NEW DELHI: The nationwide lockdown imposed with the intention to contain the spread of coronavirus in India has also had a drastic impact on the national economy, as showed the gross domestic numbers released by the government on Monday. On the other hand, India’s coronavirus caseload continues its steep climb but with a low fatality rate.
Here are the highlights:
INDIA
* Total cases: 36,21,245 with 78,512 new cases in last 24 hours
Total deaths: 64,469 with 971 deaths in last 24 hours
Fatality rate: 1.78 per cent
Total recoveries: 27,74,801
Recovery rate: 76.62 per cent
* India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the first quarter (ended June 30) of financial year 2020-21 suffered largest quarterly slump of 23.9%, data released by the government showed on Monday. The sharp contraction in GDP numbers is mainly due to closure of business activity during the quarter owing to nationwide lockdowns to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Read more here.
* According to the ICMR, a total of 4,23,07,914 samples have been tested in India so far with 8,46,278 samples being tested on Sunday.
* Covaxin, India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, is entering the second phase of human clinical trial for which preparations are underway at a Bhubaneswar hospital. The phase one of the vaccine trial is still continuing. Here more here.
* Health ministry announced to deploy Central teams in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha—which are seeing a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases—to support the local administration in strengthening containment, surveillance and testing of positive cases. Read more here.
* Scheduled international passenger services will continue to remain suspended in India till September 30. However, schedule flights under the travel bubbles India has started creating with US, UK, Germany and France will be allowed and people eligible as per government norms can fly to and from India on them. Read more here.
* Union home minister Amit Shah, who was admitted to the AIIMS, New Delhi, on August 18 for post-Covid care, was discharged on Monday morning, sources said. Read more here.
* Rajya Sabha MP Abhay Bhardwaj and his son on Monday tested positive for coronavirus.
* In a peculiar gender dimension to coronavirus pandemic, trends have shown that men are more prone to get afflicted with the virus than women. In UP, for example, the pattern shows that 70% of the people infected by the virus are men. Read more .
* Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar who was undergoing treatment for Covid-19 infection has been discharged after recovery, the hospital treating him said on Monday. Read more here.
* For complete coverage on Covid-19 outbreak, visit here.

STATES
* Maharashtra: The state government has extended the lockdown in the state till September 30. Malls, theaters, metro rail, schools, colleges to remain shut. No international flights, no social, politic, sports, religious functions will be allowed.
* Himachal Pradesh: As tourism restarts in the state from September 1, quarantine rules have been relaxed for tourists. Now, those coming with valid bookings for a duration not less than 2 nights and have tested negative 96 hours prior to entering the state borders will not require to go into quarantine. Read more here.
* West Bengal: The state government has announced complete lockdown in West Bengal on September 7, 11 and 12. Meanwhile, lockdown has been extended in all containment zones in the state till September 30. Read more here.
* Karnataka: With the Union government permitting students from class 9 to 12 to clear doubts with teachers on campus from September 21, schools in Bengaluru are looking at staggered timings and specific slots. The department of public instruction said they will soon issue standard operating procedure for these sessions. Read more here.
* Punjab: The state government has issued revised guidelines for international arrivals as per which before planning for travel, all travellers will have to submit self-declaration form on the online portal at least 72 hours before scheduled travel.
* Tamil Nadu: Some special trains, which railways introduced during lockdown, will remain cancelled in the state till September 15. Southern Railway extended cancellation of the special trains as requested by the state government. Read more here.
* Odisha: BJD MLA Byomakesh Ray on Monday tested positive for COVID-19, raising the number of lawmakers infected with coronavirus in Odisha to 13. Taking to Facebook, the Chandbali MLA expressed regret for not being able to serve the flood-hit people of his constituency.
WORLD
* The pandemic has killed at least 847,071 people worldwide since surfacing in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT Monday. More than 25.2 million cases have been registered.
* The United States has recorded the highest number of deaths with 183,068, followed by Brazil on 120,828, India 64,469, Mexico 64,158 and Britain 41,499 fatalities.
* Australia reports fewer than 100 new coronavirus cases, the lowest number in two months as authorities appear to bring an outbreak in second city Melbourne under control.
* Schools across New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland reopen as it emerges from lockdown, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressing confidence a second-wave outbreak is under control.
* German Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned as “shameful” an attempt by protesters angry at coronavirus restrictions to storm parliament, saying they had abused the right to demonstrate peacefully. Several hundred people tried to get into the Reichstag building during a rally against coronavirus rules in Berlin on Saturday.
* Hundreds of people demonstrate Sunday in the US city of Boston against a new state rule mandating flu shots for students, a measure intended to ease the impact of the pandemic.
* Italy posts a record economic contraction of 12.8 per cent in the second quarter after household spending and investment crashed during the lockdown, driving the eurozone’s third-largest economy deep into recession.
* State-controlled Russian energy giant Gazprom announces that net profit fell 25-fold in the first half of 2020 due to the economic crisis triggered by the pandemic and low oil and gas prices.
Watch GDP growth contracts by 23.9% in Q1 due to Covid pandemic