Seventeen days into the 21-day lockdown, India on Friday recorded the highest single-day spike in novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, with 896 new cases and 37 deaths. Punjab was among the early states to impose a lockdown, on March 22, two days before the central government imposed restrictions nationwide to contain the outbreak.
Over 8 lakh case count if no lockdown, MEA cites ICMR; Health says no such report
Exposing lack of coordination within the government, the Health Ministry has rejected a statement made by the Ministry of External Affairs, which had quoted a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to say that India would have had up to 8.2 lakh COVID-19 positive cases by April 15 had it not been for the 21-day nationwide lockdown. The Health Ministry on Friday said there was no such ICMR study.
ICMR asks 13 institutions to help increase coronavirus testing
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has written to 13 medical “institutions of eminence” across the country to act as “mentors” in the process of increasing testing for COVID-19 in states.
In a letter to directors of these institutions, ICMR director-general Dr Balram Bhargava stated that the move has been made after directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare “to increase capacity for COVID-19 testing in all government and private medical colleges of the country”.
Bright spot on day of record jump in Delhi: A hotspot is ‘virus-free’
On a day the capital recorded 183 new COVID-19 cases — the highest single-day jump so far — the Delhi government declared East Delhi’s Dilshad Garden “coronavirus-free”, saying no new cases have been reported in the area for the past 10 days.
Dilshad Garden had been identified as one of 10 hotspots in the country last month. This was after a 38-year-old woman, who had returned to Delhi from Saudi Arabia, tested positive for COVID-19 and was eventually linked to several others, including a mohalla clinic doctor, testing positive.
US, Brazil on first list of 13 countries to get India HCQ
The government has cleared a list of 13 countries, including the US and Brazil, that will be among the first to receive hydroxychloroquine, the drug that has garnered global interest in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. A senior official from the Ministry of External Affairs said Friday that the government had to “rationalise” exports of the drug, which has been in high demand globally, and has approved the first list of 13 countries on a “first come first serve” basis.
If China a developing country, make US too one: Trump
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Friday that if China is considered a developing country, make the United States too a developing one. He also alleged that Beijing has taken advantage of his country. “China has been unbelievably taken advantage of us and other countries. You know, for instance, they are considered a developing nation. I said well then make us a developing nation too,? Trump told reporters at his daily White House news conference on coronavirus.
In other news, France reported 43 cases of heart incidents linked to treating coronavirus patients with hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted as a potential “game changer.”
Unprecedented: Apple, Google team up on Covid-19 contact tracing
Apple and Google on Friday announced a partnership in which the two tech giants will help governments and health agencies track the spread of the coronavirus using Bluetooth technology. Both companies are launching a tracing tool for iOS and Android through which it would be easier to notify people via smartphone if they come into contact with someone with the Covid-19.
The two companies will launch an API (or developer tool) in May that will “enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities.” The apps are set to be made available via the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store. Such collaboration between the two tech giants, both running their own competing smartphones and operating systems, is unprecedented in more ways than one.
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Here’s a quick Coronavirus guide from Express Explained to keep you updated: What can cause a COVID-19 patient to relapse after recovery? | COVID-19 lockdown has cleaned up the air, but this may not be good news. Here’s why | Can alternative medicine work against the coronavirus? | A five-minute test for COVID-19 has been readied, India may get it too | How India is building up defence during lockdown | Why only a fraction of those with coronavirus suffer acutely | How do healthcare workers protect themselves from getting infected? | What does it take to set up isolation wards?
The Queen has sought to reassure the nation that “coronavirus will not overcome us” in her first Easter audio message.The monarch, who is supreme governor of the Church of England, acknowledged this Easter would be different but said “by keeping apart we keep others safe”.
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The United States overtook Italy on Saturday to become the country with the largest death toll in the coronavirus pandemic, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The outbreak has now claimed the lives of at least 18,860, people in the US, which also leads the world in the number of confirmed infections with 503,594, by the Baltimore-based school's count. (AFP)
Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu on Saturday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, about the measures undertaken by the UT Administration for management and containment of COVID-19 pandemic in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Prime Minister was interacting with Chief Ministers and heads of all States/UTs through video conferencing to review the efforts of the States/UTs to combat COVID-19.
