Corona Updates You Must Track: Tipplers Throw Caution To The Wind, Delhi Slaps Extra Tax On Booze

On the first day of the third phase of the nationwide lockdown, the one sight that was common across the country on Monday was people standing in long queues outside liquor shops. Forty days after liquor shops were allowed to open their shutters, tipplers threw caution to the wind, flouting social distancing norms and forcing the police to lathicharge crowds at some places. 

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

India cases and toll: On Tuesday morning, the number of active COVID-19 cases in India rose to 32,138 with 12,726 recoveries and 1,568 deaths, according to the latest figures on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) website.

Between Monday and Tuesday morning, 195 deaths were reported across the country, possibly the biggest spike so far. The total confirmed coronavirus cases in India now stood at 46,433.

Queue for alcohol: As the government relaxed some restrictions in all the three zones—red, orange and green—on Monday, social distancing norms took a beating as people queued up in large numbers outside liquor shops across the country.

While social media had a field day, police and administration had a tough time handling the crowd. In Uttar Pradesh, liquor worth Rs 100 crore was sold in a single day. The Delhi government has now decided to impose a 70 per cent ‘special corona fees’ on the MRP to check overcrowding as well as help the national capital shore up some revenue, especially when the administration is struggling to pay wages to staff. 

Where Delhi, Mumbai stand: As Maharashtra continues to be on top of the table vis-à-vis number of confirmed COVID-19 cases so far, the state capital Mumbai is slowly inching towards the 10,000-mark. While the state reported 14,541 confirmed cases by Tuesday morning, Mumbai alone accounted for over 9,000 cases.

In Delhi, the total confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 4,898 with 1,431 recoveries and 64 deaths. After Maharashtra and Gujarat (5,804 cases), Delhi is on the course to cross the 5,000-mark. 

Tamil Nadu, West Bengal on radar: The southern state of Tamil Nadu has witnessed a spike in coronavirus cases since the past week with capital city Chennai reporting several fresh cases. A total of 3,550 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the state so far, with 31 deaths. Chennai’s Koyambedu market has emerged as a hotpot—a majority of the 527 new cases of coronavirus reported on Monday were linked to the market.

The Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), which was on a visit to West Bengal to take a stock of the COVID-19 situation on the ground, saidon Monday that the state has the highest mortality rate for the coronavirus infection in the country, at 12.8 per cent. According to latest MoHFW figures, the state has reported 1,259 confirmed coronavirus cases with 218 recoveries and 133 deaths.

Corona global update: The number of global confirmed coronavirus cases on Tuesday morning stood at 36,46,103, with 11,97,708 recoveries and 2,52,407 deaths, according to worldometer, a website that provides real-time data on COVID-19 cases.

While the US (12,12,835 cases) continues to be the worst hit by the pandemic, Russia is also looking at a worrying trend with no let up in the numbers (1,45,268). According to a report in The New York Times, some projections estimate the daily deaths in the US due to coronavirus can reach 3,000 by 1 June.

Story of hope: When the going gets tough, it is the ordinary people who show extraordinary courage and kindness. Take for instance, ASI Arvind Kumar, who decided to give shelter to a young girl from West Bengal stranded in Delhi due to the lockdown. Kumar, who works with the Delhi Police, called up the girl’s parents and told them their daughter is safe and he will make arrangements for her to return home once the lockdown was lifted. Read this inspirational story here.