Coronavirus Outbreak Updates:Nineteen more staffers of the Delhi government's Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital in Jahangirpuri tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases at the facility to 59, officials said.

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On Saturday, the nationwide count of confirmed cases climbed to 24,942 with 779 deaths with some states began easing some of the restrictions imposed since the country went on a nationwide lockdown on 25 march.

The Union Health Ministry on Saturday informed that there has been a marked improvement in the rate of spread of the novel coronavirus in India, even as the country registered 1,490 new COVID-19 cases and 56 deaths, the highest single day rise in confirmed cases and fatalities so far.

The COVID-19 toll in the United States has been the highest with 53,070 fatalities, followed by Italy with 26,384 deaths, Spain at 22,902, France at 22,614 and the United Kingdom had registered 20,319 deaths.

The death count due to the novel coronavirus worldwide has crossed 2 lakh, according to Baltimore-based John Hopkins University. In total, 202,832 deaths have been recorded including 122,171 in Europe, the hardest-hit continent, since the virus appeared in China in December.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Gadkari said, "I heard Yogi Adityanath's statement on running buses and I would request against it. I feel, at this point, we need to exercise caution. This is not the time. If someone contracts coronavirus, then it can become a big problem in Uttar Pradesh."

Warning an alert over Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath's plan to bring back migrant labourers from the state stranded across the nation due to the lockdown, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday reiterated directions issued by the Centre to the states on tackling the workers' plight.

After the home ministry issued clarification on reopening of shops, Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday said standalone shops in colonies will be permitted to operate from 7 am to 6 pm in nine out of 13 districts that have been declared green zones in the state.

While two new cases reported on Saturday are from Khajpura in Patna, Arwal reported its first case with a person from Kurtha testing positive for the virus on Saturday.

As many as 28 fresh COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Bihar on Saturday, taking the overall count to 251 in the state. Of the total confirmed cases, 45 people have recovered while two have succumbed to the infectious disease. Currently, there are currently 204 active cases.

Of the overall count of COVID-19 cases, as many as 68 were active cases while the recovery rate was at 33 percent with 34 patients being cured of the virus.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Odisha rose to 103, ANI quoted the state health department as saying. The infectious disease has claimed one live in the state so far.

"The government will explore all possible means required for the conduct of the yatras. However, all these developments are subject to review, in view of the COVID-19 crisis," Murmu said at a meeting with a nine-member delegation of Baba Amarnath and Buda Amarnath Yatri Niyas at the Raj Bhavan.

The 42-day-long yatra to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas is scheduled to commence on 23 June.

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor GC Murmu on Saturday said the upcoming Amarnath yatra was subject to a periodic review of the COVID-19 situation as comprehensive planning and execution are involved in the conduct of the annual pilgrimage.

Standalone shops and and shops in residential areas, including those selling mobile phones, garments and stationary items, will open with social-distancing strictly followed, the official added.

A Delhi government official said non-essential shops will be allowed to open, but not in coronavirus containment zones. "No activity will be allowed in containment zones," the official said. There are 95 containment zones in the National Capital.

The Delhi government on Saturday decided to implement the home ministry's latest guidelines on reopening of shops except in containment zones, officials said.

Telangana is the only state till now to have extended the lockdown till 7 May.

In the video conference meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled on Monday, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to put out the request to extend the lockdown curbs in Mumbai and Pune beyond 3 May, News18 reported.

In the letter,Chandra alleged "insufficient cooperation" from the state and sought clarification on safety and security of key members.

Apurva Chandra, heading the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), has written a letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, asking the state government for adequate support to enable it to carry on its work.

"Have been getting several insightful inputs for this month's Mann Ki Baat. Do tune at 11 am tomorrow," Modi had tweeted on Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 11am on Sunday in the 64th edition of his monthly programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ amid the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The Haryana government had on Monday ordered a probe after four samples reported positive for coronavirus by SRL Diagnostics tested negative in confirmation tests done at different government labs in the state.

A private laboratory which has been under the Haryana government's scanner for alleged discrepancies in COVID-19 test results on Saturday asserted that it stands by its findings and is open to getting these samples re-tested at any government lab.

"A discussion on extending the lockdown will be taken in the video conference with the Prime Minister on Monday. But if required, we will extend the lockdown for 15 more days after 3 May. It may only be for the containment zones, if not for all of Mumbai and Pune. A final call will be taken after deliberations on Monday," he said.

