Covid-19: With 5,000 cases, Maharashtra records biggest daily rise; Delhi schools shut till July 31

10.56 pm: Read today’s top updates here.

10.34 pm: The number of Covid-19 cases in Chhattisgarh increases to 2,545 after 89 more people tested positive for the virus, PTI reports. Of these, seven are Border Security Force personnel.

10.31 pm: The World Health Organization says that a global initiative to speed up the development and production of Covid-19 tests, vaccines and treatments will require more than $30 billion (Rs 300 crore) over the next year, AFP reports.

10.30 pm: World Health Organization’s Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan says that British drugmaker, AstraZeneca’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine is probably the world’s leading candidate and most advanced in terms of development, Reuters reports.

10.27 pm: The Centre allows domestic airlines to increase the passenger capacity in flights to 45% of the original limit before the pandemic broke out, PTI reports.

10.18 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Ahmedabad crosses the 20,000-mark after 219 new infections were reported on Friday, PTI reports. With eight more deaths, the toll rises to 1,398.

10.13 pm: Mumbai reports 1,297 cases of the coronavirus and 44 deaths on Friday, taking the total number of infections in the state to 77,287, including 4,177 deaths, ANI reports, quoting the figures released by the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation.

10.11 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh rises to 864, ANI reports.

10.11 pm: Authorities in Andhra Pradesh suspend a municipal commissioner and a sanitary inspector of for disposing the body of a coronavirus patient using a porclainer in Palasa area, ANI reports.

10.07 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Jharkhand rises to 2,294 after 29 more infections were reported on Friday, ANI reports, quoting state health department figures. The toll is 12.

9.20 pm: Jharkhand extends lockdown till July 31, ANI reports.

9.05 pm: Joint Health Secretary Lav Agrawal meets Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy CM Nitin Patel and other officials at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to review the state’s preparedness.

9 pm: New cases reported today:

Goa: 44 new cases, total rises to 1,039, toll stands at two,

Delhi: 3,460 cases, 63 deaths; total rises to 77,240, toll now 2,492,

Rajasthan: 364 new cases, one death; total rises to 16,660; toll to 380.

8.50 pm: The Uttarakhand government fixes rates of Covid tests conducted by private laboratories to Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,400.

8.26 pm: Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis writes to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, asking him not to curtail the number of Covid-19 tests, as the percentage of positives among those tested is very high, ANI reports.

8.23 pm: Madhya Pradesh reports 203 fresh cases and four deaths, taking total number of cases to 12,798, and the toll to 546, ANI reports.

8.18 pm: Maharashtra reports an all-time single-day high of 5,024 coronavirus cases on Friday, as well as 175 deaths, ANI reports. However, of these 175 deaths, 91 are from the last 48 hours, and 84 are those that were entered into the official records on Friday.

8.11 pm: The total number of cases in Karnataka has crossed 11,000 on Friday, PTI reports. The state has reported 445 new infections, taking its aggregate to 11,005. Ten patients have died on Friday, increasing the toll to 180.

8.05 pm: Over 100 new cases have been detected in Japan, the first time the country has reported over 100 cases in a day since May 9, The Guardian reports.

7.58 pm: Twelve new cases – 11 defence personnel and one policeman – have been reported in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The 11 defence personnel had recently travelled to Port Blair from Nashik in Maharashtra. The Union Territory now has 72 cases, of which 29 are active cases.

7.53 pm: Gujarat records 580 positive cases of Covid-19 on Friday, and 18 deaths. The state’s tally is 30,158, including 22,038 discharged or cured, and 1,772 deaths.

7.46 pm: Jammu and Kashmir records 213 new cases of the coronavirus, ANI reports. Of these, 58 came from the Jammu division and 155 from the Kashmir division.

7.40 pm: As many as 100 new infections have been reported in the Central Armed Police Forces on Friday. This takes the total number of cases in the force to 3,300. Twenty-three personnel have succumbed to the contagion so far.

7.33 pm: West Bengal records its highest single-day increase of 542 cases, PTI reports. The toll rises to 616 with 10 new deaths.

7.28 pm: The district magistrate of South Delhi says that 2,000 of the 10,000 beds at the Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre and Hospital at Radha Soami Satsang Beas have been made operational, ANI reports.

