Temples reopened on Monday after over two months (Express photo/Amit Mehra)
Coronavirus India News Live Updates: India recorded a daily jump of over 9,000 for the fifth straight day, taking the number of total infections to 2,56,611. Of the 2.56 lakh cases, 1,25,381 are active cases, while 1,24,094 patients have been discharged. The death toll crossed the 7,000-mark to stand at 7135. Maharashtra, which is the worst affected state in the country, has now more cases than China. Maharashtra has 85,975 cases compared to China’s 84,191 cases.
Amid the surge in cases, India is about to open the doors of public places like malls and places of religious significance today. Besides coming up with their lists of dos and don’ts for the people, authorities have ensured that premises of religious places, restaurants and malls have been cleaned and provisions for adherence to social distancing and other protocols been made. Malls, hotels, and restaurants; places of worship; schools and colleges, all have been allowed to open in a phased manner over the next couple of months.
Globally, there are 7 million cases with 4 lakh death. India is the fifth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, only the US, Brazil, Russia and the UK are ahead of it.
A priest cleans temple bells in Lucknow on Sunday. (Express photo/Vishal Srivastava)
In mid-march, as Randy Juan Muller, a Ghanian footballer playing Kerala’s popular seven-a-side circuit, prepared to leave Thrissur for Mumbai by train to take the flight home, he appeared tense. “Maybe, it was the fear of travelling during the pandemic. We consoled him, saying he would reach home soon. He said goodbye with the promise of meeting next year and becoming famous,” recalls Faizal, the goalkeeper of Muller’s club ORPC Kechery.
It’s been over two months and Faizal hasn’t reached home, but he is already under the spotlight. With help from Mumbai Police, CISF and the airport authority, the 24-year-old made a park outside the terminal his home for 73 days — until two days ago, when Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray, and later the Ghana Embassy, intervened and he was moved to a suburban hotel. “They have promised to put me on the first flight home. Home is closer now,” he says.
The Coronavirus pandemic has brought economic activity across the country to a near halt. Having taken over as the president of industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) last week, Uday Kotak, MD, Kotak Mahindra Bank told The Indian Express that he believes that India needs to be competitive and engaged with the world and government intervention is only justified in cases of unfair competition. He also said that there is an opportunity to rebalance rural and urban and that the state needs to work towards the aspect of providing a social security net to not only migrants but also businesses across the board. Read the excerpts from interview, here
Forum mall in Koramangala, Bengaluru reopened today after over two months of lockdown. Disinfectant tunnels, thermal scanners and sanitiser dispensers have been placed at the entry gates. “Those visiting the mall should wear masks and have the Aarogya Setu application installed on their mobile phones,” mall officials.
Pakistan's number of coronavirus cases has surpassed the 100,000-mark after 4,728 new infections were identified in the last 24 hours, while the death toll reached 2,067 with 65 fresh fatalities, health officials said on Monday. Out of the total 103,671 cases, Punjab has registered 38,903, Sindh 38,108, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 13,487, Balochistan 6,516, Islamabad 5,329, Gilgit-Baltistan 932 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 396 cases, the Ministry of National Health Services reported. So far, 34,355 patients have fully recovered. (PTI)
Private offices in Mumbai are set to reopen on Monday with 10 per cent strength, if required, with the remaining employees working from home, as part of the Maharashtra government’s ‘Mission Begin Again’. Mumbai Traffic Police have prepared for a surge in vehicular traffic on roads considering the state’s phased easing of the lockdown. Several offices have adopted a wait-and-watch approach before allowing employees to function, even as some offices in the business districts of Bandra Kurla Complex and Nariman Point spruced up their premises for the limited opening.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday she was confident New Zealand has halted the spread of the coronavirus after the last known infected person in the country recovered. It has been 17 days since the last new case was reported, while 40,000 have been tested in that time. And Monday also marked the first time since late February that there have been no active cases. “We almost certainly will see cases here again, and that is not a sign that we have failed, it is a reality of this virus. But if and when that occurs we have to make sure and we are, that we are prepared," the PM said.
Delhi borders, which were sealed last week, were opened for inter-state movement from today. With rising coronavirus figures in the city, the chief minister had last week sealed its borders, restricting the inter-state movement of non-Delhi residents while permitting only the operation of essential services.
In the last two weeks, 79 government doctors have tested positive for COVID in Hyderabad, said a Resident Doctors Association. Healthcare workers at top government medical colleges and hospitals blame the government for exposing them to the coronavirus by not testing enough.
