Coronavirus LIVE Updates: In Unlock 3.0 Guidelines, Yoga Institutes & Gyms to Open from August 5, Schools & Colleges to Remain Shut till Aug 31

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today issued Unlock 3.0 guidelines to further reopen the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Restrictions on the movement of individuals during night-time have been removed. Yoga institutes and gymnasiums will be allowed to open from August 5. Schools, colleges and coaching institutions will remain closed till August 31. "All activities, except the following, shall be permitted outside containment zones - Metro Rail, cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums, assembly halls & similar places," said the government order.

"Social/political/sports/entertainment/academic/cultural/religious functions and other large congregations still not permitted. Also, schools, colleges and coaching institutions will remain closed till August 31," it said, adding that the lockdown will continue to be implemented strictly in the containment zones till August 31.

HERE ARE THE LIVE UPDATES ON CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

◕ Drug firm Hetero said today it has launched generic oral antiviral drug Favipiravir used for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19, in India under the brand name 'Favivir' at Rs 59 per tablet, news agency PTI reported. The company has been given the manufacturing and marketing approval for Favipiravir from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Hetero said in a statement.

◕ Notice on lockdown extension in Bihar, which was issued earlier in the day, has been withdrawn by the state government. A meeting to decide on lockdown extension in the state will be held today evening.

◕ 236 more Maharashtra Police personnel test positive for the novel coronavirus while one succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 98.

◕ Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today delinked hotels attached with hospitals in view of the improving Covid-19 situation in the national capital.

◕ TN Governor to Self-isolate for Seven Days | Tamil Nadu Governor goes into self-isolation for seven days after three more staff from Raj Bhavan test positive for Covid-19. Last week, 84 staff members had tested positive for the infection.

◕ Another TRS MLA tested positive for novel coronavirus on Wednesday. The MLA is from Armoor constituency in Nizamabad district and is the third MLA from the same district to contract the infection.

◕ The Andaman and Nicobar administration has decided to impose a total lockdown on weekends beginning August 1 to contain the spread of coronavirus, an official said on Wednesday. The strict restrictions will be in force on Saturdays and Sundays till the COVID-19 situation improves in the Union Territory, Chief Secretary, Chetan B Sanghi, said in an order issued on Tuesday.

◕ Total Number of Covid-19 Cases in India Now 15.31 Lakh | The active Covid-19 cases in India have risen to 5,09,447 while the number of deaths stands at 34,193. The number of people who have been discharged/migrated is now 9,88,030.

◕ Smokers Likely to be More Vulnerable to Covid-19| The government on Wednesday said that smokers are likely to be more vulnerable to Covid-19 and added that experts have confirmed that smokers are more prone to developing severe symptoms or die from the infection. "Further, smoking products such as water pipes or hookah often involve the sharing of mouth-pieces and hoses, which could facilitate the transmission of COVID-19 in communal and social settings," a government advisory read.

◕ Relatives Will be Allowed to See Bodies of Suspected Covid-19 Patients: Bengal CM | The West Bengal government has decided to permit family members to see the body of a suspected COVID-19 patient before it was disposed of without waiting for the test results to be released, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday. The decision was taken from a humane point of view, she added.

◕ Madhya Pradesh minister Tulsi Silawat and his wife have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Despite showing no symptoms of the disease, Silawat said, he underwent a test for coronavirus on the direction of the chief minister. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was admitted to a hospital on Saturday after he tested positive for Covid-19.

◕ 1,209 Covid-19 Cases, 53 Deaths in Thane district on Tuesday | An addition of 1,209 cases on Tuesday took the coronavirus count in Thane district to 81,250, while 53 deaths pushed up the toll to 2,242, an official said. Kalyan recorded the maximum 10 deaths during the day, while Navi Mumbai accounted for 320 of the new cases, followed by 207 for Kalyan, 191 for Thane and 156 for Mira Bhayander, an official told news agency PTI.

◕ Eleven new coronavirus cases have been reported in Mizoram in the last 24 hours. The total number of Covid-19 cases is now 395.

◕ US Covid-19 Deaths Rise by 1,200 |California and Florida, two of the most populous states, reported a one-day record surge in fatalities on Tuesday, together making up for 362 of the 1,227 new deaths. Arkansas, Montana and Oregon, meanwhile, had one-day record increases in coronavirus deaths, Reuters reported.

◕ China Reports 101 New Covid-19 Cases, Highest Since mid-April |Recently, many of the fresh cases have surfaced from the far western region of Xinjiang, where 89 have been tallied for July 28. One was recorded in Beijing, while three were imported cases, according to a statement by the National Health Commission. As of Tuesday, mainland China had 84,060 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 4,634, news agency Reuters reported.