LIVE
Sat, 18 April 2020
184 test +ive in Mumbai, biggest one-day spike
Timeline Refresh
21:26 184 test +ive in Mumbai, biggest one-day spike
Mumbai sees the highest number of COVID-19 cases today as 184 people tested positive, says Maharashtra Health Department.
The number of coronavirus patients in Maharashtra reached 3,648 on Saturday with 328 new patients being detected.
A health department official said out of 328, 184 new patients were found in Mumbai and 78 in Pune.
Six persons tested positive in Thane city, three in Bhiwandi, three in Thane district, five in Raigad, 11 in Mira Bhayander, five in Kalyan Dombivali, seven in Palghar, eight in Pimpri Chinchwad, three in Nagpur, two in Navi Mumbai, four in Satara, one each in Akola, Amravati, Nandurbar, Panvel,
Aurangabad, Vasai Virar and Pune district, he said. -- PTI
Aurangabad, Vasai Virar and Pune district, he said. -- PTI
21:19 Doc blames AAP MLA for harassment, ends life
A doctor allegedly committed suicide on Saturday morning in south Delhi's Neb Sarai area, police said.
A suicide note recovered from the victim's house stated that Aam Aadmi Party MLA Prakash Jarwal was responsible for his death, they said.
The victim has been identified as Rajendra Singh, 52, a resident of Durga Vihar, police said.
According to the police, Singh hanged himself with the help of a rope at his house.
A tenant noticed the body around 5.30 am and informed his family members, a senior police officer said.
The body was sent to AIIMS for postmortem, he said.
Meanwhile, the victim's son alleged that his father used to run a clinic in the locality and was also in the business of water supply with the Delhi Jal Board since 2007, police said.
A case of extortion, abetment of suicide and threat has been registered against the Deoli MLA, one Kapil Nagar and others at Neb Sarai Police Station based on a complaint by the victim's son, they added. -- PTI
20:57 Shah takes stcok of lockdown situation, supply
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday reviewed the prevailing situation in the country during the ongoing lockdown and took stock of the supply of essential commodities, officials said.
During the meeting, he was apprised about the steps taken by the home ministry to provide support to migrant workers who are stranded in different parts of the country.
Shah also reviewed the working of a 24x7 control room set up to monitor the coronavirus pandemic and coordinate with states and union territories.
"The home minister reviewed the working of MHA control room and reviewed COVID-19 situation in various states in a meeting with officers.
"The control room is operational 24x7 and is coordinating with states as well as with various ministries of central government," a home ministry spokesperson said.
The meeting was attended by his two junior ministers G Kishan Reddy and Nityanand Rai, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and other senior officers.
Earlier, Shah called up Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh and conveyed his deep appreciation for effective lockdown and excellent services rendered by all ranks of J&K Police.
Shah also complimented the Jammu and Kashmir Police for good counter-terrorism and law and order management in the union territory.
The lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from March 24 for 21 days -- till April 14 -- in a bid to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown was further extended till May 3. -- PTI
20:47 Over 50 helplines set up across India to help women facing domestic violence
More than 50 helplines have been started across India to provide succour to women facing domestic violence during the ongoing lockdown, officials said on Saturday.
Anyone can call up on these helplines to lodge complaints of domestic abuse against women anywhere in the country.
"52 helplines have been started in different parts of the country to help women facing domestic violence during the lockdown," a home ministry official told PTI.
While some of these helplines are active nationally, some are state specific and others were set up at district level.
The helplines are run by police, women welfare departments and NGOs working for the rights of women, the official said.
The domestic abuse national helpline number is 181 while women police helpline numbers are 1091 and 1291. There are two numbers to provide help to the women through psychologists -- 9000070839 and 0402760531.
While some of the helplines have been operational for a long time, others have been set up temporarily for helping women during the lockdown.
There have been reports of domestic violence in different parts of the country during the lockdown and police have intensified vigil to check such incidents, another official said.
The Pune Zila Parishad has reportedly decided to put men in quarantine if there is any complaint of domestic abuse against them.
