Coronavirus live updates: PM Modi to address nation at 8pm today

Delhi govt to send its proposal on lockdown relaxation to Centre on Thursday: Arvind Kejriwal

13 deaths and 406 new positive cases were reported in Delhi in 24 hours till midnight yesterday, taking the total number of cases to 7639 and deaths to 86. 383 people have been cured/discharged taking the total number of recovered cases to 2512: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain

The doubling rate in Delhi is 11 days now. The doubling rate had once reached 3 or 4 days. If the doubling rate reaches 18, 20 or 25, then we will be more comfortable.

PM Modi to address nation at 8pm today

Andhra Pradesh reports 33 new Covid-19 cases as tally jumps to 2,051

Staffer corona positive, Air India HQ sealed for 2 days

Air India headquarters has been sealed in Delhi for two days beginning Tuesday morning after a staffer tested corona positive. The employee had attended office on Budh Poornima holiday last Thursday and his test report came on Monday evening, said an official. As per protocol officials say, the HQ is being sanitised and will then be sealed for two days.Last month, the same protocol was seen at the aviation ministry HQ at Delhi’s Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan. AI is at the forefront of the ongoing ambitious Vande Barat Mission under which lakhs of Indians stuck abroad will be flown home. In the first week-long phase, AI and AI Express together are operating 64 flights to 12 countries — six in Gulf and US, UK, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Bangladesh — for bringing back about 15,000 Indians home.

Over 45,533 tickets worth Rs 16.15 crore booked for special trains for next seven days; 82,317 passengers booked tickets: Rlys

23 new Covid-19 cases reported in Odisha, total count 437

Twenty-three people tested positive for Covid-19 in Odisha on Tuesday, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 437, a health department official said. Of the fresh cases, 15 were reported from Balasore, while three each from Ganjam and Jajpur districts and one each from Puri and Boudh, he added. With these new patients, the number of active coronavirus cases stands at 349 in Odisha, while 85 people have recovered from the disease. Three persons have died of the infection in the state. The health department tested 4,579 samples for coronavirus on Monday, the highest in a day, the official said. The total number of samples tested so far in Odisha is 68,057, he added.

2 students from Jamshedpur, who had returned from Kolkata, have tested Covid-19 positive. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 164: Jharkhand Health Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni

Glenmark begins phase 3 of clinical trials on antiviral Favipiravir for Covid-19 patients in India

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has initiated phase three of clinical trials in India on antiviral tablet Favipiravir, becoming the first company in the country to do so. It had obtained approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) in late April. Favipiravir is a generic version of Avigan of Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Co Ltd in Japan, a subsidiary of Fujifilm Corporation. "Clinical trials have commenced and over 10 leading government and private hospitals in India are being enrolled for the study. Glenmark estimates study completion by July or August," it said in a statement on Tuesday. Glenmark has successfully developed the active pharma ingredient (API) and the formulations for the product through its in-house R&D team. Favipiravir has demonstrated activity against influenza viruses and has been approved in Japan for the treatment of novel influenza virus infections. The molecule if commercialised will be marketed under the brand name FabiFlu in India.

Covid-19 lockdown: East Central Railway gears up for departure of first passenger train to New Delhi

The East Central Railway is geared up for the departure of the first passenger train to New Delhi, after a halt of nearly two months, from the state capital on Tuesday, officials said. Explaining the facilities and rules for passengers at the boarding station, Rajesh Kumar, CPRO, East Central Railway said, "The train is scheduled to depart from Rajendar Nagar station and will then take passengers from the Patna Junction for New Delhi. All passengers are requested to reach their boarding station at least 90 minutes before time, health screening of the passengers will be done at the stations." "An adequate number of medical teams will be deployed for health screening of passengers. Only people who do not have any symptoms of the disease will be allowed to board the train even if they have confirmed tickets," he added. He also said that usage of face masks and downloading the Aarogya Setu App, as advised by the Ministry of Railways earlier, is mandatory for all passengers.

82,317 passengers have booked tickets in special trains so far.

CISF official posted in Kolkata succumbs to coronavirus

A Central Industrial Security Force personnel posted in Kolkata has succumbed to coronavirus, taking the virus death toll in the force to three, officials said on Tuesday. This is the sixth death in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) or paramilitary forces, under the command of the Union home ministry, due to COVID-19 with two casualties in the Border Security Force and one in the Central Reserve Police Force. Assistant Sub Inspector Jharu Burman, 55, posted at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSEL) security unit in Kolkata succumbed to coronavirus on Monday, a senior official said. He was under treatment in a local hospital for sometime, he said. Earlier, a CISF ASI posted at the Indian Museum in Kolkata and a head constable rank official posted to guard the Mumbai international airport had died of Covid-19.

A German national who was stranded at the transit area of Delhi airport for the past 55 days due to lockdown, left India today early morning by KLM flight to Amsterdam. He tested negative for Covid-19 before boarding: ANI quoting sources

An Assistant Sub-inspector of CISF deployed in Kolkata lost his life last night due to Covid-19 infection: Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

Fourth Vande Bharat Evacuation flight Air India - AI 1839 from UK-DEL-HYD, landed at Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airporttoday, at 02:21 AM, with 331 passengers.

Covid-19 death toll rises to 2,293, no. of cases climbs to 70,756 in India: Union health ministry

Country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India resumes production at Manesar plant

The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Tuesday said it has resumed operations at its Manesar plant in Haryana after around 40 days of closure due to the coronavirus-led lockdown. Operations at both Manesar and Gurugram facilities were suspended since March 22. "Production has commenced at the Manesar plant and the first car would roll out today (Tuesday)," Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Chairman R C Bhargava told PTI. The facility has commenced operations on a single shift basis with up to 75 per cent employees allowed currently, he added. When asked about the timeline of full-swing operations, Bhargava said that would depend on government regulations like when two shifts would be allowed, when manpower could be increased and when supply chain would become fitter. “There are many variables involved." On restarting manufacturing activities at Gurugram facility, he said "it will start, but not yet".

Railways makes installing Aarogya Setu mobile app 'mandatory' for travel

The Indian Railways, which had on Monday "advised" the passengers availing the special trains that started operating on Tuesday to install the government's Aarogya Setu mobile application, has now made it "mandatory" to do so. While the guidelines issued by the railways for the 15 pairs of special trains running between Delhi and major cities of the country did not say installing the mobile app was mandatory, a late night (12:24 am) tweet by the railway ministry made it compulsory. "Indian Railways is going to start few passenger train services. It is mandatory for passengers to download Aarogya Setu app in their mobile phones, before commencing their journey," the tweet said. Sources said it was made mandatory after a Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) missive, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with chief ministers. Read more