Coronavirus Live India Updates: India case count nears 20,000-mark; death toll at 640India has repo

08:30 AM 50 deaths and 1383 new cases reported in last 24 hours as India's total number of positive cases stands at 19,984

08:28 AM Ex-serviceman with medical emergency pass made to wait for 3 hrs in Himachal

An ex-serviceman, who was travelling with a medical emergency pass, was allegedly stopped by police in Kinnaur and made to wait for three hours despite his poor health on Tuesday amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

"I am in poor health. I had a medical emergency pass with me. However, I was still made to wait for three hours," the ex-serviceman told ANI.

08:23 AM Will not tolerate attacks on police personnels: Haryana DGP

Calling attacks on police personnel 'unfortunate', Haryana DGP on Tuesday said such attacks will be not be tolerated in the state and strict action is being taken in this direction.

He said that while policemen are putting themselves in the line of danger for protecting the society at a time when the country is battling COVID-19, some misguided and mischievous elements are attacking Police.

08:19 AM Mnuchin warns big businesses not to take advantage of virus loans

The US Treasury Secretary warned Tuesday that large companies taking unfair advantage of a giant emergency lending program for small businesses devastated by coronavirus shutdowns will suffer "consequences."

Steven Mnuchin, speaking at President Donald Trump's daily press briefing on the pandemic, was reacting to recent revelations that big companies were vacuuming up funding meant to be a lifeline for mom-and-pop businesses and their workers.

08:12 AM In Delhi, 6 police officials test positive for coronavirus, reports TIMES NOW

08:10 AM China's Harbin city bans non-locals from residential zones in virus fight

A city in northeast China grappling with a coronavirus outbreak due to infected Chinese travellers arriving from Russia has banned non-locals and non-locally registered vehicles from entering residential zones, according to local state media.

Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, has already required that people arriving in the city from outside China or entering the city from key epidemic areas be isolated, local state media said.

08:04 AM India case count nears 20,000-mark; death toll at 640 Total number of confirmed cases in India stands at 19,984

07:57 AM Saudi king Salman approves performing Tarawih in the two holy mosques

Saudi king Salman approved performing Tarawih in the two holy mosques and reducing them with the continued suspension of entry of pilgrims, the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques' Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia plans to ease curfew hours it imposed on several cities during the month of Ramadan to allow people more time to shop for essential needs within the boundaries of their neighborhoods, state news agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.

07:55 AM West Bengal assures to follow the orders under Disaster Management Act & directions of SC West Bengal's Chief Secy has written letter to Home Ministry & has assured that they'll follow the order under Disaster Management Act & directions of SC. Home Ministry welcomes this decision of West Bengal Govt : Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secy, MHA.

07:51 AM Trader dies of COVID-19 in Delhi's Azadpur Mandi, reports TIMES NOW

07:50 AM Plan to use hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment receives setback

The plan to use much touted anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 patients has received a setback with more deaths being reported among those who were given the drug, according to a report.

While another report suggested that there was insufficient clinical data to either recommend or oppose the use of hydroxychloroquine for treating those infected with the deadly virus.

President Donald Trump, who has been aggressively promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, said that he would look into the reports.

07:46 AM Social distancing norms must for geotagged assets

Centre has made it mandatory for geotagged assets, such as rural housing projects, road construction and irrigation ventures, to clearly show that social distancing norms are being employed.

The Centre has directed all state governments to give physical proof of the guidelines being followed. Rural houses, roads, highways and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment works in villages are geotagged to track the real-time progress of various schemes for which central funds are released to states.

07:38 AM U.S. coronavirus deaths top 45,000, doubling in little over a week - Reuters tally

07:31 AM The UK will begin coronavirus vaccine trials on humans starting Thursday, health minister Matt Hancock told a news briefing

07:31 AM AMU doctor suspended for 'negligence' as COVID-19 patient dies

The Aligarh District Administration on Tuesday suspended a doctor for alleged medical negligence, following the first death due to the novel coronavirus disease in the district.

The deceased identified as Merajuddin was a 55-year-old man who was admitted to the hospital on Sunday evening with breathing problems.

First, he was shifted to the isolation ward on April 19 and then later placed on a ventilator.

07:23 AM Migrant couple stranded in Tripura names their newborn 'Lockdown'

A migrant couple from Rajasthan's Alwar, who got stranded in Tripura, have named their newborn boy 'Lockdown'.

The couple Sanjay Bauri and his wife Manju Bauri sell plastic wares and keep travelling to various states to earn money. They visit Tripura for six months every year to sell cheap plastic wares.

07:18 AM US failed to block UN virus vaccine resolution

The UN General Assembly has demanded equal access for any future COVID-19 vaccine but its seeming unanimity was a fluke. The United States in fact opposed the resolution but acted too late to stop it, diplomats say.

The 193 members of the General Assembly adopted by consensus Monday a resolution led by Mexico that calls for "equitable, efficient and timely" access to any vaccine developed to fight the pandemic.

07:14 AM Just departed from Amritsar International Airport. Qatar Airways special flight to Montreal, Canada via Doha. 243 passengers on board, all Canadians - KBS Sidhu, Special Chief Secretary, Punjab

07:04 AM US has recorded more than 8,00,000 confirmed cases of COVID19 and 44,845 deaths so far Nearly 40,000 new cases reported between Monday 8:30 pm local time, and Tuesday at the same time: AFP news agency quoting Johns Hopkins University

07:03 AM US starts contact tracing the old-fashioned way, but 'it's late'

Taiwan and South Korea have led the world in digital contact tracing for the COVID-19 pandemic -- an example the US with its emphasis on personal privacy and decentralized system of government is unlikely to be able to follow.