The Lt Governor provided feedback to the PM about the COVID positive cases in J&K and steps taken by the UT Administration to maintain social distancing, ramp up healthcare infrastructure, mitigate difficulties of migrants and maintain supply of essentials. Informing PM that there have been four deaths and 224 positive cases in the UT, he said that 98 per cent of these cases have travel history or contacts of the positive patients.
In J&K, 5 districts are affected with coronavirus and 77 areas have been declared as Red Zones, he maintained.
The Delhi Government on Saturday declared areas around H.No-A 176, Deoli Extension, A-30 Mansarovar Garden and Street nos. 1 to 10, C block, Jahangirpuri as 'containment zones' after COVID19 patients were diagnosed. Total number of containment zones in Delhi is now 33. Office of Sub-divisional Magistrate, Saket, Delhi Govt clarified that the entire affected area around H. NoA- 176, Deoli Extension, is declared as 'containment area' after COVID19 positive cases were found.
The Centre is likely to categorise the country into red, orange and green zones depending on the number of COVID-19 cases during the proposed extended period of lockdown and might allow limited services to function in the safe zones. Officials privy to the discussions during the four-hour-long conference with chief ministers, convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that schools and colleges would remain shut but some small scale industries and liquor shops may be allowed to function. There was near unanimity in extending the ongoing 21-day lockdown, which is till April 30, and the central government is likely to categorise the country into three zones -- red, orange and green -- depending on the number of COVID-19 cases, an official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told PTI.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chnadrashekhar Rao extended lockdown in his state til April 30, soon after the conclusion of the video conference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state chief minister. With this, a total of six states including West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha and Punjab have made it to the list of governments announsing extension of the current lockdown to conatin the spread of coronavirus.
Karnataka on Saturday announced the extension of the lockdown till April 30 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. After a four-hour-long video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said that the lockdown in the state will continue till April 30 but relaxations will be allowed in a graded manner. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Saturday contributed Rs 1 lakh each to PM CARES Fund, Karnataka and Kerala Chief Minister’s relief funds from his pension, towards fighting COVID-19. Read the full story here
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced extension of the lockdown till April 30, soon after a video-conference Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with CMs of different states where a broad consensus emerged about expanding the duration of the shutdown amid spurting COVID-19 cases. (PTI)
Gujarat's Bharuch records its 8th COVID-19 case. A Maulvi from Parkhet village in Bharuch taluka tests positive. He, along with 13 others, had attended the funeral of a Tablighi member in Bhavnagar during lockdown, District Collector M Modhiya told The Indian Express.
National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHRSCL) handed over the hostel building of High Speed Rail Training Institute with 77 furnished rooms in Vadodara to the VMC to be used as back up for COVID-19 isolation as more sampling from cluster containment zones underway.
Locals in areas like Narkeldanga and Belgachia are using guard rails and rickshaw vans to block entry and exit lanes into neighborhoods. (Express photo: Partha Paul)
Of seven Covid-19 positive cases in Goa, one has recovered, while four were tested again and have come negative. Two continue to be active cases.
In a first such case, a 28-year-old woman from Akhnoor was tested positive on Saturday, a day after she had delivered a baby at UT government run SMGS Hospital. A senior doctor said that the woman was asymptomatic. Both the mother and child were healthy, but they have been kept in isolation in view of former’s testing positive, he added. He said that there was nothing to panic as doctors at the SMGS Hospital have been wearing personal protective kits while doing surgeries in operation theatres. As a precautionary measure, the operation theatre and the ward she was kept have been sanitised, he added.