There have been reports of growing incidents of domestic violence globally, especially in places like Paris.
During the lockdown, women can't go out to lodge complaint if they face any harassment at the hands of the men at home.
The helplines are expected to provide succour to all such women in distress, the official said.
The lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 for 21 days -- till April 14 -- in a bid to combat the coronavirus pandemic. It was later extended till May 3. -- PTI
19:47 Actor Ajaz Khan arrested over Facebook post
Actor and former Bigg Boss contestant Ajaz Khan was arrested on Saturday for allegedly uploading an objectionable Facebook post, a Mumbai police official said on Saturday.
Khan was summoned to Khar police station in connection with the comment made during a Facebook live session and then placed under arrest, he said.
"He has been charged under section 153A and others of the IPC for promoting enmity among communities. Further probe is underway," he added.
Khan was arrested in July last year for posting objectionable videos that could allegedly have caused enmity among communities, police had said at the time.
In October 2018, he was held for allegedly possessing banned drugs, police said. -- PTI
19:20 Shah Rukh, Priyanka to perform in virtual concert organised by Lady Gaga
Artists like Elton John, Chris Martin, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, pianist Lang Lang, David Becham, Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and many more will perform.
People in the United States can watch the concert on ABC, CNN channels.
The rest of the world can watch it live on Youtube, Amazon Prime Instagram, Facebook, etc.
Click HERE for more details
A virtual concert 'One World Together At Home', organised by Lady Gaga, will be telecast and live-streamed on Sunday at 8.30 am (India).
People in the United States can watch the concert on ABC, CNN channels.
The rest of the world can watch it live on Youtube, Amazon Prime Instagram, Facebook, etc.
Click HERE for more details
19:10 All states, UTs activated emergency response centres: MHA on lockdown
All states and Union territories have activated 'emergency operation centres' across districts to address issues faced by people due to the ongoing lockdown, a senior official said on Saturday.
During a daily briefing, Punya Salila Srivastava, a joint secretary in the Union home ministry, said a control room set up in the MHA is providing round-the-clock assistance to people and helplines 1930 and 1944 are resolving their grievances.
She said the availability of essential goods and services in the country was satisfactory. Single emergency response number 112 is operational in all states and UTs, she said.
The 112 mobile app tracks location and provides highly prompt services. This has been extensively used by pregnant women, elderly and specially-abled during the lockdown, the joint secretary said.
"We hope that with the help of all these services, we will be able to resolve your issues during the lockdown period," she said.
The officer said visas of foreigners who are stranded in India due to the coronavirus lockdown will be extended till the midnight of May 3 upon receiving an online application.
Exit to such foreign nationals, if so requested by them during this period, will also be granted up to 14 days beyond May 3 without levy of overstay penalty, she said. -- PTI
18:54 Rahul thanks govt for changing FDI norms
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi thanked the government on Saturday for amending the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy after his warning on takeover of Indian companies by foreign players during the COVID-19 crisis.
'I thank the Government for taking note of my warning and amending the FDI norms to make it mandatory for Government approval in some specific cases,' he wrote on Twitter.
Gandhi had, on April 12, flagged the issue of alleged takeover of some Indian companies after those became vulnerable in the wake of the economic slowdown.
'The massive economic slowdown has weakened many Indian corporates making them attractive targets for takeovers. The Government must not allow foreign interests to take control of any Indian corporate at this time of national crisis,' he had written on Twitter.
Gandhi's warning came after the People's Bank of China (PBoC) invested in HDFC and took up a stake in the finance company. -- PTI
18:28 Ramzan: Break fast, pray at home, says Maha govt
The Maharashtra government on Saturday urged Muslims to offer prayers and break their fasts during the month of Ramzan, which begins next week, inside their homes instead of gathering at mosques or any other public place in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
There is a lockdown in place till May 3 across the country and restrictions have been imposed on celebrating festivals and offering prayers at public places by followers of all religions during this period.
The Union Minority Affairs Ministry has already urged Muslims to not congregate for offering prayers and Iftar during this period.
