Here’s a look at the top updates from Saturday:

  1. The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered the district administration not to allow any processions on the occasion of Muharram due to the Covid-19 pandemic and security concerns, PTI reported. The government has directed officials to speak to religious leaders to ensure the order is implemented.
  2. India on Saturday registered 38,667 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 3,21,56,493 since the pandemic broke out in January last year. The new cases were 3.6% lower than Friday’s count of 40,120. India’s toll rose to 4,30,732 as it recorded 478 deaths in the last day.
  3. President Ram Nath Kovind, in his address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day, said that he was deeply pained that many lives could not be saved during the terrible second wave of the coronavirus disease in India.
  4. The Punjab government on Saturday made it mandatory for those travelling to the state to either be fully-vaccinated against Covid-19 or carry a negative RT-PCR test report. The rule will be applicable from Monday for passengers travelling to the state by road or aboard trains and airplanes.
  5. Kerala recorded 19,451 new cases and 105 deaths in the past 24 hours. The state has had 36,71,017 cases since the beginning of the pandemic in January 2020, while the overall toll is now 18,499.
  6. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will visit Kerala on August 16 and Guwahati on August 17 to assess the Covid-19 situations there, News18 reported, citing unidentified officials. Senior officials of the health ministry and of the National Centre for Disease Control will accompany him.
  7. The Karnataka government has decided to resume physical classes for students of classes 9 to 12 in districts that have reported a Covid-19 test positivity rate below 2%, Mint reported. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that school employees will be allowed to enter the premises only if they are vaccinated.
  8. Russia on Saturday registered its highest toll due to Covid-19 for the third straight day, reported The Straits Times. A total of 819 people died in the country in the past 24 hours, according to government figures.
  9. Iran’s government will impose a six-day “general lockdown” in urban areas from Monday, AP reported. The lockdown will apply to markets, public offices, theatres, gyms and restaurants in cities.
  10. Globally, Covid-19 has infected more than 20.64 crore people and led to over 43.5 lakh deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.