10 pm: Here are the top updates from the day:

  • The total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 4,281 on Monday evening and the toll reached 111, the health ministry said. This was India’s largest single day spike – 704 new cases and 28 new deaths – confirmed in the last 24 hours.
  • At least three states hinted that the 21-day lockdown may have to be extended beyond April 15. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said he will urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the nationwide lockdown. He said: “We can revive the economy of the country and the state at a later stage. But we cannot bring back the lives of the people who could die in large numbers, if the lockdown is lifted.”
  • All MPs, including Cabinet ministers, will take a salary cut of 30% for a year to support the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The president, vice president, and all governors will also give up part of their salaries.
  • The Centre said over 25,500 people linked to the Tablighi Jamaat have been identified and quarantined by states. The Union health ministry said at least 1,445 patients had been traced to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation held in Delhi last month.
  • As many as 76% of all Covid-19 patients in India so far are males, the Centre said on Monday. The age group of 60 years and older made up for only 19% of all infections, but accounted for 63% of all deaths, the government said.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the maturity of Indians for cooperating during the lockdown. In an address to his party workers on the outfit’s 40th foundation day, Modi said India took timely steps against the coronavirus since it understood the seriousness of the disease.

9 pm: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao says he has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider extending the 21-day lockdown period, The News Minute reports. “The lockdown is the reason the country is saved and has seen very few cases,” he says. “A country like India has to be careful otherwise it will become uncontrollable. We have no other choice except to obey the lockdown. The economy will get hurt and we are spending a lot of money.”

8.21 pm: The toll in Maharashtra rises to 52, PTI reports. As many as 120 new positive cases were reported today, taking the state’s tally to 868.

7.34 pm: The Maharashtra government has set up 4,653 relief camps, housing 4,54,142 migrant labourers and providing food to 5,53,025 migrant labourers and homeless people, says the chief minister’s office, according to ANI.

7.31 pm: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope says: “No one should be under the impression of complete lifting of lockdown from April 15 onwards. The situation between April 10 to 15 will be closely analysed before taking a decision on the lockdown.”

7.30 pm: Andhra Pradesh reports 37 new cases on Monday, taking the state total to 303, PTI reports.

7.28 pm: Chhattisgarh has only one active case of Covid-19 left now, as a 21-year-old patient was discharged on Monday, PTI reports. The state has reported 10 cases so far, of which nine have now recovered.

7.22 pm: The Centre has confirmed 748 cases, including 45 deaths, in Maharashtra, the worst-hit state. Tamil Nadu has 571 cases, including five deaths. The state governments have reported more cases.

7.14 pm: Here’s how the latest data confirmed by the Union Health Ministry looks like:

The total number of cases has risen by 214 since the 9 am update and by 704 since the 6 pm update on Sunday. The toll has risen by 28 within 24 hours.

7.11 pm: Thirteen new cases in Kerala take tally to 327, says Chief Minister P Vijayan.

7.10 pm: Five new Covid-19 cases in Uttarakhand take the tally to 31, ANI reports.

7.10 pm: A tea vendor near the home of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Bandra has tested positive for Covid-19, PTI reports.

7.08 pm: In Tamil Nadu, Health Secretary Beela Rajesh says one more Covid-19 death has been reported on Monday, while 50 people tested positive. Of the 50 patients, 48 had returned from the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi.

The state now has 621 cases.

7.07 pm: Maharashtra BJP MLA Dadarao Keche has been booked for violating lockdown norms, PTI reports.

7.06 pm: Delhi Police say nearly 250 FIRs have been filed so far against those found violating home quarantine guidelines, PTI reports.

7.02 pm: The Centre has updated its data on Covid-19 patients. As of 6 pm, the number of cases is 4,281, including 111 deaths.

6.13 pm: Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Avanish Awasthi says it does not seem likely that the lockdown will be lifted after April 15. “We will not be in a position to lift the lockdown even if a single case of Covid-19 is left in Uttar Pradesh,” he says. “So it can take time.”

6.12 pm: Karnataka reports 12 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the count to 163. Four patients have died and 20 have been discharged.

6.10 pm: Mumbai civic body reports 57 new Covid-19 cases in the city, taking the count to 490, including 34 deaths, according to PTI.

5.53 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says his government has placed an order for one lakh testing kits and the state will increase testing. Twenty new cases have been reported in Delhi in the last 24 hours, he says. Of the total cases in Delhi, 25 are under intensive care and eight are on ventilator support, he says.

