Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday launched 14-day 'mask abhiyan' as part of efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus in view of rising cases and urged people to strictly follow the safety guidelines.

The second wave of COVD-19 has started. This is why night curfews and restrictions have been imposed in many states of the country, but if we follow the COVID rules properly we can avoid situations like this in the state, he said.

The COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra is very alarming. The state reported 58,993 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. Looking at the critical situation Maharashtra Chief Minister has called an All-Party meeting today to discuss the current crisis in the state.

According to the sources, the meeting will be attended by prominent leaders of the three parties involved in the Mahavikas Aghadi government, including leaders of BJP, MNS, API, SP, and others. During the meeting, which will be held this afternoon, the state government will take stock of the COVID-19 situation in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in the poll-bound state of West Bengal today (April 10). PM Modi is scheduled to attend an election rally in Siliguri. Meanwhile, polling for 44 assembly seats in phase four of the West Bengal election will take place today.

The next day, that is April 11, he will join the party campaign in Kalyani and Bardhaman. Then on April 14, he will be in Barasat and Krishnanagar. He will also address public meetings on April 17 in Jalangi and Murshidabad.

On Friday, Bengaluru recorded its highest-ever single-day spike in COVID-19 infections with 5,576 new cases. There has been a consistent rise in COVID-19 since the last few days with over 4,000 cases being registered daily.

Karnataka has also reported its highest single-day spike this year with 7,955 COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 10,48,085. Speaking of the last 24-hours, there have been 46 deaths due to the disease, following which the death toll has risen to 12,813.

The government must allow Covid-19 vaccination to everyone who needs it and immediately suspend imports of the dose, said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.

The efforts of the scientific community and vaccine makers had been undermined by the centre's poor implementation and oversight, said Gandhi, referring to alleged shortage of doses in some states.

Johnson & Johnson is in talks with India's government to begin a clinical trial of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in the country, the company said on Friday.

The U.S. drugs and healthcare giant's vaccine is currently approved for use in the United States, the European Union and other nations including Thailand and South Africa.

Gold price on Friday rose to Rs 49,250 for 10 gm from Rs 48,870 and silver price is trending at Rs 66,600 per kg, according to the Good Returns website.

Gold jewellery price varies across India, the second-largest consumer of the metal, due to excise duty, state taxes, and making changes.

India registered a record single-day spike of 1,31,968 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, pushing its infection tally to 1,30,60,542, while the death toll increased to1,67,642with 780 more fatalities in a day, highest since October 18, the Union Health Ministry data showed.

Registering a steady increase for the 30th day in a row, the number of active COVID-19 cases increased to 9,79,608, which is 7.5 per cent of the total infections, according to the data updated at 8 am.

In view of the rising COVID-19 cases in the state, the sale of platform tickets has been stopped with immediate effect from today. The Central Railway has stopped the sale of platform tickets at various stations including Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The decision has been taken to avoid over-crowding at railway stations at a time when there is a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases in the state. Notably, Mumbai is witnessing a spurt in coronavirus cases in the last few days.

Launching another attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that he plays the Hindu-Muslim card every day to gain votes.

This comes as Banerjee has received a notice from the Election Commission of India (ECI) for demanding votes on communal grounds.

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