India Coronavirus Updates, 24 June: Delhi overtakes Mumbai to become city with highest Covid-19 caseload in country

Another state where increased testing has triggered a surge in confirmed cases has been Telangana. Delhi, Telangana and Tamil Nadu are likely to drive the India number for the next few days. But the numbers could start flowing in from other places as well, as new rapid antigen tests are deployed. Follow Coronavirus in India LIVE UPDATES

Here are the top COVID-19 developments from across India

Ahmedabad Covid-19 cases up by 215, tally nears 20,000 mark

The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat’t capital Ahmedabad rose by 215 to 19,601 on Wednesday, state Health department said. With 15 more people succumbing to the infection, the number of fatalities has risen to 1,378. A total of 401 patients were discharged from hospitals in the day in the district, taking the number of the recovered cases to 14,795. While 205 of the 215 new cases were reported from the Ahmedabad municipal limits, the remaining 10 were reported from other parts of the district, it said.

A total of 401 patients were discharged from hospitals in the day in the district.

West Bengal extends lockdown till July 31

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday announced that the lockdown in the state will be extended till July 31 to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The current lockdown is scheduled to end on June 30. The CM was attending an all-party meeting held at an auditorium adjacent to the state secretariat and said even though there was a difference of opinion among leaders with regard to the extension of the lockdown, it was finally decided that the state undergo another lockdown with certain relaxations.

The current lockdown is scheduled to end on June 30.

19,604 people flown to Mumbai as part of Vande Bharat Mission

As many as 19,604 passengers have been brought to Mumbai in 125 flights from different countries so far as part of the Centre’s ‘Vande Bharat Mission’. “So far, 19,604 passengers have landed in Mumbai under the Vande Bharat programme undertaken to bring back Indians stranded in other countries. Till now, 125 flights have flown the passengers, who are residents of Maharashtra and other parts of the country,” the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) provided these figures in a statement issued on Wednesday. Of the total number of passengers, 13,899 are from Maharashtra and 7218 of them hail from Mumbai, the statement said.

In addition to this, more than 45 flights are expected to land in Mumbai on July 1.

Of the total number of passengers, 13,899 are from Maharashtra and 7,218 of them hail from Mumbai.

Delhi’s Covid cases exceed 70,000, death toll rises to 2,365

Delhi recorded 3,788 new coronavrus cases on Wednesday taking the total tally to 70,390, wile the death toll climbed to 2,635, authorities said, according to PTI. On Tuesday, the national capital reported a record of 3,947 cases, the highest single-day spike till now. The Delhi health department confirmed that 64 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours. From Friday-Sunday, 3,000 or more fresh cases were being reported per day in the national capital. On Monday, 2,909 cases were recorded.

Delhi overtakes Mumbai in total Covid-19 cases, it’s now the city with highest Covid count in India. Delhi touched 70390 today, Mumbai at 69528 count. Delhi has tested beyond 4 lakh, Mumbai close to 3 lakh @IndianExpress #coronavirus

— Tabassum (@tabassum_b) June 24, 2020

Over 73.5 lakh samples tested for Covid-19 till June 23: ICMR

A cumulative total of 73,52,911 samples have been tested for coronavirus till June 23, of which 2.15 lakh were examined on Tuesday, the highest in a day since the beginning of the pandemic, ICMR officials said, PTI reported. The apex health reaserch body had validated the 1,000th testing laboratory, ramping up the capacity for detection of COVID-19 in the country. Currently, three lakh samples can be tested per day, an official said.

Of the 1,000 COVID-19 testing laboratories, 730 are in government setups while 270 are in the private sector. This includes RT-PCR labs (557), TrueNat Labs (363) and CBNAAT Labs (80).

Attendant of a patient outside the Covid Casualty Area at LNJP Hospital in Delhi.

Karnataka armed reserve cop kills himself after contracting virus

A 50-year-old head constable of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) Force died by suicide after testing for the coronavirus, PTI reported. According to the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Alok Kumar, the head constable was on the way to a hospital here on Monday night when he strangulated himself to death with a rope.

