The number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in the country climbed to 3,376 on Sunday while the death toll rose to 80, according to Union health ministry data.

Karnataka has reported four deaths, while West Bengal and Tamil Nadu each have recorded three fatalities. Two deaths each have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala.

Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh each have reported one fatality, according to the data.

The highest number of confirmed cases was reported from Maharashtra at 498, followed by Tamil Nadu at 485 and Delhi 445. Kerala has 306 positive cases so far, while the number of cases has gone up to 269 in Telangana and 227 in Uttar Pradesh.

There are 200 cases in Rajasthan and 161 cases in Andhra Pradesh. Covid-19 cases have risen to 144 in Karnataka, followed by 105 in Gujarat and 104 in Madhya Pradesh.

Jammu and Kashmir has 92 cases so far and West Bengal has 69. Punjab has reported 57 infections so far, followed by Haryana at 49. Thirty people are afflicted with COVID-19 in Bihar, while Assam has 24 cases. Uttarakhand has 22 cases, followed by Odisha at 20 cases, Chandigarh at 18 infections, and Ladakh with 14.

Ten cases have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands while Chhattisgarh has nine infections. Goa has reported seven COVID-19 cases, followed by Himachal Pradesh with six and Puducherry with five cases.

Jharkhand and Manipur have reported two cases each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradeh have reported one infection each.

'State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation,' the Union health ministry said on its website.

Identify hospitals to be used for virus treatment: Delhi LG to health dept

With a rise in number of coronavirus cases in the national capital, Delhi lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal has directed the health department to identify private hospitals which can be taken over by the government, official sources said on Sunday.

They said the government has limited resources and hence ICU wards, beds and other facilities of private hospitals can be used to deal with the increasing numbers of coronavirus cases.

'In government hospitals, medical treatment to other disease-related patients can not be stopped. In view of this, private hospitals can be engaged for the same,' a source said.

Officials have been asked to prepare a list of private hospitals that can be taken over if needed.

'In a recent meeting, the LG directed officials to prepare a list of private hospitals which can be taken over by government in case a need arises and their infrastructure can be used to treat Covid-19 patients. The government will provide treatment to coronavirus patients admitted at these hospitals,' a source said.

Of the 3,374 Covid-19 cases reported in the country till Sunday morning, Delhi accounted for the third-highest number of cases at 445, after Maharashtra (490) and Tamil Nadu (485).

A policeman asks questions to a man whose vehicle was seized during a nationwide lockdown, imposed in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Solapur, Sunday, April, 5, 2020 PTI

Niti Aayog CEO writes to NGOs for assistance in relief measures

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has written to over 92,000 NGOs appealing them to assist the government in identifying Covid-19 hotspots and delivering services to vulnerable groups.

Kant, who is heading the Empowered Group (EG 6) on coordinating with private sector NGOs and international organisations, has also written to all chief secretaries urging them to instruct the local administration at the district level to utilise the physical and human resources made available by NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs), an official statement said.

The government had on March 29 constituted 11 empowered groups to suggest measures to ramp up healthcare, put the economy back on track and reduce misery of people as quickly as possible post the 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

'CEO Niti Aayog has written to over 92000 NGOs/ CSOs registered on the Darpan portal of Niti Aayog, appealing them to assist the government in identifying hotspots and deputing volunteers and care givers to deliver services to the elderly, persons with disabilities, children, transgender persons, and other vulnerable groups; to create awareness about prevention, social distancing, isolation, and combating stigma; to provide shelter to homeless, daily wage workers, and urban poor families; set up community kitchens for migrants,' the statement said.

It further said that the empowered group (EG 6) conducted detailed deliberations with 40-plus prominent CSOs and NGOs working in different parts of the country and with different communities.

Bengaluru air quality now good

The Covid-19 related lockdown has substantially improved the air quality of Bengaluru, taking it from satisfactory level to good, a senior state pollution control board offcial said on Sunday.

'During the course of the lockdown, we reached to good position from satisfactory. It is between zero to 50 AQI (Air Quality Index) now. We have good quality air,' the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board member secretary Basavaraj Patil told PTI.

Patil said as per available records, there has been a 60 to 65 per cent reduction in pollution during the lockdown.

The city railway station and Peenya industrial area, which used to be among the areas with highest AQI, has seen pollution levels come down significantly, he said.

Another major contributor of pollution was construction activities, which too had ground to a halt due to the lockdown, resulting in zero dust emission.

Kalyan Dombivali areas cases tally now 28

With four more persons, including a minor, testing positive for coronavirus in the areas under Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC), the number of such patients in the region rose to 28 on Sunday, officials said.

All the four new patients are residents of Dombivali.

One of them is a seven-year-old girl. Three other patients are women aged 75, 54 and 24, an official statement said.

The 24-year-old woman had returned from Paris recently, it added.

All the four patients are currently being treated at Mumbai's Kasturba Hospital, the statement said.

