Coronavirus: An undertaker prepares a grave during a burial in Spain. (AP Photo)
Confirmed coronavirus cases across the world crossed one million. Since emerging in China in December, COVID-19 has infected more than 1,000,000 people — including at least 500,000 in Europe — and claimed more than 51,485 lives, according to John Hopkins tracker. Spain said on Thursday it had suffered a record 950 deaths in 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 10,003.
Read live updates on the coronavirus pandemic in India, and the world
Meanwhile, 328 coronavirus cases have been reported in the last 24 hours in India, taking the overall infections to 2069, whereas the toll stood at 53. The Home Ministry directed states and Union Territories to book under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act, 2005 people who violate lockdown rules or make false claims.
With the Tablighi Jamaat’s Markaz in Nizamuddin West in Delhi emerging as a hotspot of coronavirus, the Home Ministry has cancelled the visas of 960 Tablighi Jamaat foreigners and blacklisted them. Earlier, an MHA official said about 9,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their primary contacts have been quarantined till now in the country.
In his meeting with chief ministers of various states on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the next few weeks testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine should remain the focus areas. “Imperative to work on a war footing, identify COVID-19 hotspots, encircle them, ensure the virus doesn’t spread,” PM Modi further said. Later in the day, PM Modi tweeted that he would share a video message with fellow Indians tomorrow at 9 am.
India coronavirus lockdown: The shepherd walks goats on the empty Okhla Barrage road in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Express Photo: Gajendra Yadav)
Security tightened as Worli Koliwada and Adarsh Nagar, Prabhadevi remains sealed. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
Artists from South Africa relax as the circus has been shutdown in Pune due to lockdown in the country to stop the spread of coronavirus. (Express photo: Ashish Kale)
India coronavirus lockdown: Workers sanitize an area in Nizamuddin West after several people who attended a Tablighi Jamaat congregation tested positive for COVID-19, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)
Two days after the Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate was shunted out after a meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Medical Officer of the district has also been replaced. An order to this effect was passed Wednesday night.
CMO Dr Anurag Bhargava reported to CEO Greater Noida Authority Narendra Bhushan, who is also the government-appointed nodal officer for handling the coronavirus outbreak in the district. As per the order issued by Home Department, Dr AP Chaturvedi, Joint Director in Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, was appointed CMO and took charge Thursday. Read more
A probe has been set up against six patients in quarantine at the Ghaziabad district hospital’s isolation ward for alleged misbehaviour with medical staff.
The six men had earlier attended a congregation at the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi last month. After they were traced back to Uttar Pradesh, following several cases of coronavirus that were linked to the gathering, they were sent to the government quarantine facility. Read more
A senior resident doctor working in the department of physiology at AIIMS and his nine-month pregnant wife tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. The AIIMS administration said it is set to carry out the delivery if she continues to stay at the hospital.
She is the first pregnant woman in Delhi to test positive for coronavirus. The country’s top medical institute has already prepared a protocol on how to deal with pregnant women diagnosed with the virus. A 38-page document prepared by the medical institute has one page dedicated to the care of pregnant patients. Read more
A day before all international flight operations were suspended at IGI Airport, the SHO of Hazrat Nizamuddin police station had on March 21 approached the management committee of the Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid, headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat, and asked them to send all foreign pilgrims to their respective countries, and those from outside Delhi to their states. Senior police officers said this did not happen — indicating a lack of cooperation from Markaz members and a failure of the local police.
Police sources also told The Indian Express that personnel from the Southeast district lines and staff from the local police station have been stationed outside the Markaz for the last five years, but none of them red flagged the huge gathering in March, even as both the Centre and Delhi government kept emphasising on the need for social distancing. The Markaz and the police station are less than 50 metres apart. Read more
For over five hours, 16 fire-fighters used four pipes attached to two fire-tenders to sanitise the six-storey Nizamuddin Markaz, and the area around it, with the help of an MCD official who guided them from lane to lane Thursday.
Apart from this, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) deployed a drone to spray a disinfectant over the locality including the Markaz, and a team of four public health field workers with power sprayers also sanitised the Markaz. Read more
THE CHANDIGARH Administration will be tracking the location of all quarantined people. Adviser Manoj Parida said that telecom operators have been told to check mobile locations of all those who have been quarantined in Chandigarh. As many as 1,317 people have been quarantined in the city. This has been done to ensure that the quarantined people do not move anywhere from their houses. The Adviser said that action would be taken if location is not found at the specified address.
