Covid-19: Situation in Kerala ‘grim’, over 100 cases recorded in a day, says CM Pinarayi Vijayan

10.48 pm: Read today’s top updates here.

10.47 pm: Goa reports 30 new infections today, taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to 196, ANI reports, quoting the health department.

10.13 pm: Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain dismisses media reports about the shortage of beds for Covid-19 patients in the Capital because some private hospitals are refusing admission, ANI reports. “Truth is, there is absolutely no shortage”, he claims.

10.11 pm: Jharkhand reports 79 new cases of the coronavirus today, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 922, ANI reports, quoting the state health department’s figures. The toll due to the disease is seven.

9.31 pm: Mumbai reports 1,150 new cases and 53 deaths today, Municipal Corporation Greater Mumbai says, according to ANI. With this, the city now has 45,854 cases and the toll is 1,518.

9.29 pm: Haryana reports 316 fresh Covid-19 cases, of which 153 are from the worst-hit Gurgaon district, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 3,597, PTI reports.

9.12 pm: The number of Covid-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir rises to 3,324 after 182 more infections were reported today, ANI reports, quoting the state health department figures. Of these, 108 were in Kashmir and 74 infections were reported in Jammu.

9.10 pm: Delhi reports 1,330 new Covid-19 cases today. With this, the total number of infections in the state rises to 26,334. The toll due to the outbreak is 708.

8.49 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi assures Rwandan President Paul Kagame of India’s steadfast support, including medical assistance, to combat the Covid-19 pandemic in the African nation.

8.41 pm: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh says the Centre failed to provide any help to states during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, PTI reports.

8.37 pm: Sixteen Indian Navy sailors test positive at the Porbandar Naval Base in Gujarat in the last four days, ANI reports.

8.34 pm: Uttarakhand reports 16 more cases of the coronavirus today, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 1,215 ANI reports, quoting the state health department.

8.32 pm: Gujarat reports 35 deaths and 510 new positive cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. With this the state’s tally rises to 19,119 and the toll is 1,190.

8.30 pm: Trump adds that “tremendous progress” is being made on vaccines, ANI reports. “We had a meeting on vaccines yesterday, we are doing incredibly well,” he adds. “We can have some very positive surprises.”

8.28 pm: United States President Donald Trump says his country is “largely through” with the coronavirus pandemic, AFP reports.

8.09 pm: Japan aims to put coronavirus vaccines into use by June, the country’s health minister says, according to Reuters. This comes as the country strives to be fully ready to host the Tokyo Olympics, which was originally planned for this summer but was postponed by one year because of the pandemic.

8.01 pm: The West Bengal government extends the tenure of insurance schemes for various categories of persons deployed in coronavirus-related duties to July 31, ANI reports.

7.57 pm: West Bengal reports the biggest-single day jump of 429 Covid-19 cases today, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 7,303, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. The toll rises to 294 with 11 more deaths reported so far.

7.45 pm: The Calcutta High Court directs the West Bengal government to file a report on a plea alleging that bodies of patients, who succumbed to Covid-19 in the state, were not cremated or buried in a respectful manner, PTI reports.

7.44 pm: All places of worship in Meghalaya will reopen from June 14, after remaining shut for over two months, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma says, according to PTI.

7.36 pm: Chhattisgarh reports 90 new Covid-19 cases today, taking the overall tally in the state to 863, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. Of these, 231 have been discharged and two have died.

7.27 pm: Manipur records eight new cases of Covid-19, ANI reports, quoting the state government’s figures. With this, the state’s tally of infection rises to 132.

7.11 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra crosses the 80,000 mark, after the state records 2,436 cases in the last 24 hours, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. The toll rose by 139 to 2,849 in the highest single-day jump.

7.07 pm: An 80-year-old man, who had moved the Delhi High Court this week after allegedly being refused admission at several hospitals for Covid-19 treatment, dies before his case could be heard, NDTV reports.

7.03 pm: All places of worship, restaurants and malls will reopen in Kerala on June 9, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says, according to ANI. At the Sabarimala temple in Pathanamthitta district, entry of devotees will be limited to 50 persons at a time and the crowd will be regulated using the virtual queue management system, he adds.

6.37 pm: Tamil Nadu reports 1,438 cases and 12 more deaths today, state health minister DC Vijaya Bhaskar says, according to ANI. Bhaskar claims the state government is “more transparent” with the publication of the Covid-19 bulletin and is not underplaying any data.

