Coronavirus LIVE Updates: One More Minister from Maharashtra Cabinet Tests +ve; Flight Ops to Resume in Tamil Nadu from Tomorrow

7 New Cases in Jharkhand | Seven new Covid-19 cases have been recorded in Jharkhand, taking the total number of cases in the state to 370, says State Health Secretary, Nitin Madan Kulkarni.

Maha Cabinet Minister Tests Positive |  Another minister from the Maharashtra Cabinet tests positive for coronavirus.

Migrant workers line up to board trains to their home states as others sleep, at Hyderabad Railway Station. (AP Photo)

Manipur Case Count | Three persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Manipur, taking the total number of active cases in the state to 28, officials said on Sunday. Of the three new cases, one is an 18-year-old male hailing from Churachandpur district, another is 32-year-old man from Jiribam district and 25-year-old female from Thoubal district, the officials said.

It has been a long day of hard negotiations with various state govts to recommence civil aviation operations in the country: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

It has been a long day of hard negotiations with various state govts to recommence civil aviation operations in the country.

Except Andhra Pradesh which will start on 26/5 & West Bengal on 28/5, domestic flights will recommence across the country from tomorrow.

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 24, 2020

Kerala Govt Issues Guidelines for Air Travellers | The Kerala government has issued guidelines for air travellers to the state, including 14-day home quarantine from the date of arrival. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier said that those who reach the state in flights for any urgent "business meets" would require to travel back within a day or two and the state will not insist such persons to not undergo the strict quarantine of 14 days.

Flight Operations to Resume in Tamil Nadu | Flight operations will resume in Tamil Nadu from May 25, and incoming flights will be restricted to 25 flights per day. Flights to Coimbatore, Trichy and Madurai can be operated. Due to a high case load, flights from Gujarat, Maharashtra to be kept at minimum.

West Bengal Case Count | The number of novel coronavirus infections in West Bengal rose by the highest margin of 208 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 3,667, the Health Department said. Three people -- two in Kolkata and one in Howrah -- have succumbed to the coronavirus disease, raising the death toll due to the pandemic to 200, the department said.

An exile Tibetan Buddhist monk uses a digital probe thermometer to measure the body temperature of an elderly exile Tibetan woman at a street in Dharmsala. The monk has been walking around the town for the past one week checking people's temperature as part of community service amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo)

BMC Writes to Kerala Govt for 50 Docs, 100 Nurses | BMC writes to Kerala government for 50 doctors and 100 nurses on temporary basis for its Mahalaxmi COVID-19 jumbo faciltiy. The BMC says this is a formality after Kerala offered to send medical staff, and wanted an official letter for the same. The Maharashtra government says that the state has enough medical staff, but since it was offered help, it has taken it.

Telangana Case Count | 41 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Telangana today, taking the total number of cases to 1,854. Death toll rises to 53 after 4 deaths were reported today. Active cases stand at 709: Director of Public Health & Family Welfare, Telangana Govt

Andhra Pradesh Issues Guidelines for Flight Passengers | All the passengers will have to go through quarantine procedure. Only home quarantine under discussion. But for now passengers will have to go to paid or government quarantine.

Dharavi Case Count | 27 new COVID-19 positive cases & 2 death reported in Mumbai's Dharavi area today. Total positive cases in Dharavi increase to 1,541: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

3,000+ New Cases in Maharashtra | 3,041 new COVID-19 cases and 58 deaths reported today, taking the total number of cases to 50,231, of which 33,988 are active cases. Death toll stands at 1,635. Total 1,196 people recovered and discharged today, 14,600 patients have been discharged till date: Maharashtra Health Department

MHA Issues SOPs for Indians Stranded Abroad | Ministry of Home Affairs issues fresh Standard Operating Procedures for the movement of Indian nationals stranded outside the country and of specified persons to travel abroad.

Flights to Restart Under UDAN Scheme |

A decision to restart flights under UDAN Scheme has been taken by @MoCA_GoI.
Preference being given to flights connecting North-East region, hill states, islands & short haul routes.
Flights will be augmented in a calibrated manner. Further details will be issued by the ministry.

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 24, 2020

Delhi's SOP for Returning Flight Passengers | 

-No mandatory institutional or home quarantine for asymptomatic passengers. 

