India Enters Lockdown 3.0, Economy Activity To Resume Partially: Top Corona Updates You Must Track

As India enters lockdown 3.0, several relaxations have been given to all the zones, including hotspots, to partially resume economic activities. Standalone liquor and pan shops, which are outside containment zones, can open now. Meanwhile, India’s COVID-19 tally on Monday stood at 42,533 confirmed cases.

Here are all the important developments related to lockdown 3.0 and coronavirus:   

India cases and toll: On Monday morning, the total confirmed coronavirus cases in India stood at 42,533, according to latest data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Of these, 29,453 are active cases while 11,706 patients have been discharged. At 1,373, the death toll continues to climb, with 67 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

Lockdown phase-3 starts: The country on Monday entered the third phase of a lockdown, which will continue till 17 May. But this phase has come with certain relaxations—special economic zones, industrial townships and some manufacturing units have been allowed to resume operations.

While schools and colleges continue to remain shut, cab aggregators like Ola and Uber can function in orange and green zones. Standalone liquor and pan shops in non-containment zones have been allowed to open, but shop owners have to ensure social distancing is practised.

Where Delhi stands: The national capital has shown a worrying spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases even as the Delhi government is planning to restart Delhi’s economy. “We will have to adapt and prepare to live with corona. And Delhi is ready for it,” the CM was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

Starting Monday, domestic helps can come back to work, private offices can open with 33 per cent staff strength, but public transport, including Ola and Uber services, will remain suspended. The city’s total confirmed COVID-19 cases stands at 4,549 with 1,362 recoveries and 64 deaths.

Poor migrant workers to pay for train tickets: While the Indian Railways is running special trains to ferry migrant workers from across the country back to their home states, stranded workers are now staring at a problem of another kind. Many of them, as reported by various news websites, don’t have the money to pay for the tickets. The Railways however said the “nominal fare” is being charged to ensure that only those for whom this special service is operational get to board the trains and not general public, reported The Indian Express.  

Corona global update: The deadly COVID-19’s global march continues with the total confirmed cases reaching 35,66,197. While 11,54,023 people have recovered, another 2,48,285 succumbed to the virus, according to worldometer, a website providing real-time data on coronavirus cases.

Both Spain and Italy, which have been hit hardest by the virus in Europe, have started relaxing restrictions on movement. Spain, reported The Guardian, allowed people to go out for a walk this weekend. Meanwhile, Russia and Brazil are witnessing a spike in cases since the last week, with 1,34,687 and 1,01,826 confirmed COVID-19 cases respectively.

Coronavirus-related research: While the search for a cure for coronavirus continues—the Oxford University-led trials are still on—the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has come up with a portal that brings all its COVID-19-related research on one platform. It is now inviting people with necessary expertise to collaborate, reported The New Indian Express. You can access the research portal at https://covid19.iisc.ac.in/.