The Centre on Monday, 27 April, allowed coronavirus patients with “very mild” symptoms and pre-symptomatic persons to self-isolate at their homes if they have the necessary facilities.
The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 28,380 on Monday. According to Health Ministry figures, there are 21,132 active cases in the country, while 886 people have died. As many as 6,361 patients have been cured or discharged and one has migrated.
As many as 1,463 cases and 60 deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours. This is the highest death toll reported in 24 hours.
Earlier on Monday, the ministry, in its briefing, said the recovery rate for coronavirus in the country stood at 22.17 percent.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a video conference with chief ministers on Monday, 27 April, to discuss the exit plan for the nationwide lockdown.
The United States recorded 1,330 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours as per Johns Hopkins University tally, AFP reports.
5 new COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the Balasore District of Odisha, taking the total number of positive cases in the state rise to 108 (including 72 active cases, 35 recovered, 1 death), according to the state’s health department, ANI reports.
First COVID-19 positive case has been reported in Jharkhand’s Jamtara; the total number of positive cases in the state has risen to 83, officials told PTI.
More than 200 Europeans mostly Swiss nationals stranded in India, following the nationwide lockdown were evacuated by a special plane of Swiss International Airlines, Kerala Tourism department said on Sunday.
The plane took off from Kochi late Saturday night and landed at the Zurich airport on Sunday morning (10 am IST), it said in a release, PTI reports.
36 new COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Rajasthan, taking the total number of positive cases in the state rise to 2221, according to the health department.
With a view to easing liquidity pressures on Mutual Funds, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to open a special liquidity facility for mutual funds of Rs 50,000 crores. RBI shall conduct repo operations of 90 days tenor at the fixed repo rate, ANI reports.
Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, is not attending video conference meeting of CMs with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today on the COVID-19 situation. Kerala has given its suggestions in writing. Kerala Chief Secretary is attending the meeting, sources told ANI.
COVID-19 tally shoots up to 1,177 in Andhra Pradesh in with 80 additions. Raj Bhavan has four cases, according to official sources.
Total 8068 positive COVID-19 cases and 342 deaths have been reported in Maharashtra till date. The mortality rate stands at 4.24 percent, according to the state’s health department.
10 new COVID=19 positive cases were reported in Agra district in last 24 hours; the total number of positive cases in the district is now 381, according to DM Agra Prabhu N Singh.
Three fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in Bihar; total reaches 277, according to a health department official.
With 3 more deaths and 55 new positive cases reported in Pune, the death toll and total number of positive cases rises to 80 and 1319, respectively: Health Officials, Pune.
COVID-19 cases rise to 51 in Uttarakhand after 1 more person tests positive, PTI reports.
COVID-19 death toll rises to 60 in Indore after 3 more fatalities, total cases climb to 1,207 in the Madhya Pradesh district after 31 people test positive, according to an official, PTI reports.
Till date, 511 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in Karnataka, including 19 deaths and 188 discharges. 8 new positive cases have been reported from 5:00 PM yesterday till 12:00 noon today: Government of Karnataka
The government should make public all purchases pertaining to COVID-19 made in last one month, Congress said on Monday. There seems to be absolute anarchy in procurements made for fighting COVID-19, Congress leader Manish Tewari said.
The COVID-19 related lockdown which is scheduled to end on 3 May, should be extended further, with relaxations for economic activities within the state but the borders should be sealed, Goa CM Pramod Sawant said on Monday.
After recovering from the COVID-19, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has returned to Downing Street and was expected to chair the regular morning cabinet meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic before holding talks with senior ministers and officials.
China is fighting back against calls for an investigation into its role in the global coronavirus pandemic, citing faults with the US response to the outbreak and calling for Washington itself to admit error.
“We hope the US will respond to people's concern from the U.S. and the international community. Perhaps the World Health Organization can also be invited in to assist in the investigation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing on Monday.
The Delhi High Court on Monday sought response of the Centre and AAP government on a plea seeking directions to them to provide food and water to stray animals during the coronavirus lockdown.
A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh issued notices to the Ministry of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, Delhi government, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the municipal bodies here.
The bench sought their reply on the petition by June 10, the next date of hearing.
The Supreme Court Monday sought the Centre's reply on a plea alleging that employees including journalists have been meted out “inhuman and illegal treatment” by some media organizations which have been issuing termination notices, effecting wage cuts and asking them to proceed on unpaid leaves during the coronavirus lockdown.
The apex court issued notices to the Centre, the Indian Newspapers Society and the News Broadcasters Association on the plea filed by three journalists' bodies and listed the plea for further hearing after two weeks.
A 50-year-old man tested positive for coronavirusin Gorakhpur, Uttar pradesh, the first case of the virus in the district, officials said on Monday, PTI reported.
Principal of the BRD Medical College, Ganesh Kumar, said the man belonging to Hata Buzurg village was brought to the hospital on Sunday with breathing issues and chest pain.
Ahead of the arrival of about 5 lakh migrant workers stranded in different states due to lockdown imposed to contain COVID-19 pandemic, Odisha government has set up dedicated teams of bureaucrats to look after specific areas.
Additional Chief Secretary PK Mohapatra has been appointed in charge of the Health and Family Welfare department, officials said, reported PTI.
The Shiv Sena on Monday said it is the Centre's responsibility to make arrangements for sending migrant labourers to their native places in the wake of the lockdown enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus, PTI reported.
Several migrant labourers have been residing in the coronavirus hotspots of Mumbai's Dharavi slum area, it noted.
A woman journalist has tested positive for coronavirus in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, in the second case of COVID-19 in the district, a senior official said, PTI reports.
The woman's test report was received on Sunday night from a lab in Kanpur where her sample had been sent for testing, district in-charge of communicable diseases Dr. RS Mishra said on Monday.
A 58-year-old doctor became the first coronavirus patient at the King George Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow to receive plasma therapy as an experimental treatment for the disease, a hospital official said on Monday, reported PTI.
The doctor from Orai in Uttar Pradesh was administered the plasma donated by a woman doctor from Canada who was the first COVID-19 patient admitted to the KGMU and later recovered, Dr Tulika Chandra of the hospital's blood transfusion medicine department said.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday suggested imposing "COVID cess" on the ultra rich to offset the loss of revenue, as he called for citizen-centric measures and lower the cost of living, to help those affected by the lockdown.
Cautioning the state and Central governments about the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on economy and people in turn, the JD(S) leader advised for measures like partial waivers of EMIs, rents, school fees, cut in petrol and diesel prices.
The Health Ministry, in its briefing on Monday said the recovery rate for coronavirus in the country stood at 22.17 percent, with as many as 6,184 people having been cured.
"Sixteen districts in the country, which earlier had cases, have not reported any fresh case in the last 28 days... Eighty-five districts have not reported any new cases in the last 14 days," Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said.
The Ministry also said that no community or area should be blamed for the spread of COVID-19, emphasising that healthcare and sanitation workers should not be targeted.
The Home Ministry, in its daily briefing on Monday, said that around 2,000 or 80 percent mandis are operational in the country currently.
"Over 2 crore people have got employment through MGNREGA in country till now," an MHA official said.
Cooked meals are being served to 1.5 crore people daily by the government, NGOs and others, as per data available on 25 April, the Centre said.
On the procurement of rapid antibody test kits, the Centre on Monday pointed out that the "ICMR hasn't made any payment whatsoever in respect to these supplies".
"Because of due process followed (not going for procurement with 100 percent advance amount), the government doesn't stand to lose a single rupee," the Centre said.
As many as 82 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh, taking the tally to 1,955. The death toll has risen to 31, a health department official said.
The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 28,380 on Monday. According to Health Ministry figures, there are 21,132 active cases in the country, while 886 people have died. As many as 6,361 patients have been cured or discharged and one has migrated.
As many as 1,463 cases and 60 deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours. This is the highest death toll reported in 24 hours.
Nine new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Karnataka in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the state to 512, including 19 deaths and 193 patients being discharged. The number of active cases in the state stands at 299.
As many as 52 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Tamil Nadu on Monday, taking the total number of cases to 1,937 in the state, the state Health Department said.
Five out of the eight Northeastern states are completely coronavirus-free and the remaining three have not added any new COVID-19 positive case in the last few days, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Monday, reported PTI.
Singh, who is the minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), said this after a video conference with senior officers of the North Eastern Council (NEC), Shillong, as well representatives of different government bodies and PSUs.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that the Centre was making contradictory statements on enforcement of the lockdown, and wanted greater clarity on the recent union Home Ministry order on re-opening of shops.
Claiming that many states were not allowed to speak during prime minister Narendra Modi's video conference with chief ministers owing to the rotation system, Banerjee said given a chance she would have raised several questions, including the need to send central teams to Bengal.
As many as 13 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Dharavi area of Mumbai on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the locality to 288, including 14 deaths, the BMC was quoted by ANI as saying.
As many as 247 new cases and 11 deaths were reported in Gujarat on Monday, taking the COVID-19 tally in the state to 3,548 and death toll to 162.
Fourteen people, including eight healthcare workers, tested positive for COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Monday. The total cases in the district have risen to 129.
Nineteen more COVID-19 cases were reported in Bihar on Monday, taking the tally in the state to 345.
Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, the tally has risen to 546 after 23 fresh cases.
As many as 522 new positive cases and 27 deaths were reported in Maharashtra on Monday, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 8,590 and the death toll to 369.
Over 12,000 workers from Uttar Pradesh who were stranded in Haryana due to the coronavirus lockdown have been brought back to the state and are now being sent to their home districts, an official said on Monday, reported PTI.
