Coronavirus: Maharashtra's tally crosses 37,000; Railways to run 200 more trains from June 1

10.54 pm: Here are the top updates of the day:

1. The total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 1,01,139 on Tuesday, and the toll to 3,163. As many as 4,970 new patients were added in the last 24 hours and 134 people died. Maharashtra reported 2,100 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the overall tally to 37,158, while Tamil Nadu’s count rose to 12,448.
2. The Indian railways announced that it will run 200 non-AC trains from June 1 besides the shramik special trains.
3. United States President Donald Trump once again threatened to cut funding to the World Health Organization, accusing it of being a “puppet” of China. Trump said the United States pays around $450 million (over Rs 3,400 crore) annually to the global health organisation. He said his government was making plans to slash this amount because “we’re not treated right”.
4. Globally, the coronavirus has infected over 48 lakh people, and killed more than 3.18 lakh as of Tuesday morning, according to a tracker by the Johns Hopkins University.

10.49 pm: The Karnataka government issues a standard operating procedure for the operation of salons and barber shops.

9.45 pm: The Indian railways will run 200 trains from next month, the ministry announces. “Apart from these Shramik Special trains, Indian Railways is going to run 200 additional time table trains daily from June 1, which will be non-air conditioned second class trains and booking of these trains will be available online. Information of trains will be made available soon.”

9.20 pm: Mumbai records 1,411 new positive cases and 43 deaths on Tuesday, ANI reports. This takes the total number of cases to 22,563 and the toll to 800.

8.45 pm: The Uttar Pradesh police detain state Congress Committee chief Ajay Kumar Lallu and Priyanka Gandhi’s secretary Sandeep Singh for holding a protest along with other party members on the Bharatpur-Agra highway demanding that buses should be allowed to move towards Noida and Ghaziabad from the border, ANI reports.

The Congress and the Adityanath government have been involved in a fight over the provision of buses to ferry migrants.

7.55 pm: Former Union minister P Chidambaram said his thoughts were with the people of Kashmir, who are in a “terrible lockdown within a lockdown”.

“The worst sufferers are Mehbooba Mufti and her senior colleagues who are still in detention in a locked down state in a locked down country,” he said earlier in the day. “They are deprived of every human right. At least now, people in the rest of India will understand the enormity of the injustice done to those who were detained and those who are still under detention.”

7.53 pm: Maharashtra reports 2,100 new Covid-19 cases, taking the overall tally to 37,158, Health Minister Rajesh Tope says, according to PTI. As many as 9,639 people have been discharged so far.

7.50 pm: Tamil Nadu reports 601 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths on Tuesday. The total cases in the state rises to 12,448 and toll is 84.

7.43 pm: More than 30 cases were registered and 1,896 people detained in Delhi on Tuesday for violating lockdown norms, PTI reports.

7.36 pm: West Bengal reports 136 new cases, taking the total number of positive cases to 2,961. The toll is 178.

7.30 pm: The Federation of Western India Cine Employees writes to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray seeking permission to restart post-production activities, PTI reports.

“We would like to bring to your kind notice that there are numerous projects of the Media and Entertainment Industry which are halted due to lockdown and can be completed soon as only the post production activities such as editing, sound recording, music recording and others are pending,” the letter says. “If permissions are given to carry out such post production activities of these projects, which can be done in closed studios with minimum workforce, it would be great relief to the producers who have poured in huge funds and that they shall be all set to release their projects immediately after the lockdown is lifted.”

7.20 pm: The European Union urges all countries to support the World Health Organization after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut funding, AP reports. Global cooperation was “the only effective and viable option to win this battle”, European Commission spokesperson Virginie Battu-Henriksson says. She adds that this is the time for solidarity and not for “finger pointing or undermining” multilateral cooperation.

7.13 pm: India has a mortality rate of around 0.2 per lakh population as against the world average of 4.1 per lakh population, the Centre says.

7.05 pm: More cases reported today:

Assam: six new positive cases, total rises to 141,

Haryana: 36 new cases, total rises to 964; toll stands at 14,

Punjab: 22 new positive cases, total rises to 2,002 cases; toll now 38.

7.02 pm: A total of 1,08,233 samples were tested on Monday in India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare says. With this, a total of 24,25,742 samples have been tested.

7 pm: Five new coronavirus cases were reported in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, taking the state’s tally to 100, ANI reports.

6.45 pm: The Delhi Transport Corporation resumed its bus services today. Only 20 passengers are allowed in a bus at a time and wearing a mask is mandatory.

6.40 pm: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday revised its protocol for sealing buildings where coronavirus cases are detected and said that the entire building need not be sealed. “Only that particular floor can be sealed as decided by BMC authority,” the civic body said in a statement. However, it may decide to seal the entire building if necessary.

6.35 pm: The Maharashtra police have filed a case against a BJP MLC in Beed district for entering a containment zone in Ashti city, PTI reports. “Suresh Dhas entered Patan Sangvi, a containment zone in his constituency, and met residents of the sealed area on Monday morning,” Ashti police station in-charge Madhav Suyavanshi says.

6.30 pm: On Tuesday, Russia registered 9,263 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 2,99,941, The Moscow Times reports.It is now the second most-affected country, after the United States. The toll is 2,837.

6.20 pm: Nine more Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport employees test positive for the coronavirus in Mumbai. A total of 137 employees from BEST have now tested positive, ANI reports.

6.10 pm: The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday said the consent of home states of migrants would no longer be required for the special trains that are ferrying them amid the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. The decision came hours after the Ministry of Home Affairs released a revised standard operating procedure for the railways to run the shramik special trains. In its new guidelines, the home ministry said the railways would be required to consult with it to allow the movement of the special trains. The schedule of the trains, including stoppages and destination, will also be finalised by the railways based on the states’ requirements.

Read more here:

Coronavirus: States’ consent no longer needed to operate special trains for migrants, says Centre

6 pm: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday expressed concern over the Ministry of Human Resource Development’s decision to conduct the pending Central Board of Secondary Education exams in the Capital amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Read more here:

Covid-19: Conduct CBSE exams with all hygiene protocols, health minister tells HRD ministry

5.55 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday made arrangements to send back migrant workers and the bodies of migrants who died separately. This came after photos showed that labourers were being transported in a truck that also carried the bodies of those who died in the Auriya crash on Saturday, sparking public outrage. Pictures showed two men resting their heads on the sides of an open truck, as bodies wrapped in black tarpaulin sheets lay next to them.

Read more here:

After migrants travelling on same truck with corpses sparks outrage, UP sends them back separately

5.47 pm: Number of cases in Himachal Pradesh rise to 90, ANI reports.

5.37 pm: Twelve new Covid-19 cases reported in Kerala today, says Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Four people returned from foreign countries and eight from other states. With this, the total positive cases in the state rises to 642. Of these, 142 are active cases.

5.35 pm: The Central Reserve Police Force says one positive case was reported from Delhi and 28 personnel recovered on Tuesday. There are now 89 active cases in the force, 205 people have recovered and one person has died.

5.33 pm: Cases reported today:

Uttar Pradesh: 142 new cases, total rises to 4,748; toll stands at 118

Dharavi, Mumbai: 26 new cases, total rises to 1,353; toll now 56

Karnataka: 149 new cases, total rises to 1,395; toll now 41

Jharkhand: Two new cases, total rises to 233.

5.20 pm: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has resumed work after recovering from the coronavirus infection, AP reports. He had announced his illness on April 30.

Several Cabinet ministers and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov have also been infected.

5.19 pm: At least 67 personnel from the State Reserve Police Force in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district have recovered from Covid-19, PTI reports. “The jawans have recovered from the infection and will be quarantined for seven days,” an official says. “The condition of the remaining personnel, who are still under treatment, is stable and they will be discharged soon.”

5.15 pm: The Jammu and Kashmir government issues revised guidelines for lockdown 4.0.

5.10 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee confirms her participation in a meeting of Opposition parties to discuss the Covid-19 crisis, PTI reports.

5.05 pm: Chandigarh reports three new positive cases, taking the total positive cases in the Union Territory to 199. Three people have died so far, ANI reports.

5 pm: The Delhi Traffic Police have issued more than one lakh notices through SMS and speed post for compoundable offences captured on camera since the first phase of the lockdown, PTI reports.

4.55 pm: An employee at filmmaker Boney Kapoor’s house tests positive for the coronavirus, PTI reports. The employee felt unwell on Saturday and was tested after that, Kapoor says, adding that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is now in the process of entering the person into a quarantine centre.

“Myself, my children and the other staff at home are all fine and none of us are showing any symptoms. In fact we haven’t left our home since the lockdown started,” Kapoor says in a statement. “We shall be diligently following the instructions and advice given to us by BMC and their medical team. We are sure that [the employee] would soon recover and be back at home with us,” he added.

4.45 pm: Shops selling essential items will remain open from May 21 in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad city, PTI reports. Aurangabad district has recorded 1,073 Covid-19 cases so far. The city was placed under complete lockdown on May 17.

4.40 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Uttarakhand rises to 104, PTI reports.

4.30 pm: Bihar reports 53 more Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 1,495, ANI reports.

4.25 pm: In the last 24 hours, 2,350 Covid-19 patients have recovered, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare says, according to ANI. “Thus, so far, a total of 39,174 patients have been cured of Covid-19,” the ministry says. “This means a recovery rate of 38.73% amongst Covid-19 patients. The recovery rate is improving continuously.”

4.20 pm: Nearly 55,960 migrant labourers have so far left from Thane district in Maharashtra, PTI reports. Collector Rajesh Narvekar says 21,475 migrant workers have been sent in 17 trains and 34,485 people in 1,553 buses to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand.

4.10 pm: The World Health Organization has said it does not have any immediate reaction to US President Donald Trump’s letter claiming that it had shown “an alarming lack of independence” from China in its response to the coronavirus outbreak. “I don’t have any reaction, we have been busy trying to finalise our agenda for the World Health Assembly,” WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib says. “I am sure in the course of the day we will have more clarity and reaction to this letter.”

4 pm: The revised guidelines issued by the Maharashtra government for the fourth phase of lockdown will be effective from May 22. Restrictions will continue in containment areas within the red zones. Night curfew will be implemented in the state from 7 pm to 7 am to prohibit movement of individuals.

3.58 pm: Around 400 migrant workers protested in front of Milagres College in Mangaluru today, demanding they be sent back to their hometowns amid the extended lockdown, reports ANI. They left after Police Commissioner PS Harsha visited the area and assured help.

3.42 pm: All industrial units and construction sites are also permitted to operate in the red zones in Maharashtra, reports ANI.

3.33 pm: The Maharashtra government issues revised guidelines for the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown to rein in the coronavirus pandemic, reports News18. This comes a day after Chief Uddhav Thackeray said that his government will not ease lockdown restrictions in the state because of the continuous surge in the number of coronavirus cases.

The revised lockdown guidelines show redraw of red, green and orange zones.

Here is what is allowed in the state:

• E-commerce delivery of essential and non-essential goods, except in containment zones.
• Public transport services can function in green and orange zones.
• Opening of stadiums, sports complexes, public spaces in non-red zones.
• Shops, malls, establishments and industries, too, have been allowed to open in red zones, but only for upkeep and maintenance purposes from 9 am to 5 pm.

3.28 pm: The Railways has said that the consent of the destination states is not required to operate special trains to transport migrant workers, reports PTI. “Consent of terminating state not necessary to run Shramik Special trains,” Railway spokesperson Rajesh Bajpai says. “After the new Standard Operating Protocol, the implication is that no consent of receiving state is mandatory.”

3.23 pm: Visuals of thousands of people attending the funeral of a renowned spiritual leader in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni town on Monday. This happened despite the lockdown guidelines in place.

3.20 pm: Delhi Congress Chief Anil Chaudhary writes to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He says the party wants to deploy 300 buses at borders of the national Capital to facilitate movement of migrant workers to their respective states. The expense of these buses will be borne by the Delhi Congress, says Chaudhary.

3.13 pm: Rajasthan reports 128 new Covid-19 cases, taking total number of infections in the state to 5,757, according to ANI. With one more death, the toll rose to 139.

3.10 pm: The Indian Railways has operated 1,565 special trains since May 1 and transported over 20 lakh migrants back home, says Union minister Piyush Goyal. While Uttar Pradesh has allowed 837 trains, Bihar permitted 428 and Madhya Pradesh more than 100, he adds.

Also read: Centre asks states to provide resting spots, food for migrants walking back home

3.03 pm: Opposition parties to meet via video conference on Friday, reports The Indian Express. Congress President Sonia Gandhi will chair the meeting.

2.59 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government sent bodies of migrants who died in Auraiya road accident last week in a truck with injured workers, reports NDTV. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren says it is an “inhumane” act that has robbed both the living and the dead of dignity. After his objection, the trucks were stopped and the bodies were loaded onto ambulances.

2.52 pm: The British government says that people should be prepared for unemployment to increase significantly, reports Reuters. This comes after the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in Britain soared to its highest level since 1996.

The Office for National Statistics said about 8,56,500 people signed up for universal credit and jobseeker’s allowance benefits in April, increasing the overall UK claimant count by 69% in a single month.

2.45 pm: Gujarat Congress MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh writes to the National Human Rights Commission about “improper treatment” of the coronavirus patients in Ahmedabad civil hospital, reports PTI. “The high mortality rate of coronavirus patients in Ahmedabad is due to improper treatment and negligence of doctors and authorities,” he adds.

2.36 pm: Singapore government apologises to 357 patients who received an erroneous text message saying they had again tested positive for the coronavirus, reports Reuters. The health department says the messages were sent due to a glitch in the IT system.

2.28 pm: A large number of migrant workers gathered outside the Bandra railway station in Mumbai earlier today to board special trains to reach Bihar, reports ANI. Around 1,000 people who had registered themselves were allowed to board and rest were later dispersed by the police.

2.20 pm: Human Resource Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal says students who have dropped plans to study abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic can now apply for JEE-Mains. He adds that fresh applications for JEE-Mains can be submitted from May 19 to 24.

2.12 pm: The Uttarakhand government has classified six of its 13 districts as orange zone and the rest in green, reports PTI. The state has also decided to implement the odd-even traffic formula for private vehicles in seven of its major cities.

1.55 pm: As many as 24 people in Maharashtra’s Nashik test positive for the coronavirus, taking the total infections to 824 in the district, reports PTI.

1.48 pm: Hundreds of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, who are walking to their home states, have been stopped by police in Kerala’s Kannur district, reports The Hindu. The migrants say they were not getting enough food during the lockdown, which prompted them to leave from the state.

1.42 pm: Researchers say a drug being tested by scientists at China’s Peking University could shorten the recovery time for those infected, and can also offer short-term immunity from the coronavirus, reports AFP.

With no other approved treatment for Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus, doctors and scientists around the world are trying a mix of solutions that might alter the course of the disease.

1.38 pm: Bharatiya Janata Party Mumbai unit President Mangal Prabhat Lodha and other party workers protest outside the Maharashtra state secretariat against the Shiv Sena-led government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, reports News18. “People are dying in Mumbai because they aren’t getting beds,” he alleges. “Who is running the show in Mumbai? Is it CS Or CM? BMC commissioner or police commissioner? Is it God?”

1.33 pm: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says the state government has transferred over Rs 16,000 crore into the accounts of the poor, labourers and farmers to ease their economic challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, reports PTI.

“We are also taking full care of labourers of Madhya Pradesh stranded in other states,” he adds. “We will not allow them to walk or go to sleep hungry in the state. Every labourer is being transported to the border of the state and about 1,000 buses are engaged daily in this work.”

1.28 pm: Pakistan records 1,841 new Covid-19 cases and 36 fatalities during the last 24 hours, reports PTI, citing the country’s health ministry. The country now has nearly 44,000 infections with 939 deaths.

1.22 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government says Congress is only interested in political gains and losses, adding that the party has no sympathy for migrant workers stranded during the nationwide lockdown, reports PTI.

1.15 pm: Meanwhile, Delhi reports 500 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, according to the health department. The total cases in the national Capital has risen to 10,554. Six more deaths have also been updated by the government in its bulletin today.

1.11 pm: Karnataka reports 127 new coronavirus cases, taking the total infections in the state to 1,373.

12.57 pm: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s personal secretary has now written to Uttar Pradesh government, says the buses to ferry migrant workers will reach Noida and Ghaziabad border at 5 pm. “Please keep a list of passengers and route map ready to ensure smooth coordination,” says the party.

12.30 pm: Uttar Pradesh minister Siddharth Nath Singh claims that registration numbers of three-wheelers, scooters, goods carriers in Congress list of buses is given to the Adityanath-led government, reports PTI.

12.12 pm: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia says around 65,000 migrants have been sent to their home states by trains from the national Capital, reports ANI. “We are seeking permission from different states to send back their citizens stranded in Delhi,” he adds.

12.08 pm: Uttar Pradesh BJP spokesperson Chandra Mohan alleges discrepancy in the list of 1,000 buses issued by the Congress. A day earlier, the state government had agreed to receive 1,000 buses from the Congress for ferrying stranded migrant workers to their hometowns.

12.05 pm: The Centre issues revised Standard Operating Protocol on the movement of stranded workers by trains. The guidelines state that Railways will publicise the trains schedule and booking of tickets. It also says states are required to share requirements will railway ministry to make suitable arrangements to transport those stranded amid the nationwide lockdown.

12 pm: Assam reports six new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections in the state to 121, says the state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

11.58 am: At least 18 migrant workers journeying across states in trucks were killed in four separate accidents since Monday night amid the countrywide lockdown to combat the coronavirus. Meanwhile, at least 50 migrant workers have been killed in the the last 10 days while trying to return to their hometowns.

Read more here.

11.46 am: Andhra Pradesh reports 57 new coronavirus cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours. The state now has 2,339 total cases, including 691 active cases and 52 deaths.

11.40 am: Uber says it will cut about 3,000 jobs, in addition to the 3,700 it had announced earlier this month as the coronavirus pandemic severely affects demand for rides, reports Reuters.

11.33 am: The Uttar Pradesh government asks Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to provide 500 buses to the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar at the ground near Expo Mart by 12 noon, reports PTI.

11.30 am: A report by the World Economic Forum states that risk managers expect a prolonged global recession due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Reuters. “The crisis has devastated lives and livelihoods,” says Saadia Zahidi, managing director of the World Economic Forum. “It has triggered an economic crisis with far-reaching implications and revealed the inadequacies of the past.”

11.22 am: Fifty-five police personnel of the Maharashtra Police have tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, reports ANI.

11.15 am: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urges people to follow physical distancing norms and show discipline during the fourth phase of the lockdown to rein in the coronavirus pandemic. “Some economic activities are starting from today,” he tweets. “It is our responsibility to follow discipline and control the coronavirus disease. Masks, hand sanitisers and social distancing are important. I pray to god to keep you and your family healthy. If we stay disciplined, God will help us.”

11 am: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao castigates the Centre’s economic package, accusing it of treating states like “beggars” and imposing “laughable” conditions for increasing borrowing limits, reports PTI.

“This is a very cruel package,” he adds. “It is fully in a feudal policy and dictatorial attitude. We fully condemn this. This is not what we asked for.”

10.53 am: Buses, auto rickshaws and cabs are running in Karnataka after a gap of nearly two months, with some conditions in place.

10.50 am: The Centre says proactive coordination between states and the Railway Ministry is required to operate more trains and buses for smooth transportation of the stranded migrant workers. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla in a letter urges chief secretaries of states to create rest places with food, dispel rumours and give the stranded workers clarity on train/bus departures.

This comes after millions of migrants are walking, cycling, dangerously hitchhiking home, sometimes over distances of more than 1,000 km, often on empty stomachs. More than 170 people have died in accidents on the way.

10.44 am: The Jharkhand government has allowed industrial units, retail liquor stores, book and hardware shops in non-containment zones to reopen in the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown to stem the coronavirus spread.

10.40 am: The Haryana government has decided to start bus services on various routes for commuters to travel from one state to another, reports ANI. The state government has written to Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi in the matter.

10.25 am: US President Donald Trump has threatened to permanently halt funding for the World Health Organization if it does not “commit to major substantive improvements” in the next 30 days. The president also tweets images of a letter he sent to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying the letter is “self-explanatory”.

“It is clear the repeated missteps by you and your organization in responding to the pandemic have been extremely costly for the world,” says his letter. “The only way forward for the World Health Organization is if it can actually demonstrate independence from China.”

10.22 am: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s office says that the Uttar Pradesh government has demanded that the 1,000 buses the party wants to transport migrant workers be handed over in Lucknow today, reports PTI. Congress alleges that the move is politically motivated.

“In a situation when thousands of workers are walking on the streets and thousands of people have gathered at the UP borders at various registration centres, sending 1,000 empty buses to Lucknow is not only a waste of time and resources but is also inhuman and the product of an anti-poor mindset,” says Additional Chief Secretary Avneesh Kumar Awasthi.

10.15 am: Bihar reports 19 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections in the state to 1,442, according to ANI.

