10.20PM
Covid19 cases in India crossed 14,000 Active cases in India crossed 11,000
As the country enters its 24th day of the nationwide lockdown, the tally of positive cases crosses 14,000 while the number of reported deaths is at 455. Maharashtra and Delhi remain the worst hit with the number of positive cases crossing 3,200 and 1,600, respectively. This morning, the RBI announced a 25-bps-cut in the reverse repo rate, maintaining that India is on a positive growth trajectory. Globally, the death toll from the virus has crossed 1,40,000, with the US alone accounting for over 32,000 deaths.
10.10 P.M. | RAJASTHAN
98 new cases in Rajasthan
98 new COVID-19 positive cases were detected in Rajasthan today, taking the State’s tally to 1,229. A total of 183 patients have been cured and 93 of them discharged from hospitals, according to the Medical & Health Department.
9.55 PM | ODISHA
Two more patients recover in Odisha
Two more COVID-19 patients, both of Bhubaneswar, have recovered and tested negative. Of the total 60 cases in Odisha so far, 21 have recovered, 38 are under treatment and one person has died, according to Health Department.
9.50 | NEW DELHI
67 new COVID-19 cases reported in Delhi
67 new COVID 19 positive cases were reported in the capital today with four deaths. The total number of cases now stands at 1707 with 42 deaths. Also, 21 patients were discharged today bringing the total number of patients discharged to 72 .
9.20 PM | NEW DELHI
MHA asks states to screen Rohingya refugees for Covid-19 as many of them attended Nizamuddin meet
The Home Ministry has asked all states and UTs to screen Rohingya Muslims living in their jurisdiction for Covid-19 as many of them had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin, officials said on Friday.
In a communication to Chief Secretaries and DGPs, the ministry said there have been reports that several Rohingya Muslims have attended ‘Ijtemas’ and other religious congregations of Tablighi Jamaat and there is a possibility of their contracting Covid-19.
9.00 PM | NEW DELHI
PM Modi assures India’s support to South Africa for essential medical supplies
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday assured India’s support to South Africa in maintaining essential medical supplies to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“Had a good discussion with President @CyrilRamaphosa about the COVID-19 challenge, and assured India’s support to South Africa for maintaining essential medical supplies,” the prime minister tweeted.
8.45 PM | KARNATAKA
44 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Karnataka; total at 359
In a record spike for the state, a staggering 44 new positive cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Karnataka, taking the number of infections to 359, the Health department said on Friday.
With 44 new cases, this is the highest single day tally in the state so far, after 36 new cases were reported on Thursday.
8.35 PM | MEGHALAYA
Take action against anyone hampering last rites of COVID-19 patients: HC to authorities
The Meghalaya High Court has directed authorities to take legal action against anyone obstructing the cremation or burial of COVID-19 victims in the state.
The direction came after a 69-year-old doctor, the first coronavirus fatality in Meghalaya, was buried a day after his death on Wednesday due to protests and denial of permission by a town body and a crematorium
8.20 PM | NEW DELHI
650 armed forces medical officers to be deployed to treat COVID-19 patients
Around 650 armed forces medical officers, pursuing post graduation, are being deployed at military healthcare facilities handling coronavirus patients across the country, officials said on Friday.
At present, the medical officers are undergoing training at Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune.
The decision to deploy the officers for treatment of coronavirus patients was taken at a meeting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held to review contribution of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) in assisting civilian authorities in various parts of the country to deal with rising COVID-19 cases.
8.00 PM | GUJARAT
Gujarat reports 78 new cases
A sharp rise of coronavirus cases continues in Gujarat. As many as 78 new cases and 3 deaths were reported on Friday evening, taking the numbers to 1099 cases and 41 deaths. Silver lining is 12 have been recovered and discharged. As of now, nine persons are on ventilator support while 963 patients are stable across the state.
–Mahesh LangaGujarat Police Woman reacts to a swab test at the Urban Primary Health Care Center in Vejalpur at Ahmedabad on April 17.
