Maharashtra's new Covid-19 guidelines for movie halls, hotels, offices
The Maharashtra government has said cinema halls, hotels, restaurants, malls and offices flouting Covid-19 regulations will be shut down "until the Covid-19 pandemic stays notified as a disaster by the central government". It also said these establishments, barring health and other essential services, would operate at 50 per cent capacity.
Nagpur city goes under week-long lockdown
Nagpur city and adjoining areas under the city police commissionerate went under a week-long lockdown on Monday, with only essential services remaining open. Nagpur is the first city in the country to go under lockdown during the second wave of Covid-19. Many violators of the lockdown were penalised; a total fine of Rs 1,37,200 was collected from 464 persons who were either not wearing masks or not maintaining social distance.
Domestic violence, trafficking rose in lockdown: House panel
A Parliamentary panel has found that the lockdown led to a spurt in cases of domestic violence and trafficking, and recommended continued cash transfers and moratorium on loan repayments, among other steps, to empower women. The report by Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs deals with “atrocities and crimes against women and children”. The committee is headed by Congress Rajya Sabha MP Anand Sharma.
New Covid-19 infections in Pune district rose to 4,745 on Wednesday, over a thousand more than the tally a day before, which was 3,574.
Pune District Collector Dr Rajesh Deshmukh told The Indian Express that the administration has intensified testing and contact tracing measures. “As part of our contact tracing measures, we are detecting several persons who are asymptomatic but have tested positive for coronavirus infection,” said Dr Deshmukh . Read More
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The Corona graph in Vidarbha, Nagpur district in particular, is rising rapidly with the region recording 6,256 new cases on Wednesday, with almost all the districts registering substantial hike in new case numbers.
On Tuesday, the region had reported 5,113 cases, with Nagpur contributing 2,587 cases. Read More
Supply of Covid-19 vaccines to other countries is based on availability of adequate vaccines at home, and an empowered committee is overseeing the entire process, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. He added that the domestic requirement of the vaccine is being monitored continuously even as India sends vaccines to friendly nations across the globe.
In a statement, Jaishankar said, “The House should be aware that the supply of vaccines abroad is based on the assessment of adequate availability at home”, adding that “this is continuously monitored and takes into account the requirements of our domestic vaccination programme as it unfolds in different phases”. Read More
Veteran actor-director Satish Kaushik on Wednesday said he has tested positive for coronavirus and is presently under home quarantine. Kaushik took to Twitter to inform his followers about his COVID-19 diagnosis, while also asking people, who came in contact with him in the last few days, to get themselves tested.
“Attention please!! I have been tested Covid positive. I would request everyone to get tested, who came in contact with me in the last few days. I am home quarantined. Your love, best wishes & blessings will help. Thanks,” read Kaushik’s tweet. Read More
A 33-year-old man, currently admitted at LNJP Hospital here, has become the first confirmed case of COVID-19 caused by the South Africa variant of the novel coronavirus in Delhi, sources said on Tuesday. He was brought to the hospital about a week ago, and has been kept isolated in a separate unit, a source said.
The LNJP Hospital had earlier also admitted people who had been found positive for UK strain of COVID-19, and after their treatment about two such patients had remained till February end, a senior doctor had earlier said.
Sources on Tuesday said the 33-year-old man has become the first confirmed case of COVID-19 caused by the South Africa variant of the novel coronavirus in Delhi. (PTI)
Amid the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in the state, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday that stricter curbs would be in place in Punjab from Thursday.
He was participating in the virtual Covid review meeting chaired by the Prime Minister. Sources said that the PM appreciated the efforts of the state government in handling the situation and enforcing curbs. He is learnt to have asked CMs of other states to follow in Punjab’s footsteps.
“We are making a policy, we will get stricter from tomorrow,” Amarinder told the PM. Read More
Kerala recorded 2,098 new cases of Covid-19 and 13 deaths on Wednesday. The active caseload stood at 25,394 as the death toll reached 4,435.
Ernakulam has reported the highest number of cases (255) today, followed by Kozhikode (246) and Kollam (230).
60,193 samples were tested in the last 24 hours as the test positivity rate stood at 3.49 per cent. Read More
The average of Covid-19 vaccine wastage in India is 6.5 per cent, with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh recording 17.6 and 11.6 per cent wastage respectively, the Centre said on Wednesday as it called for optimal utilisation of the jabs.
