The Delhi government allowed veterinary services and self-employed individuals such as electricians, plumbers and water purifier repairmen to work from today.
A week before the scheduled end date of the lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to at least six Chief Ministers for the fourth time since the COVID-19 outbreak on the exit strategy from the lockdown, among other things.
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:
COVID-19 deaths in Rajasthan cross 50
A 60-year-old male COVID-19 patient died in Kota today, taking the toll in Rajasthan to 51.The deceased had co-morbidity conditions of diabetes mellitus and acute myocardial infarction.
The State's tally of COVID-19 positive cases has increased to 2,328 with the detection of 66 cases today.
Of the total number of patients, 766 have recovered and 584 have been discharged from hospitals, a bulletin released by State's Medical & Health Department said. - Mohammed Iqbal
Six districts in Kerala are now ‘high-risk’
The Kerala government has declared Kottayam and Idukki as COVID-19 Red zones. Four panchayats in Kottayam have been declared as epidemic hotspots.
Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Thrissur, and Wayanad had been spared of new COVID-19 positive cases. The public could expect lockdown restrictions to be less stringent in these localities.
Beijing to shut coronavirus special hospital
Authorities in Beijing are set to close a COVID-19 special hospital after clearing all the cases even as China reported six new coronavirus infections and 40 fresh asymptomatic cases, health officials said on Tuesday.
The move to shut down the hospital comes after China’s coronavirus epicentre Wuhan recently closed 16 temporary hospitals and discharged its last patient on Sunday.
Xiaotangshan Hospital in Beijing, which was used in 2003 to quarantine SARS patients, cleared all COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and is scheduled to cease operation on Wednesday, official media reported. - PTI
Delhi lifts certain curbs
Veterinary services and self-employed individuals such as electricians, plumbers and water purifier repairmen can operate in the Capital from today.
An order lifting the curbs on services provided by them was issued by Chief Secretary Vijay Dev late on Monday evening.
The order also allowed the functioning of pathology labs, the operation of homes for the destitute and the mentally challenged as well as the physically differently-abled.
Veterinary doctors, nurses and personnel, the order said, were allowed to commute; it also stated that online or distance learning needed to be encouraged. - Jatin Anand
Villagers oppose cremation of women fearing COVID-19 spread
A group of people in Haryana's Chandpur village in Ambala opposed and attempted to disrupt cremation of an elderly women as they suspected the women died of COVID-19 and feared that cremation would spread the deadly coronavirus, the police said.
The Police said mild force was used to disperse the crowd, after they pelted stones on police personnel and members of health department and municipal committee at the cremation site in the village on Monday evening. - Vikas Vasudeva
BRICS Foreign Ministers expected to brainstorm joint response to COVID-19 today
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will join his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa on Tuesday, as the BRICS grouping goes into a major brainstorming session to forge a joint response to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by preparations for an economic recovery of the emerging economies and the Global South.
The ministerial videoconference hosted by Russia, the current rotating head of the BRICS, is also expected to crystal ball the post COVID-19 global order and the role of the emerging economies in shaping it. - Atul Aneja
Seven new cases detected in Odisha
Of the seven new cases, four were reported from Sundargarh and three from Bhadrak – taking the State’s total to 118, State Health Department said on Tuesday. - Prafulla Das
With one more COVID-19 positive case from Nalanda of a 27 year old female, total number in Bihar has gone up to 346. - Amarnath Tewary
Trump faults China for coronavirus' spread, says U.S. investigating
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that China could have stopped the coronavirus before it swept the globe and said his administration was conducting “serious investigations” into what happened.
“We're doing very serious investigations ... We are not happy with China,” Trump said at a White House news conference. ”There are a lot of ways you can hold them accountable.”
HAL allowed to resume work from Tuesday with fewer staff
The Ministry of Home Affairs has allowed Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) to resume manufacturing operations as an essential defence service from Tuesday (April 28), but with curtailed staff and under strict safety guidelines.
HAL halted work around a month back under a nationwide lockdown imposed to check the COVID-19 pandemic.
Odisha prepares low cost ‘aerosol box’ and ‘face shields’
Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) of Odisha’s Berhampur has prepared extreme low cost ‘aerosol box’ and ‘face shields’ for medical staff involved in treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Receiving information about it, Director General of Employment and Training (DGET) and Central ministry for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship has organised a video conference of different ITIs of the country on April 30, where Berhampur ITI will provide technical training for preparation of these much needed medical equipments to other ITIs for local production at their end, said principal of Berhampur ITI, Rajat Panigrahy.
4.86 lakh people register with Odisha govt. to return home
A whopping 4.86 lakh stranded migrant workers and other natives have registered with the Odisha government in 48 hours stating that they intend to return home.
The overwhelming response was received from people stuck outside after the government made registration mandatory for all returnees. Either prospective returnees or their family members can register online or filling of forms by person at panchayats for return.
Irresponsible to call Chinese test kits "faulty": Chinese Spokesperson
It is irresponsible to term Chinese products as "faulty", the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy said here early on Tuesday after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) asked states to stop using the rapid antibody test kits and return them to the manufacturers in China.