Covid-19 updates: 38 hotspots declared in Bengaluru

The demand hydroxychloroquine tablets has rised exponentially in the world, however, so has the cost of raw materials, says Anil Sharma, President of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Association in Uttarakhand's Haridwar. Following the rise in price of raw material, small pharmaceutical manufacturers in Haridwar have stopped producing the drug, reported news agency ANI.

To avoid the lockdown put in place to check the spread of the coronavirus disease, a 29-year-old man in Delhi posed impersonated an IAS officer on Monday. The man, who put up car had a siren and stickers of the Delhi Police and the Government of India on his car, was later held by the police.

In order to deal with the hardship caused by the lockdown in in place to check the spread of Covid-19, the Delhi government has announced one-time financial assistance of ₹5,000 for public vehicle drivers, who have a valid driving licence and badge.

The registration process began on Monday and the government has already received 9,023 applications.

US president Donald Trump on Monday said the final authority on taking a call on when to reopen the economy and easing restrictions aimed at fighting the novel coronavirus lies with him and not the Governor.

Trump took to Twitter to say that some are “saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect ... it is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons.”

According to latest figures released by the National Health Commission in China, the number of new Covid-19 cases reported in the country on Monday was recorded at 89, of which the 86 were imported.

According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, the number of coronavirus-related fatalities in the United States rose to 1,509 in the past 24 hours, taking the country's total death toll to at least 23,529.

In an address to the nation, French president Emmanuel Macron announced the extension of the lockdown period till May 11 and said the coronavirus epidemic was "beginning to steady... (and) hope is returning".

"May 11 will be the start of a new phase. It will be progressive and the rules can be adapted according to our results," he was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

Amid growing coronavirus concerns, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the nation at 10 am. Today is the last day of the nationwide lockdown announced earlier. Though the Prime Minister's final word is awaited, chief ministers of many states after a video conference on Saturday said that Modi agreed with them on the need to extend the lockdown to curb the spread of the novel disease.