Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Maharashtra, Mumbai Maintain Record-breaking Streak; State Nears 37K Daily Tally, City Over 5,500

Maharashtra will impose a night curfew in the entire state from Sunday amid the alarming rise in coronavirus cases. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday instructed officials to impose a curfew from the night of March 28 as he also asked them to strictly enforce the restrictions and COVID-19 norms in the state.

Rajasthan Allows Gathering of 50 on Holi, Shab-e-Barat | The Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan allows relaxation on Holi and Shab-e-Barat. The government will public events on March 28 and 29 from 4pm - 10pm with a gatherring of maximum 50 people. The home departmet issues revised circular in this regard.

The Maharashtra chief minister will take a call on whether there is a need to impose a night curfew in Mumbai, where the coronavirus is rearing its head again.

Stricter SOPs Likely in Maha | As COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra witness a worrying upsurge, the state is likely to impose stricter rules as it issues fresh guidlines by Saturday. Parts of Maharashtra, that are worst affected by the surge in coronavirus infections might be placed under calibrated partial curfew. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday chaired the COVID-19 review meeting and took account of the preparedness both district and division wise, sources said.

Goa will draft new standard operating procedures (SOPs) by Saturday to tackle the COVID-19 situation in the state, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in the Assembly on Friday.

New Covid-19 SOPs in Goa by Saturday, Says CM | Goa will draft new standard operating procedures (SOPs) by Saturday to tackle the COVID-19 situation in the state, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in the Assembly today. He was responding to a calling attention motion by Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte on the rise in number of cases over the past few days.

Planning to Bring More Population Groups Under Covid-19 Vaccination Drive: Govt | The Centre is planning to widen the scope of the COVID-19 immunisation drive by bringing more population groups under its ambit, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Friday, days after everyone above 45 years was made eligible to get vaccinated from April 1. He said people have embraced the 'Made in India' vaccines, and it is due to this enthusiasm and trust that the country crossed the last one crore vaccination in just under four days.

Maha CM Seeks Forgiveness | Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who visited the spot in the afternoon said strict action will be taken against those found responsible for the fire. Thackeray apologised to the families of the victims and announced Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each deceased.

10 Covid-19 Patients Dead in Fire at Mumbai Mall Hospital | Ten coronavirus patients died after a fire broke out at a Mumbai mall hospital where COVID- 19 patients were being treated, a police official said on Friday. The fire broke out at the Sunrise Hospital in the Dreams Mall building in Bhandup area around midnight, the official said. The hospital is situated on the top floor of the four-storeyed mall building. 

Five states -- Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat -- have registered a sharp rise in daily COVID-19 cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday as India recorded 59,118 new infections, the highest single-day rise so far this year. After touching its lowest mark in mid-February, India's active COVID-19 caseload is on a steady rise and has breached the 4-lakh mark again after around three-and-half months.

Centre Sends High-level Teams to Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh | Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has rushed two high-level multidisciplinary teams to Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh in view of the surge in number of COVID-19 cases being reported from the state and the UT.

UK MPs Vote to Extend Emergency Covid Laws Until Sept | British lawmakers have voted unanimously to extend the emergency legislation for lockdown measures to control the spread of coronavirus for another six months, until September. In a House of Commons vote on Thursday night, the Coronavirus Act 2020 was passed by 484 votes to 76, a majority of 408. An expected rebellion within the ruling Conservative Party ranks saw 36 Tory backbenchers vote against the government legislation in opposition of the continuing curbs on freedoms and 21 Labour MPs as well as the Liberal Democrats also voted against the extension. 

Rishikesh Hotel Closed for 48 Hrs After 16 Employees Test Covid Positive | A leading hotel in Rishikesh has been closed for 48 hours as a precautionary measure after 16 of its employees tested positive for COVID-19 in a day. Sixteen employees of Taj Rishikesh Resort and Spa tested positive for coronavirus yesterday. The hotel has been closed for 48 hours during which it will be fully sanitised and its entire staff will be tested for COVID-19, she said. People who may have come in contact with the employees of the hotel are also being traced, the SDM said. 23 of the hotel's employees have tested positive for the disease over the last 10 days. 

Uttarakhand Schools | Uttarakhand Education Department issues an order for starting new session for Classes 6 to 9 from April 15.

52L+ People Vaccinated in Maha | The COVID-19 vaccination tally in Maharashtra reached 52,65,462 with 2,14,123 people getting the vaccine doses in a single day, officials said. Of the 2,14,123 who were vaccinated on Thursday, 10,397 were healthcare workers, 29,160 frontline workers, 34,197 people in the age group of 40 to 60 suffering from co-morbidities, while 1,24,632 were senior citizens who received the first dose, they said. A total of 5,040 healthcare workers were administered the second dose of the vaccine during the day. The state has so far given the first dose of vaccine to 9,51,219 healthcare workers. Of them, 4,57,621 have received the second dose as well.