7.45 PM | NEW DELHI
Examine issue of school fee payment: CBSE
In the wake of the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, the CBSE on Friday advised states and union territories to examine the issues of school fees payment and salaries to teachers “sensitively and holistically” keeping in mind the interest of all stakeholders.
7.35 PM | TAMIL NADU
Tamil Nadu reports 56 new cases
After witnessing a dip in the number of new coronavirus positive cases in the last couple of days, Tamil Nadu on Friday saw as many as 56 people testing positive for the contagion taking the total to 1,323, the State government said.
While 23,934 people are in home quarantine, those in government facilities are 34 and 29,673 samples have been tested till date, the government said.
7.30 PM | ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR
Man tests positive for COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
A government employee tested positive for the COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday, officials said.
The 49-year-old man is the first positive case after the administration started pool testing of samples, they said. Andaman and Nicobar.
The fresh case has taken the total number of people infected with the deadly virus to 12 in the Union Territory.
The administration has adopted the “pool testing” method using less kits for more tests in the fight against the deadly virus. The new method has been effective for efficiently utilising the resources available to combat the coronavirus outbreak here in these remote islands, according to the officials.
The new method involves testing multiple samples in a single test. If a batch tests positive, then everyone whose samples were a part of that batch would have to be tested separately.
“Five samples per testing kit are used. So, 25 kits are required for testing 100 samples,” a health department official had earlier said.
7.10 PM | NEW DELHI
Doubling rate of COVID-19 cases reduced with imposition of lockdown, says Health Ministry
The Union Health Ministry said on Friday that the rate at which the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the country was becoming double in the last one week was 6.2 days, as against three days before the nationwide lockdown was imposed.
Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary of the Health Ministry, further informed that five lakh rapid antibody testing kits, which arrived from China on Thursday, are being distributed to States for districts with high case burden.
Doubling rate of COVID-19 cases reduced with imposition of lockdown, says Health Ministry
6.50 PM | TAMIL NADU
Tamil Nadu gets 24k rapid test kits: CM Palaniswami
Tamil Nadu on Friday received 24,000 rapid test kits from China to screen for coronavirus and the state government has sought 50,000 more from the Centre, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said.
This was out of the order placed for 1.25 lakh kits, which would enable results in shorter time, he told reporters here.
6.40 PM | WEST BENGAL
22 more test positive for COVID-19 in West Bengal
At least 22 people tested positive for COVID-19 in different parts of West Bengal in the last 24 hours, Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said on Friday.
Four persons were discharged after recovering from the disease during the period. Taking the fresh cases into account, the number of active COVID-19 patients in the state rose to 162, Mr. Sinha said.
According to the state health department, West Bengal has reported 210 COVID-19 cases so far.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, however, put the figure at 251 on its website.
6.25 PM | MAHARASHTRA
Dharavi reports 15 new cases
Dharavi crossed 100 cases on Friday, totalling 101. It also reported its tenth death. Asia’s largest slum reported 15 new cases on Friday, mostly from Muslim Nagar and Matunga Labour Camp areas. The deceased is a 62 year-old man from Dharavi.
6.10 PM | GUJARAT
Gujarat govt. offices to reopen from April 20th
Gujarat government offices to reopen with limited staff and adequate measures of social distancing and sanitation etc from April 20th.
6.05 PM | NEW DELHI
HRD Minister asks private schools not to hike fees
Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank asks private schools to consider not hiking fees this year, and also not demanding upfront quarterly fee during this time of lockdown.
6.00 PM | BIHAR
Bihar reports second COVID-19 death
A 35 year old youth died of COVID-19 in Bihar at Patna AIIMS. He was from Vaishali district. With this, Bihar reports two deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic.
5.50 PM | KARNATAKA
Kodagu district administration offers tele-medicine facility
Soon after launching an online supermarket for door delivery of essentials to the people, who are confined to their houses during lockdown, the Kodagu district administration has taken its e-initiative forward by offering tele-medicine facility to its people.
Making use of available technology, the Kodagu district administration has started a website www.kodaguedoc.letstart.in for the benefit of dispensing tele-medicine at a time when most health facilities including clinics of doctors across the State have shut shop.
5.40 PM | WEST BENGAL
Patients inconvenienced as hospitals close for sanitisation after COVID-19 deaths
With several hospitals in Kolkata and neighbouring Howrah district ceasing operations after patients admitted there died due to COVID-19, people have been largely inconvenienced, some having to go without treatment for their ailments over the past week.
Apart from Charnock Hospital, SS Chatterjee Heart Clinic and State-run Howrah General Hospital – which have completely shut down operations – specific wards of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, NRS Medical College and Hospital and the Calcutta Medical College have also stopped functioning for the time being, with authorities there working to get the premises sanitised, an official said.
The decision to shut down these facilities has affected many patients who need treatment, but the move was necessary to ensure safety of people and medical professionals, the Health department official said.
– PTI
5.35 PM | LONDON
17 more flights to repatriate stranded Britons from India
The U.K. government announced an additional 17 charter flights next week, with a total capacity of around 4,000 passengers, to bring home British nationals stranded in India since last month amidst the international travel lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest flights are scheduled for London from Ahmedabad on April 20, 22, 24, 26; from Amritsar on April 21, 23, 25 and 27; from Bangalore (via Ahmedabad) on April 23; from Delhi on April 21, 23, 25 and 27; from Goa on April 20, 22 and 24; and from Mumbai on April 26.
The new set of flights takes the total number of repatriation flights from India to the U.K. to 38.
– PTI
5.30 PM | NEW DELHI
India sees steep rise in crimes against women amid lockdown: NCW
There has been a steep rise in crime against women across the country amid restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the National Commission for Women receiving 587 complaints from March 23 to April 16, out of which 239 are related to domestic violence.
According to data shared by the NCW, 123 cases of domestic violence were received between February 27 and March 22. In the last 25 days, the commission received 239 more such complaints.
5.25 PM | NEW DELHI
Local brands now rule hand sanitizer market: Report
New entrants and smaller brands are now dominating the hand sanitizer market, a segment which has witnessed multi-fold surge in sales post the Covid-19 crisis, says a report.
Following the Covid-19 crisis, when demand for hand sanitizers increased, smaller players jumped in to exploit the demand surge and in the month of March, around 61 per cent of the market was captured by these newly launched brands, Nielsen said without naming the brands.
According to ‘Nielsen Covid-19 Impact on FMCG and Retail: Edition 2’, in March the top three players had only 38 per cent market share.
– PTI5.15 PM | HARYANA
Industries, including Maruti in Manesar, can resume operations in a phased manner in Haryana’s COVID-19 non-containment zones, says Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala.
– PTI
4.45 PM | KARNATAKA
A health worker carrying CSIR-CFTRI high protein biscuits to the Covid-19 patients being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi have been fed with high-protein biscuits whose recipe was developed at the Mysuru-based CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI).
The Institute supplied 500 kg of high protein biscuits and 500 kg of high protein rusks to the Department of Dietetics of the AIIMS following an appeal from the AIIMS management for the nourishment of patients.
4.30 PM | NEW DELHI
Will be able to procure 10 lakh rapid test kits by May: Health spokesperson
Work is underway on indigenous production of RTPCR kits. “By May we will be able to produce 10 lakh rapid test kits,” Health Ministry spokesperson says.
“Capacity for 6,000 ventillators per month has been created. 1,919 dedicated hospitals and healthcare centres have been set up, 1.73 lakh isolation beds and 21,800 ICU beds have been made available,” the spokesperson says.
Kerala has done well on its containment strategy, contact tracing and testing, the Health spokesperson says and adds that similar efforts were being made in other parts of the country.
Different genome sequences
The ICMR representative says that over 3.19 lakh tests have been conducted till yesterday. In one day, 28,340 tests were conducted.