6.20 pm: Twenty new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Mumbai’s Dharavi area today, says Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, according to ANI. With this, the total number of infections in the locality rises to 1,889 and 71 people have died, so far.

6.16 pm: Kerala records 111 positive cases today, taking the total number of Covid-19 infections in the state to 1,697, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says, according to ANI.

5.59 pm: Puducherry has recorded 104 positive cases of the coronavirus, so far, ANI reports. Od these, 62 are active cases and 42 have been discharged.

5.50 pm: The tally of coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh stands at 389, ANI reports, quoting the state health department’s figures. Of these, 197 are active cases, 183 have recovered and five have died.

5.44 pm: Karnataka reports 515 positive cases between 5pm yesterday to 5 pm today, taking the total number of infections in the state to 4,835, ANI reports, quoting state health department figures. The toll due to the outbreak is 57.

5.40 pm: The Kerala government revises it guidelines and says all expatriates returning from abroad will now be asked to self-quarantine themselves at home for the mandatory 14-day period without spending a day at the government’s institutional facilities, The Indian Express reports.

5.36 pm: The Guwahati Central Jail in Assam has been sealed after an inmate tests positive for Covid-19, PTI reports.

5.29 pm: At least five employees of the health ministry have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past week, prompting authorities to carry out a “major and comprehensive disinfection and sanitisation” drive of the premises from June 6 to June 7, PTI reports.

5.23 pm: Uttar Pradesh records its biggest single-day jump of 496 cases of the coronavirus today, taking the state’s tally to 9,733, PTI reports. The toll rises to 257 after 12 more people die in the state.

5.14 pm: Singh adds that under the Constitution, agriculture is a state subject and the Centre does not have the power to make any legislation to deal with agricultural production, marketing and proccessing. “These are matters that indvidiual states are best placed to handle and manage,” he adds.

5.08 pm: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh rejects the reforms announced by the Centre for Agriculture Sector, calling it a “brazen attempt to destabilise the country’s federal structure,” ANI reports. The chief minister warns that the reforms could dismantling the minimum support price-regime and the foodgrain procurement regime, “triggering unrest among state’s farmers”.

5.04 pm: Shops in Mumbai begin opening on an odd-even basis.

5.00 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says her government is grappling with both the coronavirus and the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan and it is not the time to indulge in politics.

4.56 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh rises to 4,250 after 138 people test positive, according to PTI. The state’s toll rises to 73 with two new deaths.

4.50 pm: The famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Andhra Pradesh will reopen for devotees from June 11, but with very limited numbers per day, PTI reports, quoting temple officials. Only 6,000 devotees will be allowed per day, as against the normal rush of over 60,000 .

4.46 pm: The Madhya Pradesh Health Department reports the death of a coronavirus patient in Indore after almost two months, according to PTI. The patient had died on April 6. The states’s Chief Chief Medical and Health Officer tells the news agency that he will investigate the delay.

4.40 pm: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat says the decision on starting Chardham Yatra will be taken after seeking the opinion of traders and priests, ANI reports. He adds that the state government is working on a plan to ensure a safe pilgrimage.

4.35 pm: Seven frontline health workers tested positive for the coronavirus in Goa on Thursday, according to PTI.

4.32 pm: Jamia Millia Islamia says it will open its offices with 50% of the staff and allow employees above the age of 60 to work from home, PTI reports.

4.25 pm: Punjab allows private labs to collect coronavirus test samples from people’s homes.

4.17 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Uttarakhand rises to 1,199 after 46 more people test positive, PTI reports. The toll stands at 11.

4.15 pm: Jharkhand releases new guidelines for the latest phase of the lockdown, allows 50 people at weddings and 20 at funerals, PTI reports.

4.12 pm: Uttar Pradesh reports 502 new coronavirus cases, according to ANI. The state’s tally rises to 5,648. The toll stands at 257.

4.04 pm: The Supreme Court reserves its order on migrant workers.

3.56 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government says 1,163 of the over 12 lakh migrants, who have returned to the state, exhibited coronavirus symptoms.

3.51 pm: Singapore reports 261 new coronavirus cases, its smallest rise in two months, according to Reuters.

3.44 pm: The Maharashtra government makes it mandatory for government employees to be present in office once a week, failing which they will have to face salary cuts, PTI reports.

3.41 pm: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath directs officials to ensure that only five people are allowed at a religious place at one point of time, PTI reports. He adds that religious places should also have arrangements for sanitisers and infrared thermometers.

3.35 pm: American linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky calls out the lack of leadership in the country for poor response to the coronavirus crisis.

