Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: The Rajasthan government said that 108 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, out of which 83 are from Jaipur. Total number of cases in the state stands at 1,005.

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The Union health ministry on Monday said that 905 new COVID-19 cases and 51 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 9,352 and deaths to 324.

Maharashtra with 2,064 cases continues to be the worst affected followed by Delhi with 1,154 cases and Tamil Nadu with 1075 cases. The number of containment zones in Delhi has been increased to 47.

As many as 25 staff members of Mumbai's Bhatia hospital tested positive for coronavirus and number of cases in the city has reached 1549. The number of those who have died has reached 100 in the city.

"On Monday, results of 244 samples were obtained of which 228 were negative and 16 positive. Total cumulative positive cases of coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar so far is 80," district surveillance officer Sunil Dohare said in a late night statement.

The western Uttar Pradesh district adjoining Delhi is among the 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh where hotspots have been sealed to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Sixteen more people tested positive for coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the district to 80, according to officials.

According to a bulletin on COVID-19, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has the highest number of active cases in the state at 216.

Of the total 592 cases in the state, 103 have been cured, while 472 are undergoing treatment.

A coronavirus patient died and at least 61 people tested positive for the virus in Telangana on Monday, taking the number of cases in the state to 592. The virus has so far claimed 17 lives in the state.

The Meghalaya Chief Minister appealed to the public to abide by the curfew and not venture out of their houses.

"Meghalaya has detected its first COVID-19 case in Shillong. This situation has come despite all the measures being taken by the government. In light of this, I urge citizens not to panic. We are closely monitoring the situation and we are prepared to deal with it. We have imposed complete curfew in Shillong for the next 48 hours," Sangma said on Monday.

The Meghalaya government has imposed 48 hours curfew in Shillong with the first case of coronavirus being detected in the state capital on 12 April, according to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.

Assam has reported two positive cases for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. On Monday morning, one coronavirus positive case was reported from Dhubri district.

Confirming the report, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the new case is the secondary contact of the Nizamuddin Markaz case.

Assam on Monday reported one more COVID-19 positive case, taking the state tally to 31. The fresh coronavirus positive case has been reported from the Goalpara district.

He said, the 14-year-old had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at Gopalgarh Bharatpur Markaj on 9 March along with 14 others.

He said after the positive case reported from the Oal village, 40 more samples were taken and sent for testing. Cluster containment measures have been intensified with sanitization of the entire area, he said.

While one minor was found COVID-19 positive in Oal Village of Mathura on Sunday, a nurse of a private hospital was found positive on Monday, District Magistrate Sarvagya Ram Mishra said. They have been kept in isolation, he said.

The district administration intensified its containment efforts in the area, the officials said, as the total number of positive cases in the district reached five.

A nurse of a private hospital in Mathura was found coronavirus positive on Monday, a day after a 14-year-old boy also tested positive for the infection, officials said.

WHO says 18,500 people died of "swine flu", or H1N1, which was first uncovered in Mexico and the United States in March 2009, but the Lancet medical estimated the toll to be between 151,700 and 575,400.

"We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly, 10 times deadlier than the 2009 flu pandemic," he said.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva that the organisation was constantly learning about the new virus sweeping the globe, which has now killed nearly 115,000 people and infected over 1.8 million.

The novel coronavirus is 10 times more deadly than swine flu, which caused a global pandemic in 2009, the World Health Organization said Monday, stressing a vaccine would be necessary to fully halt transmission.

On Monday, the NSE Nifty 50 index closed down 1.3 percent at 8,993.85 and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex ended 1.51 percent lower at 30,690.02. The 10-year benchmark bond yield closed at 6.4954 percent, while the rupee settled at 76.2290 to the dollar.

India’s currency, debt and equity markets will be closed on Tuesday for a holiday. Financial markets will resume trading on Wednesday, 15 April.

The development comes weeks after it was announced that Shah Rukh''s NGO Meer Foundation will work with the Maharashtra and West Bengal governments for the supply of 50,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the healthcare professionals.

Rajesh Tope, Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare of Maharashtra, said the "Fan" actor's contribution will help the healthcare workers immensely. Replying to the minister, Shah Rukh said everyone is united in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Monday provided 25,000 PPE kits to the frontline medical staff in Maharashtra fighting to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic in the state.

According to a recently published study in the New England Journal of Medicine, two out of three critically ill coronavirus infected patients who were on oxygen support or on ventilators showed signs of improvement when they were administered remdesivir.

The ICMR said research on its efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19 is a part of WHO's "Solidarity Trial".

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Monday said antiviral drug remdesivir, which was used during the Ebola outbreak, may be highly effective in stopping the replication mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was teaming up with his counterparts in adjacent New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island to devise the best strategies for easing stay-at-home orders imposed last month to curb coronavirus transmissions.

Announcements from the New York-led group of East Coast governors, and a similar compact formed by California, Oregon, and Washington state, came after President Donald Trump declared that any decision on restarting the US economy was up to him, reported Reuters.

Seven Northeastern US states and the three West Coast states banded together on Monday in regional pacts to forge coordinated, gradual economic reopenings as the coronavirus crisis finally appeared to be ebbing, while stressing the need for precautions to avoid a resurgence of infections.

All three new locally transmitted cases were reported in Guangdong Province, it said.

China's National Commission (NHC) in its daily report on Tuesday said 89 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, including three local infections, were reported on Monday in the country.

COVID-19 cases have been increasing again after the country managed to contain the first wave of infections as hundreds of Chinese nationals returned home from various countries, including European nations, US, Russia and Iran, to escape the fallout of the pandemic.

China continued to grapple with imported cases of coronavirus after stamping out the disease from its epicentre Wuhan as it reported 89 infections on Monday and the rise in asymptomatic patients posed serious concern for authorities, health officials said on Tuesday.

Deaths reported on Sunday numbered 1,513, the smallest increase since 1,309 died on 6 April. The largest number of fatalities, over 10,000, was in New York state with the concentration in and around New York City, the most populous US city with about 8.4 million people.

The United States, with the world’s third-largest population, has recorded more fatalities from COVID-19 than any other country. There were a total of nearly 570,000 US cases as of Monday with over 1.8 million reported cases globally.

US deaths from the novel coronavirus topped 23,000 on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, as officials said the worst may be over and the outbreak could reach its peak this week.

"All the residents are requested to kindly cooperate and refrain from coming out of the houses to enable the Health Department officials to do contat tracing and take appropriate remedial measures," the order said.

As per a press release issued by the chief secretary of Meghalaya, a doctor from Bethany Hospital, Shillong has been tested COVID-19 positive today [Monday]. "The District Magistrate Shillong has imposed curfew for 48 hours in the Shillong Agglomeration area starting from 6.00 am of 14th April, 2020 with the exception of essential services," the release said.

A doctor from Bethany Hospital in Shillong on Monday tested positive for COVID-19, making it the first positive case of coronavirus in Meghalaya, say reports.

Trump said that his administration will soon finalise new and very important guidelines to give governors the information they need to start safely opening their states.

"I've been having many discussions with my team and top experts and we're very close to completing a plan to open our country hopefully even ahead of schedule, and that's so important, Trump told reporters at his White House news conference on coronavirus.

As a result of the deadly spread of the novel coronavirus, more than 95 per cent of the country's 330 million population are under stay-at-home order. The social mitigation guidelines have been in place for a month now and will continue till April 30.

US President Donald Trump on Monday said that he was very close to completing a plan to reopen the country.

Across the state, a total of 229 people have so far been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the viral infection.

Notably, Maharashtra had crossed the 1000-mark of COVID-19 cases on 7 April. The country's financial capital now alone accounts for 1540 COVID-19 cases and 101 deaths, he said.

While the number of total cases has gone up to 2334, the COVID-19 death toll increased to 160 with 11 more people succumbing to the infection on Monday.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra on Monday crossed the 2000-mark, with 352 more people, including 242 from Mumbai, testing positive for the novel coronavirus infection, a Health department official said.

The United States has more than 550,000 people infected with the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The number of fatalities was similar to the previous day's toll of 1,514. The outbreak has now claimed the lives of at least 23,529 people in the US, the most of any country.

The United States recorded 1,509 deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic over the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University as of 8:30 pm Monday (0030 GMT Tuesday).

The ministry also said that 1211 new cases and 31 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours.

A total number of 10,363 cases of coronavirus have been reported in India. So far, 339 people have succumbed to the infection in the country, while 1,035 patients have been cured. There are 8,988 active cases in the country, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

A 56-year old woman, a family member of an already positive case and a 38-year-old woman have tested positive for COVID19 on Tuesday, as the total number of positive cases in Mohali rise to 56, Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan told ANI.

Mumbai's Worli Koliwada has been declared a COVID-19 'containment zone', the movement of people is restricted here, reports ANI.

University President Lawrence Bacow announced in an email to Harvard affiliates on Monday that he along with Executive Vice President Katherine Lapp and University Provost Alan Garber will each cut their salaries by 25 percent.

The report in The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, said that Harvard was "instituting an immediate university-wide salary and hiring freeze, cancelling or deferring discretionary spending, and considering deferring all capital projects."

Prestigious US educational institutions Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are implementing salary and hiring freeze and their top leadership will take pay cuts as part of "hard choices" to control costs in a tough economic environment resulting from the global coronavirus pandemic, according to a report.

It has come to light that many people are taking the medicine or stocking it due to the coronavirus fear, he said.

"We have come to know that people were rushing to medical stores to buy hydroxychloroquine after it came in news and was also mentioned as an effective medicine by US President Trump for those infected by COVID-19," Gujarat Food and Drug Control Authority Commissioner H G Koshia told PTI.

India is the world's largest manufacturer of hydroxychloroquine, which is used in the treatment of malaria. But, its demand has now increased after US President Donald Trump requested the Indian government to allow its export to America to treat COVID-19 patients.

People in Gujarat have been consuming and stocking up hydroxychloroquine, being touted as 'game-changer' in the fight against coronavirus, prompting the state government to issue a warning against its health hazards and a directive to chemists not to sell it over the counter.

During the course of the meeting, the Prime Minister had said that there seems to be a consensus amongst the States on the extension of lockdown by another two weeks. He underlined that the motto of the government earlier was 'jaan hai to jahaan hai' but now it is 'jaan bhi jahaan bhi'.

Prior to this, the Prime Minister had on Saturday held consultations with Chief Ministers through video-conferencing, during which talks were held over the need for extending the lockdown further after taking into consideration the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am today, on the last day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown imposed with the aim to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19.

A total of 56 cases of novel coronavirus have been reported in Odisha, after one more person tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. So far, 18 people have been recovered from the disease. There are 37 active cases in the state now, repors CNN-News18.

About 48 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Jaipur on Tuesday as the total number of confirmed cases in the state rise to 945, said Rajasthan Health Department.

So far, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal have extended the lockdown until 30 April. Punjab has extended it till 1 May.

Prime Minister begins his address to the nation by saying India is doing well to tackle the coronavirus nation. He thanks people on the frontline of the COVID-19 battle. "Our fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic is progressing with strength," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledges the trouble being faced by the people of India during the COVID-19 lockdown. "In our constitution, 'We the People' is written, and this fight is what it signifies, he says. Remembering BR Ambedkar, says it a symbolic remembrance to his anniversary." he said.

"You have been a witness to how India has fought coronavirus as compared to other countries," he added. Modi noted that it was unfair to compare with any other country. However, we cannot deny some realities. "It is true that India is in much better position than some of the developed countries," he said.

India had started screening at airports and 14-day isolation for those coming from abroad, well in advance, announced Narendra Modi while addressing the nation on Tuesday. "We decided to implement this 21-day lockdown when we had only about 500 cases." he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the lockdown has been extended till 3 May, and that coronavirus should be curbed at every level. Even if one person dies due to coronavirus, he noted that "Our tension should increase. That is why hotspots have to be surveilled with extended vigilance, and take harsh steps to curb spread of coronavirus. If new hotspots arrive, our efforts will face problems."

We will be implementing lockdown even more strictly till 20 April, said Narendra Modi. Some restrictions may be eased in places where there are no hotspots after that date, he added. He also said that the government must keep a close watch on places where new hotspots may emerge.

The government will put out detailed guidelines, said the prime minister. Narendra Modi assures that \there is enough ration and stock of essential commodities in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the health infrastructure has improved by leaps and bound. He said labs have come up, beds have increased, more than 600 hospitals are working for coronavirus treatment. These facilities are being added upon every day. Even with our limited resources, Modi requests young scientists to come forth and help in creating coronavirus vaccine.

Narendra Modi on Tuesday issues seven guidelines asking citizens to 'stay where you are, stay safe' and to follow all guidelines till 3 May.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his address by asking people to be very vigilant in following the coronavirus lockdown, which has now extended till 3 May. He wished everyone good health against this coronavirus menace.

Tweeting right after his national address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to follow the lockdown till 3 May with "utmost vigilance.'

Six more COVID-19 positive cases and two more deaths related to the virus reported in Dharavi area of Mumbai on Tuesday reported ANI. The total positive cases in the area is now at 55 and related deaths at seven, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor supported Narendra Modi's decision to extend lockdown till 3 May. Taking to Twitter, the senior Congress leader said "Can't discard the gains being made. But he should have also announced serious relief for those who cannot make ends meet. MNREGA payments, Jan Dhan accounts, GST dues to states, and aid to sweeten the pill."

