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COVID-19 HIGHLIGHTS | Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav tests positive for virus

'Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav has tested positive for COVID-19, and is being monitored by doctors. As of now, there are no COVID symptoms in him,' the party tweeted.
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. (File | PTI)
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. (File | PTI)
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India has reported a spike of 63,509 new COVID-19 cases and 730 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Total case tally stands at 72,39,390 including 8,26,876 active cases, 63,01,928 cured/discharged/migrated cases & 1,10,586 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's Wednesday morning update.

Meanwhile, three cases of suspected coronavirus reinfection -- two in Mumbai and one in Ahmedabad -- have been "described" in India, the country's apex medical research body said on Tuesday.

"Reinfection was a problem which was first described via a case from Hong Kong. Subsequently a few cases were described in India -- two in Mumbai and one in Ahmedabad," ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said at a press conference

72 fresh cases in Chandigarh

  • Two more deaths were reported in Chandigarh due to COVID-19 on Wednesday as 72 fresh cases took the union territory's infection tally to 13,403.

  • So far, 199 people have died from the infection in the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, according to a medical bulletin.

  • There are 1,085 active cases in the city as of now, it said.

  • A total of 112 patients were discharged after they recov

    • 44 deaths in Delhi

    13 new cases in Dharavi

    Dharavi on Wednesday reported 13 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total tally to 3,359, a Mumbai civic body official said. 2,903 of the 3,359patients have already recovered, he said, adding that the slum colony is now left with 153 active cases.

    Ladakh records 87 new cases

  • The Union Territory of Ladakh reported 87 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, pushing its infection tally to 5,238, an official bulletin said.

  • Seventy-nine more patients have recovered from the disease, it added.

  • The number of active cases in the region stands at 969 -- 747 in Leh district and 222 in Kargil, the bulletin released by the directorate of health services said.

  • Ladakh has recorded 64 COVID-related deaths so far, while 4,205 patients have recovered from the disease.

    • PL Punia hospitalised

    Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member P L Punia, who has tested positive for COVID-19, was admitted to a private hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district on Wednesday. Punia, 75, had in a tweet on Monday said he and his wife tested positive for the novel coronavirus after arrival in Delhi from Chhattisgarh capital Raipur.

    Central Railway to run 28 more local trains

  • The Central Railway on Wednesday announced to run 28 additional services on its Mumbai suburban network beginning October 15, an official release said.

  • With more number of trains, the number of the CR's suburban services will increase to 481 from the current 453, it said.

  • Meanwhile, "the time table is being prepared for additional 219 suburban services to make it to 700 suburban services shortly," the CR stated.

  • Since October 10, the CR has added 22 special suburban services on its Mumbai network.

  • The Western Railway already announced to introduce 194 new special suburban services including 10 AC locals from Thursday.

  • With this the total number of special suburban services will increase to 700.

    • Mulayam Singh Yadav tests COVID-19 positive

    Naveen Patnaik calls for increased caution

    1,13,987 active cases in Karnataka

    3,892 new cases in Andhra

    Maharashtra tally

    72 new cases in Chandigarh

    701 new cases in J&K

    Air bubble between India and Ukraine

    Sabarimala to conduct pujas under 'new normal'

    Active cases in Tamil Nadu witness downward trend

    News from Uttarakhand

    Uttarakhand Cabinet has decided to stop deducting & depositing one day's salary of state employee in COVID fund, from October.

    Over 2000 new cases in Rajasthan

    Some good news for Kerala

    Mumbai Metro to resume operations next week

    More recoveries than new cases in Kerala

    No reopening of schools in Tamil Nadu for now, says minister KA Sengottaiyan

    Talking to reporters in Vellore on Wednesday, he said, “In Andhra Pradesh, schools were reopened but it led to several students being infected with COVID-19. We don't want to expose children to the virus. So, we will have to take a decision only after consulting medical experts on the issue.” (READ FULL STORY HERE)

    98 Maharashtra cops infected with COVID-19, one dead in last 24 hours

    Schools to reopen in Uttarakhand next month

    Uttarakhand Cabinet decides to reopen schools for students of Class 10th and Class 12th from November 1, 2020: State Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik.

    Karnataka CM holds high-level meeting

    98 new cases in Himachal

    Maharashtra allows metro trains to run from October 15, reopens libraries

  • The Maharashtra government on Wednesday decided to allow metro trains in Mumbai to operate from October 15 in a phased manner under its mission 'begin again'.

  • The government also allowed reopening of all state-run and private libraries from Thursday following COVID-19 protocols, as per the guidelines issued.

  • It also allowed business-to-business exhibitionsfrom tomorrow outside containment zones. Local weekly bazars, including that of animals, will also be allowed to reopen outside containment zones.

  • With an aim to reduce crowd, markets and shops will be allowed to remain open for two additional hours till 9 pm from tomorrow.

  • Significantly, the government has decided to do away stamping with indelible ink for domestic passengersarriving at different airports after COVID-19 testing.

  • Similarly, the health check up and stamping of passengers at railway stations will also be stopped.

    • More relaxations in Maharashtra from tomorrow

    Government and private libraries will be allowed to be open, weekly Bazaars can run, business to Business exhibitions also permitted as part of Maharashtra government's fresh 'Begin Again' guidelines.

    Metro services to resume again in Maharashtra

    Metro rails allowed to operate starting from Thursday, in a graded manner with precautions as part of Maharashtra government's fresh 'Begin Again' guidelines.

    Mamata inaugurates Durga Puja pandals across Bengal

    Movie theatres in Gurugram set to reopen with 50 per cent capacity from Thursday

  • Following relaxation issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in unlock 5, movie theatres in Gurgaon will reopen with 50 per cent capacity from Thursday amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

  • "Our preparations for running operations are very solid and we have been preparing for it over the last seven months. We aim to provide a safe movie experience to our customers amid COVID-19," Sanjay Barjatya, Regional Operations Head, Miraj Cinemas, told ANI.

  • According to the guidelines released by MHA, cinema halls can open for the viewers again from October 15, and according to the rules, owners have arranged for 50 per cent of viewers to sit in the halls with paperless ticket arrangement as well as sanitisation of all the seats.

  • Outside the cinema hall, masks have also been arranged for visitors entering the food gallery keeping in mind social distancing measures, and all incoming viewers will need to download the 'Arogya Setu' app on their mobile.

    • Schools for classes X, XII to reopen in Uttarakhand from November 1

    The decision was taken by the state Cabinet at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat here on Wednesday, government's spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik said. (READ FULL STORY HERE)

    2000 people, 12 hotels: How the IPL is being held in one of the world's biggest bio-bubbles

    If and when any of these people spend any amount of time in a zone that they are not supposed to or interact with people that they are not supposed to, an instant alert goes to those who are watching the movements of all 2000 on an everyday basis. Once an alert goes out, Restrata, the company that's entrusted with providing this technology in the IPL, informs the franchise. (READ FULL STORY HERE)

    Bangalore Railway Hospital gets major upgrade amid COVID-19 spike among staff, kin

    Asked for figures, Divisional Railway Manager of Bengaluru Ashok Kumar Verma said, “We have tested nearly 5,000 of our staffers and 1,000 of them have tested positive. 210 of them are still active with 85 in the Railway Hospital and the rest in home isolation.” (READ FULL STORY HERE)

    Close to 2800 new cases in UP

    Cinema halls in Gujarat likely to reopen from October 17

  • Cinema halls in Gujarat are likely to reopen from Saturday, as not from Thursday as per the government's guideline, as their owners have not been able to reach an agreement with distributors on re-running old films, a representative of the theatre owners said.

  • Cinema halls and multiplexes have been shut since March following the lockdown due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The Gujarat government in its October 1 notification allowed cinema halls to operate from October 15 with 50 per cent capacity while adhering to the standard operating procedures, including social distancing and sanitisation.

  • "We (multiplexes in Gujarat) are not starting from tomorrow, as we have not been able to decide the termsof re- running old movies with distributors in Mumbai," Gujarat Multiplex Owners' Association member said Neeraj Ahuja told PTI on Wednesday. "We will be running mostly old movies, most likely from Saturday," he said, adding that distributors of Gujarati films are also not ready to releaseany new movie as of now.

  • "To start with, we will screen one or two Gujarati and Hindi movies and then decide on the future course based on the response," said Ahuja, who is the general manager of Essem Entertainment Pvt Ltd, which runs Wide Angle Multiplexes in Ahmedabad and Mehsana.

  • Most multiplexes in Gujarat are facing similar issues and hardly any theatre will be able to screen films starting Thursday, as allowed by thegovernment, he said. Films which were released six to eight months back, before the lockdown was imposed, would be screened from Saturday, he said.

  • Multiplexes and cinema owners have decided to strictly follow the SOPs issued by the central and state governments.

  • While online bookings will be encouraged, ticket counters will also operate by adhering to the social distancing norms, he said.

  • Sanitisers will be kept in cinema halls, he said, adding that theatres will be sanitised twice a day and alternate seats will be kept vacant.

    • Unlock 5: Chhattisgarh government yet to take call on reopening of cinema halls

  • The Chhattisgarh government has not yet taken a call on allowing reopening of cinema halls and multiplexes in the state which have been shut since March in view of the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

  • A Central Circuit Cine Association (CCCA) member on Wednesday said they will have to retrench their staff members if the shutdown continues to be in force.

  • "On Tuesday, the state government had issued SOPs for holding social, sports, cultural, religious, political and entertainment events in closed and open spaces.

  • "However, as of now no such permission has been issued for operation of movie theatres," a senior government official told PTI.

