J&K's summer capital Srinagar will reopen 50% of its shops from Saturday, first time since the lockdown restrictions were imposed on March 20. “A detailed discussion was held with all trade and business organisations. Mandatory observance of standard operating procedures, including wearing of masks, maintaining physical distancing, hygiene and sanitization, was also laid down," an official order said.
The Delhi government was “trying its best” to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, it said in a statement in response to the Supreme Court’s observations on Friday. Further defending the government, it pointed out that the Lok Nayak Hospital, the biggest COVID-19 hospital in Delhi, had around 2,000 beds operational for the COVID-19 patients.
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:
Maharashtra govt slashes charges for COVID-19 tests by private labs
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday said that the government has reduced the rates of the COVID-19 tests conducted by private laboratories from ₹4,500 to ₹2,200.
Talking to PTI, Tope said the lowering of rates for the tests would provide a relief to the people.
“₹2,200 will be charged for collecting the swabs through viral transport media (VTM) from hospitals, while it would cost ₹2,800 for collection of swab from home. Earlier, the charges were Rs 4,500 and Rs 5,200 respectively,” he said.
The revised rates are the maximum these labs can charge. District collectors can negotiate with private labs to reduce the rates further, Tope said. “If the private labs charge more than the prescribed upper limit, legal action would be taken against them,” he said, claiming that the new rates will be the lowest in the country.
The minister said that at present, there are 91 labs in the state for COVID-19 testing and about four to five are in the pipeline. According to him, the government had last week formed a four-member committee to fix the rates of COVID-19 tests conducted by authorised private laboratories in the state.
- PTI
Thrissur district on high alert
With a spurt in COVID-19 cases, Thrissur district is on high alert. Fourteen new cases were reported on Friday, bringing the number of cases in the district to 218. In all, 161 people are currently undergoing treatment for COVID-19 in the district.
The District Collector has declared 21 wards of Chavakkad municipality as containment zones. Areas of the municipality under Manathala village had already been declared a containment zone. Eight panchayats, 12 divisions of Thrissur Corporation and 20 wards of Irinjalakuda municipality are also containment zones.
Noida opens helpline for scheduling COVID test
Residents of Noida and Greater Noida can now dial the helpline number 18004192211 to book an appointment in the eight sample collection centres in the district.
“All primary high-risk contacts and such persons exhibiting influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms and other categories of persons (including random sampling) are sampled and tested through the COVID labs,” District Surveillance Officer Sunil Dohare said in a statement.
“To make the experience seamless, we have dedicated special team of doctors who will ascertain your requirements, and get the testing schedule as per protocol. All people need to do is dial 18004192211 and press option 1 and provide their requirements after which the doctors will call and give time and date for sampling,” he said.
- PTI
Man arrested for robbing pilot in Delhi tests COVID-19 positive, about 10 cops quarantined
One of the five men arrested recently for allegedly robbing and assaulting a private airline pilot on the IIT flyover in southwest Delhi has tested positive for COVID-19. Around 10 police personnel who came in contact with the accused during the investigation have been quarantined.
The man, who has now been admitted to AIIMS, was arrested along with his two associates on June 9. Two days later, two more accused were arrested.
When he was in police custody, he fell sick and started vomiting. He was immediately rushed to the hospital where doctors suggested endoscopy. His COVID-19 test was also conducted. The report came Thursday as positive for COVID-19, a senior police officer said.
- PTI
Beijing district in ‘wartime emergency mode’ after virus case spike
A Beijing district official said on Saturday the district was in “wartime emergency mode" following a spike in novel coronavirus cases centered around a major wholesale market there.
Chu Junwei, an official of Beijing's Fengtai district, said at a briefing that throat swabs from 45 people, out of 517 tested at the district's Xinfadi market, had tested positive for the new coronavirus.
How will business landscape shift post-COVID-19?
KPMG, in a paper, lists seven ways in which the business landscape is likely to shift, not only in India, but all over the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Responding to these shifts will certainly help countries and companies navigate the path to the ‘Next Normal’, the study titled 'Potential impact of COVID-19 on the Indian economy' says.
12 police personnel in quarantine after accused tests positive
Twelve personnel of the Taloja police station have been quarantined after a man they arrested for a burglary tested positive for COVID-19.
The man was arrested on June 7 and taken to Panvel court the next day. Just before presenting him in court, the police personnel accompanying him learnt that his swab sample had tested positive for COVID-19. Hence, they kept him in the vehicle while one of them presented the remand copy in court.
Mexico prepares to reopen half the country amid pandemic
Mexico began setting dates for re-opening businesses in half the country next week, even as the nationwide daily confirmed cases total rose Friday by a record 5,222 and 504 new deaths were reported.
India on its way to win a ‘wrong race’: Rahul Gandhi
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday put up animated graphics to show how COVID-19 cases are shooting up in India and stated that the country is on its way to win a ‘wrong race’.
“India is firmly on it’s way to winning the wrong race. A horrific tragedy, resulting from a lethal blend of arrogance and incompetence,” Mr. Gandhi wrote on Twitter with the graph that mapped India’s rise in COVID cases.
Now, COVID-19 test at your doorstep in Vijayawada
Private testing for the coronavirus is now available at the doorstep of your home in Vijayawada city. Apollo Diagnostics in a press release on Friday said that it would deploy technicians to homes to collect the samples.
By coincidence, the Andhra Pradesh Government on Friday issued an order fixing ₹2,900 as the upper limit for the fee any lab could charge for conducting a test for the virus in the State.
West Bengal breaches 10,000-mark
West Bengal on Friday recorded the highest single-day increase of 476 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number to 10,244. With nine more deaths, the death toll went up to 451. Four deaths were reported from Kolkata, two from Hooghly and one each from Nadia, South 24 Parganas and Howrah.
Assam hospital goof up: COVID-19 infected person discharged by mistake
A hospital in Darrang district became a source of embarrassment for the Assam government by discharging a person who tested positive for COVID-19 instead of another who had recovered.
The district authorities have ordered a magisterial probe into the goof-up at the Mangaldai Civil Hospital in Mangaldai district.
Brazil’s coronavirus deaths surge past U.K.
Brazil’s COVID-19 death toll overtook Britain’s on June 12 to become the second highest in the world with 41,828 dead, but the World Health Organization said the nation's health system was standing up to the pressure.
“The system as such from the data we see is not overwhelmed,” the WHO's top emergencies expert Dr. Mike Ryan said, with few areas of Brazil using more than 80% of their hospitals' intensive care bed capacity.
Supreme Court asks Uttar Pradesh to file response on quarantine rules
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file a response on quarantine rules followed in the State.
The court sought details after it was informed that quarantine guidelines issued in Noida were “contrary” to the national guidelines notified by the Centre.
42 postgraduate doctors test positive in Madras Medical College
Forty-two doctors, who are residents of the Madras Medical College’s Postgraduate (PG) Men’s Hostel, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Friday.
Nearly 60 samples were lifted from the doctors. Of these, 42 returned positive for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The hostel houses 250 PG doctors. These doctors were posted on COVID-19 as well as other duties, including trauma and outpatient departments, at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH). Reliable sources at the hospital said that a number of women PGs and house surgeons had tested positive.