Maharashtra recorded the sharpest rise in the COVID-19 mortality on Tuesday with 97 deaths pushing the toll to 1,792. The State also recorded 2,091 cases taking the tally to 54,758.

While the highest — 39 deaths — were reported from Mumbai, which remains the epicentre of the outbreak, 15 deaths were reported from Thane, 10 from the Kalyan Dombivali region, five from Mira Bhayandar and three from Ulhasnagar. Pune recorded eight deaths, Solapur seven, Aurangabad five, Malegaon recorded three and Nagpur and Ratnagiri recorded one each.

Here is a list of State Helpline numbers. You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here.

Here are the latest updates:

Class 10 and 12 students who moved States can take board exams there

The Union HRD Minister said on Wednesday that Class X, XII students who have moved to different States or districts during lockdown can appear for pending Board exams there.

Social distancing norms of 6 ft insufficient, virus can travel nearly 20 ft: Study

Scientists have modelled the spread of infectious droplets from coughing, sneezing, and breathing under different atmospheric conditions, and found that the novel coronavirus can spread up to three times further in cold and humid weather.

According to the researchers, including those from the University of California (UC) Santa Barbara in the US, droplets carrying the virus can travel up to 20 feet, making the current social distancing norms of six feet insufficient to contain its spread.

Based on previous research, they said as many as 40,000 respiratory droplets can be generated by sneezing, coughing, and even normal talking, with initial speeds ranging from a few metres per second to more than a hundred meters per second.

- PTI

5 new cases in Nagaland

Nagaland reported five more COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the total number of people afflicted with coronavirus in the state to nine, state Health
Minister S Pangnyu Phom said.

All of these nine people who tested positive for COVID-19 returned to the state from Chennai on May 22 by a Shramik Special train.

The train brought back 1,328 residents of the state who were stranded in different parts of Tamil Nadu due to the lockdown imposed to check the spread of the virus.

Five returnees from Chennai tested COVID-19 positive  this morning. Four are from Dimapur and one from Kohima. With this, we have nine cases in Nagaland," the minister for health and family welfare said in a tweet.

The COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Dimapur and Kohima districts, he said.

- PTI

Video of baby tugging at sheet covering dead mother at railway station goes viral

Amid several videos highlighting the woes of migrant workers returning to Bihar, a video that has gone viral on social media shows a baby tugging at a sheet of cloth covering her dead mother at a railway station.

The body of the woman is lying on the platform, while two bags stuffed with her belongings are at a distance. The half-naked baby, seemingly unaware of the death of his mother, is seen plying with the sheet partly covering his motionless mother. An elder child with a water bottle in hand too appears for a moment in the video.

The heart-wrenching video is said to be shot at Muzaffarpur railway station in Bihar. No railway official has confirmed it.

However, a local journalist in Muzaffarpur told The Hindu that the woman with her two little children came to the station by a Shramik Special train on May 25 from Gujarat and upon reaching the station, she collapsed immediately.

The woman is said to have boarded the train in Gujarat on May 23.

6-year-old girl dies of snake bite at quarantine centre

A six-year-old girl died of snake bite at a quarantine centre in the district following which three persons have been booked, a senior official said.

The girl was sleeping along with her family on the floor at the quarantine centre for want of beds when the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, Nainital District Magistrate, Savin Bansal, said.

The girl was taken to the community health centre at Betalghat where she was declared dead, he said.

A vacant school building converted into a quarantine centre in Talli Sethi area of Betalghat is the place where the incident took place.

Sub-inspector (revenue) Rajpal Singh, village development officer Umesh Joshi and assistant teacher Karan Singh have been booked under various sections of the IPC including 304 A (causing death by negligence) in connection with the incident, the DM said.

According to the inmates at the quarantine facility, the family had complained to Rajpal about the risk of snake bite with thick bushes surrounding the centre but he allegedly did not respond.

The family had been quarantined at the school building on its return from Delhi recently.�

People lodged in quarantine centres in hilly areas have been complaining about dirty washrooms and shortage of water supply.

