Corona Updates You Must Track: Lockdown Extension Likely, PM Narendra Modi To Address Nation At 8 PM

On the ninth day of lockdown 3.0, India is gearing up for another phase of possible lockdown even as curbs could be relaxed after 17 May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8 pm on Tuesday. A day earlier, at the meeting between the Prime Minister and the chief ministers, there was a broad consensus on reviving economic activities even as many states suggested an extension of the lockdown.

India’s COVID-19 numbers continue to surge with the country now crossing the 70,000-mark for total confirmed cases. Follow all the important developments related to coronavirus and lockdown 3.0 here: 

PM holds meeting with CMs for post-17 May strategy: With the third phase of lockdown entering its last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a six-hour-long meeting with chief ministers of all states on Monday to discuss the broad contours for the next phase. He will address the nation again at 8 pm on Tuesday. 

At Monday's meeting, while the PM hinted that economic activity would be revived slowly, some chief ministers—Punjab, West Bengal, Bihar—batted for extension of lockdown. Many chief ministers also expressed concerns over resuming public transport and running rail services. The Prime Minister has asked the chief ministers to share a broad strategy for their states by 15 May considering the gradual easing of lockdown curbs.

India cases and toll: India’s confirmed COVID-19 case count now stands at 70,756. According to the latest data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the number of active cases has climbed to 46,008 (up from 44,029 on Monday morning) while the death toll now stands at 2,293 (up from 2,206). The number of recoveries is also going up simultaneously—22,454 people have been cured of the illness.

COVID-19 tracker/Photo: @MIB_India/Twitter

Community transmission in Maharashtra? With 1,230 fresh cases being reported in the last 24 hours, Maharashtra’s total confirmed COVID-19 cases are at 23,401. Thirty-six people in the state succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 868. There is evidence of community transmission in Mumbai and Maharashtra, state diseases surveillance officer Dr Pradip Awate told Hindustan Times. So far, India has maintained that it has been able to check community transmission of COVID-19.

Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi continue to see surge: Besides Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Delhi continue to report high number of COVID-19 cases on a daily basis. While Tamil Nadu has recorded 8,002 confirmed coronavirus cases so far, for Delhi and Gujarat, the numbers stand at 7,233 and 8,541 respectively. After Maharashtra, Gujarat has reported maximum COVID-19 deaths—513 people in the state have died due to the virus till Tuesday morning.

Passenger train services resume today: Starting Tuesday, Indian Railways will run special passenger trains from Delhi to Howrah, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Dibrugarh, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram among other selected destinations.  

The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced a standard operating procedure (SOP) for passengers, which includes screening of passengers at entry points and allowing only asymptomatic people to board the trains. Passengers will be provided with hand sanitizers at the stations and inside the train coaches. They will have to wear face masks while entering the station as well as during the travel.

The special Sharmik trains for migrant workers and stranded students will now run at full capacity and the middle berth would not be kept vacant, reported The Times of India.

#CoronaVirusUpdates: 📢 Important announcement:📍Details including train number, departure & arrival station name, timings & frequency of Special Trains to be run by @RailMinIndia w.e.f. 12-05-2020👇Bookings to be done through #IRCTC.#IndiaFightsCorona#StayHome #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/fHw8ZACHzM

— #IndiaFightsCorona (@COVIDNewsByMIB) May 11, 2020