As many as 41 die, 1,409 test +ve even on 30th day of lockdown

Maharashtra, the worst-affected state, saw the highest single-day spike in COVID cases as 778 new infections and 14 more deaths appeared, taking the tally to 6,427 while casualty to 283.

In Gujarat, 217 fresh cases and nine more deaths were registered, bringing the tally to 2,624 and casualty to 112.

The total cases in the national capital rose to 2,376, with 128 new cases and two fresh deaths.

Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal in the daily briefing said the increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country is 'more or less linear, not exponential.

'We have been able to cut virus transmission, minimize the spread in 30 days of lockdown,' the senior health official asserted.

Environment Secretary CK Mishra said in the last 30 days, the total number of tests, from over 15,000, rose to 5 lakh.

'If a rough calculation is done, it is about 33 times in 30 days. This is not enough and we need to ramp testing in this country,' he asserted.

According to the health ministry, 4,257 patients have been cured so far, bring the recovery rate to 19.89 percent.

Due to financial strains occurring from coronavirus crisis, the government announced that it would



not be able to pay an additional installment of Dearness Allowance to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief to Central Government pensioners due from January 1, 2020.

Additional installments of DA and DR from July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, will also not be paid, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

Moreover, the hike in the DA and DR by four percent last month, have also been put on hold.

President Ram Nath Kovind approved Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 which makes an attack, the act of violence, and any kind of harassment against healthcare personnel fighting the Covid-19 pandemic as cognizable and non-bailable offenses, with imprisonment of three months to five years.

As the lockdown severely impacting the schoolers, Union Human Resource Development released alternative academic calendars for primary and upper primary stage (Classes VI to VIII), developed by NCERT to engage students meaningfully during their stay through educational activities.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said the calendar provides guidelines to teachers on the use of various technological and social media tools available for imparting education in fun-filled, interesting ways, which can be used by the learner, parents, and teachers even while at home.

Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava in the daily briefing said that the Ministry has asked the State governments to exempt the services of caregivers and attendants to senior citizens from the lockdown norms.