COVID-19 HIGHLIGHTS | 217 Indians who returned from Italy test negative, national tally stands at 2547

After weeks of insisting that Americans don't have to wear face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus, President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) announced new guidelines as issued by CDC (Centers for Disease Control) advising the use of "non-medical cloth-based" face coverings.

FOR FULL STORY, CLICK HERE

A man who had returned from Dubai on March 17 in Madhya Pradesh's Morena to perform final rites of his deceased mother, has infected 11 persons with COVID-19.

Is India flattening the coronavirus curve? That of course, is the 1.3 billion dollar question that everyone wants to know the answer to. Let us look at the data so far. India had performed around 47,951 tests as of April 1, out of which around 1,637 were declared positive. This gives us a positivity rate of around 3.41%. (READ THE OPINION HERE)

Tiffany Pinckney remembers the fear when COVID-19 stole her breath. So when she recovered, the New York City mother became one of the country’s first survivors to donate her blood to help treat other seriously ill patients.

France on Friday reported 588 more coronavirus deaths in hospital, its biggest toll over the last 24 hours since the epidemic began.

The new coronavirus might spread through the air via normal breathing and speaking, a top US scientist said Friday as the government was poised to recommend the use of face masks for everyone.

From government stock seizures to sales to the highest bidder on airport tarmacs, the hunt for face masks amid the coronavirus outbreak has become a global free-for-all where the rules of fair play no longer apply.

Pakistan Prime minister Imran Khan on Friday said that no one was sure how long the COVID-19 pandemic would last as he announced a massive package to the construction sector to restart economy, as the number of coronavirus patients rose to nearly 2,500 in the country.

• The HRD Ministry directed schools and colleges on Friday to advise students to follow protocols developed by the Ayush Ministry to boost immunity and light diyas and candles on April 5 as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• In a letter sent to CBSE, UGC, AICTE, NCERT and other bodies under the HRD Ministry, Secretary Amit Khare has listed suggestions to aid the fight against COVID-19.
• "As addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, students may light candle, diya or torch of their mobile for 9 minutes on April 5 at 9 pm to realise power of light and to highlight objective of which we are all fighting together. However, no one should assemble in colonies or road or anywhere outside their houses," Khare said.
• "Ministry of Ayush has developed a protocol for immunity boosting measures for self care for kids. Students may also download Arogya Setu app, which has been developed to fight against COVID-19. The app will be helpful for students, faculty members and family members too," he added.

BJP MLC Suresh Dhas was booked for entering Ahmednagar district despite the border being sealed in view of the lockdown in place for novel coronavirus outbreak, police said on Friday. Dhas went to Khed in Ahmednagar's Karjat taluka to meet migrant labourers on April 2 after which a case was filed by Ashti police in Beed, said Inspector Madhav Suryavanshi. Dhas is a resident of Ashti.

• Both these hospitals are among the five facilities in Delhi designated for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting held on Thursday by the Delhi health minister. It was decided that OPD services at LNJP and GB Pant hospitals will be closed, an order issued on Friday said.
• The order will come into effect from April 4, it said. However, medical emergency services at LNJP Hospital will continue from the ground floor of the general emergency wing and all obstetrics and gynaecology services will be from the old Gynaecology Block, the order said.
• GB Pant Hospital will continue to provide emergency services to neurology and cardiology patients and will also manage the cardio and neuro patients referred from LNJP Hospital.

#TNIEupdatesOnCovid19
The @dcbagalkot confirms the death of 75-year-old #COVID19 patient with this fourth fatality reported in the state because of deadly pandemic virus. @XpressBengaluru @naushadbijapur @CeozpB @GovindKarjol @Lokeshbj27 @nammabagalkot

— Mahesh M Goudar (@MahiPEN_TNIE) April 3, 2020

Maharashtra: Cowsheds in Mumbai's Aaray have been hit by a shortage of fodder supply amid lockdown in the state due to #COVID19. Ameen, caretaker of a stable says, "There are 600 cows in my stable. Suppliers don't come even after offering double money. It is difficult to sustain" pic.twitter.com/AG07FncKC0

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

• A man was arrested for playing an April Fool's prank claiming his wife was infected with the novel coronavirus, which left authorities in panic as he worked in a firm employed by the vital Koradi Thermal Power Station near Nagpur in Maharashtra, an official said on Friday. He was identified as contract labourer Ramesh Khuje, said Inspector Vazeer Shaikh.
• "Khuje told his relative on April 1 that his wife had tested positive for novel coronavirus. He told his firm AKA Logistics that he has was infected with the virus. However, it was soon found out that Khuje had played a prank," he said.
• Based on the complaint by KTPS security officer Sandi Ghodmare, Khuje was arrested under sections of the IPC and Disaster Management Act, the official said.

Two new #COVID2019 cases in #AndhraPradesh since the last bulletin 25 mins ago. Both from #EastGodavari district.

Total cases: 164
Death: 1
Recovered: 4 (1 each in Kakinada and Ongole today. 1 each in Visakhapatnam and Nellore earlier). https://t.co/fVIhYvpZZ9 pic.twitter.com/ZvErOIbQ5A

— Jayanth P (@Jayanth_TNIE) April 3, 2020

With summer reaching its peak in Chennai, a monkey quenches its thirst sitting under a tree at Velachery.
Express Photo | Ashwin prasath pic.twitter.com/pcdUdRoCt2

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 3, 2020

Tamil Nadu: Members of District Medical Team in Rameswaram today went to each household to trace people who came from foreign countries in March. The officials put a stamp on the palms of such people and advised them to stay under medical supervision and in isolation. pic.twitter.com/lHMBNugILR

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

Today's positive till 9.45 pm is 46 (including 9 evacuees from Iran) New cases-Two from Ramganj, three from Alwar. Overall cumulative positive 179.

We will continue to take bookings from April 15 onwards as of now. We will take action otherwise if there is any new notification from the Ministry: Vistara Spokesperson #CoronavirusLockdown pic.twitter.com/1SAK1lfIWh

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

A group of 217 Indians evacuated from Italy have been found negative for the coronavirus after spending over a fortnight at an ITBP quarantine facility, officials said on Friday. They said the inmates, who were brought here on March 15 after being evacuated from Italy's Milan town on a special Air India flight, are now being released from the centre in a phased manner. "A total of 218 Indians were sent to the ITBP facility on March 15. 217 people have been found negative for COVID-19 after tests," a senior Indo-Tibetan Border Police officer said. One inmate from this batch was allowed to leave sometime back on compassionate grounds due to the death of his father, he said.

The incident happened near Rehman Shah Baba dargah on Thursday evening, a police official said. "He was loitering in the area and when a police team quizzed him. This man spat at, abused and manhandled one of the personnel. We booked him under IPC, Disaster Management Act and Maharashtra COVID-19 Precautionary Measures Order and handed him over to his father," the official said.

217 Indians evacuated from Italy and housed at ITBP quarantine centre test negative for coronavirus after a fortnight: Officials

MP: Health workers on whom stones were pelted by locals on April 1 at Tatpatti Bakhal in Indore, returned on April 2 to carry out screening services. Dr Trupti Katdare, Medical Officer says,"We don't know why they pelted stones,but we'll not be afraid&continue our services there" pic.twitter.com/ggptRUVizm

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

Total positive cases: 131 Active: 122 Deaths: 8 Recovered: 1

Navghar Road area in Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation in Thane district was on Friday sealed off after a resident tested positive for novel coronavirus, civic commissioner Chandrakant Dange said. The township, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, has six COVID-19 patients as on Friday, officials said. A total of 423 people have been ordered home quarantine for suspected exposure to the virus and 46 have been admitted in isolation wards, MBMC officials said.

Punjab: Mountain ranges of the Himalaya can be seen with naked eyes from Lamba Pind area in Jalandhar as pollution levels come down due to closure of industries & ban on non-essential vehicular movement. #CoronavirusLockdown pic.twitter.com/gAVtquSSST

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

• "During the last two days, IAF airlifted essential medical supplies and commodities from nodal points to Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Mohanbari in north eastern region; Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Bareilly and Agra in the central region; and the Union territories of J&K and Ladakh," the ministry said in a statement.
• In addition, the IAF airlifted critical medical supplies to Male in Maldives under 'Operation Sanjeevani' on Thursday. Maldives was facing a shortage of essential medical supplies as its connectivity with India was broken after the imposition of the lockdown.
• "Quarantine facilities created at IAF bases across the country continue in a state of readiness," the ministry stated. India is under a 21-day lockdown till April 14 to curb the spread of coronavirus. All domestic and international commercial passenger flights have been suspended for this period. The ministry said that the Indian Navy continued to extend a helping hand to locals through distribution of food and essential supplies during the nationwide lockdown.
• "On April 1, 2020, Headquarters, Goa Naval Area coordinated with the Councillor of Mangor Hill and distributed critical supplies to families of daily wagers, migrant labourers and low income families at Gandhinagar.Around 1000 kg of essential provisions were distributed to 200 families," the ministry noted. Additionally, 600 kg of provisions were handed over to Milind Naik, Minister for Urban Development and Social Welfare, for distribution to families in need, the ministry noted.
• Earlier this week, jawans of the Defence Security Corps (DSC) and personnel from INS Hansa had distributed food at several locations in Goa's Vasco, the ministry said. Approximately 320 people were provided cooked food at Vasco Railway Station, Bogda and Ram Mandir at Goa, it added.

Defence Research & Development Organisation develops two configurations of sanitizing equipment - portable backpack area sanitization equipment & trolley mounted large area sanitization equipment. These are spinoffs from technologies developed for fire suppression applications. pic.twitter.com/GkuYqBSA9d

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

• In a letter to Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) port offices, the drug controller said his office had received representations from importers about consignments of vaccines and critical IVDs not being released in view of the ongoing lockdown announced by the government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
• "This matter has been examined carefully by the committee and in the view of the criticality of these products it has been decided in large public interest, till further orders that the consignments of the vaccines and critical IVDs and blood products (which are usually sampled 100 per cent for testing) may be released by all the port offices based on the review of documents, protocol, certificates of release of batch by the manufactures and satisfactory history of the product, subject to the following conditions," it said.
• It stated that sufficient quantity of the vaccines/IVDs, blood products should be drawn for analysis and stored at the prescribed storage conditions by the importers after putting mark for the security by the port officers of CDCSO and the samples should be sent to the notified laboratories for evaluation at earliest when the logistics are reported.
• The importers should submit an undertaking stating that their product released in this circumstance will be recalled in case the samples does into clear the evaluation by laboratories, the letter stated.
• "The port officers are hereby requested to follow the aforesaid procedures in order not to hamper the supplies of essential vaccine, diagnostics and blood products in public interest due to the situation arisen by COVID-19 outbreak lockdown, logistics problems, manpower problem at the each level including at labs," it said.

Ministry of Home Affairs issues Addendum to the guidelines issued regarding lockdown to exempt -
●Shops of Agricultural machinery, its spare parts (inc. supply chain) & repair; Truck repair shops on highways
●Tea industry, including plantations with max 50 workers #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/yhOIQsQuE4

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

Eleven of 28 samples sent for coronavirus testing in the newly set up lab in Goa Medical College and Hospital have returned negative while the results of the rest are awaited, said state Health minister Vishwajit Rane on Friday. The state has six COVID=19 patients as on Friday, all of whom are admitted in the designated facility for the infection in south Goa.

• Under the provisions of the law, central and state government authorities were instructed by the Union home ministry on March 24 to take effective measures including making of false claim as punishable offence to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in the country.
• "In view of the emerging threat in the country due to COVID-19 outbreak, it is imperative to apply and implement various measures for maintaining public safety in all aspects and to control dissemination of misleading information about AYUSH drugs and services," said the order by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) issued on Wednesday.
• "It is hereby directed to all concerned ASU&H (Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathic) regulatory authorities in the states and UTs to stop and prevent publicity and advertisement of AYUSH-related claims for COVID-19 treatment in print, TV and electronic media and take necessary action against the persons/agencies involved in contravening the relevant legal provisions and the guidelines of NDMA," it stated.

Six #COVID19Pandemic patients in Maharashtra died today, reports @ss_suryawanshi. https://t.co/yTy9gI3z1R

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 3, 2020

• Uttar Pradesh: Total cases so far: 174.
•  Total cases with Tablighi connection: 49 (Seven reported on Thursday and 42 on Friday). Break up as follows: Saharanpur (12) Kanpur (6), Agra (7), Meerut (5) Azamgarh (4) Firozabad (4) Shamli (2), Jaunpur (2) Pratapgarh (2) Ghaziabad (1) Hapur (1) Hardoi (1) Ghazipur (1) Shahjahanpur (1).
• Total cases found in the past 24 hours – 48 of whom 42 had the tablighi connection while six others belonged to Gautam Buddha Nagar (2), Basti (3) and Meerut (1). Recovered : 19.
• Deaths : 02.
• Bihar: One more COVID-19 positive case took the state's total to 30. The new patient is a 35-year-old from Siwan district, who came back from Bahrain on 21/3/2020.
• Chhattisgarh: One more cured today.
• Total positive cases: 9.
• Cured/ discharged : 4. Total active cases now: 5.
• Delhi: 77 new COVID-19 cases of Markaz attendees on Friday in Delhi.
• Total rises to 259.
• 16 fresh cases from Delhi, total 127 so far. 2 deaths. 2 discharged.
• 93 cases reported (including Markaz and Delhi).

#COVID19Pandemic https://t.co/ab6ODj4Lbp

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 3, 2020

Sports personalities have joined the fight against COVID-19. Table tennis star A Sharath Kamal shares his views with The New Indian Express #Covid_19india #SharathKamal #TNIEVideos pic.twitter.com/TJlSLIzEvX

— Sports Express (@Xpress_Sports) April 3, 2020

#Telangana records 75 new positive #COVID19 cases today

Two more deaths recorded.

In a good news, 15 people got discharged today.

Total numbers as on today :
Positive cases till now in state - 229
Discharged - 32
Deaths - 11
Active cases - 186#TelanganaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/0Hsoydy8Wx

— TNIE Telangana (@XpressHyderabad) April 3, 2020

• It is suspected that they caught the infection while on duty at the Mumbai International Airport, an official said. Five of the CISF personnnel had tested positive ealrier while six more tested positive on Friday, he said. Panvel which comes under Navi Mumbai has a total of 14 coronavirus cases at present.
• The infected CISF personnel were posted at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai. At least 146 CISF personnel including officers were tested, a senior official from the Konkan Divisional Commissioner's office told PTI. After five personnel tested positive, samples of others were collected, the official added.

• According to police, none of them had attended the religious congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month, which has emerged as a key source for the spread of COVID-19 in the country. They had been in Pune district since February 22, police said.
• "They are originally from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. None of the 11 members had attended the Nizamuddin event, but they had been stamped 'home quarantine' on April 1 as a precautionary measure," a senior officer from Pune rural police said.
• "They had come to Pune on February 22. Till March 6, they were in Nana Peth area of the city and later moved to a mosque in Shirur," he said.
• After the Delhi incident came to light, we instructed these 11 persons to remain isolated in the mosque and stamped them, the officer said. "On the day they were stamped, all these people somehow escaped in a vehicle. Today, when our people went for checking, they could not be found," he said.

19 more people, who had attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, have been traced. Total 103 people from Gujarat had attended the event. One person from Ahmedabad who had attended it and had tested positive has died: Gujarat DGP Shivanand Jha #COVID19 (file pic) pic.twitter.com/7FCCB1fcDX

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. The two discussed technological cooperation as well as the various steps to deal with the spread of #coronavirus: Office of the Prime Minister of Israel (file pics) pic.twitter.com/ttE5Vsw5vK

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

59 people in Indore have been identified who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event. They have no symptoms of #COVID19 for now and have been placed under quarantine: Dr Praveen Jadia, Chief Medical Officer, Indore #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/vYNJT1Ec7S

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

Puducherry: Suspended Congress MLA N Dhanavelu today distributed 'Kabasura Kudineer' powder among 15,000 families in Bahour village amid Coronavirus Pandemic, claiming that it will boost the immunity of the people.

Note: Till now there is no vaccine or cure for #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/uNoD4N4TXl

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

#WATCH Karnataka: Stones were pelted at policemen when they forbade a group of people from offering Friday prayers at a mosque in Mantur, Hubli. "Four policemen have sustained minor injuries. Legal action will be taken," says Hubli-Dharwad Police Commissioner R Dilip pic.twitter.com/z2RsN04Iq0

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

• Rewa Inspector General of Police Chanchal Shekhar identified the officer as Civil Line police station in charge Rajkumar Mishra.
• BJP MLA Rajendra Shukla tweeted pictures in which Mishra was seen hitting a priest with a stick, and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan responded to them by asking senior officials to take action against Mishra.
• "Mishra had gone to the spot after getting information that a crowd had gathered there. However, his action (of hitting the priest) was improper and so he was line attached (removed from field duty as a form of punishment)," said IG Shekhar.

A police officer in Kozhikode, Kerala taking taking watermelon break to wade off the heat, while on duty to check on #lockdown violators. #Covid_19
Express Photo | @sooraj_TNIE@xpresskerala pic.twitter.com/Tjo2DffU8f

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 3, 2020

The personnel were posted at Kharghar adjoining Mumbai, a senior official said. Five CISF personnel had tested coronavirus positive earlier, he added. As of now there are 14 COVID-19 cases in Panvel Municipal Corporation area.

• The authorities have collected samples of 35 people, but their reports have come out negative, Director General (Health Services) P T Bhutia said. "There has been no case of COVID-19 in Sikkim till date," he said.
• However, eight patients with coronavirus-like symptoms are admitted in various hospitals, Bhutia said. A total of 1,122 persons have been placed under home quarantine, while another 107 are being quarantined at government facilities in Sikkim.

• Biplab Kumar Deb on Friday said the 32 people of the state, who attended the congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi were sent to quarantine and all of them have tested negative for COVID-19. Altogether 32 people from Tripura attended the congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi last month.
• "Those who visited Nizamuddin event were sent to quarantine and examined, but all of them had come out coronavirus negative. However, we have decided to re-examine them, Deb said in a video message that was circulated by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Friday.
• Not a single case of COVID-19 has been detected in Tripura till date, officials said on Friday.

Sayyad Jameel Sayyad Babu was arrested late Thursday night by Ramzanpura police in Malegaon, an official said. "He also said in the video that the pandemic would intensify further. After the video went viral, we arrested him. He has been remanded in police custody till April 7 by a court in Malegaon," the official informed.

MHA approves release of Rs 11,092 crores under State Disaster Risk Management Fund to all states. This is advance release of Govt of India share of first installment of SDRMF for 2020-21, to augment funds available with state governments. 

Hours after a health official, who is a member of the expert committee set up by chief minister Mamata Banerjee to combat Covid-19, announced the total death count to be seven, including four who died in the past 24 hours, chief secretary Rajeeva Sinha claimed the number of deaths was three.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

On Sunday 5th April at 8pm (BST)
Her Majesty The Queen will address the UK and the Commonwealth in a televised broadcast.

As well as on television and radio, The Queen’s address will be shown on The @RoyalFamily’s social media channels. pic.twitter.com/EADh7WNU7b

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 3, 2020

The Indian Armed Forces have stepped up their preparations against COVID-19 to meet any future requirements arising within the country and in the neighbourhood. Fifty aircraft are on standby only for internal requirements. All the services -- Army, Navy and Air Force -- are part of the preparations.

Nine people test positive in Kerala on Friday, informed CM Pinarayi Vijayan, further adding that 14 have recovered and 251 are undergoing treatment.
 

Based on their experience working in prestigious scientific institutions across the country, the volunteers said they are willing to take part in research activities pertaining to the pandemic. These scholars have expertise in many useful and highly demanding areas like molecular diagnosis, clinical sample handling, RNA isolation, cDNA preparation, RT-PCR, data analysis, synthesis of drugs and instrumental analysis etc.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

#TNIEupdatesOnCovid19
Cases of #Covid19 now 128 in Karnataka, 3 from Belagavi had attended TablikiJamaat congregation in Delhi.@NewIndianXpress @XpressBengaluru @santwana99 @CMofKarnataka @sriramulubjp @mla_sudhakar @DHFWKA pic.twitter.com/c0eMRILwuB

— Bosky Khanna (@BoskyKhanna) April 3, 2020

The human scale of the pandemic has never been more stark -- experts warning that more than one million cases of COVID-19 disease confirmed globally is probably only a small proportion of total infections as testing is still not widely available. The United States accounts for around a quarter of confirmed cases but Europe is far from being out of danger -- Spain reported more than 900 deaths in 24 hours on Friday, for the second day running.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

Most of them were immediately placed under quarantine in various centres established by the district administrations. Out of these, about 500 Tablighi Jamaat workers admitted to having visited “Banglewali Masjid” located in Nizamuddin area of Delhi.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The state’s Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made an appeal to their guardians to make them understand that they might infect others by this act. “Many people being quarantined at the Civil Hospital, Golaghat are spitting around. I feel their guardians should make them understand on the phone that their act could infect others. Nobody should do this. I am really sad,” Sarma told journalists on Friday.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

A 30-year-old man was shot at by a group of people that was wandering outdoors after he asked them to stay in their homes and abide by the lockdown restrictions at Kakroli village in the district, police said. The injured man, identified as Javed, was shifted to a hospital for treatment after the attack on Thursday, they said. 

The government on March 25 had appealed to retired government, Armed Forces Medical Services, public sector undertaking or private doctors to come forward and join the efforts to fight the pandemic caused by the deadly novel coronavirus.

READ REPORT HERE 

“We in Karnataka and in India are not at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic just yet, we could hit it at the end of April or in early May,’’ said Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, founder-chairman, Narayana Health. “We are about a month behind the United States on this.’’

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

nformation Technology company employees are on edge. With the United States, Europe, Australia and Singapore under lockdown, the Forum for IT Employees (FITE), an IT employees union, has raised an alarm claiming that signing of new projects has either been postponed or is getting cancelled as businesses in many countries are in crisis.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

While Gurunanak College in Velachery currently houses 350 people brought in by the Greater Chennai Corporation, it can host a maximum of 1,000 people in the coming days, say college authorities. On Monday evening, poori, pulav and an aloo sabzi were on the dinner menu and on Tuesday it was chapati, rice and sambar.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

Muzaffarnagar Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Yadav announced the home delivery of FIR in the city while appealing to the people to stay back at home to cut the transmission of Covid-19.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

• 91 new cases of coronavirus reported in Delhi in last 24 hours; total number of COVID-19 cases stands at 384
• 259 cases of COVID-19 reported from Nizammuddin Markaz
• One more person evacuated from Markaz has died due to COVID-19, total number of deaths stands at 5

READ FULL REPORT HERE

102 persons tests positive for Corona today in Tamil Nadu taking the total number of persons infected with this virus to 411 @xpresstn @NewIndianXpress

— T Muruganandham (@muruga_TNIE) April 3, 2020

• 182 (132 government and 52 private) more laboratories operationalised in the country.
• 8,000 samples tested in the last 24 hours 

• Effective lockdown being maintained in all states
• Strict action against those who are attacking 'corona warriors'
• 960 Markaz attendees blacklisted
• Visa violators booked under disaster management act and foreigners act

READ FULL REPORT HERE

• 647 Tablighi Jamaat cases reported from 14 states
• Over 2,300 cases and 56 deaths so far
• 336 new cases in the last 24 hours 

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revises the trading hours for various markets to minimise the risks and to ensure that market participants maintain adequate checks and supervisory controls while optimising thin resources & ensuring safety of personnel, as under - pic.twitter.com/aaNgR2vcRN

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

Supreme Court directs the Union Health Secretary to have a meeting with Chief Secretaries of both the states and decide how to facilitate the movement of people for medical treatments from Kerala to Karnataka in wake of Coronavirus Pandemic. Matter to be next heard on April 7.  

The top court, through video conferencing, was hearing the plea of NGO 'Justice For Rights Foundation' and others seeking direction to ensure fair and equitable distribution of masks and also the sale and distribution of hand sanitizers and liquid soap among the public to deal with the pandemic, also called COVID-19.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The DBT, DST, CSIR and DAE laboratories have been advised to strictly follow ICMR guidelines before initiation of testing for coronavirus infection, an ICMR official said. Adding a note of caution, the apex health research body said that "SARs-CoV 2 is high-risk pathogen with high transmissbility and infectivity. Sample handling at too many points and by inadequately trained staff can lead to spills and laboratory outbreaks."

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The game of Lockdown and keys? Police seize the vehicle keys of #CoronaLockdown violators in Tamil Nadu's Vellore.
Express photo by Dinesh Sampath. @xpresstn #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/ojsT5bX3nY

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 3, 2020

This is first such action related to COVID-19 pandemic in Madhya Pradesh, an official said. A five-member team from the health department had gone to Taatpatti Bakhal on Wednesday to quarantine relatives and acquaintances of a COVID-19 patient, when an unruly mob attacked them with stones, injuring two women doctors.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

As many as 68 trains with 10 coaches each are being modified and they are expected to be ready within a week to accommodate 10,880 people, Rajiv Chaudhary, who holds the charge of General Manager for both the zones.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

Principal Secretary in the Health Department, Sanjay Kumar, said that 13 people including two family members got coronavirus infection after coming in contact with this patient. The number is expected to go up.

READ FULL REOPORT HERE 

 Police said Gowri Shankar, the husband of Padmaja who is the village panchayat president of Melakazhani village near Gummidipoondi, allegedly posted a video in which he claimed that residents of Kottakarai in the same locality had witnessed coronavirus symptoms.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

Lok Nayak Hospital and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital (GB Pant Hospital) close their OPD service. Medical emergency services at both the hospitals to continue. The order will come into effect from tomorrow - 4th April, 2020. 

Twenty-three members of a minority community were arrested in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly defying CrPC section 144 and engaging in unlawful and dangerous acts related to the spread of coronavirus, police said on Friday. Twelve of them were arrested in Agar Malwa district and the remaining in Dewas district on Thursday, they said, all of them have been quarantined for 14 days.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

#TamilNadu CM Edappadi K Palanisamy distributed food and dress to migrant workers at Gurunanank College in Chennai's Velachery, where they were seated in the auditorium, following #SocialDistancing norms.
Express photos by @ashwinacharya05.#COVID19 @xpresstn pic.twitter.com/ZrFe1r6Ods

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 3, 2020

 The farming community feels that providing sanitizers will also educate the masses on the need to maintain hygiene and cleanliness to protect themselves from the coronavirus. The shortage of sanitizers is also felt in urban pockets as the stock is exhausted with many chemists.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has ordered imposing the National Security Act (NSA) against the Tablighi Jamaat members in Ghaziabad for allegedly misbehaving with medical staff while being in quarantine at the district hospital’s isolation ward. 

READ FULL REPORT HERE

The incident occurred in Kakinada town on Friday when the 22-year-old was discharged from a government general hospital. The man from Rajahmundry had tested positive for the coronavirus on March 22, four days after he returned from London.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The woman has been staying near the railway station for many days and begged to get food. After train services halted and hotels closed, she had not eaten food properly. Noting this, town police constables informed the same to station and a few women constables visited the spot.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

Lady Police personnel gave bath to poor woman in distress who could not take bath for almost 15 days in Karnataka's Hubballi.

Express video by @HemanthTnie @XpressBengaluru pic.twitter.com/gdxUpxIuxp

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 3, 2020

Asia is facing a second wave of COVID-19 infections and as cases spiral globally with one million confirmed positive and half the planet on lockdown, women are having to give birth in unprecedented circumstances.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa held a meeting with Muslim leaders and MLAs, seeking their cooperation in containing COVID-19. They responded positively and assured to extend cooperation. They are advising members to offer prayers at home and also stay indoors during 'azan'. Muslim leaders & legislators have agreed to give details of the persons who attended Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi and also to convince them to undergo tests for #COVID19 and strict quarantine for the prescribed period: Karnataka CM office 

35 out of 57 Tablighi Jamaat attendees have been traced: Bihar Director General of police, Gupteshwar Pandey 

#BigBreaking #Odisha reports 6th #COVID19 positive case. The man detected in #Cuttack has recent travel history to #NewDelhi.#TabligiJamaat #coronavirus#COVID19Pandemic @NewIndianXpress

— Hemant Kumar Rout #StayHomeStaySafe (@TheHemantRout) April 3, 2020

8 more coronavirus cases reported in Haryana of which 5 are from Gurugram and 3 from Nuh. Total cases in the state till now are 43(13 discharged): Haryana Government

READ FULL REPORT HERE

•  Assign your partner, family members or colleagues to "point out it" whenever you touch your face.
•  Wearing masks and glasses will reduce touches once you are used to it

(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE)

Google will publish location data from its users around the world from Friday to allow governments to gauge the effectiveness of social distancing measures put in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the tech giant said.

The reports on users' movements in 131 countries will be made available on a special website and will "chart movement trends over time by geography," according to a post on one of the company's blogs.(READ FULL REPORT HERE)

Global exams like TOEFL and GRE will be taken at home except in mainland China and Iran in view of the COVID-19 situation across the globe, according to the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The tests had been suspended across the globe following coronavirus outbreak. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

• The COVID-19 has infected more than 1 million people across the world
• More than 53,000 have died and 211,000 recovered in the biggest global pandemic
• US has the most cases, recording over 245,000 positive cases according to Johns Hopkins University
• World Bank approved USD 1 billion emergency funds for India to tackle COVID-19 outbreak
• More than 95 per cent of people who died of COVID-19 in Europe have been over 60 years: WHO
• Overall, more than 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported in Europe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held meeting with 40 top sportspersons, including Sachin Tendulkar, PV Sindhu and Hima Das, via video conferencing today, on #COVID19 situation in the country. pic.twitter.com/eC4xKceL4a

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

The 1st coronavirus positive case in Odisha, belonging to Bhubaneswar has recovered and tested negative; he is being discharged. There are 3 active cases of Coronavirus in the state now: State health Department

Delhi: A meeting of Group of Ministers (GoM) on #COVID19 underway at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other Ministers also present. pic.twitter.com/L841UqOBHP

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

#IndiaFightsCorona:

As we observe lockdown, we must ensure that we keep practising social distancing.
Together we will fight #COVID19.#HealthForAll #CoronaOutbreak #SwasthaBharat #Lockdown21 pic.twitter.com/7Yv31epGy5

— Ministry of Health #StayHome #StaySafe (@MoHFW_INDIA) April 3, 2020

12 more #COVID2019 cases in #AndhraPradesh. Total rises to 161. #Nellore district (32) has the highest no. of cases so far. Krishna district has 23, followed by Guntur (20) and Kadapa (19). #COVID2019india #AndhraFightsCorona #COVID19Pandemic pic.twitter.com/VEYQCX3uPR

— Jayanth P (@Jayanth_TNIE) April 3, 2020

 (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

Health ministry in its updated figures has said that 2301 persons have tested positive for coronavirus across the country. Out of them, 157 have recovered while 56 people have succumbed to the killer virus.

 (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

One 78-year-old person from Godhra who tested positive for coronavirus and who was under treatment at a hospital in Vadodara, passed away last night: Uday Tilwat, District Chief Medical Officer, Vadodara. 

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex traded 340 points or 1.2 per cent lower, at 27,920 levels on Friday while the Nifty50 index was down 105 points, or 1.08 per cent, at 8,160 level. (READ MORE)

• PM Narendra Modi thanked people of India for respecting 21-day coronavirus lockdown
• PM Modi appreciated citizens for showing disicipline during lockdown
• PM asked people to show collective solidarity to fight COVID-19
• 'Light a candle, switch-off lights on Sunday 5th April at 9 PM for 9 minutes'
• PM Modi assured 130 crore Indians that though India under lockdown, no one is alone
• PM also urged Indians to follow the 'Laxman Rekha of social distancing' at all times

I request all of of you to switch off all the lights of your house on 5th April at 9 PM for 9 minutes, and just light a candle, 'diya', or mobile's flashlight, to mark our fight against #coronavirus: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/7B6FoKFqRJ

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

 (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

WATCH: PM Narendra Modi shares a video message with the nation. (Courtesy: DD) https://t.co/4bIdR7v3dP

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

In a short while from now, at 9 AM, will be sharing a video message for the people of India. Do watch.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 3, 2020

5 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Tonk, Rajasthan. They are close contacts of the positive coronavirus patients (who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi).

Modi will share a video message on Friday in which he may list out more steps to fight the spread of the virus. “At 9 AM tomorrow morning, I’ll share a small video message with my fellow Indians,” he tweeted

The Uttar Pradesh Police registered cases against 65 foreign nationals stationed in Saharanpur and Kanpur who attended Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED REPORT

• At least 1,000,036 infections have been recorded across 188 countries, including 51,718 deaths, according to an AFP calculation based on official country data and World Health Organization figures.
• The UK's Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who had been self-isolating after his COVID-19 diagnosis last week, returned to the frontline to address the daily Downing Street briefing on Thursday, during which he set out the government's strategy to boost testing for the deadly virus.

Michelle Bachelet said she was "distressed" by the plight of millions of domestic migrants affected by the sudden lockdown announced in India, noting that it is important to ensure that measures in response to the COVID-19 are "neither applied in a discriminatory manner nor exacerbate existing inequalities and vulnerabilities." (READ FULL STORY HERE)

SARAGENE (2019 NCV), a #Coronavirus testing kit from Corsara, a leading diagnostic firm in Gujarat, is not fulfilling the 100% compliance for COVID-19 testing as set up by Indian Council of Medical Research. However, Cosara's The Logix Smart #COVID19 kit is approved from US FDA.

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

A man tries dissuading his friend from arguing with the police for seizing his two-wheeler, during #lockdown in Karnataka. #COVID19Pandemic
Express Photo | Nagaraja Gadekal pic.twitter.com/zbUJo5pxs9

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 2, 2020

"Even if the customer does not show up between 19th March 2020 and 30th April 2020 (at the airport), GoAir will automatically protect the customer's ticket and fare for travel on any future date until 30th April 2021," a press statement by the airline said. (READ FULL STORY HERE)

70 Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force (TNDRF) personnel ready to tackle #COVID19 crisis in #Chennai and would be creating awareness among public on dos and don’t. Today they reported to RDC Central along with Deputy Commissioner of Police, Anna Nagar. @xpresstn @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/ClZGJStz5Z

— Omjasvin M D (@omjasvinMD) April 2, 2020

• In a letter to the police chief, Delhi Health Secretary Padmini Singla said the coronavirus patients brought from the Markaz in the Nizamuddin area and some other patients were triggering a "law-and-order problem" and "commotions" in hospitals.
• It said those who had congregated inside the mosque were brought out in a "massive exercise" held from March 30 to April 1, 536 of them were sent to various hospitals after they showed symptoms and 1,810 were sent to quarantine facilities.
• One person from the Markaz, who was admitted at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, "attempted suicide", but was saved by the hospital staff, the letter said.
• Two other inmates at a quarantine facility in Narela had escaped and were tracked in Patparganj, Singla said in the letter.
• During an interaction over a video link with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, a senior doctor had also said that the patients brought from the Nizamuddin Markaz were "not cooperating" with the medical staff.

• The Thane police on Thursday registered cases against trustees of a madrasa and a mosque in Mumbra area which allegedly gave shelter to Bangladeshi and Malaysian nationals who had visited congregation of the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi.
• The trustees of the two institutions violated prohibitory orders during lockdown and many other laws by giving shelter to these persons, the police said.
• The madrasa had given shelter to eight Malaysian nationals and two persons from outside Maharashtra since March 23. The mosque was found to have given shelter to 13 Bangladeshi nationals and two from other states.
• The police raided both the places on March 31 after it came to light that the Tablighi gathering in Delhi's Nizamuddin area had been a coronavirus hotspot, and other states started tracing those who had returned from the gathering.
• Cases were registered under the Foreigners' Act, Disaster Management Act, Epidemic Diseases Act and relevant IPC sections, a police official said.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommends another India based company KILPEST (BLACKBIO) RT-PCR kits 'TRUPCR' for #COVID19 test after MyLAb. The company based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/NLKOl1g0bb

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

#COVID19Pandemic data released by Maharashtra govt reveals two crucial deatils:
1) Over 80% of Coronavirus patients in the state are asymptomatic.
2) The state tested more than 6,400 people, out of which only 5% turned out to be positive. pic.twitter.com/Qtvq0Sm8Is

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 2, 2020

• A 35-year-old doctor who has a clinic on the main road in Dharavi area of Mumbai tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, a civic official said. This is a third COVID-19 case where the patient has a connection with Dharavi, considered to be Asia's biggest slum with a high population density.
• An official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said a doctor who had a clinic on Dharavi's main road and who was also attached as a surgeon to a prominent private hospital tested positive for the virus.
• "The building where he lives will be quarantined and all high-risk contacts will be traced," the BMC official said. The doctor did not have any travel history, but further details were being probed, he added.

World Bank approves USD 1 billion emergency financing for India to tackle coronavirus outbreak.

• Most of the tourists were from Spain and were stranded in Rishikesh due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown, police said on Thursday. At around 4 pm on Wednesday, the buses were stopped by the Delhi Police's traffic personnel at a picket at the India Gate.
• "The tourists had come from Rishikesh. Most of them hailed from Spain. They were on their way back to their countries as a special plane was arranged for them. "After due verification of papers, the buses were allowed to pass," a senior police officer said.

