Coronavirus May 2 Highlights: Ahmedabad records highest one-day toll at 20; India counts 2,411 cases in 24 hrs

The railways reiterated on Saturday night that it was ferrying only those authorised by state governments in its special trains for people stranded during the lockdown, following reports of unauthorised travel and crowding at some stations.

In a late night statement, the national transporter said, "Railways only accepting passengers, brought and facilitated by state governments. No other group of traveller or individual are to come to station." "Some special trains being run only on state governments' requests. All other passenger and suburban train services remain suspended," it said.

The railways also said that no tickets are being sold at any station, advising people not to converge at any rail station. India is under a nationwide lockdown to check the spread of the novel coronavirus, with a ban on rail, air and road traffic.

Ahmedabad Saturday reported 20 coronavirus deaths — highest one-day count so far — taking the death toll in the district to 184, news agency PTI reported. The total number of cases in the district also jumped to 3,543 with 250 fresh cases being detected. With 4,721 confirmed cases and 236 deaths, Gujarat is trailing just behind Maharashtra, which has more than 11,000 cases and 485 deaths.

In West Bengal, fifteen people have died due to COVID-19 in the last 48 hours, taking the toll to 48, according to a bulletin issued by the state health department on Saturday. It said 127 new cases of Covid-19 were reported from different parts of the state on these two days, as the new number of active cases rose to 624. The government did not issue any bulletin on the COVID-19 status on Friday.

Retired Chief Justice of Chhatisgarh High Court and Lokpal member Ajay Kumar Tripathi passed away at AIIMS trauma centre due to novel coronavirus Saturday. He was admitted to the hospital last month after having tested positive for Covid-19. On Saturday, he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and succumbed to the month-long illness.

Six more people tested positive for coronavirus in Jhajjar Saturday. Of them, five people work in the vegetable market in Bahadurgarh, and one is a staff nurse at a COVID hospital in Delhi and resides in Bahadurgarh. Total cases in the district now 40.

Gujarat's Mahisagar reported six new COVID-19 cases on Saturday taking the district total to 23. Of them, four were from Balasinor and two from Kadana. The patients include a doctor and two staff workers of the Balasinor COVID hospital. Six people were also discharged.

One of the 106 men accused in the Palghar mob lynching case tested positive for coronavirus late on Friday. The district administration said the man was asymptomatic, but was hospitalised and kept in isolation on Saturday morning. The man who tested positive on Friday is 55 years old, and was kept among a group of 20 other suspects in a lock-up in Wada. “According to the standard operating procedure now in place, all suspects being taken into custody are tested for coronavirus. His report was inconclusive earlier, and on retesting, he tested positive this morning.

On the night of April 16, a mob of close to 400 men gathered outside Gadchinchle village on the border of Dahanu taluka and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Fuelled by rumours of gangs of thieves and organ harvesters roaming the area at night, the mob stopped a van and fatally assaulted its occupants, two sadhus and the driver. Read more here

The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Saturday announced a new scheme, Mukhya Mantri Shahari Rojgar Guarantee Yojana, to provide 120 days of assured employment to the state’s urban population. The government also said that it will provide Rs. 2,000 each to the state’s one lakh registered workers to help them tide over the economic crisis triggered by the pandemic. Read more here

Minister of law, communications, electronics and information technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad hit back at Congress leader who had raised data secuity concerns over the Arogya Setu App. Referring the App as "a powerful companion which protects people", Prasad said, "Those who indulged in surveillance all their lives, won’t know how tech can be leveraged for good!"

Daily a new lie.

Aarogya Setu is a powerful companion which protects people. It has a robust data security architecture.
Those who indulged in surveillance all their lives, won’t know how tech can be leveraged for good! https://t.co/t8ThXmddcS

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) May 2, 2020

Kerala turned a new corner Saturday in it's fight against Covid-19 with the number of active cases dipping below 100 for the first time in over a month. The state reported just two new cases, one of which one was found in Wayanad district which was earlier slotted in the green zone. Following the fresh case, the district was shifted to orange zone where there are fewer lockdown relaxations compared to the green zone.