In a statement, the Maharashtra Minority Affiars Minister Nawab Malik said community members should not gather on homes or building terraces or grounds to offer namaz, prayers or for iftar.
The department asked the community members to follow the instructions strictly. -- PTI
17:30 AI opens bookings on select routes from May 4
Air India on Saturday announced it has opened bookings on select domestic and international routes from May 4 and June 1, respectively.
'In the light of the ongoing global health concerns, we have currently stopped accepting bookings on all domestic flights for travel till May 3, 2020, and on all international flights for travel till May 31, 2020,' a notification on Air India's website said on Saturday.
'Bookings for select domestic flights for travel from May 4, 2020, and for international flights for travel from June 1, 2020 onwards are open,' it stated.
India has been under lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of novel coronavirus.
The first phase of the lockdown was from March 25 to April 14. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 extended the lockdown till May 3.
All domestic and international commercial passenger flights have been suspended during this period.
On April 3, Air India had said it has stopped bookings, both domestic and international, till the end of the month. -- PTI
17:12 Humanity will overcome pandemic, says PM
Humanity will surely overcome the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday as he hailed the efforts put in by various ministries to help people during the lockdown, and in the fight against COVID-19.
'The world is fighting COVID-19 together. Humanity will surely overcome this pandemic,' Modi said while replying to a tweet by the Indian Embassy in Switzerland.
'Indian Tricolor of more than 1000 meters in size projected on Matterhorn Mountain, Zermatt, Switzerland to express Solidarity to all Indians in the fight against COVID 19. A big Thank You to @zermatt_tourism for the gesture,' the tweet by the Indian Embassy said.
The prime minister also responded to tweets by various ministries and his cabinet colleagues on how efforts were being made to help people amid the lockdown.
'Proud of the Indian Railways team. They've been continuously helping our citizens in this crucial hour,' Modi said in response to a tweet by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
Goyal said that while passenger trains stopped during the lockdown, the Railways did not.
'With relentless dedication, hard work and meticulous planning, Railways keeps the nation running smoothly,' he tweeted.
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted that he has thanked LPG cylinder delivery personnel for carrying out their responsibility in fulfilling people's needs during the lockdown.
Modi responded by saying, 'Kudos to all those working round the clock, across the nation, to ensure India's energy needs are met.'
The Income Tax department said as a relief to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), income tax refunds worth Rs 5,204 crore have been issued by the CBDT in the last 10 days to nearly 8.2 lakh small businesses in view of the COVID-19 situation.
Modi tweeted that the department was committed to helping dynamic small and medium businesses.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri posted on Twitter that coronavirus warriors of the civil aviation sector have now flown 262 flights across 2,64,181 km with 454 tonnes of medical and essential cargo under Lifeline Udan since 26 March.
Reacting to the tweet, the prime minister said, 'Ensuring all possible assistance to those who need it.' -- PTI
16:31 Govt reviews FDI policy to prevent takeovers
The government of India has reviewed Foreign Direct Investment policy for 'curbing opportunistic takeovers/acquisitions of Indian companies due to COVID-19'.
'A non-resident entity can invest in India, subject to FDI policy except in those sectors/activities which are prohibited,' a government release said.
'However, an entity of a country, which shares land border with India or where the beneficial owner of an investment into India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country, can invest only under the government route,' it said.
'Further, a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan can invest, only under the government route, in sectors/activities other than defence, space, atomic energy and sectors/activities prohibited for foreign investment,' the release said. -- ANI
15:20 PMO officials hold meet over easing lockdown
The partial relaxation is aimed at restarting selected economic activities and provide employment, especially to daily wage earners.
The Prime Minister's Office held a preparatory meeting with officials of seven key ministries to discuss the details and prepare a plan for partially relaxing the nationwide lockdown from on Monday.
Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Principal Secretary P K Mishra, the
meeting discussed plans to get workers to factories, and
on the systems and processes states need to put in place for effective
implementation of the guidelines for a partial exit from the lockdown, as
laid out in the home ministry order of April 15.
