Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE updates:As per the 9 pm update issued by the ICMR, a total of 11,182 samples were tested on Saturday. Of these, 324 tested positive taking the number of confirmed cases in the country to 3,113.

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At least 211 people have recovered across the country so far, as per updates from various states. The states also reported a total number of confirmed infection to be 3,041, after the country saw the highest jump in new cases.

However, according to PTI, the nationwide tally crossed 3,000 on Friday with at least 90 dead as states confirmed over 500 new cases.

Of the total cases reported by the MOHFW, 2,322 are active cases while 163 have been either discharged, cured or migrated while 62 have died due to the virus.

India registered the highest spike in new coronavirus cases in 24 hours on Friday with 478 new patients testing positive and 12 succumbing to the virus. The Tablighi Jamaat cluster remained in focus on Friday even as confirmed cases jumped to 2,547 according to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

"Payment for providing the amount (Rs 1,000 to each ration card-holding family) must be expedited in order to provide the benefit to all the remaining beneficiaries at the earliest," the chief minister said.

A sum of Rs 184.08 crore was transferred on the inaugural day of the scheme into the bank accounts of about 18.40 lakh people, officials said.

Kumar had on Thursday launched a drive to extend the financial aid through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said the process of providing financial assistance of Rs 1,000 to every ration card-holding family should be expedited by completing the Aadhaar seeding exercise.

The decision was taken by the FIFA-Confederations working group which was recently established by the Bureau of the FIFA Council to address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The women's age group showpiece was to be held at five venues in the country from 2 to 21 November.

The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup to be held in India in November was on Saturday postponed by the football's world governing body due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier on Friday, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "Three more #Covid_19 positive cases have been confirmed, one each from Kamrup (metro), Kamrup & Marigaon taking the total number in Assam to 23. Two out of these three cases are of patients who are related to Nizamuddin Markaz event."

Four more coronavirus positive cases have been confirmed in Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup & Marigaon taking the total number of cases to 24 in Assam on Friday. Three out of these four cases are of patients who are related to Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz event.

Police said the victim's children were also screened for the virus but have tested negative.

"Yes, a death has taken place," K Rajendra, the Deputy Commissioner of Bagalkote, told PTI. He said the victim was not related to Tabligh-e-Jamaat.

A 75-year-old man has succumbed to coronavirus in Karnataka's Bagalkote, taking the death toll in the state to four, officials said. The victim, who was a trader and did not have any travel history, died on Friday.

With 1,480 deaths counted between 8:30 pm (0030 GMT) Thursday and the same time Friday, according to the university's continuously updated figures, the total number of people who have died since the start of the pandemic in the United States is now 7,406.

The United States recorded nearly 1,500 deaths from COVID-19 between Thursday and Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, the worst 24-hour death toll globally since the pandemic began.

His wife, daughter and five tenants have tested positive, the Health and Family Welfare Department said. Three persons from Bomikhal in Bhubaneswar also tested positive, prompting the police to seal the area.

Among the new patients are seven persons who came in contact with the 60-year-old man from Suryanagar in the state capital infected with the deadly virus and undergoing treatment at the AIIMS, the officials said.

Fifteen persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Friday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 20, officials said. While 10 new cases were reported from Bhubaneswar, two persons tested positive in Bhadrak district, and one each in Cuttack, Puri and Jajpur, they said.

"The pilot scheme meets the Prime Minister's goal of practising social distancing even within the confines of an UberMedic car," the NHA statement said.

All UberMedic cars supplied to NHA will be equipped with roof-to-floor plastic sheeting enclosing the driver's seat, thereby acting as a protective barrier between the rider and the driver.

Uber will initially facilitate the provision of 150 cars for free to support medical facilities in New Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj and Patna through its recently-launched UberMedic service, the NHA said in a statement.

The National Health Authority (NHA), the apex body implementing the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, on Friday announced its partnership with Uber India to provide safe, reliable and efficient transportation for India's frontline healthcare workers engaged in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

At 10 am (0200 GMT) Beijing time, the country will observe three minutes of silence to mourn those who died, including frontline medical workers and doctors. Cars, trains and ships will sound their horns and air raid sirens will wail.

The day of mourning coincided with the start of the annual Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, when millions of Chinese families pay respects to their ancestors.

China declared Saturday a day of mourning for the thousands of "martyrs" who have died in the new coronavirus outbreak, flying the national flag at half mast throughout the country and suspending all forms of entertainment.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has developed low-cost face shields for frontline healthcare workers at AIIMS Rishikesh. According to ANI, the frame of the newly designed face shield is 3D printed.

On Friday, the number of those infected by coronavirus in the New York state alone crossed 100,000 and the deaths touched 3,000.

"We are expanding the role of the Armed Forces in our response effort because no one is better prepared to win a war of the United States military, and we are in a war. Invisible enemy, Trump told reporters during a press briefing as he described New York as the hotspot of this war.

US till Friday reported 7,380 deaths and at least 276,500 infections due to the deadly coronavirus, the highest for any country in the world.

US President Donald Trump has expanded the role of the US Army in the fight against deadly coronavirus, saying that no one is better prepared to fight the current situation which is like a war.

Postpaid sim card holders shall be provided with access to internet. However, such access shall not be made available on prepaid sim cards unless verified as per the norms applicable for postpaid connections, the order said. Fixed-line internet connectivity with mac-binding shall be available, it added.

As per a previous order issued on 26 March by Principal Secretary, Home Department, Shaleen Kabra, internet speed on mobile phones in the region will be restricted to 2G only.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday ordered the continuance of 2G mobile data services in the Union territory till 15 April, even as the demand for restoration of high-speed 4G internet grows in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

"The registration process for admissions for the session 2020-21 in UG/PG/M.Phil/PhD courses of the University of Delhi is on hold till further orders," the DU said in a statement on Friday.

Delhi University has put the registration process for admissions on hold in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the national capital. The university is closed till 14 April.

This is second such after a Guardian reporter was deported from Egypt after an article claimed that the number of COVID-19 cases were much larger than figures Egyptian authorities were claiming.

The news agency was also fined 25 million Iraqi dinars, or about $20,800, according to a statement posted on the news agency's official website.

Iraq suspended the work of the Reuters news agency for three months after it published a report that said the Iraqi government was under-reporting confirmed cases of the new coronavirus.

Coronavirus themed helmet has become a trend for the Police Officials to spread awareness and projecting a message that lockdown means staying at home, and only move out during an emergency or if necessary.

The police personnel were seen sporting 'coronavirus helmet' during the rally in an effort to stop people from stepping out and making them aware of how the disease spreads.

Hyderabad Traffic Police held a rally to spread awareness about COVID-19 in Malakpet on Friday. It has become a trend among police officers to wear helmets inspired by the structure of the novel coronavirus that has placed half of the world's population under lockdown.

A person from St Estevam with foreign travel history has tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of positive cases in Goa rises to 7, Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane told ANI on Saturday.

To assist in the transportation of essential supplies, medicines, and medical equipment within the country, the transport fleet of Indian Air Force is being used.

In addition, fifteen other facilities catering to a total of approx 7000 capacity are being kept on standby for use, if required, around the country.

In these six facilities, 1737 persons have been quarantined, out of which 403 have been discharged on being ascertained fit, according to the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI), IHQ of Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Six quarantine facilities in Mumbai, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Hindon, Manesar and Chennai are being run by Armed Forces amid coronavirus outbreak.

Dedicated COVID-19 facilities including High Dependency Units and ICUs are being prepared in approximately 51 Armed Forces hospitals across the country, according to an official statement by the Indian Army on Friday.

Sixty-year-old coronavirus positive woman with no travel history dies in Rajasthan's Bikaner hospital, officials told PTI. Rajasthan reported 12 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, out of which 8 of them have been linked to people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month. The state total tally now rises to 191 now, reported PTI.

Clashes broke out in Pakistan's Karachi after locals attacked police personnel deployed to enforce new curbs on gatherings including Friday prayers. Seven people including a prayer leader were arrested for violation of lockdown and manhandling policemen. Coronavirus cases in Pakistan stands at 2637 with 40 deaths.

The Chief Secretary of Punjab on Saturday said three positive cases of coronavirus were found in Mansa district and had attended the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi last month. Officials have said that 17 contacts have been established.

25 more coronavirus positive cases were confirmed in Agra, taking the total number of cases to 45 in the district, Agra District Magistrate Prabhu N Singh told ANI on Saturday.

Of the four toilets in each coach, one has been converted into a bathroom. A cabin for health workers has also been created in each coach, Jha said.

"The coaches have been changed accordingly and all the necessary medical facilities have been added," he said.

Ahmedabad has been identified as one of the hotspots in terms of the spread of COVID-19. Eight patients can be accommodated in every coach, Ahmedabad Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Deepak Kumar Jha said on Friday.

Seventy coaches of trains are being converted into isolation wards for suspected COVID-19 patients in Ahmedabad Railway Division, an official said. First such a coach with all the necessary medical equipment has been readied and parked at Maninagar railway depot.

Last week, Uttar Pradesh Police had arrested AIMIM District President Mansoor Alam for spreading misinformation on social media about deaths caused by COVID-19. According to the police, Mansoor on social media had tried to spread panic by exaggerating the number of casualties

Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday arrested a man in Prayagraj for allegedly spreading rumours about coronavirus through WhatsApp. The man has been identified as Mohammad Saheed, police said.

At least 31 people died, 3,000 were injured, and 30,000 were detained in the protests, which started in October over a hike in public transport rates and broadened to include grievances over pensions, healthcare, education and elitism.

Embattled Chilean President Sebastian Pinera sparked outrage on Friday by posing for photographs at the plaza that was the centre of anti-government protests before it was put under quarantine to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, reported Reuters. Photographs of Pinera in the now empty Plaza Italia on Friday afternoon, sitting in shirtsleeves on the steps of a monument plastered with graffiti calling for his resignation, went viral on social media.

1395 people were tested for the coronavirus in the state till Friday. The Odisha government announced a 48-hour shutdown across Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Bhadrak from 8 pm on Friday in view of increasing cases of COVID-19 in these cities.

