EXPLAINED DESK

Studies in the UK and on China provide some insights on the extent to which social distancing can be effective in controlling COVID-19.

While various countries have set up helplines to address anxieties of citizens ordered to stay home, such interventions for healthcare workers remain scarce.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Trump of the US, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the UK, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain are among the leaders who are being seen more favourably as their respective governments are handling the response to the global outbreak.

Diseases caused by coronaviruses, such as COVID-19, are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.

The law was first enacted in 1918 in erstwhile Punjab to make provisions for nightly patrol duty by inhabitants of small villages and towns in cases of emergency.

Authorities in various states are appealing to people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in New Delhi's Nizamuddin to come forward and get themselves checked.

Prison authorities have been facing difficulties in keeping the virus from spreading behind bars. What makes prisons vulnerable during an epidemic?

For all healthcare workers who come in contact with suspected or positive cases of COVID-19, it is important to have access to equipment such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to prevent themselves from getting infected.

As far as the availability of food is concerned, the country has more than adequate stock. Also, thanks to a surplus monsoon, a bumper rabi crop is on its way.

In Italy, printed certificates are needed to step out. In France, outdoor exercise is permitted for one hour per day.

What should you do if your pet has tested positive for coronavirus? Can you contract it from them? What precautions are recommended for those in a lockdown with pets?

Under the new rules in Singapore, people violating stay-at-home and social distancing norms can be punished with a fine up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both.  

Major cities in India, China, the United States, Italy, Spain, and the UK have experienced lower levels of toxic emissions and improved air quality since the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

India coronavirus lockdown: During the COVID-19 outbreak, penal provisions, such as Sections 188, 269 and 270 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), are being invoked to enforce the lockdown orders in various states.

The Defense Production Act, 1950 gives the President the power to mobilise domestic industry so that the supply of essential materials and services is maintained for purposes of national defence.

It is a well-settled legal principle that subsidiaries are a separate legal entity and holding company does not own assets of its subsidiary.

Sweden's PHA has urged those who feel ill with symptoms such as sniffing, coughing or fever to stay at home. It says that they should “try not to meet other people”.

The Swiss government has categorised the situation in the country as “extraordinary”.

An editorial in Lancet highlighted the importance of healthcare workers amid the coronavirus pandemic, calling them “every country’s most valuable resource”.

Viral infections are mainly identified by two kinds of tests– genetic and serological. Genetic tests can identify infections that are active, but cannot be used to detect past infections.