Coronavirus Omicron Feb 11 Live Updates: India records 58,077 new Covid-19 infections, 657 deaths; Active case count declines to 6.9 lakh

Addressing a press briefing on Thursday, Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog noted that the overall Covid-19 situation in the country is optimistic. However, he advised the people not to lower their guard against the virus. “Overall COVID-19 situation is very optimistic. However, some states including Kerala, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh are still reporting a large number of cases. We cannot lower our guard,” he said, reported ANI. Paul further added, “We have learned a great deal about his pandemic and the virus, but the world doesn’t know everything about this virus. The world should remain united to fight this virus and should continue to use the tools that are at our disposal.” Union Health Ministry’s Joint Secretary, Luv Aggarwal said that four states– Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, have more than 50,000 active Covid cases as of now. Meanwhile, the Centre also informed that the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered in the country is nearing 172 crore.

It is safe to say that going by the official data, India is witnessing a decline in overall number of Covid cases, and with that, more and more states are slowly announcing relaxation of curbs. Gujarat on Thursday decided to relax the night curfew in eight major cities from 12 midnight to 5am till February 18th, reported ANI. Himachal Pradesh too decided to lift the night curfew and allow gatherings with 50% capacity. Meghalaya announced reopening of schools for Classes 1-5 from Feb 14. According to PTI, Meghalaya’s Chief Minister Conrad Sangma chaired a meeting to review the COVID-19 situation late on Wednesday, where he also said that the night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am will be withdrawn from Friday. “No RT-PCR test will be needed for double-vaccinated individuals coming to the state starting Friday. The schools (Classes 1 to 5) will be fully functional from Monday,” Sangma was quoted as saying by PTI.

One of the biggest Covid-related developments came when the Health Ministry on Thursday announced its revised guidelines for international arrivals. As per revised guidelines, all travelers will have to self-monitor their health for 14 days post arrival as against 7 days home quarantine which was earlier mandated. The new guidelines will come into effect from February 14th.

Financial Express brings you the latest and verified Covid updates from India and around the globe. Check out here: