New Delhi: The central government on Saturday extended the nationwide lockdown for containment zones with high number of coronavirus cases till June 30, and announced the graded lifting of restrictions for the rest of the country as it greatly trimmed the number of activities prohibited.
According to the home ministry, places of worships, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls would be allowed to open from June 8 in the first phase while classes in schools, colleges, and other educational institution would resume in the second phase after consultation with the state authorities.
The government said international air travel, Metro rail, cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places will remain shut. Activities that involve large gatherings will also remain closed.
Dates for their opening will be decided based on assessment of the situation in the phase 3, the home ministry said in its order.
The government has also clarified that there will be no restriction on inter-State and intra-state movement of persons and goods, and no separate permission/ approval/ e-permit will be required for such movements.
The government while announcing that all activities prohibited earlier will be opened up in areas outside containment zones in a phased manner, reiterated that restrictions must be enforced strictly in containment areas that will be identified by states.
Parties, large gatherings, international travel to remain banned
The MHA said that lockdown shall continue to be implemented strictly in the containment zones. These will be demarcated by the State/ UT Governments, after taking into consideration the guidelines issued by the Health Ministry. Within the containment zones, strict perimeter control shall be maintained and only essential activities allowed.
Decision to reopen schools, colleges likely in July
MHA said that schools, colleges, educational/ training/ coaching institutions etc., will be opened after consultations with States and UTs. State Governments/ UT administrations are being advised to hold consultations at the institution level with parents and other stakeholders. Based on the feedback, a decision on the re-opening of these institutions will be taken in the month of July, 2020
Shopping malls, hotels to reopen from 8 June outside containment zones
MHA guidelines issued today have suggested that that shopping malls and hotels can be reopened in non-containment zones from 8 June onwards.
“In Phase I, religious places and places of worship for public; hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services; and shopping malls; will be permitted to open from June 8, 2020. Health Ministry will issue SOPs for the above activities, in consultation with the Central Ministries/ Departments concerned and other stakeholders, for ensuring social distancing and to contain the spread of COVID-19,” the ministry’s press release read.
MHA extends lockdown in containment zones till 30 June
Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday said that the lockdown in containment zones will be extended till 30 June. The Centre also issued guidelines for reopening of banned activities in other areas in a phased manner.
Maharashtra bans spitting of tobacco in public
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that State Govt has decided to ban consumption, spitting& smoking of tobacco&other tobacco products in public places in Maharashtra. Violators will have to pay a fine of Rs 1,000 for first offence, Rs 3,000 for second and Rs 5,000 for subsequent offences
Madhya Pradesh extends lockdown till 15 June
India Covid-19 recovery rate increases to 47.40%
Latest figures by the government shows that 11,264 coronavirus patients were reported cured over the last 24 hours, as India’s recovery rate increased by 4.51 percent to 47.40 percent. Number of active patients declined from 89,987 to 86,422.
Survey finds 57% respondents worried of high-priced COVID-19 treatment in pvt hospitals
Around 57 per cent of respondents expressed concern about exorbitant charges for COVID-19 treatment at private hospitals, while 46 per cent fear of contracting a secondary infection in a government facility, a survey said. The survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, received around 40,000 responses on five questions related to public perception of government and private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment. It also said that 61 per cent of respondents want the government to fix a price cap or standardise coronavirus treatment related room charges in private hospitals. According to the survey, 46 percent of people expressed concern over catching secondary infection due to crowd and poor adherence to infection prevention control standards in hospitals, while 32 percent highlighted the lack of adequate medical infrastructure, as their topmost concern regarding COVID-19 treatment available in the country. It said 16 percent of people pointed at long waiting time and inefficiencies as major issues.
Puri Rath Yatra likely to be held without devotees
The annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Odisha’s Puri will likely be held with only a select group of priests and no devotees, said Puri Gajapati Dibya Singha Deb today after a meeting of Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee
Congress accuses Gujarat govt of hiding actual COVID-19 figures
The Gujarat Congress accused the state government of hiding the actual figures of COVID-19 cases by earlier reducing the number of tests and now by not sharing proper information with the public to portray a rosy picture that infections had reduced in the state. The Congress alleged that the BJP-led government had removed certain information from its coronavirus dashboard, stopped daily briefings and has not shared district-wise figures with people of the state.