However, the incident has sound alarm bells as SMGS hospital is the main hospital dealing with paediatric and gynae cases in Jammu province. The hospital is always crowed with patients and that is the cause of concern, attendant of a patient there said.(Express report by Arun Sharma from Jammu)
In Tamil Nadu, 17 districts have been marked as high risk areas (Red zone). 58 new cases have been reported on Saturday taking the total to 969. Here is district-wise details of COVID-19 positive cases in Tamil Nadu.
Two SHOs have been suspended after the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, found that they could not implement social distancing norms at vegetable markets in their areas. All SHOs have been asked to focus on markets, ATMs, slum clusters, and ration shops to prevent any gathering.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Saturday has reportedly raised the issue of racial discrimination facing by the people of the Northeast across the country amid the COVID-19 outbreak, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video conference with chief ministers of all the states. A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s secretariat said N Biren Singh took to the notice of the Prime Minister and the chief ministers that around 30,000 people from Manipur alone are stranded in different parts of the country due to the current lockdown and that many people from the region are facing different types of harassment.
Stating that the names of Manipuri students and people with the addresses of places they are putting up are being forwarded to the states concerned, N Biren requested the respective chief ministers to look after them.
The Nagaland Civil Secretariat and Directorates in Kohima and Dimapur and all Government offices in the districts shall resume functioning, with skeletal staff from Monday, April 13, confirmed Temjen Toy Chief Secretary, Nagaland.
He directed concerned heads of offices to work out a roster system for attendance. Those not attending office on a particular day will have to be available on telephone and electronic means of communication at all times. The order also added that “adequate arrangements are to be made for ensuring adherence to all social/physical distancing and necessary health safety measures in the offices.” The state has not reported a positive COVID-19 case yet.
An important graph of Kerala from the Covid-19 tracker site, showing the curve of active cases, not just flattening, but going down over the last few days. However, the spectre of the virus hasn't vanished yet. Kasaragod, with 136 patients, remains a concern.
Haryana is going to ease restrictions, at least in some districts, in the coming days, as the Centre is considering extending the lockdown beyond April 14 for the next two weeks. The state shall be divided in three categories and the districts with negligible number of coronavirus cases will have maximum relaxations, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced on Saturday after participating in a video conference call with prime minister Narendra Modi.
Khattar, however, added that restrictions on movement of people shall continue to remain in force. “Prime minister has said that it is difficult to stop economic activities of any states. He has given indications that we shall enforce this lockdown in phased manner,” Khattar said. Read more
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said he will wait for Primw Minister's decision on lockdown extension. Addressing the media after meeting with PM, Vijayan said that some districts may go for relaxation measures, however, lockdown will continue in hotspots like Kasaragod.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said her state is in favour of extending lockdown till the end of April 30. After the video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said the PM too had spoken about extending the nationwide lockdown till April 30, as the next two weeks are going to be "crucial and critical" in battling the COVID-19 pandemic
"After explaining the situation in Maharashtra, I told PM Modi (during video conference) that I will continue the lockdown in state till April 30," said Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray. He also indicated that the lockdown may continue in Maharashtra even after April 30 if people do not co-operate and situation does not improve. "I am saying lockdown will continue 'at least' till April 30. I am using the word 'at least' deliberately and giving emphasis on it. It means that if the people follow the discipline and avoid crowding at market places, then we may be able to prevent the spreading of virus," said Thackeray.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Saturday announced that the lockdown in his state would continue till April 30. During this extended period, restrictions imposed would be relaxed for some places and stringent for others, Thackeray added.
From poster making to painting and writing slogans, or composing poem, the State Legal Services Authority has planned various online activities for children in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh during the current lockdown.
