India Coronavirus Cases Updates, 26 June: Scheduled international flights suspended till July 15, says Govt India Coronavirus (Covid-19) Cases Latest Update, 26 June: Scheduled international passenger flights remain suspended in India since March 23

 

IE | New Delhi | 26, 2020The Covid tally in India rose to 4,90,401 this morning after over 17,000 fresh cases were reported, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. With 407 more fatalities, the death toll climbed to 15,301. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 77,76,228 samples have been tested up to June 25 with 2,15,446 samples being tested on Thursday.

After days of speculation, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain tested negative for the coronavirus and is expected to be discharged from hospital on Friday, PTI reported. The 55-year-old minister was administered plasma therapy, tested positive for COVID-19 on June 17, a day after he was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) with high-grade fever and a sudden drop in oxygen levels. Jain was shifted to the ICU of Max Hospital, Saket, on June 19 after his condition worsened.

 Aviation regulator DGCA Friday decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country till July 15. However, it stated that some international scheduled services on selected routes may be permitted on a case to case basis.

“The competent authority has decided that scheduled international commercial passenger services to or from India shall remain suspended till 2359 hrs IST of July 15, 2020,” said the DGCA circular. “However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis.”Scheduled international passenger flights remain suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the Centre’s Vande Bharat Mission, Air India and other private domestic airlines have been operating unscheduled international repatriation flights since May 6. India, on the other hand, resumed scheduled domestic passenger flights on May 25, after a gap of two monthWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday announced night curfew hours will be relaxed and said the state wants to resume metro services from July, PTI reported. The night curfew would now be from 10 pm to 5 am during the extended Covid-induced lockdown till July 31. The current spell of the lockdown was to end on June 30. “We are discussing with the Metro authorities about resuming the services from 1st July, will be allowing passengers only up to the seating capacity, Banerjee said as per news agency ANI.

Shopping malls, restaurants and other similar establishments had resumed services in Bengal on June 8 after a gap of over two months, with the state government allowing relaxations as part of Unlock-1.

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that a 12-hour nigh curfew would be imposed in the state from 7 pm Friday and a 14-day complete lockdown will be enforced in Kamrup (Metro) district, of which Guwahati city is a part, from Sunday midnight, following a surge in Covid-19 cases. “We are now left with no choice but to impose a complete lockdown for 14 days from June 28 midnight, and this time it will be very strict as no grocery shops will be allowed to open or supply of vegetables and other essentials will be permitted for the first seven days,” he said.

The government will enforce a complete lockdown in other towns and municipal areas on weekends from June 27 every week till the spread of the virus is under control. There will be a total lockdown in Kamrup (Metro) and only emergency services will be allowed, he added. Guwahati has reported 762 infections since June 15 and of the total, 677 had no travel history, though many had come in contact with those returned to the state from outside, the minister told reporters. The state has reported 6,646 COVID-19 cases so far.