7.21 pm: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announces that schools in Delhi will stay closed till July 31, PTI reports.

7.09 pm: Haryana has reported 421 fresh cases on Friday, ANI reports. The total number of cases is now 12,884 including 4,657 active cases. As many as 211 people have died so far.

7 pm: The Indian Council of Medical Research has inducted 11 new laboratories in the last 24 hours, the Centre says according to ANI. India now has 1,016 diagnostic labs dedicated to coronavirus testing. During past 24 hours, 2,15,446 tests have been conducted. The total number of samples tested, as on date, is 77,76,228, the government says. It adds that the number of recovered now exceeds active cases by 96,173, and the recovery rate is now 58.24%.

6.50 pm: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope denies that the state is hiding the real numbers, ANI reports. He adds that the number of cases is expected to rise in July and August, but the government is focused on keeping the fatality rate low.

“A resolution has been passed in the Cabinet for availing the services of PG final year medical students in ICU wards,” Tope adds. “We are procuring important antiviral drugs and increasing their stock in each district to ensure availability.”

6.45 pm: Hong Kong has reported no local cases of Covid-19 for the 13th straight day, the South China Morning Post reports. On Friday, the city recorded two seven-year-old boys who returned from Pakistan on Saturday and Tuesday, and a 26-year-old man who returned from Mauritania. The total number of cases in Hong Kong is now 1,196, with seven deaths.

6.35 pm: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant acknowledges that community transmission has started in the state, The Indian Express reports. He says law enforcement officials have been asked to take strict action against those not following lockdown guidelines.

6.31 pm: The Goa government announces several measures to help industries and public deal with the economic impact of the virus, ANI reports.

6.28 pm: Chennai Corporation Commissioner G Prakash says detection of people with flu-like symptoms has increased four-fold since a lockdown was reimposed on June 19, PTI reports. Before the renewed lockdown, about 600-700 symptomatic cases were recorded every day by field personnel and now this figure has crossed the 3,000 mark for a day, he says.

6.20 pm: The Railways says it has spent around Rs 2 lakh per isolation coach for its maintenance, food and linen for patients on board and protective gear for the staff, PTI reports. Railway Board Chairperson VK Yadav says so far, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 620 crore from its Covid care fund to the Railways.

6.10 pm: The Tamil Nadu Health Department says 3,523 new cases and 46 deaths have been reported on Friday. The total number of cases is now 74,622, including 957 fatalities.

6.06 pm: Kerala reports 150 cases of the coronavirus on Friday, ANI reports. There are now 1,846 cases in the state.

6.02 pm: The Mizoram government has published data on coronavirus in the state as of Friday. No deaths have been recorded so far.

5.57 pm: A central team has arrived in Ahmedabad to take stock of the coronavirus situation there. Ahmedabad is one of the highly affected cities, PTI reports.

5.50 pm: Dharavi slum in Mumbai has reported just eight new cases on Friday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation says. The total number of cases is now 2,218.

5.37 pm: The rupee has shed initial gains to close flat at 75.65 against the United States dollar on Friday. The lack of improvement in the rupee is the result of concerns about rising coronavirus cases in both countries, PTI reports.

“Despite rising coronavirus concerns, the global equity market is trading higher reacting to new stimulus packages and unconventional easing,” Emkay Global Financial Services Head of Research (Currency) Rahul Gupta says.

5.34 pm: A batch of 250 Indians stranded in Pakistan due to the lockdown in India have returned home via the Wagah Border on Friday, PTI reports. As many as 248 Indians had returned home on Thursday.

5.25 pm: The Assam government issues a circular allowing restricted movement of persons within containment zones on June 27 and June 28, for buying essential items.

5.15 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government says it has released 18,000 prisoners from jail on parole, to comply with Supreme Court orders in the wake of the pandemic, PTI reports. “Till June 25, a total of 17,963 prisoners were released on parole as per the apex court orders,” Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi says. “We have released 15% to 17% of prisoners so far.”

5.10 pm: Railway Board Chairperson Vinod Kumar Yadav says that the railways is keeping a watch on the occupancy of special trains, and will soon begin more such trains, based on demand, PTI reports. He says that occupancy in trains from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal to big cities is increasing day by day, which shows an improving economic situation. He adds that 160 projects have been identified for returnee migrant workers to generate nine lakh man days of work under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan in six days.

