Coronavirus Update: India Cases near 40,000 Mark; 1,301 Deaths so Far

New Delhi, May 3, 2020:

As lockdown 2.0 nears its end and lockdown 3.0 comes into effect (on Monday), India continues to see a spike in coronavirus cases; the country has so far registered 2,644 new COVID-19 positive cases and 83 more deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Confirmed cases climbed to 39,980 with 28,046 active cases. 10,633 patients were cured/discharged.

In India, Maharashtra continues to have the highest number of infections with 11,506 cases reported from the state. Gujarat has reported a total of 4,721 cases, followed by Delhi (3,738), Madhya Pradesh (2,719) and Rajasthan (2,666).

West Bengal, meanwhile, has reported 795 cases and 33 deaths. 139 patients have recovered from the disease.

Meanwhile, 31 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Rajasthan till 9 am today. Total positive cases in the state stand at 2,803, said the Health Department.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has announced new guidelines to be followed in the state amid the coronavirus lockdown. Only Ernakulam district in the state falls under the green zone category.

At the same time, the Tripura government on Saturday said that there will be no prohibition in the functioning of government offices in green and orange zones and all categories of employees will work from office.

According to the new guidelines, Sundays will be a closed day for everything including vehicle movement. Moreover, public transport, public gathering, cinema theatres, religious places, events, malls, liquor shops, bars, barber shops, beauty parlours, gyms and educational institutions will not be allowed to open across the state.

Government offices can function with 50 percent attendance of group A and B employees and 33 percent attendance in group C and D category staff. They can also provide non-essential services. In the Green Zone, shops can be open between 7 am and 7.30 pm for six days of the week and taxi services can operate two passengers. Inter-district travel shall only be permitted for a maximum of two persons.

International Updates:

Globally, 3,484,631 total cases of the coronavirus have been reported. 2,115,550 of those are active cases. There have been 1,124,290 recoveries and 244,791 deaths.

Meanwhile, neighbouring country Mexico is also seeing a spike in the number of cases where things have taken a worrying turn. Mexico has posted 1,349 new coronavirus cases and 2,061 total deaths.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who survived a tough battle with the virus, says that there was a plan in place in case he had succumbed to the disease. Doctors treating Boris Johnson for coronavirus prepared to announce his death after he was taken to intensive care, the British prime minister said on Sunday, in his first detailed comments about his illness. "It was a tough old moment, I won't deny it," he was quoted as saying by the Sun on Sunday newspaper in an interview.

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