Coronavirus live updates: India crosses 3 lakh mark, reports highest single-day spike of 11,458 cases

On Saturdays, shops in the state which used to close at 7 pm will close at 5 pm. Essential shops can continue to remain open till 7 pm on those days: Ludhiana Police Commissioner (ANI)

"Restaurants & liquor shops will continue to remain open till 8 pm & movement will continue till 9 pm," he said.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 348 to 186,022, reports Reuters.

Read: Hindu Rao Hospital may become Covid-19 only

Hindu Rao Hospital, the biggest healthcare facility run by north corporation, may soon be turned into a Covid-19 designated unit. Plans are afoot to transfer patients out and make necessary infrastructure arrangements to cater to those infected by the novel coronavirus. “They discussed the infrastructure availability and problems associated with Hindu Rao, Kasturba and Rajan Babu TB hospitals. With a steep increase in Covid-19 positive cases, the hospitals are being made ready for any contingency,” the official added.

Beijing wholesale market temporarily shut after new coronavirus infections, reports Reuters.

The closure of the Xinfadi wholesale market at 3am local time on Saturday (1900 GMT on Friday), came after two men working at a meat research centre who had recently visited the market were reported on Friday as having been infected by the novel coronavirus. It was not immediately clear how the men had been infected.Concern is growing of a second wave of the new virus, even in many countries that seemed to have curbed its spread.

Read: Delhi: Patients at Lok Nayak hospital complain of neglect

Nitin Bhardwaj, a resident of Burari in north-east Delhi, got his father admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital for Covid-19 treatment three days ago. The 30-year-old alleges that no nurse or doctor visited him throughout the day, and for food his father was dependent on what they would get him from home. "I could not let him stay like this. So I fought with the hospital to get him discharged, and last night (Thursday), we brought him home," Bhardwaj told TOI .

Read: Delhi yet to regulate Covid treatment fees in private hospitals

Three out of the four states with the highest number of Covid cases — Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu — have announced regulation of charges for Covid treatment in private hospitals. Delhi is the only exception with no regulation despite numerous complaints of overcharging by private hospitals and a significant proportion of Covid-hit getting treated in the private sector.

Read: PM Modi to interact with CMs on June 16-17

The forthcoming exchange of views, the first since the beginning of the “unlock” phase, will be spread over two days. The exercise has been planned amid steady rise of infections in certain parts and indications about the virus getting stubbornly entrenched in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and parts of West Bengal.

Read: Testing levels reducing in many states when positivity rates up

Testing levels in several states have gone down during periods when their positivity rate - the proportion of tests yielding a positive result -- is increasing. This is the opposite of what you would expect, which is that states ramp up testing as their positivity rate increases. In Delhi, for instance, between June 3 and June 11, the seven-day average of daily tests went down from 6,540 to 5,001 even as the positivity rate kept rising from 18.3% to 27.7%. Delhi incidentally now has the highest percentage of tests turning positive, over a quarter of them.

Mexico prepares to reopen half the country amid pandemic, reports AP.

Total confirmed cases now number 139,196 and total deaths are at almost 16,450. Both are considered substantial undercounts due to very limited testing. The federal government announced that starting Monday, half of Mexico's 32 states can start limited re-openings of hotels and restaurants and broader re-openings of markets. For example, factories and hotels could resume operations if they take safety measures.

Global virus death toll passes 425,000: AFP tally

Egypt registers highest daily rise in coronavirus cases in nearly two weeks

Egypt on Friday confirmed 1,577 new coronavirus cases, the health ministry said, the highest daily increase in almost two weeks.In total, the Arab world’s most populous country has registered 41,303 cases including 1,422 deaths, the ministry said in a statement.

TOI exclusive: How Chinese companies responded to Covid-19

The past four months have provided an opportunity to study a once-in-a-lifetime moment — how companies function during an unprecedented global pandemic while also navigating an accelerated shift to digital operations.China was weeks ahead of the rest of the world in dealing with the pandemic and its fallout, so their experience is of interest.

Read: Brazil now second in coronavirus deaths, as US states see rising cases

Brazil on Friday claimed the unenviable position of having the second-highest coronavirus death toll worldwide behind the United States, where several states have posted record daily case totals, signaling the crisis is far from over.US and European stocks ended the week on an upswing after a rout sparked by the US data and fresh evidence of the economic damage caused by virus-related lockdowns, with British GDP shrinking by a record 20.4 percent in April.Meanwhile, in several European countries, the focus shifted to the courts, and who might eventually be pinned with the blame for the global financial and health crisis.Brazil's health ministry recorded 909 deaths in the past 24 hours, putting the total at 41,828 — meaning the country of 212 million people has now surpassed Britain's death toll.Experts warn the actual number of cases in Latin America's biggest economy could be many times higher than the confirmed figure of 828,810.

US CDC warns that restrictions may be needed again if Covid-19 cases spike

US health officials on Friday urged Americans to continue adhering to social distancing and other Covid-19 safety measures, and warned that states may need to reimpose strict restrictions if Covid-19 cases spike.In recent weeks, experts have raised concerns that the reopening of the US economy could lead to a fresh wave of infections. About half a dozen states, including Texas and Arizona, are grappling with a rising number of coronavirus patients filling hospital beds.Officials from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the public should continue to maintain 6 feet of social distance, wash hands regularly and wear facial coverings to reduce the risk of infection.

Govt assures people on availability of Covid beds

Amid concerns that five states with a high Covid-19 case load may face a shortage of ICU beds and ventilators between June and August, officials in the health ministry said some of the projections being discussed are based on previous estimates that 20% cases might require hospitalisation and did not consider the revised discharge policy. Read more

Read: Delhi yet to regulate Covid treatment fees in private hospitals

Three out of the four states with the highest number of Covid cases — Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu — have announced regulation of charges for Covid treatment in private hospitals. Delhi is the only exception with no regulation despite numerous complaints of overcharging by private hospitals and a significant proportion of Covid-hit getting treated in the private sector.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is 'especially concerned' about the impact of Covid-19 on women, children and adolescents, reports IANS.

As for the risks of women transmitting Covid-19 to their babies during breastfeeding, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters that based on the available evidence, WHO's advice is that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risks of transmission of Covid-19.