5.52 pm: Nepal extends its nationwide lockdown by eight days till April 15, PTI reports.

5.51 pm: Globally, the toll has crossed 70,000, according to a tracker by Johns Hopkins University.

5.26 pm: Mamata Banerjee says only 3,000 Personal Protective Equipment kits have been sent by the Centre on Sunday, and she arranged for 2.27 lakh kits on her own, ANI reports.

5.12 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says the state will have a policymaking body for Covid-19 response, and Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee will be engaged, PTI reports.

4.53 pm: The Bharatiya Janata Party has suspended Manju Tiwari, the district president of the party’s women wing in Balrampur, for indiscipline after she indulged in celebratory firing while participating in Modi’s appeal to light candles and lamps on Sunday, ANI reports. She was booked by Uttar Pradesh Police earlier in the day.

Read more here.

4.52 pm: The Rajasthan health department says 22 new cases today have taken the total number of patients so far to 288, ANI reports.

4.51 pm: Prime Minister Modi has asked Cabinet ministers to prepare a graded plan to slowly open departments in areas not identified as COVID-19 hotspots, PTI reports.

4.50 pm: France is likely to see its deepest recession since World War II this year because of the coronavirus crisis, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says.

4.49 pm: The coronavirus toll in Europe crosses 50,000, reports AFP.

4.34 pm: The Centre reiterates that hydroxychloroquine is only for limited number of situations, and must not be used by the community as there is not enough evidence in its favour in case of Covid-19.

4.31 pm: The Indian Council of Medical Research says it has placed orders for 5 lakh rapid antibody testing kits for conducting Covid-19 tests in hotspots.

4.24 pm: More than 25,500 Tablighi Jamaat workers and their contacts have been identified and quarantined by state governments, says the Home Ministry. Five villages in Haryana where foreign workers of the outfit lived have been sealed, the ministry’s Joint Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava says.

Read more: Over 25,500 people linked to Tablighi Jamaat event quarantined, says home ministry

4.22 pm: Of all patients who died, 63% were aged 60 years or older, 30% were between the ages of 40 and 60, and 7% were younger, according to the Health Ministry. As many as 86% of all patients who died had comorbid conditions, such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, hypertension and heart-related problems.

Agarwal emphasises that young people with comorbidity are also at risk of death.

4.12 pm: Agarwal says that at least 1,445 cases out of 4,067 have been traced to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation.

He also presents the age-wise and gender-wise distribution of patients. Of all cases, 76% are males and 24% females. People below the age of 40 make up 47% of the patients, 34% of the cases are between 40 and 60 years of age, and 19% are older.

Thirty deaths have been reported in the previous day, he says.

4.09 pm: “The government’s main focus has been on proactive and timely containment and being over-prepared to meet any eventuality,” says Agarwal.

4.05 pm: The Centre is holding its daily press conference. Joint Health Secretary Lav Agarwal says 16.94 lakh metric tonne foodgrains have been transported by the government during the period of the lockdown so far.

“The Centre had already released Rs 1,100 crore to states under the National Health Mission, and an additional Rs 3,000 crore was transferred today,” Agarwal tells the media.

Play

3.56 pm: Javadekar says the government is monitoring the world coronavirus situation every minute. “Decisions are taken ultimately in nation’s and people’s interests,” he says when questioned about the lockdown. “That decision will be declared whenever right time is there.”

3.50 pm: The Cabinet also approved the move to suspend the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme for two years.

3.48 pm: Javadekar says the money will go to Consolidated Fund of India to manage health and adverse impact of outbreak of the coronavirus in the country.

3.44 pm: Javadekar says Union Cabinet has approved the ordinance amending the salary, allowances and pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, to reduce allowances and pension by 30% from April 1, 2020 for a year.

3.40 pm: Union minister Prakash Javadekar says that President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cabinet ministers, governors and MPs have voluntarily decided to take 30% cut in salaries for a year amid coronavirus outbreak.

3.35 pm: The Life Insurance Council says all the insurance companies will process claims of coronavirus deaths, reports PTI.

3.33 pm: Another chart of the coronavirus testing done in India so far.

3.30 pm: A chart showing new cases in India.

3.29 pm: A chart showing the cumulative figure of the coronavirus cases in India.

3.26 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison and discussed the coronavirus crisis. “They agreed on the importance of bilateral experience-sharing in the context of this health crisis, including through collaborative research efforts,” says a press release.

