Coronavirus India Cases Updates, 04 June: Death toll crosses 6,000; Bengal relaxes night curfew

Steps taken but onus on health care workers to protect themselves from Covid-19: Centre to SC

The Centre Thursday told the Supreme Court that though hospitals across the country are responsible for implementing the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) activities, the final responsibility lies with the healthcare workers to protect themselves from Covid-19. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told the top court that the onus is on the health care workers to adequately train themselves and take all required measures to preventing the infection which not only include Covid but other diseases as well.

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M R Shah allowed petitioner Dr. Arushi Jain’s counsels advocate Mithu Jain and Arjun Syal to file the rejoinder affidavit to Centre’s reply within a week and posted the matter for June 12.

Maharashtra govt allows inter-district movement in MMR

The Maharashtra government Thursday allowed inter-district movement of people within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). With 56,794 COVID-19 cases and 1,742 deaths so far, the MMR, which includes Mumbai city, Mumbai suburban, Palghar Thane, and part of Raigad district, is the worst affected by COVID-19 in the state.

In the fresh guidelines issued on Thursday, the state government said inter-district movement of people in MMR would be allowed. However, it added that the inter-district movement elsewhere in the state and the inter-state movement would continue to be regulated.

Covid lockdown decimated economy, showed us ‘worst of both worlds’: Rajiv Bajaj to Rahul Gandhi

The nationwide lockdown, in an attempt to contain the coronavirus pandemic, has decimated the economy and exposed us to the “worst of both worlds”, industrialist and Managing Director of Bajaj Auto Rajiv Bajaj said during a conversation with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the economic fallout of the shutdown.

Watch: In conversation with Mr Rajiv Bajaj on the Covid19 crisis. https://t.co/wLwUpAwxDd

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 4, 2020

“But you have definitely decimated the economy. You flattened the wrong curve. It is not the infection curve, it is the GDP curve. This is what we have ended (up) with, the worst of both worlds,” he said.

The industrialist also called the lockdown “draconian” and said such a situation was not even called for during the World War. “The way India has been locked down is a draconian lockdown. This kind of lockdown, I’m not hearing about from anywhere else,” he said.

Passengers getting checked at Kaushambi bus terminal in Ghaziabad on Wednesday. (Express photo/Prem Nath Pandey)

Night curfew during lockdown relaxed in Bengal

The West Bengal government Thursday issued an order relaxing the night curfew hours and strictly prohibiting movement of individuals between 9 pm and 5 am except for essential activities in view of the lockdown. Night curfew during lockdown relaxed in WBin the night curfew hours will take effect from June 4, the order said. “Night curfew will continue but the timings have been relaxed to 9pm to 5am from the earlier 7pm to 7am,” a senior official told PTI.

COVID-19 death toll in West Bengal rises to 283 with 10 more fatalities; 368 new cases push tally to 6,876: State health bulletin.

Defence secretary Ajay Kumar tests positive for Covid-19

Defence secretary Ajay Kumar has tested positive for Covid-19 and is under home quarantine. He was tested after developing mild fever and the results came on Tuesday.

Kumar is the first top government official to test positive for the disease. It is not clear if other senior bureaucrats, military officials and ministers whom he came in contact with, have been tested so far. Defence ministry has not issued a statement on the matter so far.

Police wear PPE gear while patrolling near the Art Faculty following a protest call by some students against the arrest of anti-CAA activists, at Delhi University on Wednesday. (Express photo/Praveen Khanna)

NLS alumni arrange chartered flight to ferry 180 migrant workers to Raipur from Bengaluru

The alumni of the National Law School of India University on Thursday helped as many as 180 migrant workers stranded in Bengaluru to reach Raipur on Thursday on a chartered flight.

The flight was sponsored by Ajay Bahl, the managing partner of a leading law firm, whereas the NLS Alumni team liaised with the Chhattisgarh government to ensure that the workers could reach their homes from Raipur, according to Vijay Grover, a journalist who has been working for the cause of migrant workers stranded in Karnataka.

“The chartered flight left Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru for Raipur on Thursday morning. The check-in process was carried out around midnight,” he told news agency PTI.

Bhubaneswar senior citizens get exclusive time slots in parks

A two-hour slot in the morning has been allotted exclusively for senior citizens in Bhubaneswar parks by the municipal corporation.

UP Police on duty at the Ghaziabad-Delhi border on Wednesday. (Express photo/Prem Nath Pandey)

People aged 60 years and above will be allowed in the parks only between 5 am and 7 am, as they are vulnerable to novel coronavirus infection, according to a BMC order issued on Wednesday. All other age groups are prohibited during this time slot. The parks will remain open from 5 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 6 pm on the five weekdays, it said.

The civic body has requested all the visitors to wear marks and maintain at least two-metre social distancing in the parks.

Family members of Charan Singh wait to leave for Kasganj on Wednesday. (Express photo/Gajendra Yadav)

Supreme Court asks Delhi, UP, Haryana to form common travel policy in a week

The Supreme Court has given a week’s time to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to decide on a consistent policy for inter-state movement in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Delhi sealed its borders for a week on Monday amid a continuous rise in coronavirus cases. On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh’s Noida which also shares a border with the capital had sealed all routes in April.

As a result of Delhi shutting its borders, chaos prevailed throughout the day on the Sonepat-Kundli border on the Ambala-Delhi national highway. Similar reports from the Gurgaon-Delhi border also came as the capital did not allow entry of vehicles and individuals without an e-pass.

Receiving a hero’s welcome!

Kurla Police Station welcomes this #COVIDConqueror as he returns back on duty after beating coronavirus – to serve the city we love the most.

Welcome back, hero! We wish for you a healthy life ahead.#AamhiDutyVarAahot pic.twitter.com/bsbiu3ajTb

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) June 1, 2020

30 Maharashtra Police personnel died of Covid-19 so far

At least 30 police personnel, including an officer, have so far died due to coronavirus in Maharashtra, while over 2,500 have tested positive for the disease, an official said on Thursday.

Nearly 18 of the total 30 victims were working in the Mumbai Police force and contracted the deadly infection while implementing the lockdown orders, he said.

“Till now, over 2,500 state police personnel have tested positive for the coronavirus and 30 of them, including an officer, have died,” the official said.