Cases fall to 2-month low, several states set to unlock
■ Delhi, Maha, UP begin to unlock gradually ■ Haryana, TN extend curbs
India reported 1,20,529 fresh Covid-19 cases, the lowest single-day rise in infections in around two months, taking the infection tally to 2,86,94,879, according to the Union health ministry. The death toll from Covid-19 climbed to 3,44,082 with 3,380 new fatalities, while the number of active cases was recorded below 20 lakh for the fifth consecutive day.
With the decline in daily Covid-19 cases, pandemicinduced restrictions are set to be lifted gradually in a phased manner in many states from Monday. However, in anticipation of a third wave, many other states have proposed to continue with restrictions till June 14. While Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have extended the lockdown by a week, Himachal Pradesh and Goa have extended their corona curfews.
Haryana and Sikkim were the latest to extend lockdown from Monday but have eased some curbs like several other states, including Maharashtra, that have announced cautious steps towards restarting or scaling up activities after over a month following a decline in Covid cases.
The Haryana government extended restrictions in the state till 14 June. While malls can remain open from 10 am to 8 pm, restaurants and bars
can also operate in the same time period with 50 per cent seating capacity, said an order. The Sikkim government on Sunday extended the statewide lockdown for one more week till 14 June while announcing some relaxations, like allowing hardware shops to remain open from 7 am to 2 pm. Shops selling groceries and vegetables can now remain open from 7 am to 2 pm, an extension of two more hours.
Delhi, which reported 381 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday and a daily positivity rate of 0.50 per cent, is preparing to unlock from Monday.
Delhi will see reopening of markets and malls and resumption of Metro services, while Maharashtra will implement a five-level plan to ease curbs based on weekly positivity rate and occupancy of oxygen beds in districts.
On Sunday, Uttar Pradesh announced that“Covid-19 curfew” will be lifted across state barring three districts from 7 June — Meerut, Saharanpur and Gorakhpur.
Even as the Covid situation has relatively improved in most northern and western states, southern and eastern parts of the country are still reporting a high number of cases. Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin announced the extension of lockdown by a week till June 14 with some easing of restrictions from Monday, except in 11 districts where the number of new cases is still high. Earlier, Karnataka had extended the lockdown till June 14. Himachal Pradesh and Goa have also extended “Corona curfew” till June 14.
The Delta variant of Covid-19, or the B1.617.2 variant first identified in India, is around 40 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha or socalled Kent variant of concern (VOC), UK health secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday.