The Assam government on Monday extended inter-district movement of the stranded people till May 2 in personal and public transport with prior approval from the concerned authorities. The decision of travel within the state was taken during a meeting of the Cabinet, Assam Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary told reporters. "The Cabinet decided to allow this inter-dictrict movement till May 2," he said.
The number of coronavirus cases in India reached to 28,380 after 1,463 fresh cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of deaths from the infection became 886 after 60 new deaths were reported today. The number of deaths were the highest so far. The total number of people cured from the infection is 6,362.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a video meeting with state Chief Ministers, said today that the nationwide coronavirus lockdown may continue in the parts of the country worst affected by the infection. Five of nine Chief Ministers at the meeting said the lockdown should end, while the rest were in favour of extending it for the sake of controlling the spread of COVID-19.
India recorded 1,396 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 27,982 including 872 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said this morning. Forty-eight deaths linked to the highly contagious illness were reported from different parts of the country in the last 24 hours. The Supreme Court will today hear a petition asking it to direct the centre and states to allow migrant workers left stranded - many without jobs, money, food or shelter - amid a nationwide lockdown to return home if they test negative for the COVID-19 virus.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases in India Updates:
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has said that 21 districts in the state would turn to be COVID-19 free by Tuesday.
"Rao said that the decrease in the spread of coronavirus in the state is an auspicious sign and opined that there were clear indications that Telangana would become corona free State in a few days to come. The Chief Minister declared that by April 28, 21 districts in the State would turn into the districts without even one corona positive case," said a statement from the Telangana CMO.
According to the statement, Mr Rao said it was a good development that 97 per cent of the corona patients are getting discharged after recovery. The Chief Minister also declared that since there is a decrease in coronavirus spread and its impact, there would be a gradual reduction of the containment centres in the State.
He also said that the link between those who went to Markaz and those came in contact with them was established and testes are being conducted on them. There is no need for people to worry about anything. For the past few days, if the trend in the state is observed, the virus spread has been on the decline.
Eight new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Punjab today; taking the total number of positive cases to 330. Total active cases in the state are 213, said a media bulletin from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab.
The bulletin said, The total deaths reported in the state till now is 19. The number of patients cured in the state till date is 98.
12 fresh cases of COVID-19 were reported in Ranchi on Monday evening, as per information provided by Health Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni.
According to Kulkarni, a total of 20 cases were reported on Monday, which has been the highest in a day so far. The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Jharkhand now stands at 103.
"Five more persons have tested positive for #COVID19 in Ranchi today. 20 cases have been reported today, highest in a day. Total positive cases in Jharkhand touches 103," said Health Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni on Monday.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday sought framing of a national standard operating procedure (SOP) for smooth movement of lakhs of people stranded across the country due to the lockdown imposed to combat COVID-19."
As many as 113 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state, taking the total number of positive cases to 1,986, the state government said on Monday.
As per a media bulletin of the Directorate of Health Services, Uttar Pradesh, 399 patients have been discharged till now.
So far, 31 deaths have been reported and there are 1,556 active COVID-19 cases in the state.
West Bengal's four hotspot districts - Kolkata, North 24 parganas, Howrah and East Midnapore have a total of 348 hotspots, the state government informed today. Kolkata has 227 containment zones, North 24 parganas 57, 56 in Howrah and 8 in East Midnapore."
The Centre on Monday said that the availability of essential items has improved consistently amid the lockdown imposed to combat COVID-19.
"The key indicators related to supply chain show that the availability of essential items has improved consistently. Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), daily cooked meals to 1.5 crore people are being served," said Parameswaran Iyer, convener and chairman of Empowered Group 5, which has been mandated with the supply chain of logistics and essential items to combat COVID-19.
Mr Iyer highlighted the specific areas such as the movement of vehicles, labour and truck drivers, where the Group intervened to streamline smooth functioning of the supply chain of essential items during the lockdown.
"The movement of trucks moving food and pharma has increased consistently. It was about 46 per cent on March 30. It has gone up to 76 per cent on April 25. It is increasing rapidly. It is an important indicator of mobility," he added.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday held a video conference with the directors of top ten medical institutes and reviewed the preparedness to combat COVID-19.
The minister held discussion with medical directors of All India Institutes Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry and Post Graduate Institute (PGI) Chandigarh, through video conferencing over their additional requirement to combat COVID-19.
"I reviewed the preparedness of the top ten medical institutes to fight COVID-19. I have talked to their directors and asked them if these institutes need any more equipment that the central government can provide," Dr Vardhan said.
"I have talked to the directors of AIIMS, Raipur, Nagpur, Delhi, Bhopal, Jodhpur, Rishikesh, Bhubaneswar, Patna and JIPMER Puducherry and PGI Chandigarh," he added.
The minister said that the government has instructed the AIIMS to act proactively and remove the stigma around COVID-19 patients.
With 240 more people testing positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours - most of them
25 fishermen reached their native place in Odisha's Ganjam district on Monday after taking a sea voyage from Chennai where they were stuck due to the lockdown, officials said."
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Monday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that
The West Bengal government on Monday issued a clarification regarding the COVID-19 patients to be allowed to home quarantine themselves in the state."
Delhi's coronavirus total on Monday crossed the 3,000-mark with the addition of 190 cases in the last 24 hours. With no fresh deaths, the number of those who have died of the virus in the national capital remains 54."
Nine new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Karnataka in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the state to 512 as per Karnataka government.
There are 299 active COVID-19 cases in Karnataka presently, while 193 patients have been discharged, 19 deaths have been reported, state government informed.
One more case of COVID-19 reported in the state, taking the total number of cases to 346, said Sanjay Kumar, Bihar Principal Secretary (Health) on Monday.
The new case was reported from Nalanda district.
"We are ascertaining their infection trail," he said.
Jammu and Kashmir has reported a total of 546 positive cases of COVID-19, including 375 active cases, Department of Information and Public Relation, Jammu and Kashmir, informed in a media bulletin on Monday.
The bulletin informed that of the total cases, 58 were reported from Jammu and 488 from Kashmir.
27 people have recovered today. With this 164 people have recovered so far in the Union Territory.
The death count due to COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir stands at 7.
A total of 50,625 people have completed their surveillance period and 9,984 people are under home surveillance.
With 247 new COVID-19 cases and 7 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of positive coronavirus cases have risen to 3,548 in the state, said Gujarat Health Department on Monday.
In a media bulletin, the health department informed that a total of 162 people have succumbed to COVID-19 and 394 people have been cured/discharged.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country stands at 28,380 (including 21,132 active cases, 6362 cured/discharged/migrated and 886 deaths), said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday.
Maharashtra's Aurangabad on Monday reported 29 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death, a
Twenty people, including a police officer, tested positive for coronavirus in Jharkhand on Monday, the highest single-day jump in the number of cases so far, health officials said.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state has now gone up to 103, they said.
Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences director Dr D K Singh said 20, out of the total 370 samples tested during the day, were found positive.
Seventeen people have been cured of the disease so far while two patients have died. One person died after testing negative due to comorbidity or other reasons, but before being discharged, according to the state health department bulletin.
With the fresh ones, the number of active cases now stands at 83, it said, adding that the infection was detected in 11 districts, out of 24, in the state.
Karnataka reported its 20th COVID-19 related death today, as nine new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the state, taking the total number of infections to 512.
A 50-year old COVID-19 patient allegedly committed suicide at a hospital in Bengaluru, which the health department has categorised as "death due to non-COVID cause".
Confirming the 20th COVID-19 death in the state, Medical Education Minister Sudhakar said the 57-year-old person was a resident of Aland and had tested positive on April 21, news agency PTI reported.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi today crossed the 3,000-mark, with 190 fresh cases being reported in a day, according to Delhi government authorities.
No fresh death was reported for second successive day today. The total number of cases have risen to 3,108, officials said.
Of the total number of 54 fatalities reported till date, 29 of the dead were aged 60 and above, making over 54 per cent of the total death cases, they said, news agency PTI reported.
Asserting that coronavirus patients in West Bengal were getting "better treatment" than several other places, Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha today said the COVID-19 fatality rate in the state is 2.6 per cent, less than the national average of 3.1 per cent.
A total of 43 fresh cases have been reported in the state in the last 24 hours, he said, news agency PTI reported.
If you venture out of your home without a justified reason in Dwarka area, there are high chances you may face Delhi Police volunteers wearing modified helmets resembling the deadly coronavirus.
As part of its campaign to spread awareness among public about the infection, police in Dwarka district have modified a few helmets into the shape of coronaviurs and with the help of few public volunteers, they are appealing people to take necessary precautions in the wake of the pandemic, the police said.
The Tamil Nadu government today announced returning 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China, hours after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) asked states to stop using the COVID-19 rapid antibody kits procured from two companies in the Asian country to be sent back to the suppliers.
The government and opposition DMK clashed over the pricing of the kits, with the latter demanding "transparency" while the ruling dispensation asserted that the procurement was done based on rates fixed by the centre.
The ICMR, the country's top health research body, had told states it "evaluated the kits of Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livson Diagnostics in field conditions. The results have shown wide variation in their sensitivity, despite earlypromise of good performance for surveillance purpose," it said, news agency PTI reported.
Bihar saw its biggest ever spike in COVID-19 cases in a single day when 68 people tested positive on Monday and the states total jumped to 345, a top official said.
Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar also pointed out that the day marked Madhubani (five), Darbhanga and Purnea (one each) registering their first COVID-19 cases, bringing the number of districts affected by the outbreak to 25, out of a total of 38.
The number of cases reported during the day surpassed the previous highest of 53 last Friday, news agency PTI reported.
Railway helplines set up to deal with customer grievances during the coronavirus-triggered lockdown received 13,000 queries, requests and suggestions a day on an average, the national transporter said in a statement today.
The Railway Emergency Cell for COVID, a comprehensive nationwide unit, comprises about 400 officers and staff from the Railway Board to Railway Divisions, news agency PTI reported.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said his government has started taking measures to bring the state's coronavirus-crippled economy back on track but all precautions will be taken to halt the spread of the viral infection.
While starting economic activities in select areas, social distancing norms and other preventive steps will have to be adhered to, he said.
"We have formed a state-level committee to take measures to reorganisse the state''s economy and provide it a momentum at the end of the coronavirus crisis," Mr Chouhan said, news agency PTI reported.
Kerala continued to witness a spike in COVID-19 cases with 13 people, including a US returned teenaged girl testing positive today, taking the total number of cases in the state so far to 481.
The new cases were from Kottayam 6, Idukki 4, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kannur one each,Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
With cases from Kottayam and Idukki rising in the past two days,the government has included the two districts in the Red zone.
The government on Monday informed the centre that the state would adopt a cautious approach on lifting the lockdown after May 3 and favours having a partial lockdown till May 15, news agency PTI reported.
The number of coronavirus cases in India reached to 28,380 after 1,463 fresh cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of deaths from the infection became 886 after 60 new deaths were reported today. The number of deaths were the highest so far. The total number of people cured from the infection is 6,362.
Thirteen fresh COVID-19 cases were detected in Kerala today taking the total cases to 481, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
The new cases were from Kottayam which reported six cases, Idukki four, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kannur one case each.
Five people, who were found positive, are from Tamil Nadu, one person had come from abroad and remaining had been infected through contact, he said.
It was not yet clear from where one person had been infected, Mr Vijayan told reporters. He said the number of those who tested negative for the virus were also 13 in the state, news agency PTI reported.
With mobile phones having been banned at COVID-19 wards of all hospitals, a city-based private facility has decided to allow "virtual visitations" between patients and family members.
A West Benagl hospital had on Sunday facilitated video calls for 17 patients, a senior official at the facility said.
