Covid-19 latest updates: India has nearly 27,000 cases at present, including 826 deaths. (Express photo/Amit Mehra)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Tracker India LIVE Updates LIVE: With India entering the last week of the 40-day lockdown imposed to stem the transmission of Covid-19, all eyes are now on the video conference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers that is expected to shape the broad contours of the roadmap ahead. The meeting is currently underway.
Following the video conference, Meghalaya Chief Minister tweeted that the state may extend the lockdown after May 3, with easing of restrictions in non-hotspot zones. At least nine chief ministers — Meghalaya, Mizoram, Puducherry, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Gujarat & Haryana — were asked to speak during the meet, while the rest had the option to send the Chief Secretary as the representative. Kerala CM Vijayan, who was represented by the chief secretary, had already sent suggestions to Home Minister Amit Shah.
The confirmed coronavirus cases in India on Monday neared the 28,000-mark with 872 deaths. Of the 27,892 cases, 20,835 are active, while 6185 are recoveries.
In China’s Wuhan — where the virus first broke out — local media says that they no longer have any COVID-19 patients. Seven weeks into Italy’s strict lockdown, Premier Giuseppe Conte announced that factories, construction sites and wholesale supply businesses can resume activity as soon as they put safety measures in place against the virus. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be back to work today. The official death toll from the virus topped 205,000 worldwide, with over 2.9 million reported infections
Vadodara ABVP workers took to art to urge residents to stay home to contain the spread of Covid-19. (Express photo/Bhupendra Rana)
Pakistan's coronavirus cases have climbed to 13,328 while the death toll from the pandemic has reached 281 with 12 more fatalities, the health ministry said on Monday. According to the Ministry of National Health Services, more than 3,000 people have recovered from the contagion.
President Dr Arif Alvi visited mosques in Bara Kahu area of Islamabad on Sunday night to check if the guidelines were being followed. He directed the mosque administrations to ensure the implementation of preventive measures, necessary to control the spread of COVID-19. The president and leading clerics signed a 20-point agreement to allow prayers in mosques on certain safety conditions.
Among those present at the virtual meet, included Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and top officials from the PMO and Union Health Ministry. The chief ministers who attended the meeting included Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra), E K Palaniswami (Tamil Nadu), Conard Sangma (Meghalaya) Trivendram Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand) and Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), news agency PTI reported
At least nine chief ministers are expected to speak at the meeting with the prime minister. The Chief Ministers of Bihar, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Puducherry are likely to speak today. From the northeast, the Chief Ministers of Meghalaya and Mizoram will speak. The other states have the options of assigning chief secretary or other ministries to attend the meet
In a video shared by Mumbai Press Club, the families of journalists welcomed them back with claps and cheers after they returned home. 57 journalists had tested positive in the city but many of them tested negative in the second test.
Following the video conference with PM Narendra Modi, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma said that the state is likely to continue with the lockdown post-May 3.
As Rajasthan prepares for the return of migrants stuck in other states due to the lockdown, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today appealed to the people of the state to extend all help and give moral support to those returning home after a very hard period. The Rajasthan government has deputed teams of senior officers to coordinate with other states on the return of migrants. "After much effort by state government, migrants of Rajasthan will soon be returning home from other states. These people suffered a lot during lockdown. Now when they return, it is our moral duty to take care of them, provide them all help regarding food, medicines and quarantine facilities," he tweeted. "My appeal to all is please give moral support to our brothers and sisters returning home after a very hard period. Following the culture of Rajasthan that we never leave our people in distress, take proper care of migrants," he added.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on COVID-19 lockdown today. As per sources quoted by news agency ANI, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan isn't present at the meeting and is instead represented by Kerala Chief Secretary. The state has given its suggestions in writing
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that his country is adding 14 more countries, including Russia, Peru and Saudi Arabia, to the entry ban list as the country steps up border control as the coronavirus infections continued to spread in the country. Japan has already banned entry from more than 70 other countries, banning foreigners with records of visiting those countries in the past two weeks, while invalidating visas for the rest of the world. The additional step on the 14 countries will take effect Wednesday, Abe said.
