Covid-19 Lockdown Live Updates: Lockdown in Delhi from tonight; PM Modi to talk with doctors, pharma companies

Higher requirement of oxygen was found in this wave. There is no difference in the percent of death between the first wave and second wave from the data we have, says ICMR DG Dr. Balram Bhargava. (ANI)

a) Officers / officials of Government of India, its autonomous / subordinate offices and Pais, on production of valid I card and as per the restrictions imposed by Government of India. 

b) Offices of GNCT of Delhi/Autonomous Bodies/Corporations shall remain closed except those involved in essential and emergency services such as Health and Family Welfare and all related medical establishments, Police, Prisons, Home Guards, Civil Defence, Fire and emergency Services, District Administration, Pay & Account Office, Services, GAD, Electricity, Water and Sanitation, Public Transport (Air / Railways / Delhi Metro / Buses) including all incidental services / activities that are essential for smooth functioning of all modes of public transport ( such as handling of cargo, ticketing, air freight station, CFS, lCD etc.), Disaster Management and related services, NIC, NCC and Municipal services, and all other essential services. All Heads of Department of GNCTD shall attend their offices and may also call their relevant officers/officials in office as per requirement with regard to delivery of essential services / activities as well as COVI❑-19 related works. The uninterrupted delivery of public services shall be ensured by the concerned departments / agencies. These officers / officials shall be allowed, on production of valid I card. 

c) All Judicial officers / officials /staff members of all courts of Delhi (Hon'ble Supreme Court of India / Hon'ble High Court of Delhi / District Courts / Tribunals) on production of valid I card / Service ID Card / Photo Entry Passes / Permission Letters issued by the court administration. 

*Source: Govt of Delhi

It has been decided to impose a lockdown in Delhi, from 10 pm tonight to 6 am next Monday (26th April), Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said. Essential services, food services, medical services will continue. Weddings can be held with a gathering of only 50 people, passes will be issued separately for it. A detailed order will be issued shortly. "In the last 24 hours, around 23,500 cases were reported. In last 3-4 days, around 25,000 cases have been reported. Positivity rate&infection have increased. If 25,000 patients come every day then system will crumble, there's a shortage of beds," Delhi CM said. 

Seven-day curfew in Delhi from today. Announcement expected soon. 

Amid an exponential rise in coronavirus cases, Delhi is likely to be under curfew from Monday night till April 26 morning, sources said. The official announcement is likely to be made later in the day. The official sources said that the decision was taken at a meeting held between Lt Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.(PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair an important meeting on the COVID-19 situation at 11:30 am on Monday, officials said. The meeting comes amid a massive surge in coronavirus cases across the country, with several chief ministers complaining of a shortage of essentials like oxygen supply and medicines like Remdesivir, and seeking the Centre's intervention. Modi has been holding regular meetings to deal with the emerging pandemic situation. India's total tally of COVID-19 cases crossed the 1.50-crore mark with a record single-day rise of 2,73,810, while the active cases surpassed the 19-lakh mark, according to the latest Union Health Ministry data. (PTI)

India has reported 2,73,810 new COVID19 cases, 1,619 fatalities and 1,44,178 discharges in the last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry. 

Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported 59 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the coronavirus tally in the union territory to 5,390, a health department official said on Monday. The COVID-19 death toll in the archipelago remained at 64 as no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, he said. Of the 59 new coronavirus cases, 41 were detected during contact tracing and the rest 18 tested positive for COVID-19 at the airport upon arrival, he said. 

With the addition of 5,013 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 4,16,381, an official said on Monday. Besides these new cases reported on Sunday, the virus also claimed the lives of 42 people, pushing the death toll in the district to 6,942, he said. The COVID-19 mortality rate in the district is 1.67 per cent, he said. 

Struggling to contain the huge COVID-19 surge, Maharashtra has declared six states, including Delhi and the NCR region, as places of "sensitive origin" in a bid to stop the influx of other variants of coronavirus into the state. Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte in an order issued on Sunday declared Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), Rajasthan and Uttarakhand as places of "sensitive origin". As per the order, passengers travelling to Maharashtra from these places will need a negative RT-PCR report of test conducted within 48 hours of their train travel. The decision has been taken to curb the transmission of coronavirus in Maharashtra and to "stop the influx of other COVID-19 virus variants into the state from other locations," said the order. (PTI)

In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Rajasthan government ordered the closure of offices and markets from Monday to May 3, according to a release. Called the Jan Anushasan Pakhwada'' (public discipline fortnight), only shops and offices providing essential services will open during the 15-day period, the release issued by Home Secretary Abhay Kumar said. The sale of fruits and vegetables will be allowed till 7 pm. Those entering Rajasthan will have to show a negative RT-PCR report issued 72 hours prior to the travel. (PTI)

Amid increasing COVID caseload, passengers coming from outside to be tested at airports, railway stations, bus stands & inter-state borders. Testing to be done in rural areas as well. Strict action against those black marketing essential medicines, says Bhupesh Baghel, Chhattisgarh CM.

Delhi's Chandni Chowk market will remain shut till April 25 in view of the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases, the traders association announced on Sunday. The Delhi Kirana Committee of Khari Baoli Market and the Chemical Merchant Association of Tilak Bazaar also announced closure of markets till April 21. "Today Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal in an emergency meeting with its members has decided to request its members to keep their establishment closed till April 25 in light of very serious condition of the virus spreading at a very large volumes. We will take a decision after assessing the condition on next Sunday," Chandni Chowk traders body president Sanjay Bhargava said in a statement. "The most alarming aspect is the galloping positivity rate and shortages of hospital beds, oxygen, ventilators and medicines and other medical facilities in use of the epidemic," he added. (PTI)

The Delhi Police on Sunday arranged 20 oxygen cylinders for a hospital in outer Delhi's Nihal Vihar area to help 35 COVID-19 patients admitted there, officials said. The staff at Nihal Vihar police station received a call around 1.30 pm from the director of Mansa Ram Hospital on Nangloi Nazafgarh road that they have 35 COVID-19 patients on oxygen support and that their stock will not last for more than one hour. The police said the hospital had contacted all the concerned but could not get any response due to shortage of oxygen. (PTI)

Gujarat recorded 10,340 fresh coronavirus positive cases in the last 24 hours, the highest spike in a day, taking the number of infections beyond 4 lakh to reach 4,04,569, the state health department said on Sunday. The state also saw the highest 110 fatalities during the day, taking the toll to 5,377, it said in a release. The number of active cases in Gujarat has risen to 61,647. Among the 100 fatalities, Ahmedabad and Surat districts each recorded 28 deaths, followed by 11 in Rajkot, 10 in Vadodara, 7 in Surendranagar, 6 in Jamnagar, 5 in Gandhinagar, 3 in Bharuch, 2 each in Banaskantha, Mehsana, Morbi, Sabarkantha, and one each in Arvalli, Devbhumi Dwarka, Junagadh and Kheda. (PTI)

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said there will be a 10 times rise in Covaxin vaccine production by September while manufacture of remdesivir jabs, an anti-viral drug against COVID-19, will be doubled to 74.1 lakh each month by May. In a series of tweets, he also said all support is being extended to states to fight COVID-19 and uninterrupted supply of oxygen and enhancement of healthcare infrastructure is being ensured. Highlighting the steps taken to fulfil the requirement of remdesivir, Vardhan in a tweet said, "Production being doubled to 74.1L per month by May; Express permission given to 20 manufacturing plants to increase production; Exports prohibited; Prices capped; Strict monitoring to curb any malpractice, hoarding and black marketing." (PTI)

The busiest of roads and markets remained eerily quiet and empty on Sunday as the national capital, burdened by the heavy load of unprecedented number of COVID-19 cases, observed the second day of weekend curfew. The curfew, aimed at breaking the chain of spiralling coronavirus infections, was clamped at 10 pm on Friday and will continue till 5 am on Monday. Major markets, including Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place, Khari Baoli and Karol Bagh remained closed for business through the day. In a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus, Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal announced to keep the shutters down till April 25. (PTI)

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has recovered from the coronavirus infection that he contracted on April 7, and will join office after consulting with doctors, a minister said. The chief minister's wife Niti Deb, who was recently diagnosed with COVID-19 for the second time within eight months, also tested negative for the disease, Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath said. "The chief minister and his wife have recovered from the COVID-19 infection as they tested negative on Saturday. They are well. The CM will join office after consulting with doctors," he said. (PTI)

Bihar's COVID-19 tally rose to 3,24,117 on Sunday as 8,690 people tested positive for the infection, while 27 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 1,749, a health bulletin said. Patna district reported the highest number of new cases at 2,290, followed by Gaya (753) and Saran (383), it said. Patna also registered the highest number of fresh fatalities at nine, followed by four in Bhagalpur. A total of 3,460 more people have been cured of the disease, it said. (PTI)

Nagaland's COVID-19 tally rose to 12,555 on Sunday as 19 more people tested positive for the infection, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom said. Dimapur reported the highest number of new cases at 14, followed by four in Kohima and 1 in Longleng, he said. The state now has 176 active cases, while 12,110 people have recovered from the disease, 94 patients have succumbed to the infection and 175 have migrated to other states thus far, he said. (PTI)

Sixty-eight more people died from coronavirus in Punjab on Sunday as the health authorities reported another record daily spike of 4,957 cases, pushing the state's infection tally to 3,00,038. On Saturday, the state had witnessed its highest daily increase of 4,498 cases. With 68 more fatalities in the past 24 hours, the death toll climbed to 7,902 in the state, according to a medical bulletin. Eleven deaths were reported in Amritsar, nine in Gurdaspur, seven in Patiala and six in Rupnagar. Mohali reported 880 cases, the maximum in the state, followed by 742 in Amritsar, 686 in Ludhiana, 445 in Jalandhar and 379 in Patiala. The number of active cases stands at 34,190. (PTI)

BJP president J P Nadda on Sunday asked party functionaries to launch "apna booth corona mukt" (Our booth is free of corona) campaign amid a huge surge in the COVID-19 cases across the country. Addressing BJP's national office-bearers and its state unit chiefs in a virtual meeting, Nadda asked state units to set up help desks and put out a helpline number for the people. (PTI)

The stringent National Security Act (NSA) will be invoked against three people, including two medical representatives, who were arrested on Thursday for alleged black-marketing of Remdesivir injections amid a spike in COVID-19 infections. Kanpur Police Commissioner Asim Arun said smuggling and selling of the drug required for COVID-19 treatment "is a crime against humanity. The decision to slap the stringent NSA against the accused persons has been taken." The formalities for slapping the NSA must be completed before the accused could seek bail from court, Arun said. (PTI)

Twenty-nine more people died from coronavirus in Haryana on Sunday as it reported another big spike of 7,177 cases, taking the state's infection count to 3,56,971, a Health Department bulletin said. So far, the infection has claimed 3,415 lives in the state. On Saturday, the state had recorded its biggest single-day jump of 7,717 infections. Among the districts that reported a big spike in cases were Gurgaon (2,401), Faridabad (998), Sonipat (573), Hisar (521) and Karnal (501). Four people died in Kaithal and three each in Jind, Yamunanagar, Hisar and Faridabad. (PTI)

Madhya Pradesh on Sunday reported 12,248 COVID-19 cases, the state's highest single-day spike so far, taking the tally above four lakh, an official said. The state's caseload stands at 4,08,080, including 4,557 deaths, 66 of which took place in the last 24 hours, he said. The recovery count rose to 3,34,947 after 7,495 people were discharged during the day, leaving the state with 68,576 active cases, he added. The state has recorded 1,12,569 cases and 571 deaths in April so far, the official said. (PTI)

The United States will likely move to resume Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine this coming week, possibly with restrictions or broader warnings after reports of some very rare blood clot cases, the government's top infectious diseases expert said on Sunday. Dr. Anthony Fauci, in a series of news show interviews, said he expects a decision when advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meet Friday to discuss the pause in J&J's single-dose vaccine. (PTI)

The red, green and yellow stickers that emergency and essential service vehicles need to sport as part of an initiative to curb traffic on Mumbai roads during the coronavirus-induced 'break the chain' restrictions will have to be prepared by vehicle owners and won't be provided by police, an official said on Sunday. Under the initiative, vehicles belonging to doctors, medical staff, ambulances and those engaged in supplying medical equipment will have to sport red stickers, and those transporting food, vegetables, fruits, groceries, dairy products, etc, will use green stickers. (PTI)

Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday recorded 1,526 new coronavirus cases, including of 226 travellers, taking the total of infected people to 1,46,692, even as six fresh deaths in the past 24 hours took the toll to 2,057, officials said. Out of the fresh cases, 547 were from the Jammu division and 979 from the Kashmir division of the union territory, they said. The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 520 cases, including of 63 travellers, followed by 299 cases in Jammu district and 122 in Baramulla district. The number of active cases has now reached 11,467 in the union territory, while 1,33,168 patients have recovered so far, the officials said. (ANI)

Maharashtra reports highest 68,631 COVID-19 cases in a day; 503 deaths push toll to 60,473: state health department. (PTI)

Tamil Nadu on Sunday recorded an all time high in daily COVID-19 cases by adding 10,723 more infections, pushing the total caseload to 9.91 lakh. The toll mounted to 13,113 with 42 fatalities in the last 24 hours. According to a medical bulletin, total recoveries climbed to 9,07,947 with 5,925 patients being discharged, leaving 70,391 active infections. (PTI)