Out of the 15, seven persons were in close contact with the coronavirus patient from Suryanagar, which include his wife, daughter and tenants. Moreover, 3 persons from Bomikhal, 2 from Bhadrak, 1 each from Cuttak, Puri and Jaipur detected positive for the fatal virus, said the health department.

With 15 new positive cases, the COVID-19 tally in Odisha on Saturday climbed to 20, said the State Health and Family Welfare Department.

The woman had tested coronavirus positive on 21 March, while her 62-year-old father was found infected four days later. Both of them had been admitted to AIIMS, Bhopal for treatment.

"The woman, as well as her journalist father, were discharged as their repeat samples tested negative," director of AIIMS Bhopal, Dr Sarman Singh told PTI.

The daughter-father duo was discharged from the AIIMS, Bhopal on Friday night, the official said.

A London-returned woman, who was the first person to test coronavirus positive in Bhopal, and her journalist father, also a COVID-19 patient, have been discharged from a hospital here after their repeat samples tested negative, a senior official said on Saturday.

The total number of coronavirus positive cases in India rose to 2902 on Saturday. This includes 2650 active cases, 183 cured/discharged and 68 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Police said they have also booked two more persons who had sheltered them after the 12 people were found in a mosque at Bhasani village and were later shifted to the quarantine ward.

They have all been booked for violation of the Foreigners Act, 1946 by the Thana Bhawan police station in the district, officials said.

Two persons tested positive for COVID-19 Friday evening out of the dozen Bangladeshi nationals who have been quarantined in a college in Thana Bhawan town in Shamli district, they said.

An FIR has been registered against 12 Bangladesh citizens who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month and are now in administrative quarantine in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, police said on Saturday.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appealed to all those who have attended the congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi, to voluntarily call at '104' helpline, take the coronavirus tests and follow state guidelines. "Don't be afraid of anything, you have the complete support of the government," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

A 36-year-old patient suffering from coronavirus died in Chhindwara, according to ANI. Madhya Pradesh records 155 positive cases and 9 deaths so far.

With five more individuals testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Jodhpur on Saturday, Rajasthan's tally of confirmed cases is at 196. This figure also includes 41 Tablighi Jamaat attendees, notified the state health department.

Thus, Maharashtra has reported the most deaths (19) so far, followed by Gujarat (9), Telangana (7), Madhya Pradesh (6), Delhi (6), Punjab (5), Karnataka (3), West Bengal (3), Jammu and Kashmir (2), Uttar Pradesh (2) and Kerala (2).

As per the ministry's updated data on coronavirus cases Saturday morning, six fresh deaths were reported - three from Maharahtra, two from Delhi and one from Gujarat.

On Saturday, an increase by 355 fresh cases was seen in the last 12 hours, bringing India's tally of coronavirus positive cases to 2,902. "Of the 2,902 cases, 2,650 are active cases and 184 have been cured or discharged or have migrated," said the Health and Family Welfare.

The delay in lifting the restrictions was attributed to challenges faced by India in terms of health system preparedness and record of public policy effectiveness. The report also suggested that India might witness a peak in the number of coronavirus cases by the third week of June.

India will start lifting COVID-19 lockdown only between the fourth week of June and the second week of September, says the report.

Some media portals reported Friday a new study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), an American consulting firm, which said India is likely to extend its nationwide coronavirus lockdown, which is effective till 14 April, to the middle of September.

The airline spokesperson said in a statement, "We continue to take bookings from 15 April 15 onward as of now. We will action otherwise if there is any new notification from the ministry."

Vistara Airlines announced that they are taking flight bookings from 15 April onward as of now, until a new directive from the Ministry of Civil Aviation is issued.

"In the last two days, 600 people who either attended the Delhi event or are related to the attendees have been quarantined. We are trying to trace all contacts," he said.

The health minister also that there are only 7000-8000 Personal Protective Equipmen (PPE) kits available which will last for two-three days. A demand of 50,000 PPE kits have been made on an urgent bases, said Jain.

As of Saturday, 386 individuals in Delhi have tested positive for the novel coronavirus so far, said Satyendra Jain, Delhi Health Minister. Of the 386 who are infected, 259 had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin Markaz.

Meanwhile, the railways has issued a "restoration plan" to all its railway zones with a schedule of trains to be run, their frequency and the availability of rakes. All 17 zones have been sent a missive to be prepared to run their respective services, the source said.

Sources said all railway safety personnel, running staff, guards, TTE and other officials have been told to be ready to join their posts from 15 April. Trains, however, will begin operations only after a green signal from the government which had formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) on the issue.

Indian Railways has begun preparing to resume operation from 15 April after a 21-day suspension of its passenger trains in view of the lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Union Territory of Ladakh had recorded a total of 14 cases of coronavirus - 11 from Leh and three from Kargil districts - and announced full recovery of two of the patients on 24 March, another one on 29 March and four others on Friday.

