As India is under lockdown for nearly a week now, the government has said the 21-day period will not be extended. The country is seeing a spurt in the number of coronavirus cases, with Gujarat, Punjab and West Bengal reporting deaths.
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 are answers from experts on your queries about the virus, a list of State Helpline numbers, and a map of confirmed cases in India.
The new 24/7 national helpline numbers are 1075, 1800-112-545 and 011-23978046. Email: ncov2019-at-gmail.com.
The Prime Minister has announced a WhatsApp helpdesk number: 9013151515.
Here are the latest updates:
New Delhi | 4.15 pm
‘We can still fail, if even one person fails to cooperate’
India has reported 39 deaths and cases count has crossed 1000 so far, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary- Health & Family Welfare tells in a virtual media conference.
It has taken 12 days for India to reach 1000 cases, while in several nations has seen even up to 8000 cases in this time period, he adds.
We have been able to achieve this because of cooperation of public, our collective preemptive action, social distancing and lockdown, he says.
However we are dealing with an infectious disease. We can still fail, if even one person fails to cooperate, he warns.
We have given guidelines on how public places ought to be disinfected, he says.
New Delhi | 4.00 pm
Postpone application deadlines for ICAR exam, JNU entrance exam, UGC NET, CSIR NET, NCHM JEE, IGNOU PhD, All India Ayush PG entrance test and management entrance exams by one month, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank tells National Testing Agency.
Dehradun| 3.50 pm
No inter-district movement of people in Uttarakhand on Tuesday
The Uttarakhand government has withdrawn its decision of allowing inter-district movement of people within the state on Tuesday following a Union Home Ministry order on strict enforcement of the ongoing lockdown.
The state government had earlier decided to allow inter-district movement for a day to help people stranded at different places in the state due to the lockdown.
Chennai | 3.45 pm
TN Governor donates Rs. 1 Crore each to PM and CM relief fund
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has donated Rs one crore each to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund and Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund of Tamil Nadu, the Raj Bhavan said on Monday.
The donation made from the Governor’s Discretionary Grant has been done to assist the Centre and state in their fight to tackle the spread of Coronavirus, the release said.
Lucknow | 3.30 pm
UP Shia Waqf Board waives off rentals for 3 months
The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board has decided to waive off rentals of all its property for three months starting March 1 in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic.
Vice Chancellor Mufti Abdul Qasim Nomani of Deoband-based Durul Uloom has offered to hand over one of the buildings of the theological school to the Uttar Pradesh government to serve as an isolation ward for COVID-19 patients.
Bhopal | 3.00 pm
Samples of a 38-year-old man from Ujjain who had died while undergoing treatment for chest pain at a hospital on March 27, test positive for COVID-19 today. This takes the toll owing to the illness to three in Madhya Pradesh. – Sidharth Yadav
Pune | 2.10 pm
Pune records first death as Maharashtra death toll rises to nine
he district recorded its first death on Monday after a 52-year-old man who had tested positive for Covid-19 a week ago died at Pune’s Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, said authorities as Maharashtra’s death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to nine.
The patient, who was admitted to the private hospital on March 22 after testing positive, had a medical history of diabetes and hypertension, said sources.
New Delhi | 1.00 pm
10 RML hospital staff sent to home quarantine
Atleast 10 medical staff at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi have been sent into home quarantine after one of them reportedly showed symptoms of COVID-19. “Their samples have been sent for testing,” a health ministry official said on Monday.
Port Blair| 12.50 pm
Youth tests positive in Andamans
A man in his late 20s has tested positive for COVID-19 in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, taking the number of coronavirus positive cases in the Union Territory to 10.
He was part of a group of people that had gone to Delhi to attend a religious programme and returned to Port Blair via Kolkata on March 24. – PTI