-Only those with symptoms would need isolation

-Asymptomatic passengers can go home, self monitor their health

-Call Helpline numbers if they develop symptoms

-Moderate to severely symptomatic persons will will taken to covid care centres

-Those with mild symptoms, will be given the option of being taken to covid care centres or home quarantine.

Assam's Exemptions in Quarantine for Flight Passengers |

-Pilots and crew members will not be subjected to quarantine - home or institutional

-If anybody comes to Guwahati for less than 24 hours - arrive in the morning and return by evening won’t be subjected to Quarantine. If they don’t return as declared, they will face criminal charges.

-Those travelling on government duty including defence ops will be free from quarantine, but they will have to seek approval from Health Dept and submit a declaration, and must confine themselves in guest houses.

-Any senior citizen above 75 years, Pregnant women, physically disabled, passengers visiting family members in hospitals, those below 10 years along with parents will be stamped for home quarantined. 

-Those returning from abroad -who have already completed quarantine in another state upon landing do not require to go for repeat institutional quarantine

25 Flights to Take off and Land in Mumbai Daily | Maharashtra government has agreed to allow 25 take offs and 25 landings everyday for domestic flights from Mumbai. This number will be increased gradually. State govt will issue details and guidelines in this regard soon.

Major Airport Directors have been asked to attend a meeting with MoCA today where they'll give a presentation on the preparedness of airports before resumption of domestic flights tomorrow. Directors will also be briefing Ministry about protocols laid by the respective State/UTs.

Uttarakhand Issues SOP for Domestic Flight Passengers | Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority issues Standard Operating Procedures for passengers of domestic flights. They will be kept in institutional quarantine for the time period specified by the state government unless they show symptoms which require quarantine in medical facilities. 

Tamil Nadu Case Count | 765 new COVID-19 cases and eight deaths reported in Tamil Nadu today; the total number of positive cases in the state now stands at 16,277, of which 7,839 are active cases. Death toll now stands at 111: Tamil Nadu Health Department.

China Could Have Set GDP Growth Goal around 6% | Chinese President Xi Jinping said China's annual economic growth target could have been set around 6% had the new coronavirus epidemic not happened. The Chinese government on Friday omitted a GDP growth target for 2020 in its yearly work report unveiled at the start of the annual meeting of parliament, citing uncertainties brought on by the epidemic.

Co-passengers Help Woman Deliver Baby On-board Shramik Special Train | A woman on-board a Lucknow-bound ‘Shramik Special’ trainfrom Bengaluru delivered a baby during her two-day journey back home. "While on-board the woman, named Sangeeta, had contractions and went into labour. As there was no doctor on the train, the other women in the group acted as midwives and helped her deliver a baby girl," an  officer said. Read Stacy Pereira's report here

Karnataka Casee Count | 130 new positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Karnataka from 5pm yesterday till 5pm today, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 2,089, including 1,391 active cases and 654 discharges: Karnataka Health Department

Hotels Should Open With Some Conditions: Karnataka Minister | Resumption of domestic flights will generate a requirement for hotels in order to facilitate the stay for travellers. Hence hotels should reopen with some conditions. We have also planned to begin the tourism industry step by step: Karnataka Tourism Minister C T Ravi

Cancer Patient Dies of COVID-19 in Kerala | A 53-year old woman cancer patient died, days after she tested positive for COVID-19 on her return from Dubai, taking the toll due to the deadly virus in Kerala to five, a top official said. The condition of the woman had been critical since arrival on May 20 and she was on ventilator support and the end came this afternoon at the Government Medical College Hospital here, health department sources said.

Tripura Schools to Resume from June 15 | Tripura is planning to open schools from June 1 and resume classes from June 15. Before start academic sessions start all schools would be sanitized properly and supply of drinking water would be ensured. "We would also announce their results before resuming the classes," education minister Ratan Lal Nath.

Kerala Case Count | Number of active cases of COVID-19 rises to 322 in Kerala, with 53 more people testing positive today: Kerala Health Department

Locdown Acted as Social Vaccine: Harsh Vardhan | If doubling rate in India before lockdown was between 3.4 days, today the doubling rate is more than 13-days. Lockdown and all its guidelines have acted as potent social vaccine: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan