1. The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 24,942, and the toll to 779 on Saturday evening, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. As many as 5,209 patients have been cured so far. Saturday’s rise of 1,490 cases was the lowest daily percentage rise in cases since the country hit 100 infections.
  2. The Centre eased lockdown curbs to allow standalone shops in residential areas to open with conditions. However, the relaxations will not apply to shops in malls, coronavirus hotspots and containment zones. “It would be mandatory for all permitted shops to open only with 50% strength of workers, ensure compulsory wearing of masks and strict adherence to social distancing norms,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in its order.
  3. China rejected global calls for an independent international investigation into the origins of the virus. A top Chinese diplomat in the United Kingdom claimed that such demands were political in nature. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said America will make sure the entire world knows that the virus originated in Wuhan city in China.
  4. The World Health Organization said there is no evidence that people cured of Covid-19 cannot be reinfected with the virus. The United Nations agency warned governments against issuing “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” to infected people who have recovered.
  5. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath banned public gatherings in the state till June 30. The chief minister also directed people to perform prayers at home with the beginning of Ramzan.  
  6. There was panic buying in some cities in Tamil Nadu, which will go under an “intense lockdown” for three to four days from Sunday. Only extremely essential services such as medical shops, hospitals and ATMs will be open in the cities of Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem and Tirupur during these days.
  7. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Congress leaders criticised the Narendra Modi government’s decision to cancel the dearness allowance of pensioners, government employees and soldiers. The party castigated the Bharatiya Janata Party for continuing with Central Vista project to reconstruct an iconic section of New Delhi, while cutting into the allowances of government servants during the crisis.
  8. The total from the coronavirus pandemic crossed 50,000 in the United States. The country has over 8,75,000 confirmed cases and over 3,000 deaths were reported in a single day on Friday.
  9. The number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai’s Dharavi reported on Saturday declined to seven, as extensive screening continues in Asia’s largest slum. On Friday, the slum had reported 25 cases. However, Maharashtra reported 811 new cases and 22 new deaths, taking its total number of cases to 7,628 and deaths to 323.
  10. Globally, the total number of cases rose to over 28.3 lakh, and the number of deaths to 1.98 lakh by Saturday evening. The virus is now present in 185 countries or territories across the globe.