Covid LIVE: Kerala sees below 10,000 new cases after 4 days

Coronavirus live updates: Indians asked to watch their 'October, November, December' and put on facemasks on trains.

4:31 PM

Ladakh reports 12 new Covid cases

Ladakh recorded 12 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the virus tally to 20,843 while the active cases in the union territory was 57 Friday, officials said.

Ladakh has registered 207 Covid-related deaths -- 149 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

3:53 PM

Puducherry CM disburses ex- gratia to kin of Covid-19 victims

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Friday handed over ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 to the next of kin of each of the 1,845 people who have succumbed to coronavirus so far in the union territory.

A release said the amount was disbursed from the Chief Minister's Covid Relief Fund.

3:31 PM

Over 550 people whose kin died of Covid-19 given govt jobs on compassionate ground

A total of 553 people, whose earning family member working in government service succumbed to the coronavirus infection in parts of Madhya Pradesh, have been given government jobs on compassionate ground in the state so far, an official said on Friday.

 

The deceased family members of the new appointees were in government service in different capacities, he said.

3:09 PM

Odisha logs 524 fresh Covid-19 cases, 4 new fatalities

Odisha on Friday registered 524 new COVID-19 cases including 75 children which took the state's caseload to 10,30,518 while four fresh fatalities pushed the coronavirus death toll to 8,238, a health department official said.

Though there has been significant improvement in the COVID-19 situation across the state, two coastal districts - Khurda and Cuttack -, continued to remain as points of concern as they together accounted for 62 per cent of the state's daily caseload.

Of the 524 new cases, Khurda and Cuttack reported 325 fresh infections, which is 62 per cent of the total cases reported during the day. While 306 cases were from quarantine centres, the remaining 218 were local contact cases.

 

2:28 PM

Health ministry to issue fresh guidelines for foreign nationals from the UK

2:11 PM

Positive Tailwinds: Covid retreat, vax drive provide upward thrust to air traffic

Lower Covid transmission rates, along with the accelerated vaccination drive and the easing of restrictions, have lifted air passenger traffic.

The industry, as a result, reported a healthy growth in domestic passenger numbers during August-September 2021, supported by higher demand coming from Tier-I and II cities.

"Demand has become more sustainable We are bullish about the upcoming festive season," Ronojoy Dutta, Wholetime Director and CEO of IndiGo, the country's largest airline in terms of market share, told IANS.

 

1:42 PM

Tamil Nadu health department on high alert after Covid cases detected in school

The Tamil Nadu state health department has taken measures to report immediately on the Covid-19 positive cases being reported in schools. This was after a private school in Coonoor shut down following eight students and one teacher testing positive.

Coonoor is a high-altitude station in Tamil Nadu and is home to several prestigious private schools. The closing down of the private school has led to the state health department planning periodical examination and checks in all schools. In the Coonoor school, Covid-19 tests were conducted on all the 592 people on the campus, and eight students and a teacher were detected positive.

The district health officers are being alerted and a communique to this effect has already been forwarded to all the District health officers to conduct inspection and check-in schools in their respective districts with the support of the district education department.

1:29 PM

Arunachal logs 32 new cases

Arunachal Pradesh said on Friday it had recorded 32 new cases of Covid-19 and no death from the disease in 24 hours, PTI reported. As many as 38 people recuperated from the disease. The state has 54,844 Covid-19 cases in total and 279 people have died of the disease yet.

1:10 PM

Australian docs warn against quick easing

Australian doctors warned a too-rapid easing of restrictions in Sydney could put pressure on health systems and risk lives, as the country's biggest city prepares for an end to more than 100 days in lockdown next week, Reuters reported.

12:35 PM

SC refuses to hear plea seeking loan moratorium for playschools

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to hear a plea asking the government and the central bank to give owners of playschools “interest free moratorium period for term loans”. The court said Indian Council of Early Childhood Educators and Institutions, the petitioner, may approach the Reserve Bank.

12:04 PM

New Japan PM vows to devote himself to ending Covid crisis

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday he would do his utmost to lead Japan out of the COVID-19 crisis, while protecting its territory and people in an increasingly tough security environment. Kishida took the top job in the world's third-largest economy on Monday, replacing Yoshihide Suga, who had seen his support undermined by surging COVID-19 infections. Daily cases have recently fallen and a long state of emergency was lifted this month, Reuters reported.

11:39 AM

India's daily rise in infections less than 30,000 for 14 days

India’s daily rise in Covid-19 infections has been below 30,000 for 14 days straight, said the health ministry on Friday. Active cases are at 2,40,221, accounting for 0.71 per cent of the total infections and at their lowest since March 2020. The national recovery rate is at 97.96 per cent: the highest since March 2020.

9:42 AM

India reports 21,257 new cases and 271 deaths

India reported 21,257 new cases of Covid-19 and 271 deaths in 24 hours, said the health ministry on Friday, marking a five per cent decrease in daily infections since yesterday.

7:53 AM

70% people in Tamil Nadu have Covid-19 antibodies: Survey

At least 70 per cent people in Tamil Nadu have antibodies for Covid-19, said a survey conducted in July-August. Surveys in October-November 2020 found sero-positivity at 32 per cent and it was 29 per cent in March-April 2021, PTI reported. Seroprevalence studies are based on analysis of antibodies collected through blood sample.

 

7:02 AM

SC to hear cases in courtrooms Wednesdays, Thursdays from Oct 20

The Supreme Court will from October 20 hear cases on Wednesdays and Thursdays in courtrooms in the presence of lawyers and litigants, it said yesterday. The court has been hearing cases through video-conference since March last year due to the pandemic.