Coronavirus India lockdown Day 69 live updates | 200 special trains start operations from today
‘Unlock 1’ comes into effect on Monday even as State governments came out with varied guidelines, including on allowing inter-State travel. States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana extended the lockdown till June 30 with several relaxations.
India is now the seventh most-affected nation in the global COVID-19 tally, with over 1.9 lakh cases and 5,400 deaths.
Here is a list of State Helpline numbers. You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here.
Here are the latest updates:
11.40 am | India
200 special trains start operations from today
The Railways began operations of 200 special trains from Monday and more than 1.45 lakh passengers are expected to travel on the first day. These services are in addition to Shramik Special trains and 30 Special AC trains being run since May 12.
In order to ensure physical distancing and COVID-19 precautions, the Railways has asked passengers to reach the station at least 90 minutes before departure and only travellers with confirmed or RAC tickets will be allowed to enter railway station.
All travellers will be compulsorily screened and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train.
11.30 am | Mumbai
Senior ICMR scientist tests positive for coronavirus
A senior scientist at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has tested positive for novel coronavirus following which the entire ICMR building is being sanitised, sources said.
The scientist, who is from Mumbai, had come to Delhi few days ago and tested positive for the virus on Sunday morning. The scientists is from the National Institute for Research in Reproductive health in ICMR, Mumbai.
The ICMR building will be sanitised and fumigated for two days, a source said.
The scientist had last week attended a meeting in which ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava among others were present. – PTI
11.20 am | Puducherry
Four new cases in Puducherry, including Chennai resident
Four persons, including a resident of Chennai, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Puducherry, taking the active cases to 50.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Union Territory is 73 of which 23 people have been discharged.
11.10 am | Delhi
Delhi airport sets up dedicated area to sanitise cabs before pick up
The Delhi airport has set up a dedicated area at the entry point of its parking zone to ensure cabs coming there to pick up passengers are thoroughly sanitised, according to a Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) statement.
Radio taxi services like Mega and Meru and app-based cab aggregators like Uber and Ola have a designated area at the airport’s arrival floor’s parking zone.
Explaining the disinfection process, DIAL said its sanitisation personnel use a specially developed fumigation machine to spray disinfectant inside the vehicle. – PTI
Back to the grind…
Passengers wait outside Madurai Railway station to board special train to Villupuram after resumption of train services on Monday.
| Photo Credit: G. Moorthy
10.50 am | Odisha
156 new cases in Odisha
Detection of 156 more COVID-19 cases takes Odisha’s total COVID-19 case count to 2,104 on Monday.
Active cases stand at 969, while 1,126 has recovered. Nine people have died so far – seven of COVID-19 and two of other ailments, State Health Department said.
10.20 am | China
China reports 32 new coronavirus cases
China has reported 32 new coronavirus cases, including 16 asymptomatic infections, the health authority said on Monday.
According to the China’s National Health Commission (NHC), a total of 16 imported cases were reported on Sunday. Eleven were reported in Sichuan Province, three in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and two in Guangdong Province.
Also on Sunday, 16 new asymptomatic cases were reported in the country taking the total number of people under medical observation to 397, the NHC said. – PTI
10 am | India
India registers biggest single-day spike of 8,392 COVID-19 cases; total rises to 1,90,535
The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 5,394 and the number of cases climbed to 1,90,535 in the country, which registered biggest single-day spikes of 230 deaths and 8,392 cases till Monday 8 am, according to the Union Health Ministry.
India is the seventh worst-hit nation by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 93,322 while 91,818 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.
“Thus, around 48.19% patients have recovered so far,” a senior health ministry official said. – PTI
9.30 am | Hong Kong
Hong Kong reports first local COVID-19 cases in 2 weeks
Hong Kong has confirmed its first locally transmitted coronavirus cases in more than two weeks, fuelling concerns over its spread as restrictions on movement are relaxed.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Sunday it was investigating two confirmed cases of coronavirus, taking the number of cases so far to 1,085. Four people have died of the disease in Hong Kong.
The global financial hub last reported a locally transmitted case on May 14, when a 62-year-old man with no travel history was confirmed with coronavirus.
9.10 am | Bihar
The total number of COVID-19 cases touched 3,807 in Bihar on Monday morning. The death toll in the State is 23, and 1,520 people have recovered so far.
8.50 am | Italy
Italy to lift curbs on travel for tourism
Italy registered 355 new coronavirus cases and 75 deaths, some of the lowest such numbers since the nation’s lockdown against the pandemic began in early March.
Italy now totals 2,33,019 known cases of COVID-19 and 33,415 deaths.
But health experts say many people with no or mild symptoms likely didn’t get tested and note that many died in residences for the elderly or in their own homes also without being tested for the virus.
The latest figures from the health ministry come three days before Italy lifts a lockdown rule against travel for tourism between Italian regions and from most European countries. – AP
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8.30 am | India
Different States, different guidelines
The Home Ministry, while lifting the restrictions on Saturday under ‘Unlock 1’, had said that governments of States and union territories will be free to regulate movement for public health reasons, provided they give wide publicity to the restrictions in advance.
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu: continue with the curbs till June 30 with partial relaxations
Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana: allows conditional inter-State movement
Karnataka: allows inter-State movement with mandatory health screening and home quarantine
Uttar Pradesh: no ban on interstate travel, but Noida-Delhi border to stay sealed except for exempted services, people
Punjab: no restriction on inter-state movement; use of COVA app and self-generated ‘e-pass’ mandatory
Madhya Pradesh: no need of e-passes for inter-State travel in personal vehicles; decision on re-starting inter-State public transport to be taken on June 7
Chhattisgarh: inter-State travel without requisite permission prohibited
Odisha: resumption of inter-State bus services expected soon
8 am | USA
U.S. records 598 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins
The United States recorded 598 coronavirus deaths on Sunday, bringing its total to 1,04,356 since the global pandemic began, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
The country has officially logged 17,88,762 cases of the virus, far more than any other nation, the tracker by the Baltimore-based university showed at 8:30 p.m.