"Every day, nurses at the isolation wards will approach the patients and connect them with their families over video call. The virtual visits will take place between 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm, and each patient will get around three minutes to interact with their family members," he said, news agency PTI reported.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani favoured a gradual lifting of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown during interaction of Chief Ministers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today through video-conferencing, said an official.
Mr Rupani maintained that interests of daily wagelabourers, small as well as big shop owners and self-earning people should be kept in mind if the lockdown is extended beyond May 3, he said.
Gujarat, with 3,301 novel coronavirus cases and 151 deaths so far, is second only to Maharashtra on both counts in the country, news agency PTI reported.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the situation in the state in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic today.
"All of us are waging a battle against COVID-19 under the able leadership of the prime minister," Yogi Adityanath said in a tweet Hindi.
"During today's interaction with the prime minister and Home Minister Amit Shah through video-conferencing, I apprised them of the situation in Uttar Pradesh and also took necessary guidance from them," he said in his tweet, news agency PTI reported.
There has been no third stage spread or community transmission of COVID-19 infection so far in Kerala, but there is need to exercise vigil, Health minister KK Shailaja, said.
There is no third stage spread as of now because all those who have been infected with the virus lately have some or the other kind of contact with the affected, the minister said.
"We have not identified the exact contact in certain cases, but there are certain suspected points," she said.
"Community spread is the infection of the virus in a community as whole.We have been conducting random testing.We got a nurse infected with the virus in a random testing conducted at hospitals. There is sentinel surveillance, random testing and all this is being done to check the community spread and it has been found that as of now there is no community spread," she said, news agency PTI reported.
Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh today said that five out of the eight states in the North-East are corona-free now.
He said that those five states are - Sikkim, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura.
"Three states in the region - Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram - are not corona-free but there have been no new positive cases in these states in the recent past," Mr Singh said. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the low rate of cases in the North-East region.
"The governments in all eight North-eastern states have worked hard and collaborated with the Centre during this crisis. The North-East Development Council which is headquartered in Shillong has done an excellent job of coordination during this period," he added, news agency ANI reported.
GoWB will initiate every possible help to people of Bengal stuck in diff parts of the country due to lockdown, in returning home. I've instructed my officers to do the needful. Till the time I'm here, nobody from Bengal should feel helpless. I'm with you in these tough times(1/2)
- Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) April 27, 2020
The economy won't bounce back within a very short period. It is important to lower the cost of living as spending power of the consumer has depleted. The govt must cut the petrol/diesel prices. The loss of revenue may be offset partially by imposing COVID cess on the ultra rich.
- H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) April 27, 2020
After much effort by State govt, migrants of #Rajasthan will soon be returning home from other states. These ppl suffered a lot during #lockdown. Now when they return,it is our moral duty to take care of them,provide them all help regarding food,medicines & quarantine facilities. pic.twitter.com/vUGKvl1nJw
- Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) April 27, 2020
60 young #Doctors & #CovidWarriors from across #India 🇮🇳 put together this #dance video, to mark one month of #lockdown
- ѕαtчα prαdhαnसत्यनारायण प्रधान ସତ୍ଯ ପ୍ରଧାନ-DG NDRF (@satyaprad1) April 27, 2020
Asking everyone to be Happy & cheerful through this fight 👍@NDRFHQ says BRAVO !! 🙏🏻🇮🇳🙏🏻
Source: @GopiSpeaks pic.twitter.com/7gVSNlonkE
At 10 AM, Shri @narendramodi will be interacting with state Chief Ministers via video conferencing. They will be discussing aspects relating to the COVID-19 situation.
- PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 27, 2020
After a long journey from Kota 391 children are back, with smiles & cheers. To ensure they & their families remain safe, we are putting them into 14-day quarantine. Today around 3 am, I & @Pijush_hazarika received them and ensured smooth shifting at Sarusajai Sports Complex. pic.twitter.com/2kg0SrQqkG
- Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 26, 2020
Delhi: People at Okhla vegetable market to buy essentials, amid #CoronaLockdown. The nationwide lockdown imposed to combat #COVID19 will last till 3rd May 2020. pic.twitter.com/PCamdUgolg
- ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2020