The death of the girl was a result of this mismanagement, other inmates at the centre charged.

- PTI

A Central Public Works Department employee working in the office of an Additional Director General of CPWD in Nirman Bhavan tested positive for COVID-19 on May 22. He was tested after his status on the Aarogya Setu app changed to red on May 18. - Damini Nath

Tokens for free June rations to be distributed from May 29

Tokens for free supply of essential rations for family card holders in Tamil Nadu for June, will be distributed at doorsteps between May 29 and 31.

In a an official release on Wednesday, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said the tokens would bear the specific date and time of when consumers could go to their ration shops and get their supplies from June 1. He urged consumers to follow physical distancing norms and wear face masks while getting their supplies.

All ration card holders in Tamil Nadu would be given essential supplies -- 1 kg of rice, 1 kg of tur dal, 1 litre of edible oil, free of cost for June. Rice card holders would get additional supply, besides the regular supply, he said.

Four patients test positive even after 14 days of isolation, treatment

The Hassan district administration is worried as four patients, who were found positive to the COVID-19 infection on May 12, remained infected even 12 days after they were hospitalised.

Five people, who had returned from Mumbai, were shifted to hospital and treatment began. They were all asymptomatic. Among them, four have tested positive again, showing no sign of recovery. As per the protocol for treatment, if the two samples taken in a gap of 24 hours after 12 days of isolation tested negative they could be discharged.

All passengers of Alliance Air’s Delhi-Ludhiana flight quarantined after one tests positive for COVID-19

Air India on Wednesday said a passenger who was onboard an Alliance Air flight from the national capital to Ludhiana has tested positive for coronavirus and a total of 41 people, including five crew members, have been quarantined.

Alliance Air, which operates regional flights, is part of Air India.

“A passenger travelling on AI9I837 Delhi-Ludhiana flight of May 25 was found COVID positive on May 26. All the pax (passengers) of this flight are now under quarantine,” an Air India spokesperson said. There were 36 passengers and five crew members in the flight.

Adviser to J&K Lt. Governor quarantined after his family tests positive

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday re-allocated the portfolios of R.R. Bhatnagar, adviser to Lt. Governor Girish Chandra Murmu, after his family members tested positive for novel coronavirus.

A government spokesman said the Lt. Governor assigned to adviser K. K. Sharma all duties and functions of the departments allocated to Mr. Bhatnagar, who is under quarantine.

Mr. Bhatnagar was placed under quarantine after his wife and son tested positive for the infection upon their return from New Delhi to Jammu on Sunday. - Peerzada Ashiq

Arunachal govt equipped to handle possible spike in COVID-19 cases: Khandu

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday said the state government is fully equipped to handle a possible spike in COVID-19 cases as more people return from other states.

Mr. Khandu, in a video message, said his government has put in place a robust mechanism with all the standard operating procedures (SoPs) to prevent the spread of the virus.

“I request people not to panic even if there is a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Arunachal in the future. I assure that the state government is well prepared and equipped to handle any situation with regard to the virus,” he said.

Liquor sales in Kerala likely from Thursday

The Kerala government is all set to resume the sale of legal alcohol from Thursday.

It hopes to restrict people from queuing up at liquor shops by deploying a mobile phone application, Bev Q. The software enables customers to place their order in advance by mobile and collect the parcels from liquor stores at a predetermined time.

Another death in Karnataka

One more death and 122 coronavirus cases were reported in the State on Wednesday morning, taking the total number of cases to 2,405. This includes 45 COVID-19 deaths, one non-COVID death and 762 discharges.

A 69-year-female patient, resident of Yadgir district and returnee from Maharashtra, was brought dead to the designated hospital in Yadgir on May 20 and she tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday night. The information was released on Wednesday morning.

Of the 122 cases, 109 are returnees from Maharashtra. Kalaburagi, with 28 new cases, reported the highest number of cases on Wednesday. All of them are Maharashtra returnees.

Delhi sees biggest single day jump of cases

792 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 15,257, according to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Wednesday.

