Day 21 - the final day of the first phase of the nationwide lockdown saw a surge in positive cases across the country. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India reported 1463 new COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths in the last 24 hours.
(All photos/Bipin Kokate, Pradeep Dhivar, Shadab Khan, Sameer Markande, Ashish Raje, Ashish Ranes, Sameer Abedi)
While the total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 10,815, Maharashtra which remains to be the worst affected state in India reported 350 new COVID-19 positive cases and 19 deaths across the state. Although fresh cases were reported from Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra has the highest number of death toll at 178. Of the 350 fresh cases, 204 people tested positive in Mumbai and 11 deaths were reported from the city
In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the lockdown till May 3. In his address to the nation, PM Modi also issued a seven-point guideline that comprised looking after senior citizens, following coronavirus guidelines and practising social distancing. He also asked the countrymen to build immunity, download the AarogyaSetu app, donate and care for the poor and care for employees and co-workers. Lastly, PM Modi urged people to respect the doctors, nurses, police personnel and other frontline workers.
In photo: A BMC worker walks through a flowerbed created on the road at Fort in South Mumbai.
In a shocking incident, BJP corporator Ravindra Ithape and 16 others were booked by the CBD Belapur police for going on a morning walk on Sunday. Acting on the tip-off, a team of Navi Mumbai police reached Parsik Hill and arrested the group for violating lockdown rules. All the accused were booked under Epidemic Control Act 1897 and National Disaster Management Act 2005 and released later.
The Dabbawalas of Mumbai are having a tough time feeding their families because of the lockdown. They made an appeal to the state government saying that they will not have any money left in a couple of days and survival would be a challenge for them. Due to the lockdown, the dabbawalas haven't got their full salaries for March, and with the extension, the fear of receiving a salary in April also remains doubtful.
A building in Mumbai's largest police colony in Naigaon was sealed after a constable serving at the Bangur Nagar police station tested positive for COVID-19. The police colony in Naigaon houses the families of over 10,000 police personnel.
In photo: Mumbai police officials snapped during a march past at Metro Junction in South Mumbai.
Navi Mumbai's APMC market, which is Mumbai's biggest vegetable market will reopen in a phased manner from April 15 onwards. Shivaji Daund, commissioner of Konkan division told mid-day that the APMC market will reopen under strict supervision and restriction after the APMC committee, mathadi workers and the zonal deputy commissioner of police agreed on the rules.
The Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General (LTMG) Hospital which is also known as Sion hospital, on Tuesday became the first civic-run teaching hospital in the state to have a dedicated mortuary for the patients who die of the novel coronavirus.
Maharashtra Health Minister extended a thank you note to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who contributed 25,000 PPE kits in order to help the frontline healthcare workers protect themselves against the deadly coronavirus. Besides donating kits, Shah Rukh Khan also offered his 4-storey office to help the BMC expand their quarantine facility across the city.
In photo: Mumbai police personnel punish people for breaking lockdown rules and roaming freely on the streets.
Bollywood producer Karim Morani, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, tested positive once again on Tuesday. Karim's daughter tested negative and has been discharged from the hospital. The Bollywood producer is undergoing treatment at the Nanavati Hospital. Karim's family members are worried for him since he is 60 and is apparently also a heart patient.
After PM Narendra Modi announced an extension of the lockdown, the Ministry of Civil Aviation suspended airline operations of all domestic and international flights till May 3. Besides the civil aviation ministry, the Indian Railways also suspended all passenger services till May 3.
Soon after announcing Lockdown 2.0, Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed his profile picture on Twitter. PM Modi used a picture where his mouth was covered with a cloth, thereby spreading awareness about covering the face with a mask in order combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In photo: A BMC staff disinfects Malabar Hill police station after a coronavirus cases was detected at a slum opposite Priyadarshani park.
While addressing a press conference, Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary of Health and Family Welfare said that there are 602 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals across the country which have 1,06,719 isolation beds and 12,024 ICU beds. He also said that the main aim of the government is to break the chain of transmission of coronavirus.
Welcoming PM Narendra Modi's decision, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the national capital will fully implement the lockdown measures. Kejriwal also said that the state government has created 14,000 teams of corona foot warriors who will visit households across the national capital to spread awareness on coronavirus, conduct surveillance, and isolation among many other tasks.
On Tuesday, Haryana resumed the production of alcohol at full capacity in order to ensure a stable supply of the commodity which is used for manufacturing hand sanitisers. Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said that the state is transporting two lakh proof litre to various states every day.
In photo: A young man can be seen sporting a funky face mask as he maintains social distance while shopping at D-Mart in Mumbai.
On Tuesday in Mumbai, thousands of migrant labourers gathered at the Bandra Railway Station demanding that they be allowed to go back to their homes in other parts of the country. The police distributed food packets to the crowd but they refused to disperse and started pushing and shoving, control was restored by the police after a lathi charge
After the incident, the Mumbai Police registered a case against unidentified people at the Bandra Police station under section 143, 147, 149, 186, 188 of IPC read with Section 3 of Epidemic Act. The case was filed against 800-1000 people who had gathered at the Bandra Railway Station amid lockdown.
Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray addressed the state where he told the migrant workers that the lockdown was good for everyone's good. Thackeray also said that migrant labourers are safe in the state and they need not worry. He assured them that once the lockdown is lifted, the state and the centre also will make arrangements for them.
CM Uddhav Thackeray also said that the state government will be increasing the testing centers at Mumbai and Pune which have emerged as the biggest hotspots in the state. He also informed the people of Maharashtra that ten districts in the state reported zero COVID-19 positive cases.
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