However, Sundays should be observed with complete shutdown even in green zones with people advised to remain at home. Private establishments and shops must remain closed. Though the Centre allowed the opening of liquor retail shops in green zones with adequate security measures, the state government has resisted the move fearing huge crowds after a long period of closure. However, the CM said it's a temporary measure which will be lifted soon. Barber shops, beauty parlours, spas, gyms, movie theatres, parks and religious places will remain closed. Barring hotspots, the public can use their private vehicles for essential travel. On two-wheelers, pillion riders will not be allowed. In four-wheelers, two people can travel excluding the driver. In green zones, shops have been given the permission to operate six days a week from 7 am to 7:30 pm with adequate precautions.

The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) will join the armed forces across the country to show solidarity with the “corona warriors” Sunday. A host of events will be organised by various units under the ENC to pay tribute to doctors, nurses, other health workers, hygiene and sanitation staff, police personnel and media personnel who have been risking their lives and relentlessly fighting the COVID and containing the spread of the pandemic, a statement said.

On Sunday morning, Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andhra Pradesh) will be visiting Government TB and Chest Hospital and GITAM Hospital, at Visakhapatnam, which are the designated COVID hospitals, and felicitate the medical fraternity. This will be followed by a naval helicopter from INS Dega showering flower petals on hospitals treating COVID patients at Visakhapatnam. Two Indian Navy ships will also be at anchorage off RK Beach and illuminated from 7:30 pm to midnight on Sunday. They will also salute the ‘corona warriors’ through traditional naval ceremonials. Two ENC ships will be at anchorage off the Marina Beach at Chennai to honour and salute these ‘corona warriors’ by illuminating and traditional naval ceremonials. The ships will also fire green flares signifying good wishes for the health of our citizens.

All shops selling foreign and country-made liquor in the state are allowed to operate with immediate effect, Additional Commissioner of Excise, S K Medhi said in an order on Saturday. Transportation of liquor consignments is also allowed as per the provisions of the Assam Excise Rules, 2016, the order stated. (PTI)

People queue up to collect food in Noida while maintaining social distance as per guidelines on Saturday. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

Rahul Gandhi has raised data security concerns over Aarogya Setu App, that has been made mandatory for all at workplaces. "The Aarogya Setu app, is a sophisticated surveillance system, outsourced to a pvt operator, with no institutional oversight - raising serious data security & privacy concerns. Technology can help keep us safe; but fear must not be leveraged to track citizens without their consent," Gandhi tweeted.

The Arogya Setu app, is a sophisticated surveillance system, outsourced to a pvt operator, with no institutional oversight - raising serious data security & privacy concerns. Technology can help keep us safe; but fear must not be leveraged to track citizens without their consent.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 2, 2020

A day after the central government extended the nationwide lockdown by two more weeks, the Congress Saturday asked the Government to explain the rationale behind the second extension – its purpose, objective and the overall strategy to contain the spread of the epidemic. The Congress also asked the government to reveal its exit strategy from lockdown 3.0, its roadmap to check unemployment and revival of the economy. Read more 

Here are the top developments on coronavirus situation in India and round the world. Watch video here

After the Karnataka government decided to allow one-time movement of people stranded in different districts to their native places, a large number of migrant workers gathered at the Majestic bus terminal in Bengaluru Saturday. But much to their dismay, the migrant workers were forced to shell out three times the normal bus fare. Social distancing norms went for a toss when more than at least 500 people gathered at the bus station, with very few people to control the swelling crowd. The stranded migrant workers are going to different parts of Karnataka from Bengaluru, which is a red zone district. Read full story by Darshan Devaiah BP

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 27 new positive cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. Out of them, two were from Jammu and 25 from Kashmir. Out of 666 total cases, 404 are now active, 254 have recovered and 8 died.

In the last 24 hours, the number of coronavirus cases in India has risen by 2,411, taking the country’s tally to 37,776 cases, including 1,223 deaths and 10,017 recoveries.

Twenty-two new cases were reported in Punjab's Moga. Out of them, four were ASHA workers, one man who returned from Dubai and 17 pilgrims who returned from Nanded. District total now 28.

New recoveries outnumbered fresh COVID-19 cases in Karnataka on Saturday. While 20 people were dscharged after getting cured, only 12 tested positive taking the total number of cases to 601. Number of dicharges so far is 271 while toll is 25.

According to the latest updates by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the number of coronavirus cases in India on Saturday stands at 37,776. A total of 1,223 people have died of COVID-29 while 10,017 have been cured so far. The active cases are counted at 26,535.

• Coronavirus claims 238,000 lives worldwide, infects more than 3.3 million people so far
• US commits over $775 million to help other countries fight COVID-19
• Pakistan sees over 1,200 Covid cases in a day
• Pop diva Madonna tests positive for coronavirus
• FDA allows emergency use of remdesivir drug for coronavirus patients
• Pandemic causing untold fear and suffering among old: UN
• WHO praises China for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic
• China mishandled coronavirus outbreak, says White House
• Russia reports its highest single-day jump

“Like many others, I was worried about getting by during the coronavirus lockdown. I saw people taking supplies from donors. That’s when I thought of standing with daily wagers and labourers.”

Across India there are many who are going out of their way to help those suffering because of the unprecedented turn of events. But then Goutam Das is not among the privileged. The 51-year-old is a daily wager too, pulling a cart to sustain himself. So when he says he decided to spend his savings and donate something, it carries a lot more weight. In fact, this /thelawalla’/ from Tripura has spent nearly all his savings donating food for the poor.

Das lives alone in a tiny mud house at Sadhutilla village close to Agartala city. His wife passed away years back and his children live separately. That gives him a little bit of wriggle space when it comes to his finances. With the Rs 200 or so he would earn daily, Das had managed to save about Rs 20,000 by the time the lockdown was announced. Read Goutam Das' story of strength here

As the world and India battle the novel coronavirus pandemic, India has all but made it mandatory to download and use a mobile phone application called Aarogya Setu developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. How do contact tracing apps work? Which other countries are using them? What are the concerns around data & privacy? Read explainer by Pranav Mukul

The Karnataka government has decided to appeal to the Centre to drop Bengaluru rural district from the list of COVID-19 red zones as there are no fresh cases of coronavirus infections there, Revenue minister R Ashoka said on Saturday. “Presently there are no cases of COVID-19 in Bengaluru Rural district. So we will write to the centre not to incorporate the Bengaluru rural district in the list of red zones”, Ashoka said at the end of a high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on easing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday sought cooperation from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh governments to ensure safe return of Odias stranded their states due to the lockdown.PTI reported. Patnaik made the request during separate video conference with Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh B S Yediyurappa and Y S Jaganmohan Reddy respectively. Union Petroleum and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also took part in the discussions. Pradhan agreed to coordinate between the states for hassle-free movement of the stranded people from the south Indian states to Odisha.

Remarking that the migrant labour issue had not been handled in humane, compassionate manner, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Saturday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make arrangements to ferry the labourers home for free in sanitised trains, with food. Asking prime minister to enlighten the citizens of the country on when the lockdown will finally end, he said, "We urge PM to lay exit plan from lockdown and spell out goalpost to deal with coronavirus, economy."

Assam has opened its borders with northeast states except Sikkim. Welcoming the Assam residents stuck in the neighbouring northeast states, MLA from Assam's Jalukbari constituency Himanta Biswa Sarma Saturday said, "We have opened our borders with all NE states (except Sikkim). From tomorrow, any resident of Assam currently in these states can come into Assam." He added that after these people reach the state border, they would be subjected to home-quarantine facility or hospital admission as required according to health screening.

The finance ministry, which deferred release of monthly GST collection numbers on Friday, is also scheduled to make a detailed presentation to the prime minister on the state of the economy and several initiatives that it plans to undertake to stimulate the Indian economy.

Hundreds of migrant workers stranded in Pallavaram in Tamil Nadu staged a protest demanding the officials to make necessary arrangements for them to return to their hometown. Similar protests took place in many areas in Chennai including Velachery, Mogappair, Guindy. (Express Photo)

Ministry of Home Affairs issued a clarification regarding the travel restrictions in the orange zones, According to the clarification, taxis, cabs will be allowed to ply in orange zones.

Clarification regarding Movement of Persons and Vehicles in #OrangeZones during two weeks #lockdownextension, with effect from May 4, 2020.#COVID2019#IndiaFightsCoronavirus

Press Release ?https://t.co/SMYOO9fNeZ pic.twitter.com/eOOtfHVNTi

— Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) May 2, 2020

Nine days after Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb announced Tripura coronavirus-free, two more persons tested positive for the virus on Saturday. In a Facebook post this afternoon, Chief Minister Deb wrote, "Alert! In Tripura two persons from Ambassa #BSF unit found #COVID19 positive.Total #COVID19 positive cases in Tripura stands at 4. (Two already discharged, so active hospital cases : 2) Update at 02:30 pm / 2nd May #TripuraCOVID19Count".

On the issue, a BSF PRO told indianexpress.com that a head constable of BSF posted at Ambassa was hospitalised with stomach ache on March 25 at Dhalai. He was later referred to sub-divisional district hospital and finally to GB Pant Hospital, Agartala, which is also the only corona testing facility in Tripura. A BSF constable was posted with the patient as attendant. Both of them tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday during checkup at the hospital, the official said.- Debraj Deb reports from Tripura 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Finance Minsiter Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss about a second economic stimulus package, PTI reported. As the Covid pandemic and the prolonged lockdown batter all sectors of the economy, the government, sources said, was working on a rescue package that, for now, may address the needs of the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) segment rather than the larger corporate sector. More than six meetings have been held at the Prime Minister’s Office — including Thursday’s with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal — to discuss the scope and quantum of the second fiscal package.

Forty one people staying in a building in southwest Delhi's Kapashera area tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.

A case of coronavirus had been reported from the building on April 18, the official said. "Keeping in mind the high density of population in this particular building, the district administration took the proactive decision of sealing and containing the building on April 19," PTI quoted an official as saying. The guidelines call for sealing an area when minimum three cases are reported from the same. Samples collected from all the residents in the building were sent to the National institute of Biologicals (NIB) in Noida."Out of total samples collected from the building, some reports have come on Saturday and 41 have tested positive for COVID-19," the official told PTI.

Gujarat to send two trains carrying migrant workers from Ahmedabad to Uttar Pradesh and one train from Surat to Odisha says govt officials

The eleven empowered groups of officers created by the central government to implement COVID-19 containment measures in the country have been reconstituted, an official spokesperson said Saturday.First created on March 29 under the Disaster Management Act, the reconstitution of these groups became necessary after some members either retired, appointed or were transferred from their previous posting. "Empowered groups under Disaster Management Act, 2005, reconstituted for planning and ensuring implementation of COVID-19 activities," PTI quoted the ministry spokesperson as saying. Their terms and conditions will remain the same, according to the order.

There are no restrictions on sale of non-essential items by e-commerce platforms in green and orange zones, a home ministry spokesperson said. The exemptions will be effective from May 4 when the third phase of the lockdown will begin. Earlier too the ministry had announced to allow sale of non-essential items on e-commerce platforms, but later backtracked on its decision.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday clarified that barber shops and salons will be allowed to operate in green and orange zones during the third phase of the lockdown beginning May 4. The MHA on Friday, while extending the lockdown for two more weeks till May 17, lifted many restrictions in green and orange zones. Last month, The Indian Express had reported how, due to the lockdown, vulnerability was looming on the lives of innumerable barbers that groom the country of 1.3 billion. 

After the government allowed six special trains for migrant workers on Friday, the Nashik authorities today sent its second special train carrying 847 migrant workers to Lucknow.

We could successfully send second train to Lucknow with 847 migrant labourers of UP today at 11 am from Nashik road railway station. We kept effective deployment and ensured adherence to social distancing. Thank you one and all who supported this initiative. pic.twitter.com/eLKZlFPsuC

— Vishwas Nangre Patil (@vishwasnp) May 2, 2020

Even as Tamil Nadu reported 2526 and 28 deaths, the state has nearly half its cases and one-eighth its deaths. Just five-six districts are now reporting cases, while Coimbatore, which once had the most patients, has had no fresh cases for about a week. What has helped the state keep the numbers relatively low (2,526 cases, 28 deaths, as of Friday evening), after a sudden surge, is its health network. However, only one district has been listed under green Zone by MHA has reported one Covid-19 positive case today.