Within Uttar Pradesh, the state government is preparing to send nearly 10,000 students stranded in Allahabad to their home districts in a phased manner.
Briefing reporters in Lucknow, Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Information) Awanish Awasthi also said quarantine centres which can hold 15,000 to 25,000 people are being set up in every district.
Citing the severe fiscal crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced freezing of additional instalment of Dearness Allowance for its employees and pensioners till July 2021 and suspended earned leave encashment for a year.
As many as 395 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Mumbai on Monday, taking the tally in the city to 5,589. Fifteen deaths were also reported on Monday, taking the death toll to 219.
The number of containment zones in Delhi rose to 99 on Monday, ANI reported.
The coronavirus cannot be eliminated and “we have to live with it” by taking adequate precautions to prevent the infection, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said in Amaravati on Monday, PTI reported.
In a televised address to people of the state, he said a vaccine for the virus might be developed only after a year or so and till then developing “herd immunity” was the only way to check the disease spread.
“Five more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Ranchi today. Twenty cases have been reported today, highest in a day. Total positive cases in Jharkhand touches 103,” said Health Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni, reported ANI.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday directed all schools, irrespective of the boards they are affiliated to, not to hike the fees for the academic session 2020-21 in the interest of the students and parents following the COVID-19 outbreak.
In a statement issued in Lucknow on Monday, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma also said if any school has charged hiked fee for the new session, the additional amount will be adjusted in the coming months.
As many as 81 people were discharged following recovery from COVID-19 as 52 tested positive for the contagion on Monday, including a one year old child, taking the aggregate number of cases in Tamil Nadu to 1,937, the government said, reported PTI.
Rajasthan government has decided to give Rs 50 lakh ex gratia compensation to the dependants of sanitation workers in case of death due to COVID-19 while discharging duties.
The kin of employees of autonomous bodies, boards and corporations of Rajasthan, who are on duty during novel coronavius pandemic, will also be given the ex gratia compensation of Rs 50 lakh in case of death, reported PTI.
The Centre on Monday, 27 April, allowed coronavirus patients with “very mild” symptoms and pre-symptomatic persons to self-sisolate at their homes if they have the necessary facilities.
The health ministry stated the patient should be clinically assigned as a “very mild case/pre-symptomatic case” by the medical officer, and that the family contacts should have quarantine facility. They should also ensure that a caregiver is available all the time.
“A communication link between the caregiver and hospital is a prerequisite for the entire duration of home isolation,” it added.
Coronavirus claimed one more life in Uttar Pradesh, taking the fatality count to 31 in the state, which inched closer to the 2,000-mark with 113 fresh cases on Monday.
The number of confirmed infection cases in the state is 1,986 now, Dr Vikasendu Agrawal, Joint Director, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, said in a statement.
The Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced returning 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China, hours after the ICMR asked states to stop using the COVID-19 rapid antibody kits procured from two companies in the Asian country to be sent back to the suppliers, PTI reported.
The government and opposition DMK clashed over the pricing of the kits, with the latter demanding “transparency” while the ruling dispensation asserted that the procurement was done based on rates fixed by the Centre.
Two AAP volunteers engaged in food distribution at Delhi government-run centres in Mehrauli tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, prompting the district administration to declare several localities in the city as containment zones, reported PTI.
A senior district official said the two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers, engaged by Mehrauli MLA Naresh Yadav, were involved in distributing food to thousands of people.
Three women doctors were among nine people who tested positive for COVID-19 in Chandigarh on Monday, pushing the number of cases to 45 in the union territory, according to a medical bulletin, according to PTI.
The doctors were working at the government medical college and hospital in Sector 32 where a ward attendant had earlier tested positive, the bulletin said.
“190 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Delhi today; taking the total number of positive cases to 3,108. Total death toll stands at 54 and 877 patients have recovered,” the Delhi government stated.
Assam has tested a total of 8,117 samples so far for COVID-19, of which 35 came out as positive, Health and Family Welfare Department said on Monday, reported PTI.
However, as per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the state has reported 36 confirmed cases.
“Frontline journalists have been bravely covering COVID-19 against all odds, risking their lives and they are our real heroes. Our government will cover each one of them with a life insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh,” said Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, ANI reported.
A staffer of the Supreme Court tested positive for coronavirus on Monday, triggering alarm bells in the highest court of the country.
The employee, working with the judicial section of the apex court, was on duty on April 16 and had come in contact with two apex court registrars, who have been advised self-quarantine as a precautionary measure, a source said, reported PTI.
Pune city in Maharashtra, which has reported a rapid spread of coronavirus infection, was on Monday notified as a containment zone till May 3 by the city municipal corporation.
In view of the order issued by Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad to this effect, police also extended the restrictions already imposed on residents, PTI reported.