- The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that train or bus fare will not be charged from the migrants, adding that states will share the travel cost. It also said all migrants who are stranded shall be provided food by the concerned state at places publicised and notified to them for the period they are waiting to board trains. However, the Centre told the court that “prophets of doom” had been spreading misinformation, and not showing “courtesy to the nation”.
- India’s total coronavirus count rose to 1,58,333 after 6,566 new Covid-19 infections were reported in 24 hours, the Union health ministry said on Thursday morning. The toll in the country jumped by 194 to 4,531. Across the country, 67,692 people have recovered so far.
- Maharashtra recorded 2,598 new cases on Thursday, taking the state’s tally to 59,546. The deaths rise to 1,982. Tamil Nadu’s tally rose to 19,372 with 827 new cases.
- Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to chief ministers on Thursday and sought their views on the extension of the ongoing nationwide lockdown to combat the coronavirus.
- The Karnataka government said on Thursday that it has asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation to reduce the number of incoming flights from five states – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan – in a bid to control the coronavirus outbreak in the state. All five states have reported very high numbers of coronavirus cases.
- The Haryana government on Thursday decided to completely seal all its borders with Delhi, except for passage of essential services. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said coronavirus cases have been rising in districts of Haryana bordering Delhi.
- Nine migrants have died on board Shramik Express trains since Monday as the extreme heat added to the misery of lakhs of people trying to reach home amid the nationwide lockdown. An unidentified Railways official said the migrants who died on trains had pre-existing medical conditions.
- The NITI Aayog on Thursday said that around 30 groups in India were trying to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus. The government body said that human trials of potential vaccines will start within a few months, both in India and abroad.
- The United States’ coronavirus toll crossed 1 lakh on Wednesday even as the daily average deaths declined and several states began to emerge from the lockdown. The country has reported more than 16.99 lakh cases so far, the maximum in the world.
- Globally, coronavirus has infected more than 57.46 lakh people. Over 3.57 lakh people have died so far, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
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