Coronavirus India Live News: Delhi reports over 5,000 cases; DMRC issues new entry rules at metro stations

In view of imposition of night curfew in Delhi starting tonight, entry in metro from 10 pm to 5 am will be allowed only to those passengers who fall in essential category as per govt order, after verification of their valid IDs by DMRC/CISF personnel: DMRC - ANI

Mumbai reports 10,030 new COVID19 positive cases and 31 deaths, taking the total number of cases to 4,72,332. - ANI

Delhi reports 5100 new #COVID19 cases, 2340 recoveries and 17 deaths.Total cases: 6,85,062Total recoveries: 6,56,617Death toll: 11,113Active cases: 17,332 - ANI

COVID-19 is spreading at a fast pace with an increase in the intensity of the pandemic and the next four weeks are going to be very critical, the Centre said on Tuesday as it stressed on people's participation to control the second wave of the contagion. At a press conference, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr V K Paul said the pandemic situation in the country worsened with a sharp rise in cases and a large part of the population is still susceptible to the virus. The tools to fight the pandemic remain the same. COVID-appropriate behaviour, containment measures, testing have to be implemented more efficiently, medical infrastructure has to be ramped up and vaccination drive intensified, he said. COVID-appropriate behaviour like wearing masks, staying away from crowds have to be followed in a campaign mode, Paul reminded people. "The intensity of the pandemic has increased and it is spreading faster than last time. In some states, it (the condition) is worse than others but the upswing (in cases) can be observed across the country," he said. (PTI)

The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the district courts of Dehradun and Haridwar not to hold regular courts for two weeks in view of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the directive, issued by the high court Registrar Dhananjay Chaturvedi on Monday night, only important matters will be taken up during the period by the courts that will work with one third employees and there will be regular sanitization of the campuses. (PTI)

Amaravati: The upward spiral of coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh continued as 1,941 were reported afresh on Tuesday, the highest in close to five months, taking the gross to 9,10,943. The number of active cases shot past the 11,000 mark to 11,809, the highest count after November 28 last year. A health department bulletin said 835 patients had recovered and another seven succumbed to COVID-19 in the state in 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday. The total recoveries now stood at 8,91,883 and the deaths 7,251. Srikakulam joined the five other hotspot districts in reporting more than a 100 fresh cases in a day. Guntur topped the chart with 424, followed by Chittoor 323, Visakhapatnam 258, SPS Nellore 231, Krishna 212 and Srikakulam 102 new cases in a day. (PTI)

Amaravati: The upward spiral of coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh continued as 1,941 were reported afresh on Tuesday, the highest in close to five months, taking the gross to 9,10,943. The number of active cases shot past the 11,000 mark to 11,809, the highest count after November 28 last year. A health department bulletin said 835 patients had recovered and another seven succumbed to COVID-19 in the state in 24 hours ending 9 am on Tuesday. The total recoveries now stood at 8,91,883 and the deaths 7,251. Srikakulam joined the five other hotspot districts in reporting more than a 100 fresh cases in a day. Guntur topped the chart with 424, followed by Chittoor 323, Visakhapatnam 258, SPS Nellore 231, Krishna 212 and Srikakulam 102 new cases in a day. (PTI)

Actor Katrina Kaif on Tuesday said she has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under home quarantine. Kaif, 37, took to her Instagram Story and requested those who came in contact with her to also get themselves tested. The "Bharat" star said she is currently following protocols listed by her doctors and thanked fans for their continued support. "I have tested positive for Covid-19. Have immediately isolated myself and will be under home quarantine. I'm following all safety protocols under the advice of my doctors. "Requesting everyone who came in contact with me to get tested immediately too. Grateful for all your love and support. Please stay safe and take care," Kaif wrote. The actor is the latest Bollywood celebrity to have contracted the virus after superstar Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan, Govinda, Alia Bhatt, R Madhavan, singer Aditya Narayan, among others. (PTI)

Actors Renuka Shahane, Ashutosh Rana and Shefali Shah on Tuesday received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Shahane, 54, took to Twitter and shared a picture with her actor husband Rana (53) at the city's BKC vaccine centre. She thanked the doctors and nurses at the centre for their services. "Today we took the first dose of vaccine. Get vaccinated, wear a mask, keep social distance and keep your hands sanitized," Shahane wrote in Marathi. While Rana was recently seen in the Netflix comedy-drama "Pagglait", Shahane directed this year's "Tribhanga", headlined by Kajol, for the streamer. Shah, 48, also took to Instagram and shared a picture with her cat after receiving the vaccine. (PTI)