45 more COVID-19 positive cases reported in Gujarat. The total coronavirus cases in the state rise to 617, including 55 recovered patients and 26 deaths, state health department told ANI on Tuesday.

Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Awanish Awasthi said 80 to 85 per cent of the cases have been reported from identified hotspots.

On Monday, 75 persons tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total in the state to 558.

Joint Director-cum-State Surveillance Officer Vikasendu Agrawal of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) on Tuesday said, "A total of 657 corona-positive cases have been reported from the state. Till now, the state has reported five deaths: one each in Basti, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Varnasi and Agra."

As many as 657 people have tested positive so far for coronavirus, which has claimed five lives in Uttar Pradesh till now, a state Health Department official said on Tuesday.

According to estimates by Johns Hopkins University, there are 1.92 million coronavirus cases across the world and 119,687 deaths. The US has the maximum number of 582,607 cases in the world and over 23,000 people have died in the country from COVID-19.

Over 180 confirmed coronavirus cases and three deaths due to the disease have been reported across the United Nations system worldwide, a spokesman for Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.

Mumbai Police is back with another witty post which urges people to stay inside their homes during the lockdown. In their latest tweet, the Mumbai Police reiterated their messages on social distancing, maintaining hygiene, not creating panic by reading and forwarding fake WhatsApp forwards by borrowing a page from TV show Sarabhai V/S Sarabhai.

"We have taken the decision keeping in view the extended lockdown period. More updates will be available shortly," the official said. Earlier, all passenger services were cancelled till 14 April midnight.

They said the decision was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The Indian Railways has extended the suspension of its passenger services till 3 May, senior officials said on Tuesday.

On the other hand, nearly 80 percent of employees of traders have migrated to their villages at the time of earlier locked down while only 20 percent of employees are working with traders for the supply of essential goods

Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of CAIT said that there are about 7 crore traders in the country, out of which about 1.5 million traders deals in essential commodities, but only 40 lakh of them have been able to continue the supply chain of essential commodities across the country because of facing several difficulties in obtaining passes from the Authorities and non-availability of transport.

Due to locked down in of past 21 days the country, the retail trade has suffered a loss of business to the tune of Rs.3.15 lakh crores of rupees.

The CAIT termed it as a logical and extremely important step desired under the present circumstances due to COVID-19 and has assured Prime Minister that the traders under any circumstances will continue to run supply chain of essential goods in a most efficient and effective manner so that citizens of the Country may not face any difficulty in obtaining essential commodities.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), the apex organization of the business community of the country, has strongly supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to continue the lockdown in the country.

"Typically, stress-related insomnia is transient and persists for only a few days," said Bin Zhang, a professor at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and study co-author. "But if the COVID-19 outbreak continues, insomnia may gradually become chronic insomnia in the clinical setting," Zhang said.

According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, healthcare workers who experienced sleeplessness following their hospital shifts were also more likely to feel depressed, anxious, and have stress-based trauma.

More than a third of medical staff responding to COVID-19 during its peak in China may have suffered from insomnia, according to a study which suggests that the pandemic is not just a physical health threat, but may also be triggering a mental health epidemic.

The officials said in the declared red zones across the valley, the restrictions have been intensified as authorities have warned of strict action against anyone violating prohibitory orders.

They said to enforce the restrictions on the movement and assembly of people, the security forces have sealed off main roads in most places in the valley and erected barriers at several other places. Only persons with valid passes were allowed to move, they added.

The corona-led lockdown in Kashmir entered 27th day on Tuesday with the infected cases crossing the 200-mark in the valley amid the continued restrictions on the movement and assembly of people to curb the pandemic, said, officials.

So far, 50 people have died in the state due to coronavirus, he said. Tikamgarh district has also reported its first case of coronavirus, the offiical said.

Of these, 126 were found positive for coronavirus in the reports received till Monday night, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients in Madhya Pradesh to 730, state health commissioner Faiz Ahmed Kidwai on Tuesday.

The number of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh has gone up to 730 with 126 more people testing positive for the disease in the last 24 hours, a senior health official said on Tuesday. In the last 24 hours, 1,171 people were tested for coronavirus in the state.

"We owe it to the poor and weaker sections of society to do everything we can, whether financially or otherwise, to help them through these tough times. Govts must take the lead but it can't be just their responsibility," he said.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the decision to extend the lockdown till May 3 was a necessary step in view of the threat posed by COVID-19. Abdullah also urged people to help poor and weaker sections of the society during these tough times.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases jumped to 473 in Andhra Pradesh, after 34 new cases were reported on Tuesday. Of the 34 cases, 16 were reported in Guntur, 8 in Krishna, 7 in Kurnool, 2 in Anantapuram, and 1 in Nellore. Two people also died from coronavirus-related complications.

All domestic and international scheduled airline operations shall remain suspended till 3 May, the date till which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the coronavirus lockdown will continue.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maharashtra rose to 2,455 after 121 new cases were reported today. 160 deaths have been recorded in the state so far.

According to an International Labour Organisation assessment, 40 crore informal sector workers in India could be pushed deeper into poverty due to this lockdown.

The workers, especially migrant labourers, are the worst among due to the lockdown as a large number of them either faced pay cut or job loss.

The Prime Minister has announced extension of the nationwide lockdown til 3 May with conditional relaxation from 20 April in some areas on the basis of evaluation of the situation.

The Labour Ministry on Tuesday said it has set up 20 control rooms on pan-India basis to address wage-related grievances and to mitigate problems faced by migrant workers amid the lockdown period to contain the COVID-19 crisis.

At the time of this global epidemic, the prime minister has shown us the victory path by giving seven instructions, Nadda said, adding, "We have to follow these seven sentences of Modi Ji literally".

BJP president JP Nadda on Tuesday urged people to follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seven instructions and continue sticking to the various lockdown regulations with full devotion till May 3 to win the battle against COVID-19 pandemic.

"As the Home Minister of the country, I assure the people again, that there is enough stock of food, medicines and other everyday things in the country, no citizen needs to worry. I also would like to request the relatively well off people to come forward and help the poor living in their vicinity," read the tweet by the Home Minister.

After the prime minister announced the extension of lockdown, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday took to twitter, to assure people that there is no shortage of anything in the country whether it is food or medicines.

Despite huge and multiple challenges, India has been demonstrating unwavering commitment in its fight against the pandemic. In these testing times, the action lies as much with the communities as with the authorities and the health workforce. It is indeed time for each and everyone to contribute their best and together beat the virus.

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO said that the World Health Organization commends India’s timely and tough actions to stop COVID19. It may be early to talk about results in numbers, but a six-week nationwide lock down to facilitate effective physical distancing, coupled with the expansion of core public health measures such as detection, isolation and tracing contacts of COVID19 positive people, would go a long way in arresting the virus spread.