The World Bank has approved USD 1 billion emergency financing for India in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic: PTI
The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reached 1,002,159, according to the Johns Hopkins tally. 51, 485 have died so far, with most deaths recorded from Italy at 13,915.
An FIR has been filed against the Tabhleegi Jamaat members under sections that deal with harassing women, obscenity, provoking violence and actions that can spread disease.
The J&K administration on Thursday ordered release on “special parole” to prisoners meeting conditions of case and duration, laid out by the authorities, for eight weeks, in the wake of the coronavirus crisis and the national lockdown currently underway.
The grant of special parole, to prisoners across the Union Territory, will be extendable up to another eight weeks, “if the lockdown by the government continues.” The parole will be granted to prisoners who have been convicted in one case only and have spent more than ten years in jail. For women, the time period is reduced to eight years. However, exceptions to this will be those booked in militancy related cases, those convicted for intermediate or large scare recovery of narcotics, those convicted under the POCSO Act or convicted for an offence against women or convicted for offence of acid attack or foreign nationals.
Taking note of the mass movement of India’s migrant labourers amid a nationwide lockdown, the United Nations Human Rights chief Thursday urged the government to ensure measures to contain the novel coronavirus do not “exacerbate existing inequalities and vulnerabilities.”
Three persons in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, thus taking the total number of cases in the state to 10. According to the police, those three are among 13 who had attended a jamaat in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh recently and were caught while entering Uttarakhand by walking along a railway track and were arrested for violating the lockdown. While, they were put in quarantine on Wednesday, the cases were confirmed only today and the three would be shifted to a hospital tomorrow. The group's travel history is being probed.
A 68-year-old Palghar resident has died due coronavirus today, thus taking the death toll in the state to 21. The person was suffering from ischemic heart disease.
One more person, a doctor who is a Dharavi resident, tests positive for coronavirus. He has had no travel history and is a general practitioner at a Mumbai Central private hospital. The doctor called BMC and informed he could be infected as he had come in contact with a few patients and his building has been quarantined and all high risk contacts are being traced. He has been admitted to Raheja hospital for treatment.
The Telangana government today launched a dedicated website called www.factcheck.telangana.gov.in to check the spread of fake news and rumours related to coronavirus under the Disaster Management Act 2005. In a media briefing, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had warned offenders of stern action if they would spread misinformation. ITE&C department secretary Jayesh Rajan said: "Notwithstanding the penal provisions, it goes without saying that creating awareness on the adverse effects of spreading fake news/misinformation along with providing the authentic sources of information and a platform that verifies the informatio for authenticity will help address the issue."
Meanwhile, here's a short video of how parts of Nizamuddin, which are hotposts, are being sanitised with the help of drones.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Prince Charles for the keen interest he has always taken in Ayurveda. Britain’s Prince Charles, who has recovered after testing positive for coronavirus, praised the country’s healthcare workers on Wednesday and said it was a strange and distressing time for the nation.
Lok Sabha MP Shripad Naik today told a press briefing that Prince Charles, the second in line to the British crown, had been cured of coronavirus with the help of Ayurvedic medicine, adding that this recovery only 'validates our age old system since thousand of years'. Naik, who is also Union Minister of State for AYUSH , said he can confidently say so, since he got a call from a doctor who runs a Ayurveda resort in Bengaluru. “I received a phone call from Dr. Isaac Mathai, who runs the Soukya ayurveda resort in Bengaluru. He tells me that his treatment of Prince Charles through Ayurveda and Homeopathy has been successful. This is just one example of how the system can work,” Naik said.
Naik, a Goan native took the opportunity to address the media on the 'measures taken by government' and also to applaud India for being the 'first country to have been able to control the spread of the virus' and ensure low numbers of positive cases.
On his part, Prince Charles appreciated the members of Indian diaspora in the UK, including many members of the National Health Service, who were playing a seminal role in combatting the pandemic, said the Indian government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Prince Charles today. During his interaction, Modi "expressed satisfaction Prince had recovered from his own recent indisposition, and wished him lasting good health". Prince Charles had tested positive for coronavirus, following which he had self-quarantined himself. He came out of self isolation this Monday after suffering from whe he termed as 'relatively..mild symptoms. After coming out of isolation, he praised the selfless devotion of healthcare workers.
The statement by the Indian government reads: "The Chancellor agreed that such practices could be very beneficial for enhancing psychological and physical health, especially under the present lockdown conditions."
As per the Indian government statement, PM Modi informed Angela Merkel about recent Indian initiatives to disseminate simple yoga exercises & immunity-enhancing Ayurvedic remedies for people of the world.
During the interaction, Angela Merkel agreed with PM Modi that COVID-19 pandemic is the an important turning point in modern history and offered an opportunity to forge a new vision of globsalisation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel over issues pertaining with COVID-19 pandemic. All of Europe is looking towards Germany for help as the continent has been hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Pressure has mounted on Angela Merkel to save Europe from COVID-19.
The Southern Command, which is the largest command of the Indian Army, has undertaken OP Namaste to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the ‘Southern States’, which are emerging as ‘hotspots’. Several quarantine facilities have been created in Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Army's Southern Command is also creating additional Ad hoc Isolation Facilities in the other Southern states. Both, the quarantine as well as isolation facilities have been provided with dedicated medical and administrative staff to take care of the patients and quarantined persons, a statement said. At these locations are the ‘Army Corona Warriors’ comprising doctors, nurses and other support staff who are in the forefront in this atypical battle.
The number of Covid-19 positive cases in Telangana rose to 154 with 27 new cases reported today. All the 27 new cases are related to Tablighi Jamaat meeting held in Nizamuddin in Delhi mid-March. Three persons who recovered after treatment were discharged from various hospitals today; total 17 persons have recovered and have been discharged so far. Total nine deaths related to coronavirus have been reported in Telangana so far and all the nine persons are related to the Tablighi Jamaat meeting.
The Health Ministry has released its latest figrues of the total number of coronavirus cases as 2,069, which includes 53 deaths, 155 recovered and 1,860 acive cases.Among the worst-hit states, Maharashtra tops with 335 cases, followed by Kerala with 265 cases. A sharp rise in the number of cases was seen after several Tablighi Jamaat members dispersed across the country were tested positive. Tamil Nadu has so far recorded 240 cases, while Delhi has reported 227.
District-wise details of the cases reported in Tamil Nadu
Missed out on today's coronavirus updates? Don't worry, we have got you covered. Here is a video on all the latest developments that have happened today. From Spain's record deaths in a day to cases crossing 2,000 in India, here are today's headlines at a glance.
The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in the US crossed 5,000 and the number of infections surged past 200,000 on Thursday. President Donald Trump assured the nation that his administration was waging an all-out war against the COVID-19 epidemic. 'America continues to wage all-out war to defeat the virus this horrible, horrible virus. You see how terrible it is, especially when you look at the numbers from yesterday,' Trump told reporters at the White House.
As global virus cases near a million, a total of 2,921 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for the coronavirus in the UK, the Department of Health and Social Care has said. The UK recorded 569 on Thursday. Since emerging in China in December, COVID-19 has infected more than 940,000 people -- including at least 500,000 in Europe -- and claimed more than 47,000 lives. On Thursday, 570 people have died in nursing homes in France's eastern region, AFP reported
With social distancing emerging as the watchword for fighting the coronavirus and lockdown imposed in many countries to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission, The Guardian has some tips on how to practice physical distancing.
With the Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz in Nizamuddin West in Delhi emerging as a hotspot of coronavirus, the Home Ministry has cancelled the visas of 960 Tablighi Jamaat foreigners and blacklisted them. Earlier, an MHA official said about 9,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their primary contacts have been quarantined till now in the country. Home Minister Amit Shah has also directed Delhi Police, DGPs of other states to take legal action against 960 foreigners for violating laws. The mid-March congregation at Nizamuddin was attended by thousands of Jamaat members, along with hundreds of foreigners -- many of them suspected coronavirus-positive -- and has triggered a nationwide scare.
In Lancashire, a 23-year-old man who spat at police while claiming he had coronavirus has been jailed for a year, according to a Sky news report. Callum Heaton was arrested for being drunk after police were called to a report of a disturbance in Burnley. Lancashire Police said Heaton spat at two officers during the arrest while saying he had contracted COVID-19. A spokesperson for Lancashire Constabulary called the offence "particularly offensive and dangerous".
In Goregaon maternity home in Mumbai, nurses wear raincoats as no protective gear is available. On Tuesday, some doctors in Kolkata complained that they received rainwear instead of personal protective equipment (PPEs). The West Bengal government admitted that initially there was a scarcity of masks and PPEs in the market, but added that enough would be available within a week since it had started to manufacture them. “We have already supplied 1,11,394 PPEs, 42,296 N-95 masks, 1.62-lakh layer masks, 18,363 hand sanitisers, and 3,200 thermal guns,” said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. READ FULL STORY
Here are some photos from across the country on Day 9 of lockdown.
