Here are the top updates from Sunday:

  1. Fully vaccinated people will be allowed to travel in local trains in Mumbai from August 15, ANI reported quoting Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
  2. India reported 39,070 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally of infections to 3,19,34,455 since the pandemic broke out in January last year. The toll rose to 4,27,862 with more 491 deaths in the last 24 hours, while the number of active cases stood at 4,06,822.
  3. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority allowed schools in the city to reopen partially for students of Classes 10 and 12 from August 9, ANI reported. However, no regular classes will be held and students will be allowed to go to schools only for counseling, guidance and practical activities related to board exams, the DDMA order stated.
  4. The Haryana government lifted all timing-related restrictions on restaurants, malls and shops in the state, PTI reported. However, other existing restrictions under the coronavirus lockdown in the state have been extended till August 23. The relaxed guidelines will come into effect from 5 am on Monday.
  5. Days after the Central Information Commission directed the Centre to share details about a medical oxygen committee in response to a Right to Information request, the government said that no such panel was set up during the pandemic, The Hindu reported. The Centre’s response was despite an order issued on April 4 last year, which showed that a nine-member panel was set up to “ensure adequate supply of oxygen” during the Covid crisis.
  6. Kerala, the top contributor of new cases among all states, recorded 18,607 new infections, The Times of India reported.
  7. Beneficiaries of the Covid-19 shots will now be able to get their vaccination certificates on messaging platform WhatsApp, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said. Those who receive the jabs, will have to type “Covid certificate” and send the text to the phone number – 9013151515. They will then receive a one time password, or OTP, using which they can access their certificates.
  8. Australia’s three most populous states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland reported 282 new cases of coronavirus as authorities were struggling to quell outbreaks of the Delta variant, Reuters reported.
  9. The average daily cases in the United States went past the one lakh-mark for the first time since February 11 due to spread of the Delta variant of the infection, CNN reported.
  10.   Globally, Covid-19 has infected more than 20.24 crore people and caused 42.91 lakh deaths since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.