As many home buyers avail loans to fund their real estate purchases, the resumption of construction activity will allow developers to raise demands to their existing customers who in turn will ask banks for disbursements, leading to an uptake in credit. The government needs to now look at targeted relief measures for the real estate sector to ensure the industry continues to remain a leading employment generator and the effect of the lockdown does not further hamper the prospects of this category."

Kaushal Agarwal, Chairman, The Guardians Real Estate Advisory, said, "the extension of the nationwide lockdown was bound to be extended, as we are still a few days away from flattening the curve. The government's decision is calibrated and prudent. Having said that, we would welcome a gradual opening of economic activity including the resumption of construction activity at project sites. The beginning of construction activity has multiple advantages as it brings wages to labourers, cash flow to developers, much-needed credit growth for banks and resumption of economic activity in the country.

Offenders are fined Rs 200 for each of the first three violations and Rs 500 for every violation after that, the officer said. A total of 1,145 vehicles were also seized on Monday, he said.

The fines were imposed by the Commissionerate of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack as per the state government rules which made it mandatory for people to wear masks while coming out of their houses in the twin cities, he said.

The Odisha Police has fined 167 persons for not wearing masks while venturing out of their houses amid the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, a senior officer said on Tuesday.

It also said that no advance reservation of trains tickets, including e-tickets, will be allowed until further orders. However, the facility of online cancellation will remain functional.

The railways on Tuesday extended the suspension of all its passenger trains after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended nationwide lockdown till May 3 in view of the coronavirus spread.

Customers will also get full refunds of their tickets if they are cancelling their advance bookings for trains not yet cancelled, it said.

The Indian Railways on Tuesday said full refund would automatically be provided to its online customers for trains cancelled up to May 3, while those who have booked at the counters can take refund till 31 July.

DMK chief MK Stalin took to Twitter to criticize Narendra Modi's announcement on 3 May. "Prime Minister's speech on extending the lockdown till 3 May is a big disappointment. It has only advice and no announcement on providing relief to people who are suffering due to the lockdown," said DMK chief on Twitter.

"All the district magistrates have been directed to appoint a nodal officer at the district-level to help people from other states and foreign countries living in their district, he said. "The people from other states and foreign countries should not face any difficulty in terms of food, safety and medical treatment," he added.

In a statement issued here, chief secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari said people should stay wherever they are and not make any attempt to travel elsewhere.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday directed all district magistrates in the state to appoint a nodal officer at the district-level to help people from other states and foreign countries amid the ongoing lockdown.

Till date 258 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed. This includes 9 deaths and 65 discharges, the department said.

Two patients, a 55- year-old man from Kalaburagi and a 65-year-old man from Bengaluru urban had passed away last night. Eleven new positive cases have been reported in the state from Monday evening to this noon, including the person who died in Vijayapura.

The deceased was the husband of a patient who tested positive earlier. He expired at a designated hospital in Vijayapura, the department said in a mid-day situation update.

A 69-year-old man from Vijayapura​ became the ninth COVID-19 related fatality in Karnataka, where 11 new cases of the virus were confirmed, taking the total number of infections in the state to 258, the health department said on Tuesday.

The decision to resume construction works from 15 April in Uttar Pradesh stands cancelled in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation today, where he announced the extension of nationwide lockdown till 3 May, ANI reported quoting state Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

All five patients have been shifted to Jhinjhana isolation ward, she said, adding the places where these five stayed too have been sealed.

The three Tablighi Jamaat members belonged to Baghpat and were residing in a mosque in Kairana from where the district adminstration was able to track them down along with two of their contacts, said Kaur, adding all five tested positive for the infection.

With five more testing positive for the infection, the number of COVID-19 cases in the district has risen to 16, said Shamli District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur on Tuesday.

Five more persons have tested positive for coronavirus infection in Shamli district near here with three of them being participants to the Tablighi Jamaat meet in New Delhi's Nizamuddin and the two being their contacts.

"With no information when normalcy will return, when we could head back to our respective workplace is the question that remains unanswered and here, I receive an intimation from the school regarding the hike in fee. I was baffled that how would I be able to cope up? I am anxious to know about the school fee hike and transport fee hike which the school says is to meet the cost demands for the academic year 2020-21," said Pivit Joshi, whose son studies in a prominent school in Noida told PTI.

While the Gujarat government had on Monday announced that private schools will not hike fees for an year, the West Bengal government had appealed schools to refrain from hiking fees. However, no clear instructions have been issued on fee hike in Delhi-NCR.

While parents are waiting for a school fee waiver during the lockdown due to COVID-19 situation in the country, several schools have announced a fee hike adding to their woes. Parents have started an online petition to the HRD Ministry demanding a directive to schools for not implementing fee hike this academic session at least till schools reopen.

They should step out only to buy vegetables and food grains. People should remain safe by staying at home, the minister told reporters.

Drones will be used in densely-populated areas like this to give instructions to people that they should not step out of their homes unnecessarily, and cooperate with the police.

Deshmukh made the announcement through a loudspeaker attached to a drone that is being used to maintain vigil in densely-populated areas like the Koliwada, a fisherfolk village, and issue government instructions to residents.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday visited Worli Koliwada, one of the coronavirus hotspots in Mumbai, and urged locals to stay at home to contain the spread of the disease and cooperate with the police.

People flout norms of social distancing at Hoige Bazaar in Mangalore on Tuesday. The total number of positive cases in the state stands at 258 including 9 deaths.

The lone COVID-19 case from the district is a 38-year-old man from Lamera village who recently returned from the worst-hit Indore, he said. "With this, the coronavirus has expanded its footprint to 24 districts out of the total 52 districts in Madhya Pradesh," he said.

Tikamgarh in Madhya​ Pradesh has become the 24th district in the state to report a coronavirus positive case, an official said on Tuesday.

"The prime minister listed seven tasks that the people should implement during the extended lockdown. However, he did not spell out concretely what the government will do," it said.

It further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not lay down any plan of action that would be implemented during the lockdown.

"The experience of the three-week lockdown has shown the large-scale spread of hunger and inadequate shelter for a significant section of our people. It is imperative that the government must immediately implement a Rs 7500 ex-gratia cash transfer to all non-Income Tax paying families and resort to universal distribution of free food grains to all needy people. The central government must ensure that no starvation deaths occur," the party said in a statement.

The CPI on Tuesday said the extended lockdown till 3 May would further increase the sufferings of the poor and marginalised and accused the government of not laying down any concrete plans for this duration.

Two more COVID-19 cases were reported in Haryana on Tuesday and both patients belong to Faridabad, reported ANI. The total number of coronavirus positive cases in the state is now at 184, including 143 active cases, 39 discharged and 2 deaths, said Haryana Health Department.

"The central governemnt is about to receive the kits which have been imported, then we will get too. We will start working with it, the day we receive it," he added.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said that the state government hasn't received the rapid testing kits from the Centre yet, and that there is "great need for them".