The order allowed the restart of industries in rural areas and special
economic zones, and permitted services such as e-commerce -- all outside of containment zones declared by respective state or union territory administrations.
A plan has been prepared for the PM's approval.
Representative image
14:38 Tabligh attendee's 9-month-old son tests +ve
A nine-month-old infant who is among the latest coronavirus cases detected in Uttarakhand contracted the infection from his father after he returned from a Tablighi Jamaat congregation, officials said on Saturday.
They did not say where the congregation was held or when the infant's father had tested positive.
The infant is one of the three new coronavirus cases detected in Uttarakhand on Friday.
The number of cases in the state after these fresh infections has risen to 40, a health department spokesperson said.
The baby is quarantined at a school in Jakhan area of Dehradun, he said.
According to the spokesperson, the infant's father is one of the 10 Tablighi Jamaat members under treatment for COVID-19 in Dehradun.
He is admitted to the isolation ward at the Doon Hospital.
However, the baby's mother has tested negative for COVID-19, he said.
The other two persons who tested positive on Friday were a woman officer posted at a military hospital here and a Tablighi Jamaat member from Nainital district, the spokesperson said.
The woman officer had recently returned from training in Lucknow.
Contact tracing of the officer is underway, he said.
The Tablighi Jamaat member is undergoing treatment at Sushila Tiwari Hospital, Haldwani, he said. -- PTI
Image used only for representation.
14:05 Sharjeel Imam chargesheeted in sedition case
Delhi police filed a charge sheet against Sharjeel Imam on Saturday for allegedly giving a seditious speech and abetting riots in Jamia Millia Islamia during a protest against the new citizenship law, officials said.
Imam was arrested for instigating and abetting riots with his speech delivered on December 13.
Two days after the speech, Jamia students clashed with police during a march against the amended law.
A senior police officer said the first charge sheet in the case was filed against the rioters and sections 124A Indian Penal Code and 153A IPC (Sedition and promoting enmity between classes) were invoked.
A supplementary charge sheet has now been filed in the Saket court, the officer added. Imam, who came into the limelight during the Shaheen Bagh protest, was arrested from Bihar's Jehanabad on January 28. -- PTI
13:47 Pune police constable, wife test positive for COVID-19
A 43-year-old policeman and his wife tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra's Pune city, a senior official said on Saturday.
A police constable and his wife tested positive for coronavirus on Friday evening and were shifted to an isolation facility in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area, the official said.
The constable worked with the Pune police and lived in Pimpri, he said, adding that the authorities were now tracing the close contacts of the couple.
According to health officials, as many as 565 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Pune district so far, of which 48 have succumbed to the infection. -- PTI
13:26 AI flight off to China to pick up med supplies
An Air India B-787 aircraft departed for Guangzhou from Delhi Airport on Saturday morning to pick up medical supplies.
On Wednesday, the national carrier said it has carried, in the last 1 days, around 170 tonnes of COVID-19 related medical cargo from Shanghai and Hong Kong.
'Air India has carried around 170 tonnes of #COVID19 related medical items in the last 10 days from Shanghai and Hong Kong and hopes to uplift another 300 tonnes in the coming week from two new cities Guangzhou and Shenyang,' the government-run aoirline said in a tweet.
According to the ministry of Civil Aiviation, Lifeline Udan flights are being operated to transport essential medical cargo to remote parts of the country.
'227 flights have been operated by Air India, Alliance Air Indian Air Force (IAF) and private carriers (138 by Air India and Alliance Air). 407.40 tons Cargo transported till now,' the Ministry of Civil Aviation had tweeted on Tuesday.
These flights are being operated adhering to all safety protocols laid down by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). -- ANI
13:09 Pak struggles to rein in clerics as cases rise
Pakistan's coronavirus cases on Saturday rose to 7,481 with 465 new patients even as the government struggled to control clerics flouting orders against congregations in mosques.
The Ministry of National Health Services reported that 143 people have died so far including eight on Friday.
Another 1,832 have recovered.
The largest province of Punjab registered 3,391 patients, followed by Sindh with 2,217, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 1,077, Balochistan 335, Gilgit-Baltistan 250, Islamabad 163 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with 48 patients.