He says that people in different countries have come with different genome sequences of the virus. “It won’t impact the type of medicine/vaccine, as the enzymes used in different strands are the same. This virus does not mutate much
,” he adds.
According to some research, BCG re-vaccination has to be done in the adolescent phase. Till we have evidence of its effectiveness, we won’t prescribe it for health workers, he concludes.
4.10 PM | NEW DELHI
13% of the cases have been cured so far: Health Ministry spokesperson
Home Ministry spokesperson during the daily government briefing on COVID-19 says, “Cooperative Credit Societies have been allowed to function with minimum staff.” Water, roadways and residential projects in rural areas have also been given exemptions, he adds.
Over 100 tonnes of supplies have been transported to hospitals and individuals by the Indian Postal Service personnel. Over 2 lakh postal employees have been providing door-to-door service to the elderly, widows and differently-abled. They have also been helped to make banking transactions.
The spokesperson says, till now, 1,749 people have been cured, constituting over 13% of the cases. There have been 13,387 confirmed cases so far, including 1,007 new ones.
The doubling rate of spread is 6.2 days in the past seven days, says the Health Ministry spokesperson. There are 19 States and Union Territories where doubling rate is below the national average.
40% decline in growth factor
This is a product of how we are trying to manage the situation. The growth factor was was 1.2 on April 1, while between March 15 to March 31 it was 2.1. There has been a 40% decline in the growth factor.
The outcome ratio, which is the number of recovered cases over deaths, is 80%. 80% cases are recovering, compared to 20% deaths.
5 lakh rapid anti-body test kits are being distributed to the States, the spokesperson says.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, The Department of Bio-technology, Department of Science and Technology and Department of Atomic Energy are contributing through their 30 labs to increasing testing capacity.
Partnering to develop drugs
“Work on in viral sequencing is in progress, we are working with global partners to develop effective vaccines. It is a time consuming effort and we are trying to accelerate it. Work on plasma therapy is also going on. Also on effective drugs. There are several potential drugs, but none of them have proven results. India is partnering with WHO in the trials. Existing drugs are being reevaluated for use in treating Covid-19 patients. Traditional medicine systems are also being explored,” he says.
4 PM | NEW DELHI
Containment ops to be scaled down if no secondary COVID-19 case reported for 4 weeks
Containment operations will be scaled down if no secondary positive case of COVID-19 is reported from a quarantine zone for at least four weeks after the last confirmed test has been isolated and all his contacts have been followed up for 28 days, the Union Health Ministry said.
According to the ministry’s “Updated containment plan for large outbreaks COVID-19”, a containment operation (large outbreak or cluster) is deemed to be over 28 days from the date the last case in that zone tests negative.
The closing of the surveillance for the clusters could be independent of one another provided there is no geographic continuity between clusters. However, the surveillance will continue for severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and influenza-like illness (ILI).
– PTI
3.50 PM | NEW DELHI
Modi govt. leaving no stone unturned to fight COVID-19: Amit Shah
“Modi government is leaving no stone unturned in this fight against COVID-19, ensuring minimum disruption in people’s lives while planning for a strong and stable India in days ahead,” Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted.
Complimenting the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the steps taken to boost the economy, Mr. Shah said such action will further reinforce Mr. Modi’s vision.
Coronavirus | Modi govt. leaving no stone unturned to fight COVID-19, says Amit Shah
3.50 PM | KERALA
The students of Thrissur Government Engineering College have come up with an invention to support the on-going preventive mission against COVID-19. They have prepared a COVID WISK (Walk-in Sample Kiosk) for safe collection of sample of symptomatic people.
Engineering students make walk-in sample collection kiosk in Thrissur
3.40 PM | HARYANA
Nuh and Panchkul districts report fresh cases
Coronavirus cases in Haryana rose to 221, with Nuh and Panchkula districts reporting fresh cases.