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to address a video press conference on Tuesday at 5:30 pm on the coronavirus situation in the National Capital.

"An area where 1 or 2 positive cases are found is considered an 'Orange Zone'. It is monitored and declared a 'Red Zone' if more cases are found there," he said.

"We've made the criteria more stringent now. Earlier an area used to be declared a 'Red Zone' if 10 or more positive cases were found there. Now, if three cases are found in an area it'll be declared a 'Red Zone' and contained.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said that there are 47 'Red Zones' in the National Capital as of Tuesday.

Pune health officials said that four more deaths were reported in the city on Tuesday. The patients reportedly had co-morbidity. A total of 38 people have died in Pune till now.

"The labour department has issued a circular directing the private sector employers to abstain from layoffs or unpaid leaves during this countrywide lockdown. Employees would be paid wages on the due date without any deduction during this period," Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar tweeted last night.

The Karnataka labour department has directed private sector employers in the state not to lay off workers and pay them wages on the due date without any deduction during the lock down.

A 34-year-old nurse working with Pune's Sassoon Hospital tested positive for coronavirus on Monday, the hospital said. "She has been shifted to an isolation ward," said Dr Ajay Chandanwale, Dean of the hospital.

Reports quoted doctors of a hospital in Kashmir as saying that 13 COVID-19 patients have been dicharged, following their successful recovery.

The Uttar Pradesh government said that 17,585 FIRs have been registered and 22,632 vehicles have been seized for violation of the coronavirus lockdown. In action against fake news, 12 TikTok accounts, seven Facebook accounts, two Twitter accounts and one WhatsApp account have been blocked.

Meanwhile, Iran, which is one of the worst-hit countries, said that COVID-19 casualties have dropped below 100 for first time in month.

AFP reported that Spain on Tuesday reported 567 deaths from the coronavirus, which is a slight increase after a one-day decline, bringing the total number of fatalities to 18,056.

The BMC on Tuesday asked hospitals in Mumbai to hire medical staff like doctors, nurses, ward boys, and others on an "urgent basis" and suggested the remuneration to be given to the staff per month.

He added, "5.29 crore beneficiaries have been given free ration of food grains under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana. 3,985 MT of pulses have been dispatched to various states/union territories for distribution."

"As of yesterday, more than 32 crore poor people have been given direct cash support of Rs 29,352 crore under the package," said Rajesh Malhotra of the Ministry of Finance.

The Ministry of Finance on Tuesday said that the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package "is being monitored at the highest level". The scheme inlcudes measures for those affected by the COVID-19 lockdown, including food security.

"Additionally, we are ordering close to about 33 lakh kits for RT-PCR and 37 lakh rapid kits are expected to come at any point in time," said R Gangakhedkar of the ICMR.

"(The RT-PCR kits)...are far more sufficient in numbers, which would essentially mean that we would be able to cover ourselves for a long period of time," the statement said.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday said that in addition to the COVID-19 testing kits available in India that are expected to last for 6 weeks, a new installment of RT-PCR ​(Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) kits have also been received.

ICMR's R Gangakhedkhar on Tuesday said that until Monday 2,31,902 samples had been tested for coronavirus.

Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union health ministry said that so far, 1,036 people have been cured. On Monday, 179 people were diagnosed and found cured.

Reports said that two more deaths due to coronavirus were reported in Mumbai's densely-populated area, Dharavi, on Tuesday, taking the COVID-19 toll in the area to seven.

He added, "Under this, we are promoting the concept of behavioral change in terms of social distancing to break the chain of transmission."

"Our major effort is to see how to break the chain of transmission. If no new case is reported in an area for 28 days, the last case comes negative, then we believe that chain of transmission has broken there and no new cases are coming," said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry

Health workers of the Manorama Raje TB hospital in Indore, were quoted by ANI as saying, "We are 30 people with two in each room. Our rooms don't get cleaned and sanitised. We don't get proper food. One of our staff tested positive for COVID-19 but no precautionary measure has been taken for us."

News18 on Tuesday reported that the ICMR has approved the use of 'pool testing', which facilitates testing five samples together, as the number of COVID-19 cases in India crossed the 10,000-mark.

Detailing the measures taken by the state government to combat the spread of infection in the National Capita, he said that he is scheduled to visit a few COVID-19 hotspots in the city on Wednesday.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, addressing a video press conference on Tuesday, said that it was painful that people were engaging in communalism in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic crisis.

The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that 1,463 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, which is the sharpest ever rises in cases in India. The total tally of cases is now at 10,815, including 9,272 active cases, 1,190 cured/discharged/migrated and 353 deaths.

The Odisha government said that four more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Odisha on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 60 including one death and 18 cured/discharged.

A large group of migrant labourers gathered outside Bandra station in Mumbai on Tuesday, demanding permission to return to their native states. They were later dispersed after police and local leaders intervened and asked them to vacate.

Three people who had tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra's Sangli were cured and discharged on Tuesday. "25 out of the total 26 positive cases reported in Sangli have been cured and discharged so far. The one admitted in hospital is also stable," said Abhijeet Chaudhary, Sangli Collector.

There are 602 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals having 1,06,719 isolation beds and 12,024 ICU beds across the country, said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, on Tuesday.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to address the state at 8 pm on Tuesday, India Today reported. It is likely that he will speak about the migrant workers who are still stuck in cities like Mumbai and Pune, as the lockdown was extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Tuesday.

Soon after Mumbai Police lathicharged and dispersed a large crowd of migrant workers who thronged Bandra station seeking to go back to their native places on Tuesday, journalists criticised the police action and said that situation was " mismanaged ".

He said, "They don’t want food or shelter, they want to go back home. Right from the day the trains have been shut down, the state had requested trains to run for 24 hours more so that migrant labour could go back home. CM Uddhav Thackeray ji raised this issue in the PM-CM Video conference as well requesting a roadmap for migrant labour to reach home."

Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray said that the situation in which hundreds of migrant workers crowded the Bandra station seeking to go back to their native places on Tuesday was "a result of the Union Govt not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour."

The MCGM on Tuesday said that 204 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths were reported in Mumbai in the last 24 hours. The total number of positive cases in Mumbai rose to 1,753, including 111 deaths.

The MHA said that in pursuance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on Tuesday, the Centre issued orders prescribing extension of lockdown for containment of COVID-19 epidemic in the country, till 3 May 2020.

Two doctors from Delhi's RML hospital have tested positive for COVID-19. Both are admitted at the hospital for treatment. There is a possibility that both of them were exposed to COVID-19 positive cases. Contact tracing has started, the hospital's statement said.

Tamil Nadu health secretary Beela Rajesh said that the number of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) cases tested in the last 24 hours in the state is 69 and none of them have found to be positive.

