Coronavirus India Latest Updates, April 2: Death toll rises to 53 as cases cross 2,000-mark; Maharashtra worst hit

2 absconding Tablighi Jamaat attendees held in Greater Noida

As Delhi’s Nizamuddin West area emerged as a hotspot of coronavirus, two absconding Tablighi Jamaat attendees were arrested in Greater Noida and quaratines on Thursday, the police said. The duo had absconded from Rajasthan’s Alwar, where eight others who had participated in the religious congregation have been arrested.

Drones being used to sanitise parts of Nizamuddin, New Delhi, on Thursday. (Express photo: Tashi Tobgyal)

“Eight of those 13 were held from Alwar’s Karmala mosque. Five had absconded and the Alwar police traced their location to Greater Noida’s Jarcha. Based on the information, the local police launched a hunt for those five persons. “Two of them – Mohammad Azam and Danish Khan – were traced and held while two others, who had provided shelter to them, were also arrested,” a police spokesperson said. (PTI)

Covid-19 an important turning point in modern history: PM to German Chancellor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held a discussion with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the coronavirus that has claimed over 49,000 deaths worldwide, exploring avenues of cooperation on the inadequate availability of medicines and medical equipment necessary during a pandemic. “German Chancellor agreed with Prime Minister that COVID-19 pandemic is an important turning point in modern history, and offers an opportunity to forge a new vision of globalisation focused on the shared interests of humanity as a whole,” a statement issued by the government said.

The Prime Minister also spoke to Britain’s Prince of Wales and “expressed satisfaction Prince had recovered from his own recent indisposition, and wished him lasting good health”. Prince Charles expressed his appreciation for the members of Indian diaspora in UK, including many members of the National Health Service, who were playing a seminal role in combatting the pandemic, the statement read. Prince Charles was tested positive for the coronvirus last week.

As Patron of @age_uk, The Prince of Wales shares a message on the Coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the older members of the community. pic.twitter.com/a6NEFPOtvQ

— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) April 1, 2020

Northeast on alert, cases linked to Tablighi Jamaat event surface

On Thursday morning, Arunachal Pradesh reported its first case, when a 31-year-old man from Lohit District tested positive. The patient, who recently attended the event at Nizamuddin Markaz, is non-Arunachalee, Chief Minister Pema Khandu confirmed on a video statement on Twitter.

In Manipur, one out of the ten people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi tested positive, while in Assam, a massive contact-tracing operation is on to find around 500 people linked to the religious congregation. While seven people from Meghalaya attended the Tablighi Jamaat event, none have returned to Meghalaya. “It is confirmed that 5 are in Delhi and 2 are in Lucknow,” said a release from the Meghalaya government.

Arunachal today registered a positive case of #COVID19. In view of this, I appeal my people of Arunachal to adhere to lockdown and safety guidelines more rigorously. All measures are being taken to prevent further outbreak of the virus. @PMOIndia #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/MkkF7OeKOS

— Pema Khandu (@PemaKhanduBJP) April 2, 2020

DRDO makes bio suit to keep medical personnel fighting COVID-19 safe

As a safeguard for medical and paramedical personnel from the coronvirus, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a bio suit for them. The suit has been prepared with the help of the industry and subjected to rigorous testing for textile parameters as well as protection against synthetic blood.

The industry is geared up for production of the suit in large quantities. M/s Kusumgarh Industries is producing the raw material, coating material, with the complete suit being manufactured with the help of another vendor. The current production capacity is 7,000 suits per day. Another vendor is being brought in with the experience in garment technology and efforts are on to ramp up the capacity to 15,000 suits per day.

The suit has been prepared with the help of the industry and subjected to rigorous testing for textile parameters as well as protection against synthetic blood.

960 Tablighi Jamaat foreigners’ visa cancelled, blacklisted: Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah has announced that visa of 960 Tablighi Jamaat foreigners stand cancelled for violating the visa rules, adding that they have also been blacklisted.  Shah has also directed Delhi Police, DGPs of other states to take legal action against 960 foreigners for violating laws.

Joint Secretary in MHA Punya Salila Srivastava, earlier in the day, said around 9,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their primary contacts have been quarantined. She further said of the 2,000 members in Delhi, 1,804 have been shifted to quarantine centres while 334 symptomatic persons admitted to hospitals. “The home ministry along with states and union territories launched a massive effort and about 9,000 Tablighi Jammat workers and their primary contacts were identified and quarantined. Among these, 1,306 people are foreigners,” Srivastava said during the briefing,” Srivastava said.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation deployed a drone to spray disinfectant in Nizamuddin including the Markaz building on Thursday. At least 29 people who participated in the congregation at Delhi’s Nizamuddin have been tested positive. @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/DCskKcjyDF

— Abhinav Rajput (@Abhinavrt) April 2, 2020

11 new cases in Karnataka linked to Tablighi Jamaat congregation

The number of Covid-19 cases in Karnataka rose to 121 as 11 fresh cases were reported from from Bidar district, linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi’s Markaz Nizamuddin. “Till now, 91 have been tested in Bidar, out of which 11 have tested positive. In Bengaluru, more than 30 have been tested and all are tested negative,” Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said.

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa Thursday launched a free milk distribution scheme for poor people in Bengaluru. Express Photo

The CM said, so far, 391 persons have been identified who had attended the event in Delhi’s Nizamuddin, adding they are quarantined. On Wednesday, Jawaid Akhtar, Additional Chief Secretary (H&FW) had said that around 1,500 attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat were from Karnataka, as notified by the Centre. The CM said that the government has decided to test all of them.

J&K: 18 Covid cases in a day, total goes up to 80

The number of coronavirus cases in Jammu Kashmir have gone up to 80 from 62 in 24 hours. The cases rose after a doctor at the Government Medical College’s Microbiology Department assigned to collect samples of the Covid-19 cases, tested positive. His family and another set of five people have tested positive for the virus. The 40-year-old doctor’s family inlcude his 75-year-old father, wife and a domestic help.

Officals of J&K health deportment visiting houses of locals with a travel history outside the Valley.

2 Tablighi Jamaat attendees die of virus in Delhi, cases to rise in future: CM

As several states continue their efforts to trace and quarantine people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal informed two of those attendees died of the coronavirus Thursday, adding that the number of cases in the near future may shoot up.

“There are 208 Covid-19 cases in the national capital, of which 108 were evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz. There are 31,307 people under self-quarantine,” he said.

People who showed coronavirus symptoms being taken to various hospitals from Nizamuddin area in New Delhi.

He announced that the state government will give Rs 5,000 autorickshaw, gramin-sewa, e-rickshaw drivers in the wake of the national lockdown.

328 Covid-19 cases surface in a day, 400 test positive: Health Ministry

In the span of 24 hours, 328 coronavirus cases have come to light and around 400 people have tested positive for the virus, the Health Ministry said in its daily evening briefing. “There may be more linked to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster,” Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal said. “Out of about 2,000 Tablighi Jamaat members in Delhi, 1,804 have been quarantined, 334 admitted to hospitals,” MHA official said.

He informed that during his meeting with the Chief Ministers, PM Modi said the rise in number of cases indicate the battle against the coronavirus has just started, and urged all religions to stand united to fight this and enforce social distancing. Further, Aggarwal said the Prime Minister asked the states to step up surveillance containment and step up Human Resource.

Confirming the death in Mumbai’s Dharavi, the Health Ministry official said the said building of the deceased has been sealed and contact tracing and testing is being conducted as per protocol by all 4,000 workers.

Second Covid-19 case in Mumbai’s Dharavi

A second coronavirus case in Mumbai’s Dharavi has surfaced today. A 52-year-old man who worked in Dharavi as a sweeper has been tested positive for the coronavirus. He is admitted in Seven Hills hospital. On Wednesday, a 56-year-old man from Dharavi had succumbed to the virus at Sion hospital. Eight to 10 family members of the Dharavi resident were put in quarantine. The Mumbai Police, along with the BMC, had sealed eight Slum Rehabilitation Authority buildings in Dharavi.

One suspected case found in Worli Police colony in Mumbai.

Gujarat: Vadodara sees first Covid-linked death

Vadodara in Gujarat has witnessed its first Covid-19 death, a 52-year-old man who was a member of a group that toured Sir Lanka in March. His immediate family members including his wife daughter, son and daughter-in-law have been quarantined at SSG hospital. The last rites of the man were performed before the VMC staff and two family members.

Colonies in Vadodara being sprayed with disinfectant.

According to the VMC officials, the patient was cremated in the gas crematorium at Khaswadi in the city, as per protocol. VMC health officer Dr Devesh Patel told this newspaper, “We allowed their extended family members to attend the last rites in PPE suits

Work on war footing, identify Covid-19 hotspots: PM Modi tells CMs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with the Chief Ministers via video conferencing and told them that in the next few weeks, testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine should remain the focus, adding that it is necessary to ensure availability of separate, dedicated hospital facilities for COVID-19 patients. “It is imperative to work on war footing, identify COVID-19 hotspots, encircle them, ensure virus doesn’t spread,” Modi said. “It is important to formulate a common exit strategy to ensure staggered re-emergence of population once lockdown ends,” he added.

Prime Minister Modi in conversation with various chief ministers

Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were also present during the meeting. A week into the lockdown, and faced with an extraordinary situation of large-scale migrant worker movement, several states are scrambling to find funds to undertake even basic relief measures for the most vulnerable sections of their people. The chief ministers are likely to have raised this during the meeting.

Mumbai: Newborn, mom test positive

A three-day-old boy tested positive for COVID-19, suspected to have caught the virus from the bed occupied by an infected patient before it was allotted to his mother at Sai hospital in Mumbai. While the mother has also tested positive, the boy is the state’s youngest COVID-19 patient.

Unplanned implementation of lockdown causing chaos: Sonia Gandhi

Top Congress leaders today discussed the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown, with party chief Sonia Gandhi calling for acting in solidarity and helping the disadvantaged during the crisis. She said while the 21-day nationwide lockdown may have been necessary, the “unplanned manner” of its implementation had caused chaos and pain to millions of migrant workers all over India. Besides Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders discussed the issue at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) through video conferencing.

Three-day-boy is Maharashtra’s youngest COVID-19 patient.

Bihar: Over 4000 returned from Gulf, only 500 tested for Covid-19

The Bihar government has been able to conduct Covid-19 tests for only 500 out of 4169 people who returned from Gulf countries in the last three months to Gopalganj and Siwan. “Since test kits have not arrived, we were not able to start conducting the test. Test kits arrived only on March 28 and we have started collecting samples from March 29 and have collected over 350 samples so far. For last two-three weeks, all these people having returned from the Gulf have been living with their families. We are not sure if they are following self-quarantine norms,” a source in Gopalganj administration said.

Video: Mob attacks health officials, chases them away in Indore

A video showed a large group of residents shouting and chasing away a team comprising health and civic officials.

The Indore police have arrested four persons from Tatpatti Bakhal locality who allegedly chased away and pelted stones at health officials on Wednesday when they went to screen relatives of a man who died of COVID 19. A video showed a large group of residents shouting and chasing away a team comprising health and civic officials. No one was injured in the stone pelting but the health and civic officials had a harrowing time in leaving the locality.

Haryana registers first death; toll increases in Gujarat, Rajasthan

Haryana recorded its first COVID-19 death when a 67-year-old man from Ambala, who as per doctors had multiple underlying health conditions, passed away at the PGIMER, news agency PTI reported. In Gujarat, a 52-year-old man died in Vadodara, while, a man in Alwar became the third casualty in Rajasthan

People outside a fair price store in Kolkata (Express photo/Partha Paul)

Former Raagi at Golden Temple dies of COVID-19

Former ‘Hazoori Raagi’ at Sri Harmandir Sahib and Padma Shri recipient Bhai Nirmal Singh ji Khalsa passed away at around 4:30 AM on Thursday, hours after testing posivite for coronavirus. Doctors said he died of cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) in Amritsar. It was not immediately clear how the celebrated raagi had contracted the virus. He had recently performed a kirtan in the presence of around 100 people in Chandigarh.

Some other updates from across India

• A Maharashtra court awarded three-day imprisonment to three people for violating the lockdown imposed by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus. This is, perhaps, the first case of conviction for violating the lockdown order, police claimed.
• In Uttar Pradesh, the district administration has put up notices outside the houses of 49 people here who returned from foreign tours and did not inform the authorities, in order to alert people to keep a safe distance from them.
• One man was arrested and around a dozen people booked in Noida for allegedly gathering for a group namaaz in violation of lockdown restrictions. The FIR was lodged under provisions including those of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the Uttar Pradesh Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

During the Ram Navmi celebrations (Express Photo: Bhupendra Rana)

• An army man kills a woman after her family alerts authorities about his return from Kolkata amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Telangana police has received more than 6.41 lakh distress calls to Dial 100 service in the last three days. The number of calls to Dial 100 rose after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had recently said that people can use the service for assistance relating to health emergencies and following his instructions to officials that no person should be allowed to go without a meal in the state
• The Bengaluru City Police has set up a special helpline for senior citizens, who are most susceptible to the novel coronavirus. Officials have requested the elderly to call the toll-free number 1090 between 9 am and 5 pm. Specialised and qualified counsellors and social workers will attend the calls and counsel them.

Security tightened as Worli Koliwada and Adarsh Nagar, Prabhadevi remains sealed. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

• With the nation entering the second week of the lockdown, the local economy in small towns, far from cities, is on its knees: supply chains have been disrupted, lone-man shops have no home delivery, and the police barricades are unforgiving. So much so, even goods that are part of the solution, like soap, aren’t reaching shops, and homes.
• Amid the nationwide lockdown, the Defence Ministry announces that it is mobilising ex-servicemen (ESM) to assist the state and district administrations wherever required.

• NCP chief Sharad Pawar urged Muslims to observe Shab-e-Barat staying inside their homes, and also suggested that the birth anniversary celebrations of Dalit icon Dr B R Ambedkar be postponed in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

Coronavirus: Symptoms, DOs and DON’Ts

#1. Common signs of coronavirus infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

#2. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap for 20 seconds at least 3 times a day.

#3. Regularly use hand sanitiser

#4. Avoid touching your face, nose

#5. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Discard any tissue used

#6. Avoid sharing water bottles and personal hygiene items like towels

#7. Avoid non-essential travel

#8. Don’t stockpile disposable face masks.

#9. Prevent the spread of medical misinformation

#10. There are no known cures or preventive medicines for coronavirus

Coronavirus Helplines

The Ministry of Health has set up a telephone and email helpline for any queries and emergencies related to coronavirus.

Number: +91-11-2397 8046

Email: ncov2019@gmail.com

For a list of helpline numbers of States & Union Territories, click here.

East Delhi Police checking vans and all cars at Hasanpur bus terminal on Wednesday.