3.32 pm: Luxury carmaker Bentley says it will axe 1,000 jobs in the United Kingdom because of the coronavirus crisis, AFP reports.

3.28 pm: Indian citizens stranded in Maldives board the Navy’s INS Jalashwa to return home.

3.25 pm: Lawyer Indira Jaising requests the top court to cancel all first information reports filed against migrant workers for violating lockdown norms by stepping out of their houses and walking. The court says it will consider her request.

3.22 pm: Karnataka says it has facilitated the travel of about 3,67,000 migrants from the state. “We have borne the fare of all where receiving state did not pay for it,” the state’s counsel says. “People who want to travel have reduced. One lakh people had registered for yesterday but only 100 turned up.”

3.19 pm: Kerala tells the Supreme Court that it has transported over 1 lakh migrant workers.

3.16 pm: Rajasthan says it has received over 13 lakh migrants and the government is providing them food and healthcare facilities. “There are very few migrants who want to leave Rajasthan at the moment,” the state government’s counsel tells the top court.

3.14 pm: Madhya Pradesh tells the top court that only 25,000 migrants are yet to return to the state.

2.58 pm: Tamil Nadu requests more time to file an affidavit about the remaining migrants who need to be transported back from the state. “We can give you 15 days time to complete the entire process,” says Justice Bhushan.

2.52 pm: West Bengal says 3,97,389 migrants have left the state and six lakh are yet to come back, reports Live Law. The authorities are serving 1 lakh meals in relief camps. The counsel tells the court that Cyclone Amphan has hampered the transportation.

Meanwhile, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informs that the state has only requested 17 trains. “You have 6 lakh people to come back and you need only 17 trains,” the court asks the counsel. In response, the counsel says they have more information about those who want to come back, but do not have requests on those who want to go.

2.48 pm: Submissions made by Bihar in the Supreme Court hearing of the suo motu case regarding the plight of migrant labourers, reports Bar and Bench.

• We have received 28 lakh people from all across India.
• We have 54 centres in 13 cities and nine states, but no information from any of these places about how many are still stranded.
• We are taking steps to provide employment. 10 lakh people’s skill mapping has been done by the government and soon the employment will be taken care of.  

2.45 pm: Every village should know how many migrants have come from where so that employment regeneration schemes are also started, says Justice Bhushan, according to Bar and Bench.

2.42 pm: Supreme Court says it will pass directions for registration of migrant workers who have returned to their respective states, reports Live Law. “There should be centres to take care of their health at the district levels now,” the court says.

2.38 pm: Submissions made by other states on the migrant crisis:

• Assam and Gujarat: Centre has done sufficiently. No further detailed examination is required. Situation has improved 100%.
• Maharashtra: There are only 38,000 migrants in the state. Normal trains are also starting now.
• Delhi: We have deposited 9 crores with Railways for fares of migrant workers to travel to their hometown. This payment has been made in advance. We have complied with your orders. Two lakh workers remain to be transported. There were 6 lakh registrations and some migrants do not want to go back after construction resumed.

2.30 pm: Mehta tells the Supreme Court that the Centre has taken all measures as a welfare state, reports Live Law. “Earlier also, there were some concerns regarding delayed trains – I have put that on record in the affidavit. All demands by states and all assistance required, will be provided, I have no difficulty,” he adds.

2.26 pm: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta objects to the submissions made by Jaising. “I emphatically reiterate that intervenors should not be allowed to address the court especially those who did not contribute in Covid management,” he says.

2.22 pm: Advocate Indira Jaising says migrant workers should be treated like normal travellers, adding that train schedule need to be announced a week before so that they can make use of it, reports Bar and Bench.

2.15 pm: Advocate Colin Gonsalves says the registration system is not working, a major problem for the migrants, reports LiveLaw. “Half the migrant workers are not able to register to even go back,” he adds. “We can have spots at police stations or other places where migrants can go and physically fill the registration forms.”

2.12 pm: The Supreme Court says transportation of migrant workers cannot go on indefinitely, suggests completion of their transportation in 15 days. “What we propose to do is that we will give you and the states 15 days time to transport all migrants,” Justice Ashok Bhushan says. “All states will have to bring on record how they will provide employment and other kinds of relief. There should be registration of the migrants.”

2.05 pm: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, tells that Indian Railways has operated 4,228 special trains till June 3, reports LiveLaw. “Maximum trains went to UP or Bihar,” he adds. “We are in touch with the state governments. Letter has been sent to chief secretaries asking how many workers still had to be shifted and how many trains were required for that.”

