New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry on Saturday issued the Unlock 4 guidelines under which metro trains will be allowed to resume services in a graded manner. Political, social and religious congregations of up to 100 people will also be permitted from September 21, the government order said.
However, schools, colleges, educational and coaching institutions will remain closed for students till September 30, with some relaxations for students of classes 9 to 12.
In a significant directive, the Home Ministry said that state governments shall not impose any local lockdown outside the containment zones without prior consultation with the central government.
India's COVID-19 tally crossed 34-lakh mark with a spike of 76,472 new infections in the last 24 hours, according to data from the Union Health Ministry this morning.
An additional 1,021 new deaths brought the overall death count to 62,550.
The number of new cases in India on Thursday was the highest in the world, crossing that of the United States.
Though the country is recording around 1,000 deaths a day from the coronavirus, roughly the same as the US and Brazil, India is far better than these countries when we consider the number of deaths per million people.
Here are the Highlights Coronavirus Pandemic:
Aug 29, 2020 23:58 (IST)
Coronavirus news: Onam is festival of hope, should be celebrated following COVID-19 protocols, says Kerala Chief Minister
Onam is a festival of hope and will be celebrated in Kerala following all COVID-19 protocols, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday.
Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said, "Onam festival is taking place this time when the state is witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases. Onam is a festival that gives hope for the future. We should all celebrate Onam following all COVID-19 protocols. All public gatherings and public celebrations should be avoided."
He added that considering the rush in shops in connection with the Onam festival, all shops have been asked to start ''Break-the-Chain'' counters where hand sanitizer should be provided. Police have been directed to strictly enforce crowd control measures.
Mr Vijayan also updated the media about the status of COVID-19 situation in the state and said 2,397 new COVID-19 cases and 6 deaths reported in Kerala on Saturday.
Aug 29, 2020 23:28 (IST)
COVID-19: Kerala reports 2,397 new cases, 6 deaths due, says chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that 2,397 new cases of COVID-19 and six deaths due to the viral infection were reported in Kerala in the last 24 hours.
"Of the new cases, 2,137 people were infected through contact and the source of 197 cases was not traceable," the Chief Minister said.
He said 2,225 patients under treatment for the disease have recovered today, taking the total number of recoveries from COVID-19 infection in the state to 48,083.
"In the state currently 23,277 patients are undergoing treatment for COVID-19 in hospitals, a total of 1,95,927 people are under observation across Kerala, 1,76,822 are under home or institutional quarantine and 19,105 are in hospitals," Mr Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister said COVID-19 related death toll in the state has now reached 280.
Aug 29, 2020 23:05 (IST)
COVID-19: Single-day recoveries outnumber new cases in Bengal
West Bengal on Saturday reported that 3,312 patients recovered from COVID-19, outnumbering new cases that stood at 3,012, according to an official bulletin.
So far, 1,27,644 people have recovered in the state, taking the discharge rate to 81.42 per cent, the bulletin issued by the Health Department said.
The state's tally of COVID-19 cases was at 1,56,766, it said.
The count rose to 3,126 after 53 people died in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.
There are 25,996 active cases in the state at present, it said.
Since Friday, 43,232 samples have been tested in the state for COVID-19.
Aug 29, 2020 22:41 (IST)
COVID-19: Delhi reports 1,954 new cases
Delhi has reported 1,954 new COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Delhi Government on Saturday.
With this, the total number of positive cases in the national capital surged to 1,71,366. There are 14,040 active cases, 1,52,922 recoveries and 4,404 deaths, stated the bulletin issued by Delhi Health Department.
The bulletin further stated that as many as 6,597 RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 15,407 Rapid antigen tests were conducted today.
So far, 15,48,659 tests have been conducted and the Tests Per Million (TPM) stands at 81,508, added the Health Department.
Aug 29, 2020 22:36 (IST)
COVID-19: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asks officials to increase daily tests to 1,50,000
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday asked state government officials to increase the number of COVID tests from 1,48,000 to 1,50,000 daily.
