2.00 pm: A day after sending four high level teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur, the Centre is now contemplating sending multidisciplinary teams to other states and Union Territories that are experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, the Union health ministry says.

The teams have been sent to assist the states in strengthening containment, surveillance, testing, infection prevention and control measures for the coronavirus.

1.01 pm: New coronavirus cases in Delhi are gradually reducing, claims Health Minister Satyendar Jain, reports PTI. “The positivity rate is falling,” he says. “This indicates that the spread of virus decreasing in Delhi.”

12.58 pm: All schools that fall within the jurisdiction of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will remain closed till December 31, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar says, according to ANI.

12.55 pm: Face-to-face meetings between the chief negotiators in Brexit talks were suspended on Thursday after a member of the European Union team tested positive for coronavirus, the bloc’s Michel Barnier said, AFP reports.

12.52 pm: Mexico’s toll from the coronavirus crosses 1,00,000, making it the fourth country in the world to pass the grim milestone, AFP reports.

12.47 pm: At least 28 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Mizoram in 24 hours, taking the state’s tally to 3,541, PTI reports.

12.46 pm: Andaman and Nicobar Islands report 19 new Covid-19 cases, taking the tally of cases in the Union Territory to 4,604, reports PTI.

12.41 pm: The Mayor of Agra, Naveen Jain, on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ministry of culture, asking them to remove the cap of 5,000 visitors per day at the Taj Mahal, reports PTI.

“All types of businesses, industries, trains, buses have started operating after the Covid-19 lockdown but restriction on entry of visitors to the Taj Mahal continues,” he wrote. “This is adversely affecting the tourism industry and local economy of Agra. Over 3.5 lakh people in Agra depend on revenue generated from tourism.”

12.34 pm: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain spells out the steps taken by the government to contain the spiralling coronavirus situation in the Capital, ANI reports. “Contact tracing is already underway at a large scale,” he says. “House-to-house survey would be conducted in containment zones from today to check on symptomatic patients.” Besides, Jain says that government rates will be charged for 60% of the beds reserved by the Delhi government in private hospitals

11.16 am: Global forecasting firm Oxford Economics said in a report on Thursday that India will be the world’s worst-affected among the major economies even after the coronavirus pandemic weakens.

11.12 am: The new phase 2 trial results of the Oxford vaccine, published in The Lancet, show it to have a strong immune response in people in their 60s and 70s.

11.07 am: A new study done in Maharashtra’s Pune city shows that nearly 85% of the residents, who had been found to be infected in a serological survey in July and August, have developed antibodies against the infection, The Indian Express reports.

The follow-up study was done in five prabhags (each of comprising three or four municipal wards) in the city.

11.03 am: The indigenously-developed Feluda test kit will be made available in Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolkata in December, Hindustan Times reports.

10.58 am: The Centre on Thursday sent medical teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur to help the states in Covid-19-fighting measures, The Hindu reports.

“With the surge in the daily new cases and the spike in the daily fatalities in Delhi, the spillover effect is being observed in the NCR regions within the States of Haryana and Rajasthan, where the number of positive patients is on the rise,” the health ministry said.

10.52 am: The Congress demands that the Delhi government withdraw its hike in fine for not wearing masks, ANI reports. “This tyrannical decision will increase corruption,” Delhi Congress President Anil Chaudhary says. “This fine should be immediately withdrawn. Instead of that, awareness should be created among people.”

Chaudhary adds: “A fine of Rs 100 should be levied and masks should be distributed so that people feel that they’ve made a mistake.”

Also read:

Coronavirus: Fine for not wearing masks in Delhi raised to Rs 2,000 from Rs 500

9.30 am: US President-elect Joe Biden rules out a nationwide shutdown but insists on a national mask mandate, reports PTI. “…There is no circumstance which I can see that would require a total national shutdown,” he adds. “I think that would be counterproductive, but there are constraints in which the degree to which businesses can be open.”

9.20 am: India records 45,882 new coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the the country’s total to 90,04,365. The toll rose to 1,32,162 with 584 more deaths. The number of active cases stood at 4,43,794. As many as 84,28,409 people have recovered from the disease so far.

9.12 am: Tripura on Thursday reported 105 new Covid-19 cases, taking the state’s tally to 32,217, PTI reports. The toll from the disease in the state is 361.

9.10 am: Nagaland’s coronavirus tally went up to 10,460 after 94 more people tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, reports PTI.

9.00 am: Here are the top updates from Thursday