Coronavirus updates for May 8

The number of coronavirus cases in India jumped to over 57,000, with nearly 1,900 deaths reported according to Worldometer. India now has the 14th highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, as the global count nears four million.

A freight train ran over and killed 16 migrant labourers in Maharashtra's Aurangabad. The workers had been walking towards Madhya Pradesh and slept on the tracks due to exhaustion. Migrant workers in Surat clashed with the police after learning that the Odisha government had cancelled three trains that were scheduled to depart. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government approved an ordinance exempting businesses from the purview of many labour laws for the next three years in order to boost investment.

India is looking to expand Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate stranded Indians from abroad through air and sea. A total of 64 flights carrying 15,000 returnees from 12 countries are expected to arrive by May 15.

The Supreme Court suggested that states should consider indirect sales and home delivery of liquor to avoid crowding at liquor shops. Madras High Court also allowed the Tamil Nadu government to sell liquor online, while ordering the closure of liquor shops in the state due to huge crowds that challenge social distancing guidelines.

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