Commissioner Secretary (Health), Rigzin Samphel, in a tweet said, "Two more positive cases turned negative, total nine cured"

Nine of the 14 patients who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Ladakh have been cured over the past 12 days, a senior government official said on Saturday.

Tamil Nadu recorded its second COVID-19 death on Saturday after a 51-year-old man who attended the Tablighi Jaamat conference in Delhi's Nizammudin Markaz succumbed to the disease at Villupuram Government Medical College Hospital.

No COVID-19 patients in Karnataka is on the ventilator, said chief minister BS Yediyurappa. "There are enough Personal Protective Equipment kits in the state. We have placed an order for 9 lakhs PPE kits, of which 1 lakh have already been delivered," said the chief minister.

"21,028 members of 4,281 SHGs in 5 districts of Andhra Pradesh and 10,780 members of 1,927 SHGs in 32 districts of Tamil Nadu produced 25,41,440 and 26,01,735 masks respectively in 10 days. Members of SHGs of various states like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and many North Eastern states are also involved in producing masks. Total 65,936 SHG members from 14,522 SHGs are involved and together they have manufactured 132 lakh masks ," read the press release.

In its effort to fight against COVID-19, Self Help Groups (SHGs) members in 24 States have initiated the production of face masks under the Ministry of Rural Development’s National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). More than 132 lakh face masks were produced by members of SHGs.

He said there are so many questions in children's minds related to coronavirus. "We will answer some of these questions in ''Parenting in the times of Corona''," he said.

"All these children are at their homes asking so many questions. The parents are unable to deal with the questions. So tomorrow at 3 pm I will be addressing the children and parents along with Manish Sisoida, and some experts," Kejriwal had said on Friday.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his deputy Manish Sisodia will interact with teachers and parents of all the schools in the city on Saturday and will help them in ''Parenting in the times of Corona''.

Modi also directed the concerned groups and officials to ensure sufficient production, procurement and availability of all essential medical equipment such as personal protective equipment, masks, gloves and ventilators.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a joint meeting of empowered groups constituted for planning and ensuring implementation of COVID19 response activities in country.

The chief minister also warned of strict action against those who spread communally divisive messages on social media.

He also said that no permission will be granted to any religious or sporting events in the state till further notice to avoid mingling of people amid coronavirus outbreak.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said that lifting of lockdown in the state after 14 April will be dependent upon the compliance by people to the government directives to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday urged parents to explain their children the importance of social distancing. He also asked them to explain how the coronavirus spreads.

Amid the nationwide lockdown to combat coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting of Council of Ministers via video conferencing on 6 April, reported ANI.

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not conducting enough COVID-19 tests across the nation to fight the novel virus. "Making people clap and shining torches in the sky isn't going to solve the COVID-19 problem," said Rahul hitting out at Modi's call for lights-off campaign.

The chief minister pointed out that the fake news had surfaced at a time when the whole state has expressed resentment towards the issue of border roads, with Kerala's Kasaragod district being blocked by Karnataka.

"Some fake news says that Kerala has closed border roads with Tamil Nadu with mud embankments as the number of COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu increased. We haven't even thought about such a thing. Tamil Nadu people are still our brothers," said Pinarayi Vijayan.

Vijayan on Friday dismissed reports about possible border closure between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday appreciated Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's statement against rumours of border closure. "I am happy to love the people of Kerala and Tamil Nadu as brothers and sisters. I warmly declare that Tamil Nadu will be the companion of the Kerala State brothers and sisters in all the sufferings, said Palaniswami.

Reports suggested that patients may choose to get treated at private hospitals at their own cost. The hospitals will be required to give daily reports about patients to the state government.

Tamil Nadu government released a list comprising of 110 private hospitals across the state that will be providing coronavirus treatment.

A total of 809 people died from the disease over the past 24 hours, down from 932 in the previous period, the figures showed.

Spain’s toll from the coronavirus rose to 11,744 on Saturday from 10,935 the previous day, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, though it was the second straight day in which the daily number of new deaths had fallen.

"In Delhi, there are only 40 COVID19 positive cases out of 445 that occurred because of contact between people (local transmission), other cases are due to foreign travel and Nizamuddin Markaz, said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. He also said that six death have been reported in that National Capital of which five persons were above the age of 60.

Two fresh cases were reported in Mumbai's Dharavi, reports News18 . A 20 year old-woman in Baliganagar and a 48 year old man from Mukundnagar tested positive, taking the total number of cases reported from the area to four.

According to data released by the Andhra Pradesh health department, 10 new COVID-19 cases were reported today, taking the tally to 190.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked citizens to switch off lights for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday and light candles and torches to "challenge the darkness” of the coronavirus crisis that has forced a three-week country-wide lockdown.

The government sought to assuage fears of electricity grid instability due to simultaneous switching on and off of most lights in the country, saying adequate protocols are in place to handle the variation in demand without causing any damage to appliances. Several states shot off letters to power utilities to take steps to deal with the possibility of a sudden drop in electricity demand, which has already dipped by 25 per cent to 125.81 gigawatts due to the lockdown shutting down most businesses.

