Coronavirus live India updates: cases and deaths, latest news today.
Coronavirus live India: latest Covid-19 news on 29 April
India coronavirus update at 02:00 IST on Thursday 30 April (22:30 CEST on Wednesday 29 April)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 3,173,036 cases have been detected worldwide, with 225,927 deaths. 959,774 people now recovered.
In India, there have been 31,787 cases, with 1,008 deaths. 7,747 people have recovered from the virus.
Lockdown measures in India relaxed
The Prime Minister of India has said that millions of stranded workers can return home as lockdown measures are eased in the country. When Modi made the lockdown announcement, he gave just four hours of notice and many immigrant workers who had travelled to work could not get their things in order quickly enough to get home.
Don't forget the homeless once coronavirus crisis ends, U.N. expert urges
Life-saving measures to house the most vulnerable amid coronavirus lockdowns risk falling by the wayside after the pandemic, a United Nations expert has warned, calling for stronger action to eradicate housing insecurity.
Governments around the world have been racing to house the estimated 1.8 billion people who are homeless or live in inadequate housing and are uniquely at risk of being infected and infecting others during the pandemic.
But many of those efforts are emergency measures rather than "the structural change we actually need" to guarantee affordable and secure housing for all, said Leilani Farha, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing.
"Housing has become both central and invisible in the pandemic," Farha told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"Governments are telling people to stay home, wash your hands and physical distance," said Farha, whose six-year tenure as U.N. Special Rapporteur comes to an end on Thursday.
"But that mantra was ordered without any consideration being given to the fact that millions of people worldwide can't do those three things."
More than 3.1 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus across the world and about 220,000 have died, according to a global tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Health experts say the homeless are more likely to contract illnesses such as the coronavirus, in part because of weakened immune systems due to additional stress, and lack of nutrition and sleep.
Those living in cramped housing are also at heightened risk, with a surge of coronavirus cases in foreign-worker dormitories across Singapore and in the slums of India drawing attention to the squalid housing conditions of migrant labourers.
Farha said she had seen encouraging innovations worldwide to house the vulnerable, such as the Northern Irish city of Belfast ending rough sleeping by housing homeless people in hotels.
"We're seeing governments stepping in - like providing water and sanitation in Nairobi slums - in ways that hadn't been done previously," she said.
Authorities in India and South Africa have set up impromptu shelters and camps, sometimes using stadiums and soccer fields, while U.S. and British cities have taken steps to prevent homelessness with eviction bans and rent freezes.
But housing efforts risk losing steam once countries start lifting lockdown measures and focus on averting an economic
recession, Farha warned.
GSK to sell stake in Unilever's India unit
British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline plc is planning a sale of its $3.7 billion stake in Unilever Ltd's listed India unit, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
GSK plans to offload part or all of its 5.7% holding in Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) through a series of block trades, according to Bloomberg News.
Pakistan preparing to lift lockdown restrictions
Pakistan is preparing to loosen coronavirus lockdown restrictions as the number of infections and deaths are well below previous projections, officials said on Wednesday. The South Asian nation, which has registered more than 15,000 positive cases of Covid-19 including 335 deaths, has already granted exemptions to dozens of sectors to open up over the last few days.
“The mortality numbers are nowhere near the same as we see in other countries,” Planning Minister Asad Umar, who oversees the response to the virus, told journalists. He said infections and deaths in Pakistan were lower 30-35% lower than projections and, if things remained this way, the country could open up further in coming days.
Experts argue that Pakistan's low numbers are due to limited testing. Currently Pakistan, a country of more than 207 million people, conducts about 8,000 tests a day. On Tuesday, the country registered 800 positive cases and 26 deaths - the highest number of deaths in a single day. Experts and officials say infections will peak in mid-May.
Umar said that despite the rising numbers, the disease was under control, but the economic cost had been 'tremendous' as revenues and exports had been hit during a month-long lockdown. The IMF has projected that Pakistan's economy will contract 1.5% this financial year.
Pakistan a few days ago launched a new 'Test, Trace and Quarantine' system, which officials say will allow it to steadily open up commercial and industrial activities over the next few weeks without risking further infections.
Officials at the briefing did admit there remained areas of concern - particularly the high incidence of infections in health workers. Zafar Mirza, the top health official, said at least 480 health workers, including doctors, had been infected. He added that because of the lockdown and the focus on the coronavirus, a number of other health programmes, such an anti-polio campaign, had been affected.
Pakistan has also removed restrictions on congregations at mosques for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, leading doctors to raise the alarm on the risk of mass infections. But Mirza said safety procedures for mosque gatherings had been worked out between the government and clerics.
Three more suspensions after lynching
After transferring 35 police personnel of the Kasa police station, Palghar superintendent, Gaurav Singh, suspended three policemen with immediate effect, for “dereliction of duty” in the April 16 lynching case in Gaddchinchale village.
Coronavirus awareness in Chennai
A large scale model of a coronavirus particle, with its characteristic viral spike peplomers pictured in Chennai, India today. The model has been put on display to raise awareness of Covid-19 in the district. A total of 94 new cases were registered in Chennai on Wednesday, taking the total to 764.
App being used in Chennai police to detect lockdown violators
According to reports in The Hindu today, Chennai City Police have started using a mobile application called Eye Tracker from today. “The police personnel will scan the driving licence or Aadhar card using the app. If the motorist does not have either, his mobile number will be entered along with the purpose of travel,” said deputy commissioner Shekhar Deshmukh.
Indian government anticipating Covid-19 cases to peak by mid-May
Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and all of Delhi could see a large increase in Covid-19 cases by the middle of May, according government health officials. Based on projected figures, the government is already making provisions to ensure that hospitals will be equipped with enough isolation wards, intensive care units and ventilators if there is a surge in infections.
According to ThePrint, Cases in Mumbai could rise from 5,698 to approximately 28,800; cases in Pune from 1,088 to 3,900; projected cases in Delhi are 5,537 (currently at 2,632) with large spikes expected in Ahmedabad - 9,168 and Chennai - 3,507.
The districts of Kanpur and Agra could face a shortage of ventilators and ICU beds if there is a dramatic increase in positive Covid-19 cases.
Man travels 3000 km to bring the body of deceased friend back home
Raphael AVL Malchhanhima was devastated to hear the news that his friend Vivian Lalremsanga has died after suffering a heart attack in Chennai last week. Rather than allow his friend to be buried in Chennai, Malchhanhima felt it would be more fitting if the funeral took place in Lalremsanga's home, Mizoram - 3000 kilometres away on the other side of the Bay of Bengal.
India Today reports that Malchhanhima, with help from the Mizoram government, the Chennai Mizo Welfare Association and two ambulance drivers, arranged to transport the body back to Lalremsanga's home town. The four-day journey, much of it without without food, began on 25 April and ended yesterday.
"The thought of my friend being buried far away from his home troubled me. My father, a preacher, also encouraged me to accompany the mortal remains of my friend withstanding the difficulties of the journey," Malchhanhima, originally from Hmawngbu village in Lawngtlai, south Mizoram, told PTI.
Impossible to stage Tokyo Olympics unless pandemic is contained
It will not be possible to host the Tokyo Olympic Games next year unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday.
The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government postponed the Games last month until July 2021 because of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
With the epidemic's worldwide infection rate climbing and experts suggesting a vaccine is still a long way off, questions are being asked about whether the huge setpiece event might need to be delayed further.
"We've been saying the Olympic and Paralympic Games must be held in a complete form, in that athletes and spectators can all participate safely. It would be impossible to hold the Games in such a complete form unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained," Abe said today.
He was replying to a query from an opposition lawmaker whether Tokyo could host the Games next year, after this year's delay caused by the pandemic. Tokyo confirmed 112 new infections on Tuesday, said national broadcaster NHK. Numbers for Wednesday were not yet available. The national tally stands at 13,895 infections, including 413 deaths, according to NHK.
That tally is still low compared to other nations, but critics say Japan is not doing enough testing to reveal the scope of a problem that has driven some hospitals to the brink.
"When we look at what we face now, we must brace for a protracted battle against the pandemic ... We will be in close contact with the IOC, the Tokyo organising committee and the Tokyo gubernatorial government," said Abe.
He added that the Olympics "must be held in a way that shows the world has won its battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Otherwise, it will be hard to hold the Games."
The comments echoed statements made by other senior Japanese officials earlier this week.
Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori told a sports daily Nikkan Sports on Tuesday that the Games would be "scrapped" if they could not take place in 2021. Also on Tuesday, the head of the Japan Medical Association (JMA), Yoshitake Yokokura, told a news briefing that "unless an effective vaccine is developed, I expect hosting the Olympics will be difficult".
New addition to the Johnson family
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's fiancee, Carrie Symonds, has given birth to a baby boy, Downing Street said on Wednesday. Both mother and child are doing well. The boy was born at a London hospital.
Johnson returned to work on Monday, a month after testing positive for Covid-19 which he said had threatened his life. Symonds also had symptoms of Covid-19 but recovered swiftly. The couple, who have been living together in Downing Street since Johnson became prime minister in July, announced in February that they were expecting their first child.
Politicians began sending their congratulations to the couple. "So thrilled for Boris and Carrie. Wonderful to have a moment of unalloyed joy!" Health minister Matt Hancock said on Twitter.
Johnson, who refuses to say how many children he has in total, was previously married to Marina Wheeler, and they had four children together. They announced in September 2018 that they had separated and they divorced earlier this year.
Actor Irrfan Khan passes away
Irrfan Khan, an Indian actor who brought a modern sensibility to recent hit films and had roles in Hollywood movies such as 'Life of Pi' and 'The Namesake', died on Wednesday; he was 54.
The death, after a prolonged battle with cancer, was confirmed by a spokesman who said Khan was surrounded by family at the time. "He fought the many battles that came with it," the spokesman said in a statement, referring to the diagnosis of Khan's rare cancer in 2018.
Khan was among the first Indian actors to make a consistent mark in Western cinema, following in the footsteps of crossover pioneers such as Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth and Om Puri.
Born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan in the western desert state of Rajasthan, in a family with no ties to cinema, the actor recalled in interviews that as children, he and his siblings were not allowed to watch movies. The only exception was when a visiting uncle took them to the theatre.
"An incredible talent," said Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, among the tributes on Twitter that followed Khan's death. "A gracious colleague. A prolific contributor to the world of cinema .. left us too soon creating a huge vacuum."
Another well-known director, Karan Johar, said, "Thank you for raising the bar as an artist ... Thank you for enriching our cinema... We will miss you terribly, Irrfan."
Coronavirus pandemic inspires global graffiti artists
Covid-19 virus inspires global street artists
The pandemic has seen a series of coronavirus inspired graffiti and street art around the world as showcased in this gallery.
BBC explores India's low death rates from coronavirus
India has a surprisingly low death rate with cases caused by coronavirus and the BBC have taken a lock at why. The number, generally, to look at is how long it takes for deaths to double and it took longer for that to happen in India than it did in New York and other places. The 'grinding lockdown' is posited as another reason but ultimately, physician and oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee says he doesn't know but suspects if there were more tests done, they might have a more plausible explanation.
India coronavirus update at 05:30 IST on Wednesday 29 April (02:00 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 3,113,447 cases have been detected worldwide, with 216,930 deaths. 925,730 people now recovered.
In India, there have been 31,360 cases, with 1,108 deaths. 7,747 people have recovered from the virus.
Hello and welcome to our live feed covering breaking news, updates and statistics from India throughout Wednesday 29 April.
On Tuesday 28 April, India reported over 1,000 new cases with 58 new deaths.