Between the first case and the day the market closed on May 4, officials held several talks with sellers about shifting operations. The back and forth proved costly.

State Bank of India has closed down a section of the Local Head Office (LHO) here after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, a senior official said on Friday.

Social stigma and low testing are the key reasons for the high mortality rate among COVID-19 patients in West Bengal, where the disease, like elsewhere in the country, is still an urban phenomenon, experts say.

The Forum has written a letter to Chief Secretary Rajiv Sinha, who assured that the government will do whatever is needed for the safety and security of the doctors and health care workers in Bengal.

My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. Wishing speedy recovery to the injured, the president said on Twitter.

After inaugurating the road through video-conferencing, Rajnath Singh said pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar will now be able to complete their journey in one week instead of up to three weeks.

At least 22 migrant labourers, who had returned from Andhra Pradesh, escaped from a COVID-19 quarantine centre in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said on Friday.

Overall, the national mortality rate was 3.34 as on Friday morning and the recovery rate stood at 29.35 per cent. India has confirmed 56,342 confirmed Covid-19 cases so far.

The apex court disposed of the plea challenging the guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on May 1, allowing sales of liquor through direct contact sales during the lockdown period.

Between April 23 and May 2, at least 17 employees tested positive for the COVID-19 virus at the CATS control room. In the last one week, 29 more tested positive.

Then there are the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) which are not being able to access healthcare that is critical to their survival because of social distancing norms.

A bench of Justices Manmohan and Sanjeev Narula issued notices to the Centre, the Delhi government, the municipal corporations and 10 private unaided schools here seeking their stand on the plea by an NGO, Justice for All, by June 10 -- the next date of hearing.

As many as 3,817 prisoners were released last month on interim or regular bail, parole or extended parole.

Districts with high population and heavy inter-state movement of people will be selected for the study to represent the respective state, sources said.

On learning about the sudden rush of people at the deputy collector's office near Gota bridge, police officials immediately reached the spot and persuaded the migrants, mostly from UP and Bihar, to disperse.

The petitioner contended the plea is in larger public interest raising grave issues and concerns of health and safety of lives of the people.

The petition contended that while the police force is, by and large, discharging its duties in an exemplary manner, there are several instances which would be a 'blot' on the police machinery.

The border guarding force has the maximum confirmed cases of the disease among the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), also known as paramilitary forces.

The ministry asserted that if dos and don'ts are followed, the peak in number of COVID-19 cases can be avoided.

The Commission of Railway Safety said that all-out efforts must be made to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future.

The high court, in its interim order passed on Thursday, had suggested the state should ensure that only those who have tested negative for COVID-19 are allowed to return.

The court asked special judge SK Yadav to control the proceedings in accordance with law so that inordinate delay that is beyond the time-frame is no longer breached.

The response from the Health Ministry came after a sudden spurt in the number positive cases in the past few days when the tally crossed the 3,000-mark each day.

India's financial capital has so far reported 11,219 positive cases and 437 deaths and is one of the worst-affected cities in Maharashtra.

At a meeting of the state cabinet, it was decided that the cess would vary from Rs 5 to Rs 25 per bottle according to the quality of liquor.

The 77 had tested positive after coming in contact with a cook who had got infected, the prison department official said, adding that 26 jail staffers have also been infected so far.

The DRDO is making special N-99 masks, besides personal protective gear for chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear-related activities, and working on software, including one that will track people under quarantine.

Justice Bharati Dangre rejected Bhatt's plea after the prosecution told the court that a COVID-19 patient cannot be allowed to be freed on temporary bail.

Thirty-three CISF personnel deployed at the gallery's security unit have been asked to self-quarantine, Indian Museum director A D Choudhury told PTI.

An activist has moved the top court pointing out alleged racial attacks on people of North-Eastern like spitting on them, evictions from their homes and termination from their jobs among others.

State government's COVID-19 spokesman Subroto Bagchi said institutional quarantine period would now be of 21 days and home quarantine for another seven days.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of Unit X of Crime Branch and the state's Food and Drug Administration intercepted a tempo, which had a pass for ferrying essential items, in Shivajinagar in Govandi on Thursday and made the seizure, an official said.

Mass evacuations have begin to repatriate 14,800 Indians stranded abroad.

The DC said she will be admitted to Tanda's Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC) in Kangra for treatment.

With the death of as many as 22 patients, the number of persons who died due to the infection rose to 343, the official said.

The three hotels -- the Ginger, Vivek Vihar and two 5 star hotels, Leela Ambience and Park Plaza -- have been kept at the disposal of Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital which will oversee treatment of infected officials.

He also appealed to voluntary organisations, NGOs and people at large to come forward to promote voluntary blood donation to maintain ample blood stocks to meet any eventuality.

The state recorded 10 new cases on Friday, taking the toll to 1,132. While 34 people were discharged from the hospital within the last 24 hours.

India and Italy will work together for addressing the challenges of the post-COVID world, including through our consecutive presidencies of the G20, Modi wrote on Twitter.

Shahpur, a minority community-dominated area, is in 'Red Zone' as several coronavirus cases have been found in the locality.

Dr Chanudhary said the child's two consecutive reports were found negative for the infection with the last and second report coming on April 23 when she was admitted to a separate ward as her mother was still positive for the infection.

The constable was placed in isolation and 11 more police personnel were quarantined at separate places.

Two hospitals from Ahmedabad and one each from Chennai, Jodhpur and Bhopal will conduct clinical trials on four treatment protocols remdesivir, combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir and ritonavir with Interferon beta-1a.

On Thursday, the city had recorded its largest single-day spike of 448 new COVID-19 cases.

State-owned broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio from Friday began broadcasting weather reports on Mirpur, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit in PoK in their prime-time news bulletins.

The nationwide lockdown since March 25 and cancellation of international flights to contain the spread of COVID-19 has forced non-resident Indians (NRI) and foreign nationals to prolong their stay in India.

The company will now tie up with hospitals for clinical trials so that the drug could be tested on patients suffering from COVID-19. Approval from patients will be necessary as per the protocols, the Director-General said.

Clashes erupted in the Shahpur locality of Ahmedabad when police and paramilitary forces tried to enforce the lockdown, asking people to stay indoors.

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Following directions from the Centre, Dr Guleria, who is a pulmonologist, and Dr Manish Soneja from the AIIMS department of medicine left for Ahmedabad on special Indian Air Force flight on Friday evening, official sources said.