Coronavirus pandemic live updates: Kolkata bars flights to & from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad from July 6 to 19

Tamil Nadu Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami extends intense lockdown in Madurai for a week from July 7 to July 12.

Week-long total lockdown in Arunachal's Capital Complex from July 6, reports PTI

The Arunachal Pradesh government on Saturday announced that a week-long total lockdown will be imposed in the Capital Complex, comprising Itanagar and Nagarlagun, from July 6 in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, a top official said on Saturday.

The total lockdown will be imposed at 5 am on July 6 and will be in place till 5 pm on July 12, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar told reporters here. There will be certain exemptions which would be announced on July 5, Kumar said.

Read: China says G4 swine flu virus not new; does not infect humans easily

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Saturday that the so-called "G4" strain of swine flu virus is not new and does not infect or sicken humans and animals easily, rebuffing a study published earlier this week.That study, by a team of Chinese scientists and published by the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), warned that a new swine flu virus, named G4, has become more infectious to humans and could become a potential "pandemic virus".

Read: Kolkata to have no flights to & from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai, Ahmedabad from July 6

West Bengal had earlier on June 30 asked the Centre to stop flights from some corona hotspots to the state, which too is seeing a rise in corona cases. It had sought no flights at Kolkata and Bagdogra to and from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai, Indore, Ahmedabad, Surat for 2 weeks from July 6. It had also sought restricting the number of flights to Kolkata and Bagdogra from other cities to once a week for each airline from July 6-31.

Kolkata to have no flights to & from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad from July 6 to 19

AIIMS, Rishikesh dedicates new 100-bed ward to Covid-19 patients

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh on Saturday started functioning a new ward with 100 beds for Covid-19 patients. The decision to dedicate a new ward to Covid-19 patients was taken in view of rising cases of the pandemic in the state, said dean hospital administration Brigadier Udai Bhaskar Mishra.

Three India returnees test positive for Covid-19 in Singapore

Two Singaporeans and a permanent resident, who returned from India, have tested positive for Covid-19 in Singapore, the Ministry of Health has said, as the country's total infections rose to 44,664.The three were placed on stay-home notices upon their arrival in Singapore on Jun 21.

Fresh 'unlock 2' guidelines in J&K; religious places to remain closed

Fresh guidelines under the "unlock 2" phase came into effect in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday with the Union Territory administration deciding against opening religious places and educational institutions, but allowing hotels to operate with full capacity.There will be no inter-state and inter-district movement except for those carrying valid passes, while the night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am will continue to remain in force till further orders.

Scientists strike note of caution as 'Made in India' vaccine programme gains momentum

India's Covid-19 vaccine programme has gained sudden traction but it is imperative to strike a balance between giving it high priority and rushing into a process that takes months, even years, several scientists said on Saturday, a day after the ICMR announced it envisaged a preventive by next month.

Cuttack Municipal Corporation announces complete shutdown in city till July 8 after the city reports 13 new local Covid19 positive cases.

Covid-19 death toll climbs to 84 in Bihar; no. of cases 11,111

With six more fatalities, the Covid-19 death toll has climbed to 84 in Bihar, while 197 fresh cases have pushed the state's tally of coronavirus patients to 11,111, according to a health department bulletin.The state has 2,816 active coronavirus cases, while 8,211 patients have recovered from the disease.

Covid-19 spread in AP at 'manageable' level now: Govt

Coronavirus cases may have shot up by a whopping 14,000 in just over a month in Andhra Pradesh, but the state government said the pandemic spread is at a "manageable" level right now. 'R naught', which indicates the scale of transmission of an infection in AP is now 1.2 to 1.3, indicating that the "numbers are under control."

Andhra Pradesh recorded 765 new Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total number of cases to 17699 out of which 9473 cases are active and 8008 have recovered. Number of deaths due to the disease rises to 218: State Health Department

South Korea on high alert over rising Covid-19 cases

South Korea was on high alert as new coronvavirus cases exceeded 60 on Saturday for the second straight day, with infections outside the Seoul metropolitan area and cases from overseas showing no signs of slowdown.

As Covid-19 cases rise, Gujarat CM visits Surat to assess measures

Concerned over the recent rise in Covid-19 cases in Surat, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel arrived in the city on Saturday to take stock of preparedness to tackle the pandemic.

Three more die of Covid-19 in Rajasthan; state reports 204 new cases

Three more persons died of coronavirus in Rajasthan on Saturday, as the state reported 204 fresh cases raising its infection tally to 19,256, officials said.While one person each died in Bharatpur and Jhunjhunu, a patient from another state succumbed to Covid-19 in Jaipur, according to an official release.

11,300 'Made In India' ventilators dispatched so far: Dr Harsh Vardhan

As many as 11,300 'Made in India' ventilators have been dispatched so far and 6,154 have been delivered to the hospitals, said Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare.