India recorded the largest single-day spike in positive cases on Monday with 3,900 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. With 195 deaths, the country also witnessed the highest number of coronavirus deaths in a day.
Dates for NEET and JEE exams were announced, Delhi announced hike in petrol and diesel prices and three ships were sent to Maldives and UAE to bring back stranded Indians today.
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:
Tripura reports 13 new cases
COVID-19 cases in Tripura have gone up to 42 with detection of 13 more patients on Tuesday. Active cases 40 and all belong to BSF's 138 battalion campus at Ambassa in Dhalai district. The district has been declared Red Zone.
COVID-19 cases rise to 176 in Odisha
One more COVID-19 case detected in Jajpur district taking Odisha’s total to 176 on Tuesday. Six new cases were detected in the State earlier in the day.
Delhi issues SoP for screening of stranded people
The Delhi government on Tuesday issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for the screening of stranded people, moving out of Delhi or into Delhi from other states.
“The persons found asymptomatic shall be allowed to move out of Delhi... Similarly, the persons coming into Delhi shall be allowed to go their respective home after ascertaining that they are asymptomatic,” an official order said.
During the screening, people found to be “mild symptomatic” will be directed to undergo 14 days of home quarantine and people found to be symptomatic, will be tested and quarantined.
Wine shops to remain closed in Mumbai
After incidents of crowding at liquor shops defeated the idea of social distancing, municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi has ordered all shops except essentials to be closed in Mumbai. This includes wine shops. The State had mentioned in its orders that municipal commissioner of Mumbai will have powers to review the decision.
COVID-19 death toll rises to 89 in Rajasthan
Twelve deaths - 6 in Jaipur and 3 each in Jodhpur and Kota - reported in Rajasthan today, taking the toll of COVID-19 related deaths to 89. A total of 97 COVID-19 positive cases detected in 11 districts of the State today. The tally of positive cases in Rajasthan is now 3,158. Of them, 1,525 have recovered and 1,120 have been discharged from hospitals. As of now, the State has 1,544 active cases.
PM reviews status of India’s efforts in coronavirus vaccine development
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reviewed the current status of India’s efforts in coronavirus vaccine development, drug discovery, diagnosis and testing.
He chaired a meeting of a task force on coronavirus vaccine development.
The review by the prime minister took note of the extraordinary coming together of academia, industry and government, combined with speedy but efficient regulatory process, an official statement said.
Mr. Modi felt that such coordination and speed should be embedded into a standard operating procedure.
“He emphasised that what is possible in a crisis should be a part of our routine way of scientific functioning,” the statement said.
Healthcare workers test positive
Two people working at Lady Hardinge Medical College in the city, a doctor and an intern doctor, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, said hospital officials on Tuesday.
A total of 20 healthcare workers connected to the hospital have tested positive so far.
Madhya Pradesh reports 107 new cases
Eleven persons died of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at hospitals, taking the State-wide death toll to 176. Five persons died in Ujjain, two each in Indore and Jabalpur and one each in Bhopal and Satna. Meanwhile, 107 new cases were registered in the State on the day, taking the tally to 3,049. As many as 144 patients recovered from the illness. So far, 1,000 patients have been cured, says the State Directorate of Health Services.
Maharashtra COVID-19 cases up by 841 to 15,525
With 841 new cases reported across the state on Tuesday, breaches 15,000 mark as its cumulative tally soared to 15,525. With 34 deaths, the State's death toll rose to 617. As many as 345 persons were discharged today taking the total number of discharged till date to 2819. Mumbai's tally has climbed to 9945 with 345 deaths. Of the new cases, Mumbai reported 635 of them as well as 26 of the 34 new fatalities.
Bihar received most workers through Shramik Specials, Bengal the least
Bihar has received the maximum number of migrant labourers through special trains so far and West Bengal the least, data accessed by the PTI shows, with officials indicating that the latter was “stalling” the movement of its workers stranded in other states.
Each train has a maximum capacity of about 1,200 passengers. So far, the Railways has run 67 such trains carrying 67,000 migrant labourers to their home states.
Among the receiving states, Bihar has accepted 13 trains, with 11 more currently on the journey and six in the pipeline, the data shows.
Neighbouring Uttar Pradesh has received 10 such trains and five more trains are on their way and 12 are in the pipeline, the data shows.
The West Bengal government has, however, given clearance to only two trains -- one each from Rajasthan and Kerala -- and they are on their journeys to the state, the data shows.