2 pm: The Supreme Court commences hearing the suo motu case pertaining to the plight of migrant workers across the country amid the extended lockdown, reports PTI. The Centre tells the top court that over 1 crore people have been transported to their native places.

1.56 pm: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has tested negative for Covid-19, PTI reports. Rawat had gone into self quarantine following a meeting with Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj last week. Maharaj was later found to have contracted the virus.

1.48 pm: Authorities in Hong Kong are facing a unique problem – surgical masks have been washing up on shores, The Guardian reports. During a recent visit, conservationists counted and removed 70 masks from a 100 metre stretch of beach. A week later, another 30 masks had washed up.

“The single use plastic mask is just another additional burden that we are leaving behind for the future generations on the beach,” Gary Stokes, co-founder of OceansAsia says.

1.41 pm: Disabled children who need to use scribes to write their Class 10 and Class 12 CBSE examinations need not appear for them, as social distancing will be difficult, the board says according to PTI. Their results will be declared using an alternative assessment scheme.

1.34 pm: There will be no events on International Yoga Day in Leh this year, ANI reports quoting AYUSH Ministry Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha. He adds that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the programme is not certain.

1.30 pm: The total number of cases in Andhra Pradesh rises to 3,427 with 50 new cases on Friday, ANI reports.

1.26 pm: A video has surfaced showing policemen in Ambedkar Nagar district in Uttar Pradesg allegedly violating social distancing norms by following an inspector in a cavalcade of vehicles as part of his farewell procession, PTI reports. Ambedkar Nagar Superintendent of Police Alok Priyadarshi says the inspector has been suspended and sent to the lines.

1.23 pm: A woman dies of coronavirus at a hospital in Srinagar, taking the toll in Jammu and Kashmir to 36, PTI reports. The woman was a resident of Batamaloo area of the city.

1.15 pm: The Centre tells the top court that it is doing its best for the poorest strata of Indian society. People who cannot afford treatment are being covered under Ayushman Bharat, it says.

1.08 pm: The Supreme Court says it is asking only private hospitals which have been given concessional land to treat a certain number of Covid-19 patients for free.

1 pm: The Supreme Court asks private hospitals whether they are ready to provide treatment for Covid-19 on charges prescribed under Ayushman Bharat scheme, PTI reports.

12.34 pm: The police in Jodhpur, Rajasthan beat up a man after having a heated argument with him over wearing a mask, ANI reports. “The man wasn’t wearing a mask and got into a fight with policemen, even tore their uniform,” a police officer says. “Case registered.” The officer also said the man has a case pending against him for allegedly damaging his father’s eye.

12.28 pm: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren says migrant labourers leaving Jharkhand for work will have to furnish personal and job details to the state government, to enable easier communication, PTI reports.

12.19 pm: The Maharashtra Police say that in the last 24 hours, four personnel have tested positive, and one has died, ANI reports. Total number of police personnel who have tested positive for the virus has reached 2,561; toll is now 31.

12.16 am: Rajasthan reports 68 new cases of the coronavirus, taking the total number to 9,930, according to the health department, ANI reports. The toll stands at 213.

12.07 pm: More than 13 lakh migrants have returned to Rajasthan through “Shramik Special” trains and buses, while over six lakh have gone to their home states from Rajasthan, a government official says according to PTI.

12 pm: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has said that the average daily growth rate of infections in Mumbai has reduced, PTI reports. As per data till June 2, the average daily growth of Covid-19 cases went down from more than 8% a few days ago to 3.64%.

11.49 am: Supreme Court seeks Centre’s response on a public interest litigation for capping cost of treatment of Covid-19 patients in private hospitals, PTI reports.

11.37 am: Pakistan’s coronavirus cases have risen to 89,249 on Friday after a record 4,896 new infections were detected in the country, PTI reports. The Ministry of National Health Service has said that 68 patients died in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 1,838.

11.13 am: Around 20 staff members of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation have tested positive for the coronavirus, ANI reports. DMRC officials say all of them are asymptomatic and are doing well.

11.07 am: The last three coronavirus patients in Wuhan, the first epicentre of the Covid-19, have been discharged, PTI reports. Chinese authorities claim they have found zero cases of the coronavirus after testing 1 crore people in the city.

10.55 am: A farmer has died by suicide in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, with the authorities suspecting that he killed himself fearing failure to sell his sugarcane produce due to the lockdown, PTI reports. Ompal Singh, a resident of Sisoli village in the Bhorakala police station area, had left home for his field on Thursday and later, his body was found hanged from a tree, the police say.

10.52 am: India says at the United Nations that the world should prioritise the needs of the poor and vulnerable through digital initiatives, amid the disruption in their lives due to Covid-19, PTI reports. India’s Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations TS Tirumurti says technology and people-centric solutions should become a critical component of countries’ development paradigm.

10.47 am: The Odisha health department says 130 new cases have been reported in the state, according to ANI. The total number of positive cases is now 2,608, and the number of active cases 1,117.

10.39 am: Peru’s government has declared oxygen a “strategic health resource” due to an acute shortage to treat Covid-19 patients, AFP reports. Over 9,000 patients are currently receiving hospital treatment for the disease, straining the country’s healthcare system. The total number of cases in the country has risen to over 1,83,000, with more than 5,000 deaths.

10.36 am: A 55-year-old official of the Sashastra Seema Bal has died of Covid-19, PTI reports. This is the first death in the force. The deceased was a head constable rank official and was posted in the 25th battalion of the force based in Delhi. He had some kidney ailments that aggravated the impact of Covid-19 on his body.

10.32 am: Nagaland reports 14 new cases between Thursday and Friday morning, ANI reports quoting state Minister for Health and Family Welfare S Pangnyu Phom. The total number of cases is now 94.

10.27 am: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said that the vaccine against the coronavirus must be accessible to everyone, AFP reports. “A vaccine must be seen as a global public good – a people’s vaccine, which a growing number of world leaders are calling for,” he said in a video message. He called for “global solidarity to ensure that every person, everywhere, has access”.

10.21 am: Three of the four authors of a study published in medical journal The Lancet that had raised concerns over the use of anti-malarial drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, to fight Covid-19, have retracted their paper, AFP reports. The finding had led the World Health Organization to suspend clinical trials into the medicines.

“Several concerns were raised with respect to the veracity of the data and analyses conducted by Surgisphere Corporation and its founder and our co-author, Sapan Desai, in our publication,” the authors of the study have written in the retraction statement.

10.13 am: The Delhi government has issued a notice to eight laboratories for testing asymptomatic patients for the novel coronavirus, in violation of the guidelines set by the Indian Council of Medical Research. The state government has also accused central-run Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital of giving 45% erroneous results and delaying results for up to 31 days.

Read: Covid-19: Delhi government issues notice to eight labs for testing asymptomatic patients

Also Read: ‘Please help’: As coronavirus cases soar in Delhi, patients are struggling to find hospital beds

10.06 am: South Africa has recorded 3,267 coronavirus cases in 24 hours, the biggest increase in a single day, The Guardian reports. The total number of infections is now 40,792, and the toll 848, with 56 new deaths.

10.02 am: Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says that any misconduct in quarantine centres in the state will attract non-bailable charges equivalent to attempt to murder, NDTV reports. Sarma adds that patients can contact him directly if they face any problems inside the quarantine centres.

Read: Covid-19 quarantine: Assam to arrest violators under non-bailable charges such as attempt to murder

9.57 am: Over 1.07 lakh stranded Indians have returned to the country since the government launched the Vande Bharat evacuation mission on May 7, the Ministry of External Affairs has said according to PTI. “Around 38,000 persons are expected to be repatriated under this phase in 337 international flights from 31 countries,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava adds.

9.54 am: The Gujarat government has announced a relief package of Rs 14,000 crore to help revive the economy, PTI reports. The package, announced by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, includes tax rebates to consumers and loan subsidy for business and shop owners.

9.49 am: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tells the Hindustan Times that it will take time for the impact of Covid-19 on railways to become clear. “We have not done the math as yet and we will have to see how long this impact continues,” he says when asked about the impact on Indian Railways’ finances and infrastructure. “The bookings are not too many. So, we will have to wait and watch. It’s a little early to predict the financial impact.”

9.44 am: BJP spokesperson on economic affairs Gopal Krishna Agarwal has said that industrialist Rajiv Bajaj, who spoke with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and criticised the Centre’s handling of the pandemic, is not an expert on Covid-19, NDTV reports. “Everybody has a right to have an opinion but Rajiv Bajaj is not an expert on Covid-19 and how to deal with it,” he says.

9.38 am: The Centre has told the Bombay High Court that 227 out of 58,867 Indians (0.38%), who boarded special flights under the Vande Bharat Mission, tested positive for Covid-19, The Indian Express reports. The Centre has also said that as these cases were revealed during the institutional quarantine period, there was no evidence to conclude whether the infections were contracted on flights.