Thackeray, who is still not a member of either the state Legislative Assembly or Council, was sworn in as the chief minister on November 28, 2019 following an unprecedented month-long political drama after the assembly poll results. (READ FULL STORY HERE)

The District Administration had sent three throat swab samples on Wednesday where one tested positive and remaining two tested negative. (READ FULL STORY HERE)

Madhya Pradesh Government has put the National Security Act on Md Mustafa, Md Gulrez, Shoaib and Majeed who were involved in stone-pelting on health workers in Indore's Tatpatti Bakhal area. https://t.co/gnmb4ZUi5G

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

Three were tested positive for Covid-19 in Udham Singh Nagar district on late Thursday evening taking total tally of infected persons to 10. All three belong to minority community and attended Tabhligi Jamaat religious congregation in Nizamuddin in Delhi.

Unite, which represents thousands of workers employed by BA, said it had "reached agreement with the company" to use a version of the government's business support programme for around 28,000 staff, guaranteeing 80 percent of salaries to avoid redundancies. (READ FULL STORY HERE)

In Bihar, five more COVID-19 cases took the total to 29 on late Thursday night. Two from Gopalganj and one from Saran have travel history from the middle-east and UK respectively. Two from Gaya came in touch with COVID-19. In Maharashtra, twenty have died so far, while 42 persons got discharged. The total cases in the Western state have reached 423.

Delhi: Kanishk Yadav, a nursing officer at AIIMS has requested the administration to post him at COVID19 ward to support the team there. He states in his letter "Depute me at COVID19 ward at Trauma Centre; I am competent to handle all emergency situations." pic.twitter.com/8wysEoC4XT

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

Now, police and Health Department teams are tracing those who came in their contact after their arrival in Ghaziabad, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) N K Gupta said. The official said 90 people have been quarantined at Sunder Deep Collage, 56 at Surya Hospital in Murad Nagar and five each at the MMG Government Hospital and the combined hospital in Sanjay Nagar.

Ghaziabad: Police at MMG hospital conducting investigations into the allegations that persons from Tablighi Jamat who are in quarantine at the hospital are walking around the ward without their trousers on and making lewd gestures towards the nurses pic.twitter.com/x5Ar1Y8SEZ

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 2, 2020

• A total of 225 people, who wanted to travel to Punjab but were stranded in the national capital due to the lockdown, were staying at the gurdwara. An FIR was registered at the Civil Lines police station under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code, the officer said.
• Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjeet Singh Sirsa said the chief ministers of Delhi and Punjab were duly informed about the people at the gurdwara stranded due to the lockdown and were asked to evacuate them. It was the government's duty to provide them shelter. The DSGMC had offered the langar hall of the Majnu ka Tilla gurdwara to set up a quarantine facility around 15 days ago, he said.
• "The stranded people were safe in the gurdwara but the Delhi government shifted them to a school where they are living in unhygienic conditions. Now, they have filed a complaint against the DSGMC which was told to give these people food," Sirsa added. The gurdwara will continue to provide food to these stranded people, he asserted.

Get your essentials, but remember, safety first! Residents and vegetable sellers alike walk through the disinfectant spraying tunnel in Thennampalayam market in Tamil Nadu's Tirupur.
Express Photo | Prabhu Kumar@xpresstn pic.twitter.com/RnM6TOyceX

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 2, 2020

125 positive cases in state so far. Ten have recovered and three deaths got registered.

• Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said the CM issued the directions in this regard after a videoconferencing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had stressed the need to pay special attention to old-age homes. At the same time, the chief minister has appealed to people to fully comply with the lockdown in the state, he said.
• Awasthi said taking cognisance of reports that about 40 people left the quarantine facility in Hapur, the chief minister has ordered to take action against them and the officials responsible for the incident.

Total case count: 127, with fresh six cases, four in Meerut and two in Agra. All six to have tested positive are Tablighi Jamatis. While seventeen have recovered so far, two died.

#WATCH "We'd been working on screening of contacts for last 4 days.But what we saw y'day we'd not seen earlier.We sustained injuries but we have to do our job and will not be scared," says Dr Zakiya Sayed who was pelted with stones by locals in Indore's Tatpatti Bakhal area y'day pic.twitter.com/XxtS6hgkBl

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

• CRPF said the doctor has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Haryana's Jhajjar. The chief medical officer was currently posted in the office of the additional director general (medical) of the Central Armed Police Forces. The medical officer reported cough, fever and breathing problem on March 30 and his samples came positive on Thursday, a senior official said.
• It was not immediately clear how the doctor contracted the infection. He was staying at a transit mess of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in south Delhi's Saket area, the officials said.
• Those present in the mess have been quarantined. The officials said that there was "no such information" of the ADG (medical) being in quarantine.

•  COVID positive cases on Thursday: 27
• Discharged today: 3
• Deaths today: 0
• Total positive cases in state: 154
• Total deaths: 9
• Total discharged: 17

The doctor, who has a clinic in the city, does not have any history of foreign travel and is undergoing treatment at Thane Civil Hospital, Sandeep Malavi, deputy commissioner of Thane Municipal Corporation said. The doctor had shut his clinic since March 20 and he may have attended to patients with coronavirus symptoms before that, he said, adding that the TMC is tracking down patients he had treated before falling ill and other high-risk contacts.

Institute spokesperson Amardeep Sharma said the team led by Kaushal A Desai and including students Ankit Agarwal, Shubham Vaishnav and Pratik Sorathiya developed 50 prototypes of the mask in a span of two days. "We supplied it to the district authorities for use and received a positive feedback," said Sharma, adding that the technology has been transferred to Iskon Surgicals who will be producing the masks. Likewise, the National Institute of Technology (NIFT), Jodhpur, has designed a personal protection equipment (PPE) kit for the medical staff. NIFT Director Vijay Deshmukh said they had obtained the fabric from the local market to develop the prototype and trained women associated with self-help groups for its production. The Jodhpur Municipal Corporation (JMC) has decided to provide the kit to its employees working in the field.

• An FIR was lodged against them under provisions including those of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the Uttar Pradesh Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, after a video surfaced on social media Wednesday evening purportedly showing the gathering on the terrace of a house for the prayer, police said.
• The development comes close on the heels of apprehensions of immense spread of the pandemic after a large number of people, including foreigners, attending a religious congregation at Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month and at least 53 of the attendees testing positive for COVID-19 in the national capital alone.
• "Around a dozen people were booked in the case and 10 of them, including the organizer of the prayer meeting, have been arrested by Sector 20 police," a police spokesperson said.
• "Those named in the FIR and arrested are Saadiq, Saaliq, Saqib, Guddu, Noor Hasan, Shamsher, Firoz, Razi Alam, Tabrooq, Chhotu, while efforts were underway to arrest the remaining," the spokesperson added.

Chief Secy K Shanmugam cancels powers given to Tahsildars & Dy Commissioners for issuing movement passes as too many people are on roads; hereafter only Collectors in districts & in Chennai, Corpn Commissioner will issue passes for marriages, hospitalisation and death @xpresstn pic.twitter.com/OPlvbNHKRk

— T Muruganandham (@muruga_TNIE) April 2, 2020

Madhya Pradesh: Health workers on whom stones were pelted by locals yesterday at Tatpatti Bakhal in Indore, today visited the same area to carry out screening services. Dr Zakiya Sayed says, "We have sustained injuries but we have to do our job and will not be scared." #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/GiUBwd1F8C

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

#Update: A resident doctor of AIIMS who was tested positive for COVID19 earlier today, his 9 months pregnant wife (a doctor posted at Emergency) has also been tested positive. She has been isolated and her delivery will take place at AIIMS. https://t.co/2e6lZ3NBua

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

Ministry of Home Affairs issues 3rd Addendum to lockdown guidelines, given measures with SOP on the evacuation of foreign nationals and release from quarantine facilities. pic.twitter.com/QhTKzS0C4n

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

Contact tracing and mass sanitization works are being done in the localities where the positive cases were reported. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

The hassle-free goods movement through the checkposts bordering Karnataka was also taken up by the state in the conference with PM Modi. (READ FULL STORY HERE)

Total number of positive cases in Bihar now stands at 28. One died so far, while three have recovered.

