India’s Covid cases at two-month low: Data
NEW DELHI: India on Sunday recorded 114,460 new coronavirus infections, the lowest in 60 days, with governments in some states, including Delhi, preparing for a phased easing of restrictions from Monday after weeks of lockdown necessitated by a devastating second wave of Covid-19 in the country.
The country’s test positivity rate – the proportion of samples tested returning positive— dropped to 5.62%, according to the date released by the Union health ministry on Sunday. The number has remained below 10 per cent for 13 consecutive days, the ministry said. The World Health Organization says positivity rate under 5% indicates that the outbreak within a population is under control.
With the fresh cases, the tally of coronavirus disease cases in the country climbed to 28,809,339. The death toll climbed to 346,759 with 2,677 daily deaths, the lowest in 42 days, while the active cases dropped below 1.5 million, the data updated at 8 am showed. Over 2 million tests were conducted on Saturday taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far in the country to 364,746,522.
The active cases have reduced to 1,477,799 comprising 5.13 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has improved to 93.67 per cent. A net decline of 77,449 cases has been recorded in the Covid-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. Recoveries continue to outnumber daily new cases for the 24th consecutive day. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 26,984,781, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.20 per cent, the data showed.
A total of 231,322,417 vaccine doses have been administered so far.
Sunday’s tally is an encouraging sign for the states preparing to reopen certain activities from Monday.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced that restrictions, including those on markets and transport, were being eased in the Capital after a seven-week lockdown.
Delhi Metro trains will be allowed to operate at 50% seating capacity, and shops in markets and malls can reopen on an odd-even basis from Monday, with the chief minister asserting that the national capital’s economy needed to be revived in view of the improving Covid-19 situation.
On Saturday, the government eased restrictions on standalone shops, markets and shopping malls, and permitted private and government offices to open with half their strength. The new rules will be effective from 5am on Monday.
Restaurants, shops selling non- essential items and public places are also set to reopen from Monday in Mumbai which is categorised under level 3 of the ‘unlock’ plan of the Maharashtra government but malls, theatres and multiplexes will continue to remain shut.
As per the fresh guidelines issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday, local trains will remain available only for specific categories.
In a notification issued on Friday night, the Maharashtra government said local trains will remain available for “medical, few essentials and women”, but authorised the civic administrations to put additional restrictions they deem fit.
The lockdown-like restrictions in Maharashtra were imposed in April this year when the second wave of the pandemic intensified.
The Uttar Pradesh government announced relaxations in
the “corona curfew” in Bareilly and Bulandshahr districts from Monday, allowing shops and markets outside the containment zones to open for five days a week. With this, the number of districts where the restrictions have eased as the count of active cases has fallen below the 600-mark has reached 67, out of the 75 districts.
Public health experts, meanwhile, have stressed on avoiding complacency but added that the governments needs to plan the unlock process and keep in mind particular activities that can trigger crowding and close contacts.