  • The Centre has permitted cinema halls and multiplexes to reopen with up to 50 per cent of their seating capacity, but it has left it to states to take a final call on granting the permission. Last week, the CCA submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel seeking reopening of cinema halls and multiplexes.

  • "The cinema hall sector has been going through the worst phase. We have been paying property tax, electricity bills, staff salary and GST from the last seven months without any earnings.

  • "We somehow managed to continue so far by giving 50 per cent salary to our employees but if the shutdown continues, we have to retrench them," said Labhansh Tiwari, a member of the CCCA.

  • He said movie exhibitors have made all preparations to comply with the safety protocols and other precautions as per the Central guidelines for screening of films, but the permission from the state government is still awaited.

  • Tiwari, who runs a cinema theatre in Raipur, also said that it will take around a month to restore normal functioning even if cinema halls are allowed to resume operations now, as no new films are scheduled to be released.

  • Dhamtari-based Shantilal Lunkad, CCCA's in-charge for Chhattisgarh, has sought relaxation from the government in terms of electricity bills and property tax for cinema hall operators.

  • "There are approximately 140 screens, including single screen and multiplexes, in the state which employ about 4,500 workers. The lockdown has resulted in permanent closure of two famous single screen theatres in Bhilai and Rajnandagon, and many others are mulling to close their facility," Lunkad said.

  • The state government should soon clarify when it is going to give permission in this regard, he added.

    • Protests continue at Hindu Rao Hospital

    Plea in HC to stop Durga Puja in Bengal

    AMMK treasurer Vetrivel critical

    World Bank approves USD 12 billion to help developing countries finance coronavirus vaccines

    The World Bank has approved USD 12 billion in financing to help developing countries buy and distribute coronavirus vaccines, tests, and treatments, aiming to support the vaccination of up to 1 billion people.

    The USD 12 billion "envelop" is part of a wider World Bank Group package of up to USD 160 billion to help developing countries fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank said in a statement late Tuesday.

    (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

    Private hospitals request West Bengal government to lower GST on COVID-19 test kits

    As the state government caps the cost of COVID test at Rs 1,500, we will be implementing it as per the directive, given that these are pandemic times. However, we would also like to present our case before the government to reconsider the rate as this is not financially viable for us, taking into account the cost of reagent, test kit and infrastructure.

    "Contrary to popular belief, private hospitals have been suffering losses for the last eight months, and this will further affect our condition," Group CEO, AMRI Hospitals Rupak Barua said. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

    Puducherry records 246 new cases

    Odisha reports 2604 new cases

    EDITORIAL | Politicians must set Covid norms example

    In the Odisha capital, the political atmosphere has been charged after the state government sealed the office of Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi for violating Covid-19 norms last week. Sarangi, BJP’s Lok Sabha member and a former bureaucrat, found herself embroiled in controversy after videos of her birthday celebration with supporters sans social distancing and masks went viral. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation swung into action and her office was shut down for 15 days. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

    Shopkeepers outside Shirdi Sai Baba Temple incur losses as religious places remain closed

    Second COVID-19 trial paused: Eli Lilly suspends Phase 3 trial of its lab-produced antibody

    Two late-stage Covid-19 medical trials have been paused in the space of 24 hours over potential safety concerns, the latest setbacks to scientists in the long fight against the pandemic.

    US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly on Tuesday suspended its Phase 3 trial of its lab-produced antibody treatment in hospitalized patients over an unspecified incident.

    A day earlier, the American pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson temporarily halted its Phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial due to an unexplained illness in a study participant.

    (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

    India reports spike of 63,509 new cases, 730 deaths

    India's recoveries highest in the world: Health Ministry

    Cinema halls in UP to operate at 50 per cent capacity from October 15, govt issues guidelines

    In the cinema halls, there should be minimum six feet of distance between two individuals in the common area and waiting area.

    Arrangement of contactless sanitiser should also be made.

    Thermal screening of individuals will be done before they enter the auditorium.

    Only asymptomatic persons will be allowed entry, according to the statement. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

    NHRC sends advisories to ministries, state govts on protecting right to mental health

    The NHRC, in a statement, said in view of the unprecedented situation across the country and being "deeply concerned" about the rights of the vulnerable and marginalised sections of the society affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns, it had constituted a 'Committee of Experts on Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Human Rights and Future Response'. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)

    3 suspected cases of corona reinfection 'described' in India: ICMR .

    Three cases of suspected coronavirus reinfection -- two in Mumbai and one in Ahmedabad -- have been "described" in India, the country's apex medical research body said on Tuesday.

    "We have got some data from the WHO, which says that there are about two dozen reinfection cases in the world at the moment," ICMR Director General Balaram Bhargav said.

    "We are looking at the ICMR database and finding out those who have had reinfection and making telephonic contact to get some data out of them", he said.

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