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday advocated the extension of the lockdown in the containment areas in Mumbai and Pune regions, which account for 92 percent of the total cases in the state, till 18 May.

Of the total, 19,868 are active cases while one patient was migrated. The recovery rate stood at 22 percent after 5,804 COVID-19 patients were cured.

India registered the highest single-day rise in COVID-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours with 49, taking the toll to 824. According to the data released by the Union Health Ministry, a spike of 1,990 fresh cases was witnessed, bringing the overall count to 26,496.

Of the new cases, 20 were reported in Nagaur, 15 in Jodhpur, 11 in Ajmer, seven in Jaipur, three in Kota, while one each in Hanumagarh and Jhalawar.

With 58 more individuals testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Rajasthan, the overall count in the state climbed to 2,141 on Sunday, said the state health department.

Of the overall count of COVID-19 cases in the state, Mumbai accounts for 4,870 of them. The financial capital of the country saw 281 new positive cases and 12 deaths on Saturday. The toll in the city stood at 191.

With 119 patients discharged after recovery, their number rose to 1,076 so far.

Maharashtra on Saturday reported 811 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, a single-day record for the state. The total number of positive cases in the state are now 7,628 and the toll rose by 22 to reach 323, a Health department statement said.

"A total of 118 more COVID-19 cases and one more death was reported in the National Capital in the last 24 hours. The total cases in Delhi now stand at 2,625, including 1,702 active cases, 869 recovered and 54 deaths," Delhi's health department said in a media bulletin.

The total number of confirmed cases in Delhi surged to 2,625 following an increase by 118 new cases of COVID-19 and one death in the National Capital.

As many as 13 COVID-19 patients have recovered in Jharkhand of the total 67 confirmed cases reported in state as of Saturday. According to the state health department, six patients have been cured in Ranchi, four in Bokaro, two in Hazaribagh and one in Simdega.

The letter read, "Some resident doctors stay in hostels allotted in the hospital campus while many stay at their homes in various locations. Many of them are anxious about the home quarantine, since most are staying with their families. There are aged family members as well as young children at home who are most vulnerable to the disease. The doctors themselves might be a source of infection. Therefore, it is necessary to provide separate accommodation for the resident doctors who are primary contacts, till they test negative for the virus."

Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association wrote to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday over accommodation facilities for resident doctors advised for home quarantine in response to COVID-19 pandemic.

India also reported 594 new COVID-19 recoveries. Tripura has now become the fourth state after Goa, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh to report zero active COVID-19 cases.

India reported 1,554 new COVID-19 cases since 5 pm on Sunday, the second highest single-day increase after 1,752 on 24 April. Maharashtra now has 7,628 COVID-19 cases, the highest number in India and the first state to cross 7,000 confirmed cases. The state has reported 811 more cases since last evening, its highest single-day increase yet.

He also hailed the contribution of state governments in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that they have played a very active role.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the digital platform -- covidwarriors.gov.in -- which around 1.25 crore people, including doctors, nurses, NCC cadets and civil ociety organisations, have joined. "I urge you to join the portal and become a COVID warrior," he said.

Referring to the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance 2020, which amends the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and provides details compensation for injury to healthcare service personnel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Many health care workers have hailed the latest ordinance. This law was necessary to protect our doctors and nurses."

A bored truck driver's attempt to kill time by indulging in a game of cards with his friends and neighbours led to the infection of coronavirus in 24 people in one locality of Vijayawada city in Andhra Pradesh, Krishna district Collector A Md Imtiaz said on Saturday.

A data journalism portal called Health Check also reported that Mumbai was ready to conduct plasma therapy for eligible COVID-19 patients. The report citing BMC said that three units of plasma have already been collected.

According to the municipal corporation, the number of patients who have been cured of the infectious disease stood at 762. Therefore, the COVID-19 recovery rate in the city was at 15.6 percent.

Mumbai reported as many as 203 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday till 6 pm, thereby taking the total number of confirmed cases in the city to 4,870, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The toll due to the novel coronavirus was 191.

The district also reported one more death due to the infectious disease on Saturday.

According to a report in The Hindu , Krishna district has turned out to be the third-worst affected district in the Andhra Pradesh after Kurnool and Guntur following a sudden spike in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the past couple of days.

Till now, 107 people have been discharged after recovering from the viral infection, he said.

So far, 57 COVID-19 patients have died in Indore, which has emerged as one of the COVID-19 hotspots in the country, district chief medical and health officer Praveen Jadia said.