• Stones were thrown at quick response teams in South 24 Parganas and West Midnapore districts when they stopped people from assembling, they added. An incident was reported from the Bhangore area of South 24 Parganas on Wednesday night, when a patrolling team stopped youngsters from gathering, a senior officer said.
• "The youngsters pushed the police personnel and hurled stones at them when they were asked to go home. A sub-inspector and four constables were injured in the clash. A police vehicle was also damaged. We have arrested five persons," he added.

Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Red Chillies Entertainment to contribute to PM -CARES Fund and Maharashtra CM Relief Fund to fight Covid19. KKR & Meer Foundation to contribute 50,000 PPE Kits to West Bengal & Maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/RAZ4E8ifAi

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

• Jai Ram Thakur issued the direction during a video conference with deputy commissioners (DC) and superintendents of police (SP) after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with chief ministers of all states to review the COVID-19 situation. Such people should be kept under strict surveillance after being traced to check spread of COVID-19, he said.
• Till Thursday, a total of 190 people who returned to Himachal Pradesh after attending the congregation in Delhi have been quarantined, Director General of Police Sitaram Mardi said.
• At 73, the maximum people were quarantined in Baddi, followed by 35 each in Una and Sirmaur, 23 in Shimla, 10 each in Kangra and Chamba and four in Mandi. Another 17 people from the hill state have been quarantined in Delhi itself.

Karnataka: 3 people have been arrested by police in the case of attack on Asha worker Krishnaveni in Bengaluru's Byatarayanapura https://t.co/u1tEKmXIAZ

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

Spain has the world's second-highest death toll after Italy, with the virus so far claiming 10,003 lives although the rate of new infections and deaths continued its downward trend, the health ministry figures showed. The number of new infections increased by 7.9 percent, compared with 8.2 percent on Wednesday and more than 25 percent at the start of last week.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The company's entire executive leadership team has taken a voluntary pay cut starting at 25 per cent, with many opting for an additional uncapped amount, and some going up to 50 per cent to enable building the runway for the company, it said.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has cancelled visas of 960 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members for violating visa norms. All of then have also been blacklisted: Home Minister Amit Shah 

.@chennaicorp says three workers at Lifestyle Store at Phoenix Mall, Velachery tested positive for #COVID19. Anyone who visited the mall, esp store, between Mar 10 to 17 & the mall staff are asked to be cautious & seek care if they have symptoms. Helpline: 04425384520/04446122300

— Ranjitha Gunasekaran (@ranjim) April 2, 2020

READ FULL REPORT HERE

81 fresh COVID19 positive cases reported in Maharashtra; Total number positive cases in the state rises to 416, 19 deaths. Out of 81 fresh cases, 57 have been reported in Mumbai alone. Till now, 42 have been discharged. 

21 people test positive in Kerala, informs CM Pinarayi Vijayan. The new cases in the state have taken the total tally to 286. Of these, 251 are undergoing treatment. A pregnant woman from Kollam district is also among the new cases.  

75 more Corona positive cases in TN today; of these 74 are those attended Delhi Nizamuddin meet; thus the total number Corona positive persons in the State stands at 309 @xpresstn @NewIndianXpress

— T Muruganandham (@muruga_TNIE) April 2, 2020

Uttar Pradesh total count: 121
Recovered:17
Deaths: 2

West Bengal total count: 53
Recovered: 3
Deaths: 7

Bihar total count: 29
Recovered: 3
Deaths-1 

At 9 AM tomorrow morning, I’ll share a small video message with my fellow Indians.

कल सुबह 9 बजे देशवासियों के साथ मैं एक वीडियो संदेश साझा करूंगा।

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 2, 2020

So far, 20 areas in states have been marked as hotspots while 22 others have been identified as potential hotspots—indicating that clusters of COVID-19 infection have erupted in those areas. These areas are spread across 12-13 states including Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh among others.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The Centre has allowed Maharashtra to conduct rapid, mass-scale COVID-19 testing by using blood samples to expedite the detection of coronavirus cases, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday. The state government will use blood samples instead of swabs in rapid tests through which it can be ascertained "in five minutes" whether the person has developed anti-bodies for the disease or not, he said.

The coronavirus outbreak has seen the world come to a standstill and even sporting events across the globe have either been suspended or cancelled. The fate of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) also hangs in balance as the country is under a 21-day lockdown. And IPL franchises have decided that they will have the next meeting only after the government comes up with a fresh advisory on April 14.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

Under PM @narendramodi’s leadership, India’s efforts to fight Coronavirus are being lauded domestically and globally. 130 crore Indians are united to defeat COVID-19.
Yet, Congress is playing petty politics. High time they think of national interest and stop misleading people.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 2, 2020

• There are 208 COVID-19 patients in Delhi, of whom 108 were those evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz.
• Two people who had attended Nizamuddin Markaz have died due to coronavirus today.
• Number of COVID-19 cases may shoot up in Delhi in coming days.
• Delhi govt to give Rs 5,000 to autorickshaw, gramin-sewa, e-rickshaw drivers in wake of COVID-19 lockdown.
• A total of 2,943 people including 1,810 from Nizammuddin Markaz quarantined by government 

State-run Bank of Baroda on Wednesday said it is offering retail customers the option of getting a refund of the EMI that already has been deducted in March to meet any liquidity need during the disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

#APFightsCorona: Three more positive cases in #AP takes the total number of cases to 135 #COVID19 @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/2e5p2g7cPq

— TNIE Andhra Pradesh (@xpressandhra) April 2, 2020

• 328 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 new deaths reported since Wednesday
• 9000 under quarantine after Delhi mosque event
• PM told CMs to focus on testing, isolation, says Centre.
• Out of about 2,000 Tablighi Jamaat members in Delhi, 1,804 have been quarantined, 334 admitted to hospitals
• About 400 COVID-19 positive cases found whose epidemiological linkage can be traced to Tablighi Jamaat cluster 

READ FULL STORY HERE

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to Chief Secretaries of all states asking them to take strict action on violation of lockdown measures. The letter states, 'the penal provisions under the DM Act and IPC should be widely circulated & for violation of lockdown measure, actions under provisions of DM Act and IPC shall be taken by law enforcement authorities". 

The incident took place on Wednesday. The 65-year-old patient, a resident of Collector Compound in Malwani, died at a civic-run hospital in Jogeshwari East early on Wednesday. One of the family members of the deceased alleged that when his body was taken to Malad Malwadni Kabrastan, its trustees denied burial "as he was coronvirus positive".

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

Delhi Police officials, along with other authorities, sprayed disinfectant in the area. South Delhi Municipal Corporation had, on Wednesday, sanitised Nizamuddin Markaz and the area around it. This comes after several people who attended the congregation tested positive for coronavirus across the country. Hundreds of others who attended the event have been quarantined or isolated while searches are on to locate the others.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The 28-year-old doctor hailing from Uttar Pradesh is a PG student at the Gynecology Department of the government medical college. She has been admitted to a private hospital in Indore, where her condition was stated to be stable.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, where 188 people who attended the Nizamuddin Markaz are quarantined, on Thursday, said that the hospital might need police protection as the patients are not co-operating with the staff.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

This message is to thank the doctors, nurses and all the staff working in hospitals and clinics all around India, for their bravery and selflessness... pic.twitter.com/fjBOzKfqjy

— A.R.Rahman (@arrahman) April 1, 2020

Three weeks have passed since the state government ordered the shutdown of cinema halls, which will not open in time for the attractive Vishu season. And even if the lockdown ends on April 14, producers, distributors and exhibitors will have a Herculean task in rescheduling the release dates of the new movies.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The service would be available for consumers first in Bengaluru and then in the cities of Noida, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. To avail of this service, customers need to use the latest version of the Dominos app and click on Dominos Essentials section.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

Over 1400 people from Maharashtra attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi. Out of which, around 1300 have been traced till now & are being quarantined in Maharashtra. Their samples will be collected for COVID-19 testing: State Health Minister Rajesh Tope 

President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will hold a video-conference from Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow with Governors, Lieutenant Governors & Administrators to bolster the efforts at the Central & State levels on Coronavirus Pandemic. 

