The COVID-19 situation is “especially serious” in Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata and a few other places in West Bengal, the Home Ministry said on April 20, as India saw selective relaxation of lockdown in non-containment areas.
Strict restrictions continue in districts declared COVID-19 hotspots.
Also read: List of what is and what is not allowed after April 20
The Hindu has brought out a multi-language e-book on essential COVID-19 information, in addition to covering the developments related to the coronavirus pandemic as it unfolded. Here is a collection of our daily cartoons on COVID-19.
Here are answers from experts on your queries about the virus, a list of State Helpline numbers, a State-wise tracker for COVID-19 cases, deaths and testing, and a map of confirmed cases in India.
Here are the latest updates:
5.00 pm
Global death toll tops 1,70,000
The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 170,000 people globally, close to two thirds of them in hardest-hit Europe, according to an AFP tally on Tuesday.
4.10 pm | India
Daily press briefing on COVID-19
Database in public domain created for district administrators
Chairman of Empowered Group 4 on augmenting human resources and capacity building: “We decided to develop a database, to be available in public domain, which can be used by the district administration. One dashboard, covidwarriors.gov.in, set up. Details of 1.24 crore resources, including doctors, health workers, uploaded. 20 categories and 49 sub-categories included in the data-base. Individual level data can be accessed only by certain officials. Details of all workers in 201 central public enterprises, apart from railway hospitals, ordnance factories and other related centres included
“This will enable proper allocation of human resources by the State and district administration.
“Apart from this iGOT platform portal has been created for providing online training material to the front-line workers. It is accessible through any device, mobile, laptop, tablet.
“Efforts are being made to provide the training material in different languages. Over 1.31 lakh users have so far registered with the platform.”
States to allow migrant workers to resume work in areas where lockdown relaxed: Home Ministry
Home Ministry spokesperson: “SOP has been shared with State governments on allowing stranded migrant workers to take up jobs in areas where some relaxations have been given April 20 onward.
“Yesterday, Home Ministry reviewed the ground level situation and found that in several sectors, where relaxations were given after April 20, the situation has improved. MNGREGA works, road construction activities and other such projects have resumed.”
Eight institutes to be sent to fields to determine if rapid test kits are faulty, says ICMR
ICMR representative: “Over 4.49 lakh tests have been conducted till today, about 35,000 tests held yesterday.
“We received complaint from one of the States about less detection through Rapid Kits, we enquired from two-three more States, there is a variation on the test findings, which is not good.
We have, therefore, decided not to ignore the findings. Eight institutes will be sent to the fields for validation of the kits. We will suggest to the States not to use the Rapid Tests for a couple of days, after which we will be in a position to advise them. If the kits are found faulty, we will take it up with the manufacturer.
“Of 70 vaccine candidates, five are going into human trials, this is unprecedented quick response to any disease (within 3.5 months), apart from lockdown and social distancing measures.”
Close contacts of patients to be kept on HCQ for 7 weeks: Health Ministry
Health Ministry spokesperson: “Close contacts of Covid-19 patients need to be kept on HCQ for seven weeks.
“The Indian Red Cross has set up a 24*7 helplines: 9319982104/105.
“The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is initiating a randomised clinical trial to check the efficacy of drugs on decreasing the mortality rate in critical Covid-19 patients. The clinical trial of these drugs has been given approval following observation that there are clinical similarities between patients of gram-negative sepsis and Covid-19.”
–Devesh Pandey
3.50 pm | Karnataka
COVID-19 testing for journalists announced in Karnataka after 53 mediapersons in Mumbai tested positive
Medical Education Minister Dr. K. Sudhakar on Tuesday said he had instructed his department to arrange COVID-19 tests for State journalists, who are turning out to be susceptible to the contagion, especially those in electronic media, in the wake of reports of 53 mediapersons testing positive for Coronavirus in Maharashtra.
“An order in this regard will be issued soon,” he added.
He told reporters in Mysuru that the labs working under his department and where the COVID-tests were being done had been instructed to carry out the tests on the journalists since they go around covering the pandemic and its impact.
–Shankar Bennur
3.40 pm | India
First batch of 57 Iran-returned pilgrims reaches Kargil after quarantine in UP
The first batch of 57 Iran-returned pilgrims reached here on Tuesday in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) flight after undergoing quarantine in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
However, they would not be going home just now as they have to undergo another phase of 14-day administrative quarantine for their own and others’ safety, they said.
3.30 pm | Maharashtra
Pema Khandu thanks Mumbai cops for providing relief to Arunachal students, workers in city
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday took to Twitter to voice his appreciation for three senior officers with the Mumbai Police, after they heeded his appeal and provided relief to students and daily wagers from the State staying in Mumbai.
Mr. Khandu tweeted on official Twitter account on Tuesday, thanking Deputy Commissioner of Police (operations) Pranaya Ashok, DCP (Cyber) Vishal Thakur and DCP (Zone VIII) Manjunath Singe for their res