The government on Thursday directed states and Union Territories to book under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act, 2005 people who violate lockdown rules or make false claims. "It is requested that for the attention of the public authorities and citizens, the penal provisions under the DM Act and IPC should be widely circulated and for violation of lockdown measures, action under relevant provisions shall be taken by the law enforcement authorities," Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla told all chief secretaries of the states.
Bhalla also cited the provisions of the DM Act and IPC and said anyone obstructing enforcement of lockdown could be punishable for a jail term of up to two years and anyone making false claims on any matter can be punished up to two years of jail with fine and laws. He also said misappropriation of money or material in disaster-like situation invites two years of jail with fine.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Congress, saying it was playing "petty politics" over the coronavirus outbreak and asked it not to mislead people. Shah's comments came hours after Congress president Sonia Gandhi criticised the government for the "unplanned" implementation of the countrywide lockdown, which, she said, caused "chaos and pain" to millions.
"Under PM @narendramodi's leadership, India's efforts to fight Coronavirus are being lauded domestically and globally. 130-crore Indians are united to defeat COVID-19. Yet, the Congress is playing petty politics. High time they think of national interest and stop misleading people," Amit Shah said.
Acute shortage: Empty racks at a grocery section of Reliance retail outlet in Pune.
With Europe under lockdown, it seems coronavirus cannot kill this cross-border romance!
At 5.40 pm, here are the latest figures and news from across the world:
* China reported 35 new imported cases of the novel coronavirus while the death toll from the COVID1-9 infections increased to 3,318.
* North Korea remains totally free of the coronavirus, a senior health official in Pyongyang told AFP.
* Italy has extended its ban on public gatherings until April 13. The death toll has risen to 13,155.
* The number of deaths in Belgium passed the 1,000 mark on Thursday.
* The coronavirus death toll in Spain surged over 10,000 after a record 950 deaths in 24 hours.
* Spain has the world's second-highest death toll after Italy.
For detailed inputs and latest developments, follow our Global coronavirus news updates April 2.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to share a small video message with Indian citizens tomorrow at 9 am. "At 9 AM tomorrow morning, I’ll share a small video message with my fellow Indians," PM Modi tweeted. PM Modi has so far made two addresses to the nation and one to the citizens of his constituency in Varanasi.
Addressing the media, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal warned of the number of COVID-19 cases shooting up in Delhi in the coming days. "Till now, there are 219 cases in the city, including 108 people from Markaz Nizamuddin," he said. "Two people who had attended the Nizamuddin event have died due to coronavirus today," Kejriwal said, adding that there are 31,307 people under self-quarantine.
A report by MoMAGIC, a data science-driven technology company, has found that a significant 68 per cent of the respondents surveyed said they are wearing masks as a preventive measure to stop the spread of coronavirus infection in India while 29 per cent of the respondents said they are still going out of their homes without any mask. About 85 per cent of the respondents said they are aware of the coronavirus and the precautions to take. When asked about if the respondents are scared of the virus, 48 per cent of the respondents said they are scared but are following basic protective measures like social distancing, washing hands regularly and wearing masks when going out to buy essentials or for an emergency.
NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power producer, has contributed Rs 257 crore to the PM-CARES fund to support the government in the fight against COVID-19. While Rs 250 crore has been given by the company, NTPC employees have also contributed Rs 7.5 crore towards the fund as their one day salary. The Power Ministry has contributed Rs 925 crore to the PM-CARES Fund. Moreover, Rs 11 crore is being spent additionally by NTPC for protective measures at various locations and towards awareness and health camps for people in the vicinity.
Here are some pictures of devotees taking darshan from outside Ram mandir in Wadala in Mumbai. The photos are taken by Prashant Nadkar
In its briefing, the MHA said about 9000 Tablighi Jamaat workers and contacts have been quarantined. Out of about 2,000 Tablighi Jamaat members in Delhi, 1,804 have been quarantined and 334 admitted to hospitals, the official said. "About 400 COVID-19 positive cases found whose epidemiological linkage can be traced to Tablighi Jamaat cluster," the official said. Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, further said guidelines have been issued for dialysis and provisions have been made for the psychosocial support of migrants.
The Home Secretary has written to states to observe the 21-day lockdown in letter and spirit. "Violations are a criminal offence," Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, MHA, said. Meanwhile, the National Informatics Centre has launched a mobile app -- Arogya Setu -- for assessing the coronavirus risk. "Privacy has been taken care of. The app is available in 11 languages," Neeta Verma, DG NIC, said.