9.34 am: Justice Ramana also says that the lockdown period has led to a rise in violence against women and children, The Indian Express reports.“One of the critical areas which has come to our notice was rising violence within the family itself,” he says. “We also saw increasing rise in the number of instances of child abuse.” He says the judiciary has established one-stop centres and made efforts to provide legal assistance through teleservices of female panel lawyers in every district.

Read: Covid-19 lockdown has created psychological problems and violence within family, says SC judge

9.30 am: Supreme Court Judge Justice NV Ramana says that the “reverse migration” engineered by the coronavirus pandemic will lead to increase in poverty, inequity and discrimination, NDTV reports. “This pandemic has also affected rights of women, children and senior citizen,” he says at a webinar organised by the National Legal Services Authority. “This calls for a persistent and target orientation action plan, which we all have to work out together.”

9.25 am: India now has 1,10,960 active cases, while 1,09,461 people have recovered after undergoing treatment.

9.22 am: India’s tally rises to 2,26,770 and the toll goes up to 6,348. The country has reported an increase of 9,851 cases and 273 deaths in 24 hours.

8.12 am: A plea was filed in the Delhi High Court on Thursday, seeking direction to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund to divulge information, including details of the money received and utilised, under the Right to Information Act. Petitioner and advocate Surinder Singh Hooda said the plea has been listed for urgent hearing on June 10.

Read more here:

Plea filed in Delhi HC seeks direction to PM CARES Fund to divulge information on receipts, expenses

8 am: Twenty employees of the Delhi Metro have tested positive for Covid-19 till date, PTI reports, citing sources.

7.52 am: Brazil records 1,473 deaths in 24 hours, taking its total toll to 34,021. This now takes Brail’s toll over Italy’s, making it the third-highest in the world.

7.50 am: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says that just developing a vaccine would not be enough. Global solidarity to ensure that it reaches everyone is needed, he says.

7.48 am: United States records 1,021 deaths in 24 hours, taking the total toll to 1,08,120. The country has more than 18.72 lakh confirmed cases, AFP reports.

7.45 am: The Odisha government announces weekend shutdown in 11 districts in June to reduce the number of people coming out of their homes, ANI reports, citing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. There will also be 10 hours of night curfew, from 7 pm to 5 am, every day.

7.40 am: Delhi reported 1,359 new infections on Thursday, taking the total tally of cases in the Union Territory to 25,004. The toll is 650.

7.35 am: Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 66.01 lakh people and claimed over 3.89 lakh lives as of Friday morning, according to the Johns Hopkins University. As many as 28.53 lakh people have recovered.

7.30 am: Here are the top updates from Thursday:

• The number of coronavirus cases in India on Thursday rose to 2,16,919 after 9,304 people tested positive for the infection in 24 hours. This is the biggest single-day increase in the number of cases. The country’s toll reached 6,075 with 260 new deaths.
• The Centre issued the Standard Operating Procedure to contain the spread of the coronavirus at malls, places of worship, restaurants, offices and hotels.
  
• The Supreme Court passed an interim order that no coercive action should be taken against companies and employers who fail to comply with the Centre’s March 29 order requiring payment of full wages to their workers during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. The Centre said that the employers who are incapable of paying salaries must be directed to furnish their audited balance sheets and accounts in the court.
• The Supreme Court also directed Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to work out a common policy for interstate movement in a week. The top court asked the Centre to call a meeting to discuss the matter.
• Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that coronavirus cases are increasing in the national Capital and private hospitals, which are unable to reserve 20% beds for the treatment of patients, will be fully converted into Covid facilities. He added that the Delhi government is focused on saving lives.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison held an online bilateral summit, the first such one held by Modi with any global leader during the lockdown. While focusing on ways to further improve bilateral ties in areas of healthcare, trade and defence, Modi said it was the “perfect time and perfect opportunity” to strengthen the relation between the two nations.
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said India is the only country where the number of coronavirus infections has increased after the easing of the nationwide lockdown. He added that the Centre has now backed off and left the states to deal with the crisis. Industrialist Rajiv Bajaj, on the other hand, called India’s lockdown “draconian but porous”. He claimed the lockdown ended up flattening the Gross Domestic Product curve instead of the coronavirus curve.
• Anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine failed to prevent healthy people, who were exposed to the novel coronavirus, from getting the infection, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It was the first major randomised clinical trial looking at whether the medication might be useful as a prophylactic.