1. India on Monday registered 1,68,912 new coronavirus cases in yet another record increase in infections. The country’s overall tally of infections since the pandemic broke out last March rose to 1,35,27,717. The toll went up to 1,70,179 as 904 more deaths were recorded in the last day. India overtook Brazil to become the second-most affected country globally by the coronavirus. The Union health ministry said 948 people in India have so far been infected with the coronavirus variants, first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil.
  2. The Haryana government imposed a night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am amid the rising cases, reported ANI. This will come to force from Monday and will be in effect until further orders. Kerala also announced new coronavirus-related curbs, which include limiting attendance in restaurants to 50% of the seating capacity, The Hindu reported. Indoor gatherings cannot have more than 100 people. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked the Centre for 50 lakh vaccine doses, and said that Kerala’s vaccine stocks would only last three more days, NDTV reported.
  3. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow vaccination on the basis of need and not age. In a letter to Modi, she said all eligible vaccine candidates should get early clearances. “...It will also be prudent to allow emergency use authorisation of all the vaccine candidates that have the required clearances, without further delay,” she wrote.
  4. The Subject Expert Committee of India’s drug regulator on Monday approved Sputnik-V, the coronavirus vaccine developed by Russia, for emergency use. The decision to give the final approval to the vaccine will now be taken by the Drugs Controller General of India.
  5. Thousands of devotees, many without masks, thronged the banks of the Ganges during Kumbh Mela celebrations in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar. The police said that a stampede may occur if they try to enforce physical distancing guidelines even as the coronavirus cases continue to surge.
  6. The Delhi government on Monday declared 14 private facilities in the national Capital “full Covid-19” hospitals, reported PTI. These medical facilities are now not allowed to admit non-Covid patients.
  7. No meals will be served on domestic flights that are under two hours to minimise the risk of the coronavirus, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Monday. The order will come into effect from Thursday.
  8. The Maharashtra government postponed state board exams for classes 10 and 12 amid the surge in coronavirus cases. The exams were scheduled to take place later in April. The state reported 51,751 new infections and 258 deaths on Monday.
  9. Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh tested positive for the coronavirus, ANI reported.
  10. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 13.62 crore people and killed 29,39,142, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 7.75 crore people have recovered from the infection.