The ministry showed that so far 92,548 tests have been conducted, including 6,416 in the last 24 hours.
The steady rise continued despite hectic efforts to contain the spread. One of the biggest hurdles being faced by the authorities has been to convince clerics to stop congregational prayers in mosques.
President Arif Alvi on Friday held talks with Jamaat-i-Islami chief Senator Sirajul Haq, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith chief Senator Sajid Mir and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Rana Tanveer Hussain over prayer congregations.
He was poised to continue consultations on Saturday to convince the clerics from different sectors to avoid big gatherings in the upcoming month of Ramzan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan is also expected to meet religious leaders to take them into confidence over the vital issue.
So far Tablighi Jamaat has promised to cooperate and its chief Maulana Nazarur Rehman appealed to his followers to follow official direction in Ramzan.
But a group of hardline clerics led by Mufti Muneebur Rehman and Mufti Taqi Usmani wanted to let the clerics decide the opening of mosques without any interference by the government.
Meanwhile, Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, who is also a religious leader, on Friday asked the fellow clerics to abide by the guidelines of the government in order to defeat coronavirus.
On Friday, several incidents of violation of official directives were reported.
But the situation was better than the previous Friday when scuffled took place between police and worshippers outside a mosque in Karachi. In stark violation of the government orders, a recalcitrant cleric of Red Mosque had been holding regular Friday congregation in the heart of capital Islamabad.
Maulana Abdul Aziz refused to cooperate and the government was unable to remove him from the pulpit of a mosque which is owned by government's religious affairs ministry.
The government has said that only five worshippers including those who are associated with the affairs of the mosques are allowed to offer congregational prayers.
Meanwhile, it was reported that two women who returned to Pakistan from India via the Wagah border tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
They were part of 41 people that returned to the country, according to The Express Tribune. -- PTI
12:18 Govt asks states to resolve workers' grievances
Labour Minister Santosh Gangawar has asked states/UTs to designate nodal officers to coordinate with the 20 control rooms set up by the ministry to mitigate workers' problems amid the coronavirus lockdown.
Gangawar shot off a letter to states after it emerged that more than two-thirds of the complaints received by the control rooms pertained to states/union territories.
The labour ministry has set up 20 control rooms pan-India to address wage-related grievances and to mitigate problems faced by migrant workers amid the lockdown.
These workers grievance redressal centres were set up after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3, with conditional relaxations from April 20 in some areas.
'Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar has requested various State/UT Governments to designate a nodal officer from Labour Department to coordinate with Control Rooms set up by Union Government for addressing issues of the labour/workers in the country in view the lockdown announced to combat COVID-19 pandemic,' a ministry statement said.
In the letter shot off by Gangwar on Friday to the labour ministers of states/UTs, he said, "The coordinated efforts of Central and State Governments are required in order to resolve the grievances of the workers."
Initially, the control rooms were concerned with wage related grievances related to central sphere and issues of migrant labour, the ministry said.
However, it has been observed that out of a total 2,100 grievances received in the 20 control rooms till Friday, 1,400 pertain to various state/UT governments, it stated.
Labour being a concurrent subject, it is important that proper coordination is established with various state/UT governments to resolve the grievances, the minster said.
The minister also forwarded the list of 20 Central Control Rooms along with names of officers deputed by the central government for ready reference. -- PTI
12:00 Bihar govt launches online quiz contest to keep people at home
In an effort to keep people at home during the ongoing lockdown, the environment department of Bihar has introduced an online quiz competition, an official said on Saturday.
The department has also decided to give prizes and certificates, as a token of appreciation, to the winners of the competition to encourage people to participate in the programme, he said.
The quiz contest aims at engaging people during the lockdown and giving them an opportunity to know about nature and wildlife of Bihar, the environment, forest and climate change department's principal secretary Dipak Kumar Singh said.
The government's priority has been to keep people at home to check the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
"Initially, we have launched the programme to entertain people and build awareness about environment. Now, we have converted it to a competition," Singh said.
