10.55 pm: The number of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra’s Pune district went up by 76 in the last 24 hours to 7,826, PTI reports.

10.25 pm: Rajasthan reports 269 new infections in the state, taking the total number of cases to 9,100, ANI reports.

10.24 pm: Russia will start giving its first drug approved to treat Covid-19 to patients next week, Reuters reports, quoting a state financial backer of the country.

10.22 pm: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority asks all district magistrates to identify additional locations, preferably multipurpose halls, indoor stadiums for putting up extra beds for Covid-19 patients, ANI reports.

10.21 pm: Liquor shops outside containment zones in Noida and Greater Noida can open from 10 am to 9 pm, Excise Department says, according to PTI.

10.20 pm: Madhya Pradesh reports 194 new cases and eight deaths, taking the state’s tally of Covid-19 infections 8,283 and deaths to 358, PTI reports.

10.19 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh rose to 341 after nine more people tested positive for the disease, PTI reports.

9.09 pm: Mumbai records 40 deaths and 1,413 new coronavirus cases, according to ANI. The city now has 40,877 total infections.

8.48 pm: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has instructed the zones to ensure timely operation of special trains, reports PTI. Nearly 40% of trains for migrants are reportedly late by eight hours on an average.

8.45 pm: More new cases in states:

  • Uttarakhand: 29 new cases, total rises to 958.
  • Gujarat: 423 new cases, total rises to 17,217.
  • Haryana: 265 new cases, total rises to 2,356.
  • Manipur: Five new cases, total rises to 83.

8.42 pm: The Meghalaya government lifts restrictions imposed on intra-state travel, reports PTI. The restrictions on movement of people from one district to another within Meghalaya during daytime has also been removed but people have to follow physical distancing guidelines.

“In view of the relaxation made by the Centre, we have decided to lift the restriction on inter-district movement with immediate effect,” Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong tells journalists after a review meeting.

8.30 pm: The Union health ministry says India’s recovery rate from the coronavirus has improved and stands at 48.19% now, reports PTI. It also adds that the fatality rate has declined to 48.19%.

8.10 pm: Maharashtra coronavirus cases have touched 70,013 after 2,361 new infections, reports ANI. With 76 new deaths, the toll now stands at 2,362.

8.08 pm: “Just as there is a need for harmony and discipline in music, there is a need for similar harmony, restraint and discipline from every citizen to fight against the coronavirus pandemic,” says Modi at Spic Macay event.

8 pm: The coronavirus cases in Delhi has risen to 20,834 after 990 new cases in the last 24 hours. The toll stands at 523.

7.55 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says 130 crore Indians started their fight against the coronavirus by clapping and clanging of utensils, adding that it energised the entire nation.

7.50 pm: The Kerala government has also extended the lockdown in containment zones till June 30, reports PTI.

7.47 pm: The coronavirus cases in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum has jumped to 1,805 after 34 people test positive, reports ANI, citing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

7.45 pm: Two officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation have tested positive for the coronavirus, reports ANI. The agency says they are in quarantine as per the protocol.

7.32 pm: A decision on opening temples will be taken closer to June 8, Vijayan says, according to NDTV. “We will wait to see the details of the Centre’s directives on temples opening and accordingly decide for the state around the 8th of June,” he says, adding that groups of people cannot be allowed to gather.

7.30 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says inter-district bus services can function in a restricted manner. He also says film shootings at indoor locations and studios can start, but no more than 50 people are allowed.

7.22 pm: West Bengal records 271 new cases and eight casualties in the last 24 hours. The state has total 5,772 infections and the toll stands at 253.

7.20 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government says liquor shops outside the containment zones can function from 10 am to 9 pm, reports ANI.

7.07 pm: The coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu have crossed the 23,000-mark. The state has recorded 1,162 new infections, taking the total number of positive cases to 23,495. With 11 deaths, the toll has risen to 184.

7.02 pm: Three people, who returned from Delhi, have tested positive for the coronavirus in Manipur, reports PTI. The state now has 81 total cases.

6.56 pm: The Chandigarh administration extends lockdown in containment zones till June 30, reports ANI. No mandatory pass will be required to enter the Union Territory from other states. Meanwhile, private offices will be allowed to operate with 75% staff.

6.52 pm: A meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, which was scheduled for June 3, has been postponed as several MPs express inability to travel to Delhi because of different lockdown protocols in states, reports The Indian Express. The committee is headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat had denied permission for the members to join the meeting through video-conference.

6.45 pm: The Odisha government says the lockdown will be extended till June 30 in all the containment zones, reports ANI. Movement of individuals will be prohibited between 7 pm and 5 am throughout the state, except for essential activities. Meanwhile, religious places will also be closed till month-end and hotels will be allowed to operate up to 30% capacity.

6.42 pm: The elections to 18 Rajya Sabha seats that were deferred due to the nationwide lockdown will be now held on June 19, says the Election Commission of India.

6.38 pm: The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to not open borders for inter-state movement of vehicles and people, reports PTI. State Director General of Police DG Sawant says restrictions will continue till a further decision is taken.

6.33 pm: Chandigarh administration issues standard operating procedure for salons and barber shops. On day one of opening, no customers will be allowed. The shop has to be cleaned thoroughly then.

6.28 pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says the state has recorded 57 coronavirus cases and one death today, reports ANI.

6.22 pm: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb says 162 BSF personnel and their families who tested positive for the coronavirus last month violated quarantine protocols, NDTV reports. “We have sent the central team report to the home ministry,” he adds. “I have learned that the Commandant of the 138th BSF battalion was replaced after the outbreak.”

6.20 pm: The Singapore government is planning to create additional housing for about 60,000 migrant workers by the end of this year, reports Reuters. The move is taken to reduce the density in dormitories, which have been the main clusters of the coronavirus outbreak.

6.17 pm: Uttar Pradesh reports 116 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections in the state to 8,191. Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad says so far 217 people have died and the recovery rate in the state is 59.71%.

6.10 pm: The civil secretariat in Jammu has been sanitised and 80 government officials and their contacts have been quarantined after a top bureaucrat tested positive for the coronavirus, reports PTI. “Almost the entire health department administration that participated in the meetings chaired by the top bureaucrat has been sent to home and administrative quarantine,” an officer from the departments tells the news agency.

6.06 pm: Karnataka records 187 coronavirus cases from Sunday 5 pm to Monday 5 pm. The state now has 3,408 total cases and the toll stands at 52.

5.59 pm: Greece lifts lockdown restrictions on hotels, open-air cinemas, golf courses and public swimming pools, reports AP. The country has so far recorded only 175 virus-related deaths.

5.55 pm: Russia will start giving its first approved coronavirus drug to treat patients next week, reports Reuters. The drug is registered under the name Avifavir.

5.49 pm: Odisha government announces weekend shutdown in 11 districts of the state for June, reports PTI. The government has also prohibited all sorts of public congregations across the state till month-end, says Chief Secretary AK Tripathy.

5.42 pm: Air India pilots’ union has suggested to the Director General of Civil Aviation that those who have been grounded for over 14 days should be allowed to fly after being declared negative by an approved medical examiner as the current protocol makes them unavailable for duty for six months, reports PTI.

5.35 pm: Mumbai’s Dharavi slum reported nearly 1,400 coronavirus cases in May, according to PTI. However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation claims the situation has improved in Asia’s largest slum, where nearly 6.5 lakh people live in congested settlements.

5.25 pm: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh says the state will levy additional excise duty and assessed fee on liquor from June 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports ANI. “These would range from Rs 2 to Rs 50 depending on type and size of the item,” he adds. “The amount collected will be utilised for Covid-19 related expenditure.”

5.10 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Odisha has risen to 2,104 after highest jump of 156 cases, reports PTI.

5 pm: The Bombay High Court rules that Centre and state governments are obligated and duty bound to ensure minimisation of coronavirus risk to frontline workers tackling the pandemic, reports PTI. It directs authorities to conduct RT-PCR tests on all medical staff and police personnel in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region.

4.50 pm: “The fund of funds will start with Rs.50,000 crore, it can become Rs 2 lakh crore in a couple of years,” says Nitin Gadkari.

4.45 pm: Javadekar says the loan scheme for street vendors is named Prime Minister Street Vendors Atma Nirbhar Niti.

4.42 pm: Union minister Nitin Gadkari says distressed asset fund and creation of fund of funds will help weak MSMEs in restructuring.

4.35 pm: Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar says paddy MSP has been increased by Rs 53 per quintal to Rs 1,868 per quintal for the 2020-’21 crop year.

Also read: Centre increases minimum support price of 14 crops by 50% to 83%

4.28 pm: Union minister Nitin Gadkari says six crore MSMEs in India are responsible for 48% of the total export, adding that they also provide more than 11 crore jobs.

4.26 pm: Javadekar announces that street vendor can avail working capital loan of up to Rs 10,000. It will be repayable in monthly instalments.

4.29 pm: Union minister Narendra Tomar says farmers will be given more time to repay loans amid the pandemic.

4.25 pm: Javadekar says turnover limit for medium enterprises revised upward to Rs 250 crore from Rs 100 crore which was announced earlier.

4.22 pm: Cabinet approves MSP for 14 kharif crops, farmers will get 50 to 83% more than cost.

4.19 pm: Cabinet today has approved Rs 20,000 crore subordinate debt for stressed MSMEs, will benefit two lakh stressed MSMEs, says Javadekar.

4.18 pm: Javadekar says MSMEs can get listed now, adding that Rs 50,000 crore equity investment will help them. The minister says this will strengthen their growth potential and will enable them to get listed on stock exchanges.

4.15 pm: The government has remained sensitive to the problems faced by street vendors during the coronavirus pandemic, says Javadekar. He also says portal and mobile app have been started for loan scheme for street vendors.

4.12 pm: Javadekar says the definition of MSMEs has been changed. He also says measures taken by the Cabinet will improve ease of doing business, attract investment and create jobs.

4.10 pm: “MSMEs play a crucial role in the building of a self-reliant India,” says Javadekar. “Accordingly, MSMEs have been made an important part of the package.”

4.09 pm: Javadekar says many decisions regarding MSME sector and agricultural sector have been taken today.

4.07 pm: Union minister Prakash Javadekar, Nitin Gadkari and Narendra Tomar brief the media in Delhi on the decisions taken by the Cabinet.

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4.04 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Indore district has risen to 3,539 after 53 more people tested positive for the infection in Madhya Pradesh in the last 24 hours, reports PTI.

3.59 pm: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and three cabinet colleagues have gone into self-quarantine after meeting Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj, who tested positive for the coronavirus, reports PTI.

3.55 pm: Turkey has resumed limited domestic flights, allowed restaurants, beaches and museums to reopen, reports AP. This is the broadest easing of coronavirus restrictions since they came into effect.

3.48 pm: The government has eased export restrictions on alcohol-based hand sanitisers as unsold inventories pile up in the country, reports News18.

3.40 pm: Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad says the state has recorded 373 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, reports ANI. The state now has 3,083 active cases and 4,891 people have recovered from the infection.

3.33 pm: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu says the state has recorded few positive coronavirus cases among those who returned from outside. “This was possible as we were able to take care of stranded Arunachalis across the country through our nodal officers, delivering essential items at their doorstep,” he adds.

Khandu also adds that tourism is severely affected by the pandemic.

