Coronavirus live updates: Maharashtra reports 31,855 new Covid cases in highest single-day spike

The government on Wednesday asked states and union territories to consider imposing local restrictions in view of upcoming festivals amid surge in Covid-19 cases in some parts of the country.

A new "double mutant variant" of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in India in addition to the several "variants of concern" that have already been found in at least 18 states, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Some of these "variants of concern" had earlier been detected abroad. The ministry, however, said it could not be sufficiently established yet if these variants were behind the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in some states. It said genome sequencing by Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) has identified variants of concerns (VOCs) in several states and a new double mutant variant.

Amid the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in the national capital, the Delhi government has ordered District Magistrates (DMs) to strict enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour in the city, especially in crowded places. In its latest order, the Delhi government has termed weekly markets, cinema halls, malls, metros, and religious places and other such areas as 'Super Spreaders'. "There has been a steady increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the last 15 days, but people are not following the Covid-19 norms," the government said in its order. All the DMs have been ordered to personally monitor the adherence of the government's SOP in all 'Super Spreader' areas and especially focus on areas with lower sero surveillance.

The Swedish government will on March 31 end the travel ban for people travelling from Norway and Denmark to Sweden as the measure is no longer necessary for reducing the spread of the coronavirus, it said on Wednesday. All people travelling to Sweden will still need a negative Covid-19 test to enter the country. "This means, among other things, that Norwegians and Danes can travel to their holiday homes in Sweden and that families and friends across borders can meet each other," Mikael Damberg, Minister of the Interior, told a news conference.