The power ministry in a statement also said the call was only for voluntary switching off the lights, and appliances such as computers, TV, refrigerators and ACs are to function normally. Also, lights in all essential services including hospitals, police stations and manufacturing facilities as well as street lights are not to be switched off, it said.

According to the latest data released by the Union health ministry, the total number of confirmed cases in India has surged to 3,072. This includes 65 foreigners and 132 people who have been cured/discharged. The highest number of cases has been reported in Maharashtra (490) followed by Delhi (445). 75 persons have lost their lives to the disease.

Tamil Nadu reported its second COVID-19 death as a 51-year-old man who returned after attending the Tablighi Jamat congregation in Delhi, died at a hospital in Villupuram, PTI quotes the health department as saying.The man was admitted to the Villupuram medical college hospital on his return after he showed symptoms of having contracted the virus, the department said in a bulletin.He died this morning due to difficulty in breathing, it said.

The number of coronavirus cases stood at 445 in Delhi but the situation was under control and there was no community transmission, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday. Out of the 445, 301 people had attended the Markaz event in Nizamuddin.There were 40 cases of local transmission while a majority of other patients either had foreign travel history or they were recently evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz, he said.

The Punjab government has announced special health insurance cover of Rs 50 lakhs each for police personnel and sanitation workers.Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has also ordered expenditure cuts by all government departments to meet urgent expenses needed to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Addtionaly, all retiring health department workers are also slated to get a three-month extension.

A statement from the NHS on the latest deaths in England said that patients were aged between five years and 104 years old.

UK Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove revealed the latest death toll during the daily Downing Street briefing, during which he reiterated the government's plea for the public to continue to strictly observe social distancing over what is set to be a pleasant weekend. "If we weigh up an hour or two outside and weigh it against the lives of those we love and the lives of those on the NHS (National Health Service) frontline, then it should be clear, I hope to all that we should follow the advice," said Gove.​

A 5-year-old boy with pre-existing underlying health issues is the UK's youngest COVID-19 victim as the country's death toll in the coronavirus pandemic rose by 708 in 24 hours to hit 4,313 on Saturday, said a PTI report.

145 persons were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Maharashtra, taking the total number of coronavirus patients in the state to 635, PTI quotes health officials as saying.

43 fresh COVID19 cases were recorded in Telangana,taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 272, including 33 patients cured/discharged and 11 deaths. Total active cases stand at 228, the Telangana Health Department said in a statement. There is no evidence of community spread in Telangana, it said.

Madhya Pradesh Principal Health Secretary and a deputy director, both women, were tested positive to novel coronavirus on Saturday, taking the COVID-19 tally to 179 which included 25 fresh cases being reported in the last 24 hours, PTI quotes officials as saying. Interestingly, the principal secretary-level officer had on Saturday issued a video bulletin of the state's COVID-19 scenario. The deputy director, also a doctor, who tested positive was actively involved in handling the coronavirus crisis in the state, a health bulletin stated. A total of ten areas in Bhopal where these officials are living are declared as containment zones, officials said. So far, three health officials have tested positive for the virus in the state.

As per the 9 pm update issued by the ICMR, a total of 11,182 samples were tested on Saturday. Of these, 324 tested positive taking the number of confirmed cases in the country to 3,113.

A 29 year man from Kalahandi district who displayed no symptoms associated with COVID-19 but had a travel history to Bahrain tested positive for the virus, taking the total number of cases in the state to 21, said the health department. Till date, 1,699 people have undergone coronavirus tests in the state, it said.

As per the 9 pm update issued by the ICMR, a total of 11,182 samples were tested on Saturday. Of these, 324 tested positive taking the number of confirmed cases in the country to 3,113.

25 COVID19 positive cases were reported in Rajasthan, including 12 who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 204, ANI quotes the Rajasthan Health Department as saying.

Arunachal Police has traced 23 persons who went to #NizamuddinMarkaz , out of which 1 has tested positive for #COVID19 . We appeal to other persons with travel history to Nizamuddin Markaz in 2020 to voluntarily report to police for screening: R P Upadhyaya, Arunachal Pradesh DGP pic.twitter.com/44JYbGG7Nh

Arunachal Police has traced 23 persons who went to Nizamuddin Markaz, out of which pne has tested positive for COVID19, ANI quotes RP Upadhyaya, Arunachal Pradesh DGP as saying.

Arunachal Police has traced 23 persons who went to #NizamuddinMarkaz , out of which 1 has tested positive for #COVID19 . We appeal to other persons with travel history to Nizamuddin Markaz in 2020 to voluntarily report to police for screening: R P Upadhyaya, Arunachal Pradesh DGP pic.twitter.com/44JYbGG7Nh

Arunachal Police has traced 23 persons who went to Nizamuddin Markaz, out of which pne has tested positive for COVID19, ANI quotes RP Upadhyaya, Arunachal Pradesh DGP as saying.

“We are at the start of the decrease in the epidemic. We are stronger than we think but we have to endure. With sacrifice, resistance and the spirit of victory,” Sanchez said, adding that some economic restrictions would be lifted after Easter. “We are not going to extend the standstill of economic activity,” he said. Shops, bars and restaurants will, however, remain closed.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday he would ask parliament to extend lockdown measures by 15 days until April 26, even as the rate of new coronavirus infections and deaths slowed again in one of the world’s worst-hit countries, reports Reuters.

The DIPR said spreading fake news, misinformation and fearmongering can land a person in jail besides it is a punishable offense and knowingly or unknowingly forwarding any fake news is a crime. It said the citizens can report any fake news, misinformation, fear/hate message on the new website.

A website to counter fake news and misinformation regarding COVID-19 pandemic was launched by the Jammu and Kashmir administration, reports PTI.“Our initiative is to help you counter fake news,” the DIPR said. The website link, www.diprjkfactcheck.in , was shared on twitter by DIPPR director Syed Shehrish Asgar.

In such a situation no person of any group will be released where even one person tests positive for COVID-19, it said. "Only those foreign nationals will be allowed to leave who are asymptomatic for COVID-19. In case of symptomatic persons the future course of treatment would be followed as per the standard health protocol," the note said. The order also provides for the travel of people who have returned from foreign locations after February 15 and completed specified mandatory quarantine period and had to return to their homes from quarantine facilities after being tested negative for COVID–19.

According to the standard operating procedure drawn for the purpose, in case of stranded foreign nationals, the foreign government concerned in consultation with the civil aviation ministry will arrange for chartered flight and screening for COVID- 19 symptoms as per protocol prior to departure, the note said. Local transportation will be provided by the embassy concerned and transit passes will be issued by district magistrates. The note said a detailed protocol has been provided for persons to be released after completion of specified and mandatory quarantine period.

The Delhi government will issue transit passes for foreigners stranded in the city due to the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a government note said. Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, who is also chairperson of the state executive committee of Delhi, on Friday issued an making a provision for transit arrangements for foreign nationals and release of quarantined persons. The order was issued by him under the DDMA Act, 2005,

A total of 786 people have recovered from novel coronavirus infections, according to the figures the health minister posted on Twitter

Turkey’s health minister reported 76 new COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll in the country to 501, reports AP. Fahrettin Koca also raised the total number of COVID-19 infections to 23,934, reporting 3,013 more confirmed cases on Saturday. There are 1,311 patients in intensive care units across the country, with 909 of them intubated.

"This person had gone to the Nizamuddin area around the same time this Jamaat meeting was taking place. Whether he attended this Jamaat meeting or not is under investigation by the Indian Air Force," the spokesperson said. "He has come in contact with two other Air Force personnel. All three of them are asymptomatic. All three under quarantine right now," he added

Three personnel of the Indian Air Force (IAF) are under a precautionary quarantine presently as one of them had visited the Nizamuddin area around the same time the Tablighi Jamaat meeting was happening there last month, PTI quotes an IAF spokesperson as saying.

Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST updates: As per the 9 pm update issued by the ICMR, a total of 11,182 samples were tested on Saturday. Of these, 324 tested positive taking the number of confirmed cases in the country to 3,113.

Madhya Pradesh Principal Health Secretary and a deputy director, both women, were tested positive to novel coronavirus on Saturday, taking the COVID-19 tally to 179.

As many as 145 persons were confirmed to have coronavirus infection in Maharashtra onSaturday, taking the number of patients to 635, an official statement said.

The state of New Yok on Saturday witnessed the largest single-day increase in deaths as it reported 630 deaths, said a report.

According to a statement released by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, 52 persons were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Mumbai, taking the city total to 330. Four patients also died, taking the toll to 22.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a detailed discussion on the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak and resolved to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to fight the pandemic.

According to the latest data released by the Union health ministry, the total number of confirmed cases in India has surged to 3,072. This includes 65 foriegners and 132 people who have been cured/discharged.

Tamil Nadu recorded 74 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 485, ANI quotes states health secretary Beela Rajesh as saying. 73 of the new cases are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, she said.

'More than 50 crore poor and vulnerable citizens shall henceforth be eligible for free COVID19 testing & treatment under the Ayushman Bharat PMJAY scheme. Testing at private labs and treatment in designated hospitals now made free for Ayushman beneficiaries across India,' said Harsh Vardhan

'Delhi has 40 cases of local transmission out of the confirmed 445 cases,' said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.



A health ministry official said that 1,023 cases across 17 states have been found to be linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Delhi in March. An MHA official added that around 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat workers and their contacts have been quarantined across the country.

Giving a age-wise break up of Coronavirus patients in the country, Lav Aggrawal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry, said: "Nine per cent COVID19 patients belong to 0-20 years age, 42 percent patients belong to 21-40 years age, 33 percent cases pertain to patients between 41-60 years age, and 17 percent patients have crossed 60 years of age."

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said permission was earlier given to conduct Tableeghi Jamaat event in the state but it was later denied owing to the rising COVID-19 cases.

"We didn’t let what happened in Delhi happen in Maharashtra. Tableeghi Jamaat event was permitted earlier, but later looking at the situation we denied permission. Authorities now have traced all those went to the Delhi event from our state," said Thackeray.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to switch off lights for nine minutes on Sunday at 9 pm has raised fears about power grid failure due to a sudden drop and surge in demand during the exercise.

Senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, who was earlier Minister of State for Power, raised concern saying, "As somebody who has been associated with the power sector for almost three decades including as minister, the call to go dark for 9 minutes at 9 pm on the 5 April can have a deep impact on the grid and its stability. I sincerely hope this is being properly managed."

In its effort to fight against COVID-19, Self Help Groups (SHGs) members in 24 States have initiated the production of face masks under the Ministry of Rural Development’s National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). More than 132 lakh face masks have been produced by members of SHGs.

"21,028 members of 4,281 SHGs in 5 districts of Andhra Pradesh and 10,780 members of 1,927 SHGs in 32 districts of Tamil Nadu produced 25,41,440 and 26,01,735 masks respectively in 10 days. Members of SHGs of various states like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and many North Eastern states are also involved in producing masks. Total 65,936 SHG members from 14,522 SHGs are involved and together they have manufactured 132 lakh masks," read the press release.

Five new positive cases of COVID-19 were reported on Saturday, taking the tally to 55 in the region. According to an NDTV journalist, 31 of the 55 fresh cases were related to one company.

The new cases include four from JJ colony sector 4 while one is from Wajidpur. Both the vicinities are temporary sealed and sanitised.

Tamil Nadu recorded its second COVID-19 death on Saturday after a 51-year-old man who attended the Tablighi Jaamat conference in Delhi's Nizammudin Markaz succumbed to the disease at Villupuram Government Medical College Hospital.

After 47 fresh coronovirus positive cases were reported in Maharashtra, the state surpassed the 500-mark in its COVID-19 tally. The number stood at 537 as of Saturday.

Mumbai recorded the highest number with 28 cases, 15 in Thane district, one in Amravati, two in Pune and one in Pimpri Chinchwad, said the Maharashtra Health Department.

With five more individuals testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Jodhpur on Saturday, Rajasthan's tally of confirmed cases is at 196. This figure also includes 41 Tablighi Jamaat attendees, said the state health department.

An FIR has been registered against 12 Bangladesh citizens who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month and are now in administrative quarantine in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, police said on Saturday.

With 15 new positive cases, the COVID-19 tally in Odisha on Saturday climbed to 20, said the State Health and Family Welfare Department. Out of the 15, seven persons were in close contact with the coronavirus patient from Suryanagar, which include his wife, daughter and tenants.

Twenty-five more coronavirus positive cases were confirmed in Agra, taking the total number of cases to 45 in the district, Agra District Magistrate Prabhu N Singh told ANI on Saturday.

A sixty-year-old coronavirus positive woman with no travel history dies in Rajasthan's Bikaner hospital, officials told PTI. Rajasthan reported 12 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, out of which 8 of them have been linked to people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month.

A person from St Estevam with foreign travel history has tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of positive cases in Goa rises to 7, Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane told ANI on Saturday.

A 75-year-old man has succumbed to coronavirus in Karnataka's Bagalkote, taking the death toll in the state to four, officials said. The victim, who was a trader and did not have any travel history, died on Friday.

India registered the highest spike in new coronavirus cases in 24 hours on Friday with 478 new patients testing positive and 12 succumbing to the virus. The Tablighi Jamaat cluster remained in focus on Friday even as confirmed cases jumped to 2,547 according to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Of the total cases reported by the MOHFW, 2,322 are active cases while 163 have been either discharged, cured or migrated while 62 have died due to the virus.

However, according to PTI, the nationwide tally crossed 3,000 on Friday with at least 90 dead as states confirmed over 500 new cases.

Typically, there has been a lag between the numbers reported by the Centre and by states, which officials have been attributing to procedural delays.

At least 211 people have recovered across the country so far, as per updates from various states. The states also reported a total number of confirmed infection to be 3,041, after the country saw the highest jump in new cases.

At least 14 fresh deaths were reported by various states in the day, including six in Maharashtra alone, to take the overall nationwide toll to 90.

As per state-reported data, Maharashtra continued to lead on Friday with 490 confirmed cases, followed by Tamil Nadu with 411 cases. While 26 people have died in Maharashtra, 11 have lost lives in Telangana.

At least 11 CISF personnel in the state have contracted coronavirus at Panvel near Mumbai, a local civic official said on Friday.

Delhi's tally of confirmed cases has risen to 386, after 93 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, while six have died in the city.

These three states were also among those reporting new cases, while fresh deaths were also reported from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh among others.

Recent spike due to Tablighi Jamaat cluster, says Centre

The spike in numbers, according to the Centre, was largely due to more samples from the Tablighi Jamaat cluster testing positive.

As many as 647 positive coronavirus cases have been reported so far from across 14 states whose linkage can be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster at Nizamuddin, the Centre said on Friday.

The government had on Thursday said that it has traced epidemiological linkage to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster in about 400 cases.

"The cases can be traced in Andaman and Nicobar, Assam, Delhi, Himachal, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh," Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday.