#Krishnagiri, the only district in Tamil Nadu which was listed under green Zone by MHA has reported one Covid-19 positive case today. A 67-year-old male who returned from AP has tested positive. His family members have been quarantined. @IndianExpress

— Janardhan Koushik (@koushiktweets) May 2, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic entered its fifth month since it originated in December. Globally, the total confirmed cases worldwide have crossed 3.4 million with 238,663 fatalities as on May 2. Over 1,000,000 people have recovered from the virus till now, according to John Hopkins University tally. The United States continues to remain the worst affected country globally, even as at least 30 US states start to ease lockdown measures by opening restaurants and other businesses. In terms of infections, US is followed by Spain (213,435), Italy (207,428), United Kingdom (178,685), France (167,305) Germany (164,077), Turkey (122,392) and Russia (114,431).  Here are pictures from around the world. (Photo source: AP)   

The number of COVID-19 personnel in a Delhi-based battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force, the country's largest paramilitary, has risen to 122, officials said on Saturday. The men belong to the 31st battalion of the paramilitary, based in Mayur Vihar Phase-III area of the national capital, that has been entirely sealed after the huge numbers of the COVID-19 infection started building up over the last few days. "A total of 122 troopers of this battalion have tested positive for the virus. Results for over 100 more are awaited," a senior official said. The brighter side is that the maximum of these infected troopers are asymptomatic, he said. The personnel are admitted to an isolation facility of the Delhi government at Mandoli. Twelve troopers had tested positive on Friday and a 55-year-old Sub-Inspector of this unit had succumbed to the disease early this week.

Pop diva Madonna has revealed that she has tested positive for the COVID-19 anitbodies. The singer shared the news in the 14th edition of her "Quarantine Diary" on Instagram TV. "Took a test the other day and I found out that I have the antibodies. So tomorrow I'm just going to go for a long drive in the car, and I'm gonna roll down the window and I'm gonna breathe in the COVID-19 air. Yup. I hope the sun is shining," Madonna said.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#staysafe #staysane

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna) on Apr 30, 2020 at 1:46pm PDT

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday applauded the decison of the CDS and Armed forces to thank Corona Warriors, who are working relentlessly to keep our nation safe against the menace of COVID-19.I am sure this decision of Armed forces will greatly boost the morale and confidence of our doctors, healthworkers, sanitisation staff, security and media personnel. We as a nation stand united to thank our Corona warriors in these testing times. #IndiaFightsCorona— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 2, 2020

Respiratory dropplets from a cough can travel upto 12 feet within 2 minutes, however it becomes less dense as far as they travel. Watch this video.

How far can an unprotected cough travel? CNN's Randi Kaye travels to a lab in Florida where they can measure. pic.twitter.com/xlfINKm4yN

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) May 2, 2020

While the focus remains on four states with the highest caseload in the country, new IIT Bombay research in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) finds that Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have the most districts with high epidemiological risk. This risk value takes into account social vulnerability as well as case load. The risk mapping highlights zones that may require extra attention because of livelihood weaknesses, even if caseload is not as daunting. Twelve districts in Rajasthan and 14 in Uttar Pradesh have less than 100 cases as of April 22, but are in the top 100 districts with the highest epidemiological risk.  Read full report 

A day after Centre announced lockdown extenstion, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said India is doing much better than other coutries and that following social distancing norms, 'do gaz ki doori' will be the new normal till the time a vaccine is not developed for COVID19.

" I think the worst is over. But till the time the disease is not completely contained, we should continue to follow all precautions and guidelines," he added. 

As neighbours with deep-rooted historical and cultural links, India and Thailand will work together to deal with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.

Discussed issues related to COVID-19 pandemic with good friend @prayutofficial. As neighbours with deep-rooted historical and cultural links, India and Thailand will work together to deal with the multifarious challenges posed by this present crisis.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 2, 2020

After its first train from Aluva to Odisha on Friday, Kerala will send two more trains to Hatia and Jharkhand today.
The first batch of 1,140 migrant workers from Odisha, who were living and working in Ernakulam district of Kerala, boarded a special train arranged by the Railways to take them home. The non-stop train destined for Bhubaneswar left from Aluva railway station at 10 pm on Friday. Railways is expected to arrange all medical facilities on the train. “We have sent all the details of the travellers to the Odisha government. They can take a decision on quarantining measures,” said the ministry. 

From large hospital chains to smaller nursing homes, the lockdown and the Covid pandemic have re-shaped operations: revenues have dipped by 70-80 per cent, operating costs have jumped with hospitals required to provide staffers financial incentives, personal protective equipment (PPE), transport service, and even accommodation. Operating a Covid facility is much more expensive, said Abhay Soi, Chairman, Max Healthcare, and CMD, Radiant Life Care. “It is thrice that at a regular hospital due to the cost of protective gear and tests we perform to ensure our healthcare workers are not infected. We also have to exercise caution in operating other facilities (25 per cent costlier now) so that patients with other critical conditions, and doctors and nurses treating them, do not get infected,” he said. Read more  

The 130 districts in the red zone form 17 per cent of the total districts in the country, but account for about 33 per cent of the population (2011 Census). The 284 districts in the orange zone — 39 per cent of the total districts — account for about 43 per cent of the population. And the 319 districts in the green zone form 44 per cent of the total districts, but account for only about a quarter of the population.  Read more

Maharashtra added 1008 new cases, the first time that any state has crossed the 1000-figure mark in a day. Maharashtra now has 11506 confirmed cases out of which 1879 have recovered from the disease. Tamil Nadu showed a big surge, adding 203 cases on Friday to take its tally to 2526. Gujarat numbers jumped by 326 while Delhi showed a rise of 223.   

With vehicles off the city roads and most industries shut for over a month due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, the air quality in Mumbai has improved significantly .

A study, ‘Impact of Lockdown (March 25 to April 19) on Air Quality’, undertaken by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shows a sharp decrease of 77 per cent in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels and 59 per cent drop in average benzene (a hydrocarbon, C6H6) level during the lockdown period as compared to the weeks preceding it. In Mumbai, the Chembur-Trombay and Deonar areas, which have power plants, several petroleum refineries and a fertiliser factory, are considered hotspot for high NO2 levels. Lowest 24-hour average of NO2 levels during the lockdown period was 5 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter air). 

12 new positive cases of #COVID19 and 3 deaths have been reported today in Rajasthan taking the total number of cases to 2678 and 65 deaths. 1116 people have recovered while 714 have been discharged till date: Rajasthan Health Department. 

Gilead Science Inc’s antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on Friday, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the United States. During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients.

The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated. Read more

With a new cluster of cases being reporting from Chennai linking to the Koyambedu vegetable market, the City Corporation has now identified four more high-risk zones. The Tamil Nadu government has stepped up restrictions in the market operations, banned all retail vendors from the market area to allow wholesale dealers alone. Of the 203 new cases reported on Friday, 176 were from Chennai, eight from Chengalpet and six from Tiruvallur, neighbouring districts of Chennai. As the city currently has 906 active Covid-19 cases and “98 per cent of these cases were asymptomatic” according to the Commissioner Prakash, the government was busy devising new strategies on Friday to contain the situation in city’s highly populated zones even as the situation across the state seemed under control. Read more

US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated that imposing an additional tariff on China for allegedly mishandling the coronavirus outbreak is “certainly an option”. Trump was responding to a question about his remarks a day earlier in which he had indicated at imposing tariff on China as a punishment for the spread of coronavirus. “It’s certainly an option. It’s certainly an option,” Trump said but did not give a timeline for this.

pic.twitter.com/iO6O7AkVqJ

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2020

The total number of cases in India crossed 37, 000 mark, taking the tally to 37,336. The toll stood at 1218 with 71 more deaths recorded in 24-hours.  While the number of active cases stand at 26,167, the Ministry of Health and Framily Welfare updated that 9,950 people have been cured.