However, the statement didn't provide details on how the authorities were planning to implement these measures for the migrant population stranded in the city as the coronavirus lockdown got further extended to 3 May.

Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said that the situation of migrant workers thronging the Mumbai's Bandra station seeking to go back to their native places on Tuesday has been "brought under control" and said that the state government will "ensure accommodation and food for them".

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said, "In past few days COVID-19 cases rose significantly. On 9 April, 51 cases were reported, 183 on 10 April, 166 on 11 April, 356 on 13 April. In last 2 months, many foreigners came to Delhi from affected nations. The Tablighi Jamaat event also took place. This too caused an additional burden."

The West Bengal government said that as of Tuesday, there were 120 active COVID-19 cases, an increase of 10 from Monday. Seven deaths due to the coronavirus have also been reported in the state, the statement said.

14 people from Kashmir have recovered. Total number of positive cases stands now at 278 in the Union Territory.

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday said that eight new cases of coronavirus were reported in the union territory on Tuesday, of which six are from Kashmir and two from Jammu.

Reports also said that Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray over the issue and expressed concern over it. "He stressed that such events weaken India’s fight against coronavirus and administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. He also offered his full support to Maharashtra government," News18 reported.

After criticisng the Centre over the thronging of migrant workers at Bandra station, Aaditya Thackeray said, "The Centre has taken immediate cognizance of issue and is assisting state actively. We understand the catch-22 situation Centre and states face.Thankful to the Prime Minister and Home Minister for understanding the situation, while trying to ensure safety of home states of migrants."

The statement added, "Local police officials went to the spot, talked to them and tried to convince them. During this, a section of the crowd turned violent so light force had to be used to bring them under control. Crowd was dispersed. Police is deployed there. Situation is normal and peaceful."

Speaking on the situation of migrant workers thronging at Bandra station in which the Mumbai Police reportedly lathicharged the crowd, a statement by the police said, "Today at 4 pm, around 1,500 people gathered at Bandra railway station premises. Many of them were migrant labourers. They were unhappy with the extension of the lockdown and wanted to go back to their homes. They had placed their demand before administration."

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, addressing a video conference on Tuesday said that the state government is planning to segregate hospitals in the state.

"This (Coronavirus) is a problem that has affected the whole world. Everyone is forced to observe all festivities at their homes. I want to thank Bhim Sainiks on Ambedkar Jayanti today, that they avoided gathering and observed the day from their homes," he said.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that he would like to thank supporters of BR Ambedkar for not gathering on his birth anniversary.

He also said, "Today Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and announced that the lockdown will be extended till 3 May. I thank Prime Minister for it, as I had suggested the same."

Uddhav Thackeray said that Maharashtra is "probably" conducting the highest number of COVID-19 tests. He added, "Mumbai has tested over 22,000 samples. 2,334 positive cases reported till today morning. 230 people — around 10 percent have recovered."

"We have 10 districts which have zero COVID-19 positive cases. We will maintain that and we will try that all districts are COVID-free as early as possible. Mumbai and Pune are hotspots and we are increasing our testing centers at these places. Containment zones are on prime focus for testing and sampling. We are trying to remove all supply related problems even from containment zones," he added.

Uddhav Thackeray said, "After COVID-19 outbreak ends, we will have an equally serious challenge which will be the revival of the economy in the state. Therefore, we have formed committees which will prepare the plans for its revival."

Thackeray's address came soon after hundreds of workers thronged the Bandra station in an attempt to get back to their native places at the end of the first phase of the COVID-19 lockdown.

"Today what happened in Bandra was unfortunate. It might have happened because they thought that trains will start from 14 April and so they would be able to go back to their villages," he added.

Addressing them, he said, "Nobody wants that you stay in lock-up without your will. Lockdown doesn't mean lock-up. It is our country. You're safe in my state and don't worry. The day when lockdown will be lifted, not only me, but Centre also will make arrangements for you."

Assuring migrant workers who are still stranded in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray said that they should stay put without fear and that the extension of the lockdown "didn't mean that they were locked up".

"Since some of them were complaining about food, we have called an NGO and immediately brought food packets for them. The situation is now under control," a police officer at the spot told reporters.

Hundreds of migrant workers gathered in Surat on Tuesday evening, demanding that they be sent to their native places despite lockdown, PTI reported. The migrant workers gathered in Varachha area of Surat city and sat on a road demanding that they should be allowed to go to their native places, police said.

The protesting migrants allegedly resorted to arson and vandalised vegetables carts and other shops in the Laskana area in Surat

On Friday, 81 people were arrested for violating lockdown and on charges of rioting in the city. "The workers resorted to violence after many of them were not paid their salaries for March and also denied permission by the authorities to go back to their native places," the report said.

Migrants working in the textile industry in Surat on Tuesday protested by squatting on roads in the Varachcha area of the city as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the nationwide lockdown which was coming to an end today, will now be extended till 3 May. This is the third such incident of migrant workers taking to the streets in Surat since the lockdown began, Hindustan Times reported , and the second such incident in less than a week.

Three new COVID-19 cases were reported in Jharkhand, state health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni said on Tuesday. Two are from Ranchi's Hindpiri and one is from Simdega. The total number of positive cases in the state rose to 27.

Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said that strict action will be taken against those who spread the rumour that trains will start on 14 April. His statement is regarding the situation that occured at Bandra station on Tuesday evening, where in hundreds of migrant workers thronged to the station demanding to be sent home.

Number of containment zones in Delhi on Tuesday increased to 55 after seven more areas were included in the list.

The Gujarat health department said that two more deaths due to coronavirus were reported in the state on Tuesday, taking the toll to 28. Meanwhile, 33 new cases were reported, taking the total number of cases to 650 including 59 recovered/discharged.

He added, "We've decided to focus on these areas to control spread of coronavirus. From 6 am tomorrow till 21 April. Curfew to remain imposed in Danilimda, Jamalpur and Dariyapur. From 1 to 4 pm daily curfew will be lifted but only women of these areas will be given this freedom."

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said that Ahmedabad district has more than 350 coronavirus, which accounts for more than 50 percent cases in the state. "To be particular the cases are from the walled city and Danilimda area," he said.

The Pune municipal corporation said that 17 health workers, including three resident doctors, of the state-run Sonawane Maternity Home have been put under quarantine after a pregnant lady being treated in the hospital tested positive for COVID-19.

He said, "Labourers gathered and wanted to go back to their home states. We explained to them that lockdown is extended so no vehicular movement is possible. They also complained that they're not getting food. We called an agency which is serving food. We're requesting people to take it."

DCP Surat on Tuesday said that protesting migrant workers in the city have been given food.

ANI reported that a case has been registered at Bandra police station under sections 143, 147, 149, 186, 188 of IPC read with Section 3 of Epidemic Act against 800-1,000 unidentified people in connection with the incident of gathering in Bandra on Tuesday evening.

