Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan is likely to take oath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister at 7 pm on Monday, three days after Congress leader Kamal Nath resigned from the post. The Nath-led Congress government was on the brink of a collapse since 22 of its MLAs resigned on March 10 after the resignation of senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who later joined the BJP.
The Centre announced on Monday that all domestic flights will be suspended from Tuesday midnight as the number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 415.
The World Health Organization said that countries cannot just go under lockdown to combat coronavirus, and that public health measures are required to avoid an outbreak later. This came on the day the Indian government shut down nearly 80 districts across the country that have positive cases of the virus and deaths due to it.
Coronavirus: Domestic flights to be suspended from Wednesday
No domestic commercial flights will operate in India from Wednesday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Monday as the number of COVID-19 cases in India rose to 415. Domestic scheduled commercial airlines have been asked to cease operations from 11.59 pm on Tuesday. The operation of domestic cargo flights, however, will, continue as usual.
Coronavirus: 19 states go under complete lockdown, Centre urges legal action against violators
As many as 19 out of 37 states and Union Territories of India have issued complete lockdown orders ever since a directive given by the Centre on Sunday evening to take steps to contain the spread of the COVID-19 infection. Six states have imposed a lockdown in some areas, while three have ordered the shutdown of some specific activities, the Health Ministry said in its daily press briefing on Monday.
COVID-19: Will provide special parole to convicts to reduce crowding in jails, Delhi tells HC
The Aam Aadmi Party government told the Delhi High Court on Monday that it will provide convicts the options of getting special parole and furlough to reduce the risk of coronavirus infections in crowded prisons, PTI reported.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan likely to take oath as Madhya Pradesh chief minister at 7 pm
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan is likely to take oath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister at 7pm on Monday, NDTV reported. The move came three days after Congress leader Kamal Nath stepped down from the post.
Coronavirus: Ensure passengers are on alternate seats during flights, DGCA tells airlines
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Monday issued a set of guidelines on social distancing to all domestic air carriers amid the escalating coronavirus outbreak, asking them to ensure that passengers are seated in alternate seats during flights, ANI reported.
Coronavirus: Bengaluru Police mark 5,000 under home quarantine, warn violators of arrest
Bengaluru Police on Monday said 5,000 people were marked with stamps to indicate that they had to follow home quarantine, and added that violators of the rule will be arrested. The Union health ministry has confirmed 26 coronavirus cases in Karnataka, out of which two people have recovered, and a 76-year-old man in Kalaburagi district died.
Coronavirus: Over 150 IRS trainees asked to vacate Nagpur academy amid lockdown
More than 150 Indian Revenue Service trainees at the National Academy of Direct Taxes in Nagpur, Maharashtra, were on Sunday asked to leave the campus and go back to their homes even though public transport services have been suspended across states as the number of coronavirus cases in India reaches 415.
Coronavirus: Nearly half of Rajasthan’s total cases reported from Bhilwara city
In Rajasthan, where 27 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported, Bhilwara city has become a cause of serious concern for authorities. Situated over 250 km from the capital Jaipur, the city has become a hotbed for the infection – it has 12 of the total 25 cases in the state, according to BBC.
Coronavirus: Protestors in ‘Mumbai Bagh’ and Lucknow temporarily call off anti-CAA protest
A group of protestors participating in a round-the-clock sit-in against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens at the clock tower in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, have temporarily called off their protest on Monday due to coronavirus, reported PTI. At least 80 Indian districts with confirmed coronavirus cases or deaths went into lockdown after the toll in the country rose to seven, and nearly 400 people were infected.
Coronavirus: Supreme Court bars entry, to take up urgent cases through video-conferencing
The Supreme Court on Monday barred entry into its premises, and said that urgent matters will be taken up through video-conferencing that will connect with lawyers’ offices. The development came as the number of Indian Council of Medical Research-confirmed cases in India went up to 415 this morning, and the Centre directed states to enforce strict lockdown measures.
Coronavirus: Ola, Uber suspend services in cities under lockdown
Ride-hailing companies Uber and Ola have said that they will suspend services in accordance with the government’s decision to put several districts across India under lockdown to contain the alarming spread of coronavirus.
Coronavirus: Many people not taking lockdown seriously, says PM Modi; Delhi CM appeals for support
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said many people were not taking the lockdown in around 80 districts of the country seriously, and urged people to save themselves and their family. The Centre on Sunday asked states to make sure appropriate orders were sent out to allow only essential services to function in those districts that have reported confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.
Coronavirus: Trading stopped for 45 minutes as Sensex falls 10% to lower circuit
Indian benchmark indices began Monday by taking over from last week’s downward slump amid rising coronavirus cases in the country. Trading was stopped for 45 minutes after the BSE Sensex fell to its 10% lower lower circuit level amid sell-off.
In early trade, the Sensex plunged 2,992 points to hover around 26,920. The Nifty50 index went below the 8,000-mark, falling 9.63% to 7,903.
COVID-19: Indian kits, without US or European approval, may not be fit for testing, says report
The Union health ministry’s guidelines for COVID-19 testing in private laboratories has complicated matters for Indian manufacturers as only the United States Food and Drug Administration or European Conformitè Europëenne (CE) certified kits was mandated for use, The Times of India reported on Monday. These guidelines, released by the ministry on Saturday, excluded all the Indian National Virology Institute-validated test kits.
Lockdowns not enough to combat virus, says WHO’s top emergency expert
The World Health Organization on Sunday said that countries cannot just go under lockdown to combat coronavirus, and that public health measures are required to avoid an outbreak later, Reuters reported. This came on the day the Indian government shut down nearly 80 districts across the country that have positive cases of the virus and deaths due to it.
Coronavirus: Nearly 400 cases confirmed in India, trading stopped for 45 minutes as Sensex drops 10%
At least 80 Indian districts that have confirmed coronavirus cases or deaths went into lockdown on Monday. COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has killed seven people and infected nearly 400 people in India. According to the Union health ministry, there are 390 confirmed cases of the virus in the country, of which 359 are active. However, the Indian Council of Medical Research’s last update said a total of 396 people were infected as of Sunday evening.
Coronavirus: What you need to know about the lockdown in dozens of districts of India
The Centre on Sunday advised state governments to issue appropriate orders to allow only essential services to operate in around 80 districts of India that have reported confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. This amounts to a lockdown for these respective districts as no trains, metros and interstate buses will not be allowed to operate from Monday till March 31. Only essential services will be allowed to run.
The districts include Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai among others. See the full list here.
Chhattisgarh: Bodies of 17 security personnel found a day after encounter with Maoists in Sukma
The bodies of 17 security personnel, who went missing after an encounter with Maoists in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, were found on Sunday, Hindustan Times reported. Police said they found the bodies of the state police personnel in the Minpa jungles of Sukma a day after the encounter took place.
“Seventeen bodies of jawans of state police has been recovered by the rescue teams sent in the jungle till now,” said Chhattisgarh’s Director General of Police DM Awasthi said. He added that the encounter began at around 1 pm on Saturday near Korajguda hills in Chintagufa area when a joint team of security forces were out on an anti-Maoist operation.
Petrol bomb thrown at Shaheen Bagh, police suspect internal feud over coronavirus
A petrol bomb was hurled by an unidentified person on Sunday at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh locality, where hundreds of women have peacefully protested against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens at Shaheen Bagh for over three months, PTI reported. On Sunday, reports said only a handful of women congregated at Shaheen Bagh.