One has to visit the Facebook page and Twitter account of the department to take part in the quiz competition, he said, adding that there will be multiple-choice questions and participants have to select one among four options given for each question.
The competition will be arranged every day during the ongoing lockdown, he said.
"During the first phase of the lockdown, we had conducted a special campaign on What Mother Nature Teaches Us' in a series of 21 unique informative posts on social media. Now we are conducting the quiz.
"We have a treasure of information related to the environment, forest and climate of Bihar, which common people may not know and this would be interesting for them," he said. -- PTI
11:01 69% COVID-19 cases in states from 3 districts
More than three weeks into the national lockdown, an average of 69 per cent -- almost seven of 10 -- of all active Covid cases in a state are concentrated in just three of its districts, an analysis shows.
This trend holds pointers to not only working out the easing of the lockdown post-April 20, it is key to designing public health interventions to contain the outbreak.
This statewise concentration in three districts is significant as the government identified 170 districts in 25 states as hotspots.
Iin the three states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, which account for over 4,200 active cases, three districts in each state account for 80 per cent of the cases.
In Maharashtra, 89.27 per cent of the cases are concentrated in Mumbai, Pune, and Thane; in Gujarat, 84.87 per cent of cases are concentrated in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat; in Madhya Pradesh, 81.51 per cent of the total cases are concentrated in Indore, Bhopal and Khargaon.
Similar is the trend in the south.
In Andhra Pradesh, the districts of Guntur, Kurnool and Nellore; Hyderabad, Nizamabad and Vikarabad districts in Telangana; in Karnataka, the districts of Bangalore, Mysuru, and Belagavi and in Kerala, the districts of Kasargod, Kannur and Ernakulam an average 63 per cent of the cases are concentrated in three districts in these states.
10:47 Singapore now has more than 5,000 coronavirus cases
The total number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Singapore has reached 5,000, according to the country's ministry of health, after another 623 cases were reported on Friday.
Singapore has experienced a rapid rise in cases after a second wave of infections brought back from other parts of the world.
There are now at least 5,050 infections and 11 deaths from the virus, according to the government.
Just one of the new cases on Friday was an imported infection, showing the disease is now being spread through the community.
"We are particularly concerned that it is increasingly difficult to link the new cases and identify the source of infection," the Ministry of Health said in the press release.
"In fact, the number of unlinked cases in the community has increased slightly, from an average of 19 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 22 per day in the past week."
10:21 'COVID-19 a challenge, but also opportunity'
The coronavirus pandemic presents India with an opportunity to mobilise its community of experts and contribute solutions for the crisis, Rahul Gandhi said today.
"The Covid-19 pandemic is a huge challenge but it is also an opportunity," the Congressman tweeted, referring to the respiratory disease caused by the virus.
Rahul Gandhi has tweeted often about the threat posed by the coronavirus and the government's response. He has called for national unity in the fight against the pathogen, underscored the need for mass testing and raised concerns about the economic fallout of the ongoing lockdown.
India this week extended a three-week shutdown to May 3, and issued exhaustive guidelines on public conduct, economic activity and essential services.
The UN has described the coronavirus pandemic as the most challenging global crisis since the Second World War.
09:43 India's total COVID-19 cases mount to 14,378
With an increase of 991 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India's total count rose to 14,378, the ministry of health and family welfare said on Saturday.
Out of the total cases, 11,906 cases are active, while 1,992 people have been cured/discharged/migrated and 480 deaths have been reported, as per the ministry. As many as 43 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours.
According to the ministry of health and family welfare, Maharashtra continues to be the worst-affected state with a total of 3,323 cases.
While 331 patients have recovered, 201 deaths have been reported.
Delhi comes next with 1,707 cases, out of which 72 patients have recovered while 42 patients have died.
Tamil Nadu is the third state with 1,323 cases, out of which 283 have recovered and 15 have succumbed to the virus.
Rajasthan has confirmed 1,229 cases, out of which 183 people have recovered while 11 patients are dead.
Madhya Pradesh has reported 1,310 cases, including 69 patients recovered and 69 patients dead. On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh has 805 COVID-19 positive cases.
In Kerala, which reported the country's first COVID-19 case, 396 people have been detected positive for coronavirus.
-- ANI
09:20 WHO: Others will revise virus death tolls like China
The World Health Organization has said that many countries would likely follow China in revising up their death tolls once they start getting the coronavirus crisis under control.
Wuhan, the COVID-19 epicentre, admitted missteps in tallying its death toll, abruptly raising the city's count by 50 percent -- following growing world doubts about Chinese transparency over the outbreak.
The WHO said on Friday Wuhan had been overwhelmed by the virus, which emerged in the city in December, and the authorities had been too swamped to ensure every death and infection was properly recorded.
Authorities in Wuhan initially tried to cover up the outbreak, punishing doctors who had raised the alarm online, and there have been questions about the government's recording of infections as it repeatedly changed its counting criteria at the peak of the crisis.
"This is something that is a challenge in an ongoing outbreak: to identify all of your cases and all of your deaths," Maria van Kerkhove, the WHO's COVID-19 technical lead, told a virtual press conference in Geneva.
"I would anticipate that many countries are going to be in a similar situation where they will have to go back and review records and look to see: did we capture all of them?" She said the Wuhan authorities had now reviewed their databases and cross-checked for discrepancies.
Wuhan added 1,290 deaths to its toll, raising the total to 3,869, and added a further 325 cases, bringing the number of infections to 50,333.
Van Kerkhove said that because Wuhan's healthcare system was swamped, some patients died at home; others were in makeshift facilities; and that medics, focused on treating patients, therefore did not do the paperwork on time.
Michael Ryan, the WHO's emergencies director, added: "All countries will face this".
But he urged nations to produce precise data as early as possible, "because that keeps us on top of what the impact is, and allows us to project forward in a much more accurate way."
Image used for representational purposes only
08:49 20 navy personnel in Mumbai test positive
At least 20 Indian Navy personnel serving at the Western Naval Command in Mumbai have tested positive for coronavirus, official sources said on Saturday.
The Navy personnel were part of INS Angre, a logistics and support facility of the Western Naval Command.
They are undergoing treatment at a naval hospital in Mumbai, the sources said.
There was no official comment from the Indian Navy yet.
Initially, one Navy official was found to have tested positive for the disease, following which the authorities ordered testing of all those who came in contact with the person.
-- PTI
07:45 COVID-19 death toll about 1,40,000: WHO
The World Health Organization said that 1,39,378 people had died of COVID-19 worldwide, while the total number of confirmed cases had reached 2.074 million.
Within the past 24 hours, 82,967 new cases of the coronavirus and 8,493 fatalities have been registered, according to the WHO.
More than 1.05 million COVID-19 cases have been registered in Europe, while the United States remains the worst-hit country with 6,32,781 infected people.
Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins University says that more than 2.2 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 148,000 fatalities.
-- ANI
00:47 Maha to resume some activities from Apr 20: CM
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said some industrial and commercial activities will be restarted from April 20 based on compliance with norms which are in place to combat coronavirus.
The decision had been taken to ensure that the economic cycle moves on, he said in a statement.
However, the decision to restart businesses will not be applicable to coronavirus containment areas, he said.
There would be no relaxation in rules which make use of face masks, social distancing and hygiene compulsory, the chief minister added.
People will get essential supplies but crowding for shopping will not be allowed, he added.
As per the revised guidelines to mitigate hardship caused by lockdown, select activities have been allowed subject to strict compliance of existing guidelines, he said.
Educational, training and coaching institutions shall remain closed, but they can resort to online teaching, Thackeray said.
MNREGA works will be allowed with social distancing and use of face masks, and priority will be given for irrigation and water conservation works, the chief minister said.
Activities related to supply chain of essential goods, whether in manufacturing, wholesale or retail trade of essential goods through local stores, large brick and motor stores or e-commerce companies, will be allowed, except in containment areas. -- PTI
TOP STORIES
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances