(Contains Press releases concerning Covid-19, issued in last 24 hours, inputs from PIB Field Offices and Fact checks undertaken by PIB)

#Unite2FightCorona

#IndiaFightsCorona

India maintains a steady trajectory of sustained fall in Active Cases, 27 States/UTs have less than 20,000 Active Cases,10 States account for 78% of total Active Cases

India continues to report a steady trend of declining active cases. The active cases are less than 6 lakh for the last seven consecutive day and stand presently at 5,27,962. The active cases are now only 6.31% of the total positive cases of the country. Following the national trend, 27 States/UTs have less than 20,000 active cases. 10 States/UT account for 78% of the total active cases in the country. Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi and West Bengal together account for more than 51% of the active cases.  The declining trend of the active cases is complemented by the unbroken increase, day on day number of recovered cases. The total recovered cases stand at 7,711,809. The gap between Recovered cases and Active cases has reached nearly 72 lakh (71,83,847). The national Recovery Rate has further improved to 92.20%. 55,331 COVID patients have recovered and discharged in the last 24 hours whereas the new confirmed cases stand at 50,210. 82% of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in 10 States/UTs. Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka have contributed the maximum to the single day recoveries with more than 8,000 recoveries. They together account for more than 45% of the new recovered cases. 79% of the new cases are found concentrated in 10 States and UTs.Kerala continues to be the State reporting a very high number of new cases with more than 8,000 cases followed by Delhi with more than 6,000 cases. 704 case fatalities have been reported in the past 24 hours. Of these, ten States/UT account for nearly 80% of the new deaths. More than 42% of new fatalities reported are from Maharashtra alone (300 deaths).

For details:

“Let’s end it by 2020”:Dr. Harsh Vardhan exhorts Delhi to implement Prime Minister’s Jan Andolan successfully to blunt the momentum of COVID by the end of the year

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today interacted with Sh. Anil Baijal, Lt. Governor, Delhi and Sh. Satyendra Kumar Jain, Delhi Health Minister in presence of senior officials, Mayors, Municipal Commissioners and District Magistrates of Delhi. Lauding Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi for starting the Jan Andolan to make the last citizen aware of the virtues of wearing masks, physical distancing and hand washing, Dr. Harsh Vardhan highlighted that the whole of government approach has helped the country curb the COVID crisis effectively.Dr. Harsh Vardhan expressed particular concern over the surge in number of cases and the high positivity rate in the North, Central, North East, East, North West and South East districts of Delhi. The Union Minister was also informed in this respect that Delhi continues to have a highly skewed RAT to RT-PCR ratio - 77% of the tests are RAT based while RT-PCR comprises only 23% of the total tests.Noting that false negative results might give way to complacency among the COVID infected, he pressed for mandatory testing of all RAT negative persons if they develop ILI/SARI symptoms afterwards.

For details:

Dr. Harsh Vardhan reviews COVID19 preparedness and measures for ensuring COVID Appropriate Behaviour in Karnataka

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare held a meeting through video conferencing to review COVID-19 preparedness and measures for ensuring COVID Appropriate Behaviour with Dr. K.Sudhakar, Health and Medical Education Minister, Karnataka and other senior officials of the State Government yesterday.
Expressing satisfaction over India’s progress in combating Corona, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “We will soon be completing a journey of 10 months in fighting Corona. The country is now witnessing substantial improvements in COVID parameters. The number of cases and deaths are in a declining phase. The active cases have been substantially reduced. The Recovery Rate of India has surpassed 92%. The Case Fatality Rate is also declining and stands at 1.49%. With over 2000 labs, the testing capacity has also increased”, he said.  Urging people across the country to follow the clarion call of Hon. Prime Minister as part of the ‘Jan Andolan’, the Union Health Minister urged people to follow COVID appropriate behaviour. He said, “In the coming festival and winter season, the virus poses potential threats. It becomes very important to follow COVID Appropriate Behaviour to cut the transmission of virus. Whenever there is a laxity in following basic precautionary measures, the country has suffered.”

For details:

ECI to host International Election Visitors Programme 2020 for Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections (05- 07 November 2020)

The Election Commission of India is organizing an International Virtual Election Visitors Programme 2020 (IEVP) for foreign Election Management Bodies (EMBs)/Organisations from 05-07 Nov 2020, in the context of the ongoing Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections. Bihar has an electorate of over 72 million, one of the largest in the world to vote so far amid the COVID19 pandemic. This provides an opportunity to share best practices and experience of the conduct of our poll process during the pandemic period. Delegates from over 40 countries across the world and 3 international organizations have been invited to participate in the IEVP 2020. The Programme for IEVP 2020 comprises an online briefing session today which would provide to the participants an overview of the large canvas of Indian electoral process, the new initiatives taken by ECI on voter facilitation, transparency and accessibility of electoral system; and ECI’s response to the changing needs of training and capacity building.

For details:

Ministry of Culture issues SOPs for “Re-opening of Museums,Art Galleries and Exhibitions” on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19

Based on the Unlock 5.0 Guidelines of MHA, and after taking into consideration suggestions received from various stakeholders in the culture and creative industry, Ministry of Culture has issued detailed SOPs for “Re-opening of Museums, Art Galleries and Exhibitions ” on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19. These guidelines contain Standard Operating Procedures to be followed by the management of museums, art galleries and exhibitions (both temporary and permanent), as well as the visitors to these spaces. Comprehensive guidelines have been issued for adequate cleaning, purchase of tickets and for ensuring safety of visitors and staff at museums, exhibitions and art galleries. It is clarified that no museums and/or art galleries shall re-open inside containment zones. Further, State/UT Governments may consider proposing additional measures as per their field assessment. The National Directives for COVID-19 Management and the relevant guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, State/UT Governments, etc. shall be strictly complied with during all activities and operations. These guidelines shall come into effect immediately, and shall continue to be in effect until further orders. While the museums, exhibitions and art galleries under Ministry of Culture would be reopened from 10 November, 2020 onwards, others can be reopened as per convenience and in tune with relevant State/city /local laws, rules and regulations/unlock guidelines in force.

For details:

INPUTS FROM PIB FIELD OFFICES

• Arunachal Pradesh: One more patient died due to COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh; death toll mounts to 43. Currently, 1,645 active positive cases in the state. Recovery rate from COVID-19 is now 88.86 percent.
• Assam: In Assam, 380 new cases detected out of 29,026 tests conducted with positivity rate of 1.31% while 655 patients discharged. Total cases 2,07,741, recovered 95.64% & active cases 3.90%.
• Manipur: Manipur to take up new measures for dealing with COVID-19 related issues as confirmed tally crosses 19,500 cases.
• Meghalaya: In Meghalaya, total Active Cases are 959, total recovered cases 8752 & new cases 60.
• Mizoram: 101 new cases push Mizoram's COVID-19 tally to 2,893. Male population accounts for 77% of COVID-19 cases in Mizoram.A 78 year old female COVID-19 patient died at ZMC in Mizoram this morning. This is the second COVID-19 mortality in the state.
• Nagaland:Nagaland's COVID-19 total reaches 9207, 2 more deaths reported. Active cases are 1,143 and recovered 7,934.
• Sikkim: With 29 new Covid cases,active tally is 240 in Sikkim. So far, 3,657 persons in Sikkim have recovered from Coronavirus while 73 personshave succumbed to the contagion.The total COVID-19 number inSikkim stands at 4,093.
• Kerala: State Health Minister K.K. Shylaja has urged people to observe self-lock down to curb the rampant spread of Covid-19 in the state. She also cautioned the public to take maximum precautions in the backdrop of ensuing civic polls in the state. Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court has rejected the plea for postponing the local body polls in view of the Covid situation in the state. The petitioner, an independent MLA, P.C. George said he will approach the Apex Court through an appeal. New Zealand’s first India origin Minister Priyanka Radhakrishnan, who has roots in Kerala has hailed the state government’s efforts in containing the virus. In an interview to a Malayalam news channel she said the state undertook sincere steps in the fight against the pandemic.
• Tamil Nadu: The State government, which recently announced the reopening of schools for Classes 9, 10, 11 and 12, has gone back on the decision; it said a consultation would be held with the parents of students and the representatives of parent-teacher associations on November 9 before a further decision is taken. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami wrote to his counterparts in Odisha and Rajasthan urging them to reconsider the decision to ban the sale and bursting of firecrackers in these State this Deepavali season, in order to protect the livelihood of people from Tamil Nadu involved in the fireworks industry. Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said that the State government has declined permission for the BJP’s proposed ‘Vel Yatra’ only to ensure that there was no second or third Covid-19 wave in Tamil Nadu; he warned that if anyone violated the restrictions, the law would take its course.
• Karnataka: The “Bengaluru Technological Summit-2020” which is all set to be held virtually for the first time has seen an overwhelming response from industry and experts than ever before despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra modi will inaugurate the conference, said the Deputy Chief Minister Dr C.N.Ashwatha Narayana, who is also the Minister for IT. Meanwhile Primary Education Minister Suresh Kumar said that no decision has been taken yet with regard to re-opening of schools in the State.
• Andhra Pradesh: State Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh said tough measures have been initiated to prevent spread of coronavirus in government schools. Mr Suresh said that the management of classes 9, 10 will be reviewed after three weeks and a decision would be taken in view of the number of cases being reported. He asserted that precautionary measures are being implemented following Covid guidelines. The government will distribute free ration to sex workers in the state, as many of them are struggling to make the ends meet due to Covid-19 pandemic. Supreme Court, earlier, had directed all states to distribute free rations to sex workers and submit the details of the operation. Meanwhile, the total coronavirus positive cases in Andhra Pradesh increased to 8,33,208 with the addition of 2477 on Wednesday, but the overall infection positivity rate dropped below 10 per cent after about four months.
• Telangana: 1539 new cases, 978 recoveries & 5 deaths reported in the last 24 hours; out of 1539 cases, 285 cases reported from GHMC. Total cases: 2,45,682; Active cases: 18,656; Deaths: 1362; Discharges: 2,25,664 with a recovery rate of 91.85 per cent. Anticipating a second wave, the state health authorities have directed district medical health officers (DMHOs) to look out for possible super-spreaders of the virus; 11 districts have seen a sharp increase of Covid-19 cases over the last seven days.
• Maharashtra  : The Maharashtra Government has permitted opening of Cinema Halls and Theatres in the state with 50 per cent capacity.  With no big ticket releases line up during the Covid pandemic, the business prospects for cinemas are looking bleak.  Meanwhile, Maharashtra recorded a recovery rate of 90.68%.  The number of active cases in the state has dropped to 1.12 lakhs.
• Gujarat : The tally of coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 1,76,608 with 975 fresh cases being reported on Wednesday, the state health department said. With six fatalities, including three in Ahmedabad, two in Surat and one in Vadodara, the state''s COVID-19 death toll went up to 3,740, it said. At the same time, the number of recoveries outnumbered new cases, with 1,022 patients getting discharged in the day, the department said.Total number of recovered cases in Gujarat increased to 1,60,470 which pushed up the state's recovery rate to 90.86 per cent.
• Rajasthan :  Rajasthan reported 1,770 new Covid cases, pushing the overall case count to 2.03 lakhs.   Maximum new cases, that is, 320 patients tested positive on Wednesday from Jaipur, followed by 185 patients from Jodhpur and then 179 from Bikaner.  The number of active cases in the state is 16,323
• Madhya Pradesh :  In Madhya Pradesh, more than 30 lakh tests have been conducted in the state so far while around 700 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours. The state also reported 884 recoveries.  The positivity rate in the state has come down to around 2.6 per cent.

FACT CHECK

********

YB