1. The number of patients in India rose to 2,547, including 62 deaths, as of 6 pm on Friday. Maharashtra had the most cases with 335 patients and 16 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu (309 cases, 1 death) and Kerala (286 cases, two deaths). The health ministry on Friday said that the number of coronavirus cases rose by 478, the highest in a single day.
  2. The Union Health Ministry said nearly 650 coronavirus cases reported from 14 states over the last two days were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi. Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said out of 384 positive cases in the national Capital, 259 had also attended the Markaz event.
  3. The number of Covid-19 cases worldwide is now 10,56,777, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The toll is now 55,781. More than 2.21 lakh people have recovered worldwide. Italy has the most deaths – 13,915 – followed by Spain (10,935) and France (5,387). The US, however, has the most cases – 2,57,773, followed by Spain (1,17,710) and Spain (1,15,242).
  4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation in a video message this morning, asking Indians to light candles and lamps or use mobile flashlights on their balconies for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday to mark their fight against the coronavirus. He praised the discipline shown by citizens during the lockdown.
  5. The Andhra Pradesh government reported the state’s first death because of Covid-19 on Friday after a 55-year-old man from Kummaripalem died in a hospital in Vijayawada.
  6. Tamil Nadu reported 102 positive coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the total number in the state to 411. State Health Minister C Vijayabaskar in a tweet said samples of 3,584 persons were tested and 2,789 of these were negative. The sharp increase in the number of cases has been linked to the religious gathering organised by the Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin area in Delhi. This is the third straight day the state has witnessed a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases. But the Centre has so far only confirmed 309 cases in the state.
  7. The Maharashtra Health Department said 67 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the state on Friday, taking the number of cases to 490. Six more people died today, taking the toll to 25.
  8. The Asian Development Bank has reduced its economic growth forecast for India for the financial year of 2020-’21, saying it is likely to slow down to 4% amid the global economic meltdown triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Its last projection was 6.5%. Meanwhile, American credit rating agency Fitch Ratings’ company slashed India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal from 5.1% to 2%. Moody’s changed the outlook for Indian banking system to negative from stable on Thursday.
  9. The Odisha government has announced a complete 48-hour-long shutdown in Bhubaneswar, Bhadrak and Cuttack to curb community transmission of Covid-19 after one person in the state tested positive for the coronavirus.
  10. Singapore has announced a one month-long lockdown, as it imposed stricter restrictions intended to be a “circuit breaker” to slow the spread of coronavirus.