At the meeting, the chief minister also asked officials to have regular communications with COVID-19 patients in home isolation.
"The COVID-19 tests in the state must be increased to 1,50,000 from 1,48,000 daily," he said.
Asking officials to meet regularly, he added, "All the District Magistrates and Chief Medical Officers should meet regularly in the COVID-19 Hospital in the morning and in the Integrated Command and Control Centre in the evening."
"Officials must have regular communication with COVID-19 patients living in home isolation. Their health information must be obtained," Yogi Adityanath added.
Among the other instructions issued by the CM, he asked officials to make sure that farmers do not face any problems in getting compost.
Aug 29, 2020 22:14 (IST)
COVID-19: Ahmedabad's cases rise by 164 to 31,177; 3 die
The COVID-19 count in Ahmedabad district rose to 31,177 on Saturday with addition of 164 new cases, Gujarat health department said.
With three persons succumbing to the viral infection, the count went up to 1,724, it said.
A total of 160 patients were discharged in the day, taking the number of recoveries to 26,070 in the district, the department said in its release.
Of the total 164 new infections, Ahmedabad city reported 143 cases while rural areas added 21 patients to its tally.
All the 3 deaths were reported from the city, it said.
As per the COVID-19 bulletin released by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the city's recovery rate stood at 84.5 per cent with 24,728 patients discharged so far.
At 2,883, active cases accounted for 9.8 per cent of the total cases, it said.
Aug 29, 2020 21:59 (IST)
COVID-19: Goa records 547 new cases; tally rises to 16,553
With the detection of 547 fresh infections on Saturday, Goa's COVID-19 caseload rose to 16,553, an official from the health department said.
At least 433 patients were discharged after recovering from the deadly infection, taking the number of recoveries to 12,729, the official said.
Apart from this, three patients, including two senior citizens, succumbed to the infection on Saturday, he said.
The latest casualties have taken the toll to 178 in the coastal state, he added.
Goa's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 16,553, new cases 547, deaths 178, discharged 12,729, active cases 3,646, samples tested till date 1,95,084.
Aug 29, 2020 21:49 (IST)
Coronavirus news: Ramp-up efforts to contain COVID-19 spread, follow SOPs, Centre tells Union Territories
The Centre on Saturday advised union territories to ramp-up efforts to contain the COVID-19 spread by sticking to the rules for prevention of the disease as well as following standard operating procedures (SOPs) in its treatment, a government statement said.
The directions were issued on Saturday during a review meeting, where Home Affairs and Health secretaries Ajay Bhalla and Rajesh Bhushan took stock of the measures undertaken by the union territories to contain the coronavirus spread, it said.
The meeting was attended by Union Territories of Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, through video conferencing in which senior central government officers were also present.
"The Union home secretary as well as secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, asked senior officers of all the UTs to ensure that the administrative officers, medical professionals, para-medical staff and other people associated with containing the spread of COVID-19 and management of the COVID-19 situation work in close tandem," the statement said.
Aug 29, 2020 21:33 (IST)
Coronavirus news: Record 16,867 new cases in Maharashtra, 328 deaths
Maharashtra on Saturday reported a single-day highest spike of 16,867 coronavirus cases which pushed its case tally to 7,64,281, the state health department said.
With 328 new fatalities, the death count due to the pandemic reached 24,103, it said in a release.
The earlier highest one-day increase in number of patients was 14,888 on August 26.
There are 1,85,131 active cases. 11,541 patients were discharged during the day, taking total recoveries to 5,54,711.
In state capital Mumbai, 1,432 new cases and 31 deaths were reported. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the city rose to 1,43,389 and death count to 7,596.
Aug 29, 2020 21:03 (IST)
Just In | In West Bengal, 3,312 COVID-19 patients recover on a single day, outnumbering 3,012 new cases; 53 more people die, reports news agency PTI.