Instead, states and cities are opting to hire thousands of public health workers who will have to carry out the laborious task of phoning everyone with a confirmed case.

They'll want to know, in turn, everyone that the patient came into close contact with -- defined as less than six feet (two meters) -- for 15 minutes or longer. These people will then be called and asked to self quarantine.

06:56 AM Trump suspends issuing of new Green Cards for 60 days

President Donald Trump has said that he will halt issuing of new Green Cards or legal permanent residency for the next 60 days as part of his executive order to temporarily suspend immigration into the US.

However, the move will not have any impact on those entering the country on a temporary basis, Trump said on Tuesday.

06:45 AM New York Governor presses Trump for more federal help in coronavirus testing

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pressed President Donald Trump Tuesday for more help from the federal government to carry out coronavirus testing during a face-to face-meeting he described as cordial and productive after weeks of sometimes nasty exchanges.

As the virus death toll in the US keeps rising and now stands at nearly 45,000, widespread testing is viewed as key to states being able to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen their shuttered economies.

06:36 AM China reports 30 new coronavirus cases in mainland, up from day earlier

Mainland China reported on Wednesday 30 new coronavirus cases, 23 of which were so-called imported cases involving travellers from overseas, up from 11 a day earlier.

The National Health Commission said in a statement the number of new asymptomatic patients, who are infected with the virus but not showing symptoms, also rose to 42 from 37 a day earlier.

06:33 AM Global CEOs see U-shaped recession due to coronavirus -survey

Global business leaders are preparing for a drawn-out U-shaped recession due to the impact of coronavirus and many fear their companies won't survive the pandemic, a survey of thousands of chief executives showed on Wednesday.

The pandemic sweeping the world has killed nearly 170,000 people, routed financial markets and could trigger the worst economic meltdown since the 1930s Great Depression.

06:32 AM S.African president unveils $26 billion virus relief plan

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday announced a $26 billion relief package to support the economy and the vulnerable during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a special address to the nation, Ramaphosa announced "a massive social and economic support package of 500 billion rand ($26.3 billion), which amounts to about 10 percent of our GDP."

06:31 AM Elective surgeries allowed again in parts of New York state

Hospitals in parts of upstate New York will be able to conduct outpatient elective surgeries again, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday as he pledged to consider regional differences when re-opening the state's outbreak-stalled economy.

Hospitals in selected counties can resume elective outpatient treatments April 28 if a capacity benchmark is met and there have been fewer than 10 new COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county over the past 10 days.

06:30 AM U.S. Congress, White House agree on nearly $500 billion more coronavirus bailout

U.S. congressional leaders and the White House agreed on Tuesday on nearly $500 billion more in coronavirus relief for the U.S. economy, bringing to nearly $3 trillion the amount allocated to deal with the crisis.

President Donald Trump urged them to pass it quickly, leaving aid to state and local governments for another bill.

06:28 AM 'Hunger pandemic' fears as virus roils world economy

The United Nations warned Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic could trigger famine in already vulnerable countries as the worldwide freeze on commerce sent shock waves through financial markets.

The bleak warning came as deaths from the virus surpassed 174,000 worldwide, with governments anxiously trying to chart a path out of the unprecedented global health and economic emergency.

Debates are raging worldwide over when and how to relax lockdowns imposed to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus.

06:18 AM Netflix profits soar as pandemic shut-ins sign up

Netflix on Tuesday reported soaring profits as paid subscriptions surged by more than 15 million at the streaming television service during lockdowns to slow the spread of the pandemic.

Netflix made a profit of $709 million on revenue of $5.8 billion in the first three months of this year, while the number of subscribers grew by 15.7 million to total nearly 183 million, according to earnings figures.

06:17 AM China says Australia parroting Trump with coronavirus criticism

China accused Australia of taking instructions from the United States over its criticism of Beijing's handling of the initial outbreak of the novel coronavirus, marking a further deterioration in ties between the two major trading partners.

Senior Australian lawmakers have in recent days echoed U.S. President Donald Trump in calls for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus and questioned Beijing's transparency over a virus that has now paralysed cities around the world.

China's embassy in Canberra said Australian lawmakers were acting as the mouthpiece of Trump.

06:16 AM US pressures Mexico to reopen plants amid worker walkouts

The U.S. pressed Mexico on Tuesday to reopen border assembly plants that are key to the U.S. supply chain, including defense contractors, as more employees staged walkouts and protests at the facilities because of fears over the coronavirus.

Christopher Landau, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, launched a Twitter campaign urging efforts to keep supply chains intact.

He expressed concern about virus lockdowns damaging the flow of parts and goods that feed businesses in the three nations of the North American free-trade zone _ United States, Mexico and Canada and warned that 'if we do not coordinate our response, these chains can evaporate.'

06:15 AM Mexico's health ministry says coronavirus cases surpass 9,000

Mexico registered a jump of more than 700 confirmed coronavirus cases on Tuesday, to reach a total of 9,501 cases, health ministry officials told reporters at a regular briefing.

Reported deaths from the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the virus stand at 857, or 145 more than the previous day.

06:13 AM Trump sees crimson as Harvard receives millions in virus aid, wants it back

US President Donald Trump has insisted that Harvard, the world's wealthiest university, payback millions it received under a massive government stimulus package meant to cushion the economy from the coronavirus pandemic.

"Harvard, you pay that money back. I want Harvard to pay the money back, ok? And if they don't do that, then we'll do something else," Trump said at his daily briefing on the pandemic on Tuesday.

06:12 AM More than 2,700 dead in US from coronavirus in last 24 hours