This is the biggest single-day jump in the number of cases in the city so far.

Also, 15 more deaths have been reported, taking the total number of deaths to 303. But all the deaths did not happen in the past 24 hours.

Of the 15,257 cases, 7,264 people have recovered and there are 7,690 active cases. - Nikhil M. Babu

38 more COVID-19 positive cases in Bihar take the total number to 3006 in the State The cases were reported from Saran, Begusarai, Vaishali, Araria, Madhepura, Kishanganj and Saharsha districts. - Amarnath Tewary

'COVID negative' certificate

Goa has made changes to its Standard operating Procedure on people entering the State.

All those arriving in the State must carry a COVID negative certificate or will have to undergo COVID-19 test by paying Rs. 2000 upon arrival in Goa.

There will be no home quarantine option as available before. If positive, the patient will have to get admitted to COVID hospital.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the decision was taken at the cabinet meeting.

23 new COVID-19 cases in Tripura, total rises to 232

Twenty-three more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura, taking the total number of cases in the state to 232.

The number of active cases stands at 65 while 165 people have recovered and have been discharged and two have migrated to other states.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said, among the new cases, 18 people have come from Maharashtra by train.

New cases in Pondy

Nine COVID-19 cases, including four from Villupuram in Tamil Nadu, were reported in Puducherry on Wednesday.

The five cases in Puducherry were from Solai Nagar, Muthialpet and Reddiarpalayam.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stand at 39 in the UT. The cumulative total aggregates 51, with 12 cured. - Dinesh Verma

One more Head Constable, posted with a police station in central Mumbai, was lost to the COVID-19, taking the death toll to 19 in Mumbai. - Gautam Mengle

Health Ministry issues guidance note on provision of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health Plus Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) services during and post COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry has stated services related to pregnancy care management, newborn care & childhood illness management, immunisation services, management of severe acute malnutrition in children, family planning services, comprehensive abortion care services and adolescent health services as essential.

West Bengal govt to run buses on 40 routes

The West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) has decided to run buses on 40 routes from Wednesday, as more government and private offices start functioning amid the coronavirus lockdown.

The buses, including air-conditioned ones, would run on various routes across the city as well as in the suburbs and districts from 7 am to 7 pm.

State government buses will also ply on some routes to and from Nadia, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts.

Karnataka to open temples from June 1

After a closure of more than two months, all Muzrai temples in Karnataka are set to reopen from June 1, after the scheduled end of Lockdown 4.0.

Devotees will be allowed inside temples but social distancing norms are to be followed. Festivals and programmes will not be allowed.

The Chief Minister also launched online booking of puja services offered at 50 ‘A’ grade temples. Some temples have made arrangements for live streaming of pujas and other rituals and delivery of ‘prasada’ and ‘theertha’ to devotees through India Post.

COVID-19 here to stay till 2021, Health expert tells Rahul Gandhi

Global health experts on Wednesday said novel coronavirus is here to stay for more than a year and called for aggressive testing to prevent its spread.

In an interaction with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, health experts Professor Ashish Jha and Professor Johan Giesecke talked about the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the series being aired on Congress social media channels.

While Jha exuded confidence that a vaccine will be available in a year’s time, Prof Giesecke said India should practice a lockdown that is as ‘soft’ as possible, as a severe lockdown will ruin its economy very quickly.

Two more COVID-19 deaths in Rajasthan

Rajasthan on Wednesday recorded two COVID-19 deaths and 109 new cases of the virus. The number of cases in the state now stands at 7,645 and fatalities at 172.

Of the 109 fresh cases, Jhalawar recorded 64 cases followed by 16 in Kota, 12 in Nagaur, six each in Jaipur and Bharatpur, two in Jhunjhunu and one each in Bikaner and Dausa, officials said.

A total of 3,773 people have been discharged. There are 3,180 active cases in the State.

One staffer, 10 inmates in Rohini jail recover

One staffer and 10 inmates of Rohini jail recovered from COVID-19, said prison officials on Tuesday.