The commandant, who is an IPS officer, was tested positive on Tuesday and has been quarantined, a police official told PTI. More than 50 eprsonnel have contracted the virus. “I have visited various battalions and spoken to the commandants and other personnel wherever they are deployed. I have told them that even if they test positive, there is nothing to panic,” Kumar said.

Army revises Covid policy: No virus test needed before, after quarantine

The Indian armed forces personnel, who return from leave or temporary posting, will not be required to undergo COVID-19 testing before, during and after the quarantine period unless symptomatic, as per the revised protocol, stated by PTI. “As per the revised policy, Indian Army personnel will undergo 14 days of quarantine on returning from leave or reporting on temporary duty/permanent posting. They will not be tested before, during or after quarantine unless symptomatic,” Army Spokesperson Col Aman Anand said.

The revised protocol also suggested avoiding short duration duties of up to seven days unless deemed crucial for the interest of the services. Under the previous guidelines, all personnel coming to any military station from home or other stations were mandated to go for a 14-day quarantine period if they did not fulfill certain conditions.

Under the previous guidelines, all personnel coming to any military station from home or other stations were mandated to go for a 14-day quarantine period if they did not fulfill certain conditions.

Railways isolation coach in Delhi gets first suspected Covid patient

The Covid isolation railway coaches deployed in Delhi’s Shakur Basti Station Wednesday received the first suspected COVID-19 patient, PTI quoted an official as saying, adding that another 15 persons are expected to arrive. Around 50 such modified coaches are currently stationed at the Shakur Basti Railway Station’s maintenance depot. Each coach has the capacity of 16 beds.

About 500 Covid isolation coaches have been provided to the Delhi government. So far, 5,321 non-AC sleeper class coaches of ICF variety (older design) have been converted by the 16 zonal railways through their workshops spread across India.

First patient arrived at Shakur Basti COVID Care Center of Railways in New Delhi.

We are committed to provide all necessary help in this fight against COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/JJoTxYt00U

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) June 24, 2020

Dairy, poultry, meat units to get Rs 15,000 cr as infra fund

In a Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar Wednesday announced a new Rs 15,000 crore infrastructure fund to provide interest subvention of up to 3 per cent to private players for setting up of dairy, poultry and meat processing units. “A Rs 15,000 crore fund has been approved by the Cabinet that will be open to all and will help in increasing milk production, boost exports and create 35 lakh jobs in the country,” he said. While, Animal Husbandry Minister Giriraj Singh said that the new infrastructure fund is part of the Rs 20 lakh crore economic package announced to help those affected due to the lockdown clamped to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Cabinet Briefing https://t.co/wH78wzub8o

— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) June 24, 2020

Trinamool MLA Tamonash Ghosh, who tested Covid positive, passes away at 60

Senior Trinamool MLA Tamonash Ghosh (60), who had tested positive for Covid-19 in the last week of May, passed away in a hospital in West Bengal on Wednesday. Ghosh, who was a three-time MLA from Falta, had tested positive along with his two daughters and three aides last month. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter to express her condolences to his family. Governor Jagdeep Dhankar also expressed his sadness over Ghosh’s demise. Ghosh, a resident of Harish Chatterjee Street in South Kolkata, was also Banerjee’s neighbour.

Ghosh, a resident of Harish Chatterjee Street in South Kolkata, was also Banerjee’s neighbour. (Source: Facebook)

Don’t visit Puri, ‘darshan’ of trinity not allowed: Odisha DGP

A day after the Jagganath Rath Yatra started, Odisha Police has appealed to people not to visit Puri as “darshan” of the deities is not allowed. No one is allowed to congregate near the ‘raths’ and the temple. In order to avoid any congregation, restrictions have been imposed in some parts of the town. Modifying its earlier order, the apex court on Monday gave the go-ahead for the Rath Yatra after taking note of the Odisha government’s assurance that it “can be held in a limited way without public attendance”. One of the servitors of the temple had tested positive yesterday.

Priests participate in the annual chariot procession of Lord Jagannath in Puri (AP Photo)

12 trainee sailors of INS Shivaji test coronavirus positive

At least 12 trainee sailors of the Lonavala-based INS Shivaji, one of the premier training establishments of the Indian Navy, have so far tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. The first case was found on June 18 and the infected cadet was part of a batch of 157 trainee sailors who had reported back after leave following the easing of lockdown earlier this month, a release issued by the naval station on Tuesday said.

Bengaluru may impose lockdown again; Karnataka revises discharge policy

Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu has hinted at a complete lockdown in Bengaluru if the rise in cases continues. However, a final decision will be taken only after holding discussions with CM BS Yediyurappa and experts in the COVID-19 task force, he added.vWith 107 fresh cases on Tuesday, Bengaluru recorded a triple-digit surge in the Covid-19 cases for the third straight day as the death toll in the state crossed the 150-mark.

The state government has also revised the discharge policy. For asymptomatic patients, oximetry checks and regular temperature checks will be done mandatorily. Such patients shall be discharged only if they exhibit no symptoms, no fever and maintains a saturation above 95 per cent. For mild and moderate cases, the patient will be discharged after 10 days of onset of symptoms, while severe cases will be discharged only after complete clinical recovery.

A man pulls a handcart as another rides a motorcycle carrying goods near a wholesale vegetable market which was closed after a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru (AP)

Seven-day intense lockdown in TN’s Madurai begins today

With the lockdown in Madurai having commenced from today, over 1400 corporation officials in the district will carry out door-to-door surveys for 300 households each, to identify residents with symptoms of COVID-19 and help detect the virus early. Over 100 mobile fever clinics have been set up in each zones to carry out tests, while contact tracing teams have been deployed to collect details of patients and their primary and secondary contacts.

Sisodia writes to Amit Shah over new rule to ferry all patients to Covid care centres

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has written to Home Minister Amit Shah over the new rule mandating individuals testing positive to show up at Covid care centres for further assessment. Earlier, Sisodia had urged L-G Anil Baijal to roll it back, saying the rule was “nearly impossible” to impose. “I had requested Lt Governor to change the rule. It has been 2 days, I haven’t received any reply. This new system has created pressure on the administration. Today I have written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting him to do away with this system as it will create chaos. This is not a fight between Amit Shah’s model and Kejriwal’s model; we should implement system in which people don’t face problems,” he said.

120 Beds gets ready at Emergency Covid-19 Care Center opposite LNJP Hospital in New Delhi (Express photo/Praveen Khanna)

Can’t hold exams from July 2, Maharashtra govt tells HC

Maharashtra Government told the Bombay High Court that it cannot permit holding the pending Class X and Class XII ICSE exams from July 2 amid the pandemic. The decision was taken in a State Disaster Management Committee meeting held on June 22 through videoconference, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. A similar decision was taken for not conducting the University exams.

Sachin Tendulkar lookalike tests positive; Unwell Saroj Khan is negative

Balvir Chand used to be part of advertisements for brands that Sachin Tendulkar endorsed during his playing days. (File Photo)

Balvir Chand, a doppelganger of Sachin Tendulkar, lost his job in the lockdown and returned to his village in Punjab earlier this month, only to find on reaching there that he had contracted the virus. “They (Goli Vada Pav No 1, Chand’s employers) lost business after the lockdown and let go of a lot of staff. I too was asked to leave; they said they would hire me back when things improve,” Chand was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times on Wednesday.

In another development, choreographer Saroj Khan, who was admitted to hospital following breathing problems, has tested negative for the virus. “She was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra East for breathing issues. She is doing well now and will be discharged in a day or two. She doesn’t have COVID-19 symptoms. Her report has come out negative,” the relative said.