51 Coronavirus Deaths In 24 hours, Total Cases Near 30,000: 10 Points

Nearly 80 per cent of the deaths in the country have been reported from five states: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan. These states have so far reported 741 of the country's 937 deaths.

Maharashtra - the worst affected state in the country - has recorded 39 per cent of India's total deaths. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that a decision on easing restrictions would be taken after the countrywide lockdown ends on March 3. Gujarat has recorded nearly 17 per cent deaths while Madhya Pradesh has recorded 11.78 per cent or 110 deaths so far.

The government on Monday said that the orders for COVID-19 test kits from Chinese firms have been cancelled amid controversy over the issue. Coronavirus test kits made by two Chinese companies Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics have been found "under-performing" by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the government said, adding that "not a single rupee would be lost" to the firms.

New coronavirus symptoms have been identified by the top medical watchdog in the United States - the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC -which tracks diseases globally and whose officials are directly involved in advanced laboratory work. The new symptoms include chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache and new loss of taste or smell. These symptoms are not among the ones listed on the World Health Organization's FAQ webpage. On the WHO webpage, the symptoms of COVID-19 are mentioned as fever, dry cough, tiredness, aches and pains, nasal congestion, sore throat and diarrhoea.

Days after the central government allowed shops selling non-essential items to open, Delhi has allowed veterinarians, plumbers, electricians and repairers of water purifiers to resume their work from today. The number of coronavirus cases has crossed the 3,000-mark in the national capital, the third highest in the country.

Haryana has tightened its borders with Delhi, clamping down on travel to its satellite cities of Gurgaon and Faridabad, after a number of recent coronavirus cases were traced to the national capital. Those travelling between the cities will need passes from the government starting Tuesday. Even health care workers, media employees and those providing essential services will need the passes, authorities said. Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh too had introduced similar restrictions earlier.

Haryana's Sonipat district has banned entry of any transport, even those carrying fruit and vegetables from Azadpur wholesale vegetable market, and also movement of Delhi Police personnel in and out of the district.

Kerala would prefer a partial lockdown to continue till May 15, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijyan said on Monday in a list of suggestions made to central government after a call from Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video conference with Chief Ministers. "The state is of the opinion that in districts where no cases are reported in the previous week of May 15, relaxations on public movement and public transport can be partially allowed by adhering to all safety precautions. Inter-district and inter-state traffic should be regulated till May 15," the Chief Minister told the media.

Worldwide, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases soared past three million on Monday as several European nations and a handful of US states began taking steps to reopen their shuttered economies. Around the world the pandemic has killed more than 209,000 people and infected more than three million, with the highest number of deaths -- over 55,000 -- in the United States.

The World Health Organization's director-general said Monday that the agency had sounded the highest level of alarm over the novel coronavirus early on, but lamented that not all countries had heeded its advice. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pointed out that the WHO warned the COVID-19 outbreak constituted a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" on January 30, when there were no deaths and only 82 cases registered outside China. "The world should have listened to WHO then, carefully," he told a virtual press briefing.