While worst-hit Nuh reported five cases, Panchkula, which saw a surge after nine members of a family earlier tested positive, reported two more cases, according to the State’s Health department bulletin.
– PTI
3.25 PM | TAMIL NADU
12 patients discharged in Coimbatore
12 patients were discharged from Government Medical College and ESI Hospital after recovering from COVID-19 in Coimbatore.
The patients were discharged after 14 days of treatment and will be under 14 days of house quarantine after their discharge. With this, 26 patients have been discharged from ESI Hospital so far, officials said.
12 patients discharged in Coimbatore after recovering from COVID-19
3.20 PM | MAHARASHTRA
Maharashtra’s tally at 3,236
At least 34 new COVID-19 cases were reported in about 12 hours from Maharashtra — the majority of them being from Pune. With this the State’s cumulative tally had touched 3,236 on Friday, said State health officials.
In all, 23 of the new cases were reported from Pune, while only six were from Mumbai as of now. Four more were reported from Malegaon in Nashik and one from Thane district, said authorities.
Coronavirus: 34 new cases reported in Maharashtra as tally goes up to 3,236
3.15 PM | RAJASTHAN
62 fresh cases reported in Rajasthan
Sixty-two new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Rajasthan today, taking the State’s tally to 1,193.
A total of 183 patients have been cured and 93 of them discharged from hospitals, according to Medical and Health Department.
3 PM | MALAYSIA
Malaysia turns back Rohingya boat over virus fears
Malaysia has denied entry to a boat carrying about 200 Rohingya due to coronavirus fears, the air force said, after news emerged this week that scores died on another crowded vessel.
Activists are now fearful that large numbers of Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, may be trapped on boats at sea and unable to reach other countries.
The Rohingya boat was spotted Thursday by a Malaysian air force jet off the northwestern island of Langkawi and then intercepted by two navy vessels backed by a helicopter.
Malaysian sailors gave the Rohingya food before escorting them out of the country’s waters, the air force said.
– PTI2.55 PM | BELGIUM
Number of deaths due to COVID-19 passes 5,000 in Belgium.
– PTI
2.50 PM | KARNATAKA
Mandya reports 3 new cases
The number of COVID-19 cases in Mandya rose to 11 with three isolated persons from Malavalli testing positive for the virus.
All the three [P-322, P-323 and P-324] are primary contacts of P-171, a Malavalli resident who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference at Nizamuddin masjid in New Delhi last month, said the Department of Health and Family Welfare sources.
69 people have been isolated from Friday as they have been in contact with these three new COVID-19 patients, said Mandya Deputy Commissioner M.V. Venkatesh.
– M. T. Shiva Kumar2.45 PM | TAMIL NADU
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami conducting a review meeting with officials regarding preventive measures to control the spread of COVID-19 in Salem, 17 April, 2020.
2.30 PM | TELANGANA
Export curbs on formulations of Paracetamol lifted
The Centre has permitted the export of formulations made from Paracetamol. The government has, however, decided to continue with the restriction on export of Paracetamol APIs that were placed, along with that on export of the formulations, on March 3.
A common fever medication globally, Paracetamol is the most sought after and widely used drug ever since the COVID-19 outbreak.
India removes export curbs on formulations from Paracetamol
2.20 PM | ODISHA
14-day quarantine for Odisha’s healthcare providers
Doctors, nurses and all health service providers in Odisha’s COVID-19 hospitals are placed under quarantine for 14 days after they have tended to patients for about the same period in a particular month, a top official here said.
Arrangements for safety have been made for health workers in the facilities earmarked for coronavirus patients, and those dealing with suspected or confirmed cases provided with Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), Development Commissioner S.C. Mohapatra said.
14-day quarantine in a month for docs, nurses in Odisha’s COVID-19 hospitals: Official
2.15 PM | TAMIL NADU
Anna University cancels all end-semester examinations. New dates to be announced later.
2.15 PM | NEW DELHI
Congress makes 10-point demand charter to Kejriwal govt.