5.06 pm: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has tested negative for the coronavirus, ANI reports. He will be discharged from the hospital on Friday.

5.01 pm: “The government is following all the guidelines which were laid down by the Centre to prevent the spread of the pandemic,” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami says according The Indian Express. He adds that a total of 39,999 people in the state have recovered from the virus after undergoing treatment.

4.53 pm: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C Ashwath Narayan says that the MLAs told Yediyurappa about the need to improve coordination among various authorities, ANI reports. “The chief minister requested them to inspect hospitals and quarantine centres,” he adds.

4.47 pm: International commercial air travel to and from India will remain suspended till July 15, the Centre says, ANI reports.

4.43 pm: The age limit for voters to opt for postal ballot in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections has been reduced, PTI reports. The change was made on June 19 by the Ministry of Law and Justice, which amended the Conduct of Election Rules to allow people with disabilities and those who are 80 years of age or above to opt for postal ballot. The ministry also allowed “Covid-19 suspect or affected persons” to use the postal ballot facility.

4.37 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says she wants the Centre to allow metro rail services to resume in Kolkata from July 1, PTI reports. West Bengal also relaxes night curfew hours. Restrictions will now apply only from 10 pm to 5 am, during the extended lockdown till July 31.

4.27 pm: The Haryana government permits shopping malls in Gurugram to reopem from next week, News18 reports. The government warns that the malls will be closed again if physical distancing rules are flouted.

4.20 pm: Rajasthan’s Health Department has served a notice to the National Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Jaipur, for conducting trials of Patanjali Ayurved’s drug Coronil on coronavirus patients, PTI reports. “We served notice to the hospital on Wednesday evening seeking explanation in three days,” Jaipur Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Narottam Sharma says. “The hospital did not inform the state government nor sought permission.”

4.14 pm: DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi writes to National Human Rights Commission against the alleged custodial deaths of a man and his son, who were arrested for violating the lockdown in Thoothukudi on June 19, ANI reports.

3.46 pm: Uttar Pradesh has reported 762 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, says Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad, according to ANI. There are 6,730 active cases, 13,583 patients have been discharged so far and 630 people have died.

3.37 pm: The Haryana government fixes the rates that private hospitals and medical colleges in the state can charge from coronavirus patients.

3.28 pm: Rohini Courts District Judge Swarana Kanta Sharma asks all judicial officers to work from home, and not to ask staffers to come to courts, in view of rising number of coronavirus cases among staffers and judges, PTI reports.

3.14 pm: The Centre has told the Delhi High Court that it has provided personal protective equipment and N-95 masks to states and Union Territories as per their requirement and it is upto them to “optimally utilize” the protective gear, PTI reports.

The submission by the Union Health Ministry has been made on an affidavit filed in response to a PIL by an non-governmental organisation alleging that nurses in private hospitals were not being provided proper protection equipment

3 pm: Pakistan on Friday recorded its lowest single-day spike in coronavirus cases in about a month as just 2,775 people tested positive. The total number of cases in the country is now 1,95,745, including 3,962 deaths.

2.44 pm: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa holds a meeting with MPs and MLAs in Bengaluru, to formulate a revised strategy to contain the coronavirus in the city, The Indian Express reports.

2.38 pm: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison asserts that the country’s recovery from the coronavirus is well on track, despite a spike in cases recently, BBC reports. “We remain on track: the curve remains flat,” he says. “But where you get bumps and when you get outbreaks, then you need to manage them...and that is what exactly what is happening.”

2.28 pm: Indonesia reports 1,240 new coronavirus infections and 63 deaths, according to Reuters. The total number of infections is 51,427, and the toll 2,683.

2.19 pm: The United States government’s Centers for Disease Control has estimated that 20 million (2 crore) Americans may already be infected with the contagion, Reuters reports. Officials at the CDC have told reporters that the figure of 20 million has been reached by multiplying the reported number of infections – over 2.4 million – by the average rate of antibodies seen from serology tests. The officials feel many new cases are showing up in young people who do not exhibit symptoms and may not know they have it.