They have been booked under IPC Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease). "Police found nine maulanas, residents of Amroha, in a madrassa in the Jamunaha locality of the Malhipur area where they were hiding on Wednesday. They arrived here on March 13 and stayed in a mosque too, "SP Anup Kumar said.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

A man collecting vegetables lying on the roadside at Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai, which is one of Asia's largest perishable goods market complex.
Express photo by @shibasahu2012.#CoronaLockdown #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/m8SYSzKCGo

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 2, 2020

 Senior Air India officials said the national carrier will conduct four flights on Delhi-London route between April 4 and April 7. The officials added that the national career will also be conducting flights on Mumbai-London route on April 5 and April 7.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

Jasvinder Singh Mehar Singh, 52, pleaded guilty to one count each of committing a rash act and being a public nuisance on March 3, 2020, The Straits Times reported. Singh had smashed a plate and spat onto the floor of Azur restaurant at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport hotel after a waitress told him that the eatery was closed.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

Cheering the Indian engineers for building a low-cost ventilator, the US hopes that this invention succeeds and can eventually be mass-produced as the critical medical equipment can save many lives from the deadly coronavirus that has killed over 5,000 people in America and 40,000 others globally.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

At the Congress CWC meeting today I emphasised the urgent need to devise an India specific strategy to combat the #COVID19Pandemic & for Congress workers & leaders to help soften the blow by assisting the poor & the most vulnerable sections of our society in every possible way.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 2, 2020

PMO told the CMs that in the next few weeks, testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine should remain focus areas. He highlighted necessity of maintaining supply of essential medical products, availability of raw material for the manufacture of medicines & medical equipment. During the meeting, the CMs mentioned their efforts of maintaining social distancing, tracking suspect cases, identifying and quarantining suspect cases arising from Nizamuddin Markaz, containing community transmission, boosting up of medical infrastructure and strengthening medical workforce. 

As per the ordinance, the Kerala government can control the events organised by the public, individuals and groups in order to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

Two dedicated hospitals, with 650-beds capacity, operationalised to provide free treatment to COVID19 patients in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack today. Odisha has four COVID-19 cases. 

READ FULL INTERVIEW HERE

Praising India's efforts in combating Covid-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the country's USD 22.6 billion economic stimulus plan will benefit millions of poor who have been affected by 21-day countrywide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.  

The National Commission for Women has received over 250 complaints since the country-wide lockdown was imposed to control the spread of coronavirus out of which 69 were cases of domestic violence, which it said has been increasing since then. Since the lockdown was imposed, a total of 257 complaints related to various offences against women were received, out of which 69 complaints are related to domestic violence, the data released by the NCW showed.

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

May not #21daysLockdownIndia go waste. Even after lockdown, follow corona prevention safety measures like wearing mask, cleanliness, distancing etc. Being responsible will save us. PM @narendramodi #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/QbjXRjGHHZ

— Pema Khandu (@PemaKhanduBJP) April 2, 2020

One arrested on charges of attacking Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) team on Wednesday which had reached Dharavi to seal the building where COVID-19 positive patient was found. Case registered under various sections of IPC. Police are on a lookout for seven to eight persons in the case. 

Scenes from Kannagi Nagar's slum board in Chennai.
Express photos by Ashwin Prasath.#COVID19Pandemic #COVID19 @xpresstn pic.twitter.com/xKZe10IpjF

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) April 2, 2020

 (READ FULL REPORT HERE) 

Exams of 7th & 8th standard (under Karnataka State Board) have been canceled, children will be promoted to the next standard without exams: Suresh Kumar, Karnataka Primary & Secondary Education Minister 

READ FULL REPORT HERE

Kerala High Court stays the state govt order to allow sale of liquor to people suffering from Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome after they produce the certificate to the effect that they are suffering from the syndrome. The stay is for a period of three weeks. pic.twitter.com/UcUlvZlGcf

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

READ FULL REPORT HERE

A #COVID19 symptomatic man has committed suicide in quarantine ward of a hospital in Shamli district. His report is awaited. Further investigation is underway: District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur pic.twitter.com/n6r3t4JwxZ

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 2, 2020

52-year-old BMC sanitization worker has been found positive for the virus, he resides in the Worli area but was posted at Dharavi for cleaning: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official

The District Collector said that the remaining 15 people are being isolated and monitored at their homes. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds meeting with Chief Ministers via video conferencing, on #COVID19 situation in the country. Home Minister Amit Shah & Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also present. pic.twitter.com/t0irTAXGc5

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

During the CWC meeting, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said the Congress party stands 'one with the nation' to take on the challenges of COVID-19. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

One person (85-year-old) from Alwar who had tested positive for #COVID19 has unfortunately died. He had a comorbid condition of brain stroke paralysis: Rohit Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Rajasthan Health Department

A man, who attended congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, tests positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh. Officials said this makes the first case in the state.

After he died at nearby government-run Sion Hospital, some 300 tenements in the building and around 30 shops were cordoned off by police. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

With the Tabligh-e-Jamaat’s Markaz in Nizamuddin West being linked to at least seven COVID-19 deaths, and over 440 people showing symptoms, the area has emerged as a virus hotspot. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

Following up on the Supreme Court's observations, @HMOIndia writes to States/UTs to take measures to fight #FakeNews in order to prevent panic among people and spread of #COVID19#IndiaFightsCorona

Details: https://t.co/36Gb7oYSe5 pic.twitter.com/mzR2nel1kd

— PIB India 🇮🇳 #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) April 2, 2020

21 more coronavirus cases reported in Andhra Pradesh, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 132: Arja Srikanth, State Nodal Officer

The three days old boy from Mumbai has been detected #COVIDー19 positive. @NewIndianXpress

— Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) April 2, 2020

11 people who have returned to Bidar after visiting Delhi Nizamuddin Markaz recently have tested positive for COVID-19 as per initial screening, Deputy Commissioner of Bidar H. R. Mahadev confirmed. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

In the next few days, the world will see confirmed COVID-19 cases reach one million and death tally climb to 50,000, the chief of World Health Organization (WHO) noted on Wednesday.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

The global economy could shrink by up to 1 per cent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and may contract even further if restrictions on economic activities are extended without adequate fiscal responses, according to analysis released on Wednesday by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

FOR DETAILED REPORT ON THIS, CLICK HERE

A six-week-old infant is believed to be the youngest patient to die from the coronavirus, Connecticut's governor said Wednesday. Governor Ned Lamont tweeted that the newborn was "brought unresponsive to a hospital late last week and could not be revived."

FOR MORE DETAILS ON THIS, CLICK HERE

A 52-year-old #COVID19 patient lost his life today morning. He had a history of travel to Sri Lanka&was admitted to SSG Hospital, Vadodara on 19 March. 4 members of his family have also tested positive for the virus&are undergoing treatment: S Agarwal, Vadodara Collector #Gujarat

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2020

The board also announced that it will not conduct pending class 10 and 12 examinations in foreign countries due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to officials, the board will inform students about the schedule 10 days in advance. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)