cases are from Bhojpur, Siwan, Madhubani, Patna, Bhagalpur and Jamui districts.
How do we protect the inter-State migrant workers who have been badly hit by the lockdown?
COVID-19 cases cross 9,000 mark in Delhi
In the past 24 hours, Delhi reported 438 new COVID-19 cases and six more deaths, stated a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Saturday.
Six more deaths have also been reported, taking the total number of deaths to 129.
This is the first time that Delhi recorded more than 400 cases for three consecutive days.
U.S. adds 1,237 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins
The United States recorded 1,237 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing its grim total to 88,730, according to the latest real-time tally on Saturday reported by Johns Hopkins University.
The country — hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities — has now confirmed a total of 14,66,682 cases, the Baltimore-based school reported.
- AFP
Homeless persons and migrants lined up for food packets distributed by Youth Congress workers, as a health worker checked their temperature, at Raisina Road New Delhi on Sunday.
