1. The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 6,761 by Friday evening with 206 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The number of Covid-19 patients who have recovered in India crossed the 500 mark.
  2. The government said that India has more than three times the projected requirement of hydroxychloroquine – the anti-malarial drug believed to be effective against the novel coronavirus – and that domestic necessity and demand remains a priority.
  3. After Odisha, Punjab has extended the statewide lockdown to slow down the spread of coronavirus till May 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a second meeting with chief ministers of states and Union Territories on Saturday to take a final call on extending the countrywide lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak, reports said.
  4. Delhi and Mumbai reported their biggest single-day spikes in the number of Covid-19 cases so far on Friday, together adding 401 infections in a day to the national tally. While the Delhi government confirmed 183 new cases, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation reported 218 as of 4 pm. The national capital now has 903 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and Mumbai has 993.
  5. Coronavirus tests done by the Indian Council for Medical Research as part of its efforts to map the spread of the disease in India have found a significant proportion of people contracted the infection despite having no recent international travel history or contact with confirmed cases. The findings were published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research.
  6. Business tycoons Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan were caught violating the coronavirus lockdown in Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra after Home Department Principal Secretary Amitabh Gupta issued a special pass to them to travel for a “family emergency”. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh sent Gupta on compulsory leave and the Satara Police filed an first information report in the case.
  7. The United Nations Security Council met for the first time to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that terrorists could use the viruses as bio-weapons. “The pandemic also poses a significant threat to the maintenance of international peace and security – potentially leading to an increase in social unrest and violence that would greatly undermine our ability to fight the disease,” Guterres told the council.
  8. Over 16 lakh cases of the novel coronavirus and 97,200 deaths have been recorded globally, according to an estimate by Johns Hopkins University.
  9. The Delhi Waqf Board has designated one of its graveyards to bury those who die from the coronavirus. Waqf Board’s Chief Executive Officer SM Ali told the Delhi government secretary and the health department in a letter that the board has designated its Jadeed Qurustaan graveyard near Millennium Park for burying coronavirus patients.
  10. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday left the intensive care unit after he had spent the three previous days for treatment against coronavirus. “The Prime Minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery,” a statement from the Downing Street office said.