Coronavirus News Highlights: Punjab extends restrictions till May 31

That is it for today folks. We will be back with the latest developments tomorrow.

Telangana registers 3816 new cases, 5892 recoveries

Telangana registers 3816 new COVID19 cases, 5892 recoveries and 27 fatalities today, up till 5:30 pm (ANI)

No new virus strain behind spate of COVID-19 deaths in AMU: Official

Genome sequencing of Covid-19 samples has not found any new coronavirus strain behind the infection around the AMU campus, university authorities said Sunday as another member of their fraternity died.Professor Abu Qamar, 75, the former dean of the Faculty of Medicine in the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital died here on Sunday of Covid-19 after battling it for nearly three weeks, JNMC Principal Shahid Ali Siddiqui said. (PTI)

Kerala reports 29,704 new cases, 89 deaths

Kerala reports 29,704 new COVID19 cases, 89 deaths and 34,296 recoveries today. Total recovered cases 17,00,528Death toll 6,428, the ANI reported.

Women offer prayers to 'Corona Mai' in UP villages

 Women in the villages of Varanasi and Kushinagar have now deified the Coronavirus and have started worshipping 'Corona Mai' to lessen her fury and save people from dying, the IANS reported.

Jharkhand sees decline in fatalities

The state on Sunday recorded 65 deaths due to the infection, the lowest in May so far, a health department bulletin said. This is the fourth time in the month when fresh COVID-19 deaths plunged below 100 in the state, reported PTI.

Punjab extends restrictions till May 31

With Punjab continuing to report high COVID-19 positivity, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday ordered extension of all the existing restrictions up to May 31, with directions for strict enforcement of all curbs. (IANS)

Bangladesh extends lockdown till May 23 

Bangladesh has extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown till May 23 in order to contain the second wave of the pandemic. 

Curfew extended in Ladakh till May 24

The curfew imposed in Ladakh to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has been extended by another week till May 24, officials said on Sunday. The extension of the curfew, which was scheduled to end on May 17, was ordered by the district magistrates of Leh and Kargil in separate orders, they said.

Centre asks states to keep ration shops open on all days, for longer duration

The Centre on Sunday asked the state governments to keep ration shops, also called fair price shops, open for a longer duration and on all days to ensure timely and safe distribution of both subsidised and free foodgrains to the poor. An advisory in this regard has been issued by the Union Food Ministry following representations that during the current lockdown in some states/UTs, ration shops' timings have been curtailed due to which the intended beneficiaries might not be getting adequate time to lift their entitled foodgrains.

Covaxin effective against India, UK coronavirus strains: Bharat Biotech

Bharat Biotech on Sunday said its COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' has been found to be effective against coronavirus strains found in India and the UK. Citing a study published in peer-reviewed medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, the Hyderabad-based vaccine major noted that vaccination with Covaxin produced neutralising titres against all key emerging variants tested, including B.1.617 and B.1.1.7, first identified in India and the UK, respectively.

States to receive nearly 51 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses in next three days: Centre

More than 1.84 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with states and UTs, while nearly 51 lakh doses are in the pipeline and will be received by them within the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday.

Lockdown extended in Haryana till May 24

The Haryana government on Sunday extended the coronavirus lockdown in the state till May 24. Making the announcement on Twitter, Home and Health Minister Anil Vij said, "Mahamari Alert / Surkshit Haryana extended from 17 May to 24 May. Stringent measures will be taken to implement the alert (lockdown).

Vij had extended the lockdown from May 10 to May 17 last Sunday. The first lockdown during the current second Covid-19 wave in Haryana was imposed by the state government on May 3 for a week till May 10.

UK to make final lockdown easing decision on June 14

Britain will make a decision on June 14 about whether or not to go ahead with the final phase of its easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, health minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday. "We'll make a final decision for the step four, which is the biggest step on the roadmap, we'll make that final decision on the 14th of June," Hancock said. The last of four stages of releasing lockdown restrictions is currently scheduled for June 21, but that date is in some doubt due to the spread of a variant of the virus first identified in India.

Indian Oil Corp Ltd is supplying 15MT of gaseous Oxygen to the GTB Sanjeevani Hospital through a steel pipeline connected to the MEG plant of Panipat refinery free of cost. Each of the 500 bed at the temporary facility will be connected to the Oxygen supply: Dharmendra Pradhan

Govt issues guidelines on COVID  management in rural, peri-urban areas

As rural areas see a rise in COVID-19 cases, the Centre on Sunday issued new guidelines for containment of the virus advising that peri-urban and rural areas plan a minimum 30-bedded COVID Care Centre for asymptomatic cases with comorbidities or mild cases where home isolation is not feasible. Provision of Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits should be made at all public health facilities including Sub-centres or Health and Wellness Centres and Primary Health Centres, the Union Health Ministry said.