Addressing a press conference, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said Covid-19 vaccine wastage in five states -- Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir is higher than 6.5 per cent, which is the national average.
“The message we have shared with states is that vaccines are invaluable commodities. They are public health goods and therefore vaccines have to be optimally utilised. Vaccine wastage has to be drastically reduced. Any reduction in wastage means that you end up inoculating more people and therefore the chances of disrupting the chain of infection grow that much more,” he said. Read More
In the wake of a rise in COVID-19 cases, the Surat Municipal Corporation on Wednesday issued a notification making seven-day home quarantine mandatory for people travelling to the city from outside Gujarat.
The notification, issued under provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, said if a person shows any symptom of the viral infection while in quarantine, he should immediately get tested. "People coming to Surat city from outside Gujarat will have to undergo mandatory seven-day home quarantine and remain in isolation to prevent others at home from getting infected," the notification said.
Those violating the order will face action under Indian Penal Code Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act and the Disaster Management Act, it stated. (PTI)
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha that PM Modi's Covid-19 vision has provided an overarching framework to make India's goodwill with other nations meaningful in terms of practical initiatives. This, as a result, has developed India's reputation as a first and reliable respondent, he said.
Even as the Covid pandemic was in full fury, there were already global demands of our pharmaceutical and medical capabilities, said External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. "If we could meet them, it was largely due to extraordinary ramp-up of our Covid- related capabilities, he said.
Further, he said that India could meet the spiking requirement for Hydroxychloroquine, paracetamol and other relevant drugs across the world, adding that the Government has supplied 150 nations with medicines of which 82 are grants from India. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the Covid-19 pandemic showed how impacts can quickly spread across globe and also how the world can come together to fight a common threat.
Speaking at the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, he said Covid-19 has taught that in an interdependent world, no country is immune to the effects of global disasters. Effect of a disaster in one part of the world can quickly spread across the globe, PM said, adding that cooperation is a must for ensuring resilience of the global system.
He added that just as the fight against the pandemic mobilized the energies of the world's seven billion people, our quest for resilience must build on the initiative and imagination of each and every individual on this planet.
Prime Minister Modi, while interacting with the chief ministers, questioned the low testing and vaccination rates in some parts of the country and urged them to contemplate on the matter.
"It is a matter of contemplation that why is there less testing in some areas only. Why is there less vaccination in these areas? I think it's a time of test for good governance...Our confidence should not turn into overconfidence. Our success should not turn into negligence," PM Modi was quoted as saying by ANI.
He said states like Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are overly dependent on antigen tests and asserted that RT- PCR tests should make for over 70 per cent of overall testing.
PM Modi also called for ramping up testing in smaller towns and cautioned against spread of Coronavirus in villages.
Expressing concern over rising Covid-19 cases in some states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called for quick and decisive steps to curb the spread of the virus.
In an interaction with the chief ministers on the Covid-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination drive, Modi said the emerging second peak of Coronavirus should be stopped immediately.
He further asked the heads of the states to take the issue of wastage of covid-19 vaccine doses seriously.
South Korea's capital has ordered coronavirus tests for all foreign workers as the country expands mass testing targeting expatriates in a campaign that has triggered complaints of discrimination. Seoul officials said Wednesday the testing requirement covers all foreign nationals employed in the city, regardless of their visa status, as well as their employers. They could face fines of up to 2 million won (USD 1,768) if they fail to get tested until the end of March. Seoul had around 240,000 registered foreigners at the end of 2020, but city officials didn't have an immediate estimate on how many of them would be covered by tests. The decision comes after similar measures in nearby Gyeonggi province, which is also forcing employers to require tests for new foreign jobseekers and hire only those who test negative.
The Ahmedabad civic body on Wednesday announced the closure of the city zoo, lakefront and all public gardens here in view of the rising COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday, the city recorded 241 new cases of coronavirus, a sharp increase from 40 cases reported a month back on February 16. The COVID-19 tally in the city has gone up to 60,992, as per official figures.
Germany’s decision set off a domino effect of defections from the AstraZeneca vaccine. A cascade of countries — Italy, France and Spain — soon joined the decision to suspend AstraZeneca, dealing a significant blow to Europe’s already shaky inoculation drive despite a lack of clear evidence that the vaccine had caused any harm.