2.10 pm: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh says families of police personnel who died of the coronavirus can stay in government accommodation till the retirement date of their deceased relative, PTI reports. As many as 51 policemen have lost their lives, he said.

2 pm: Indo-Tibetan Border Police Director General Surjeet Singh Deswal visits the Covid care centre at Radha Soami Beas in Chattarpur, ANI reports. “ITBP has gained experience in last four months,” he says. “Initially we managed a Covid-19 quarantine centre in Chhawla and then our 200-bedded hospital in Noida. Our medical team will help people in this crisis.”

1.50 pm: Hong Kong holds a small-scale dragon boat race on the occasion of the Tuen Ng festival, reports AFP.

1.45 pm: Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announces complete lockdown for the Kamrup Metropolitan district from midnight of June 28 (Sunday) for the next 14 days. He says lockdown on Saturdays and Sundays will be implemented in urban areas of the state, but adds that medical stores will be open, reports ANI. “Areas falling under the jurisdiction of town committees and municipalities will come under the ambit of the weekend lockdown and will continue until further notice,” he adds. “

1.42 pm: The Supreme Court will hear the pleas against the blacklisting of Tablighi Jamaat members on June 29 [Monday], reports PTI.

1.38 pm: Odisha’s coronavirus tally crosses the 6,000-mark, with 218 more infections, reports PTI, citing a health department official.

1.35 pm: “We have increased COVID-19 testing in Delhi, and therefore cases are rising,” he adds. “Delhi government has set up 3,500 beds for Covid-19 patients in hotels in last 10 days. More ICU [intensive care unit] beds will be set up on a large scale at LNJP [Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital] Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital and GTB [Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital] Hospital.”

1.30 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says the Capital has reported 74,000 coronavirus cases so far, but adds that situation is under control.

1.26 pm: The European Medicines Agency on Thursday recommended using the drug remdesivir to treat Covid-19, according to Reuters. The agency gave conditional approval of using the drug among adults and adolescents from ages 12 with pneumonia who need oxygen support.

1.25 pm: Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that the current coronavirus situation – both globally and in the US – is “more bleak” than he had expected. He made the remarks during a coronavirus town hall while speaking to CNN journalist Anderson Cooper.

1.22 pm: The Centre will send a team led by Union health ministry’s Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal to three states between June 26 and 29 to help them tackle the coronavirus. All the three states have recorded a very high rate of positive cases.

Read more here:

Coronavirus: Centre’s team to visit Maharashtra, Gujarat and Telangana from today amid rising cases

1.20 pm: Health authorities will launch a sero survey that covers 20,000 people across Delhi’s 11 districts over the weekend to ascertain the spread of the coronavirus amidst a rising number of cases, according to Hindustan Times.

1.15 pm: A banquet hall in central Delhi’s Daryaganj has become the first facility to be converted into a coronavirus care centre, according to NDTV.

1.10 pm: Guwahati will go into complete lockdown from midnight on Sunday for 14 days.

12.55 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses the media.

12.53 pm: A first information report was registered on Thursday against BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar in Pune over his alleged remark against Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, reports Mumbai Mirror. Padalkar had on Wednesday called Pawar a “coronavirus” that had infected Maharashtra.

12.50 pm: A new order in Karnataka allots 100 rooms at a luxury guest house in Bengaluru for ministers, MLAs, MPs and high-ranking government officials, reports NDTV.

12.40 pm: The Delhi High Court rejects a plea seeking direction to the Centre to release the customs-confiscated personal protective equipment kits, and sanitisers and distribute them to frontline workers, reports PTI. The bench termed the petition as a “wastage of judicial time”.

12.35 pm: The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea seeking directions to the Arvind Kejriwal-led administration to take necessary measures to provide Covid-19 testing facilities for advocates, judicial officers, legal staff and their family members in all court premises in the Capital, reports PTI.

12.30 pm: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday encouraged countries to use environmental-friendly energy sources for their plans to counter the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and said that there was a need to create more sustainable systems..

Read more here:

‘No need for countries to use coal in coronavirus recovery plans,’ says UN chief Antonio Guterres

12.20 pm: An Indian-origin ophthalmologist, formerly charged with healthcare fraud, has been booked for obtaining nearly $6,30,000 in government-approved loans that were for helping small businesses during the pandemic, reports PTI.

12.15 pm: The largest wholesale market at Begum Bazar in Hyderabad will remain closed for eight days, starting Sunday, due to an increase in the number of coronavirus cases and some merchants testing positive, the city Kirana Merchants Association says, according to PTI.

12.10 pm: Modi hails the Uttar Pradesh government’s measures against the coronavirus. “Even today, when other states are battling the coronavirus, UP has started such a big plan for its development,” he says. “Once again, many congratulations to you all for these employment opportunities.”

12.05 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi notes preventive measures against the coronavirus during the launch of the “Atma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan”.

“We know its [coronavirus’] medicine,” he says. “This medicine is keeping a distance of two yards from each other. These medicines are – covering the mouth, using facecover or a cloth wrap. Until the vaccine against the coronavirus is developed, we will be able to keep it at bay with this medicine.”

12 pm: A three-judge bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna allowed the Indian School Certificate Examination to conduct optional exams for both the classes.

Read more here:

CBSE to announce Class 10 and 12 results by July 15; Supreme Court approves assessment scheme

11.57 am: The International Monetary Fund says India will grow slightly more than 1% over 2020-’21, chief economist of the agency Gita Gopinath says, according to NDTV.

11.55 am: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa says he’s called a meeting with MLAs from Bengaluru and ministers on increase in coronavirus cases in the city, reports ANI. Every lawmaker and minister has to work towards the prevention of Covid-19 in their constituency. “There is no question of lockdown as we have already sealed some areas,” he adds.

11.53 am: Maharashtra Police records two deaths and 190 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. The total number of positive cases in the force rises to 4,516 and the toll to 56, according to ANI.

11.45 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduces “Atma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan” through video conference in the presence of Chief Minister Adityanath, reports ANI.

11.40 am: Rajasthan’s Health Department records one death and 91 new coronavirus in the state till 10.30 am today, taking the state tally to 16,387, reports ANI.

11.37 am: The Telangana government has put on hold the random collection and testing of samples through special camps in capital Hyderabad and surrounding areas for two days starting Thursday to clear the backlog of pending coronavirus tests.

Also read:

Covid-19: No random testing in Hyderabad, three other districts for two days; officials site backlog

11.18 am: The family members of more than 50 people at Hyderabad’s Gandhi Hospital, the nodal centre for the coronavirus treatment in Telangana, have refused to take the recovered patients back home. The patients, who are ready to be discharged, have been re-admitted to the hospital.

Also read:

Coronavirus: Families of over 50 recovered patients in Hyderabad refuse to take them home

11.13 am: The Supreme Court to soon hear a plea by 34 individuals from 34 different countries challenging the Home ministry’s order blacklisting over 2,500 foreign nationals presently in India for a period of 10 years from travelling to India for their alleged involvement in Tablighi Jamaat activities, reports Bar and Bench.

11.06 am: This is the assessment scheme that the CBSE has proposed for Class 10 and 12 students.

11 am: The Supreme Court says ICSE [Indian School Certificate Examination] may conduct optional examinations for both Classes 10 and 12. “It is submitted that the assessment scheme would be slightly different than CBSE and will be notified in the website within one week,” the bench adds, according to Bar and Bench.

10.50 am: Private labs like Dr Dangs Lab ramp up testing to counter the increase in Covid-19 cases, reports ANI.

10.49 am: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta says CBSE will upload the notification on its website within an hour, reports Live Law. “We need not wait for the order, the students are anxious,” he adds.

10.48 am: Justice AM Khanwilkar says: “We accept the notification issued by CBSE. Any other petition considering the subject of conducting exams for Class X and XII by CBSE [Central Board of Secondary Education] scheduled for July 1 to July 15, 2020, stands disposed off by this order. ICSE in principle will issue similar notification.”

10.37 am: Supreme Court begins hearing the case related to board exams, reports Live Law.

9.26 am: Over 2.15 lakh samples were tested on Thursday, says the Indian Council of Medical Research.

9.14 am: India records 17,296 new infections, taking the overall count to 490,401. This is by far the biggest single-day rise in the number of new cases. The toll rises to 15,301 with 407 new deaths. Over 2.8 lakh people have recovered so far.

