Coronavirus India Updates: Tally Tops 2.56 Lakh As India Begins To ‘Unlock’ 

The Delhi High Court Monday sought response of the Aam Aadmi Party government on a plea seeking direction to the government and private hospitals not to deny admission to asymptomatic and symptomatic Covid-19 patients.

The plea has also sought direction that hospitals should not insist for coronavirus test before admitting people even in emergency.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan, which conducted the hearing through video conferencing, issued notice to the Delhi government and listed the matter for further hearing on June 25.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by advocate and petitioner Krishna Kumar Sharma who has also sought direction for not charging higher amount for personal protection equipment from patients and that they be charged a reasonable amount.

He also sought to ensure that hospitals are not forcing frontline health workers to wear used PPE.

He has also called for taking immediate action against those government and private hospitals or nursing homes in the national capital, which refuses emergent medical care to the patients in this Covid-19 pandemic.

The petition, filed through advocate KM Monika, sought direction to the authorities for ensuring that Covid-19 test shall not be mandatory before admitting elective and even emergency patients by government and private hospitals.

Multiple private hospitals have made Covid-19 test mandatory before admitting elective and even emergency patients, despite respondent (Delhi government) issued a clarification on the aforesaid issue, asking hospitals authority not to test asymptomatic patients, it said.

Source: PTI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has gone into self-quarantine and will get himself tested for Covid-19 on Tuesday, officials said on Monday. They said the chief minister was feeling unwell since Sunday afternoon.

Source: PTI

Covid-19 Helps Indian Drugmakers Rebound In Their Biggest Market

Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Praveen Darekar has claimed that private hospitals are charging hefty amounts from Covid-19 patients and demanded the state government to intervene in the matter.

The state government has included Covid-19 treatment under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, but private hospitals are still charging huge sums from patients, the BJP leader told reporters on Sunday.

Charges of some hospitals for Covid-19 treatment range from thousands to lakhs of rupees and they have no fear of the government, he said.

"The state government should intervene in this and reimburse the excess money charged from patients. We will undertake an agitation for this, if needed," Darekar said.

Gorakhpur: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offers prayers at Gorakhnath Temple.

Government has allowed re-opening of places of worship from today. pic.twitter.com/tugUioZ59h

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) June 8, 2020

Global Update

Worldwide deaths from the coronavirus pandemic topped 400,000, while infections are approaching the 7 million mark. U.S. cases rose at a rate below the week’s average. New Zealand reported zero active cases of Covid-19 for the first time since the pandemic reached its shores, indicating it may have achieved its aim of eliminating the virus. China lambasted suggestions that it hid information about the coronavirus outbreak, saying it has acted transparently.

Cases pass 6.9 million; deaths exceed 402,000.

Track news and developments about the Covid-19 outbreak here.