1. India on Monday recorded 11,502 new cases and 325 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total number of cases has crossed 3.32 lakh and the toll is 9,520.
  2. United States’ drug regulator, the Food and Drug Administration, on Monday revoked the emergency use authorization of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine. The FDA said the drugs, which were promoted by US President Donald Trump, are “unlikely to be effective”.
  3. Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday ordered CCTV cameras in Covid-19 wards of Delhi hospitals, as well as counselling for doctors and nurses. During an all-party meeting led by him earlier in the day, the Congress demanded Covid-19 testing for all citizens of Delhi. Shah and Delhi Lieutenant Governor promised that testing will be made available for all in the next few days.
  4. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami declared a complete lockdown in four districts – Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur – from June 19 to June 30, due to the rising number of coronavirus cases. On the other hand, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani said their governments had no plans to impose a new lockdown.
  5. Maharashtra reported an increase of 2,786 cases and 178 deaths in 24 hours on Monday. This is the state’s highest single-day rise in deaths so far. The total number of cases in the state is now 1,10,744, including 4,128 deaths. Tamil Nadu, which is the second most-affected state in India, has reported 46,504 cases and 479 deaths, while the national Capital’s tally rose to 42,829 and toll went up to 1,400.
  6. In Mumbai, some local trains resumed on Monday for those engaged in essential services. The trains will run from 5.30 am to 11.30 pm with an interval of 15 minutes. “Maximum services will run between Churchgate and Virar, but few will also run up to Dahanu Road,” the Railways said.
  7. The Indian Council of Medical Research on Monday disowned a study that said India would reach its peak of coronavirus cases only by mid-November, claiming that it did not carry out the research. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Indian Council of Medical Research recommended the use of Standard Q COVID-19 Ag detection assay (antigen detection test) for testing under certain conditions, in combination with the Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test.      
  8. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday quoted theoretical physicist Albert Einstein to criticise the government and said the lockdown enforced to contain the coronavirus is proof that the “only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance”.
  9. China on Monday sealed 10 more neighbourhoods in Beijing after a spate of fresh coronavirus cases linked to a food market sparked fears of a new wave of infection.       
  10. Globally, the coronavirus has infected over 79.60 lakh people so far, and killed more than 4.34 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University. However, more than 38 lakh people have recovered so far.