Active COVID-19 cases in India rose for the fifth consecutive day and went past the 1.5 lakh mark again after a gap of 17 days, according to Union Health Ministry data on Monday, as the total infections crossed 1.10 crore.

According to the Union Health Ministry, the surge in active cases is due to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh reporting a spike in the daily infections.

You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.

Here are the latest updates:

Karnataka

Karnataka imposes entry curbs

The Karnataka government has again decided to close all roads to Kasaragod in Kerala, except at four points, citing the increasing COVID-19 cases in Kerala.

As per the order, issued by the Mangaluru Deputy Commissioner, all roads to Kasaragod, except the Thalappadi-Mangaluru, Jalsur-Sulia, Sardka-Bantwal, and Nettanige-Puthur roads, would remain closed.

At these four points, people will be allowed to cross the border from Kasaragod if they show an RT-PCR negative certificate taken within 72 hours. Those arriving with antigen test reports will not be allowed to enter Karnataka.

 

U.K.

Boris Johnson lays out 4-step ‘cautious’ roadmap for easing U.K. lockdown

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tabled a four-step “cautious” roadmap in Parliament for the country to be eased out of its strict stay-at-home lockdown, with a tentative June 21 timeline for most limits on social contact to be lifted if the coronavirus infection rates remain under check.

In the first phase, schools will be reopened from March 8 and, under a minimum five-week gap between each phase of relaxation, outdoor gatherings will be allowed from April 12 before more indoor settings such as pubs, cinemas and gyms being allowed to reopen by May 17.

Finally, June 21 is expected to mark an end to all lockdown measures but Johnson was keen to reiterate that this roadmap would be data rather than dates driven because the deadly threat from the virus currently “remains substantial”.

 

Haryana

Schools to reopen for classes 3 to 5

Schools in Haryana will reopen for students of classes 3 to 5 from February 24, an official statement said on Monday.

The decision is applicable to all government and private schools across the State. Classes will be held from 10 am to 1.30 p.m., it said.

Students of classes 3 to 5 will be returning to classrooms after a gap of almost a year. Physical classes were suspended early last year to check the spread of COVID-19.

Schools for classes 6 to 12 have already opened in the State over the past few months. – PTI

Gujarat

People entering Gujarat to be screened for COVID-19

To stem the spread of coronavirus in Gujarat, the State government has decided to set up border check posts to screen people coming from neighbouring States, including Maharashtra, through roads.

The decision to conduct coronavirus test on people coming to Gujarat has been taken in view of “continuous increase in COVID-19 cases in the neighbouring states like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh”, said a government release.

Apart from setting up border check posts at entry points, the State government has also decided to start screening of passengers arriving at major railway stations like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot and Bhavnagar from different parts of the country by trains, it said.

Screening booths will also be created at all the major airports of Gujarat, the release said. – PTI

U.S.A.

U.S. tops 5,00,000 virus deaths, matching the toll of 3 wars

The COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. has topped 5,00,000, a staggering number that all but matches the number of Americans killed in World War II, Korea and Vietnam combined.

The U.S. recorded an estimated 4,05,000 deaths in World War II, 58,000 in the Vietnam War and 36,000 in the Korean War.

President Joe Biden held a sunset moment of silence and a candle-lighting ceremony at the White House on Monday and ordered American flags lowered at federal buildings for the next five days.