Workers unloading consignment of medicines from a railway goods wagon during the nationwide lockdown, at Patna Junction, Thursday, April 30, 2020. PTI

Death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 1,075 and the number of cases climbed to 33,610 in the country on Thursday, registering an increase of 67 deaths and 1,823 cases since Wednesday evening, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 24,162, while 8,372 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

'Thus, 24.90 per cent patients have recovered so far,' a senior Health Ministry official said.

The total number of cases include 111 foreign nationals.

A total of 67 deaths were reported since Wednesday evening of which 32 fatalities were from Maharashtra, 16 from Gujarat, 11 from Madhya Pradesh, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Tamil Nadu and Delhi and one from Karnataka.

Of the 1,075 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 432 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 197, Madhya Pradesh at 130, Delhi at 56, Rajasthan at 51, Uttar Pradesh at 39 and Andhra Pradesh at 31.

• Andaman & Nicobar 33
• Andhra Pradesh 1403
• Arunachal Pradesh 1
• Assam 41
• Bihar 407
• Chandigarh 68
• Chhattisgarh 40
• Delhi 3439
• Goa 7
• Gujarat 4082
• Haryana 329
• Himachal Pradesh 41
• Jammu & Kashmir 581
• Jharkhand 107
• Karnataka 565
• Kerala 497
• Ladakh 22
• Madhya Pradesh 2560
• Maharashtra 9915
• Manipur 2
• Meghalaya 12
• Mizoram 1
• Odisha 142
• Puducherry 9
• Punjab 375
• Rajasthan 2556
• Tamil Nadu 2323
• Telangana 1016
• Tripura 3
• Uttarakhand 55
• Uttar Pradesh 2203
• West Bengal 744

'Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR,' the ministry said on its website adding, '280 cases are being assigned to states for contact tracing.'

States wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it said.

Kasaragod collector goes into self-quarantine

After a television journalist in Kerala's Kasaragod tested positive for coronavirus, the health authorities here advised the district collector, his driver and gunman to go into self-quarantine.

The district collector had given an interview to the journalist a few days ago.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday had said that 10 people, including three health workers and a journalist, were found infected with the virus.

The journalist who works for a prominent television channel in the state is the first positive case from the media fraternity.

Railway workers maintain social distance as they wait to receive relief materials, during the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, at Secunderabad in Hyderabad, Wednesday, April 29, 2020. PTI

Will decide on lockdown extension on May 2: Narayanasamy

Puducherry chief minister V. Narayanasamy has said his cabinet would meet on May 2 to decide its stand on whether the ongoing lockdown should be extended or not in the union territory.

'With the Centre's stand on extension or otherwise of the lockdown not being very clear, the territorial administration was now considering all pros and cons of the extension of the lockdown when it ends on May 3,' he told reporters here late on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting.

The cabinet would meet again on May 2 to take a decision on the matter, he said.

'We are concerned more about the livelihood aspect of the people as much as we are concerned about their safety. The Centre`s stand on continuance of the lockdown remains unclear as of now. We will go into all aspects and take a decision at a meeting of the cabinet on May 2,' he said.

Puducherry has only three active Covid-19 cases.

Yogi asks officials to prepare for return of migrants

As Uttar Pradesh prepares for the return of stranded migrants, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has asked officials to keep ready quarantine centres, shelter homes and community kitchens for about six lakh people.

Adityanath also appealed to those stranded in other states to be patient and not start walking towards their homes.

'Maintain patience that you have shown till now. A detailed plan is being prepared after contacting states concerned to ensure that all return to their homes safely. Therefore, stay where you are and remain in contact with the respective state governments. Do not start moving on foot,' he said in a tweet on Thursday.

Health workers wearing protective suits shift to a van the body of a coronavirus victim, at LNJP Hospital in New Delhi, Thursday, April 30, 2020. PTI

MHA asks states to ensure uninterrupted movement of trucks, says no separate passes needed

UP police order 10,000 PPE kits

Uttar Pradesh police have ordered over 10,000 personal protective equipments and asked cops above the age of 55 years with health history to stay off the frontline duty after 28 of them tested positive.

Director general of police Hitesh Chandra Awasthi also asked district police chiefs to purchase necessary safety kits at local level wherever needed.

'Till Thursday, 28 policemen have been found coronavirus positive in different districts of the state,' Awasthi told PTI.

'We have already ordered 10,000 PPE kits. But due to shortage, only 3,000-4,000 kits have been received so far. Over 6,000 PPE kits are being purchased at the district level,' he said.

'We have to take extra precautions to save our personnel from coronavirus,' the state police chief said.

Directives have been issued to ensure that frontline police personnel, especially in hotspot areas, follow all security protocols using PPE kits, masks, gloves and sanitisers, according to Awasthi.

'We have given money, material, direction and guidance to local police chiefs to save our personnel,' he said. 'The districts have to access and purchase things required and give it to their men.'

Asked about the number of personnel under quarantine, he said: 'This number continues to change, but we are doing whatever is possible for saving our force from the virus.'

BCI may consider emergency fund of independent lawyers: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday said the Bar Council of India (BCI) may consider an emergency fund for independent practising advocates who are in need of financial assistance and are 'facing a tough time' during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A bench headed by Justice N. V. Ramana, hearing a plea on the matter through video-conferencing, said it cannot pass direction for creation of funds and set up a special category for lawyers when unfortunately the entire country is facing a difficult situation.

The bench, also comprising justices S. K. Kaul and B. R. Gavai, observed that some bar councils have taken up this issue and have also decided to help independent lawyers.

'This is something for the BCI to consider,' the bench told advocate Pawan Prakash Pathak, who filed the petition.

The apex court, while referring to the coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic, said the whole country is suffering and lawyers are also a part of it.

People practice social distancing as they stand in a queue to collect foods from NGO volunteers, during ongoing Covid-19 lockdown in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, Thursday, April 30, 2020 PTI

RBI further extends truncated trading hours

Amid uncertainty over the lockdown period, the Reserve Bank on Thursday extended the truncated trading hours of debt as well as currency markets till further notice.

In order to minimise risks arising due to the unprecedented situation created by COVID-19 outbreak, the trading hours for various RBI regulated markets were earlier amended as 10.00 am to 2.00 pm, effective from April 7 till the close of business hours on April 30, 2020.

• Read the full story here.

Nod for industrial activities from May 4 across Karnataka barring containment zone

The Karnataka government has decided to allow industrial activities across the state barring coronavirus containment zones from May 4, when the second phase of national lockdown is expected to end, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Thursday.

As Covid-19 cases may continue for another 2-3 months, both economic activities and efforts to control the pandemic have to go hand-in-hand, he said.

'So, we have decided to give permission to start industrial activities in all places, except containment zones from May 4,' Yediyurappa told reporters here after a cabinet meeting.

He will hold discussion with some industrialists along with Industries Minister Jagdish Shettar soon, he said adding the government would ask them to make preparations for restarting industrial activities.

Seven persons test positive for in Amravati

At least seven persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra's Amravati district on Thursday, taking the count of coronavirus cases here to 35, an official said.

The new cases were reported from Hanuman Nagar and Kholapuri Gate localities of Amravati city, the official said.

The patients who tested positive included three family members of a resident of Kanwar Nagar, who had died of the deadly infection, he said.

All seven patients were undergoing treatment at the dedicated Covid-19 hospital, he added.

Meanwhile, the Amravati Municipal Corporation has sealed localities where Covid-19 cases have been reported.

Bengal govt seeks to borrow RT-PCR machines from state-run universities

The West Bengal government has sought to borrow from three-state-run varsities 'real-time polymerase chain reaction' (RT-PCR) machines which can help in the detection and study of novel coronavirus.

The RT-PCR machines, with the help of a nuclear energy-driven method, can trace specific genetic material from any pathogen, including a virus, Dr Abhijit Chowdhury, member of a state-constituted task force on COVID-19, said.

Scientists can get to see the results almost immediately, Chowdhury said.

'We have requested Calcutta University, Jadavpur University and Burdwan University to lend us RT-PCR machines, and received encouraging responses from them. The equipment will be used for lab tests in select few centres.

'The state cannot procure the equipment from outside in a short time. It will also incur huge expenses...' he said.

Confirming that Jadavpur University has received a request from the panel, Vice Chancellor Prof Suranjan Das said the varsity will extend all cooperation to the state government in its fight against the pandemic.

'I got a letter from the government yesterday. There was also a phone call. Arrangements are being made to send the machines available at our lab,' Das said.

Pro-VC Chiranjib Bhattacharya, however, said a decision on the number of machines to be lent out would be taken after a discussion with research scholars.

'We are positive about helping the government but the ongoing research activities cannot be entirely stopped. We will do whatever is possible,' he said.

The Calcutta University, too, has similar testing equipment at two of its laboratories.

'Preliminary discussion (with the government) is going on,' CU VC Sonali Chakraborty said.

Asked why the machines were not pressed into service so far, another member of the COVID-19 panel said, 'With the number of cases on the rise, we were trying to figure out how to mobilise our internal resources. It then occurred to us that we can borrow the RT-PCR machines from our premier institutes on loan to cope with the situation.'

The Union Home Ministry on Thursday made it clear that no separate passes are required for inter-state movement of trucks -- those carrying goods or returning after delivery -- during the ongoing lockdown and licence of the driver is enough.

Asking states and Union Territories to ensure uninterrupted movement of trucks, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said there have been reports that at inter-state borders in different parts of the country, movement of trucks is not allowed freely and local authorities insist upon separate passes.

Bhalla asked states to allow movement of all trucks and other goods carrier vehicles with two drivers and one helper subject to the drivers carrying valid driving licences.

An empty truck or vehicle will be allowed to ply after the delivery of goods, or after pick up of goods, he added.

He said as per the guidelines issued by the home ministry no separate passes are required for movement of trucks and goods carriers, including empty trucks.

An official spokesman said the state government has written letters to different states seeking detailed data on migrant labourers and workers of UP along with their names, mobile numbers and addresses as well as medical reports.

The spokesman said workers stranded in Madhya Pradesh will be brought back on Thursday and those in Gujarat on Friday by buses.

The UP government had on March 28-29 facilitated the return of around 4 lakh people from Delhi.

The government has also ensured the return of about 50,000 people from Haryana and Rajasthan.Around 13,000 people are being brought back from Haryana.

Earlier the government brought back 11,500 students of the state from Kota in Rajasthan and ensured that 15,000 students from Prayagraj return safely to their homes in different districts of the state, the spokesman said.