A health worker checks a man’s temperature before taking his swab for COVID-19 test, in New Delhi, Saturday.
Coronavirus India News Live Updates: As the coronavirus tally in the national capital neared the 60,000-mark with 3,000 new cases reported on Sunday, Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is scheduled to take up discussions on effective contact tracing in the city in a crucial meeting on Monday. Registering 15,413 new cases in a day, India now has over 4.10 lakh confirmed infections. With 306 deaths, the toll now stands at 13,254.
On Sunday, the Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia held a virtual meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the strategies to make contact tracing more robust and strengthen medical services in the city’s COVID-19 affected areas. Meanwhile, Meghalaya extended its 9 pm-5 am curfew and ban on inter-state movement till June 30, officials said.
For the first time since it was instituted in 2015, the International Yoga Day celebrations were held virtually on Sunday due to the coronavirus threat. Addressing the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The world is feeling the need for yoga more than ever due to the coronavirus pandemic and the ancient Indian practice is helping a large number of COVID-19 patients across the globe in defeating the disease.”
Globally, over 8.7 lakh cases have been reported, while the virus has killed at least 4.6 lakh people.
A civil defence worker hands over a pulse oximeter to two people in New Delhi on Saturday. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)
Doubling rate in Dharavi slum now longest in Mumbai. (Express Photo)
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy has written a letter to all BJP MPs of Delhi, asking them to visit rapid antigen detection testing centres in the capital. Covid-19 testing through the rapid antigen methodology had commenced at 169 centres in and around Delhi’s containment zones on Thursday. “In order to augment the effort of the Government of NCT of Delhi, the Government of India, after having a series of discussions under the chairmanship of Amit Shah ji with officers of GNCTD, ICMR, Ministry of Home Affairs, has taken a decision to set up 169 rapid antigen detection testing centres across all districts of Delhi.
The number of Covid-19 cases in the state neared the 14,000-mark on Sunday as the count rose to 13,945 with the addition of 414 patients.
The toll rose by 15 to 555, according to the health bulletin, in which figures are updated till 9 am.
The most deaths and infections continued to be reported from Kolkata, and the neighbouring districts of North 24 Parganas and Howrah — the epicentre of the pandemic in the state. Of the latest deaths, six occurred in the capital city, taking the number of patients here who have died of Covid-19 to 329. Kolkata was followed by North 24 Parganas with four deaths, and Howrah with three. Paschim Medinipur and Hooghly recorded one death each. Read more here
Maharashtra added 186 more Covid-19 deaths to its toll on Sunday taking the total deaths in the state to 6,170. This is the highest reported figure in a single day, although state officials said of the 186 people who died, 101 deaths occurred within the last 48 hours while the rest 85 occurred before that. Maharashtra is in the process of updating each Covid-19 case, and has been adding several 'missed' Covid-19 deaths to its official tally since last few days. Reads more here