Avoid large gatherings while celebrating I-Day in view of Covid cases: Centre to States

The Centre has requested States to make sure there are no huge gatherings for Independence Day festivities and that everyone follows Covid standards as the country continues to report an average of over 15,000 coronavirus cases daily.

The Union Home Ministry has also communicated to the states and union territories that they must hold a "Swachh Bharat" campaign in a visible area of each district in the state or UT for a period of two weeks to a month in order to maintain cleanliness through citizen initiative.

In a communication, the ministry said, "As a precaution, against COVID-19, large congregations in the ceremony be avoided. It is imperative that Covid guidelines are followed".

Union Health Ministry data was updated on Friday, showing that India's overall number of coronavirus cases rose by 16,561, bringing the total to 4,42,23,557, while the number of active cases fell to 1,23,535.

According to information that was updated at 8 am, the number of confirmed deaths has risen to 5,26,928.

The Home Ministry has also requested that government agencies and educational institutions implement tree-planting initiatives to raise public awareness about the need of environmental protection.