The number of coronavirus cases in Indore rose to 1,176 after 91 more people tested positive for the infectious disease in the Madhya Pradesh district during the past 24 hours, an official said on Sunday.

As many as 18 people succumbed ot the infectious disease in the state, while the recovery rate stood at 32 percent.

The new case was reported in Dakshin Kannada after a 47-year-old woman tested positive for the viral infection in the district.

Karnataka registered only one positive COVID-19 case since Saturday 5 pm, thereby taking the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state to 501, according to media reports.

The state on Saturday reported 811 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, a single-day record for the state. The total number of positive cases in the state are now at 7,628 and the toll rose by 22 to reach 323, a Health department statement said.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will address the media at 1.30 pm on Sunday, assessing the COVID-19 situation in the state which has already been hit hard by the impact of the novel coronavirus.

The chief minister had last week announced that the easing of restrictions, allowed by the Central government from 20 April onwards, would not kick in in the National Capital.

Kejriwal further said that a decision on the way forward, after the current nationwide lockdown ends on 3 May, will be taken depending on what the Centre decides.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that no concession will be made in the lockdown guidelines in the National Capital till 3 May, except for allowing standalone shops to open outside containment zones.

"Last week, we had decided not to ease restrictions after the Centre's order on relaxing shutdown in non-affected areas. We had decided to review the situation again in a week (on April 27)," said Kejriwal.

Malls and markets in Delhi will continue to remain shut and only standalone neighbourhood shops will be allowed to open, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday after the Centre allowed an ease in the nationwide restrictions over coronavirus pandemic in a late-night order on Friday.

Justice Najmi Waziri issued the direction to three private companies which had entered into an agreement to import 10 lakh test kits from China and distribute them here at a cost of Rs 600 each, the rate approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

COVID-19 test kits should be made available urgently at the lowest possible price so that the virus can be controlled and people's health can be safeguarded at a time when the country was facing an "unprecedented medical crisis", the Delhi High Court has said.

Uddhav Thackeray during the state address on Sunday appreciated the efforts by the Musim community for following the lockdown guidelines during the holy month of Ramzan.

Train services in Maharashtra cannot be started anytime soon, said Uddhav Thackeray during the briefing on Sunday, adding that such measures can lead to spike in number of coronavirus cases.

The chief minister further stated that the state has been successful in curbing the multiplication of COVID-19. "We have succeeded in stopping the multiplication of corona, we have certainly curbed that growth to some extent," he said.

Uddhav Thackeray mentioned the deaths of two Maharashtra constables who lost their lives due to the novel coronavirus. "Two police constables killed by coronavirus, they were martyred while fighting the virus," said Thackeray.

"I am working with state governments and central government on this and also on bringing back Maharashtra students stuck in Kota," he further said.

"I assure the migrant labourers that I am talking to the Centre and whatever is possible will be done soon," said Thackeray.

Working with both state and central governments to address the plight of migrant labourers, said Uddhav Thackeray, assuring that the issue will be dealt with immediacy.

"Thank you to Nitin Gadkari for appealing to all to stand behind the Maharashtra government and cooperate without politics, just as all castes and religions are united," said Thackeray.

Uddhav Thackeray expressed gratitude to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for urging everyone to join forces in Maharashtra by posing a united front in its battle against COVID-19 pandemic without indulging in petty politics.

The Cenral teams in Mumbai and Pune has requested to distribute foodgrains to orange ration card holders at discounted rates for two days, said chief minister Uddhav Thackeray

"Even if the pace of COVID-19 growth slows down, don't be ignorant, this is a test of restraint, fortunately 80% of patients do not have symptoms," said Thackeray.

As soon as we bring relaxation in Mumbai, traffic congestion in the city will increase, said Uddhav Thackeray, stressing on the importance of being aware of the COVID-19 crisis.

We have 80% of patients who are asymptomatic and 20% are there who have mild, serious or critical symptoms. We have to see how these people are also saved. Those who are hiding it and not getting tested, if you have symptoms please go and get tested, said Uddhav Thackeray

He said the measures would be presented by the beginning of next week at the latest.

"We are working in these hours to allow the reopening of a good part of businesses from manufacturing to construction for 4 May," Conte told Italian daily La Repubblica.

Italy will start reopening its manufacturing industry on 4 May as part of plans to ease its coronavirus lockdown, and schools will reopen in September, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a newspaper interview on Sunday.

"After he tested positive for COVID-19, he was first taken to Beliaghata ID hospital and then to the Salt Lake private hospital. The doctor was suffering from respiratory distress and other co-morbidities and had been on ventilator since he was admitted to the hospital. He died at 1.20 am on Sunday," sources told PTI.

A senior government doctor involved in the fight against the novel coronavirus, succumbed to the infectious disease on Sunday. The 60-year-old doctor, posted as assistant director health services (equipment and stores), was initially admitted to Beliaghata Infectious Diseases hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Salt Lake on 18 April, where he died of the virus.

The toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 323 on Sunday with 22 deaths reported in past 24 hrs, while the number of confirmed cases saw a jump of 811 to go up to 7,628.

The COVID-19 mortality rate in Maharashtra stood at 4.23 percent after 323 fatalities were registered so far. On the other hand, the COVID-19 recovery rate in the state was at 14.11 percent after 1, 076 COVID-19 patients were cured of the infectious disease, according to the data released by the health ministry.

He also requested to offer financial assistance to the Maharashtra government to the tune of 1 lakh crores for FY 2020-21.

Pawar also suggested was an extension of RBI’s new loan deferment policy to state debt too. "The state makes repayment of Rs 10,500 crore every year on account of the NSSF loan given by the Centre. It is requested to extend the two-year moratorium on loan repayment."

One of the steps he suggested was to enhance the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRBM) borrowing limit.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has come up with economic suggestions for the Narendra Modi government to help states tackle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor has released a statement on social media after she was discharged from the hospital from 6 April. "She said that no person she came in contact with has shown any symptoms of COVID-19 and all of them have tested negative."

440 new positive COVID19 cases and 19 deaths were reported in Maharashtra today, taking the total number of cases to 8,068 and death toll to 342, ANI quotes the state health department as saying. 1,188 patients have been discharged till now, of which 112 were discharged today, the health department said.

"Coronavirus is a new disease. We are getting to know more about it as we are getting closer to the disease. All efforts are being made to mitigate this problem," said Bhagwat in an online address on 'Current scenario and role.'

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that India never discriminates and is helping other countries with medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Haryana health department has said that there are 296 cases of the novel coronavirus in Haryana, out of which 94 are active. Three people have lost their lives due to the disease so far. The doubling rate of cases stands at 18 days in the state.

One patient is critical and still on ventilator support, the medical bulletin said, adding that so far 18 people have succumbed to the infection in the state. It said 12 patients-–eight from Mohali and four from Pathankot--were discharged from hospitals, taking the total number of cured cases to 84 in the state.

Of the remaining cases, 61 have been reported from Patiala, 25 in Pathankot, 20 in SBS Nagar, 18 in Ludhiana, 14 in Amritsar, 13 in Mansa, seven in Hoshiarpur, four in Moga, three each in Rupnagar, Sangrur, Kapurthala and Faridkot, two each in Fatehgarh Sahib and Barnala, and one each in Muktsar, Gurdsapur and Ferozepur.

Meanwhile, the number of infected patients soared to 313 with four more people testing positive for the infection. According to a medical bulletin, three of the fresh cases were reported from Jalandhar while one was detected in Ludhiana. Jalandhar district topped the COVID-19 tally in the state with 69 cases, followed by 63 in Mohali, the bulletin said.

A 48-year-old migrant worker died of coronavirus in Punjab's Jalandhar on Sunday, pushing the death toll to 18 in the state, reports PTI. The victim, who worked at a leather factory, had tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday, an official said, adding that he also suffered from pneumonia.

The total number of containment zones in Delhi now stands at 97 after two more areas were identified as containment zones in the city.

Personal protective equipment manufactured by Jagadhri railway workshop passed the test conducted by the DRDO on 5 April and has made 6,472 coveralls along with Kalka workshop till date. The achievement becomes significant as the Northern Railway has produced 10,000 such coveralls, while all the other zonal railways together made 20,000 during the ongoing lockdown period.

With the production of a record 1,500 personal protective equipment (PPE) on Sunday, Northern Railway workshops have made 10,000 such essential life-saving gear for its doctors and paramedics since the nationwide lockdown began, PTI quotes officials as saying. In a bid to meet the demand for PPE, the Northern Railway earlier this month got approval to make such coveralls from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). PPE suits are required by the medical staff while treating COVID-19 patients as a measure to avoid direct contact.

