Coronavirus India Updates: Over 14,000 New Cases, Most In Over Three Weeks

Some states including Maharashtra and Kerala have been advised by the Centre to increase the proportion of RT-PCR tests and regularly monitor mutant strains besides refocusing on strict surveillance and stringent containment in selected districts.

In a letter to the states, the government has also stressed that all negative rapid antigen test results should be mandatorily followed by RT-PCR test.

"More than 74% of the active cases of the country are in Kerala and Maharashtra. Of late it is seen that there has been a spike in the daily cases in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh also. Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir too are witnessing a surge in daily new cases," the ministry said.

Amid the spike in Covid-19 cases in Pune, the district administration has decided to enforce certain curbs, including restriction on movement of people from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. for non-essential activities, a senior official said on Sunday.

Schools, colleges and private coaching classes will remain closed till Feb. 28, while hotels and restaurants will have to shut their establishments by 11 p.m. every day, Pune divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao told reporters.

Creation of micro-containment zones, re-setting up of Covid-19 care centres, increased contact-tracing and testing, and stricter implementation of norms for weddings and other social events are some of the steps which will be taken to stem the spread of the viral infection, he said.

The decision to bring back some restrictions was taken in a meeting chaired by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the guardian minister of Pune, on Sunday, he said.

Rao said for the last three months, the situation in the district was under control. But, now in view of the rise in cases, some decisions have been taken.

Globally, cases crossed 110.9 million leaving over 2.4 million dead.

Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine is expected to be given European Union approval in the next two to four weeks. France's Health Minister called for tighter restrictions in the Nice area, which is facing a surge in coronavirus infections.

Meanwhile, researchers from Edinburgh University said that a new variant detected in Nigeria, which might have similar mutations to the one in South Africa, is not yet of concern.

Follow the developments around the Covid-19 outbreak here.