The Andhra Pradesh governemnt said that the total number of coronavirus cases in the state stand at 483, including 16 discharged people and nine deaths.

Nine people have passed away in the state so far, reports said,

A 56-year-old doctor who tested positive for coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh passed away on Tuesday, reports said. He is a contact case, reports said.

The Rajasthan government said that 108 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, out of which 83 are from Jaipur. Total number of cases in the state stands at 1,005.

Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said that an MLA of the party has tested positive for coronavirus in the state.

The Delhi government said that 51 new coronavirus cases were reported in Delhi on Tuesday, including nine positive cases. The total number of positive cases in the National Capital now stands at 1,561, including 1,080 positive cases.

The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday said that all passenger train services are fully cancelled, across the nation, till 3 May 2020 and there is no plan to run any special train to clear the passenger rush.

Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that a woman from Dhubri has tested positive for COVID-19. She is wife of a COVID-19 positive person who is connected both with Nizamuddin Markaz, and Athgaon Kabristan congregation in Guwahati. The number of patients is now 32.

The Telangana government said that 52 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 644 including 18 deaths and 110 cured/discharged

The Bengaluru municipal corporation said that 38 hotspots have been declared in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

According to Punjab chief Ssecretary KBS Sidhu, a COVID-19 patient undergoing treatment in Punjab's Gurdaspur is being shifted to Amritsar after the patient's health deteriorated.

France on Tuesday reported 762 more coronavirus deaths, taking the total toll to 15,729, AFP news agency reported, quoting an official.

The Delhi government said that 51 new coronavirus cases were reported in Delhi on Tuesday, including nine positive cases. The total number of positive cases in the National Capital now stands at 1,561, including 1,080 positive cases.

I appeal to all twitter armies who tweeted, and to those who responded to bandra incident in a polarised, political or communal way, let’s not do that. This is a time for focus. Join hands, we’re all in this together

The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday said that all passenger train services are fully cancelled, across the nation, till 3 May 2020 and there is no plan to run any special train to clear the passenger rush.

Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that a woman from Dhubri has tested positive for COVID-19. She is wife of a COVID-19 positive person who is connected both with Nizamuddin Markaz, and Athgaon Kabristan congregation in Guwahati. The number of patients is now 32.

The Telangana government said that 52 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 644 including 18 deaths and 110 cured/discharged

The Bengaluru municipal corporation said that 38 hotspots have been declared in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

All the balcony people take a long and hard look at the ground. First it was Delhi, now Mumbai. The migrant crisis is a time bomb that must be defused before it becomes a crisis bigger than Corona. Balcony government must keep their eyes on what's happening on the ground too.

According to Punjab chief Ssecretary KBS Sidhu, a COVID-19 patient undergoing treatment in Punjab's Gurdaspur is being shifted to Amritsar after the patient's health deteriorated.

France on Tuesday reported 762 more coronavirus deaths, taking the total toll to 15,729, AFP news agency reported, quoting an official.

Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: The Rajasthan government said that 108 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, out of which 83 are from Jaipur. Total number of cases in the state stands at 1,005.

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said that Ahmedabad district has more than 350 coronavirus, which accounts for more than 50 percent cases in the state. "To be particular the cases are from the walled city and Danilimda area," he said.

He added, "We've decided to focus on these areas to control spread of coronavirus. From 6 am tomorrow till 21 April. Curfew to remain imposed in Danilimda, Jamalpur and Dariyapur. From 1 to 4 pm daily curfew will be lifted but only women of these areas will be given this freedom."

Assuring migrant workers who are still stranded in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray said that they should stay put without fear and that the extension of the lockdown "didn't mean that they were locked up".

Addressing them, he said, "Nobody wants that you stay in lock-up without your will. Lockdown doesn't mean lock-up. It is our country. You're safe in my state and don't worry. The day when lockdown will be lifted, not only me, but Centre also will make arrangements for you."

Thackeray's address came soon after hundreds of workers thronged the Bandra station in an attempt to get back to their native places at the end of the first phase of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to address the state at 8 pm on Tuesday, India Today reported. It is likely that he will speak about the migrant workers who are still stuck in cities like Mumbai and Pune, as the lockdown was extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Tuesday.

Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray said that the situation in which hundreds of migrant workers crowded the Bandra station seeking to go back to their native places on Tuesday was "a result of the Union Govt not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour."

He said, "They don’t want food or shelter, they want to go back home. Right from the day the trains have been shut down, the state had requested trains to run for 24 hours more so that migrant labour could go back home. CM Uddhav Thackeray ji raised this issue in the PM-CM Video conference as well requesting a roadmap for migrant labour to reach home."

A large group of migrant labourers gathered outside Bandra station in Mumbai on Tuesday, demanding permission to return to their native states. They were later dispersed after police and local leaders intervened and asked them to vacate.

The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that 1,463 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, which is the sharpest ever rises in cases in India. The total tally of cases is now at 10,815, including 9,272 active cases, 1,190 cured/discharged/migrated and 353 deaths.

The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that with 1,211 fresh cases of coronavirus reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country has reached 10,363 including 339 deaths.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday said that in addition to the COVID-19 testing kits available in India that are expected to last for 6 weeks, a new installment of RT-PCR ​(Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) kits have also been received.

"(The RT-PCR kits)...are far more sufficient in numbers, which would essentially mean that we would be able to cover ourselves for a long period of time," the statement said.

"Additionally, we are ordering close to about 33 lakh kits for RT-PCR and 37 lakh rapid kits are expected to come at any point in time," said R Gangakhedkar of the ICMR.

The BMC on Tuesday asked hospitals in Mumbai to hire medical staff like doctors, nurses, ward boys, and others on an "urgent basis" and suggested the remuneration to be given to the staff per month.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to address a video press conference on Tuesday at 5:30 pm on the coronavirus situation in the National Capital.

The CPI on Tuesday said the extended lockdown till 3 May would further increase the sufferings of the poor and marginalised and accused the government of not laying down any concrete plans for this duration. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Health Department reported a rise of 72 new cases out of which 71 were registered in Jaipur and one in Jhunjhunu.

Five more persons have tested positive for coronavirus infection in Shamli district near here with three of them being participants to the Tablighi Jamaat meet in New Delhi's Nizamuddin and the two being their contacts. With five more testing positive for the infection, the number of COVID-19 cases in the district has risen to 16, said Shamli District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur on Tuesday.

A 69-year-old man from Vijayapura​ became the ninth COVID-19 related fatality in Karnataka, where 11 new cases of the virus were confirmed, taking the total number of infections in the state to 258, the health department said on Tuesday.

The Indian Railways on Tuesday said full refund would automatically be provided to its online customers for trains cancelled up to 3 May, while those who have booked at the counters can take refund till 31 July. Customers will also get full refunds of their tickets if they are cancelling their advance bookings for trains not yet cancelled, it said.

