Coronavirus Pandemic Live Updates: Centre Allows Return of Stranded Migrant Workers, Tourists, Students; 71 Deaths Reported in Last 24 Hours

Kerala government makes it mandatory for all to wear face masks in public places and work places from Thursday onwards. Those not following the order will be fined Rs 200 and a fine of Rs 5,000 will be imposed for repeated offence. Cloth masks, towels and handkerchiefs can also be used as face covers.

Currently, there are 7 active cases in Assam. Till date, 37 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 in the state. 10 persons including 7 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans have tested positive for Covid-19 in Delhi, says State Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir Dilbag Singh visits North Kashmir’s Baramulla district to take stock of the preparation and measures amid Covid-19 to contain the spread of the disease. He also reviews the security scenario of all districts of North Kashmir Range.

Chennai Corporation introduces additional Covid-19 disinfection electrostatic spray machines, jet engine spraying machine and tractor trailer spraying machines to intensify sanitisation in containment zones in the city.

Death Toll Crosses 1,000-mark: Health Min | With 1,813 new cases and 71 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of Covid-19 positive cases in the country rises to 31,787 including 22,982 active cases, 1,008 deaths, 7797 cured/discharged and 1 migrated, says Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

MHA Allows Movement of Stranded People | The Ministry of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issues an order allowing movement of migrant workers, tourists, students etc stranded at various places across the country amid Covid-19 lockdown. (Photo: ANI)

11 Test Positive in 24 Hrs in K'tka | 11 new Covid-19 positive cases have been reported from in the last 24 hours in Karnataka. Total number of Covid-19 cases rise to 534 in the state including 20 deaths and 215 discharges. One more death has occurred to due to non-Covid cause, says State Health Department.

Reports of 17 of 41 samples of pilgrims from Nanded (39) and Kota (2) are in, of which 6 have tested Covid-19 positive - 5 in Mohali and 1 in Ambala. One more positive case has been reported in Jawaharpur. Total number of positive cases in Mohali now stands at 73, says Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohali, Punjab.

10 New Cases in Kerala | 10 new Covid-19 cases have been reported in Kerala including 3 health workers and a journalist. Total active cases in the state now stands at 495, which includes 123 active cases, says CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

Testing Capacity to Increase to 1 Lakh Soon: Health Min | 288 government labs are working along with 97 private lab chains with around 16,000 sample collection centres and are testing around 60,000 samples per day. The Centre is working to increase testing capacity to 1 lakh tests per day within the next few days, says Dr Harsh Vardhan.

Only 0.33% patients are on ventilators, 1.5% patients are on oxygen support and 2.34% patients are in ICU, which reflects the quality of care being provided across the country, says Dr Harsh Vardhan.

Mortality Rate at 3%: Health Min | Since the last three days, the doubling rate in the country is 11.3 days. Although the global mortality rate is around 7%, India has a current mortality rate of around 3% and around 86% of fatality of persons with co-morbidity, says Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister.

IPS Superintendent of Police, North Goa, Utkrisht Prasoon says, from March 21, we have been strictly enforcing coronavirus lockdown on borders. Multiple departments are working on the border and we have indentified porous points. In case of motorable roads, we have put staff to stop movement. Multi-department teams are posted at Goa borders to ensure that there is no movement of people in and out of Goa, while at the same time ensuring that movement of essential goods is smooth.

33 New Cases in WB | 33 new cases have been reported in West Bengal taking the total number of active cases in the state to 550, says Rajiv Sinha, West Bengal Chief Secretary.

Large number of lives can be saved if the trials are successful. If it works, It will take at least 3 months to be available for Covid-19 treatment. But we will still need other medicines, says Dr Ram Vishwakarma, CSIR-IIIM Director.

Coronavirus can linger in a patient for one month so the third trial is on patients who have been cured/released for quarantine. It will be given to them as a vaccine so that they don't redevelop infection. So Sepsivac has vaccine as well as therapeutic role, says Dr. Ram Vishwakarma.

Clinical trial begins at PGIMER Chandigarh to position immunomodulator Sepsivac as a drug. Another trial is being conducted on asymptomatic Covid-19 patients. The drug will be administered to them as a vaccine, says Dr Ram Vishwakarma, coordinator of the trial program for the use of Sepsivac in Covid-19 treatment.