Keeping in view of ongoing lockdown of 21 days and the uncertainty over whether it would be lifted on April 14 or not, a number of activities including online competitions have been planned by SLSA, said its Member Secretary M K Sharma. For this, it has launched a creative activity forum “Activity Karo Na” in collaboration with the Directorates of School Education in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh to encourage youngsters in the age group of 3-15 years to remain positive and foster creative skills, he added. Read more
A COVID-19-positive patient from Assam admitted in Government Medical College and Hospital of Akola allegedly committed suicide in the bathroom of the isolation ward in the hospital on Saturday morning. "Mohammad Zaharul Islam Hasan Ali (30) from Salpada village of Assam's Nagaon district had himself approached the health authorities and was admitted to the isolation ward on April 7. He tested positive for coronavirus on Friday. On Saturday morning, he was found lying in the ward's bathroom with a neck injury. He was rushed to the operation theatre, where he died of excessive bleeding during surgery," Akola Collector Jitendra Papalkar told The Indian Express. Read more
According to government sources, most states requested PM to extend the lockdown for two more weeks. "The central government is considering this request. Lockdown relief likely with opening of inter district routes wherever virus spread is in control," sources added.
"Rapid test kits have not arrived so far, we’ve been told it will come in two-three days," Dr R R Gangakhedkar said when asked about availability of rapid test kits.
In India,1,035 new cases and 40 deaths were reported in last 24 hours, Agarwal said. "We have 7447 cases today. It would have been 45,000 without lockdown. Would have been 2 lakh without any measures," he added.
India has tested 16,564 samples on Friday, of which 14,210 samples were tested in ICMR, Delhi labs, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Stating that India so far has 586 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals with over one lakh isolation and 11,000 isolation beds, Agarwal said these numbers are going up.
"PM told us that we must not compromise on lockdown and we are receiving suggestions for extending it for next 15 days. PM said in next 1-2 days Govt of India will announce guidelines for next 15 days," Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on meeting of PM Modi with state CMs.
Home ministry has written to states again to give police security to healthcare workers wherever required, said Punya Salila Srivastava Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.
Claiming that industries in Gujarat have implemented the government orders to not layoff employees or to cut their wages, the state government on Friday said that 20,214 firms have paid Rs. 1,269 crore as salaries to 7.35 lakh workers in the state during lockdown. “If I can give a glimpse of how owners of industrial establishments and shop owners are cooperating with the state government, then so far 20,214 units have paid Rs. 1,264 crore as salaries to 7.38 lakh workers. This is a perfect example of how the industrial sector is implementing the requests and orders made by the state government,” Ashwini Kumar, secretary to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told media persons in Gandhinagar on Friday. Click here to read the full story
After the the meeting of PM Modi with the state CMs through video conference concluded, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: "PM has taken correct decision to extend lockdown. Today, India’s position is better than many developed countries because we started lockdown early. If it is stopped now, all gains would be lost. To consolidate, it is imp to extend it."
After a gap of three days, another case of coronavirus was reported in Haryana’s Palwal district on Saturday morning. “The person who has tested positive had returned from the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi, and his sample had been taken after the administration was alerted about this fact. He had immediately been isolated and has tested positive today,” said Palwal Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Brahmdeep Singh. “We have received results of 10 samples today, of which the other nine are negative. A total of 207 samples have been sent for testing so far,” he said. Read more
Olympian Dipa Karmakar, who became famous with her Produnova Vault in 2016 Rio Olympics, is spending time exercising, keeping fit at her home in Ujan Abhoynagar in Agartala city even as gymnasiums and fitness centres have shut down for COVID-19 lockdown.
Speaking to reporters at her residence this morning, Karmakar said, “We all know the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been postponed to 2021 for coronavirus outbreak. My gymnastics qualifiers were over in 2019. Two world cups were left ahead. My full priority now is to stay fit for these next two World Cup events. I am staying indoors, following the fitness programme sent by my coach Bisweswar Nandi Sir."
Singapore has expressed gratitude to India for facilitating evacuation of its 699 residents, who returned home on special chartered flights on Friday and Saturday. The Singapore High Commission in New Delhi, Singapore Consulate-General in Mumbai, and the Singapore Consulate-General in Chennai coordinated the evacuation and ground operations in India. Due to the national lockdown across India, many of the Singapore residents had to travel from surrounding states to reach the airports in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai where the chartered flights operated. "The Singapore Government would like to express gratitude to the Indian government for facilitating the safe return of our Singapore residents," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Saturday.
Deserted view of ISBT Shimla during Nationwide lockdown in wake of coronavirus pandemic, Shimla on Saturday. (Express photos by Pradeep Kumar)
Supreme Court Bar Association resolves to appeal to Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and his companion judges to cancel SC summer vacation to make up for the days lost on account of the lockdown.
An 80-year-old man died in Mumbai's Dharavi out of coronavirus. This is the fourth death in the area, which is known to be Asia's largest slum.
Pigeons flying above a wheat farm on the outskirts of Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali). Pigeons are damaging the standing wheat crop which is almost ready to be harvested, but farmers are finding themselves helpless due to lack of farm labourers, most of them migrated to their natives after the fallout of Coronavirus scare. (Express Photos by Jasbir Malhi)
Cheered by her doctors, 93-year-old Alye Gunduz was discharged from an Istanbul hospital after recovering from the novel coronavirus following 10 days of treatment. Her recovery from the disease that is killing chiefly the old offered some hope to health workers at Istanbul's Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty hospital as they battle the outbreak, which risks hitting Turkey hard. "It is promising because patients at this age and with chronic diseases are most of the time unable to recover because they are at highest risk from COVID-19," chief physician Zekayi Kutlubay told AFP.
South Korea announced plans Saturday to strap tracking wristbands on people who defy quarantine orders and Christians were urged to stay home on Easter weekend as the global coronavirus death toll passed 100,000. South Korean officials said stricter controls are required because some of the 57,000 people who are under orders to stay home have slipped out by leaving behind smartphones with tracking apps. Plans for broader use of wristbands were scaled back after objections by human rights and legal activists. Worldwide, confirmed infections rose to 1.7 million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
If the Centre decides to extend the nationwide lockdown imposed to combat coronavirus, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will welcome the move, party supremo Mayawati said on Saturday. "If after serious review, the 21-day nationwide lockdown imposed in view of COVID-19, is extended by the Centre, then the BSP will welcome it," she said in a series of tweets in Hindi. Mayawati also appealed to the central and the state governments to rise above caste, religion and party politics at this hour of national crisis and keep in mind the interests of the poor, the weaker sections, labourers, farmers, etc., and help them before taking any decision. -- PTI
Pakistan is set to receive more medical supplies from its all-weather ally China to fight the coronavirus outbreak in the country where the COVID-19 cases have sharply increased to 4,788 and death toll reached 71, officials said on Saturday. The Ministry of National Health Services, in an early morning update on its website, reported that five patients died of coronavirus in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases on Saturday rose to 4,788 with more than 190 fresh infections. The death toll from COVID-19 has reached 71. As many as 762 have recovered while 50 were in critical condition, it said. -- PTI
The opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday urged the state government to take a cue from Punjab and Odisha and extend the ongoing lockdown enforced in the state to stem the spread of coronavirus till April-end. DMK President M K Stalin's demand came on a day when the state cabinet under Chief Minister K Palaniswami is likely to take a call on extending the lockdown. --PTI
Authorities in New York, the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in the US, are burying unclaimed bodies quickly to clear space in the city's morgues, where mortal remains of COVID-19 patients are piling up, according to a media report. A report in The New York Times said every Thursday was burial day on Hart Island, the final resting place off the Bronx for New York City's unclaimed dead. "But as with many things, coronavirus has changed all that," it said. Burials are now being done five days a week at Hart Island, with roughly 25 bodies lowered into trenches each day, according to a city official.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has urged governments to put women and girls at the centre of their efforts to recover from COVID-19, fearing that the limited gains in gender equality and women’s rights made over decades are in danger of getting reversed due to the pandemic. “I urge governments to put women and girls at the centre of their efforts to recover from COVID-19. That starts with women as leaders, with equal representation and decision-making power,” Guterres said.
China shields Pakistan from international pressures to end cross-border terrorism. And it is India’s partners in the West and the Muslim world that are helping Delhi cope better with violent extremism. These partnerships don’t fit into the paradigms that dominate the public discourse on India’s foreign policy. India needs all the pragmatism it can muster to pursue its interests in a world where all the major global institutions — from the WHO to the WTO — are experiencing unprecedented turmoil and are heading towards an inevitable restructuring, writes C Raja Mohan. Click here to read the column
As India brings more people under the ambit of testing, it is critical that testing regimens and the surveillance mechanisms of healthcare authorities take into account the epidemiological, social and demographic realities, while making the best use of stretched resources. Click here to read the full Editorial
A Karnataka minister and his wife, who were seen sweeping roads in their locality amid the lockdown, are lauded as heroes for ‘upholding the dignity of labour. Setting an example, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, S Suresh Kumar and his wife cleaned the road amid the lockdown, earning praise from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner B H Anil Kumar and others. READ MORE
As scientists and health workers are trying to put an end to the pandemic, various global IT firms, organisations and the Human Resource Development Ministry are also on the lookout for ideas and innovations to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
The government of India has launched the hackathon ‘Samhar-Covid19’, organised by the Ministry of Information and Technology (IT), which aims to find a solution to the pandemic using new-age technologies including artificial intelligence (AI). Speaking to indianexpress.com, AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe said the purpose of organising hackathons is to get innovative ideas to deal with the global pandemic. Read More
India on Saturday reacted strongly to the United Nation’s call for the government to fight “stigmatization of certain sects of people”, with an Indian representative to the body saying the remark was “highly objectionable” as “such matters are being looked after by the government, enlightened citizens and the civil society in the country.”
J S Raput, India’s representative in the UNESCO Executive Board, also said that most of the global bodies were “untenable and unsuitable” for the current period and that India would play a key role in them post COVID-19 era.
After a gap of 3 days, another person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Palwal today, with officials saying he had attended the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi last month. A total of 29 cases have emerged in Palwal so far, of which 1 person has recovered.
Several complaints of irregularities in food grains distribution from various districts in Jharkhand. CM Hemant Soren directs all DCs to constitute a special monitoring team to conduct surprise checks of PDS shops, take strict action against the erring dealers.
In a clear violation of the 21-day nationwide lockdown, a BJP MLA in Karnataka was spotted celebrating his birthday with 100 others in a government school in Tumakuru district on Friday. Media reports suggested that police was also present at the spot to provide security to the legislator. Turuvekere MLA Masale Jayaram held a grand celebration, photos of which have now gone viral, in a government school in Idaguru village, CS Pura Hobli in Gubbi tamluk, six kilometres away from the state capital.
The highest number of infections have been reported from Maharashtra (1,574), followed by Tamil Nadu (911), and New Delhi (903). Maharashtra has also reported the highest number of deaths (110) till date. Madhya Pradesh has the second largest share of deaths (33), followed by Gujarat (19). Follow India updates here
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday recommended extension of the national lockdown by at least a fortnight, while suggesting a slew of health and relief measures to the people in the state’s COVID-19 battle, in addition to special concessions for industry and agriculture sectors on an urgent basis. Participating in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Video Conference with all the Chief Ministers, Captain Amarinder pointed out that there was huge uncertainty about the likely incidence of disease and the nation was in for a long fight. --ENS
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has suggested that the nationwide lockdown be extended till April 30, sources said. PM Modi held a meeting with all state chief ministers through video conference on Saturday. Kejriwal, sources said, told the PM that the lockdown should be nationwide as COVID-19 spread could not be controlled by states individually and the extension was necessary as the number of cases was growing each day. On Friday, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had said that Delhi will wait for the centre to decide whether the lockdown should be extended as it is not a decision that states could take unilaterally.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has started a Mobile Sanitizer Bus which will be deployed in various places in Bengaluru.
A decision on extending the lockdown in Delhi will depend on the Centre’s position on the matter, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said Friday. After Odisha extended its lockdown till April 30, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Friday that the state will extend restrictions till May 1. Sisodia said that a final decision on the matter will be taken after the PM’s meeting with Chief Ministers on Saturday morning.