3.23 pm: The Delhi government has decided that Lok Nayak Hospital, which includes GB Pant Hospital, along with Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital will now treat only coronavirus patients, reports ANI.

3.17 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tells BJP leader Gautam Gambhir that the need of the hour is to make protective gear available to healthcare workers dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. “We would be grateful if you could help us get them from somewhere immediately, Delhi government will buy them,” he says in a tweet.

Gambhir had earlier in the day criticised the chief minister, saying his government has “massive egos” in not accepting an earlier offer for funds made by the BJP parliamentarian.

3.10 pm: The police in Kolkata has arrested 98 people from different parts of the city for bursting crackers on Sunday in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s April 3 speech that lamps be displayed to signal unity in fight against the novel coronavirus that has brought the world to its knees, reports The Hindu. The air quality in the city also deteriorated.

3.03 pm: Punjab Special Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu says total 16 positive Covid-19 cases have been reported in Mohali, reports ANI.

2.59 pm: Himanta Biswa Sarma says there has been no positive coronavirus case in Assam in the last 24 hours.

2.55 pm: Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says the government will from now on file a case against all those who test positive after attending the Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering in Delhi, reports ANI. “As per the lists we received from Centre and local information, we’ve names of 831 people from Assam who attended Tablighi Jamaat event,” he adds. “491 samples [have been] collected. We have contacted mosque committees to identify remaining people and collect their samples.”

2.46 pm: The Resident Doctor’s Association of All India Institute Of Medical Sciences in Delhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over ‘targeting of doctors for raising genuine concerns” related to lack of protective gear for frontline workers to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, reports ANI. “The officials should view this constructively,” they say in the letter. “Instead of appreciating their efforts towards welfare of their peers and patients, they have received a harsh backlash.”

2.43 pm: Uttar Pradesh Police has filed an FIR against Manju Tiwari, the district president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s women wing in Balrampur, for celebratory firing while participating in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to light candles and lamps on Sunday.

Read more here

2.40 pm: Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood has resigned after she broke her own advice to stay at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus by visiting her second home this weekend and last, reports Reuters.

2.37 pm: Mumbai Police asks Tablighi Jamaat members who attended the Nizamuddin gathering in Delhi last month to report to the nearest police station or call on BMC helpline number 1916. “Those failing to cooperate will face strict action under Indian Penal Code, Disaster Management Act and the Epidemic Act,” the police say in a tweet.

Also read: ‘Report to authorities or face murder charges,’ Uttarakhand Police to Tablighi attendees

2.33 pm: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “still very much in charge of the government” despite spending the night in hospital with coronavirus, says Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, reports BBC. He adds that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will chair the coronavirus meeting in his place today.

2.28 pm: Russia’s coronavirus cases rise to 6,343 in the past 24 hours, a record daily increase of 954, reports Reuters. Moscow remains the epicentre of the outbreak with 591 new cases.

2.23 pm: Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says the state has 26 coronavirus cases so far. He adds that the government has tested 2,000 samples and reports of 165 of these will come later in the day.

Play

2.20 pm: Indian Railways has converted 2,500 coaches into isolation wards to help the government tackle the coronavirus spread, reports PTI. “With the conversion of around 2,500 coaches, 40,000 isolation beds are now ready for use,” says a statement.

2.16 pm: Congress urges the Narendra Modi government to share profits from low crude oil prices with people during the coronavirus lockdown, reports PTI.

2.12 pm: Odisha government inaugurates a 500-bed coronavirus hospital in Bhubaneswar, reports ANI.

2.10 pm: Nurses’ association from Kerala has moved Supreme Court, saying the government has not formulated a National Management Protocol for the coronavirus to address the serious concerns relating to imminent and extreme risks posed to the front line workers across the country while dealing with the pandemic, reports The Hindu. The United Nurses Association pointed out that health workers are exposed to infection as the pandemic is seeing a “persisting and ever escalating spread”.

2.06 pm: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expresses concern over interstate travel post the lockdown period. He urges Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a “comprehensive decision” before allowing interstate travel. “If after April 14th, trains, air traffic, and interstate road transport get started in the country, then there are full possibilities that Covid-19 infected people can arrive from other states in the state of Chhattisgarh,” he says in a letter. “The state may face new difficulties.”

2 pm: Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari says the coronavirus lockdown in the state might be increased if the situation does not improve, reports News18. “Decision will be taken on the condition prevailing in the state, continuous monitoring is being done,” he adds.