3.29 pm: Video-conferencing application Zoom has released an enhanced and encrypted version of the app in order to ensure protection and user’s privacy of private information, reports PTI. The country’s federal cyber security has asked users to update its latest version. “The latest version 5.0 of Zoom has been released which supports AES 256-bit GCM encryption of meeting data and greater resistance to tampering,” says CERT-In advisory.

3.22 pm: Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief Mayawati urges the Centre and state governments to be more serious to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. “Amidst concern over rising deaths and patients due to corona[virus] pandemic, lockdown-5 started on 69th day with a number of relaxations and will continue till June 30,” she tweets. “As the entire country is hit by corona[virus], it is needed that the Centre and state governments should become more serious.”

3.15 pm: Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha attacks Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the increasing number of coronavirus cases in India. “Congratulations to PM Modi for ushering in ‘a golden chapter’ in the history of Indian democracy,” he tweets. “The next year promises to be even better when India will climb to the top in Covid cases and the economy would have collapsed totally.”

3.03 pm: Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan expresses concern over the sharp rise in the coronavirus cases, warning people to be cautious and careful. “Worried about surge in corona positive cases in Telangana state in spite of efforts in existence,” she tweets.

3 pm: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he had tested positive for the coronavirus, reports Reuters. “I didn’t have any symptoms, I decided to take a test as I was planning to visit the frontline”, says the prime minister, adding that his whole family is also infected.

2.56 pm: Seven migrant workers who recently returned to Manipur have tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the total number cases in the state to 78, reports PTI.

2.49 pm: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant says all relaxations given by the Centre will be allowed in the state, reports ANI. “Other decisions regarding the relaxations will be taken in a Cabinet meeting later today,” he adds. “We are not allowing inter state transport.”

2.45 pm: RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav says Bihar government has failed to make arrangements for migrant workers during the coronavirus pandemic, reports NDTV. He also says Railway Minister Piyush Goyal should be sacked. “Special flights are being planned for the rich,” he adds. “State governments, railways don’t seem to know the origin and destination of trains.”

2.30 pm: At least 45 lakh students in Kerala have started attending virtual classes organised by the state education department amid the coronavirus lockdown, reports PTI.

2.22 pm: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has tweaked law permitting airlines to assign middle seats to passengers after the Supreme Court refused to modify an interim order on May 22 of the Bombay High Court, which asked Air India to operate the flights keeping the middle seats vacant.

The aviation regulator says if the middle seat is occupied then additional protective equipment like wrap-around-gown should be provided in addition to face mask and shield.

Read here: Airlines asked to keep middle seats empty or give ‘wrap-around gowns’

2.15 pm: Punjab government issues guidelines for easing out of the coronavirus lockdown.

  • Lockdown to continue in containment zones.
  • Night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am.
  • Standard Operating Procedure for opening of malls, religious places, hotels and restaurants will be issued by the state government.
  • Barbershops, salons and beauty parlours will be allowed to function under SOP’s of health department.

2.08 pm: The United States has supplied Brazil with 2 million doses of anti-malarial drug
hydroxychloroquine to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, reports Reuters. Meanwhile, protestors criticise Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the pandemic, while his supporters continue to defend him.

2 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan has crossed 72,00-mark with 2,964 new infections, reports PTI. Meanwhile, the toll rises to 1,543 after 60 casualties in the last 24 hours.

1.30 pm: Two blocks of the state Secretariat in Andhra Pradesh have been shut after an employee tested positive, reports ANI. All five blocks at the Secretariat are being sanitised.

1.21 pm: A NITI Aayog official tests positive, reports ANI. The third floor of the think tank’s office in Delhi has been sealed and sanitisation is underway.

1.09 pm: Himachal Pradesh reports 333 fresh infections.

1.07 pm: Seven new cases in Manipur. With this, state’s tally rises to 78 including 67 active cases.

12.55 pm: Andhra Pradesh reports 76 new cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours. The states’ total count is now 3,118 including 64 fatalities.

12.53 pm: Sensex jumps 1,153 points to trade at 33,577. 46, Nifty tops 9,900 after surging over 300 points.

12.42 pm: Assam reports 23 new cases.

12.38 pm: Odisha registers its highest single-day spike with 156 new infections. With this, the state’s tally is now 2,104.

12.35 pm: Germany’s confirmed cases rise by 333 to 181,815.

12.33 pm: Rajasthan reports 149 new cases till 10.30 am today.

12.26 pm: The Delhi government will implement all relaxations permitted by the Centre, says Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

12.19 pm: Kejriwal says there is no restriction on the number of passengers travelling in auto, e-rickshaws and other vehicles in Delhi.

12.18 pm: Delhiites can send suggestions on opening of borders by Friday 5 pm, says Kejriwal. Here’s how to pour in your suggestion:

WhatsApp: 8800007722
Email: delhicm.suggestions@gmail.com

Phone: 1031

12.13 pm: Kejriwal says Delhi borders will be sealed for one week. “Only essential services will be allowed,” he adds.

12.12 pm: The Delhi chief minister says there is no shortage of beds in hospitals in the national Capital.

12.11 pm: Kejriwal says he has sought suggestions on opening of borders with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

12.10 pm: Industries can open during normal time, staggered time system being cancelled, says Kejriwal.

12.06 pm: Kejriwal says all shops can open now since the Centre has not stated any odd-even rule.

12.04 pm: Kejriwal says barber shops and salons will be allowed to open in the Capital. However, spas will remain closed.

12.04 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses the media.

12.03 pm: As many as 501 domestic flights carrying 44,593 passengers operated in the country on May 31, says Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

12.02 pm: Rajasthan’s toll rises to 198 after four more people died of coronavirus, reports PTI.

12.01 pm: Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation resumes bus services. Visuals from Lucknow’s Kaiserbagh bus stand.

11.57 am: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren asks industries and corporate houses to support the state government in evacuating migrant workers from different parts of the country.

11.43 am: The prime minister says India has set up 22 more AIIMS. “Over the last five years, we have been able to add over 30,000 seats in MBBS and 15,000 seats in post-graduation,” he adds.

11.37 am: He highlights the success of India’s National Nutrition Mission. He adds that India is working to eliminate TB by 2025. “This is five years ahead of the global target of 2030,” says Modi.

Also read

Covid-19: PM Modi says violence, abuse, rudeness towards frontline workers will not be tolerated

11.35 am: Modi says in the last six years India has given top-most priority to reforms in health and medical education. “We are broadly working on four pillars,” he adds.

11.24 am: The prime minister adds that attacking frontline workers in any way is unacceptable.

11.18 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India’s frontline workers will win the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

11.15 am: The Haryana government extends lockdown in containment zones till June 30, ANI reports, quoting Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s office.

11.13 am: A huge traffic jam is seen at the Delhi-Noida Direct Flyway.

11.12 am: Indian Navy’s INS Jalashwa arrives in Sri Lanka to bring back Indian citizens.

11.08 am: An Air India flight carried 150 stranded Indian citizens to Bihar from Dubai.

11.05 am: Twelve Nepalese migrant workers, who had returned from India, die in a road accident, ANI reports.

11.02 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a cabinet meeting shortly, NDTV reports. The government may announce “historic decisions” after the meeting.

10.53 am: A new study by the Indian Council of Medical Research shows that four or more doses of hydroxychloroquine reduces the risk of coronavirus in healthcare workers.

10.51 am: China records 32 new coronavirus cases, including 16 asymptomatic infections, PTI reports, quoting the country’s National Health Commission.

10.08 am: The ICMR says 38,37,207 samples have been tested so far. Of this, 1,00,180 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.

10.04 am: The Nagaland government has removed the health department Principal Secretary Menukhol John after a person who was released from quarantine before his test results came in tested positive for the coronavirus, PTI reports. The state government has also ordered a judicial inquiry in the matter.

Nagaland has recorded 43 cases so far.

9.59 am: The Maharashtra government has allowed the shooting of films, television serials and digital series in non-containment areas in the latest phase of the lockdown, PTI reports.

9.57 am: The JJ Nagar Police in Bengaluru have registered a first information report against Padarayanapura BBMP ward corporator Imran Pasha and his followers for gathering in large numbers while he was being shifted to a hospital on Saturday, The New Indian Express reports. Pasha had tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday.

9.52 am: Singer-composer Wajid Khan, part of music director duo Sajid-Wajid, died at a hospital in Mumbai early on Monday, PTI reports. He was 42 years old. “He died of a cardiac arrest,” Wajid’s brother Sajid says, adding that he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Read more here:

Bollywood music director Wajid Khan of Sajid-Wajid fame dies at 42

9.45 am: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said final year examinations for all colleges and universities in the state will be cancelled this year.

All final year students will be promoted based on their performances in previous years or semesters, he said, adding that details of how the score will be calculated will be released by the education department soon.

Read more here:

Maharashtra final year exams for universities and colleges cancelled

9.30 am: DCS Reddy, a scientist who heads the research group on epidemiology and surveillance constituted by the Indian government’s National Task Force for Covid-19 chaired by Niti Aayog member Vinod Paul, says that the group was not consulted for extending or modifying the coronavirus lockdown. However, the priority task assigned by the task force to the group at the time of its formation on April 6 was to study the “basis for lockdown/partial lockdown”.

Read more here:

Scientist heading government study group: ‘We weren’t consulted for extending or modifying lockdown’

9.21 am: As many as 66 employees of the Delhi Golf Club have been laid off due the coronavirus lockdown, NDTV reports. This includes 59 kitchen staff and seven managers. They protested outside the club on Sunday demanding their jobs back.

9.17 am: India now has 93,322 active cases and 5,394 deaths. As many as 91,818 people have been discharged after undergoing treatment, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s data.

Maharashtra, with 67,655 cases and 2,286 deaths, continues to be the most affected state. This is followed by Tamil Nadu (22,333 cases and 173 deaths) and Delhi (19,844 cases and 473 deaths).

9.14 am: India reports 8,392 new coronavirus cases in a day, taking the tally to 1,90,535. The country also recorded 230 deaths in the 24 hours since Sunday morning, taking the overall casualties to 5,394.

9 am: Salons reopen in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad after the state government relaxes lockdown conditions in line with the Centre’s guidelines.

8.55 am: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut claimed on Sunday that the “Namaste Trump” event held in Ahmedabad in February was responsible for the spread of the coronavirus in Gujarat as well as Mumbai and Delhi, PTI reports.

“It can’t be denied that the spread of coronavirus in Gujarat was because of the massive public gathering held to welcome US President Donald Trump,” Raut wrote in Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana. “Some of the delegates, who accompanied Trump, also visited Mumbai, Delhi, which led to the spread of the virus.”

“The lockdown was imposed without any planning and now without any plan, the responsibility of lifting it has been left to the states. This chaos will further worsen the crisis,” he added.

8.40 am: “The purpose of the lockdown was containment and the idea was that we have to break the coronavirus chain and, therefore, starting the trains any earlier would have been counterproductive,” Goyal added when asked why the special trains only began on May 1. “The idea was that all migrants should stay where they are. We also requested states to ensure that they were well-looked after. It needed that five weeks at least to break that coronavirus chain but then, we found that people are getting very anxious... We decided on May 1 to start this and we continued to ramp it up.”

8.35 am: Union Railways minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday rejected allegations of mismanagement in the operation of special trains for migrant workers, the Hindustan Times reports.

“Almost all trains up to May 19 were before time... [So far] only 71 out of 4,040, which is 1.75% trains, were diverted,” Goyal said. “Charges like ‘kahin se nikle, kahin chale gaye’ [they left from somewhere and went off somewhere else], all that is nonsense. Every train reached the destination, only took a slightly longer route to ease the congestion and keep the flow of trains running. Otherwise, I would have to stop the operation.”

He adds that there were congestions, delays and diversions only between May 20 and May 25.

8.30 am: The Haryana government has said it will open its interstate borders, including with Delhi, from Monday. Places of worship, hotels and malls will open from June 8 in line with the Centre’s guidelines for the fifth phase of the lockdown.

8.20 am: The Noida-Delhi border will remain sealed, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration said in its latest Covid-19 lockdown guidelines issued on Sunday, PTI reports. The decision is based on a health department report that said that the source of 42% infections in the past 20 days could be traced to Delhi.

8.15 am: The Indian Navy is set to bring back about 700 Indians stranded in Sri Lanka today

8.10 am: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has been placed under quarantine after a colleague who attended a Cabinet meeting on May 29 tests positive for the coronavirus, ANI reports.

8 am: The Indian Railways has begun the operations of 200 passenger trains today.

7.50 am: US reports a record 598 deaths in 24 hours. The country’s toll rises to 1,04,356 and it has so far reported more than 17.8 lakh overall cases.

7.45 am: An Indian Council of Medical Research scientist has tested positive for the virus, the Indian Express reports. The scientist had travelled from Mumbai to Delhi two weeks ago, the report says, adding that the ICMR building in the national Capital will now be sanitised and fumigated.

7.40 am: Several state governments announced relaxations on Sunday, a day after the Centre launched the “Unlock 1” phase of the lockdown.

Read more:

  1. Covid-19: Here’s what is allowed and prohibited in different states during ‘Unlock 1’ phase
  2. Lockdown 5.0: What is allowed, what’s not – here’s everything you need to know

7.35 am: Here are the other top affected countries according to the tracker:

  • US: 17,89,368 confirmed cases
  • Brazil: 5,14,849
  • Russia: 4,05,843
  • UK: 2,76,156
  • Spain: 2,39,479
  • Italy: 2,32,997
  • India: 1,90,609

7.30 am: India on Monday became the seventh most-affected country in the world, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. According to the tracker, India has 1,90,609 cases. However, the Union health ministry on Sunday said India’s tally stood at 1,82,143 infections after a record daily jump of 8,380 new coronavirus cases.

7.20 am: Here are the top updates from Sunday:

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that as the lockdown imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus is slowly lifted, it is time for people to be even more careful. “Whether it is the rule of keeping ‘do gaj ki doori’ [physical distance of 6 feet] from each other, wearing masks, staying at home as much as possible, all these should be followed strictly,” Modi said.
  • The Delhi government on Sunday requested the Centre for an assistance of Rs 5,000 crore to pay salaries to its employees and meet office expenses. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the lockdown has badly affected the economy of the Capital.
  • A huge group of supporters gathered to welcome Maharashtra Congress leader Chandrakant Handore in Mumbai on Saturday night, as he returned home from hospital after recovering from the coronavirus. A video of the gathering showed that the supporters completely disregarded physical distancing norms, beat drums and burst crackers.
  • The chief of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India’s largest chain of industrial laboratories, and two other scientists criticised a study published in The Lancet medical journal, on the lack of benefits of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19, calling it “sloppy”. They also said the WHO’s decision to suspend trials of the drug was a “knee-jerk” reaction and opposed the move.
  • Delhi, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on Sunday recorded the highest single-day spike. Maharashtra’s tally went up to 67,655 with over 2,400 new infections.
  • The Railways said it will begin operations of 200 special trains from June 1 and more than 1.45 lakh passengers will travel on the first day. Passengers will have to reach station at least 90 minutes before departure and only travellers with confirmed or RAC tickets will be allowed to enter the station and board trains.
  • Prominent public health experts in India, including two members of a research group constituted by the National Task Force set up by the Indian Council for Medical Research, have criticised the Centre’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the failure to consult epidemiologists about the disease.