The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases from across India were linked to the gathering including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

An FIR was earlier registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897, in the national capital.

UP, MP invoke NSA against those misbehaving with health workers

Amid reports of attacks and misbehaviour with doctors and medical staff from some parts of the country, officials said the Home Ministry has asked states to take strict action against people allegedly abusing health workers.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Indore district administration invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against four men involved in the alleged attack on health workers in the city.

In Uttar Pradesh also, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said this stringent act will be invoked against quarantined Tablighi Jamaat members accused of misbehaving with the nursing staff at a Ghaziabad hospital.

Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Shrikant Sharma on Friday alleged that Tablighi Jamaat members tried to "hide themselves" in parts of the country in an "attempt" to spread the coronavirus disease while termign the Ghaziabad hospital incident as "disgraceful and condemnable".

In the national capital also, doctors from some hospitals, where the Tablighi Jamaat members are admitted, have complained to the Delhi government about their non-cooperation with the medical staff.

Five people have been arrested in Bengaluru also for allegedly manhandling health workers conducting a coronavirus survey, PTI said.

Modi asks citizens to light lamps on Sunday; Congress slams PM

After nine days of the 21-day nationwide lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also released a video message, in which he asked people to continue following social distancing and stay indoors, as he urged everyone to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on 5 April to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat coronavirus.

There have been indications that the lockdown would be eased in a phased manner after the 21-day period ends on 14 April.

The main opposition party Congress, however, said Modi failed to address critical questions on India's fight against COVID-19 in his message, dubbing it as "just a feel-good moment curated by India's photo-op prime minister".

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Friday slammed the prime minister for not addressing a press conference on coronavirus, unlike other world leaders.

"Today's speech had nothing on coronavirus figures, medical infrastructure, migrant workers. etc. However, the prime minister asks people to light lamps. He is the only leader who has not addressed a single press conference on the coronavirus outbreak," Chavan said.

The BJP, however, asked its workers to spread Modi's appeal among the masses.

The opposition leaders also referred to hardships being faced by the people during the lockdown and the economic cost of it.

India GDP to grow at 2%: FITCH Ratings

Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings said India may post a GDP growth of 2 percent in the current fiscal, the slowest since the economy was liberalised 30 years back, while the stock market suffered another day of meltdown and the rupee slumped 53 paise to slip below the 76-mark against the US dollar.

The rating agency also projected that the global economy will fall into a deep recession in 2020 due to the massive disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with growth print contracting by 1.9 percent, pulled down by a larger contraction in the US and the Eurozone.

Leading industry chamber the Confederation of Indian Industry said the pandemic would have a debilitating impact on India's tourism sector with an estimated overall loss of Rs 5 lakh crore and job cuts for 4-5 crore people.

The World Bank, in the meantime, announced an emergency funding of $1 billion for India to help it tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Support appeared pouring in from several other quarters as well, with more than 31,000 doctors, including retired government and Armed Forces Medical Services, and private physicians volunteering to help the government fight against COVID-19 pandemic, a senior government official said.

Supply of testing kits remain an issue; IMCR suggests rapid testing in hotspots

An ICMR official separately said 182 labs across the country are functional now for COVID-19 diagnosis, out of which 130 are government labs. Around 8,000 samples were tested for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, he added.

However, a BloombergQuint report on Friday claimed that several of the accredited private testing labs are facing a shortage of foreign-made testing kits while "red tape is slowing the deployment of locally made test kits"

Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in an advisory, has also recommended the use of a rapid antibody test in the country's coronavirus hotspots.

In Maharashtra, the state government said more than nine lakh people have been surveyed for coronavirus symptoms under the state government's 'cluster containment action plan', which started areas where three or more patients were found.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan announced that the trauma centre at Dr RML Hospital will function as a dedicated COVID-19 isolation ward while the Safdarjung Hospital's super-specialty block has been converted into a state-of-the-art isolation management centre in Delhi.

The government also asserted there is no shortage of medical supplies in the country. It has also placed orders to procure over 10 crore hydroxychloroquine tablets, which the ICMR has recommended to be used as a preventive medication for those involved in the care of suspected or confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

President Ram Nath Kovind also expressed concern over the gathering of migrant workers in Anand Vihar and the congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin, saying these two incidents caused a setback to the efforts to combat coronavirus, according to a statement issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan.

In a video-conference with the Governors, Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of states/union territories, the president emphasized the need to ensure that no one remains hungry during the nationwide lockdown, enforced to check the spread of the virus.

Prime Minister Modi also spoke to a number of sportspersons through a video-call and sought their support in the COVID-19 fight with many of them vowing to raise awareness and spirits amid a national lockdown.

Officials also referred to the cases remaining largely under control in India as compared to various other countries.

Since its outbreak in China last December, more than 10 lakh people have been infected globally with this deadly virus and more than 51,000 have died including more than 6,000 deaths in the US alone.

The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted its first resolution on the coronavirus pandemic, co-sponsored by India and 187 other nations, calling for intensified global cooperation to defeat the deadly disease that is causing "severe disruption" to societies and economies.

With inputs from agencies