Coronavirus India Updates: Covid-19 Cases In India At 28,380; Death Toll At 886 

The Covid-19 pandemic has now infected over 28,000 people in India as the nation mulls extending a lockdown for a second time.

India added 1,463 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 28,380, according to the health ministry’s update at 5 p.m.. This includes 886 deaths and 6,362 patients who have recovered.

Over the last 24 hours, there have been 448 recoveries and 60 deaths. This was the most number of fatalities in India recorded in a day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a video meeting with state chief ministers said the danger of the virus is “far from over” and that while it is time to focus on the economy, India will have to remain vigilant.

Global Update:

Global coronavirus cases approached the 3 million mark, though Spain and France reported the fewest deaths in more than a month and the rise in U.S. infections trailed the one-week average. Italy will ease its lockdown in just over a week, a key test in efforts across Europe to broadly restart public life. New York, the center of the U.S. outbreak, outlined reopening plans as well.

Track latest news updates on the evolving coronavirus situation in India and the world here:

India added 1,463 new cases over the last 24 hours taking the total tally to 28,380 cases.

• Active cases: 21,132
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 6,362
• Deaths: 886

Source: Health Ministry (As of April 27, 5 p.m.)

The restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease were intensified in Kashmir on Monday as the valley entered the 40th day of its lockdown, officials said.

The decision to intensify the restrictions on the movement and assembly of people in most parts of the Kashmir valley was taken following a sudden spike in the detection of fresh Covid-19 positive cases over the past few days, the officials said.

The security forces have sealed off main roads in most places in the valley and erected barriers at several other places to check the unwanted movement of people, they said.

The administration has said essential services including healthcare personnel have been exempted from the restrictions, while otherwise, only persons with valid movement passes are being allowed passage.

The declared containment or red zones across the valley have been sealed to ensure strict adherence to the standard operating procedure.

Markets across the valley were shut and public transport was off the roads with only pharmacies and groceries allowed to open, the officials said.

Educational institutions across Kashmir are closed, while all public places including gymnasiums, parks, clubs and restaurants were shut down more than a week before the nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The lockdown in Kashmir has now entered its 40th day. While the Prime Minister announced the countrywide lockdown on the evening of March 24, the union territory administration here had on March 22 announced a lockdown across Jammu and Kashmir till March 31 as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

However, restrictions were first imposed in many parts of the Kashmir valley on March 19 to contain the spread of the infection. The measures were taken after the detection of the first positive case of coronavirus in the valley.

As many as 29 fresh cases of Covid-19 were reported in the Union Territory on Sunday. The total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir has reached to 523 and seven patients have died while 132 have recovered.

Source: PTI

The Arga district magistrate in Uttar Pradesh has ordered an inquiry after a video emerged that people in a quarantine centre were collecting food and water from under the locked gates of the facility.

A man in protective gear was purportedly tossing biscuit packets and people inside the quarantine centre were picking those by stretching their hands through the gaps of the gate, the video of which has gone viral on social media.

Social distancing, essential for those under quarantine, is totally absent in the visuals, with the people crowding behind the gate right next to each other. Another video shows mineral water bottles kept near the gate and hands reaching out for water.

District Magistrate Prabhu N Singh said the chief development officer had been to look into the laxity and fix responsibility.

"I went and inspected the spot. Everything has been set right," Singh said.

The team has been told to work in a proper manner so that such complaints are not received in the future, the official said.

In the video, a woman who identifies herself is heard saying: "This is what is being done to people in isolation."

"We were told we will have medical check-up done at some point, but this has not happened," she said. "There are no proper arrangements for food and water. Everyone is being negligent."

Source: PTI

The Meghalaya government on Monday relaxed a number of activities including sale of essential goods, courier services for essential goods, e- commerce operations in essential goods and Common Service Centres during the lockdown period.

The relaxtion will be allowed in the entire state except in the state capital and in Mylliem Block of East Khasi Hills District.

Meghalaya chief secretary MS Rao said services provided by self-employed persons including electrician, IT repairs, plumbers, motor mechanics, and carpenters and shops for repair of trucks on highways, hardware stores for providing items like CGI Sheets and cement that are used for construction including transportation of the same and electrical shops are also allowed to operate.

Meghalaya has so far reported 12 Covid-19 positive cases of which 11 are still active and one person has died of coronavirus.

According to the chief secretary, all agriculture and allied sectors activities like farming operations including livestock farming, poultry, fishery and hatcheries, collection, processing and distribution of milk and milk products, mandis by APMC, procurement and marketing of agricultural produce, Custom Hiring Centers, cold storage and warehouses are also permitted to begin operations.

Manufacturing, packaging and distribution of agriculture inputs, seed, animal feed and fodder, movement of harvesting and sowing related machines and implements besides operation of Tea industry including plantations with maximum 50 per cent of workforce for production, processing, packaging and marketing are also permitted.

Transportation of all agricultural products subject to transit point and route specified by respective Deputy Commissioners considering prevailing Covid-19 situation are allowed and veterinary hospitals, dispensaries, clinics, sale and supply of medicine and vaccines are allowed to operate, he said.

MNREGA works are allowed with strict implementation of social distancing and face mask and priority is to be given to irrigation and water conservation works.

Construction activities such as construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects, including MSMEs, in rural areas, outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities and all kinds of projects in industrial estates are allowed including quarrying of chips and aggregates including their transportation.

Source: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a video conference with chief ministers to discuss the situation arising due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country, which has been under a lockdown since March 25 to contain the spread of the virus, amid indications that the interaction would also focus on a graded exit from the ongoing lockdown.