Odisha Bans Public Gathering in Festivals | As Odisha's COVID-19 tally on Friday surged to 3,39,694 after 234 more people tested positive for the infection, the state government issued fresh guidelines banning large congregations for religious festivals. The new cases were detected in 23 of the state's 30 districts, with 139 reported from different quarantine centres while the remaining 95 were local contact cases. Odisha Chief Secretary in an order said: "In the interest of health of the general public and for containment of spread of COVID-19, it is hereby directed that congregation for celebration of festivals like 'Good Friday', 'Easter', 'Pana Sankranti', 'Jhamu Jatra', 'Danda Jatra' and 'Sriran Navami' and associated religious and cultural congregation shall not be allowed in public throughout the state."

Pfizer Vax Less Effective Against SA Variant: Study | The Pfizer vaccine is moderately less effective against the South African variant, but neutralises the UK variant and the original SARS-CoV-2 strain very well, says a new vaccine study conducted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev scientists.

5 States Register Sharp Rise in Cases | Five states -- Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat -- have registered a sharp rise in daily COVID-19 cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday as India recorded 59,118 new infections, the highest single-day rise so far this year. After touching its lowest mark in mid-February, India's active COVID-19 caseload is on a steady rise and has breached the 4-lakh mark again after around three-and-half months. As of date, there are 4.21 lakh active cases in the country, a net rise of 25,874 infections in a day.

Indore Records 612 New Cases | Indore, the worst-hit district in Madhya Pradesh in terms of COVID-19 outbreak, has reported 612 new infection cases, its highest single-day spike since the pandemic began. These new cases were reported on Thursday, surpassing its previous high of 595 cases it had recorded on December 1 last year. Taking serious cognisance of the spurt in cases, the district crisis management committee has decided to increase the night curfew timing by one hour. So the curfew will now begin at 9 pm instead of 10 pm, Indore Collector Manish Singh said.

The 2 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines, announced as a gift by India, will be sent to the UN peacekeepers tomorrow and then will be distributed to the peacekeeping missions.

The Chhattisgarh government has increased from Rs 100 to Rs 500 the amount of penalty for not wearing face mask, to ensure strict implementation of the coronavirus guidelines, an official said on Friday.

Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Gujarat account for 80% of new COVID cases.

All district courts in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana city were closed for 24 hours today after a sessions court judge tested COVID-19 positive. Meanwhile, all public meetings without permission were banned in Shamli district to prevent the spread of the virus in view of the upcoming Holi festival, District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur said. In neighbouring Muzaffarnagar district, authorities have started a drive against those violating COVID-19 guidelines and 150 people were fined for not wearing a mask in public places yesterday. 

Ramp Up Testing Facilities in UP: CM | Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials that coronavirus testing facilities should be set up at railway stations, bus depots and airports in the state in view of greater movement of people for the Holi festival. Adityanath, who held a meeting with all divisional and district level officials and those of the medical and health department through video conferencing last night, said there is a need to chalk out an effective strategy to check the spread of coronavirus.  With people from other states coming to the state on Holi, arrangements for testing at all railway and bus stations and airports should be made besides contact tracing should also be ensured. He also asked for increasing the daily tests being done in view of the recent rising trend, according to an official release

Pak to Buy 7M Vaccine Doses from China | Pakistan is planning to buy 7 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines from China as the nation is experiencing a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections, a top minister has said, its first purchase from any country. Earlier, Pakistan has said that it is not planning to buy vaccines anytime soon as it aims to tackle the COVID-19 challenge through herd immunity and donated vaccines from friendly countries like China. Herd immunity occurs when a large number of people, usually 70 to 90 per cent, become immune to a contagious disease after being infected to it. Planning Minister Asad Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC)  on Thursday said that the first consignment would arrive in Pakistan before the end of this month.

No Proof of 2nd Wave: Expert | There is so far no evidence that the second wave of COVID-19 in the country is due to variants of the virus, but it is possible, said noted virologist Shahid Jameel. He, however, stressed that the sharp rise in coronavirus infections seen recently is mainly because people have stopped following COVID-appropriate behaviour. In an interview with PTI, Jameel, who has won the coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, said the rollout of vaccines has caused a false sense of security among people.

Markets, Hotels Shut on Holi in Nagpur | Markets, hotels and restaurants will be closed on the occasion of Holi on Monday, March 29, in Nagpur. Essential shops like vegetable, mutton, chicken etc will be allowed till 1 pm. Gathering of people and celebration not allowed on March 28-29: Radhakrishnan B, Municipal Commissioner, Nagpur, Maharashtra.

India Gives More 1.2M Vaccines to B'desh | India provided 2 million Covid-19 vaccines as gift to Bangladesh and PM Narendra Modi, on the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh and 100th anniversary of father of our nation, is giving another 1.2 million vaccines as a gift. They assured that the contract will be met on time, we would like to buy more, says Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdul Momen.

Pointers from Ajit Pawar's Covid-19 review meet in Pune:
 - Not more than 20 people allowed in funerals/last rites 
- Not more than 50 people allowed during weddings
- Night curfew to be abided by strictly
- Schools and colleges will stay shut till April 30 
- All other public programmes banned
- Public parks to be open in morning and evening
- Malls to remain open at 50 per cent capacity

Pointers from Ajit Pawar's Covid-19 review meet in Pune:

- 50 per cent hospital beds to be taken over by the govt

- Vaccination centres to be doubled

- Vaccine supply might be short. Centre has been requested to send more vaccine stock

-  All political programs will be disallowed from April 1