1 Tests Positive in Jharkhand | One more person tests positive for Covid-19 in Jharkhand's Jamtara district. The patient had returned from West Bengal. Total 2 cases reported in Jamtara so far and 106 cases in total in the state till date, says Nitin Madan Kulkarni, State Health Secretary.

55 more persons in all have been discharged from quarantine this past week in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The total number of persons discharged after successful quarantine in the district so far is now 1,985, says District Administration.

70-Yr-Old Dies in Nagpur | A 70-year-old man, who was admitted to Indira Gandhi Government Medical College & Hospital (IGGMCH) in Nagpur, Maharashtra on April 21 after testing positive for coronavirus, passed away today, says Dr Ajay Keoliya, Dean, IGGMCH

Rs 17,986 Transferred to Farmers Under PM-KISAN: Agri Min | Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar says, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) has benefited farmers immensely even during the Covid-19 crisis as the department of agriculture has transferred Rs 17,986 crore to farmers since March 24.

790 Beds Ready for Covid-19 Patients: WB CM | There were some who tried to spread rumours that there are no beds in hospitals of Kolkata to get admitted. There are still 790 beds ready for Covid-19 patients in the city, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

WB CM Announces Post-Lockdown Plan | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announces lockdown exit plan from Monday, May 4 onwards:
- Some economic activities and travel within green and orange zones will be permitted.
- There will be absolutely no relaxations in red zones. Complete embargo on activities will continue to remain in the containment zone areas. 
- No crowding before shops and on roads will be allowed.
- Small shops outside market complexes will be allowed to open in green zones.
- Private buses will be allowed to ply in green zones, provided passengers maintain social distancing norms inside the vehicles and not more than 20 passengers will be permitted to travel inside one vehicle at a time.
- Emergency taxi services will be allowed.
- Hawkers market, pavement shops will remain closed.
- Book shops, hardware, stationary, paint shops and laundry can remain open.
- Doctors will be allowed to open their chambers while strictly maintaining social distancing norms.
- Barber shops and salons will remain closed.
The West Bengal government will review the situation time to time and may reconsider the decisions if situations deteriorate. However, without specific directive from the Centre, the state government is unable to take a final call on opening up of shops and establishments post lockdown.

Around 2,400 migrant labourers in Telangana, who were working at construction sites in IIT Hyderabad, stage a protest, demanding they be sent back to their homes. Few of the labourers even pelt stones at police team deployed there, one cop receives injuries and police vehicle have also been damaged, says Sangareddy Rural Police.

Kota Students to Board Buses Back Home in Evening: West Bengal CM | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says about 2,500 to 3,000 students from Rajasthan's Kota will board buses today evening and will reach the state in a span of 3 days.

Intra-distict Movement in Assam to Continue Till May 2 | Assam government allows intra-district movement in the state to continue till May 2. At least 48,770 e-passes have been generated so far. About 1 lakh people, stranded across the state, have been helped through this initiative. As many as 20,371 people have availed ASTC buses facility to return to their home or workplace.

Icelandair Lays Off 2,000 Staff, Cuts Salaries to Survive | Icelandic airline Icelandair says, it will lay off about 2,000 of its staff as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact air travel "for the unforeseeable future." In response to the impact, Icelandair says, the company is preparing for an "extended period of minimum operations." READ MORE

UP Govt Allows Brick Klins to Operate in State, With Some Restrictions | To boost construction activities in the state, Uttar Pradesh government has decided to allow operations of brick klins and permit opening of shops related to construction materials. The State Home department writes to district magistrates, to allow such operations in non-hotspot rural areas.

UP Tally Reaches 2,115 | Total coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh now stands at 2,115 with 1,602 active cases so far

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth today ordered that the capacity of L1 (basic), L2 (those with oxygen facility) and L3 (those with ventilators) dedicated Covid-19 hospitals be expanded and arrangement be made for 52,000 more beds. The chief minister also ordered that testings be done on an extensive level. He has directed that pool testing should be done for those people who are coming from outside the state, says Awanish K Awasthi, State Additional Chief Secretary (Home).