Key highlights:

• Lockdown has yielded positive results
• Our aim must be rapid response, need to follow mantra of ‘do gazdoori’
• Efforts of states should be directed towards converting the red zones into orange and thereafter to green zones
• We have to be brave and bring in reforms that touch the lives of common citizen
• We have to give importance to the economy as well as continue the fight
• Danger of the virus is far from over and constant vigilance is of paramount importance

This is Modi's fourth such interaction with state chief ministers since March 22 when he first spoke to them on the coronavirus situation and steps taken --both by the Centre and the states-- to contain the pandemic. Two days later on March 24, Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown. He extended the lockdown till May 3 on April 14, the last day of the initial three week shutdown.

Among those present at the virtual meet, included Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and top officials from the PMO and Union Health Ministry.

The chief ministers who attended the meeting included Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra), EK Palaniswami (Tamil Nadu), Conard Sangma (Meghalaya) Trivendram Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand) and Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh).

The prime minister was wearing a white 'gamcha' (Indian stole for men) with green border. He has been using 'gamcha' to cover his face during such meets.

Sources in the government had on Sunday indicated that besides discussing the way forward in dealing with the pandemic, the prime ministers and chief ministers could also focus on a "graded" exit from the lockdown.

His note of caution came amidst gradual exemptions being granted by the Centre and states to revive economic activities.

With inputs from PTI

The Shiv Sena on Monday said it is the Centre's responsibility to make arrangements for sending migrant labourers to their native places in the wake of the lockdown enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Several migrant labourers have been residing in the coronavirus hotspots of Mumbai's Dharavi slum area, it noted.

"It is the Centres responsibility to arrange trains and buses so that labourers could reach their homes," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said. If these people continue to flock the streets, it is not safe for their health, the Marathi publication said, adding that the Centre cannot shrug off its responsibility.

"We wish that the kind of promptness shown by the Centre for the return of some Gujarati tourists from Haridwar (in Uttarakhand), should also be shown for migrant labourers," it said.

"These people are homesick and we cannot assess what would happen if they gather on streets," it added.

Without taking any names, the Sena said it feared that some people in Maharashtra would "instigate" the migrant labourers for their petty political gains.

It also took a dim view of the incident where hundreds of migrants gathered near Bandra station in Mumbai earlier this month and demanded that authorities make transport arrangements for them to go back to their native places.

The Sena said Maharashtra needs to take note of each and every labourer who gathered there, make necessary arrangements to send them back home and ensure to "foil" their any future attempt to come back to the state.

"These migrants should have trusted the state as it is trying to arrange food and shelter for them. If any other state has done so much for them, they should bring it to our notice," the Uddhav Thackeray-led said.

It also referred to some recent comments of Union minister Nitin Gadkari on the need for policy measures to create jobs in rural areas and check migration to cities for employment.

"What Gadkari has said is crucial. If these people wish to return to Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, how are they going to feed themselves. There is no work for these people anywhere in the country during the current crisis," the Sena said.

Source: PTI

Over 390 students of Assam arrived here on Monday from the coaching hub of Kota in Rajasthan and have been kept under institutional quarantine, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Sarma and his junior minister Pijush Hazarika received the students at the Sarusajai quarantine facility in the city after they arrived at 3 am by buses.

"After a long journey from Kota, 391 children are back with smiles and cheers. To ensure that they and their families remain safe, we are putting them into 14 days of quarantine," the health minister tweeted.

The boys have been kept at the Sarusajai quarantine facility and the girls in three hotels.

The students started their nearly 2,000-km journey from Kota in the west of India to Guwahati in the northeastern state of Assam on Thursday.

Kota is a coaching hub where medical and engineering aspirants from different parts of the country go every year in large numbers to prepare for competitive exams.

Quarantine has been made mandatory as the students are coming from Rajasthan which has been categorised a Covid-19 'Red Zone' and moreover, there is also the possibility of contracting the disease during the journey, Sarma had said.

The state government facilitated the return of the students in 17 buses against a charge of Rs 7,000 per person.

Swab tests will be conducted on the students on the fifth day and doctors will decide whether those testing negative can be discharged and allowed to spend the remaining nine days under home observation, Sarma had said earlier.

The students, who have already been in quarantine in Kota, have not come into direct contact with any Covid-19 patient, he had said.

The state government requested the authorities of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal to allow their movement during the ongoing lockdown period.

Source: PTI

Nine states have in India now have more than 1,000 coronavirus infected cases with Maharashtra’s numbers crossing the 8,000-mark. Gujarat has more than 3,300 cases now while Delhi is close to 3,000.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with chief ministers via video conference on Monday to discuss the coronavirus situation in India and exit from the harshest lockdown in the world. This will be the third video conference between the prime minister and chief ministers since the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

People in the government indicated that besides discussing the way forward in dealing with the pandemic, the discussion could also focus on a “graded” exit from the lockdown, which is in place till May 3. While some states have been working on gradual relaxations and restarting local economic ecosystems, some states are willing to extend the lockdown beyond May 3 to ensure that Covid-19 cases remain under control.

Read More.

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 infections now stands at 27,892 with 1,396 of them being reported in just the last 24 hours. The total number includes 6,185 people who have recovered and hence been discharged, and 872 who have succumbed to the illness.

Active cases stand at 20,835, according to the data made available by the Health Ministry as of April 27 morning.

India’s curve of active cases continues to rise with only six days to go for the 40-day lockdown to end.

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