Meanwhile, Israel's Health Minister Yaakov Litzman has been put into isolation after being tested positive for COVID-19. This has prompted all the top officials, including Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat, into self-quarantine. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier gone into self-isolation after a close aide was found to have contracted the virus, but he has so far tested negative.
Death toll due to Coronavirus in Israel reached 31 on Thursday morning. 6,211 Israelis have so far tested positive for the Virus. 107 of those are said to be in serious condition, including 83 on life support. One Israeli tourist died in Italy.
A 52-year old sweeper, who worked in Mumbai's Dharavi, has been tested positive for COVID-19. He lives in slums in Worli. He has been admitted in Seven Hills hospital. This is the second coronavirus case from Dharavi, the 500-acre urban sprawl in Mumbai. Considered as Asia's largest slum, Dharavi is home to more than 15 lakh people. On Wednesday, a 56-year-old Dharavi man had succumbed at Sion hospital.
In his meeting with chief ministers of various states on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the next few weeks, testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine should remain the focus areas. "PM Modi highlighted the necessity of maintaining the supply of essential medical products, availability of raw material for the manufacture of medicines and medical equipment," a statement by the Prime Minister's Office said, reported PTI. "Imperative to work on a war footing, identify COVID-19 hotspots, encircle them, ensure the virus doesn't spread," PM Modi further said.
The Health Secretary apprised the dignitaries of a rise in cases in India, the spread of cases from Nizamuddin Markaz and preparations to tackle medical cases arising out of the further spread of the virus. While the CMs joined the meeting through video-conference, PM Modi was accompanied in New Delhi by Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Here are some more images of drones being used in south Delhi's Nizamuddin to sanitise the area.
Authorities use drones with packs of 5-litre disinfectants to sanitise parts of Nizamuddin, which has emerged as the hotspot for coronavirus outbreak in the national capital. Fifty-three people who took part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz last month have tested positive for coronavirus till now.
Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research has issued an interim advisory for use of rapid antibody test of the population in hotspot areas, reports our correspondent Kaunain Sheriff. The advisory states that antibody positives are to be confirmed by RT-PCR using throat or nasal swab. Importantly, the ICMR guidelines state that antibody negatives to be quarantined at home. The government has ramped up testing in 10 identified “hotspots” where “unusual” transmission has been detected. Of these, two — Dilshad Garden and Nizamuddin — are in Delhi, the others being Noida, Meerut, Bhilwara, Ahmedabad, Kasaragod, Pathanamthitta, Mumbai and Pune.
Meanwhile, here is another report by Kaunain Sheriff, where he interviews AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria. Lockdown strains economy, but the key to containing the virus, Guleria says. READ FULL INTERVIEW
Here is some good news for the residents of Karnataka. No new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in the state from 5 pm on April 1 to 10 am on April 2. Karnataka has so far reported 110 cases.
Now, here is a "sound" way of spreading awareness of coronavirus. One of India’s best-known rappers Emiway Bantai has joined the chorus of voices urging people to stay at home with a single title ‘Khatam Karona (End it na)’. The 3-minute-17-second-long song has the sometimes-controversial rapper talking about how COVID-19 is not a virus but a result of humans destroying nature and its resources. READ
Watch the video here:
Meanwhile, in the national capital, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) has been deployed for disinfecting the Nizamuddin area, which has emerged as the hotspot for coronavirus outbreak in the national capital. Fifty-three people who took part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz last month have tested positive for coronavirus till now. According to Atul Garg, director of DFS, the fire department personnel involved in the process have been provided with masks and gloves.
With healthcare workers and medics at the frontline of the battle against coronavirus, Pyramids in Egypt were lit up this week to show support for them. In India, people across the nation had clapped, rang bells and blew conch shells on March 22 in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for thanking those at the forefront of the fight against the novel coronavirus.
Coming back to India, a three-day-old boy has tested positive for COVID-19 in Mumbai, becoming the state's youngest coronavirus patient, reports our Mumbai correspondent Tabassum Barnagarwala. The toddler is 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. The mother has also tested positive. The newborn was delivered at the Chembur-based hospital on March 26. The family claimed no pediatrician had visited the baby and the mother at Kasturba Hospital – the nodal centre for COVID-19 cases in Mumbai – since they had been admitted there. READ THE FULL STORY HERE
In Japan, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said the government would send two reusable face masks to every home in the country as part of an effort to deal with the chronic shortage of masks. Meanwhile, Tokyo reported over 95 coronavirus infections on Thursday, the highest number of cases reported in a single day so far.