Telangana government’s daily bulletins do not talk about the samples tested on the day or to date. The total number of COVID cases from Telangana stood at 3496 as of Sunday.
“Telangana High Court has directed the state government to submit testing figures but it has not done so far. We will file a contempt petition against the Telangana Government. As the state has not conducted enough tests it is not revealing the figures,” said Professor P L Vishweshwara Rao who filed a petition seeking testing figures.
India recorded a daily jump of over 9,000 for the fifth straight day, taking the number of total infections to 2,56,611. Of the 2.56 lakh cases, 1,25,381 are active cases, while 1,24,094 patients have been discharged. The death toll crossed the 7,000-mark to stand at 7135. Maharashtra, which is the worst affected state in the country, has now more cases than China. Maharashtra has 85,975 cases compared to China’s 84,191 cases.
Actor Sonu Sood, who has gained appreciation for helping migrant labourers to return to their natives places amid the lockdown, on Sunday met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray at Matoshree. The actor is said to have apprised the CM of his work.
The meeting comes on the heels of a column in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, where party MP Sanjay Raut alleged that the actor was working at the behest and with support of the BJP and is likely be inducted into the party. Soon after Sood reached Matoshree Sunday, Raut tweeted: “Sonu Sood finally seems to have located the address of Maharashtra’s Chief Minister.”
Shopping malls and places of worship across the country, barring states like Maharashtra and Goa, are ready to throw their doors open to people from Monday after remaining closed for nearly two and a half months due to the lockdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As per guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), malls, hotels, restaurants and places of worship can open from June 8 as part of phase I of the “unlockdown”.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that all coronavirus measures in the country will be lifted from Tuesday, barring border closure restrictions, as the virus had been eliminated from the country. The country would move to national alert level 1 from midnight on Monday, Ardern said in a news conference. She said public and private events can go on without restrictions, retail and hospitality sectors can operate normally, and all public transport can resume. (Reuters)
From umbrellas to ensure social distancing between groups to timed tickets available online at a limited basis, the Bannerghatta National Park in Bengaluru has taken various measures to ensure social distancing and safety measures are in place as it allows visitors from Monday after nearly three months.
Among several steps taken to ensure the same, wearing face masks have been made mandatory for visitors and each visitor will be subjected to thermal screening before entering. "The maximum number of persons at any given time in the zoo will be restricted and kept low to maintain social distancing between groups (family is treated as a group)," Vanashree Vipin Singh, the Executive Director of the Park said in a statement.Over-the-counter tickets will not be issued to avoid crowds in a bid to ensure staggered entry, officials added.
With the process of “unlocking” underway, what will be the shape of India's recovery? "V" like the US? Or will it follow some other letters like “Z” or “U” or “L”? It is important to understand the factors that determine the shape of recovery. These include the overall duration of the pandemic, the effect on jobs and household incomes, the extent of fiscal stimulus provided by the government etc. Udit Misra writes in this week's ExplainSpeaking column
From floor marking for devotees and sanitisers every few metres to ban on offerings of flowers and food, religious places in Delhi have come up with their own set of guidelines. Imam Bukhari of the Jama Masjid told The Indian Express, “We have emptied the pond in the premises so no wazu (ablution) is done there to avoid spread of Covid-19. We have asked devotees to do wazu at home. We have removed the carpet as well, and have asked people to bring their own prayer mats. Alternate rows will be empty.”
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offers prayers at Gorakhnath Temple
If a wave of relief swept through the hospitality industry on May 30, with the announcement that restaurants may be allowed to operate starting June 8, it was quickly undercut by doubts that have only grown louder with each passing day. One of the main questions to be resolved is of rent, which forms the biggest expense for most restaurants. Restaurants are also worried about how curfew timings will affect business. Most say closing business at 9 pm is unrealistic as they typically generate most of their income during dinner service, the bulk of which is between 9 pm and midnight. There are also concerns about implementation of social distancing guidelines.
There will be no cap on the number of people inside the shopping malls or religious places that have been allowed to open from June 8, as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the state government Sunday. The guidelines, however, mention that “the number of entrants should be kept at a minimum to maintain social distancing norms”.
After being shut for over two months, shopping malls in the city are gearing up to reopen on Monday, with a new set of standard operating procedures as per guidelines issued by Centre and the state government. DLF shopping malls, which includes malls such as DLF Promenade and Emporio in Delhi and Mall of India in Noida, said they will adhere to the guidelines. More details here.
India registered its highest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday, with 9,971 new infections taking the country’s tally to 2,46,628, while the death toll rose to 6,929. India overtook Spain on Saturday to become the fifth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic.