Coronavirus LIVE Update: India's Cases Rise To 59,92,532; 94,503 Dead

India Adds 83,000 COVID-19 Cases For Second Day In A Row

India has reported more than 83,000 new COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row. 83,341 people tested positive in the last 24 hours to take the total case count to 39,36,747. The active caseload has increased to 8,31,124 while 30,37,151 patients have recovered from the disease. The death toll has risen to 68,472 after 1,096 people died.

"No Directive To Wear Masks When Alone In A Car": MoHFW

In response to a question about whether masks should be worn while being alone in a car or while exercising, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan stated that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has not issued any SOPs with regards to the former.

"No Directive To Wear Masks When Alone In A Car has been issued by the Ministry of Health," said Bhushan. 

Responding to the question on masks while exercising, he said that masks should be worn when cycling, jogging in groups but no such directives have been issued when performing the same tasks alone. 

"Cases Are Increasing Due To The Population Of The Country, Do Not Only Look At Increasing Cases": MOHFW

As India reported the highest number of daily cases globally on Thursday, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan requested the media to also focus on the increasing number of recovered cases and decreasing positivity rate as well as decreasing case fatality rate while looking at the COVID-19 statistics. 

He also highlighted that the population of the country plays a role in the increasing cases of COVID-19. The current positivity rate- total number of cases testing positive from the ones being tested on a daily basis was 7.14% on Thursday. Over 68,584 cases recovered, while the country conducted 11,72,179 tests in the last 24 hours. 

Healthcare Workers In 6 States And UT See High COVID-19 Positivity Rate

Healthcare workers from Telangana, Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Puducherry and Punjab constitute the higher proportion of health workers that have tested positive for COVID-19, revealed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a press conference on Thursday. 

From all the  healthcare workers that were tested for COVID-19 so far across the country , 18% workers from Telangana, 16% from Mahararashtra, 14% from Delhi, 13% from Karnataka, 12% from Puducherry, and 11% from Punjab have tested positive. 

Supriya Sule Requests Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray To Reopen Restaurants

Maharashtra Nationalist Congress Party Leader and Member of Parliament from Baramati Supriya Sule has written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray requesting the reopening of restaurants in the state as they follow social distancing norms. Even though the restaurants are allowed to function as home delivery units, this still affects the business of the restaurant industry adversely, Sule writes. 

Maharashtra has allowed hotels and lodges to reopen at 100% capacity while following social distancing rules but restaurants are still only providing home delivery services. The state with over eight lakh total COVID-19 cases has the highest number of cases in the country. 

Restaurants were allowed to reopen in the country's capital on June 8. 

Ahmedabad Sero-Survey Shows Around 24% Population Has COVID-19 Antibodies

Ahmedabad's new sero-survey shows that only 23.24 per cent of the 10,000 surveyed have developed COVID-19 antibodies. The city witnessed a 5.63 per cent increase in the proportion of people who had developed antibodies from the first round of 30,000 participants in June.

Ahemdabad Municipal Corporation civic officials also highlighted that over 40 per cent of the recovered patients did not develop antibodies against the virus rendering them vulnerable to re-infections by SARS-CoV-2. 

India Adds Record 83,883 New COVID-19 Cases

India has reported 83,883 new COVID-19 cases, a record one-day rise, as the total case count rose to 38,53,406. The active caseload has risen to 8,15,338 while 29,70,492 people have been cured or discharged so far. The death toll has risen to 67,376 after 1,043 patients died due to the disease.

Health Ministry Issues SOPs For Conducting Exams During Pandemic

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued SOPs to educational institutions for safely conducting examinations. Only asymptomatic students will be allowed to give exams at the centres. Students will also be required to submit self-declaration about health status while entering the examination center.

Institutions and universities within containment zones won't be permitted to hold exams while staff and examinees living in containment zones would not be allowed to enter the venue. The guidelines state that institutions and universities are responsible for providing face covers/masks, hand sanitizers, soap, sodium hypochlorite solution to the staff as well as students.

Goa CM Pramod Sawant Tests Positive For COVID-19

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has tested positive for COVID-19, he announced on Twitter. Sawant said that he is asymptomatic and will isolate himself at home. Sawant is the latest high-profile politician to test positive for the disease following former President Pranab Mukherjee, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi.

India Reports 78k+ New COVID-19 Cases, 1,045 Deaths

India has reported 78,357 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours taking the total case count to 37,69,523. The active caseload stands at 8,01,282 while 29,01,908 patients have been cured or discharged so far. The death toll has risen 66,333 after 1,045 patients died due to the disease.