9.07 pm: Delhi records 1,320 fresh cases, reports PTI. The tally now crosses 27,000. Toll is now 761.

8.58 pm: Maharashtra minister Amit Deshmukh says the state now has 85 coronavirus testing labs, PTI reports.

8.51 pm: Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital says it will run the screening centre for coronavirus patients for a reduced duration from Sunday to not “keep test results pending”, PTI reports. The hospital’s announcement came days after the Delhi government accused it of giving out wrong and delayed test results.

8.46 pm: Chennai reports 1,458 new coronavirus cases, according to PTI. With this, Tamil Nadu’s tally rises to 30,152. The toll stands at 251.

8.44 pm: Goa reports 71 new coronavirus cases.

8.39 pm: Ahmedabad records 289 new coronavirus cases and 26 deaths, PTI reports. The city’s tally rises to 13,967 and the toll reaches 994.

8.35 pm: West Bengal releases an amended standard operating procedure for paying last respects to people who have died of the coronavirus.

8.22 pm: The Delhi government will hold a meeting on Sunday to discuss the report submitted by a team of five doctors on the Capital’s health infrastructure, ANI reports.

8.17 pm: Jammu and Kashmir reports 143 new coronavirus cases. The tally rises to 3,467 and the toll stands at 39.

8.11 pm: The Arunachal Pradesh government says all shrines in the state will remain closed till June 30, PTI reports.

8.07 pm: Maharashtra reports 2,739 new cases and 120 deaths. With this, the total number of positive cases in the state is now at 82,968, including 37,390 discharges and 2,969 deaths.

7.55 pm: Goa’s tally rises to 267 after 71 people test positive.

7.53 pm: West Bengal reports 435 cases and 17 deaths.

7.43 pm: Gujarat records 498 fresh cases and 29 deaths in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of cases rises to 19,617 and toll stands at 1,219.

7.37 pm: The number of cases in Assam reaches 2,397 with 73 more people testing positive, says the state health department.

7.36 pm: Manipur reports 14 fresh cases, taking the total to 157.

7.35 pm: Rajasthan government allows reopening of hotels, restaurant, clubs and shopping malls from June 8. “There should be a distance of 6 feet between two tables at a restaurant,” the order reads.

7.32 pm: Twenty-nine inmates at the central jail in Harsul in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad test positive. Collector Uday Choudhari tells PTI that 25 of those who tested positive are from central jail while four are from a temporary facility created for undertrials. “All 29 are asymptomatic,” he adds. “A total of 110 swabs of inmates and prison staff have been collected and sent for testing on Saturday.”

7.31 pm: Jammu and Kashmir’s toll rises to 39, reports PTI.

7.30 pm: The World Health Organization changes its guidelines about the use of protective face masks in public, saying that they must be worn at all places where physical distancing is not possible. The global health body had said in April that there was not enough evidence to show that healthy people should wear masks to shield themselves from the coronavirus.

Also read

Coronavirus: WHO changes guidelines on masks, says they must be compulsory in public places

7.22 pm: For the time being, shopping malls across the state shall be operational, except in Faridabad and Gurugram, says Chautala. Restaurants are permitted to function with 50% capacity.

7.20 pm: Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala says all places of worship can reopen from June 8 in the state, but no gathering will be allowed.

7.18 pm: Punjab reports 54 new cases, taking total number of infections to 2,515.

6.35 pm: Karnataka reports 378 new cases. The toll stands at 59.

6.34 pm: Indonesia reports 993 new cases in the last 24 hours – a new single-day high for the country. With this, the total number of cases reaches 30,514, including 1,801 deaths.

6.26 pm: The World Health Organization changes its advice on face masks, saying they should be worn in public where physical distancing is not possible. The global health body had previously argued there was not enough evidence to say that healthy people should wear masks.

6.17 pm: Mumbai’s Dharavi area reports 10 fresh cases, taking total number of cases to 1,899, says the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

6.01 pm: Kerala reports 108 fresh cases.

5.58 pm: Number of cases rises to 398 in Himachal Pradesh, says state Health Department.

5.56 pm: The Maharashtra government will buy 10,000 vials of the Remdesivir drug for treating coronavirus patients, says Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope.

5.39 pm: An FIR has been lodged against Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on a complaint by the Delhi government for allegedly violating Covid-19 regulation norms, reports PTI.

5.30 pm: Delhi’s Jama Masjid issues an advisory for worshippers ahead of the reopening of religious places across the country from June 8. Worshippers have been asked to wear protective masks and carry sanitisers with them inside the mosque. Stickers will be put up on the floor and verandahs of the mosque to ensure that people follow physical distancing guidelines.

Also read

Coronavirus: Jama Masjid asks worshippers to wear masks, carry mats for namaz ahead of reopening

5.27 pm: In an interview to NDTV, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi says the Congress has been misleading, misinforming and confusing people amid the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. He advises the Congress leaders to become part of the solution, not interruption. “The Congress party has become a laboratory of political pollution in this pandemic period,” he adds.

5.16 pm: Three new cases in ITBP in the last 24 hours. There are total 34 active cases and 177 people have recovered till date.

5.15 pm: The number of coronavirus positive cases in Uttar Pradesh crosses the 10,000-mark with 370 fresh cases. The toll has risen 268 with 11 more fatalities

4.44 pm: The five-member doctors’ committee formed by Delhi government states in its report that the national capital’s health infrastructure should only be used for its residents, reports PTI. “If people from outside are allowed, hospitals will reach 100% capacity within three days,” it adds.

4.34 pm: Nepal reports 323 new cases and one death in the last 24 hours, reports ANI.

4.33 pm: Puducherry reports three new cases, taking the overall tally of infections in the union territory to 107, reports Hindustan Times.

4.32 pm: The toll in Jammu and Kashmir rises to 38 after a 70-year-old man from Shopian district dies at Chest Diseases hospital, reports PTI.

4.15 pm: Assam reports 81 new infections, taking the total to 2,324.

3.49 pm: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa says hotels and restaurants will be allowed to re-open in the state, but the precautionary measures laid down by the Centre are mandatory, reports Hindustan Times.

3.36 pm: Singapore may take years to recover from the effects of the pandemic, says Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat. The city-state reports 344 new cases, taking the total number of infections to 37,527.

3.21 pm: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accuses the Centre of actively destroying the country’s economy.

3.19 pm: Uttarakhand reports 31 more cases, taking the total to 1,245. The toll stands at 11.

3.14 pm: Kerala’s toll rises to 15 after former footballer E Hamsakoya dies at a hospital. Five of his family members have also tested positive and are under treatment.

3.10 pm: The number cases in Nagaland rises to 107 after 13 more people test positive, reports PTI. All the 13 patients are at a quarantine facility in Dimapur ever since they arrived in a “Shramik Special” train from Chennai on May 22, says state Nodal Officer for Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme Dr Nyan Kikon.

2.58 pm: The World Health Organization says India’s coronavirus count of over 2 lakh cases is “modest” given its size but warns that the number of infections could explode as the country gradually emerges from the weeks-long lockdown. Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan also emphaises the need to take strict precautions and follow physical distancing norms to prevent a spurt in cases in a densely-populated country like India.

Also read

Coronavirus: India’s tally ‘modest’ but number of cases could explode, warns WHO

2.52 pm: Bihar’s tally rises to 4,745 with 147 new cases, says the state health department.

2.50 pm: Jammu and Kashmir’s toll rises to 37 after a 62-year-old woman dies at a hospital, reports PTI. She is the fifth person to succumb to Covid-19 in the Jammu division.

2.46 pm: Sixteen more people test positive in Jharkhand, taking the total number of cases in the state to 938, reports PTI.

2.11 pm: The Punjab government issues guidelines for reopening of places of worship, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services and malls from June 8. Restaurants shall only be allowed to open for take away and home delivery as of now while places of worship shall remain open only between 5 am and 8 pm.

Also read

‘Tokens for mall entry, no prasad at religious places’: Punjab releases guidelines for ‘Unlock 1’

1.55 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says Delhi has 8,645 total available beds, of which 4,038 is occupied and 4,607 is vacant.

Read more here: Suspected patients have to be admitted, hospitals in Delhi cannot turn away, says Kejriwal

1.47 pm: The World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that the coronavirus pandemic, which has presented challenges for several nations, could be an opportunity for India to speed up the health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat, reports PTI.

1.40 pm: Delhi health department says that mild or asymptomatic coronavirus need to be discharged by the hospitals within 24 hours, adding that the concerned district surveillance officer must also be informed.

1.33 pm: Odisha reports highest single-day spike of 173 coronavirus cases, according to PTI. The state now has 2,781 total infections.

1.20 pm: Andhra Pradesh reports 161 new positive coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the state’s tally to 3,588.

12.48 pm: Testing in Delhi has not stopped, says Kejriwal, adding that all private and government hospitals have a flu clinic which conduct coronavirus testing.

12.47 pm: Kejriwal says hospitals cannot turn away any suspected coronavirus patient. “We are bringing out an order that will be issued to all hospitals that no suspected Covid-19 case will be turned away from a hospital,” he adds. “If a suspected patient approaches a hospital then that hospital has to test them and diagnose them.”

12.45 pm: Arvind Kejriwal says a medical professional from Delhi government will sit at a private hospital to monitor the situation, cannot turn away patients now.