Adityanath asks officials to provide financial help to those left destitute by lockdown
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday directed officials to provide an interim assistance of Rs2,000 to those left destitute by the coronavirus lockdown and Rs1,000 to those who do have ration cards to get foodgrains.He also asked officials to provide Rs5,000 for the last rites of a destitute person. During a meeting to review the lockdown, he directed officials to ensure immediate treatment to destitute people having serious illness even if they are not covered under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana or the Mukhyamantri Jan Arogya Yojana, an official spokesman said.
28% of COVID-19 cases in India till April 30 are asymptomatic: Study
At least 28 percent of 40,184 people who had tested positive for COVID-19 between 22 January and 30 April in India were asymptomatic, a study found, raising concerns about the novel Coronavirus being spread by those who show mild or no symptoms. A large proportion of both those tested and those positive were asymptomatic contacts, according to the study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientists along with other collaborators.
Three Indian firms bag licenses to manufacture ventilators developed by NASA
Three Indian companies have got licences from NASA to manufacture its indigenously developed ventilators for critical COVID-19 patients. The three Indian companies are Alpha Design Technologies Pvt Ltd, Bharat Forge Ltd and Medha Servo Drives Pvt Ltd, the space organisation said in a statement on Friday.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed the ventilator specifically for coronavirus patients at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JLP) in Southern California.
The JPL engineers designed the special ventilator— called VITAL — in little over a month and received ‘Emergency Use Authorization’ from the Food and Drug Administration on 30 April. The VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally) equipment uses one-seventh the parts of a traditional ventilator, relying on parts already available in supply chains, the space organisation s
Flight returns to Delhi as pilot turns out to be COVID-19 positive
An Air India Delhi-Moscow flight returned midway to Delhi after the ground team realised that one of the pilots was COVID-19 positive, officials told PTI.
The aircraft was over Uzbekistan at the time it was called back, according to a Times of India report. The team checking pre-flight test reports of crew members had mistakenly read the pilot’s positive report as negative and released him for the ferry flight to fly back Indians from Moscow.
The crew will be quarantined as per norms. This plane will be fumigated and the airline is sending another A320 Neo to Moscow on Saturday afternoon to fly back Indians from there.
70 new cases reported in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh reported 70 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the state to 2,944. Number of active cases stand at 792.
Government is four steps ahead of COVID-19, says Kejriwal
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal admitted that Delhi is witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases, but also assured the people that the government is fully prepared to deal with the outbreak. He added that we cannot be in a permanent lockdown.
“Out of the total patients, only 2,100 are in hospitals and the rest are undergoing treatment at their homes. 6,500 beds are ready till date and 9,500 beds will be ready by another week,” he added.
Stating that the government is four steps ahead of coronavirus, Kejriwal said that an app is being developed to give information about bed availability in hospitals.
Bombay HC seeks report on steps taken to send migrant workers home
The Bombay High Court has sought a report from the Maharashtra government by 2 June on how it was addressing the issue of sending migrant workers to their native places. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice KK Tated was hearing a petition filed by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, raising concerns over the plight of migrant workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the petitioner, the migrant workers who have submitted applications for leaving Maharashtra availing the Shramik special trains and buses, have been left in the dark about the status of their applications. The plea said that till the time they are to board the train or bus for their native place, they are made to stay in cramped and unhygienic shelters without being provided with food and other essentials.
Senior medical officer, 2 others at LNJP Hospital tests positive
A senior medical official and two staff members at LNJP hospital tested positive for COVID-19. The hospital is among the five dedicated COVID-19 facilities in the National Capital.
114 police personnel test positive within 24 hours
One Maharashtra Police personnel has died and 114 have tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours. The total number of COVID-19 infected personnel in the state is 2,325 and 26 have died so far.
Surprised world with unity and resolve: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said given the way India surprised the world with its unity and resolve in the fight against coronavirus, there is a firm belief that it will also set an example in economic revival. “In the economic domain, through their strength, 130 crore Indians can not only surprise the world but also inspire it,” Modi added
Citizens transformed way country is viewed: PM
The prime minister said coronavirus had engulfed the country as we ‘were moving ahead at fast pace in the fulfilment of hopes and aspirations of our countrymen’, that many feared India would become a problem for the world but that citizens had transformed the way the country is viewed around the world through confidence and resilience.
India on path to victory against COVID-19: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the first anniversary of his second term on Saturday by writing an open letter stating that India is on the path to victory in its long battle against COVID-19.