New Zealand reported five new coronavirus cases Monday as the nation got ready to ease the rules on a strict lockdown from midnight. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there hasn't been widespread community transmission of the virus and the country has so far managed to avoid the worst scenarios for an outbreak. She said it would continue to hunt down the last few cases. From midnight, certain businesses such as construction will be allowed to reopen, but social distancing rules will still apply. Ardern said the nation was opening up the economy, but not people's social lives
The meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers has begun. This is his fourth such meeting with state CMs since March 22 when he first spoke with them before announcing a nationwide lockdown on March 24. State government sources in Maharashtra said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to demand arrangement of special trains to transport migrant workers to their home states. They said the state has initiated preliminary preparations for transportation of migrants by buses if trains were not permitted. While Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani is likely to present the way forward for his state after May 3, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh is expected to reiterate his demand for a special financial package, and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is likely to demand the release of past dues to the state and seek additional testing kits.
Billionaire Bill Gates is funding production of the seven most promising ideas for a vaccine as he refocuses his philanthropic work on the deadly coronavirus. “If everything went perfectly, we’d be in scale manufacturing within a year,” Gates said on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS.” “It could be as long as two years.” The world’s second-richest man said vaccine production will probably not start in September, as some have said.
The official death toll from the virus topped 205,000 worldwide, with over 2.9 million reported infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Italy, Britain, Spain and France accounted for more than 20,000 deaths each, the U.S. for about 55,000.
Experienced ultra-runner Dmitry Yakukhny had planned to run the 250-kilometer (155-mile) Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert this month, but instead found himself stuck at home after the race was postponed to September because of the coronavirus pandemic. So instead he ran circles around his bed for more than 10 hours in an effort to replicate the race. “My head started spinning and my leg was aching on one side, so every 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) I changed the direction I was running,” Yakukhny told The Associated Press.
Four key demands are likely to be made by states in the Monday meeting: special trains to transport migrant workers to their home states, permission to allow more economic activities in non-hotspots, financial resources to support small businesses and the vulnerable, and additional testing kits, ventilators and personal protective equipment.
Ahmedabad recorded 19 deaths on a single day to cross the 100-figure mark. Ahmedabad now has reported 105 deaths of people who have tested positive for novel Coronavirus. Only Mumbai, which has recorded 204 deaths till now, has more fatalities. Incidentally, more than 60 per cent of Ahmedabad deaths have come in the last one week. Since April 20, the city has reported as many as 67 deaths, that is more than the number in Mumbai during the same period. Read more
The confirmed coronavirus cases in India on Monday neared the 28,000-mark with 872 deaths. Of the 27,892 cases, 20,835 are active, while 6185 are recoveries.
The Assam government brought back 391 students from Kota to Guwahati in the wee hours of Monday. The students who reached Assam in a fleet of 17 buses will be put in quarantine for two-weeks at the Sarusajai Sports Complex. Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was there to pick them up, had earlier said that the students had paid for the bus fares themselves. Read what the students left in Kota have to say
The Finance Ministry has rejected a report by the Indian Revenue Services (IRS) officers suggesting the government to hike income tax rates to 40 per cent for those earning an annual income of over Rs 1 crore for a limited time period and imposing a Covid-relief cess of 4% on taxable income over Rs 10 lakh. Among other measures, the report suggested bringing back inheritance tax to reduce concentration of wealth, widen tax base and enhance revenue. The report has been prepared by a group of 50 young IRS officials, with the senior-most official in the group being from the 2014 batch. The ministry said the report was "ill-conceived" and the officers will have to explain their “misconduct”. Read more, here
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Good morning. Welcome to The Indian Express live blog on Coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with the chief ministers today to discuss the post-lockdown strategy. Cases in India are near to 27,000-mark. Globally, there are over 2.9 million infections. Follow this space to track the latest developments in India and across the globe