Coronavirus LIVE Updates: No Public Movement from 11pm-6am in Pune, Schools & Colleges Shut Till Feb 28

Centre Writes to States Reporting Spike in Daily COVID-19 Cases | Amid a spike in daily new cases of COVID-19 in some states including Maharashtra and Kerala, the Centre has advised them to increase the proportion of RT-PCR tests and regularly monitor mutant strains besides refocusing on strict surveillance and stringent containment in selected districts. In a letter to the states, the government has also stressed thatall negative rapid antigen test results should be mandatorily followed by RT-PCR test.

10,246 Kolkata, Feb 20: Four more COVID-19 fatalities in West Bengal pushed the toll to 10,246 on Saturday, the health department said in a bulletin. The coronavirus tally climbed to 5,73,580 with 193 fresh cases, it said. West Bengal now has 3,579 active cases, while 5,59,755 people have recovered from the disease so far. Since Friday, 20,538 samples have been tested, taking the total number of such clinical examinations to 84,09,392, the bulletin said. 

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Mumbai recorded the highest 897 new infections and three deaths on Saturday. Maharashtra as a whole reported more than 6,000 new coronavirus cases for the second day in a row on Saturday, a health department official said. Out of 6,281 new cases, over 1,700 or about 27 percent were recorded in Mumbai and Amravati municipal corporation areas, he said.

T Ward (Mulund) has the largest number of sealed buildings and floors at 233, followed by N ward (Ghatkopar) and P South (Goregaon) with 125 sealed buildings, Times of India reported. The report further quoted the civic body officials as saying that earlier if a building had 10 positive cases it was being sealed, but now even if a building had five cases, the BMC ordered it to be closed.

1,305 Buildings with over 71,000 Households Sealed in Mumbai | As many as 1,305 buildings were sealed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday as the city continued to record a large number of Covid-19 cases. The Mumbai civic body sealed 1,305 buildings with 71,838 households after 2,749 cases were registered in the city, news agency ANI quoted the BMC as saying.

In view of the new mutations of Covid-19 in a number of countries abroad, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued fresh guidelines for arrival of international passengers in India which…

Kerala Govt Urges Centre to Release More Covid-19 Vaccine Doses | The Kerala government has asked the Centre to release more doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the state and sought permission for health workers, who missed the opportunity, to register again to receive the shot. State Health Minister KK Shailaja shot off a letter to her counterpart at the Centre, Harsh Vardhan in this regard.

Covid-19 Test Mandatory for Incoming Travellers at Srinagar Airport | Strengthening the preventive measures against COVID-19 in the wake of the rising cases in some states of the country, authorities in Kashmir on Saturday ordered that inbound travellers will not be allowed to leave the airport here until their test report is received. The test reports will be issued on the spot before letting the travellers go, an official spokesman said.

Azim Premji Urges FM to Involve Private Sector in Covid-19 Efforts | Wipro Limited founder and philanthropist Azim Premji on Saturday urged the central government to involve the private sector in the Covid-19 vaccination effort. Premji, who participated in an interaction at the Bangalore chamber of industry and commerce, told Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the vaccination rate would get a big boost if private participation was allowed. READ MORE

“The entire Vidarbha region is witnessing a spike in cases. Even in Nagpur, over 750 cases were reported on Friday. The government has already declared a partial lockdown in Amravati, Wardha and Yavatmal. If fresh cases jump, the government needs to take strict measures like a night curfew,” Maharashtra relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar said.

Mah Govt May Impose 5pm-5am Curfew If Cases Continue to Spike | Maharashtra relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar on Saturday said that the state government may impose a 12-hour night curfew, “between 5 pm and 5 am”, in regions in case the spike in Covid-19 cases continues. A meeting will be held with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai next week to finalise the decision.

Serum Institute Directed to Prioritise India's Needs, Says Poonawalla | Adar Poonawalla, CEO of vaccine major Serum Institute of India (SII), on Sunday urged other countries to be patient as they wait for the supplies of COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, as the company has been directed to prioritise the needs of India. Apart from making efforts to meet the requirements of India, the company is also trying its best to balance the needs of the rest of the world, he added.

No Public Movement in Pune from 11 pm to 6 am | "From 11pm to 6am, no public movement will be allowed except for those involved in essential services, in view of rising Covid-19 cases. Schools and colleges in the district will remain closed till 28 Feb. New guidelines to be effective from tomorrow," Pune Divisional Commissioner said. "This isn't a complete night curfew," he has clarified.