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai Tuesday said the AAP government is not considering imposing a lockdown and is exploring other alternatives it has. He also said that the central government should stop the export of coronavirus vaccine and open up inoculation for everyone. "The Delhi government is exploring all options and ideas. Night curfew has a role in to check the spread of coronavirus... but the government is not completely dependent on it," the minister said during a press conference. "We are not considering enforcing a lockdown. I believe we can check the spread through other alternatives," he said. Rai said the central government should open up vaccination for everyone to control the situation. (PTI)

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday said the COVID-19 situation in the state was getting "out of control", and suggested a curfew or lockdown could be imposed for three to four days to break the infection chain. Hearing a petition taken up suo motu (on its own) regarding the COVID-19 situation, a division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Bhargav Karia said such a lockdown or curfew is needed to curb the spread of the virus. Chief Justice Nath said the COVID-19 situation "is going from bad to worse and getting out of control" in Gujarat, with over 3,000 cases emerging on Monday. He suggested that all kind of gatherings, including political functions, should be controlled or stopped. (PTI)

Former India wicketkeeper and Mumbai Indians' talent scout Kiran More has tested positive for COVID-19, the IPL franchise said on Tuesday. The 58-year-old More is also the wicket-keeping consultant of the five-time IPL champions. "Mr. More is currently asymptomatic and has been isolated. Mumbai Indians and Kiran More have followed all the BCCI health guidelines," MI stated in a media release. "The MI medical team will continue to monitor Mr. More's health and abide by the BCCI protocols." Among the players and support staff, Delhi Capitals' all-rounder Axar Patel has tested positive and is in isolation. 

Russia reported 8,328 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 1,747 in Moscow, taking the official national tally to 4,597,868. The government coronavirus task force said 389 people had died in the past 24 hours, pushing its death toll to 101,106. The federal statistics agency has kept a separate count and reported a much higher toll of more than 225,000 from April 2020 to February. (Reuters)

Coronavirus-related deaths worldwide crossed 3 million on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the latest global resurgence of COVID-19 infections is challenging vaccination efforts across the globe. Worldwide COVID-19 deaths are rising once again, especially in Brazil and India. Health officials blame more infectious variants that were first detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa, along with public fatigue with lockdowns and other restrictions. According to a Reuters tally, it took more than a year for the global coronavirus death toll to reach 2 million. The next 1 million deaths were added in about three months. Brazil is leading the world in the daily average number of new deaths reported and accounts for one in every four deaths worldwide each day, according to a Reuters analysis. The World Health Organization acknowledged the nation’s dire condition due to coronavirus, saying the country is in a very critical condition with an overwhelmed healthcare system. (Reuters)

The BJP's Goa unit on Tuesday announced that it will take up an extensive drive to encourage people to get vaccinated against coronavirus. The BJP's state unit president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said party workers will be going to each and every house, encouraging people to visit the government-run health centres for vaccination. According to the Central government's guidelines, people above the age of 45 are eligible to get the COVID-19 jab. People are still reluctant to move out and get the vaccine, even as the number of COVID-19 cases are on the rise, Tanavade said. (PTI)

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar holds review meeting with DMs of all districts in view of increasing positive cases of #Covid19. pic.twitter.com/yYwCNxn3JI

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) April 6, 2021

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Merchants' and traders' associations in Aurangabad district are in 'wait and watch' mode, following the announcement of fresh set of curbs issued by the Maharashtra government to control the COVID-19 spread. As per the guidelines issued by the state government, shops that don't sell essential commodities will have to remain shut till April 30. Hospitals, medicals stores, shops selling vegetables, groceries, dairies and bakeries have been permitted to operate. Merchants and representatives from the cloth, automobile and vehicle dealerships met Minister of state for Revenue Abdul Sattar and collector Sunil Chavan on Monday night. 'We want the coronavirus spread to come under control and are willing to cooperate for it, but the economy should also run,' said Jagannath Kale, president of the Aurangabad District Vyapari Mahasangh. (PTI)

Pakistan will administer COVID-19 vaccines to citizens 80 years of age and above at their homes, as the country battles a fresh wave of the coronavirus. In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of National Health Services said Pakistan reported 103 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, while the number of new cases was 3,953 in the same period. This was the smallest rise in daily new infections since March 25, when 4,368 new cases were reported. On April 1, 5,234 new cases were reported. The country's total number of cases presently stands at 696,184, with 14,924 related deaths. Over 3,500 patients are in a critical condition. On Monday, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said citizens aged 80 years and above would be vaccinated at their homes. (PTI)

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister  Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said not wearing a face mask amounts to crime and appealed to people to follow appropriate "social behaviour" to check the spread of COVID-19. The surge in cases now is due to people lowering their guard, Chouhan said after starting a 24-hour 'sit-in' here to spread the awareness among people about following the COVID-19 prevention guidelines. The CM launched the "Swasthya Agrah" (health request) at the Minto Hall in Bhopal at 12.30 pm on Tuesday and during his 24-hour 'sit-in', he will interact with people online and conduct his official work from the venue. "Wearing masks and maintaining social distance are not in our habit. Besides these, we have to take other measures also to control the pandemic. So, I am sitting here for a moral request to make these things a part of people's habit," Chouhan told reporters. He said it is a "crime" if someone is not wearing a mask, because this also affects the health of others around that person. (PTI)