8.45 am: Unicef says the number of malnourished children in Yemen could rise to 2.4 million by the end of the year due to a fall in funding amid the pandemic, reports The New York Times. “If we do not receive urgent funding, children will be pushed to the brink of starvation and many will die,” says Unicef Yemen representative Sara Beysolow Nyanti. “We cannot overstate the scale of this emergency.”

8.41 am: Assam reported 276 new cases on Thursday, says state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

8.10 am: Billionaire Bill Gates says people still dying in the United States shows that the country is “not even close” to doing enough to fight the pandemic, reports CNN. He is also disappointment by US’ lack of leadership in handling the virus globally, which had resulted in countries like India and Brazil bearing the brunt.

7.33 am: The Uttar Pradesh government revises night curfew hours in Noida, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Hapur and Muzaffarnagar, reports ANI. Now, night curfew timings will be from 8 pm to 6 am, says Meerut divisional commissioner. Those found without mask or spitting in public places will be penalised. Movement, except for essential services, is strictly prohibited in containment zones.

7.31 am: Mexico surpasses 25,000 deaths and 2,00,000 cases, according to AFP.

7.28 am: The European Medicines Agency recommends remdesivir for treatment, reports Reuters. Remdesivir has already been approved for emergency use in India, the United States and South Korea.

7.22 am: The Telangana government has stopped random testing in Hyderabad and adjoining areas to clear the backlog and sanitise laboratories and collection centres, reports News18. About 8,253 samples are pending at testing centres, said the director of public health. “A sample needs to be tested in 48 hours – till then it needs to be maintained at a certain temperature,” Director of Public Health Srinivas Rao tells News18. “There has been a heavy load of samples – before testing the old ones, getting new samples is not advisable. Besides, if samples are kept for long and tested, there is a chance it could result in being a ‘false positive’.”

7.19 am: The Gujarat government has capped the rate of testing in private laboratories in the state at Rs 3,000, reports The Indian Express. “It was decided by the health department that the private laboratories can charge Rs 2,500 if a person visits the lab to get tested and if a person is tested at their residence or at a hospital (by the private laboratories) where a lab employee has to be called for testing, then the laboratory can charge Rs 3,000,” said Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.

7.15 am: Here are the top updates from Thursday

• India’s coronavirus tally rose to 4,73,105 on Thursday as the country recorded its biggest single-day increase of 16,922 cases. The toll went up to 14,894 with 418 new deaths. Over 2.7 lakh people have recovered so far.
• Maharashtra reported 4,841 new cases – a new single-day high – and 192 deaths on Thursday, taking the total count to 1,47,741, while the toll rose to 6,931. The number of cases in Delhi crossed 73,780, while Kerala reported more than 100 cases for the seventh day in a row, and Karnataka’s count surpassed 10,000. Tamil Nadu recorded 3,509 new coronavirus cases in the evening, taking the state’s total count to 70,977. With 45 new deaths, the toll has risen to 911.
• Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal said that only those coronavirus patients who do not have adequate facilities at home to ensure isolation, will have to be shifted to Covid-19 care centres and other medical facilities. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority approved a modification to the Standard Operating Protocol to give effect to this order, he added.
• The Centre and the Central Board of Secondary Education informed the Supreme Court that they have decided to cancel the remaining Class 10 and Class 12 exams, scheduled between July 1 and July 15. The board will conduct the examinations when the conditions are conducive. Indian Certificate of Secondary Education also agreed with the government’s decision to cancel remaining exams.
• Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical firm, Hetero, which has the approval to manufacture Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir for the treatment of severely ill coronavirus patients, said it will deliver the first set to five states at a maximum retail price of Rs 5,400 per vial. The company will send the first set of 20,000 vials in two equal lots of 10,000 each to Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Hyderabad.
• The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay announced that it will scrap classroom lectures for the rest of the year because of coronavirus risks, becoming the first major institute in the country to do so.
• Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Thursday rejected the Kerala government’s demand that citizens returning from Gulf countries first take a coronavirus test. The state government on Wednesday released different safety guidelines for travel from six countries – United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.
• The global coronavirus tally reached 94,78,266 and the toll went up to 4,83,613, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 47.8 lakh people have recovered.