Earlier, 16 inmates and four staff members of the same prison had tested COVID-19 positive, they said.

DG(Prison) Sandeep Goel said Head Warder of central jail number 10 had tested positive for the virus on May 15. “He was asymptomatic and had been kept in government quarantine facility in Sonipat. He has recovered,” Mr Goel said, adding that doctors have recommended him seven-day rest.

74 cases detected in quarantine centres

76 more COVID-19 positive cases were detected in Odisha pushing the State’s total to 1593 on Wednesday. While 74 of the new cases were detected in quarantine centres, two were from the local community, say Health Department officials.

The number of active cases stood at 853, while 733 were discharged. The death toll remained seven. - Prafulla Das

Antiviral drug sought for Cabinet minister who has tested positive

A State Cabinet minister and senior Congress leader, who has tested positive for COVID-19, is likely to be the third VIP to get the antiviral drug remdesivir.

The minister, who has many co-morbidities, was shifted to Breach Candy Hospital on Monday from his home town.

Two IAS officers — one admitted to Breach Candy and the other at Lilavati — have already received the drug.

5 more test positive in Meghalaya

Five more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya, taking the total number of active cases in the state to seven, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said on Wednesday.

All the five who tested positive for COVID-19 had returned from Delhi and Haryana recently.

“Five more people who came recently from Delhi-Haryana have been tested positive for COVID19. They are at Corona Care Centre, Shillong and asymptomatic. Total active cases in the state as of now is 7 (2+5),” the Chief Minister tweeted.

With the five new cases, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Meghalaya increased to 20. Twelve persons have recovered from coronavirus while one person had died.

- PTI

China reports 1 new mainland COVID-19 cases vs 7 a day earlier

China reported 1 new confirmed coronavirus case in the mainland as of end-May 26, up from 7 a day earlier, the National Health Commission reported.

It also reported 28 new asymptomatic cases - patients who are infected but do not show symptoms - versus 29 a day earlier.

The new confirmed case was an imported one. The 7 reported a day earlier were also all imported.

The total number of cases to date in the mainland stands at 82,993. The death toll remains unchanged at 4,634.

- Reuters

Hong Kong high school students go back to class

Hong Kong public high school students began attending classes on Wednesday, part of a phased reopening after the financial hub successfully tackled its coronavirus outbreak. Hundreds of secondary schools opened their doors on Wednesday for senior students, the first classes in the state sector since late January.

Younger students will return in stages over the coming weeks, while fee-paying international schools have already restarted classes.

Manipur tally goes up to 41 after two more test positive

The number of persons infected by COVID-19 in Manipur has gone up to 41, with two more persons testing positive, according to official sources on Wednesday morning.

Khoirom Shashikanta, additional health director who is also the government spokesperson, said that out of the 41 cases as many as 37 are active. Four persons had fully recovered.

Brazil daily virus deaths again top 1,000

Brazil reported the highest daily COVID-19 death toll in the world Tuesday with 1,039 people killed, the fifth straight day the country has topped the list.

Latin America's largest country, which has emerged as a new epicenter in the coronavirus pandemic, has seen its daily death toll surge past that of the United States, the hardest-hit country so far.

Four pregnant women among 91 persons tested positive in J&K

At least 91 people were detected with the novel coronavirus infection in J&K on Tuesday, including four pregnant women, taking the total to 1,759 in the Union Territory. One person died due to the infection in the past 24 hours.

“Fifty four cases were detected from the Jammu division and 37 from the Kashmir division. Besides, 24 people have died — 21 in Kashmir division and three in Jammu division. At least, 650 recoveries were also reported,” a government spokesman said.

Palakkad records biggest single day surge with 30 patients

A dizzying number of 30 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the district on Tuesday, the biggest number on a single day since the novel coronavirus was first reported in the last week of March in Palakkad.

While 28 of them had come back from other States and abroad, two were found to be their primary contacts. District and health authorities said that there was a clear pattern in the rise in COVID-19 cases in the district.