On Tuesday, the European Union’s top drug regulator pushed back against concerns about the shot, saying that there was no sign of its causing dangerous problems and that its lifesaving benefits “outweigh the risk of the side effects.” The European Medicines Agency was still studying the issue, said Emer Cooke, its executive director, adding that there was “no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions.”
It appears increasingly clear that the suspensions have as much to do with political considerations as scientific ones.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding a virtual interaction with chief ministers of the Covid-19 situation in India, amid a second wave of infections. Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee and Bhupesh Baghel are reportedly not attending the meeting. Nearly 84 per cent of the daily infections are now being reported from six states -- Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu and Kerala. However, other states too are seeing a rise in cases.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a virtual meeting with all chief ministers today amid rising COVID-19 cases across the country. PM Modi's last interaction with chief ministers was in January before the vaccination roll-out.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will not attend the meet today
Former President Donald Trump again urged people to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, saying he would recommend vaccination to "a lot of people that don't want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me." In an interview Tuesday night on Fox News, Trump acknowledged that people were free to decide for themselves whether they would be vaccinated against COVID-19. ?We have our freedoms and we have to live by that and I agree with that also. But it is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works," he said.
After a day’s dip, new coronavirus cases showed another big jump in Pune district on Tuesday, with 3,574 infections getting discovered. This is a new high for the district in the ongoing second wave, and the highest since September 27 last year.
Tuesday’s count means Pune is now contributing more than 20 per cent of all the cases in Maharashtra, which in turn accounts for over 60 per cent of the cases reported from across the country.
With Tuesday’s addition, Pune has, till now, recorded more than 4.45 confirmed infections, the second highest in the country after Delhi. Out of these, 28,866 cases are currently active, the highest for any district in the country.
The Philippine government has decided to temporarily ban the entry of foreigners and limit the entry of returning Filipinos at Manila's international airport to 1,500 daily as it struggles to contain an alarming surge in coronavirus infections. A government body dealing with the pandemic said the monthlong travel restrictions would start Saturday and aim to prevent the spread into the country of coronavirus strains from other countries which are believed to be more contagious. Among those to be allowed limited entry are homebound Filipino workers.
Philippine Airlines said it would announce some flight cancellations to comply with the temporary restriction.
In view of rising coronavirus cases in the state, the Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to impose night curfew in Bhopal and Indore municipal areas and also ordered closure of shops at 10 PM in eight other cities. The restrictions would come into force from Wednesday, an official said. The decision was taken by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan after reviewing the COVID-19 situation at a meeting with senior officials, he said. The night curfew will be in place in Indore and Bhopal cities from 10 PM to 6 AM, an order issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Dr Rajesh Rajora said.
India detected 28,903 cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, of which 17,864 cases were from Maharashtra — the highest since September 30 last year. More than 1.14 crore people have been found infected in the country till now, while the number of active cases in the country has increased to more than 2.34 lakh. At least 188 deaths were reported on Tuesday, with 87 casualties from Maharashtra and 38 from Punjab. In view of the rising cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may chair a meeting with chief ministers today.
BJP leader Dilip Gandhi passes away at a private hospital in Delhi. He had tested positive for the novel coronavirus
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal Tuesday said he has tested positive for Covid-19, the announcement coming a day after he addressed a party rally in Tarn Taran. Soon after, the Akali Dal announced postponement of its ‘Punjab Mangda Jawab’ rallies launched by the party to “force the Congress government to answer for allegedly reneging on all the promises made to the people” till March 31.
Union Health minister Dr, Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said the Centre was “striking a sensible balance” in sending vaccines abroad, and none sent to the 72 countries so far was at the expense of the people of India.
He said that India believed that the “world was our family” and that “science was global”, but quoted vaccination figures to show that India was well on track in its inoculation programme. Read More
A record 2,64,897 people received coronavirus vaccines in Maharashtra on Tuesday, officials said.
This was the highest number of people vaccinated in a day in the state since the inoculation drive began in January, an official said.
The tally of those who have received vaccine reached 31,33,612.
Of those who received the jab during the day, 2,43,812 were given Covishield doses while 21,085 were given Covaxin, the official said.
As many as 3,61,222 health workers and 72,777 front line workers have been given a second dose of the vaccine too. (PTI)
Covid-19 cases continued to surge in Vidarbha on Tuesday, with the region reporting 5,113 cases. The region had reported 4,361 new cases and 30 deaths on Monday.
The number of deaths has also gone up to 39. Till Monday, the death toll hadn’t crossed 30.
Nagpur district remained the biggest Covid hotspot, recording 4,471 new cases and 18 deaths. The district had reported 2,297 cases and 12 deaths on Monday. Read More
While Maharashtra recorded a maximum number of vaccinations at 2.67 lakh on March 15, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday urged the Centre to provide 2.2 crore vaccine doses with supply at 20 lakh each week.
Tope, who is in New Delhi, has placed this demand before Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. Read More
As the city’s positivity rate climbed to 23.93 per cent on Tuesday, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) warned that Covid-19 patients who violate home isolation rules will be shifted to Covid Care Centres. The civic body also directed all establishments and offices, except emergency services, to operate with 50 per cent staff.
“If there is a violation of home isolation rule by a Covid-19 patient, then the Incident Commander will shift the patient to Covid Care Centre,” said Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar. Read More
Covid-19 cases continued to surge in Vidarbha on Tuesday, with the region reporting 5,113 cases. The region had reported 4,361 new cases and 30 deaths on Monday.
The number of deaths has also gone up to 39. Till Monday, the death toll hadn't crossed 30.
Nagpur district remained the biggest Covid hotspot, recording 4,471 new cases and 18 deaths. The district had reported 2,297 cases and 12 deaths on Monday.
Meanwhile, Buldana district is emerging as the new hotspot in Amravati division, having seen 567 new cases and two deaths on Tuesday. The district had reported 533 cases and one death on Monday.
Amravati district reported 475 cases and three deaths on Tuesday while Yavatmal district reported 352 cases and eight deaths.
Akola with 391 cases and three deaths, and Washim with 218 cases and no deaths, were the other affected districts in Amravati division.
In Nagpur division, Wardha reported 254 cases and three deaths, and Chandrapur had 121 cases and two deaths.
The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 3.48 crore, with 19,11,913 people inoculated on Tuesday till 7 pm, the Union health ministry said.
A total of 3,48,59,345 vaccine doses have been administered to the beneficiaries, according to a provisional report compiled at Tuesday.
The beneficiaries include 75,01,590 healthcare workers (HCWs) who were given the first dose, 45,40,776 HCWs who received the second dose, 75,91,670 frontline workers (FLWs) who were administered the first dose and 16,28,096 FLWs who got the second dose.
Besides, 1,14,54,104 people above 60 years of age and 21,43,109 aged between 45 and 60 years with specific comorbidities were administered the first dose, the ministry said. (PTI)
The Covid-19 surge in Mumbai through the month of March continued as 1,922 cases were reported on Tuesday, taking the tally here to 3,47,581.
The figure is a shade below the 1,962 notched up on March 14, which remains the highest daily addition so far for the month.
Since March 3, the metropolis has seen a daily addition in the 1,000 plus range, with the number of active cases soaring from 9,690 on March 1 to 15,263 on Tuesday, BMC officials pointed out.
Four deaths in the last 24 hours took the toll to 11,539, they added. (PTI)
There is no immediate requirement of a curfew or a lockdown in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said here on Tuesday, amid a recent spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in the state.
The remark came a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video conference with chief ministers on the Covid-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination drive.
Thakur said areas reporting high prevalence of new infections may be declared containment zones and effective contact-tracing drives undertaken there.
He, however, added that a final decision over this would be taken after Wednesday's discussion with the Prime Minister. (PTI)
Pune reports 3,574 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,577 recoveries, and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours. (ANI)
Amid a spike in the number of Covid cases, Karnataka on Tuesday reported over a 1,000 cases for the first time since Christmas last year. As many as 1,135 more people contracted the infection in the last 24 hours, indicating a test positivity rate of 1.65 per cent.
Of these, Bengaluru Urban continued to top the list with 710 new cases and 329 discharges among 30 districts in the state. Read more
Amid a spike in the number of Covid cases, Karnataka on Tuesday reported over a 1,000 cases for the first time since Christmas last year. As many as 1,135 more people contracted the infection in the last 24 hours, indicating a test positivity rate of 1.65 per cent.
Of these, Bengaluru Urban continued to top the list with 710 new cases and 329 discharges among 30 districts in the state. Read more
Amid rising concerns over the possible side-effects of the coronavirus vaccines, the National Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI) committee is expected to review this week data related to side-effects of both Covishield and Covaxin to ensure they are not linked to blood clots.
