Assam on Friday reported 573 fresh cases of COVID-19, pushing the active cases to 4,069. The overall tally of the state has reached 2,22,940. Four deaths were reported today – one each from Kamrup Metro, Nagaon, Karimganj, Lakhimpur. Of the new cases, Kamrup Metro reported 245 fresh cases, followed by Kamrup Rural with 47 cases, Nagaon with 33 cases and Sonitpur with 30 cases. Today's positivity rate stands at 1.77 per cent.
Assam Cabinet Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the decision whether to conduct the SEBA (State Education Board of Assam) HSLC and HS examinations will be taken only after the new government is formed. Speaking to the media in Guwahati after the CBSE examinations were cancelled on Wednesday, the state's education minister said, the current government doesn't want to take any decision on the rescheduling of examinations while the election commission's mode code of conduct is still in force. As of now, there is no plan of postponing the examinations, Sarma said. Sarma hinted that a decision will likely be taken once the Assam Assembly election results are declared on May 2.
Keeping in view of the sudden surge in cases of coronavirus across the country, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has ordered for the immediate closure of all monuments, sites, and museums up to May 15. In a statement issued by the apex body responsible for preservation of cultural monuments in the country read: Due to prevailing COVID situation, it has been decided to close all the Centrally protected monuments/ sites and museums under Archaeological Survey of India with immediate effect and till 15th May 2021 or until further orders. There are a total of 55 monuments centrally protected monuments / sites by ASI across Assam which includes Talatal Ghar and Rang Ghar in Sivasagar, Group of Four Maidams in Charaideo, Vishnudol in Joysagar, among others.
Keeping in view the rising COVID cases in the city, East Khasi Hills district administration has ordered for Section 144 CrPC on Sundays prohibiting the opening of shops, establishments and markets, as well as roadside vendors; in Shillong agglomeration, citing reasons of attracting sizeable crowds at a single point. This order, however, exempts essential services including pharmacies and pharmaceutical stores. The order comes into effect after inspections were conducted and it was found that COVID-19 protocols of social distancing, hand hygiene, and masks wearing was not being followed, District Magistrate of East Khasi Hills, Isawanda Laloo stated.
Two persons were killed and one other was injured in a road accident that occurred in Golaghat's Khumtai area late Thursday. As per sources, the incident happened after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed at a roadside post in the area. The deceased were identified as Hiranya Gogoi and Jyotishman Gogoi. Meanwhile, the injured individual, one Lachit Gogoi, was admitted to Golaghat Civil Hospital in a critical state.
A massive fire broke out at a market in Guwahati's Fancy bazar area late Friday. The blaze erupted at a market in front of Shoppers Point, destroying goods worth lakhs. Sources say the cause of the blast was due to cylinder blast. Fire tenders have reached the scene and fire extinguishing operations are underway.
Two cadres of the banned outfit National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) surrendered before the police North Tripura district on Thursday. As per reports, the two cadres Joseph Jamatia and Uttam Kishore gave up their arms in Dharmanagar in the presence of the Superintendent of Police North Tripura district Bhanupada Chakraborty. The cadres deposited three-factory made pistols, magazines, and ammunition. Jamatai also was a coordinator between the banned outfit and NSCN (IM) militant group. Both the cadres were trained in Bangladesh and were living in Nagaland.
Over 300 Delhi Police personnel have been tested positive for coronavirus in the last few days amid the sudden surge of cases in the national capital. "Over 300 Delhi Police personnel test positive for COVID-19. While 15 of them are admitted to the hospital, the rest are home quarantined," the Delhi police said to ANI. "During conducting our duties, we have to take all precautions including wearing a 3-ply or N95 mask, maintaining social distancing and sanitising," Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava said. For consecutively five days, Delhi has been reporting over 10,000 cases per day. As many as 16,699 new COVID-19 cases and 112 related deaths were reported in the national capital in the last 24 hours, the Delhi health department informed on Thursday evening, taking the total number of active cases to 54,309.
Senior Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala and Digvijay Singh said on Friday he has tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). "I have tested +ve for COVID19 today morning. Anyone who has come in contact with me in the last 5 days, please self-isolate & take necessary precautions," the chief spokesperson of the Congress party posted on Twitter. Meanwhile, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh also tested positive for Covid-19. The leader is quarantined at his residence in Delhi, according to his statement on Twitter.
The Delhi government on Thursday wrote to the Centre appealing to treat journalists as frontline workers and get themselves inoculated on priority basis. The government said that journalists' are exposed to hazards as they frequently visit hospitals and engage with healthcare providers and patients risking infection like other frontline workers. "Throughout the pandemic, the media has continued to play an active role in keeping the people informed about the disease, its consequences, prevention, efforts of the health and other departments concerned and what the people are expected to do to keep themselves safe," the letter read.
India on Friday registered the highest single day rise of over 2.17 lakh COVID-19 cases pushing India's total tally to 1.43 crore. The country added one million new cases to its total tally in last six days. India's cumulative Covid-19 cases stood at 13,205,926 cases which soared to 14,291,927 cases on April 16, an addition of 1,086,001 cases. A record single-day rise of 2,17,353 new infections took India's total tally of Covid-19 cases to 1,42,91,917, while active cases surpassed the 15-lakh mark, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll increased to 1,74,308 with 1,185 new fatalities, the highest since September 19, 2020, the data updated at 8 am showed.
For the second time in eight months, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been admitted to a private hospital. "Upon having mild fever, today I got tested for Covid-19 and my report has come out positive. Although I am doing fine, I am being hospitalized based on the advise of doctors," the Chief Minister tweeted. In August last year, Yediyurappa (78) tested positive for the virus and was hospitalized. He was discharged after nine days upon recovery. Notably, Yediyurappa received the first dose of COVID-19 on March 12.
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar on Friday informed that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The minister requested people who came in contact with him to get themselves tested. "I have tested #COVID positive today. All those who have come in contact with me in the last 2-3 days may please get themselves tested," he tweeted.
In a major development, the extradition of fugitive diamond merchant, Nirav Modi, has been granted approval by the Home Ministry of United Kingdom. Modi is wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering in Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. Modi is embroiled in two criminal proceedings – the CBI case relating to a large-scale fraud upon PNB through the fraudulent obtaining of LoUs or loan agreements, and the ED case relating to the laundering of the proceeds of that fraud. Additionally, he is also facing charges of "causing the disappearance of evidence" and intimidating witnesses or criminal intimidation to cause death. As per a report, a special cell in a high security barrack has been kept ready for Modi in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail.
Maha Nirvani Akhara head Kapil Dev, who was undergoing treatment after testing positive for COVID-19, died at a hospital here on Wednesday. According to the Director of Dehradun Kailash Hospital, Kapil Dev, had come to attend the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar from Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh and died in the hospital on Wednesday. Over the last five days, a total of 2167 people were found positive for coronavirus in Haridwar — the place where the month-long Kumbh Mela is going on. According to the Uttarakhand State Control Room, there were 254 COVID-19 positive cases on April 10, 386 on April 11, 408 on April 12, 594 on April 13 and 525 on April 14.