He has now fully recovered and was discharged, the hospital said, adding that he will stay at home for another two weeks. Group medical director of Max Healthcare and senior director of the Institute of Internal Medicine Dr Sandeep Budhiraja said, "We can say that plasma therapy could have worked as a catalyst in speeding up his recovery. We cannot attribute 100 per cent recovery to plasma therapy only, as there are multiple factors which carved his path to recovery."

When the patient showed no signs of improvement, his family requested for administration of plasma therapy on compassionate grounds, it said, adding that the family arranged a donor for extracting plasma. The patient was administered fresh plasma as a treatment modality as a side-line to standard treatment protocols on the night of 14 April, the statement said. Subsequently, the patient showed improvement and by the fourth day, was weaned off ventilator support and continued on supplementary oxygen. He was shifted to a room with round-the-clock monitoring on Monday after testing negative twice within 24 hours, it said.

A private hospital in Delhi claimed that a coronavirus patient, who was administered plasma therapy for the first time in the facility, was discharged on Sunday after being completely cured. The 49-year-old man had tested positive for COVID-19 on 4 April and was admitted to Max Hospital, Saket, it said in a statement. As his condition deteriorated, he was put on ventilator support on 8 April, the hospital added.

The hospital is located in Jahangirpuri, which is one of the containment zones in the National Capital. "All the staff members are being screened for novel coronavirus. The hospital is being sanitised," the senior official said. "The hospital will be shut for new patients for the next three days," he said. Eleven doctors out of the 59 patients have tested positive so far.

Nineteen more staffers of the Delhi government's Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital in Jahangirpuri tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases at the facility to 59, officials said. Till Saturday, the number of staffers infected with the virus stood at 40. According to a senior official, 68 more samples are to be tested. "The critically ill patients will remain in the hospital. The hospital management will take care of them," North Delhi District Magistrate Deepak Shinde said.

Over 1,500 workers stuck in Haryana due to the coronavirus lockdown were brought to Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, PTI quotes an official as saying. They were brought in 62 buses to the UP border from where they were taken to their destinations, DM Sarvagya Ram Mishra said, adding that they were provided with food packets. He said a report about a suspected coronavirus patient, who was proceeding to Fatehpur from Karnal, has been sought from Haryana. He has been hospitalised and his two associates quarantined.

officials said. Most of the new patients are from Thane city, Kalyan Dombivali, Mira Bhayandar and Navi Mumbai areas, they said. In Palghar, an increase of nine coronavirus positive cases took the total to 138. So far, 19 people have died due to the infection in Thane, while 10 in Palghar district, the officials said.

With the addition of as many as 72 new COVID-19 patients on Sunday, the number of coronavirus positive cases grew to 687 in Thane district of Maharashtra,

Nearly 300 journalists who underwent medical examination in the city for coronavirus have tested negative for the disease, Department of information and public relation said on Sunday.

According to a report in the Times of India , there are 21 such quarantine centres in Agra, housing are 800 persons at present. As per the report, persons in the quarantine centre have also alleged that they havent yet been tested for the virus, a charge denied by the district administration.

A video which has gone viral on social media shows food and water being kept outside the gates of a quarantine centre in Agra and people reaching through the gate to access essentials. Social distancing, essential for those under quarantine, is totally absent in the visuals, with people under quarantine crowding behind the gate right next to each other. Firstpost has not been able to independently verify the video.

Two children of the nurse, who was deployed at the daycare facility of the cancer centre, have also tested positive for COVID-19. Besides, at least five more staffers, including two from the record section, a lab attendant and the personal assistant of a faculty at the Cardio-Neuro Centre of AIIMS have also tested positive recently, the sources said.

A security guard deployed at the office of OSD to the Union health minister at AIIMS and a nurse working in Dr B R Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital of the facility have tested positive for COVID-19, PTI quotes sources as saying. The security guard, posted at the office of officer on special duty (OSD) to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan located in the teaching block of All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, was tested positive on Saturday, they said. According to the sources, the entire wing where the OSD office is located is being sanitised and several staffers, including the OSD, is learnt to have been advised self-quarantine. Their samples are also likely to be taken for testing.

Overall, Italy has registered 26,644 deaths of those with known coronavirus infections.

Italy has registered its lowest day-to-day increase in deaths of those infected with COVID-19 since the country was in its first week of lockdown in mid-March. The Health Ministry released new figures, including 260 deaths, for the 24-hour period ending Sunday. That daily grim statistic was last lower on March 14, when 175 deaths were registered. Premier Giuseppe Conte says on Facebook that later Sunday he will address the nation, eager to learn which restrictions will be eased in Italy's lockdown, which expires May 3.

Coronavirus Outbreak Updates: Nineteen more staffers of the Delhi government's Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital in Jahangirpuri tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases at the facility to 59, officials said.

With 293 new COVID-19 cases reported today in Delhi, the total number of positive cases in Delhi rises to 2,918 and death toll stands at 54, said the CMO. 37,613 tests have been carried out in the National Capital so far and 2094 have been conducted on Sunday.

102 new COVID-19 cases and 7 deaths have been reported in Rajasthan today, taking the total number of cases to 2,185 and deaths to 41, according to the 9 pm update by the state health department.

Dharavi reported 34 new cases on Sunday bringing its total to 275 cases including 14 deaths so far, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

The Haryana health department has said that there are 296 cases of the novel coronavirus in Haryana, out of which 94 are active. Three people have lost their lives due to the disease so far.

With 440 new positive cases and 19 deaths reported in Maharashtra on Sunday, total number of cases mounts to 8,068 and toll rises to 342, according to the state health department.

Tamil Nadu on Sunday reported 64 new cases of the novel coronavirus, pushing the total in the state to 1,885. One person also died of the disease and the toll now stands at 24. 60 persons were also cured of the disease taking the number of active cases in the state to 838.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said the coronavirus situation in the country is improving as many hotspot districts (HSD) are moving towards being non-hotspot districts (NHSD).

COVID-19 death toll in India has reaches 826, while the number of cases has climbed to 26,917, according to the latest update provided by the Union health ministry.

A total of 1,843 positive COVID-19 cases have been reported till date in Uttar Pradesh, of which 289 cases have been cured/discharged and a total of 29 deaths have been reported till now, ANI quotes Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad as saying.

Six new COVID19 positive cases have been reported in Ranchi — a staff of Sadar Hospital, three persons in Hindpiri and two in Lowadih have tested positive.

44 staff members at Delhi's Babu Jagjivan Ram hospital have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, reports ANI."Test reports of other staff members are awaited. Hospital's medical services have been closed and hospital is being sanitized," ANI quotes the Delhi health department as saying.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has come up with economic suggestions for the Narendra Modi government to help states tackle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Pawar detailed the steps.

One of the steps he suggested was to enhance the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRBM) borrowing limit.

Pawar also suggested was an extension of RBI’s new loan deferment policy to state debt too. "The state makes repayment of Rs 10,500 crore every year on account of the NSSF loan given by the Centre. It is requested to extend the two-year moratorium on loan repayment."

He also requested to offer financial assistance to the Maharashtra government to the tune of 1 lakh crores for FY 2020-21.

The COVID-19 mortality rate in Maharashtra stood at 4.23 percent after 323 fatalities were registered so far. On the other hand, the COVID-19 recovery rate in the state was at 14.11 percent after 1,076 COVID-19 patients were cured of the infectious disease, according to the data released by the health ministry.

The toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 323 on Sunday with 22 deaths reported in past 24 hrs, while the number of confirmed cases saw a jump of 811 to go up to 7,628.

We have 80% of patients who are asymptomatic and 20% are there who have mild, serious or critical symptoms. We have to see how these people are also saved. Those who are hiding it and not getting tested, if you have symptoms please go and get tested, said Uddhav Thackeray

Train services in Maharashtra cannot be started anytime soon, said Uddhav Thackeray during the briefing on Sunday, adding that such measures can lead to spike in number of coronavirus cases.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that no concession will be made in the lockdown guidelines in the National Capital till 3 May, except for allowing standalone shops to open outside containment zones.

Kejriwal further said that a decision on the way forward, after the current nationwide lockdown ends on 3 May, will be taken depending on what the Centre decides.

The number of coronavirus cases in Indore rose to 1,176 after 91 more people tested positive for the infectious disease in the Madhya Pradesh district during the past 24 hours, an official said on Sunday.

So far, 57 COVID-19 patients have died in Indore, which has emerged as one of the COVID-19 hotspots in the country, district chief medical and health officer Praveen Jadia said.

Till now, 107 people have been discharged after recovering from the viral infection, he said.

Mumbai reported as many as 203 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday till 6 pm, thereby taking the total number of confirmed cases in the city to 4,870, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The toll due to the novel coronavirus was 191.

According to the municipal corporation, the number of patients who have been cured of the infectious disease stood at 762. Therefore, the COVID-19 recovery rate in the city was at 15.6 percent.

A data journalism portal called Health Check also reported that Mumbai was ready to conduct plasma therapy for eligible COVID-19 patients. The report citing BMC said that three units of plasma have already been collected.

The total number of confirmed cases in Delhi surged to 2,625 following an increase by 118 new cases of COVID-19 and one death in the National Capital.

"A total of 118 more COVID-19 cases and one more death was reported in the National Capital in the last 24 hours. The total cases in Delhi n

Maharashtra on Saturday reported 811 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, a single-day record for the state. The total number of positive cases in the state are now 7,628 and the toll rose by 22 to reach 323, a Health department statement said.

With 119 patients discharged after recovery, their number rose to 1,076 so far.

Of the overall count of COVID-19 cases in the state, Mumbai accounts for 4,870 of them. The financial capital of the country saw 281 new positive cases and 12 deaths on Saturday. The toll in the city stood at 191.

India registered the highest single-day rise in COVID-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours with 49, taking the toll to 824. According to the data released by the Union Health Ministry, a spike of 1,990 fresh cases was witnessed, bringing the overall count to 26,496.

Of the total, 19,868 are active cases while one patient was migrated. The recovery rate stood at 22 percent after 5,804 COVID-19 patients were cured

The Delhi government on Saturday decided to implement the Centre's guidelines on reopening of neighbourhood and standalone shops during the lockdown, but said no activity will be allowed in containment zones, as the number of coronavirus cases rose to 2,625 in the National Capital.

After the home ministry issued clarification on reopening of shops, Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday said standalone shops in colonies will be permitted to operate from 7 am to 6 pm in nine out of 13 districts that have been green zones in the state.

"Liquor stores and barber shops will remain closed," said Rawat.

As many as 28 fresh COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Bihar on Saturday, taking the overall count to 251 in the state. Of the total confirmed cases, 45 people have recovered while two have succumbed to the infectious disease. Currently, there are currently 204 active cases.

A month into the lockdown, the Union Health Ministry on Saturday informed that there has been a marked improvement in the rate of spread of the novel coronavirus in India, even as the country registered 1,490 new COVID-19 cases and 56 deaths, the highest single day rise in fatalities so far.

On Saturday, the nationwide count of confirmed cases climbed to 24,942 with 779 deaths with some states began easing some of the restrictions imposed since the country went on a nationwide lockdown on 25 march.

India's rate of spread slows down

The average doubling rate of COVID-19 cases in the country is 9.1 days as of now; this was 7.5 days just five days ago, and 3 days on 21 March, when India had just 300 cases. The doubling rate is the rate at which India's Covid-19 cases are expected to double from today's figure.

Furthermore, from Friday 8 am to Saturday 8 am, India recorded a six percent growth in new cases, which is the lowest daily growth rate recorded since the country crossed 100 cases on 15 March, the government said on Saturday, according to PTI.

The recovery figures have also shown some improvement. As of now, 5,062 people have been cured with a recovery rate of 20.66 percent, which is an improvement from the 14.2 percent reported last Sunday (19 April) and 13 percent on 17 April, the ministry said.

The government also said that this is comparatively better than most of the countries and may be taken as a positive effect of the lockdown in the country, along with the cluster management and containment strategy.

In an announcement that underscored the scientific unknowns about the virus, the World Health Organisation said “there is currently no evidence” that people who have recovered from COVID-19 cannot fall sick again.

Maharashtra, Gujarat account for most cases and deaths

Of the total cases reported on Saturday, 18953 are active, 5,209 have been cured and discharged patients, one migrated while 779 have died, the health ministry said.

According to the health ministry data updated in the evening, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country is from Maharashtra at 6,817, followed by Gujarat (2,815), Delhi (2,514), Rajasthan (2,034), Madhya Pradesh (1,952) and Uttar Pradesh (1,778).

The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 1,755 in Tamil Nadu, 1,061 in Andhra Pradesh and 984 in Telangana.

The number of cases has risen to 571 in West Bengal, 489 in Karnataka, 454 in Jammu and Kashmir, 451 in Kerala, 298 in Punjab and 272 in Haryana.

Bihar has reported 228 coronavirus cases, while Odisha has 94. Fifty-nine people have been infected with the virus in Jharkhand and 48 in Uttarakhand.

Himachal Pradesh has 40 cases, while Chhattisgarh and Assam have registered 36 infections each. Chandigarh has 28 cases, while there are 27 COVID-19 patients in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Twenty coronavirus cases have been reported from Ladakh, 12 from Meghalaya, while Goa and Puducherry have registered seven COVID-19 cases each.

Manipur and Tripura have two coronavirus patients each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each.

"Forty-nine cases are being assigned to states for contact tracing. Our figures are being reconciled with that of the the ICMR," the ministry said on its website. State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added.

Of the 56 deaths reported since Friday evening, 18 were in Maharashtra, 15 in Gujarat, nine in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Delhi and West Bengal, two each in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh and one each in Punjab and Kerala.

Of the total 779 COVID-19 deaths, Maharashtra accounts for the highest number of 301 fatalities, followed by Gujarat (127), Madhya Pradesh (92), Delhi (53), Andhra Pradesh (31) and Rajasthan (27).

The death toll reached 26 in Uttar Pradesh as well as in Telangana, 22 in Tamil Nadu, while Karnataka and West Bengal have reported 18 deaths each, the ministry said.

Punjab has registered 17 fatalities so far, Jammu and Kashmir five, Kerala four, while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three COVID-19 deaths each.

Bihar has reported two coronavirus deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported a fatality each, according to the ministry data.

States ease lockdown conditions, but no respite for Maharashtra

Some states, taking cue from a late Friday night order from the Union Home Ministry, said they are taking steps to open more categories of shops, including those selling garments, mobile phones, hardware and stationery items.

However, these relaxations would not be allowed for shops located in market places, malls and COVID-19 hotspots and containment zones. In rural areas, all shops barring those in malls have been allowed to open.

Liquor and cigarette shops would remain closed everywhere irrespective of their location, while sale of non-essential items through e-commerce platforms continue to remain shut. Restaurants, hair salons and barber shops will not be allowed to open as these render services and do not fall under the shop category.

The Delhi government said it will implement the Home Ministry order on opening of shops in the National Capital, but Maharashtra ruled out any immediate relaxation saying the lockdown guidelines will remain unchanged in the state till 3 May. In fact, there are also reports that the Maharashtra government is mulling to extend lockdown at least in the containment zones within hotspot districts Mumbai and Pune till at least 18 May. This came after 281 new positive cases and 12 deaths were reported in Mumbai on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in the city to 4,870.

Gujarat and the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, on the other hand, decided to follow the directive, while Assam said it will take a decision on Monday. Gujarat has the second highest number of active cases at 2,423 after Maharashtra.

Madhya Pradesh, another state hit hard by the novel coronavirus, too decided to ease the restrictions on neighborhood shops while also beginning the process of sending migrant labourers to their respective villages in the state. At least 8,000 migrant labourers were sent to their villages in the state in buses, the govt said on Saturday.

According to ANI, Madhya pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday that the state govt has also launched efforts to bring Madhya Pradesh labourers stuck in other states, while announcing that at least 2,400 labourers have already left from Gujarat.

Last week, the govt also allowed manufacturing and farming to resume in rural areas to ease the economic plight of millions left jobless by the lockdown. Restrictions in the country have allowed people out of their homes only to buy food, medicine or other essentials.

Congress recommends steps to rejuvenate MSMEs

On the political front, Congress President Sonia Gandhi also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking urgent steps to help the MSME sector, including a Rs 1 lakh crore 'wage protection' package. She said the MSME crisis has the potential of having a devastating and expansive ripple effect on our economy.

The BJP, meanwhile, hit out at the opposition party, alleging its leaders keep making new demands and claim that the nationwide lockdown has caused problems.

"The Congress is doing petty, abhorrent and negative politics. It is writing letters daily. It should go and work on ground. Its leaders don't do that but keep making new demands," Union minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

Instead of making new demands, the Congress should say what it has been doing to help people, Javadekar added.

Meanwhile, special teams sent by the Centre, in the meantime, assessed ground situations in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, but a political stand-off continued in West Bengal on this front.

The team visiting West Bengal alleged that non-cooperation on the part of the state government over providing logistical support and other relevant information, while the state's ruling party Trinamool Congress described it as "India's Most Callous Team" and accused it of trying to spread the political virus "shamelessly".

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier slammed the Centre for sending the teams to look into the state's preparedness for tackling the COVID-19 outbreak and alleged that faulty testing kits were dispatched to the state.

With inputs from agencies