Maharashtra becomes first state in the country to cross the mark of 8 million doses of  COVID-19 Vaccine. (AIR News)

Uttar Pradesh Minister Shrikant Sharma on Tuesday received his first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine here and took a dig at Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying they should also get themselves vaccinated. He also said that the leaders should encourage others to get inoculated when their turn comes. Currently, the central government has allowed COVID-19 vaccination for all people above 45 years of age. "There are some who commented on the vaccination drive and made unwarranted remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi also," the state energy minister said. "Now, the prime minister has also taken the vaccine. Everyone is taking the vaccine. I appeal to opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav to also take the vaccine, and persuade others to do so," Sharma said after taking the jab at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital, Lucknow. (PTI)

Britain will begin the rollout of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in mid-April, vaccine deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Tuesday, adding the vaccination programme was on track to meet government targets. Asked if deployment of the shot was on track to begin in mid-April, Zahawi said “very much so.” “It’ll be in deployment around the third week of April,” he told BBC TV, adding he was confident that the government would meet a target of offering all adults a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of July. (Reuters)

To make people comply with Covid-19 appropriate behaviour, Google Doodle comes to play. A new Doodle released by the search giant urges people to wear face masks as Covid-19 cases rise by leaps and bounds in India and several other countries with multiple strains. To create more social awareness and maintain social distance now Google has joined authorities to caution users about their habits. READ MORE

Delhi Airport: With the growing number of COVID-19 cases again, challans are being issued to flyers for violating social distancing norms at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Over the past few days, with the national capital recording upwards of 4,000 cases on Sunday, several air travellers have been complaining that COVID-19 prevention norms like wearing face masks and observing social distancing are being ignored. Since Friday, enforcement teams under the DDMA (Delhi Disaster Management Authority), have started issuing Rs 2,000 challans to violators inside the airport premises. A government official was quoted in an IE report saying on April 2, ten enforcement teams were deployed, of which four teams were in T2 and six teams were in T3. The official further said that around 70 people are being issued challans per day. READ MORE 

The Centre has said that on-site registration for COVID-19 inoculation for healthcare and frontline workers aged 18 to 44 years will now only be available at government COVID vaccination centres. They will have to produce original photo identity cards and a copy of their employment certificate, it said. In a communique to states and union territories (UTs) on Monday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on-site registration facility for genuinely leftover healthcare workers (HCWs) and frontline workers (FLWs) will be available only at government COVID vaccinations centres (CVCs). The Centre on Saturday had conveyed to states and UTs that no fresh registration of HCWs and FLWs will be allowed with immediate effect since some ineligible beneficiaries were getting their names enlisted and getting inoculated under this category in violation of guidelines. Bhushan said, "Please refer to my letter dated 3rd April, 2021, vide which, in view of vaccination of ineligible beneficiaries in the name of HCWs or FLWs at some CVCs, in complete violation of the prescribed guidelines, the decision of the NEGVAC that, no fresh registration in the categories of HCWs and FLWs will be allowed, has been communicated".

Gujarat High Court points out that COVID19 cases in the State are increasing, directs the State govt to take a decision on weekend curfew. HC observed that there is a need for lockdown in the State. (ANI)

Amid rising COVID-19 cases in the national capital, entry to four major stations on the Yellow Line were on Tuesday briefly closed in the afternoon to ensure social distancing, officials said. The Yellow Line connects Samyapur Badli in Delhi to HUDA City Centre in Gurgaon. "Yellow Line Update Entry for the following stations are temporarily closed to ensure social distancing as part of our crowd control measures: Patel Chowk New Delhi Chawri Bazar Chandni Chowk Exit is allowed," the DMRC tweeted around 12:30 PM. Nearly ten minutes later, it updated that entry facilities to the four stations were resumed. (PTI)

Popular stand-up comic Kunal Kamra on Tuesday said he and his family have tested positive for COVID-19. While the comedian is home quarantined, his parents have been admitted to a hospital here. Kamra, 32, said he has informed those he came in contact with recently about his COVID diagnosis. "My parents are COVID positive and they're in a hospital near by. I'm COVID positive quarantined at home. I've spoken to everyone who I was in contact with. "Me and my family will be fine soon. Please take the second wave very seriously and be super careful," the comedian wrote on Twitter. (PTI)

In the wake of a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has restricted the entry of people at its headquarters and other offices in the city. Except for public representatives and citizens who have urgent work or meetings scheduled, no other visitor will be allowed to enter the BMC offices, as per a circular issued by the civic body on Monday. In exceptional cases, the department heads should issue entry passes to people on the basis of their negative RT-PCR test reports of less than 48 hours, said the circular. (PTI)