Man flees quarantine in Maharashtra

A 26-year-old man from Dombivali in Thane district fled the hospital in which he was quarantined for suspected exposure to the novel coronavirus, police said on Sunday.

He left the facility at around 8:30pm on Saturday and efforts were on to nab him, a Vishnu Nagar police station official said.

'He had called up his friends saying the hospital did not have facilities etc. He told them he would either run away or commit suicide,' he added.

Thane district as on Sunday has 78 COVID-19 patients, including 23 in KDMC limits of which Dombivali is a part.

A municipal corporation tanker sprinkles water near the Red Fort as part of sanitisation works during the nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in New Delhi Sunday, April 5, 2020 PTI

Nearly 1,300 booked for violating lockdown in Muzaffarnagar

The Police in Muzaffarnagar have booked 1,279 people for violation of lockdown norms since the countrywide restrictions were imposed on March 25, officials said on Sunday.

Muzaffarnagar Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Yadav said as many as 247 cases were registered under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) naming 1,279 people till Saturday.

They were found violating the lockdown norms in the district, he said.

He asked people to stay home and help hinder the spread of the coronavirus.

The country was placed under a 21-day lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from March 25.

One more death in Maharashtra, five positive

A Covid-19 patient succumbed here in Maharashtra on Sunday while samples of two persons who died earlier also came out coronavirus positive, officials said.

The 69-year-old woman, who tested positive for coronavirus on April 2 and was also suffering from a gall bladder ailment died at the district hospital, civil surgeon Dr Ashok Nandapurkar said.

Five people tested positive for novel coronavirus on Sunday in Aurangabad in Maharashtra, taking the district's Covid-19 count to eight, a senior health official said.

The fresh cases include a seven-year-old girl being treated for the infection in a private hospital, he said.

There are seven active cases in the district while a woman has been discharged after recovery, Civil Surgeon and Nodal Officer Dr Sundar Kulkarni told PTI.

'Five fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in Auragabad on Sunday. Of the seven cases, four are being treated in the civil hospital dedicated to the coronavirus infection, two in government medical college and hospital, and the child is in a private hospital,' he said.

Two others who had deceased also tested positive.

Samples of a 60-year-old woman who died on Saturday, tested positive for coronavirus, Sassoon Hospital's Dean Dr Ajay Chandanwale said. The woman, who had some co-morbid conditions, was recently discharged from Pune's Naidu hospital after she tested negative for coronavirus there.

Chandanwale said a 52-year-old man who was admitted to the Sassoon Hospital also died on Saturday.

'His samples were sent for testing. The results came out positive late Saturday evening. He was suffering from diabetes and hypertension,' the official said.

Life insurance policyholders get 30 days more to pay premium

Regulator Irdia has provided an additional 30-day grace period for policyholders to pay premium on life insurance policies, whose renewal date fall in March and April amid the lockdown to fight against coronavirus pandemic.

Insurance Regulatory and Developement Authority of India (Irdai) has already provided additional time for payment of renewal premium in case of health insurance policies and motor third party insurance.

Responding to representations made by life insurers and Life Insurance Council, the regulator issued the instructions for providing the additional grace of 30 days for premium payments.

The insurers and the council had flagged operational constraints and difficulties being faced by policyholders due to the nationwide three-week lockdown and social distancing advisory.

Irdai further said where unit linked policies mature (up to May 31, 2020) and fund value is to be paid in lumpsum, life insurers 'may offer settlement options' in accordance with relevant regulation.

'This one time option is regardless of whether such option exists or not in the specific product,' Irdai said in a circular.

Life insurers, however, will have to exercise all due care and diligence to explain clearly the possible downside risk of continued fluctuation of fund value based on daily net asset value (NAV).

ICMR urges health secy to issue advisory to start rapid antibody-based blood tests

The ICMR director-general has written to the health secretary, asking her to disseminate in states and Union territories the advisory to start rapid antibody-based blood tests for Covid-19.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday issued the advisory to start rapid antibody-based blood tests for Covid-19 in areas reporting clusters and in large migration gatherings or evacuee centres.

'Overall testing for Covid-19 using real-time RT PCR is increasing and we will be approaching full capacity in near future. At the same time, we are expecting delivery of Rapid Test kits (blood based) for use in response to Covid-19 situation,' ICMR DG Balram Bhargava said in his letter to health secretary Preeti Sudan.

The National Task Force deliberated with experts for ascertaining use of these rapid test kits and the draft of the suggested algorithm was also discussed in detail with technical experts from the health ministry and inputs were included in the final version which is feasible for implementation in the field conditions, he said.

The advisory to start rapid antibody based blood test for Covid-19, in clusters (with containment zones), and in large migration gatherings or evacuees centres is now available at ICMR website, he said.

'The same may please be further disseminated to all states/UTs along with operational guidelines for implementation and roles and responsibilities for implementation,' Bhargava said.