1.55 pm: Karnataka reports 12 new coronavirus cases, of which three have a travel history to Delhi. The total number of cases in the stood is 163 now, according to ANI.

1.52 pm: Sixteen people test positive for the coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total number of cases in the state to around 300, reports PTI.

1.50 pm: Reliance Industries Chairperson Mukesh Ambani’s net worth has reportedly dropped 28% or $300 million a day for two months to $48 billion as on March 31 due to the massive correction in stock markets due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to PTI.

1.39 pm: The Central Zoo Authority of India asks all zoos to be on high alert and collect samples from animals every fortnight after a tiger in New York tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Zoos in the country are, therefore, advised to remain on highest alertness, and monitor animals 24X7 using CCTVs for any abnormal behaviour or symptoms,” it says, according to PTI. “Sick animals should be isolated and quarantined.”

1.22 pm: The University Grants Commission writes to principals and vice chancellors across the country on setting up help lines to address psychological concerns of students in light of the lockdown.

1.17 pm: A director at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Randeep Guleria, says community transmission of the coronavirus has begun in some parts of India, reports India Today. He says while most of the country is in Stage 2 of transmission, or local transmission, there are some pockets in Stage 3.

Cases have spiked in specific areas, including in Mumbai, he says. “It is necessary for people to be more vigilant.”

When asked if the lockdown could be extended, Guleria says this can only be decided after April 10, as more data is required. He adds that it will take some time for the situation to normalise.

1.16 pm: Ganjam district in Odisha will fine people for not wearing masks, reports Hindustan Times.

1.05 pm: Bobde adjourns the matter for four weeks.

1.03 pm: Bobde says conducting hearings through video-conferencing cannot be seen as a temporary issue, Live Law reports. “Technology is here to stay,” he says.

1.01 pm: “Glitches must be eliminated otherwise court work cannot succeed,” Bobde says on videoconferencing.

1 pm: Chief Justice of India SA Bobde says presiding officers have the authority to restrict entry into courtrooms, including entry of any party involved in case they suffer health problems. The presiding officer also has the authority to adjourn proceedings to prevent a crowd in the courtroom, Bar and Bench quotes Bobde as saying.

Bobde says these orders will be in place until other instructions are issued.

12.54 pm: High Courts are authorised to employ methods of social distancing. All the courts have to set up a helpline to handle problems during videoconferencing, reports Bar and Bench.

12.53 pm: The Supreme Court, on hearing cases through videoconferencing, says that in absolutely no case should evidence be recorded via video.

12.39 pm: Nurses employed at a private hospital in Assam’s Guwahati city say they have been harassed and called “coronavirus” by passersby on the streets.

There have been reports about Asians around the world having to contend with racial attacks, with people blaming them for the Covid-19 outbreak that originated in China last year. In India, people from the north eastern states are also facing coronavirus-related racism and xenophobia.

Read more: Assam: Nurses in Guwahati allegedly face racial slurs, called ‘coronavirus’

12.36 pm: Modi says India’s decisions have enacted by state governments, which have cooperated with the Centre.

12.17 pm: Modi urges people to spread the word about the government’s coronavirus app, Aarogya Setu. He says people will get information about infections around them if the app is used widely.

12.16 pm: “The way we donate to the people in times of war, hundreds of thousands of people are contributing to the PM-CARES fund,” Modi says. “But this has to increase. So I want all BJP workers to motivate people to contribute to the PM-CARES fund.” The prime minister also asks people to practice social distancing and follow all regulations.

12.14 pm: We have to be thankful to all those working during this time, says Modi.

12.12 pm: “This is a long war against coronavirus,” says the prime minister. “We can’t get tired or take rest in this war. We have to emerge victorious.”

12.10 pm: Modi praises the “maturity” of Indians during the lockdown. “No one could have imagined that the people will abide by this with such obedience and sense of service,” he says.

12.03 pm: Modi says the people of the country will fight and win the war against coronavirus. “In this difficult time, there is an even greater responsibility upon BJP workers to serve the people.”

Modi says hundreds of thousands of BJP workers have been providing ration to the poor since the Covid-19 pandemic began and that this effort has to continue even after the danger is past.

12.02 pm: Modi says India understood the seriousness of the disease and waged a timely war against it.

12.01 pm: “India has worked rapidly with a holistic approach that is being appreciated by not only Indians but also WHO. All countries should come together and fight this, so India had active participation in the meeting of the SAARC countries and the G20 meeting,” ANI quotes Modi as saying.

12 pm: This foundation day has come as not only the country but also the world is going through a difficult time. Humanity is facing a crisis, our devotion to service of the country creates our path during this challenging time, he says.

11.54 am: Modi, while addressing BJP workers on the party’s 40th foundation day, says India has set an exemplary example of how to fight the coronavirus.

11.47 am: The Union Cabinet, which will meet at 1 pm via video conference, is likely to discuss how to exit the lockdown that ends April 14, reports News18.

11.30 am: Delhi’s health minister, Satyendar Jain, says they have not been able to trace all the contacts of 70 people infected, ANI reports. “Many of them were found to be positive only yesterday, so we will find it out by this evening,” he says. He adds that the Capital is waiting for 27,000 kits of personal protective equipment that the Centre said it would send.

11.05 am: The Indian Council of Medical Research will start conducting rapid antibody-based blood test by Wednesday in areas reporting coronavirus clusters and hotspots showing high incidence of confirmed cases. The research organisation, which is overseeing the country’s testing regime, will receive about 7 lakh rapid antibody testing kits by then.

Read more: Coronavirus: Rapid blood tests for clusters, hotspots to begin from Wednesday, says ICMR

11.03 am: Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai is declared a containment zone after 26 nurses and three doctors test positive for the virus. Nobody will be allowed to leave the hospital till everyone in it tests negative for the virus twice consecutively, Mumbai Mirror reports.

10.55 am: Congress leader P Chidambaram says India enters a crucial two-week period today. “So does the world,” he adds. He says it is good that Modi reached out to Opposition leaders on Sunday, saying he has no doubt that they all “pledged support to the government’s efforts to battle the spread” of coronavirus.

10.45 am: Ireland Prime Minister Leo Varadkar rejoins medical service to work during the coronavirus pandemic, reports BBC. Varadkar was a general practitioner and doctor at a hospital before he was elected.

10.39 am: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says asks governments to focus on women’s safety during the pandemic, as there has been a “horrifying global surge in domestic violence” during lockdowns.

“Peace is not just the absence of war,” he says. “Today I appeal for peace in homes around the world.” He adds, “For many women and girls, the threat looms largest where they should be safest. In their own homes.

10.33 am: The central government’s insurance cover for health workers does not include any medical treatment, and provides insurance upon their death only. With a large section of India’s health workforce, particularly those in the lower rungs, not covered by existing insurance schemes, public health activists say this could be a recipe for disaster.

Read more: Indian health workers would have to die before their families get coronavirus insurance funds

10.31 am: It is clear that Narendra Modi’s tenure as prime minister has seen even more centralisation than before. During lockdown as well, rather than use the Centre to empower the states, Modi, it seems, has sought to run the country as if it were a state.

Read more: The Political Fix: Will Covid-19 crisis slow down Modi’s centralising tendencies?

10.21 am: A case is filed against an unknown person for placing an advertisement on website OLX to sell the Statue of Unity for Rs 30,000 crore to help fund medical expenses to fight the coronavirus pandemic. “A cheating and forgery case was registered under IPC, Epidemic Diseases Act and Information Technology Act,” Inspector PT Chaudhary tells PTI.

The statue’s administration say such an advertisement hurts the sentiments of crores of people who idolise Sardar Patel.

10.07 am: A 60-year-old coronavirus patient has died at the state-run MBS Hospital in Rajasthan’s Kota, reports PTI. The victim had no travel history. “He was admitted yesterday and died late night,” Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh says. “Eight new cases have come up, including the patient who died.”

10.03 am: Health workers have complained of crippling shortages of protective equipment across India. Till April 2, at least 52 health workers, including doctors, nurses and cleaners, had contracted the infection while at work.

Read here: Indian health workers would have to die before their families get coronavirus insurance funds

10 am: The Indian Council of Medical Research says that the rapid antibody based blood test for the coronavirus will be deployed by Wednesday in clusters and hotspots showing high incidence of confirmed cases, reports The Hindu.

Also read: Coronavirus home testing kit is a ‘mockery of government policy’, says drug watchdog

9.58 am: Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor has been discharged from Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow after she tested negative for the coronavirus for the sixth time, reports ANI.

Police had earlier booked the singer for not following quarantine norms and for attending events where she met several politicians. She was found to have contracted the infection this month after returning from London.

