KCR on Friday urged the people in the state to light lamps on April 5 at 9 P.M. as desired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chief Minister said that people should light lamps on the day to express solidarity and unity among people in the country and make the programme a success. He desired that the fight put up by the entire humanity against the dreaded virus should continue with inspiration and be successful.

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor have been making headlines for their budding romance. According to a source, “It was earlier planned as a destination wedding, but now, the families have decided to go ahead with the band-baaja-baaraat in Mumbai, in the last 10 days of December. Thankfully, Rishi’s (Kapoor) health is much better, so the family is looking forward to the celebrations. The wedding functions will tentatively kick off on December 21 and will be spread over four days. But the dates are yet to be locked given the current situation.”

Robots have been deployed at Chennai’s Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital to serve food and medicines to coronavirus patients or possibly infected persons. “This will limit the amount of direct contact doctors and nurses have with patients, thus reducing the risk of infection,” Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said. The state has reported over 400 cases of coronavirus.

Talking about life amid lockdown, India captain Virat Kohli said, “This is the longest Anushka and I have spent together since we have been together. We’ve never been in one place for this long.” He added, “It’s not a good thing to single out this as an opportunity to spend time. But it’s what it is. We’ve to be positive.”

Coronavirus has killed more people in the US than the 9/11 terror attacks as the death toll in the country crossed 3,100. There are now more than 1.64 lakh confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US. The pandemic could kill between 1 lakh-2 lakh Americans, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of US’ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases had said.

Amitabh Bachchan on Monday took to Instagram to share a picture of himself wherein a computer’s monitor is also partially visible. “Can we please delete the 2020 year and then reinstall it anew?” he wrote. “This version is with virus!” Bachchan further added while referring to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the world.

Stating that husband Ranveer Singh is “the easiest person to live with” amid the lockdown, Deepika Padukone said, “He’s sleeping for about 20 hours, which…allows me time to do…[what] I want to do.” She further said that when he is awake, they either watch films, eat or exercise. “He’s a real joy to be with at this time,” Deepika added.

Addressing the coronavirus lockdown, Kangana Ranaut said, “This…isn’t bad time. Don’t think of it like that.” “I was 15 or 16 when I ran away from home…I was a…drug addict within 1.5-2 years,” she stated while adding that spirituality changed her life. Urging fans to “make use of this time”, Kangana said, “Bad times are the only good times.”

Padma Bhushan awardee Dr D Nageshwar Reddy said that there is no need to panic because coronavirus is “something we can easily conquer”. He said coronavirus has a different genome sequencing in India compared to Italy and “its attachment is not as good”. An MIT paper said coronavirus is unable to exist for long periods above 32 degrees, he added.

US President Donald Trump has said that if his administration keeps the coronavirus death toll at or below 100,000, it will have done a “very good job”. Trump also said he has decided to extend nationwide social distancing guidelines, which include suggested limits on large gatherings, to April 30. Earlier, Trump said he hoped to restart the economy by Easter.

South actor Mahesh Babu on Saturday took to Twitter to share that he will contribute ₹25 lakh towards corona crisis charity for TFI (Telugu Film Industry) workers. “The lockdown situation adversely impacts the lives of daily wage cine workers,” he added. Mahesh further urged other actors to contribute and help the workers “in these testing times”.

MakeMyTrip will cut salaries of 3,000 employees in the top and managerial levels, due to the coronavirus pandemic, a report said. The company may also fire 400 employees who aren’t on its payroll, the report added. The decision comes after MakeMyTrip announced that its Group Executive Chairman, Deep Kalra, and Group CEO, Rajesh Magow, will draw ‘zero salary’ from April.

A record 33 lakh people filed claims for unemployment in the US last week amid the impact on the economy caused by the coronavirus crisis. New York City reported a 1,000% increase in claims. The figure is the highest ever reported in the US, beating the previous record of 6.95 lakh unemployment claims filed in 1982.

All scheduled international commercial passenger flight services will remain closed till April 14 amid the coronavirus pandemic, the government has said. The ban will not apply to approved international all-cargo operations and flights, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said. India had earlier banned international passenger flights for a week from March 22.

Gautam Gambhir urged people to strictly follow the rules in place amid lockdown. Many people were seen openly flouting the rules and taking out procession on the streets. “You will also go and take your family too! Quarantine or jail! Do not be a threat to the whole society and stay at home! The battle is not with jobs and business, but with life! Those who provide essential services should not be disturbed. Follow the lockdown!! Jai Hind,’ Gambhir tweeted in Hindi.