Over 3 lakh register in Gulf as govt prepares for biggest evacuation exercise in decades
India is launching its biggest ever evacuation exercise in decades deploying a raft of civilian aircraft and naval ships to bring back home thousands of Indians stranded in the Gulf and various other parts of the world.
Over three lakh people in Gulf have registered for evacuation but the government will bring back only those having compelling reasons to return home like medical emergency, expiry of visas and facing the prospect of deportation, government sources said.
According to officials, over 10,000 Indians in the Gulf region were found to have contracted coronavirus while 84 of them have died.
The immediate focus of the multi-agency operation christented ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ will be to bring back Indians from the Gulf, countries in the neighbourhood as well as from the US, the UK and Singapore, the sources said.
As thousands of Indians are returning to the country after losing jobs, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will share a detailed database with states and central ministries for the possible employment of the skilled workers, the sources said.
COVID-19 death toll jumps to 56 in Uttar Pradesh
COVID-19 death toll jumps to 56 in Uttar Pradesh, with six new casualties, according to the state health department.
The new deaths were reported in Jhansi, Bijnor, Mainpuri, Firozabad and Agra (two cases). This takes the total casualties in Agra to 16. Total positive cases also rise to 2880, with 118 new cases. Now active cases stand at 1836. 987 people have been discharged so far. Uttar Pradesh has reported COVID-19 cases in 66 districts with a case each in Amethi and Kushinagar. Samples tested across the State cross 1 lakh mark, now stands at 1.05 lakh, both private and government labs.
Dharavi COVID-19 cases up by 33 to 665
Mumbai’s biggest slum sprawl Dharavi on Tuesday reported 33 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total count to 665, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.
The overall death toll stood at 20, as no fresh fatality has been reported in the last 72 hours
508 persons test positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu
As many as 508 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu. Total number of cases in the State stand at 4058. Two more deaths were reported at the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. As many as 76 people were discharged today, taking the total number discharged to 1485.
Gujarat reports 441 new cases
Massive spike in COVID-19 cases in Gujarat with 49 deaths and 441 cases recorded. Total number of cases as of now stand at 6245 , while 368 deaths have been reported in the State.
Ahmedabad reports 39 deaths and 349 cases today. As of now, total cases in Ahmedabad stand at 4425.
Alarmed by the massive spike in Covid-19 pandemic in Gujarat, the state government ropes in senior most officers to manage and contain the pandemic. Rajiv Kumar Gupta to manage Ahmedabad, Pankaj Kumar to guide and help the state health department
- Mahesh Langa
India’s unemployment rate rises to 27.11% amid COVID-19 crisis: CMIE
The coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) crisis has led to a spike in the country’s unemployment rate to 27.11% for the week ended May 3, up from the under 7% level before the start of the pandemic in mid-March, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has said. The Mumbai-based think tank said the rate of unemployment was the highest in the urban areas, which constitute the most number of the red zones due to the coronavirus cases, at 29.22%, as against 26.69% for the rural areas.
Govt. suspends all visas, bars travel by OCI card holders
The government Tuesday suspended all existing visas, barring a few exceptions, granted to foreign nationals till international air travel to and from India remains shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, an order said.
In a separate order, the Union Home Ministry said it has extended on ‘gratis’ basis the visas of foreigners stranded in India due the lockdown.
The extension will be for a period of 30 days beyond opening of international travel.
The Home Ministry also said it has kept in abeyance multiple-entry life-long visas given to Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders till international travel remains suspended.
Six fresh COVID-19 cases reported in Bihar
Six more COVID-19 positive cases reported in Bihar taking the total number of cases in the State to 535. Five cases reported from Katihar and one from Kaimuy district.
Repatriation of Indian nationals from the U.K. and UAE to start from Thursday
Thousands of stranded Indians in countries like the U.K., the UAE and the U.S due to the coronavirus-induced travel restrictions would be brought back by special flights and the Indian missions abroad were gearing up for the massive operation.
Air India will operate 64 flights from May 7 to May 13 to bring back around 15,000 Indian nationals stranded abroad amid the COVID-19 lockdown, it was announced in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Also read: Stranded Indians landing in country will have to register for COVID-19 ‘Aarogya Setu’ app: MHA
24 people in Army’s RR hospital test positive for coronavirus
Twenty-four people including several serving and retired armed forces personnel have tested positive for coronavirus at the Army’s premier Research and Referral hospital in the national capital, officials said on Tuesday
Three test positive in Kerala, 37 active cases
After two consecutive days of zero cases, three people tested positive for COVID-19 in Kerala on Tuesday while 37 people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals for the infection, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
Stranded Indians landing in country will have to register for COVID-19 ‘Aarogya Setu’ app: MHA
Stranded Indians who will be brought back by special flights from abroad will have to download ‘Aarogya Setu’ mobile app and detailed procedures for this entire operation will be issued, a Home Ministry official said on May 5.
Stranded Indians landing in country will have to register for COVID-19 ‘Aarogya Setu’ app: MHA
93 fresh COVID-19 cases reported in Uttar Pradesh, total climbs to 2,859
Ninety-three fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 2,859, a senior official said here on Tuesday.
Briefing reporters, Principal Secretary, Medical and Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said so far, 2,859 COVID-19 cases have been reported from 65 districts of the state.
Chennai airport has handled 400 flights to transport over 8,000 tonnes of cargo
Chennai airport has handled over 8,000 metric tonnes of cargo in the last two months, handling several essential and non essential goods from and to various cities across the country and foreign destinations too.
Officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said, during the lockdown period, there have been nearly 400 aircraft movements — 200 flights arriving and 200 departing — at Chennai airport, with airlines like SpiceJet, Air India and IndiGo transporting cargo. “Persons who handle the cargo are given masks and gloves and the entire airside is disinfected regularly,” an official said.
Apart from transporting vital supplies like medicines, IR thermometers, masks, PPE, test kits and critical medical equipment, Chennai airport has also had many other cargoes arriving and departing from here. AAI officials said, medical cargo accounts for about 10-15 percent only. “We have laptops, spare parts for several machineries, hardware, farm and marine produce that arrive and depart from Chennai,” an official said.
Chennai airport has handled 400 flights to transport over 8,000 tonnes of cargo during lockdown
COVID-19 cases rise to 173 in Odisha
Three more COVID-19 cases, two West Bengal returnees in Balasore district and one Gujarat returnee in Cuttack district – took Odisha’s total to 173 on Tuesday. One Gujarat returnee was detected in Ganjam district earlier in the day, according to officials.
- Prafulla Das
Shramik Special trains: 67 run so far, 21 more to go on Tuesday
The Indian Railways on Tuesday said that it has so far run 67 Shramik Special trains carrying around 67,000 stranded migrants since May 1. Till May 4, the railways had run 55 trains, the national transporter said.
“There are 21 trains scheduled for Tuesday mainly from Bengaluru, Surat, Sabarmati, Jalandhar, Kota, Ernakulam. On an average, these trains are carrying 1,000 passengers each,” the railways said.
These 24 coach trains, which have a capacity of 72 seats, is now reduced to 54 due to social distancing norms with the middle seat not being allotted to any passenger.
Also read: India’s first 'Shramik Special' train carrying 1, 200 migrants reaches Ranchi
MHA directives
The Ministry of Home Affairs has released a directive to tackle COVID-19.
Spitting in public is a punishable offence as per the MHA directives.
People are required to use face cover at public places.
Use of paan, gutkha and liquor at public places banned.
In shops, there can't be more than five persons at a time.
In marriage functions, attendance should not be more than 50 people.
At work places, there should be staggered shifts and lunch hours for workers.
At all work places, there should be a list of all COVID-19 hospitals and earmarked places for quarantine.
GoM oh health met today
"We have recorded the highest increase in the deaths and confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, says Health Ministry spokesperson Luv Agarwal.
"We are dealing with highly infectious disease. We were facing some issues related to timely reporting of cases, after due pursuation, the issue is being now addressed," he adds.
In the past 24 hours, 1020 more cured, taking total to 12726. The total recovery rate is 27.41%
Group of Ministers headed by Health Minister today held its 14th meeting, took up issues of infrastructure in terms of PPEs, masks, ventilators, availability of oxygen. To facilitate risk assessment, use of Aarogya Setu App should be promoted, it was discussed.
Health Ministry representative says the increase in number of deaths and confirmed cases in the past 24 hours is attributed to the updated information from some States, from where deaths and confirmed cases were earlier not reported in time.
Bringing back stranded Indians
The MHA spokesperson, during the daily COVID-19 briefing says the Indian High Commissioners and Counsulates are preparing list of stranded citizens abroad. They will be brought back in special flights.
The return flights will operate in a phased manner. During journey, all protocols will have to be followed by them, he says.
"They will have to register with Aarogya Setu after reaching destinations, they will be medically examined. Respective State governments will keep them 14 days in quarantine centres on paid basis and after that they will again be medically examined," he adds.
For migrant labourers, 62 special trains were run so far, used by about 70,000 passengers. Today, 13 more special trains were operated, the MHA spokesperson says.
64 flights to bring back stranded Indians
64 flights to be operated from May 7 to May 13 to bring back stranded Indians from abroad, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said.
Out of 64 flights to bring back stranded Indians from abroad, 11 from nine countries will land in Tamil Nadu.
Those arriving by repatriation flights to be screened, put under 14-day quarantine.
Passengers will be charged on repatriation flights, he says. Passengers will be charged Rs 50,000 for London-Delhi flight, and Rs 12,000 for Dhaka-Delhi flight.
Home isolation an option for COVID-19 patients in TN
In tune with guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research, persons clinically categorised as having very mild or pre-symptomatic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) will have the option of home isolation provided they have the requisite facility at their residence.
Who is eligible for home isolation? The patient should be clinically assigned as a very mild case/pre-symptomatic case by the treating medical officer. They should have requisite facilities at their residence for self-isolation and also for quarantining family members, and a well-ventilated single-room.
Arunachal Pradesh appoints nodal officers to facilitate return of stranded people
The Arunachal Pradesh government has appointed nodal officers to facilitate the movement of its people stranded in other States amid the nationwide lockdown, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar said.
The officers would coordinate with other State governments to ensure smooth and orderly movement of the stranded , in accordance with the guidelines of the Centre, he said.
- PTI
'Let Jamaat members who have undergone quarantine return to Assam'
The Assam unit of the Tablighi Jamaat has appealed to the State government to let members of the Jamaat, who completed their quarantine period after attending the March Nizamuddin event, return from Delhi.
Zunaid Khalid, the unit’s core committee member, told newspersons that they had also submitted a list of 439 Jamaat members stranded across the country to the Assam police.
Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai temporarily shut
After last-minute sales in the morning, the Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai was temporarily shut, as it had turned into a hotspot for COVIRD-19. Meanwhile, wholesale vegetable merchants have decided to halt trade till May 10 in the city.
While the available stock in the retail shops is considered to be enough to last for two or three days, the sudden closure of the wholesale hub may have an impact on the supply of vegetables and fruits in the city, according to wholesalers.
T.N. relaxes exit norms to enable Kerala returnees' travel
Uncertainty that lasted several hours at the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border at Inchivila came to an end after the Tamil Nadu government relaxed norms for the 50-odd Kerala returnees who sought permission to return to their native places.
Several families were stranded at the check-post for over 4 hours after the Tamil Nadu police insisted on transit passes issued by the State government. This led to heated scenes with many arguing that they had obtained the passes issued by the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department (NoRKA) and the Collector of their home district.
With the Tamil Nadu police unrelenting, the returnees were compelled to apply for the e-pass and await its issuance for long hours in the searing heat. Finally, they were allowed to cross the border after the server of the registration portal crashed, prompting the Tamil Nadu authorities to relax the requirement.
- Sarath Babu George
45 Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel have tested positive for Covid-19 so far. 167 have been placed under quarantine. Two men who tested positive earlier were posted with the Delhi Police on law and order duty, according to ITBP spokesman.
- Vijaita Singh
24 COVID-19 positive cases at Army's R&R hospital
The Army said that 24 in-patients at the Army’s Research and Referral (R&R) hospital in the national capital have tested positive for COVID-19.
"All of them were in the Oncology department and have been shifted to Base Hospital in Delhi Cantonment," the Army said, adding no health staff have been reported positive. All 24 patients were undergoing cancer treatment and include serving and retired military personnel and dependents.
The Army has so far reported 14 COVID-19 cases, of which five have recovered and returned to work.
- Dinakar Peri
Kerala High Court refuses to stay Ordinance empowering the State government to defer payment of a fraction (6 days in a month) of salaries and allowances of government employees for the next five months.
- S. Anandan
India has so far been able to stave off community transmission of COVID-19, says Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, expressing hope that behavioural changes brought about by the infection could become the new normal for a healthy society after the pandemic abates.
The nation, in a post-coronavirus future, could well look back on the pandemic period as a blessing in disguise if Indians imbibe hand, respiratory and environmental hygiene and practice it in their everyday lives, the Minister said.
31 Navy sailors linked to Welisara camp test positive in Sri Lanka
Of the 548 active coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka, 327 of them are Navy personnel, officials said.
Army chief General Shavendra Silva, who heads the island-nation’s COVID-19 prevention mechanism, said, “There were 33 new positive cases found at midnight (Monday), 31 of them are our gallant sailors who are linked to the Welisara camp. The two others are their contacts.”
Pakistan's COVID-19 cases surges past 21,000
The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan reached 21,501 after 1,315 new infections were recorded, while 24 people died due to the disease, taking the death toll in the country to 486, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of National Health Services, Punjab reported 8,103 cases, Sindh 7,882, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 3,288, Balochistan 1,321, Islamabad 464, Gilgit-Baltistan 372 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 71 cases.
So far 222,404 tests were conducted, including 9,857 in the last 24 hours.
Aurangabad reports 11th death
Aurangabad in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region reported yet another death on Tuesday as well as more than 20 new cases as the number of COVID-19 positive cases continued to steadily mount in other districts of the State as well, including Pune, Akola and Amravati.
“The latest death was of a 65-year-old patient with a history of ailments who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on April 28. He was on ventilator and died during treatment at a private hospital today,” said a district health official.
90,000 litres of liquor sold in 10 hours in Mandya , Karnataka
Statistics from the Department of Excise showed that 89,738.488 litres of alcohol was sold in Mandya district in Karnataka.
Of the total, 19,193.196 litres of beer was sold.
A total of 94 retail shops with CL-2 licenses and 32 Mysore Sales International Ltd. (the State-owned MSIL) with CL-11C licenses have been permitted to sell liquor across the district. All the 28 liquor shops across Mandya taluk had witnessed brisk business from 9 am to 7 pm on Monday.
- M.T. Shiva Kumar
Delhi govt. seeks assistance of Delhi Police to enforce social distancing at liquor shops
After chaos at many liquor shops in the city on Monday, the Delhi government has requested assistance from the Delhi Police for enforcing social distancing.
In a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner S. N. Shrivastava on Monday evening, Ravi Dhawan, Commissioner of Department of Excise, Entertainment & Luxury Tax said that government corporations had informed him that the local police was not allowing shops to remain open.
“It is requested that directions may kindly be conveyed to the field functionaries that the liquor shops of four government corporations…be allowed to function from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. It is also requested to direct the local police to assist in enforcing social distancing norms and other protocols,” the letter said.
- Nikhil M. Babu
6.5 lakh migrant workers have been brought back to U.P. since March: CM
Over 6.5 lakh migrant workers and labourers have been brought to Uttar Pradesh from other States since March, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.
Six lakh migrants arrived in the first phase (March 27-29) while 50,000 migrants entered U.P. over the past three days, he said.
- Omar Rashid
First Shramik Special train leaves Vijayawada for Maharashtra
The first Shramik Special train with migrant labourers from Maharashtra left Andhra Pradesh today.
1,212 workers, from Chandrapur and other districts in Maharashtra for red-chilli plucking to Krishna district headed for their native places. The train left Rayanapadu Railway Station at 3 a.m.
India likely to operate 64 flights to repatriate 14,800 of its nationals from 12 countries
The Centre is likely to operate 64 flights from May 7 to 13 to bring home around 14,800 Indian nationals stranded abroad because of the coronavirus lockdown, senior government officials said.
These special flights would be operated by Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express to repatriate Indians from 12 countries —the UAE, the UK, the US, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, said the officials.
Fine for those not wearing masks in public brought down to Rs. 200 from Rs. 1,000 in Bengaluru
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) brought down the fine amount being levied on those not wearing a face mask in public to Rs. 200 from the earlier Rs. 1,000.
Civic chief B.H. Anil Kumar issued a revised order in this regard on Tuesday. In the order, Mr. Kumar stated that the fine amount of Rs. 200 for the first and subsequent offence had been stipulated as per the government notification of the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Regulations, 2020.
- Chitra V. Ramani
T.N. SSLC exam schedule to be released in June
Tamil Nadu's Minister for School Education, Youth Welfare and Sports Development K.A. Sengottaiyan said that the SSLC examination schedule for students in the State would be released in the third week of June after obtaining permission from the Chief Minister.
The Minister also said steps are being taken to begin evaluation of the class 12 board exam papers.
Chhattisgarh launches portal for home delivery of liquor in green zones
The Chhattisgarh government has launched a web portal for home delivery of liquor in green zones of the State to avoid crowding at wine shops during the lockdown, an official said.
The portal has been named after the state-run CSMCL (Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited), which controls the sale of liquor in the State, a public relations department official here said.
Kerala to bring back 2,150 NoRKs from Middle East in phase-I evacuation plan
In phase-I of the evacuation plan, 10 flights ferrying about 2,150 NoRKs from the Middle East; will land at Cochin International Airport. The schedule is as follows:
May 7- Abu Dhabi, Doha; May 8- Bahrain; May 9- Kuwait, Muscat; May 10- Kuala Lumpur; May 11-Dammam, Dubai; May 12 - Kuala Lumpur; May 13 - Jeddah.
CIAL officials said extensive preparations were under way for strict adherence to Covid-19 evacuation protocol and social distancing norms. “Three phased disinfection is going on. Mock drills for testing different systems have been done," he said.
“Apart from getting temperature guns, the process of installing thermal scanners at the passenger arrival area is on. Synthetic/textile wrapped pieces of furniture have been replaced with temporary plastic chairs,” the CIAL spokesperson said.
- S. Anandan
Serbia to hold general election on June 21
Serbia’s President has set June 21 as the date of a parliamentary election which has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The vote was originally scheduled for April 26 but was put on hold after a nationwide state of emergency was proclaimed in mid-March.
Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday that “after these difficult times we have to create a democratic atmosphere and select an assembly and government that will serve in the interest of the people.”
JEE, NEET exam dates announced
JEE-Mains to be held from July 18 to 23, JEE-Advanced in August, with the exact dates to be announced soon: HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal.
He also said that medical entrance exam NEET will be conducted on July 26.
The HRD Ministry has asked State and central education boards to reduce the syllabus for the coming academic session, due to the disruption causedby the COVID-19 crisis.
Tally of COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh:
1,717 active cases, of which 67 are new; 1,094 patients have recovered; 34 deaths have been reported.
None of us is safe until all of us are safe: UN chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that overcoming the coronavirus pandemic will require the most massive public health effort in history since it is an interconnected world where “none of us is safe until all of us are safe.”
His remarks came as the world leaders on Monday pledged €7.4 billion (approximately $8.2 billion) to support the research and development for medicines to fight COVID-19 which has so far killed over 2.5 lakh people and infected more than 3.6 million globally.
Karnataka hopes to conduct SSLC exam in the second or third week of June
Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar said that the government was hoping to conduct SSLC exam in the second or third week of June.
In a Facebook live video, Mr. Kumar said that he had instructed the Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPI) to start preparing for the SSLC exam. However, the Minister said that the final time table would be announced by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) only after all the necessary safety measures are put in place.
- Jayasimha
People stranded in Kerala-T.N. border for several hours
Confusion prevailed on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border at Inchivila when several people returning to Kerala were stranded for several hours, despite assurances by the authorities that restrictions would be eased for those returning to their native places.
While only 24 people crossed the border to enter Kerala yesterday, when the Kerala government opened its borders to permit entry, many more appeared to avail the opportunity from the early hours today.
20 migrants skip quarantine in Bihar
Over 20 migrants who had recently returned from Punjab, Delhi and Haryana left a quarantine centre in Katihar town in Bihar, complaining “lack of proper facilities and food”.
About 100 migrant workers were put at the centre on Saturday after they reached there by bus from Patna.
62-year-old woman dead in Karnataka
One more death has been reported in Karnataka taking the toll to 28.
A 62 year-old female resident of Vijayapura, with a history of COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and BA (Bronchial Asthama), was admitted on May 3 in the ICU of a designated hospital in Vijayapura with a complaint of breathlessness. She died today, due to cardiac arrest, according to the Health Department midday bulletin.
Meanwhile, eight new cases have been reported today, taking the total number of positive cases to 659. Of the new cases, three are from Bengaluru Urban, two from Bagalkote and one each in Ballari, Dakshina Kannada and Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada.
- Afshan Yasmeen
Woman attending to a patient at AIIMS, Rishikesh tests positive
A woman attending to a patient at AIIMS, Rishikesh has tested positive for COVID-19, taking the number of confirmed cases in Uttarakhand to 61, officials said.
Her swab sample was found positive for the infection late Monday night, Additional SDM Apoorva Pandey said. She was attending to a patient at the urology ward of the premier hospital, where she may have come in contact with an infected person, Pandey said. She has been admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital and people who may have come in contact with her are being traced.
- PTI
In the country, there have so far been 46,440 total COVID-19 positive cases, of which 32,034 are active cases. 1,569 deaths have been reported.
One more Gujarat returnee worker tests positive for COVID-19 in Ganjam district taking Odisha’s total number to 170, the State government said. State’s active cases stand at 109. 60 persons have recovered and one death has been reported so far.
- Prafulla Das
Five deaths reported in Rajasthan
Five deaths reported in Jaipur today, taking the COVID-19 death toll in Rajasthan to 82.
A total of 38 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the State. With this, the tally of positive cases increases to 3,099. Active cases in Rajasthan, as of now, are at 1,577, according to the Medical and Health Department.
Of the 38 new cases, 14 are from Jaipur, nine from Chittorgarh, eight from Kota, four from Jodhpur, two from Tonk and one from Bharatpur, the Health Department official said.
- Mohammed Iqbal and PTI
One more COVID-19 positive case reported in Bihar, taking the total number of cases to 529 in the State.
- Amarnath Tewary
Petrol, diesel price hiked in Delhi
Petrol price in Delhi increased by about ₹1.7 per litre and diesel by about ₹7.1 per litre, as the Delhi government has increased the Value Added Tax (VAT) charged on both the fuels, according to officials.
The VAT on petrol has been increased to 30% from 27% and that of diesel has been increased to 30% from 16.75%, according to a Finance department official. The Delhi government passed an order on increasing the VAT on Monday.
"Life isn't all about rainbows and sunshine. Tough times need Tough solutions - my learning as Finance Minister," Delhi Finance Minister Manish Sisodia said in a tweet regarding the measures.
Cases in Indore rise to 1,654; death toll reaches 79
The number of COVID-19 cases in Madhya Pradesh’s worst hit Indore district climbed to 1,654 after 43 more people tested positive for the disease in the last 24 hours, a senior health official said.
The death toll in the district rose to 79 as two more persons succumbed to the disease, Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer Praveen Jadia said. The two victims included a 45-year-old woman and a 64 -year-old man, who died at a private hospital in Indore.
- PTI
Part of Shastri Bhavan floor sealed after Law Ministry official tests positive
One Deputy Secretary rank officer of Department of Legal Affairs in Ministry of Law and Justice has been detected COVID-19 positive in Delhi. He had last attended office on April 23, after which he had proceeded on leave.
However, as precautionary measure, the Shastri Bhawan office of Department of Legal Affairs has been sealed by the administration. All other necessary measures are being taken as per the official protocol of the Government.
T.N. HR&CE withdraws circular transferring funds to CM's relief fund
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department in Tamil Nadu withdrew a circular it had issued on April 22 for transferring ₹10 crore to Chief Minister’s Relief Fund from the surplus revenue of 47 top temples in the State for COVID-19-related relief. The circular was withdrawn following a batch of three public interest litigation petitions filed against it in the Madras HC.
China reports 1 new case, no deaths
China reported one new case of coronavirus Tuesday and no deaths, marking three weeks since it recorded a COVID-19 fatality.
The National Health Commission said 395 people remained under treatment in the hospital, while 949 were under isolation and observation for suspected cases or after testing positive despite showing no symptoms.
Three ships sent to evacuate stranded Indians from the Maldives, UAE
India has sent three naval ships to evacuate its citizens stranded in the Maldives and UAE due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a defence spokesperson said in the early hours on Tuesday. INS Jalashwa deployed off Mumbai coast, along with INS Magar, diverted for Maldives on Monday night, he said.
Researchers nearly double U.S. death projection due to easing
Nearly 135,000 Americans were forecast to die from COVID-19 through the beginning of August, almost double the last prediction, due to loosening of lockdowns, according to an updated forecast from the University of Washington on Monday.
France becomes fifth country with more than 25,000 deaths
France said the number of deaths from the coronavirus rose above 25,000 on Monday, becoming the fifth country to pass that threshold after the United States, Italy, Britain and Spain.
The daily number of new fatalities also sped up again after several days of decline.
The number of people who have died from the COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus increased by 306, or 1.2%, to 25,201 - the sharpest rate of increase in four days, government data showed. On Sunday, only 135 new deaths were reported - the lowest figure in more than a month.
Published - May 05, 2020 09:54 am IST