12.42 pm: Hospitals in Delhi have to treat coronavirus patients, there cannot be any negotiation, says Kejriwal. If there is any genuine concern in hospitals, we are solving them, he adds.

12.38 pm: The Delhi chief minister says there was uproar over the launch of the mobile application, which is meant to display the availability of beds at both private and government hospitals in the city. “Some hospitals in Delhi have become powerful,” he adds. “I am warning those who think they will be able to do black marketing of beds using the influence of their protectors from other parties, you will not be spared.”

12.35 pm: Black marketing of beds in some private hospitals will not be tolerated, says Kejriwal.

12.32 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says the Aam Aadmi Party government launched a mobile application to stop the black marketing of beds. “We wanted to make the information on beds and ventilators transparent,” he says.

12.40 pm: The Tamil Nadu government has capped the charges for the coronavirus treatment in private hospitals across the state and announced that no fee over and above the fixed slab can be taken from patients, PTI reports. The per day charges for treatment in Intensive Care Units shall not exceed Rs 15,000 and in general wards, for asymptomatic people and those with mild symptoms, the maximum is Rs 7,500, says the government in a statement.

11.19 am: Donald Trump says that with more testing, India and China’s coronavirus numbers would be higher, PTI reports. He adds that the US has carried out more than 20 million tests. India’s has tested around four million so far.

10.25 am: The G20 has pledged more than $21 billion to fight the coronavirus pandemic, reports Reuters. The pledges will be directed towards diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, and research and development, says a statement.

10.20 am: The Enforcement Directorate headquarters in south Delhi has been sealed till Sunday after five tested positive for the coronavirus, reports ANI.

9.29 am: China reports three new confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of the end of Friday, down from five the day before, according to Reuters. All of the cases are imported, involving travellers arriving from abroad, the National Health Commission says.

9.10 am: India’s number of coronavirus cases rises to 2,36,657, with 6,642 deaths. This is once again the highest 24-hour rise in cases, with 9,887 more confirmed in the last day.

7.50 am: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro threatens to quit the World Health Organization after it warned against lifting lockdowns before the spread of the coronavirus slowed in some countries. He accused the health body of being “partisan” and “political” and days it should work without “without ideological bias”.

7.25 am: National carrier Air India has opened bookings for around 300 flights to various countries including the United States and United Kingdom under phase three of the Vande Bharat Mission.

7.22 am: The Aam Aadmi Party government says there is no shortage of beds for coronavirus patients in Delhi and nearly 5,000 of them still available. “There are some misleading reports that there is shortage of beds for corona patients in Delhi because a few private hospitals are refusing admissions,” Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has said in a statement. “The truth is, there is absolutely no shortage of beds in Delhi at the moment.”

Relatives of several patients have said they had been unable to access beds in hospitals across the Capital as authorities cited a shortage of beds.

Read here: Absolutely no shortage of beds in hospitals, nearly 5,000 vacant, says Delhi government

7.15 am: United States President Donald Trump claims that the country has made it through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, reports AFP. “We had the greatest economy in the history of the world,” he adds. “And that strength let us get through this horrible pandemic, largely through, I think we’re doing really well.”

He also justifies his handling of the outbreak, saying every decision by his administration was made correctly.

The country also reports 2.5 million jobs gained in May as the unemployment rate dropped to 13.3%. “Today is probably the greatest comeback in American history but it’s not going to stop here,” Trump says. “I think we are going to actually be back higher next year than ever before, and the only thing that can stop us is bad policy.”

7.10 am: Here are the top updates from Friday:

  • The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 2,26,770 on Friday morning after 9,851 more people tested positive for the infection in 24 hours. This is the biggest single-day rise in the number of cases and the second consecutive day of an increase of over 9,000 cases. The country’s toll rose by 273 to 6,348.
  • The Supreme Court suggested that the Centre and states should transport migrants workers, who are stranded in various parts of the country, to their native places within 15 days. The top court said it will pass the final order on migrant workers on June 9.
  • The number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra crossed the 80,000-mark, after the state recorded 2,436 cases in the last 24 hours, and the toll rose to 2,849. Delhi reported 1,330 new Covid-19 cases in a day, taking the total tally to 26,334. The toll due to the outbreak is 708. Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, cases rose to 28,694 after the state recorded 1,438 new infections. The toll rose to 232.
  • The Ministry of Finance said it will put on hold all new schemes till March 31, 2021 to restrict spending amid India’s fight against the coronavirus crisis. The government added that spending will only be allowed in the Prime Minister’s Garib Kalyan Yojana and the announcements made under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat policy.
  • In a separate hearing, the top court directed the Centre to respond to petition seeking a cap on fees charged by private hospitals for coronavirus treatment. The court will hear the matter next week.