A preliminary review conducted towards the end of last week prima facie reflected no cause for concern, according to the head of one of the Covid-19 task forces of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
But why are countries suspending the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and how does it affect India? Read the full story here
Kerala recorded 1,970 new cases of Covid-19 and 15 deaths on Tuesday. The active caseload amounted to 26,127 as the death toll rose to 4,422.
Ernakulam recorded the highest number of cases (238) on Tuesday, followed by Kozhikode (237) and Kottayam (217).
In the last 24 hours, a passenger from South Africa tested positive for Covid-19. This took the total number of passengers infected with Covid-19 from UK, South Africa and Brazil to 104. Among them, 91 patients have recovered. Read More
During the India-Finland Virtual Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with his Finnish counterpart, Sanna Marin, and exchanged views on the pandemic, including vaccine solidarity. He also emphasised the unprecedented global efforts in speeding up the development and scaling up of manufactory vaccines.
Due to the spurt in the number of Covid cases, no direction can be issued to the Southern Railway to restore its services in full strength, the Madras High Court said on Tuesday.
The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said this while disposing of a public interest writ petition from advocate Ramkumar Adityan.
Due to the sudden increase in the number of cases, the High Court itself has deferred its decision to bring back the physical hearing of cases, the bench pointed out. (PTI)
Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday recorded 97 fresh Covid-19 cases that pushed its infection tally to 1,27,831, while two more deaths linked to the virus raised the toll to 1,972 in the Union Territory, officials said.
Nineteen of the fresh cases are from the Jammu division and 78 from the Kashmir division, they said.
The officials said Srinagar district recorded a maximum of 53 new cases, followed by 15 in Jammu district. (PTI)
Primary and secondary education minister of Karnataka, S Suresh Kumar, has instructed officials to crack the whip against schools which run regular offline classes for standard one to five ignoring government's directive in view of Covid-19.
The warning to the primary schools was issued on Monday after Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar tweeted a few days ago asking Kumar to look into the complaints about reopening of schools for standard one to five.
Further media too reported that some private schools were running offline classes. (PTI)
The Nagaland government has permitted the reopening of regular sessions for classes 1 to 5 in schools across the state from March 22.
In this connection, Principal Secretary (Home) Abhijit Sinha on Tuesday issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), outlining various generic precautionary measures to be adoptedin addition to specific measures to be taken to contain the spread of Covid-19 when schools resume normal functioning.
Schools across the state were closed since March last year due to the pandemic and educational institutions had been conducting online classes during the period. (PTI)
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) on Tuesday issued a non-cooperation notice for two months against Bollywood star Gauahar Khan for allegedly violating the Covid-19 rules.
The notice comes after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday filed a police case against a Bollywood actor for flouting Covid-19 guidelines.
Though the BMC release did not disclose the name the actor, reports said the case was related to the "Tandav" actor.
In a joint statement, signed by FWICE president BN Tiwari, general secretary Ashok Dubey and treasurer Gangeshwar Srivastav, the trade body said, "It was a very irresponsible act by Gauahar Khan, she not only risked her life but others who were on the set."
The FWICE said it condemns Khan for resuming shooting even after testing positive for Covid-19 infection despite being advised to quarantine herself. (PTI)
The Madhya Pradesh Assembly was adjourned sine die on Tuesday after the state budget of Rs 2.41 lakh crore for 2021-22 was passed by a voice vote.
After the budget was passed by voice vote and other legislative works were completed, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra proposed that the House be adjourned sine die (without a future date being fixed).
He said it was not appropriate to run the House when half a dozen MLAs and some staff of the Vidhan Sabha had contracted Covid-19, and night curfew was also being imposed in the state to stop the spread of infection.
After a proposal to this effect was moved, Speaker Girish Gautam adjourned the Assembly sine die. (PTI)
The government has provided 5.86 crore doses of 'Made in India' Covid-19 vaccines to 71 countries as grant as well as commercial sales by manufacturers and as part of international agreements of manufacturers till March 15, Rajya Sabha was informed Tuesday.
External supplies are being undertaken with due regard to domestic production, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in a written reply.
"Priority is accorded to utilisation of doses within the country and ensuring adequate availability for the national vaccination programme," he said.
"As on March 15, 2021, a total of 5.86 crore doses of 'Made in India' COVID-19 vaccines have been provided to 71 countries as grant by Government of India, as well as commercial sales by manufacturers and as part of international agreements of manufacturers with COVAX facility which has more than 190 member countries," Vardhan said, providing details of the export of 'Made in India' Covid-19 vaccines. (PTI)
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown multilateralism is the way forward and India has set an example by providing vaccines to other countries, says Inter-Parliamentary Union chief Duarte Pacheco (PTI)
With the addition of 983 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 2,77,569, an official said on Tuesday. These new cases were reported on Monday, he said.
Six more people also died of the viral infection, raising the toll in the district to 6,343, he said, adding that the Covid-19 mortality rate in Thane is 2.29 per cent.
So far, 2,61,649 patients have recuperated from the infection in the district, which reflects a recovery rate of 94.26 per cent.
There are 9,577 active cases in the district at present, the official said. (PTI)
A mob of 50 Shiv Sainiks have been booked for entering the office of a Thane BJP leader and protesting there without keeping in mind Covid-19 protocols, police said on Tuesday.
The incident happened on March 12 in the office of Manohar Dhumbre, BJP group leader in the Thane Municipal Corporation, a Naupada police station official said.
'The Shiv Sainiks and Dhumbre had arguments over some issues in the latter's ward. Those in the mob did not wear masks nor did they maintain social distancing. So we booked them under section 188 of IPC and Maharashtra Police Act. No arrest has been made so far,' he added. (PTI)
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday greeted people on the occasion of the NationalbVaccination Day and called for greater engagement of citizens of the coastal state towards immunisation against Covid-19.
The National Vaccination Day is observed on March 16 every year to convey the importance of vaccination to the entire nation. (PTI)
The local administration in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur district on Tuesday announced that spectators who don't wear masks will not be allowed to enter Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium during the Road Safety World Series (RSWS) cricket tournament.
The RSWS T20 tournament is being played between legend teams of six nations, including India, at the stadium in Nava Raipur from March 5, to create awareness towards road safety.
A large crowd of viewers were seen enjoying the last few matches in the stadium without wearing masks.
"In view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases, it has been decided that the entry will be prohibited to spectators who don't wear masks," an official from the public relations department said.
Necessary action will be taken against people who are found without masks, he said. (PTI)
Dharavi in Mumbai, one of the world's densest urban sprawls, on Tuesday reported 21 Coid-19 cases, the highest single-day addition to the infection tally since October, a civic official said.
The locality had seen 22 cases on October 6 last year, he pointed out.
The caseload in Dharavi, which reported its first case in April 1 last year, now stands at 4,279, the official added. (PTI)
Jabalpur district collector Karmveer Sharma, who took the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine last month, has tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Tuesday.
The collector took the first dose of the vaccine on February 8 and had not taken the second dose, a district administration official said.
Sharma, on his official Facebook page 'Collector Jabalpur', informed on Monday that despite taking precautions, a "minor slip led to the coronavirus infection". (PTI)
With an aim to speed up the vaccination drive, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has set a target of inoculating one lakh people in the city every day, BMC officials said on Tuesday.
Currently, 40,000 to 45,000 people are being given vaccine shots here in a day at around 85 immunisation centres, including 54 private hospitals, they said.
On Monday, 44,683 people received vaccine shots in Mumbai, according to the civic body.(PTI)
In the wake of a rise in Covid-19 cases in Surat, people working in textile and diamond industries here are required to get themselves tested for the viral infection once a week, the city civic body has said.
In daily tests here in Gujarat, majority of those found infected are associated with the textile business, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) said in a release issued on Monday evening.
Of late, Surat, a textile and diamond hub, has been reporting the highest number of daily Covid-19 cases in the state, as per official data. (PTI)
To contain the surge in Covid-19 cases, the Gujarat government on Tuesday decided to increase the night curfew timings in four major cities of the state by two hours.
The curfew will now remain in force in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot from 10 pm to 6 am, an official statement said.
The curfew timings earlier were from 12 am to 6 am. The decision was taken on Tuesday in the core committee meeting of the coronavirus task-force headed by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
"The state government has decided to impose curfew from 10 pm to 6 am in view of the increasing cases of coronavirus," the government said in the statement. (PTI)
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal tests positive for Covid-19. "My health is fine & as per protocol I have isolated myself," tweets Sukhbir Singh Badal.