The World Health Organization today said that COVID-19 infection is ten times more deadly than swine flu. India has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus cases. Delhi itself has reported 356 cases in the last 24 hours bringing the total cases to 1510, nearly 1,071 cases are related to the Delhi mosque event. COVID-19 has infected 9,352 people in the country, according to the latest data from the Union Health Ministry.
Red, orange, and green - the colour code for traffic lights will now be used on the country's map to COVID-19 and virus-free zones, and therefore people's movement. After a meeting with at least 13 Chief Ministers on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had indicated that the lockdown will be extended - but there will be relaxations in certain areas and cases to ensure the survival of the economy as well. This is where the colour coding comes in, some of the participating Chief Ministers, including the Chief Minister of Puducherry, told the media after the meeting. The coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown has pushed the government to take the ordinance route to formulate three of the four labour codes it is planning. The codes have already been introduced in parliament.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus Pandemic:
Delhi sees a total rise of 356 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases reach to 1,510. Nearly 1,071 cases are related to the Delhi mosque event.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Thane district in Maharashtra shot up by 54 today to reach 240, health officials said.
Among those who tested positive for novel coronavirus are 16 men associated with a state minister, as well as police personnel and journalists, said district officials.
The figures include 31 in Thane city limits, municipal corporation spokesperson Sandeep Malavi told PTI.
"The COVID-19 cases in Thane municipal limits now stand at 76. After some journalists tested positive, the press room in TMC building has been sealed," he added.
The Goa government has begun surveying private quarantine facilities which can be used to keep the Goans, who were working on ships and would be brought back to the state due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told reporters today that the tourism secretary has been asked to list hotels and hostels, where the Goans who were working on ships, could be kept in paid quarantine once they are brought back in the state by authorities.
The Director of NRI, who is the nodal officer for Goans working on ships, is in touch with the centre. We are identifying paid quarantine centres. If they don't want to stay in government quarantine facilities, then they can be offered these paid centres," he said, reported PTI.
The coronavirus death count in India is on the surge with nearly 324 people losing their lives from the infection. Total number of coronavirus cases rose to 9,352 in India, the union health ministry said.
As many as 80 people have been charged so far for not wearing masks at public places in Chandigarh amid the coronavirus outbreak, the police said today.
Last week, Chandigarh Police had made wearing three-ply masks mandatory in public places and warned that violators would be arrested and charged under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.
So far, 3,622 vehicles have been impounded and 306 people have been detained for curfew violations, a senior police official said, news agency PTI reported.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow special flight services to bring back stranded citizens from gulf countries. The Gulf countries especially Iran is hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Intensifying its preparedness to tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Odisha government on Monday said it has already made ready
2,790 beds in 17 Special COVID Hospitals equipped with required medicines, PPEs and ventilators.
The 17 COVID-19 Hospitals/Care Centres have become operational in 16 of the states 30 districts. The special hospitals are located in the districts of Gajapti, Ganjam, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Sundargarh, Bhadrak, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Dhenkanal, Boudh, Kendrapara, Balasore and Koraput districts.
"The total bed capacity of these facilities is 2,790. Further, a tripartite MoU between District Magistrate, Nabarangpur, NALCO and Christian Hospital has been signed to set up a 200 bedded Special COVID-19 Hospital in Nabarangapur district," a statement issued by the Health department said, news agency PTI reported.
With 150 new cases of COVID-19 found in Mumbai, their count crossed the 1,500-mark today, while the death count touched 100 in the financial capital, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
According to a BMC release, 150 more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Mumbai in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 1,549.
Nine more COVID-19 patients died in the city, raising their number to 100 so far, it said, news agency PTI reported.
Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev today set up a task force which will visit household in all districts of the city to identify suspected COVID-19 cases.
The 'Corona Foot Warriors Containment and Surveillance Force' has been constituted at every booth level, a Delhi government official told PTI.
Each team will have five members including a booth-level officer, civil defence volunteer, police constable, sanitation and anganwadi worker, the official said. The official also said that 13,750 such teams will also advise people to maintain social distancing and wear masks when going outdoors, news agency PTI reported.
Puducherry extends coronavirus lockdown till April 30, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said, news agency PTI reported.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today directed officials to take stringent action against people who are found to be hiding information about being infected with coronavirus and spreading it "intentionally", a senior state government official said.
All district magistrates (DM) and superintendents of police (SP) have been asked to thoroughly check every house and all religious places in rural areas. In case of any laxity, they will also face action, he said.
"The chief minister has directed that those who are hiding information about them being infected with coronavirus and are intentionally spreading it by concealing the fact should be identified and stringent action be initiated against them. Clear cut directives in this regard have been given to home and police department," Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi told reporters in Lucknow, news agency PTI reported.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has begun fining people Rs 1,000 for not wearing masks after it was made mandatory through a circular issued on April 8, a senior official said today.
However, figures of the number of people fined so far are unavailable currently and were being compiled, said a BMC spokesperson.
Several purported fine receipts are circulating on social media though.
"The BMC's Market and Establishment department has set up teams in all wards to fine those not wearing masks Rs 1,000," he added, news agency PTI reported.
A total of 72 incidents of assault on police personnel have been registered in Maharashtra during the first phase of the three-week-long lockdown, which ends on April 14, as per the government data.
A total of 161 arrests have been made under the charge of assault.
Police personnel at many places had come under attack from citizens while they were trying to enforce the coronavirus lockdown announced on the night of March 24 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While police have arrested 161 people under the charge of assault, the total number of arrests for various violations during the lockdown period stood at 2968, as per the data for the period starting from March 24 to April 12, news agency PTI reported.
One more person who attended the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi, which has emerged as a big cluster of coronavirus cases, tested positive for the coronavirus in Assam today, taking the total number of cases in the state to 30, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Mr Sarma said 29 of the total cases, including the one who died, are linked to the Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin last month.
All these patients and their contacts have been either quarantined or isolated, He said and hoped with this, the cases linked to the Delhi mosque meet would "close" in five to seven days.
"We have been able to quarantine each and every person connected to the event," the minister said at a press conference in Guwahati.
The man who tested positive today hails from Dhubri, the third confirmed case from that district and all of them linked to the Tablighi meet, the minister said, news agency PTI reported.
Moments after Tamil Nadu decided to extend the lockdown in the state due to coronavirus, Arunachal Pradesh also decided to increase the lockdown till April 30.
As the coronavirus cases surge in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to address the nation tomorrow at 10 am tomorrow.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today had a telephonic discussion with migrant labourers staying in shelter homes amid lockdown. He asked about their well being. He also spoke to labourers who are staying in an automobile parts factory in Rajkot, a bakery products
firm in Ahmedabad and an oil mill in Vadodara and gathered feedback on food, health and other facilities available there, a release said.
I'm auctioning 5 of my sand-art-on-canvas paintings to raise funds for fight against #COVID19. The funds would be given to Sh. @narendramodi 's PM Cares and CM @Naveen_Odisha's relief fund. Am sharing details of each in the thread. Those interested, pls DM me. #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/VQhZ0JHeVT
- Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) April 12, 2020
Prime Minister @narendramodi will address the nation at 10 AM on 14th April 2020.
- PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 13, 2020
Assam: People line up outside a liquor shop in Dibrugarh as government permits sale of liquor between 10 AM & 5 PM during #CoronavirusLockdown. pic.twitter.com/d8HhAYJa5G
- ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2020
Back to working in North Block office with a home-made mask this morning. pic.twitter.com/SlkxZdYuab
- Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) April 13, 2020
Madhya Pradesh Police use drone cameras to monitor public movement in different areas of Bhopal amid #CornavirusLockdown. Visuals from Old City. pic.twitter.com/EqekkeVduj
- ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2020
Delhi: Sanitisation being done in Rajinder Nagar area for the prevention of spread of Coronavirus. AAP's Rajinder Nagar MLA, Raghav Chadha says, "These Japanese hi-tech machines will be used for sanitization in red & orange zones in the city". pic.twitter.com/fMbqDPI3a3
- ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2020
Delhi: Officials arriving at Shastri Bhawan being screened with a temperature gun and vehicles being sanitised, amid COVID19 disease threat pic.twitter.com/VdRfJRQeOa
- ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2020
308 #coronavirus deaths in India, 35 in 24 hours, 9,152 cases so far https://t.co/eFqCBG6KFa pic.twitter.com/HKIRnBtU5K
- NDTV (@ndtv) April 13, 2020