10.08 am: Mexico has issued guidelines for restarting operations in the automotive, mining and construction sectors, even as the toll from the coronavirus pandemic surged past 5,300, reports Reuters. Mexico’s guidelines, published overnight, require companies to submit to authorities health protocols for exiting the coronavirus lockdown. Firms will then be told within 72 hours if they can resume operations.

10.05 am: Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary says that 28 employees of the organisation have tested positive for the coronavirus. He also claims that “those who are infected had the option of sitting at home and sharing memes. They came to work because they are committed professionals”.

Read more here.

10.01 am: The Tis Hazari Courts in Delhi has issued a circular asking lawyers, litigants, police officials to not use saliva while affixing court fee stamp. “Officials directed to not use saliva while doing the pagination of files etc.,” the circular issued by District and Sessions Judge Girish Kathpalia says. The circular also suggests that court staff advise the lawyers to use plastic sponge damper pad while inspecting the judicial file.

9.55 am: The Delhi Traffic Police informs that Uttar Pradesh police is allowing entry to only those who have a vehicle movement pass issued by the Noida district magistrate. “People travelling from Delhi to Noida using Kalindi Kunj barrage flyover and DND flyover may plan their trip accordingly,” says a tweet.

9.42 am: Rajasthan reports 122 new cases and one death, says the state health department. The total number of cases in the state is now 5,629.

9.41 am: Nine labourers have been killed and several injured after a truck and a bus collided in Bihar’s Bhagalpur, reports ANI. The truck in which the labourers were travelling fell off the road after the collision. Rescue operations are underway.

9.30 am: China reports 23 new cases, including one in Wuhan.

9.19 am: Auto and taxi services resume in Hyderabad.

8.54 am: In the last 24 hours, India reported 4,970 new cases and 134 deaths.

8.50 am: India’s total number of cases rises to 101,139 with 3,163 deaths, according to the Union health ministry.

8.37 am: The Mumbai Police will deploy five companies of CISF and CRPF in zones 1,3,5,6 and 9 in the city from today, reports ANI.

8.10 am: Four migrants have been killed and 15 injured after the bus they were travelling in crashed into a truck in Yavatmal district in Maharashtra on Tuesday morning, ANI reports.

8 am: Three migrant workers have been killed and 12 injured after the vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident on the Jhansi-Mirzapur Highway late on Monday, ANI reports. As many as 18 people were travelling in the vehicle.

7.55 am: Global oil prices have risen on Tuesday, extending gains for a fourth straight session, amid signs that producers are cutting output even as demand begins to grow with the easing of the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reports.

7.48 am: The United States has reported 759 new deaths on Monday, down from 820 on Sunday, AFP reports. The country now has over 90,000 fatalities, by far the highest in the world.

7.44 am: The World Health Organization has agreed to conduct an independent inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic, after China gave in to global pressure, supporting a probe to determine the origin of the virus, The Guardian reports. The global body has faced much criticism over the past three months for its handling of the pandemic, including accusations of bias towards China.

7.39 am: United States President Donald Trump says he is taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug believed by some to be effective against Covid-19, AFP reports. “I take a pill every day,” he tells media persons, adding that he combines it with zinc. “Because I think it’s good. I’ve heard a lot of good stories.”

Also read

Covid-19: Donald Trump says he has been taking HCQ as he ‘heard a lot of good stories’

7.35 am: Here are the top updates from Monday:

• India on Monday recorded the biggest single-day increase of 5,242 new coronavirus cases, taking the country’s tally of infections to 96,169. With 157 deaths, the tally rose to 3,029. The cases in Maharashtra rose to 35,058 after 2,033 people tested positive on Monday. The toll climbed to 1,249. Mumbai has so far reported 21,152 cases.   
• States began to ease restrictions even as the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown began. Many states allowed public transport to restart and shops to reopen. However, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the state will not ease the lockdown, except in green zones.
• India along with 61 nations called for an “impartial” evaluation of the World Health Organization’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. According to a draft resolution proposed for the 73rd World Health Assembly meeting beginning Monday, the countries will seek to identify how the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 was transmitted from animals to humans.
• The United States-based multinational investment bank Goldman Sachspredicted that the Indian economy will experience the worst recession ever, due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. 
• The Indian Council of Medical Research revised its strategy for Covid-19 testing to allow tests for migrant workers, returnees and all frontline workers involved in efforts to combat the pandemic. 
• The Central Board of Secondary Education announced the date sheet for the pending class 10 and 12 board exams, now to be held from July 1 to July 15.