The COVID-19 caseload of West Bengal, where an eight-phase assembly election is underway, soared to 6,59,927 as the state registered its highest single-day spike of 8,419 fresh infections on Sunday, a health bulletin said. Twenty-eight fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 10,568, it said. Kolkata reported the highest number of new cases at 2,197, followed by 1,860 in neighbouring North 24 Parganas district. North 24 Parganas registered six fresh fatalities, followed by five in Kolkata. (PTI)

A top executive of a Daman-based pharmaceutical company and his aide have been arrested from Valsad district in Gujarat for allegedly black marketing Remdesivir drug, which is in high demand for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, police said on Sunday. The arrested duo is identified as Manish Singh, Technical Director of Daman-based Bruck Pharma, and his acquaintance Varun Kundra, who owns a furniture shop in Daman, said Valsad district superintendent of police Rajdeepsinh Zala. (PTI)

The Delhi government on Sunday initiated legal action against two city hospitals for turning away COVID-19 patients, a day after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal warned them of strict action if found giving wrong information about availability of beds. The Delhi government has sought legal action against two hospitals, one in south Delhi and another in Janakpuri, for putting out wrong information on availability of COVID beds on the Delhi Corona app, an official statement said. (PTI)

Delhi on Sunday reported 25,462 COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike in the national capital till date, according to data shared by the Health Department. The city also reported 161 deaths, while the positivity rate shot up to 29.74 per cent, also the highest so far. A day ago, 24,375 COVID-19 cases and 167 deaths were reported in the city. With the fresh cases, the national capital's cumulative tally has risen to 8,53,460. The death toll stands at 12,121, according to the latest bulletin. A total of 85,620 tests, including 56,015 RT-PCR tests and 29,605 rapid antigen tests, were conducted the previous day, the bulletin said. So far, over 7.66 lakh patients have recovered in Delhi, it added. The number of active cases in the city increased to 74,941 from 69,799 the day before, the bulletin stated. (PTI)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to ensure an adequate supply of COVID vaccines, medicines and oxygen to the state, which has been reporting a sharp spike in fresh infections. In her two-page letter to the prime minister, Banerjee said that vaccines, medicines and oxygen are of paramount importance to contain the second COVID wave. Noting that vaccination is of top importance in densely populated West Bengal and particularly Kolkata, she, however, lamented, "Unfortunately for us, the supply of vaccines from the Centre has been scarce and erratic, which is negatively affecting our vaccination programmes." (PTI)

Forty-two more people died from coronavirus in Rajasthan on Sunday as a record 10,514 cases surfaced, the highest so far since the outbreak of the pandemic in the state last year. The infection has killed 3,151 people in Rajasthan, which has reported 4,14,869 infections so far, according to a health bulletin. Meanwhile, shops and offices, except those dealing in essential services, remained closed due to a weekend curfew imposed by the state government to check the coronavirus spread. (PTI)

Gujarat reports 10,340 fresh COVID cases, 3,981 recoveries, and 110 deaths in the last 24 hours Total cases: 4,04,561 Active cases: 61,647 Total recoveries: 3,37,545 Death toll: 5,377 Vaccination: 1,02,88,012. (ANI)

Nagpur on Sunday reported a record 85 COVID-19 deaths, while the day also saw 7,107 cases being added to the district's tally, an official said. The caseload here stands at 3,23,106, including 6,273 deaths, while the recovery count rose by 3,987 to touch 2,47,590, he added. The district has an active caseload of 69,243, he said. With 26,792 samples being examined on Sunday, the number of tests in Nagpur reached 19,96,854, the official said. (PTI)

Tata Steel on Sunday announced it is supplying up to 300 tonnes of medical oxygen on a daily basis to various state governments and hospitals for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Liquid medical oxygen or LMO is a crucial medical requirement for the treatment of coronavirus patients. "Responding to the national urgency, we are supplying 200-300 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen daily to various state governments and hospitals. We are in this fight together and will surely win it! @PMOIndia @TataCompanies," Tata Steel said in a tweet. JSPL also said it is supplying 50-100 tonne oxygen daily from its facilities at Angul (Odisha) and Raigarh (Chhattisgarh). In a tweet on Saturday, the country's largest steel-making company SAIL said it has also supplied over 33,300 tonne of LMO for the treatment of coronavirus-affected patients. (PTI)