Here are the top updates from Saturday:

  1. The Delhi government announced that cinemas, multiplexes and spas will be allowed to reopen from Monday with 50% capacity, while metro trains and buses can run at full capacity, The Indian Express reported. The government eased restrictions in view of the decline in Covid-19 cases. The Capital reported 66 new cases and zero deaths on Saturday.
  2. India on Saturday registered 39,097 new Covid-19 cases, taking the tally of infections to 3,13,32,159 since the pandemic broke out in January 2020. India’s toll rose to 4,20,016 with 546 more deaths.
  3. Kerala recorded 18,531 infections, pushing the tally of cases since the beginning of the pandemic in January 2020 to 32,54,064. The state’s positivity rate stood at 11.91%. Ninety-eight more deaths pushed the state’s toll to 15,969.
  4. Tamil Nadu stepped up vigilance at its border check posts with Kerala amid the surge in cases there, ANI reported.
  5. The Karnataka government allowed religious places to open from July 25 with strict adherence to Covid-19 protocol, The Hindu reported. However, temple festivals and religious congregations will not be permitted.
  6. All India Institute of Medical Sciences chief Randeep Guleria said Covid-19 vaccination for children was expected to begin in September. He added that pharmaceutical company Zydus Cadila had submitted trial data for the use of its vaccine among children.
  7. The Madhya Pradesh government issued guidelines for the reopening of schools for Classes 11 and 12 from July 26 with 50% attendance, PTI reported. Student gatherings will not be allowed and schools were directed to test students and teachers for Covid-19.
  8. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said officials in the United Kingdom have been asked to review the ban on travellers from India, PTI reported. He claimed that many big cities in India were practically Covid-free.
  9. Japan’s capital Tokyo, where the Olympic games are taking places, registered 1,128 Covid-19 cases on Saturday, according to Reuters. The number of cases in the city has been rising over the last few weeks. On Thursday, the city recorded 1,979 cases – the highest since January.
  10. Globally, the coronavirus disease has infected more than 19.31 crore people and killed over 41.43 lakh since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.