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As India breaches 1 lakh-mark in daily Covid cases, restrictions brought back | 10 points
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said all coronavirus cases in the state will be treated as Omicron cases. The chief minister said the third wave of the pandemic has hit the state from January 1.
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India on Friday recorded over 1 lakh fresh Covid-19 infections after seven months, signalling that the surge that was being predicted has already set in. Several states, including Karnataka and Delhi, will see a weekend lockdown starting from this Saturday, Sunday, the first during the ongoing surge of the pandemic in India. The Centre has also imposed some additional restrictions on international travellers making 7-day home quarantine mandatory for all people coming to India from abroad.
Here are the top 10 updates of Covid-19 situation in India:
1. Delhi on Friday recorded 17,335 fresh Covid cases, the highest single-day rise since May 8, and nine deaths while the positivity rate mounted to 17.73 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.
Weekend & nights curfew in place in these states as India sees major Covid spike: Check details here
2. Maharashtra on Friday recorded 40,925 new coronavirus cases, 4,660 more than the previous day. The state also reported 20 new deaths, the health department said. Half the new cases were reported in Mumbai. No new cases of the Omicron variant were recorded on Friday.
3. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said all coronavirus cases in the state will be treated as Omicron cases. The chief minister said the third wave of the pandemic has hit the state from January 1.
4. The Karnataka government on Friday said it may soon issue green passes to identify fully vaccinated citizens. The government has made vaccination mandatory for entry into all public places such as malls, markets and restaurants.
5. The Centre on Friday emphasised that it is the primary responsibility of the states to ensure that all the oxygen equipment at all the health facilities are tested and kept in a functional state to meet any emergent situation. Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired a high-level meeting with representatives from the states and Union territories through a video conference to review the oxygen situation of the states.
6. India on Friday made it mandatory for all travellers coming from abroad to undergo a seven-day home quarantine followed by an RT-PCR test on the 8th day. The guideline will come into force from January 11 and will remain effective till further government orders.
7. Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked Delhi and neighbouring districts to follow a unified approach and to strengthen health infrastructure, maintain buffer stocks of essential drugs and ensure that oxygen supply equipment is fully functional.
Mini-lockdown in Gujarat to curb Covid-19 spread. Details here
8. The peak of the possible Omicron-led third wave in India could arrive in January end and February beginning, when the country's daily caseload might reach four to eight lakh (7-day average), a new projection of the Sutra model has revealed. Bed requirement could peak around 1.5 lakh, but the wave appears to be manageable due to the low hospitalisation rate, IIT Kanpur professor Manindra Agrawal said.
9. The Gujarat government on Friday announced night curfew in 10 cities to be effective from 10pm to 6am in Ahmedabad, Anand, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Nadiad, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara.
10. India on Friday achieved the milestone of administering over 150 crore Covid-19 vaccines. PM Modi lauded healthcare workers and said India is grateful to all those who have been working to make our vaccination drive a success.