Congress makes 10-point demand charter to the Kejriwal government in Delhi to help those in distress due to COVID-19.
Ajay Maken said that migrant workers were the backbone of any city and should be incentivised. The government must make them feel safe in Delhi and other towns, he says.
He says that the Congress was disappointed with the announcements made by the RBI and that the government should take more measures to help those affected by COVID-19
He also sought for regulations to check the spread of the virus by delivery people in Delhi.
– PTI
2 PM | NEW DELHI
Women’s hockey team to raise funds for the poor affected by the lockdown
The Indian women’s hockey team launched a fun fitness challenge to raise funds for the migrant labourers whose families have been affected by the nationwide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 18-day challenge aims to raise money through crowdfunding to feed at least 1,000 families while also encouraging people to adapt to an active lifestyle during the nationwide lockdown that has been extended till May 3.
Indian women’s hockey team to raise funds for poor affected by lockdown
1.55 PM | SRINAGAR
A COVID-19 patient, 70-year-old resident from north Kashmir, has died in a Srinagar hospital. The toll in J&K has touched five due to Coronavirus. The patient was admitted to the hospital on April 2, officials said.
1.50 PM | KARNATAKA
Positive cases in Dakshina Kannada rise to 13
A 39-year old resident of Uppinangady with travel history of Delhi and under quarantine since April 1, tested positive to Covid-19 on Saturday here.
Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh in a statement here said the person was kept in quarantine facility of the district administration since April 1. While the person tested negative for Covid-19 on April 2, samples collected on April 13 indicated that the person has contracted the disease.
The person is now shifted to district government Wenlock Hospital, the designated Covid hospital and is under treatment. With this, the total number of Covid-19 positive cases from DK rose to 13, while nine are already discharged and are under observation, the DC said.
1.45 PM | KARNATAKA
12 positive cases in Mysuru, in biggest single-day rise
In a biggest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases in Mysuru, 12 new positive cases have been reported and 11 of them are linked to the pharmaceutical company in Nanjangud.
Multiple cases are being reported from Mysuru almost on a daily basis after a brief lull and the spike in cases from Nanjangud had put the district among the country’s hotspots. Till date, 61 cases are linked to Jubilant Generics Limited in Nanjangud, which is now turning into be a biggest cluster.
11 cases – 10 from Nanjangud and one from Mysuru – are the contacts of Patient Number 52, the man who was the first employee of company to test positive.
1.40 PM | ODISHA
Odisha government has announced that it will to test 5,000 samples in Bhubaneswar over the next seven days for COVID-19. With a population of 10 lakh people, the city has emerged as a hotspot with 46 positive cases so far.
1.30 PM | UTTAR PRADESH
Man tests positive, booked for violating lockdown in U.P.
Unnao police have lodged an FIR against a person who tested positive for COVID-19 on charges of allegedly violating the lockdown norms by attending religious meetings.
The district, adjoining Lucknow, reported its first positive case on Thursday from the Kotwali area.
After the person tested positive, “during investigation we found out that the person along his friends was regularly violating the lockdown,” said Circle Officer Unnao City Yadvendra Yadav.
Coronavirus: Man tests positive, booked for violating lockdown in U.P.
1.10 PM | KERALA
Kerala exploring alternatives to salary challenge
The State government is seriously exploring alternatives to Salary Challenge announced for employees and teachers last week.
Finance Minister T. M. Thomas Isaac said here on Friday that the Cabinet would take a call on the issue soon.
The move comes in the wake of the lukewarm response from employees and political resistance of the Congress-led United Democratic Front to the proposal. The government had appealed to donate a month’s salary either as a lumpsum or in instalments to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.
12.50 PM | TELANGANA
How a woman’s death in a Hyderabad hospital revealed 19 more COVID-19 cases
In what can be called a textbook case of the spread of COVID-19, a patient’s uninformed decision to visit a private hospital for treatment has resulted not only in her death, but also the infection spreading to 19 more persons.
Index case in this instance was an aged matriarch of a family residing in Talabkatta (or Talab Chanchalam) area of Santhosh Nagar Circle, which has been declared as containment zone now. Ailing from several other co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and kidney problem for long, she developed bronchial infection recently, and went to a private hospital in Purani Haveli area for treatment.
12.35 PM | DELHI
No private school will be allowed to increase fees during lockdown: Delhi Deputy CM
Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said on Friday that no private school in Delhi will be allowed to increase school fees during lockdown.
I have received complaints that many schools have increased their fees and some schools are shutting online class facility for students if parents are not paying fees, said Mr. Sisodia.
Online education must be provided to all students, he said, adding that even if parents are not able to pay the fees, the student’s name should not be cut from the classes.
No school will demand fee on a three-month basis; they will charge only tuition fee for one month, he said.
Mr. Sisodia added that the schools will not be allowed to charge any transportation fees or any addition fee apart from basic tuition fee.
As for the teachers, all private schools will have to pay salaries to all teaching and non teaching staff contractual and non contractual during lockdown, said the Deputy CM.
He added that strict action will be taken against private schools not following these orders.
12.25 PM | MADHYA PRADESH
Indore registers 8 new deaths, total toll in the State rises to 75
Madhya Pradesh reported 20 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing its death toll to 75. Of this, eight deaths took place in Indore, its most populous city.
Indore also registered 256 new cases in a day, the most for the city till date.
On Wednesday the count in the city stood at 586. With reports from New Delhi detecting 218 new cases and from the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore, 26, the numbers grew by 43% to 842.Read more 12.15 PM | TAMIL NADU
Tamil Nadu has received 24,000 rapid testing kits for detecting coronavirus infections.
This is part of an order placed by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation. The State may receive a share from the Central government’s consignment too, officials said.
COVID-19: Tamil Nadu gets 24,000 rapid test kits
12.10 PM | CHHATTISGARH
3 more test coronavirus positive in Chhattisgarh
Three more people, including two women, tested positive for coronavirus in Katghora town of Chhattisgarh’s Korba district, taking the number of such cases in the State to 36, officials said on Friday. The number of active cases in the State is 13, as 23 people have recovered from the infection.
Katghora, located around 200 km from the State capital Raipur, has emerged as the top COVID-19 hotspot in Chhattisgarh with 27 confirmed cases reported so far from the town.
Three people, including two women, from the Purani basti area of the town tested positive for coronavirus on late on Thursday night, Korba Collector Kiran Kaushal said.
They had come in contact with infected persons in the locality, she said, adding the trio has been shifted to AIIMS Raipur for treatment.
– PTI12.05 PM | ANDHRA PRADESH
As per latest reports, 38 new coronavirus positive cases have been registered during the last 24 hours in Andhra Pradesh. The total number of cases in the State now stands at 572.
As many as 14 people have died in the State due to COVID-19 so far while 20 people have recovered.
12 PM | KERALA
Kerala cautious about asymptomatic carriers
The State is cautious about the asymptomatic spread of COVID-19, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja has said.
“But since we have quarantined people aggressively and campaigned for social distancing, asymptomatic spread is likely to be limited.” Asymptomatic spread has been found in some through contact tracing, but there is no evidence of it yet in the community, the Minister told The Hindu on Thursday.
11.50 AM | UTTAR PRADESH
Set up task force for economic revival in UP; provide relief to farmers, labourers: Priyanka to CM
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday sought the setting up of a task force for economic revival in Uttar Pradesh and providing relief for farmers and labourers in the state suffering due to the crisis created by coronavirus.
In a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, she demanded that farmers be assured of the procurement of their produce and their pending dues for sugarcane crop be cleared immediately.
11.45 AM | RAJASTHAN
Another death in Rajasthan
Rajasthan reported the the death of a 56-year-old who had tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
The man, hailing from Jodhpur, was also suffering from acute cardiac disease, according to the State Medical and Health Department. With this, the death toll in the State is now 16.
