Here are the top updates from Saturday:

  1. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that malls and markets in the city will resume operation on an odd-even basis of shop numbers from June 7. The Delhi Metro will also function with 50% occupancy, as the positivity rate in the national Capital dipped to 0.53%.
  2. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government unveiled a five-level unlock plan based on positivity rate and availability of oxygen beds in various districts. In Capital Mumbai, restaurants, salons and spas will operate at 50% occupancy till 4 pm. Shops will also have to be shut by 4 pm. However, local train services will be available only for passengers in medical and essential services. Maharashtra reported 13,659 cases in the last 24 hours, including 866 in Mumbai.
  3. India reported 1,20,529 new coronavirus infections during the previous 24 hours, its lowest daily rise in 58 days, while deaths rose by 3,380. The country’s tally of cases since the pandemic broke out in January 2020 stands at 2,86,94,879, with the toll increasing to 3,44,082.
  4. The Tamil Nadu government extended the coronavirus lockdown in the state for one more week from June 7 to June 14, but relaxed curbs in districts with low positivity rate. Himachal Pradesh and Goa governments have also extended the restrictions till June 14.
  5. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan expressed India’s opposition to the implementation of “vaccine passports” for travel to foreign countries amid the coronavirus pandemic. He was speaking at a meeting of the G7 countries.
  6. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state will provide the first dose of the vaccine to all above 40 years of age by July 15, reported the Hindustan Times. 
  7. Of the 200 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses distributed globally till now, about 60% have gone to just three countries – the United States, India and China, said Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
  8. Among states with high caseloads, Tamil Nadu reported 21,410 new cases in the last 24 hours, Karnataka logged 13,800 cases, while the tally went up by 10,373 in Andhra Pradesh.
  9. United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai said that progress is being made towards a deal on an intellectual property waiver for Covid-19 vaccines at the World Trade Organization, reported Reuters. Tai said that the original proponents of the waiver, led by India and South Africa, have come up with a revised proposal to guide how they would like to negotiate the matters related to the waiver.
  10. Covid-19 has now infected over 17.26 crore people and killed over 37.14 lakh in the world since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.