Puducherry logged 237 fresh COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours ending 10 am on Tuesday, taking the aggregate to 42,776. Two more persons (both are women) aged between 62 and 87 years succumbed to the illness. With these deaths, the toll now rose to 688. Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said the new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 3018 samples. While 145 of the total new cases were reported in Puducherry, Karaikal had 68 patients, Yanam nine and Mahe 15 during the last twenty-four hours. (PTI)

There shall be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement/transportation of essential/non-essential goods. No separate permission/e-pass will be required for such movements: Delhi government (ANI)

Buses, metro, autos, taxis and other modes of public transport will be allowed to ferry only those people who are exempt from night curfew. Depts providing essential services to remain exempt. Rules applicable to the movement of people & not essential goods & services: Delhi Govt (ANI)

Private doctors, nurses and paramedical staff to remain exempt from night curfew if ID card is produced. Passengers going to airports, railway stations & bus stations will be exempted if a valid ticket is produced. Pregnant women and patients going for treatment exempted: Delhi Govt (ANI)

No restrictions on traffic movement during night curfew. People can get vaccinated but need to have an e-pass. Owners of ration, general, fruits, vegetables & medical stores will be allowed on e-pass. Print & electronic media personnel will be allowed to move on e-pass: Delhi Govt (ANI)

Masks and a good ventilation system are more important than social distancing for reducing the airborne spread of COVID-19 inside a room, a modelling study suggests. In the research, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, the researchers created a computer model of a classroom with students and a teacher. They then modelled airflow and disease transmission, and calculated airborne-driven transmission risk. The classroom model was 709 square feet with 9-foot-tall ceilings, similar to a smaller-size classroom. The model had masked students -- any one of whom could be infected -- and a masked teacher at the front of the classroom. "The research is important as it provides guidance on how we are understanding safety in indoor environments," said Michael Kinzel, an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida in the US. "The study finds that aerosol transmission routes do not display a need for six feet social distancing when masks are mandated," Kinzel said. The study highlights that with masks, transmission probability does not decrease with increased physical distancing, which emphasises how mask mandates may be important to increasing capacity in schools and other places, according to the researchers. (PTI)

With release of films like "Sooryavanshi" being pushed indefinitely and top stars Akshay Kumar, Vicky Kaushal and Bhumi Pednekar testing positive for COVID-19, the danger of halting ongoing shootings of the projects looms large and so does the fear of many daily wage earners losing employment amid the surge in coronavirus cases in Maharashtra. As year 2021 appears to be a repeat of 2020, industry insiders say they are amping up safety measures, including regular RTPCR tests, to control the spread of COVID-19 on the sets of the on-ground productions as they cannot afford to suspend filming activities. Not just Kumar, who was shooting for "Ram Setu", as many as 45 members of the film's crew have also tested positive. As a precautionary measure, the actor was admitted to a city hospital on Monday. On the other hand, Kaushal and Pednekar were reportedly shooting for filmmaker Shashank Khaitan's Dharma Productions film "Mr Lele". According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) updated data, 9,857 new cases took the tally of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai to 4,62,302 on Monday, while the death toll jumped to 11,797. (PTI)

As the nation witnesses exponential growth in the number of daily Covid-19 cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a high-level meeting with the Chief Ministers of all the states on Thursday. A 50 high-level multi-disciplinary public health teams were formed and deployed at 50 districts in the three states (Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh) with a maximum number of fresh Covid-19 cases. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that weekend lockdowns have a limited impact on containing the spread of Covid-19 infections and the state’s focus should be on strict and effective containment strategy. On March 15,  Maharashtra had reported 16,620 cases, accounting for 63.21 per cent of the daily new cases in the country and 47, 000 new cases in the last 24 hours. READ MORE

#CoronaVirusUpdates: State-wise details of Total Confirmed #COVID19 cases(till 06 April, 2021, 8 AM) ➡️States with 1-30000 confirmed cases ➡️States with 30001-300000 confirmed cases ➡️States with 300000 confirmed cases ➡️Total no. of confirmed cases so far #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/qojwljG17E

— #IndiaFightsCorona (@COVIDNewsByMIB) April 6, 2021

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Two more members of the ground-staff and a plumber at the Wankhede Stadium have tested positive for COVID-19, a day after the facility was cleared to host its share of 10 IPL matches. The stadium is due to host its first IPL game of the season on April 10, following the lung-opener in Chennai between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 9. "Three at the stadium have tested positive, two are groundsmen," a Mumbai Cricket Association source told PTI.  Earlier last Saturday, 10 ground-staff members of the stadium had tested positive, but most of them have since recovered. (PTI)