9.53 am: Uttarakhand Police has issued a warning to the members of Tablighi Jamaat, if they have attended any congregations recently, to report to the authorities by today or face action under attempt to murder charges if any case of non-disclosure is found linked to any coronavirus case, reports The Indian Express.

9.42 am: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will declare a state of emergency as early as Tuesday in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus across the country, according to local media.

9.36 am: A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, in the first known case of a human infecting an animal and making it sick, reports Reuters.

Nadia, the 4-year-old tiger that tested positive, was screened for Covid-19 after developing a dry cough along with three other tigers and three lions, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoo, says in a statement.

Read more: Coronavirus: Tiger found infected in New York zoo

9.33 am: Eight people in Rajasthan test positive for the coronavirus, taking the total number in the state to 274, reports ANI.

9.30 am: Maharashtra is the worst affected state with 690 coronavirus cases, followed by Tamil Nadu (571) and Delhi (503).

9.25 am: The number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 4,067 on Monday morning, with 109 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The number of active cases is now 3,666 since 291 patients have recovered and one has left the country.

9.15 am: As the Bharatiya Janata Party celebrates its 40th anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asks workers to help those in need during the coronavirus outbreak. “I appeal to BJP karyakartas to follow the set of guidelines from our party president JP Nadda Ji, help those in need and reaffirm the importance of social distancing,” he tweets. “Let’s make India Covid-19 free.”

9.09 am: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has released a map that shows the coronavirus containment zones in the financial hub of the country. The detailed map has information right down to the name of the building.

Mumbai is among the hotspots identified by the government to contain Covid-19 spread.

9.05 am: Over 26,000 contacts and family members of a man who returned from Dubai last month have been placed under home quarantine after he organised a feast and tested positive for the coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district, reports PTI.

9 am: A 52-year-old coronavirus patient has died in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal city, reports PTI. The toll from Covid-19 in the state has risen to 15. “He worked as a watchman at a wholesale vegetable market and was suffering from asthma since long,” Dr Rajesh Sharma from a private hospital says.

8.43 am: Afghanistan reports 30 new cases in the past 24 hours, reports TOLO News.

8.35 am: 16 more people tested positive, says Lucknow’s King George’s Medical University administration, according to ANI.

8.06 am: India has recorded 505 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total number of cases rose to 3,577, with 83 deaths and 274 recoveries.

8.03 am: Wearing face masks has been made compulsory for all staff, officers and visitors to Maharashtra Mantralaya in Mumbai for a few months, says the Maharashtra government according to ANI. No entry will be provided to anyone without a mask.

8 am: An Indonesian who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin Markaz has tested positive for Covid-19, the administration in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj says according to the Hindustan Times. He has been hospitalised under quarantine.

7.55 am: Mainland China reported 39 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, all but one of them imported from abroad. This is nine more than the 30 it recorded on Saturday.

7.51 am: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said that the number of cases in India doubled in 4.1 days due to the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi last month, The Hindu reports. “We are chasing the virus rather than the other way around and India’s strategy continues to be preventive,” says Health Secretary Lav Agarwal has said.

7.47 am: A disinfection tunnel has been installed at the entrance of the agricultural produce market committee in Hubbali in Karnataka, ANI reports. The tunnel sprays people with a small amount of sodium hypochlorite solution through nozzles before they enter the market.

7.42 am: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will declare a state of emergency, The Japan Times reports. The emergency, targeting big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, may be imposed on Tuesday.

Here are the top updates from Sunday:

  •   The number of coronavirus cases rose to 3,577 in India on Sunday evening, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. So far, 83 people have died after contracting the virus.
  •   Millions of citizens across India switched off lights at their homes and lit candles, lamps or turned on mobile phone torches at 9 pm on Sunday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to show solidarity in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
  •   The health ministry also said that the number of Covid-19 cases in the country intensified every 4.1 days because of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation held in Delhi last month.
  •   The Indian Council of Medical Research said there was no evidence of the coronavirus being airborne yet.
  •   United States President Donald Trump said he has requested India for anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, whose exports it had suspended last month, to fight Covid-19 infections in American patients.
  •   The All India Drug Action Network has written to the government about the rapid coronavirus home screening testing kit, saying such “activities are a mockery of the government policy”. The drug watchdog wrote in connection with Bengaluru-based biotechnology startup Bione’s “simple point-of-care home screening kit”.