The Labour Ministry on Tuesday said it has set up 20 control rooms on pan-India basis to address wage-related grievances and to mitigate problems faced by migrant workers amid the lockdown period to contain the COVID-19 crisis. The Prime Minister has announced extension of the nationwide lockdown till 3 May with conditional relaxation from 20 April in some areas on the basis of evaluation of the situation.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maharashtra rose to 2,455 after 121 new cases were reported today. Meanwhile, airlines are railways announced suspension of services till 3 May, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered extension of the nationwide lockdown.

The Indian Railways has extended the suspension of its passenger services till 3 May, senior officials said on Tuesday. They said the decision was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till 3 May to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the lockdown has been extended till 3 May, and that coronavirus should be curbed at every level. The government will put out detailed guidelines, said the prime minister. Narendra Modi assures that there is enough ration and stock of essential commodities in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am today, on the last day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown imposed with the aim to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19.

A total number of 10,363 cases of coronavirus have been reported in India. So far, 339 people have succumbed to the infection in the country, while 1,035 patients have been cured. There are 8,988 active cases in the country, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The ministry also said that 1211 new cases and 31 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours.

Hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in a video message on Tuesday morning praised those at the forefront in the fight against coronavirus - doctors, sanitation workers, policemen - and said they were fighting the pandemic despite the lack of resources.

The Meghalaya government has imposed 48 hours curfew in Shillong with the first case of coronavirus being detected in the state capital on 12 April, according to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.

The Union health ministry on Monday said that 905 new COVID-19 cases and 51 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 9,352 and deaths to 324.

In what comes as a positive development on the penultimate day of a nationwide lockdown, 25 districts across 15 states which had detected COVID-19 infections earlier have contained the spread and reported no new cases in 14 days, the ministry said.

The districts are Gondia (Maharashtra), Raj Nand Gaon (Chhattisgarh), Davangiri (Karnataka), South Goa, Wayanad and Kottayam (Kerala), West Imphal (Manipur), Rajouri (J&K), Aizwal West (Mizoram), Mahe in Puducherry, SBS Nagar in Punjab, Patna, Nalanda and Munger in Bihar, Pratapgarh in Rajasthan, Panipat, Rohtak and Sirsa in Haryana, Pauri Garhwal in Uttrakhand and Bhadradari Kothagudem in Telangana.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am on Tuesday and is likely to talk about the further course of action to deal with the crisis posed by virus.

Cases in Maharashtra cross 2,000, count in Delhi up to 1,154

As many as 25 staff members of Mumbai's Bhatia hospital tested positive for coronavirus and number of cases in the city has reached 1549. The number of those who have died has reached 100 in the city.

Maharashtra with 2,064 cases continues to be the worst affected followed by Delhi with 1,154 cases and Tamil Nadu with 1075 cases. The number of containment zones in Delhi has been increased to 47.

New cases have been reported from several states including Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Nagaland reported its first COVID-19 case following which several localities and a hospital in Dimapur have been sealed.

Uttarakhand Health Department said that no new positive COVID-19 case emerged in the state for the fifth day in a row.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said 2,06,212 COVID-19 tests were conducted till Sunday. "Of these 14,855 tests took place at 156 government labs and 1,913 tests happened at 69 private labs on Sunday," ICMR's head scientist Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar said at the daily media briefing on COVID-19 situation.

"At the pace at which we are conducting tests today, we have a stock with which we can conduct tests for the next six weeks easily," the ICMR official said.

He said a consignment of COVID-19 kits is expected to arrive from China on 15 April.

Administrative measures

The Union Health Ministry informed that 78,000 self-help group members of 27 states have produced 1.96 crore masks under the State Rural Livelihood Missions.

"Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna package, over 30,000 poor people have been provided financial support of Rs 28,256 crore during the lockdown up to April 10. This includes support of Rs 19.86 crore to Jan Dhan Yojna women account holders who were transferred Rs 9,930 crores.

"Under the PM Kisan Yojna, 6.93 crore farmers have been provided support of Rs 13,855 crore. Under social assistance programmes 2.82 crore widows, senior citizens and disabled have been provided support of Rs 1,405 crore," Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Union health ministry, said.

Agarwal also said that the Core Strategy Group on COVID-19 was working on rapid and economical diagnostics as well as new drugs.

"The group has been formed, based on a detailed review of COVID-19 research, undertaken by Union Health Minister Harshvardhan along with CSIR and its 38 labs. The group is working on digital and molecular surveillance, rapid and economical diagnostics, new drugs, repurposing of drugs and associated production processes," he said.

In Delhi, traders at Delhi's Azadpur Mandi have been told to follow the odd-even rule according to their shed numbers to maintain social distancing. There will be staggered time for sale of vegetables and fruits in the mandis.

The Chandigarh government said all government schools and government-aided schools will be having summer vacations from 15 April till 15 May. The private schools will be advised to synchronise the same.

Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government has started a helpline through which we want to connect non-resident Assamese.

"They can call 9615471547, we'll register them. Once registered, we'll transfer an amount which will help them in surviving in another state till lockdown is completely lifted. We have also started an initiative to help the people who are stuck in different countries. To those residents of Assam, we have transferred $ 1,000."

He added, "Another initiative was to help critically ill patients, like those suffering from cancer, kidney and liver ailment. We have transferred Rs 25,000 each to all those patients so that they can continue to get treatment wherever they are today."

Global picture

The global toll of the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 1,14,539 on Monday, according to the AFP tally.

"More than 1,853,300 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. Of these cases, at least 395,000 are now considered recovered," India Today reported.

Spain, one of the countries worst hit by the global coronavirus epidemic, on Monday started to ease tough lockdown restrictions that have kept people confined to their homes for more than a month and put a brake on economic activity, Reuters reported.

Spain’s cumulative death toll from the coronavirus rose to 17,489 on Monday, up 517 from 16,972 on Sunday, the Spanish health ministry said. Confirmed cases totalled 169,496, up from 166,019 the previous day.

However, this was the smallest proportional daily increase in the number of deaths and new infections.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is recuperating from his Covid-19 hospitalisation at his country retreat of Chequers, where he has been joined by his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds.

Downing Street has said that the prime minister would not be returning to work immediately and will be based at the sprawling 1,000-acre estate in Buckinghamshire, south-east England, for a recovery period on medical advice.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab continues to deputise for Johnson as the UK entered a fourth week in lockdown on Monday and the country's total coronavirus death toll hit 10,612. UK ministers are required by law to review the strict social distancing measures by Thursday.

In a video message issued after his discharge from St Thomas' Hospital in London on Sunday, Johnson, 55, urged the public to continue to follow the stay-at-home advice in the ongoing fight against coronavirus.

With inputs from agencies