Reports of the tests may be entered by the respective facilities on the ICMR portal similar to results of real-time RT PCR tests for Covid-19, he said.

The results of antibody tests similar to blood tests are available in 15-30 minutes.

A vendor selling candles and earthen lamps waits for customers during the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, in Guwahati, Sunday, April 5, 2020. PM Modi had on Friday urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9pm on April 5 to display the country's collective resolve to defeat coronavirus PTI

Virus cases in Andhra rises to 220

The number of coronavirus cases crossed the 200 mark in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday with 36 more people testing positive for the infection, the state government said.

Kurnool district saw a quantum jump in the number of Covid-19 cases from four to 27, all on account of the Tablighi Jamaat attendees and their contacts.

Seven cases were confirmed in Chittoor district since Saturday night, while Prakasam and SPS Nellore districts reported two new cases each.

With five coronavirus patients discharged from hospitals after recovery, and the death of a 55-year-old man, the number of active cases in the state stood at 220, according to the latest bulletin issued by the state nodal officer Arja Srikanth.

The two north coastal Andhra districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram are the only ones that remain unaffected by the deadly infection with not a single positive case so far.

Self-help groups in Odisha manufacture, distribute 1 million masks

Amid the growing concern over the shortage of protective gear as Covid-19 cases continue to rise, self-help groups (SHGs) in Odisha have manufactured over one million masks for distribution among people.

At least 400 SHGs—under the Odisha governments Mission Shakti programme—have come forward to make around 50,000 masks every day, as part of its efforts to help the state government in its fight against the dreaded viral disease, a senior official in Bhubaneswar said.

'SHGs in the state have risen to the occasion to supply masks at affordable rates. Despite unfavourable circumstances, these women continue to contribute towards public health,' he said.

Some of these groups have also been visiting villages across the state to generate awareness on the disease and distribute cooked food among the poor, in the midst of the 21-day nationwide lockdown.

'With the help of district officials, these self-help groups have also set up temporary outlets to ensure steady supply of food grains, vegetables and fruits to common people,' the official added.

Lauding their efforts, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had recently said that 'it was heartening to see the all-round response of women, especially members of Mission Shakti Self- Help Groups, during this critical time'.

Among others, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also showered praise on the SHGs.

'Our #NariShakti in Odisha is working round the clock to ensure the state emerges out of this crisis in quick time,' he had tweeted.

Firefighters spray disinfectant on a street during a nationwide lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, at Surya Nagar in Bhubaneswar, Friday, April 3, 2020 PTI

Restrictions imposed in Kashmir

Restrictions on the movement and assembly of people in Kashmir to contain the spread of coronavirus were tightened on Sunday a day after 14 cases—the highest increase in a single day—were detected in the valley, the officials said.

Security forces sealed off the main roads in the Valley and erected barriers at several places to check the unwanted movement of the people and to enforce the lockdown, the officials said.

The markets across the Valley were shut and public transport was off the roads with only pharmacies and groceries allowed to open, they added.

Educational institutions across Kashmir have been closed, while all public places including gymnasiums, parks, clubs and restaurants have been shut down more than a week before the nationwide lock down announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While the Prime Minister announced the country-wide lockdown on the evening of March 24, the Union territory administration had on March 22 announced a lockdown across Jammu and Kashmir till 31 March as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The administration said essential services including healthcare personnel have been exempted from the restrictions.

Restrictions were first imposed in many parts of the Valley on March 19 to contain the spread of the virus infection. The measures were taken after a 67-year-old woman from Khanyar area of the city, who had returned on 16 March from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah, tested positive for Covid-19 infection.

The officials said authorities have started an aggressive contact tracing campaign across the union territory to contain the spread of the infection.

Nearly 2000 contacts of positive cases have been identified, they said, adding no known contact would be left untraced.

A total of 17 new cases of COVID-19 positive were detected in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday which included three from Jammu region. With the spike, the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up to 92.

Two patients have died, while three others have recovered from the disease.

Police personnel punish commuters for flouting nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, in Guwahati, Saturday, April 4, 2020 PTI

11th death in Gujarat

A 61-year-old woman who tested positive for coronavirus died at a hospital in Surat on Sunday, taking the total number of Covid-19 deaths in Gujarat to 11, a senior health official said.

'The woman was admitted to hospital on Saturday in a condition where it was difficult to save her,' principal secretary (health) Jayanti Ravi said.

On Saturday, a 67-year-old woman died at hospital in Ahmedabad, while on Friday, two coronavirus patients succumbed, including a 78-year-old man in Vadodara and a 67- year-old man in Ahmedabad.

The number of coronavirus case in Gujarat has jumped to 122 with 14 new patients being reported from the state, an official said.

Out of the 14 new cases, 10 have a direct or indirect link to the religious congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi last month, Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi said.

Of the total cases in the state, 72 are of local transmission, 33 patients have foreign travel history and 17 have inter-state travel history, she said.

So far, 17 patients have been discharged after recovery, she said.