Meanwhile, 38 new COVID-19 positive cases were detected in Rajasthan today, taking the State’s tally to 1,169. A total of 164 patients have recovered.
11.30 AM | GUJARAT
Two new deaths in Gujarat
Gujarat saw two new deaths and 92 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the total number of cases in the State to 1,021. The death toll stands at 38.
As many as 74 patients have recovered so far.
A 55-year-old man from Ahmedabad and a 31-year-old man from Vadodara are the most recent victims of COVID-19. Of the 38 deaths, 18 were residents of Ahmedabad and six of Vadodara.
11.10 AM | KARNATAKA
Karnataka’s testing rates lowest among southern States
Karnataka is yet to obtain the much-awaited rapid testing kits for COVID-19 from China. This has lead to delay in beginning randomised tests, which was supposed to have commenced on April 12.
Although Karnataka has been boasting of a relatively low number of positive cases compared to other States, an analysis by The Hindu shows that Karnataka has the lowest testing per million population among the southern States (barring Telangana). While the rate of testing in Telangana is not in public domain, Karnataka’s rate is lower than Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.
11 AM | UTTAR PRADESH
Man dies in Meerut, UP death toll is now 14
One more person infected with COVID-19 succumbed in Meerut on Thursday night, taking the number of casualties in Uttar Pradesh to 14.
This is the second death in Meerut, one of the hotspots in the State, because of COVID-19, said officials. “The 57-year-old was admitted to the isolation ward of Meerut Medical College. His condition deteriorated late on Thursday and he died during treatment,” said Raj Kumar, chief medical officer, Meerut.
10.40 AM | CHINA
China’s Wuhan revises up total coronavirus death toll by 1,290
China’s Wuhan city, the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak, said on Friday it had revised up its total coronavirus death toll by 1,290, admitting that many cases were “mistakenly reported” or missed entirely, according to state-run CCTV.
The adjustment, detailed in a social media posting by the city government, adds 1,290 deaths to the tally in Wuhan.
10.20 AM | INDIA
Construction in rural areas, micro finance institutions exempt from lockdown
Non-banking financial institutions, housing finance, and micro finance institutions will be allowed to function with minimum staff during the lockdown, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Friday.
According to MHAs latest guidelines, the following items have been exempted from the lockdown:
- Collection, harvesting of minor forest produce, non-timber forest produce by ST, forest dwellers
- Bamboo, coconut, arecanut, cocoa, spices plantation — their harvesting, processing, packaging, sale and marketing
- Construction activities in rural areas, water supply, sanitation, laying of power, telecom lines
9.50 AM | BIHAR
6-month-old tests positive in Bihar
With three more COVID-19 positive cases detected in Munger district of Bihar, the total number of coronavirus cases in the State goes up to 83.
The newly-detected cases include a 6-month-old baby girl, a 55-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman.
9.40 AM | USA
Record 4,591 Americans die in last 24 hours
A record number of 4,591 Americans have died in the last 24 hours due to the deadly coronavirus in the U.S., which has the highest number of COVID-19 casualties in the world.
According to the Johns Hopkins University data, by 8 p.m. on Thursday, as many as 4,591 Americans have died in the last 24 hours, The Wall Street Journal said.
The previous highest was 2,569 on Wednesday.9.30 AM | INDIA
A total of 13,387 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections have been reported in India, as per the latest update from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
This includes 11,201 active cases and 1,749 discharged ones. As many as 437 deaths have been registered due to COVID-19.
India pegs fatality rate at 3.3%
India registered over 800 COVID-19 positive cases on Thursday, with the tally touching 12,759 cases and 420 deaths. These include over 10,824 active cases. A total of 1,541 people have been cured and discharged and one had migrated. The total number of cases include 76 foreign nationals.
The Health Ministry noted that India’s case fatality rate is 3.3% and percentage of people recovered is 12.02.
