Updated: March 30, 2020 10:52:15 pm
Migrant labourers at Chambal Dholpur Border in Rajasthan after the lockdown over the coronavirus. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav).
India Coronavirus Latest Update: Even as the number of coronavirus cases in India crossed 1,250, the Health Ministry on Monday reiterated that COVID-19 is still in the local transmission stage in India and that there has been “no community transmission as of now”. “If there will be a community transmission we will want to covey it to the community through you (media) to increase the level of alertness and management for COVID-19 at the field level,” said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry.
Attributing the slow pace of rise in cases to people’s participation in strictly following the social distancing guidelines and the nationwide lockdown, Agarwal said, “It took 12 days for cases to rise from 100 to 1,000 in our country, whereas seven other developed nations having lesser population than us have seen multiple increase,” he said.
Three more coronavirus-linked deaths were reported from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Bengal taking the nationwide toll to 32, while the number of cases spiked to 1251 as the lockdown to break the transmission chain of the infection entered its sixth day. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 1117, while 101 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated, the Health Ministry stated.
PM holds video-conference with 130 Indian missions abroad on COVID-19
Extraordinary times require extraordinary solutions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a video conference on Monday with 130 Indian missions abroad while referring to the 21-day nationwide lockdown to fight coronavirus. In a nearly 75-minute interaction, Modi said India had taken “unprecedented” and early steps from mid-January to reduce the risk of importing the coronavirus infection and prevent a large outbreak. He said it included the world’s largest quarantine and lockdown, according to the ministry of external affairs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a video conference today with Indian envoys worldwide. It was the first such event for Indian missions worldwide and was convened to discuss responses to the global COVID-19 pandemic.@IndianExpress
— Shubhajit Roy (@ShubhajitRoy) March 30, 2020
“The prime minister noted that extraordinary times require extraordinary solutions, which was why even in this globalised era, most of the world had quarantined itself,” it said.
Jain Manav Seva Mandal distribute food packets to the homeless at Kalbadevi, Mumbai, on Sunday. (Express photo/Nirmal Harindran)
Maharashtra is among the worst-affected states in the country with 218 cases and is closely followed by Kerala (213). Nagpur also reported its first case this morning. In Kerala, of the 202 cases reported till Sunday, 181 are still in hospital and only four of them needed critical care — admission in the Intensive Care Unit.
Click below to read our explainers on coronavirus | Click here to listen to our podcast on migrant workers crisis
What is the ‘rapid test’ Kerala is rolling out for Covid-19 exposure?
Explained: Where does virus go from here?
Bareilly: Migrant workers returning home sprayed with disinfectant
A video showing migrant workers being sprayed with a stream of water mixed with disinfectant upon their returning to Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly has sparked a controversy on Monday. The district administration said that the matter is being investigated and action will be taken against those responsible.
WATCH: Migrant workers who returned from Delhi showered with water mixed with Sodium Hypochlorite, which is used on large scale for surface purification, bleaching, odor removal and water disinfection. Govt says they’re investigating the matter. Report on https://t.co/XYlZoUMMsK pic.twitter.com/k90n7graZC
Reflecting on the incident, District Magistrate Nitish Kumar said that the migrant workers had come from Delhi to Satellite Bus Terminal at Bareilly where the Bareilly Nagar Nigam and Fire Brigade teams sprayed them with water mixed with Sodium Hypochlorite, which is used on large scale for surface purification, bleaching, odour removal and water disinfection. He further said that those affected are being treated under the direction of the district Chief Medical Officer.
At Kerala hospital, an outpouring of love as five test negative and return home
Emotional scenes played out outside the general hospital at Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district Monday as doctors, nurses and other health staff bid goodbye to five members of a family who were discharged after testing negative for novel coronavirus. A 25-year-old man, his parents aged 55 and 53, and two of their relatives were allowed to leave the isolation ward at the general hospital after their swab samples tested negative twice for coronavirus.
Gujarat: 34 booked for assembling to offer namaz
The Narmada police Sunday booked 34 people for assembling to offer namaz at a madrasa in Rajpipla. The gathering was spotted by a drone camera used by the police as a surveillance tool to identify those violating prohibitory orders in place to contain the spread of COVID-19.
“On spotting the gathering outside the madrasa our team reached the spot and all the 34 present were booked for violating prohibitory orders under IPC section 188. No arrests have been made,” CM Gamit, police sub-inspector, said.
Migrant labourers at Chambal Dholpur Border in Rajasthan after the lockdown over the coronavirus. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
Punjab reports third death
A 42-year-old woman from Ludhiana died at GMCH Patiala after testing positive for the virus. This was the third death due to the COVID-19 in the state.
#Punjab: Third Coronavirus death in state. A 42-year old woman from Ludhiana dies at GMCH Patiala after testing positive for Covid-19 today. Another Patiala man tested positive with travel history to Dubai. Punjab total now 41, deaths: 3 @IndianExpress
— Divya Goyal (@divya5521) March 30, 2020
On Sunday, a 62-year-old patient died at the Government Medical College Hospital in Amritsar. He had co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. “After getting positive with COVID-19, he was suffering from fever, cough and breathlessness. Then patient had a cardiac arrest. He couldn’t be revived and died at 8:30 pm,” said Civil Surgeon, Amritsar, Prabhdeep Kaur Johal. He was referred to Amritsar last week.
After Yogi’s visit, Noida DM transferred for ‘failing to contain coronavirus spread’
The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday transferred Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate BN Singh hours after he sought a three-month leave due to “personal reasons”. The development came on a day Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath rapped officials in Gautam Buddh Nagar on the knuckles for not being able to contain the spread of novel coronavirus in the district, which has been hit the hardest with 38 cases so far.
Surat: Textile workers turn violent after being barred from going home
Surat city police lobbed 30 tear gas shells to disperse an angry mob of textile factory workers who attacked the cops when stopped from leaving for their homes in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states late Sunday.
A mob of around 500 came on to the streets confronting the police, which charged at them with lathis to drive them back to Pandesara, where they live in colonies. This led to stone-pelting, where three police vehicles were damaged by the angry crowd. The police later arrested 96 people on charges of rioting.
Cabinet Secretary says no plan to extend lockdown
Dismissing reports that the current 21-day lockdown would be further extended to contain the spread of COVID-19, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Monday said the Centre had “no such plans”. Public broadcaster Prasar Bharti News Service reported that Gauba expressed surprise when it reached out to him over media reports claiming that the lockdown could be extended by at least a week.
Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba had also denied the report this morning. “I’m surprised to see such reports, there is no such plan of extending the lockdown,” the government’s top bureaucrat was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The lockdown will end on April 14.
Migrant labourers continue to sit at Anand Vihar bus station in the national capital on Sunday. (Express photo/Prem Nath Pandey)
A media report had claimed that the government was mulling extending the lockdown after the mass exodus of migrants trying to reach home, despite restrictions on movement of vehicles and people. With public transport, including buses and trains shut down, caravans of migrants were seen travelling by foot on state highways.
On Sunday, the Centre asked states to ensure that there is no movement of people across cities. It also announced that the migrants who travelled to their home towns during the lockdown would be put under a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
SC seeks report from govt on steps to prevent migration of workers
With thousands of migrants taking to the roads to walk back to their native villages, the Supreme Court has sought a status report from the Centre by Tuesday on the measures taken in view of the large-scale exodus of labourers. A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao, which took up two separate PILs filed by advocates Alakh Alok Srivastava and Rashmi Bansal, observed that the migration of labourers out of panic and fear was becoming a bigger problem than the coronavirus.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said the migration of labourers needs to be stopped to prevent the spread of the virus and the Centre, as well as the states concerned, have taken the requisite steps to deal with it.
On Sunday, the Centre asked states to ensure that there is no movement of people across cities.
Delhi government to provide private hotels for doctors on COVID-19 duty in hospitals
The Delhi government will make arrangements for doctors at Lok Nayak Hospital and GB Pant hospital on COVID-19 to be housed at Hotel Lalit. An order by the Health and Family Welfare Department, Delhi stated that the cost of accomodation at the hotel will be borne by the government. “District Magistrate, New Delhi would make necessary arrangements to make 100 rooms available at the Lalit Hotel, Barakhamba Road,” read the order.
Delhi has reported 25 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday. Total number of confirmed cases in Delhi stands at 97 @IndianExpress
— Astha Saxena (@Asthasaxena88) March 30, 2020
The hotel is less than 2 kilometres away from both hospitals. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Doctors are on the frontlines of the battle against Coronavirus. All doctors serving in Delhi government’s Lok Nayak Hospital and GB Pant Hospital on COVID-19 duty will now be housed in Hotel Lalit.”
Migrant workers walk along the Maharashtra-Gujarat border to return home on Saturday. (Express photo/Amit Chakravarty)
Can a COVID-19 patient relapse after recovery?
In the last few days, there have been reports of recovered COVID-19 patients testing positive a second time. Since the exact behaviour of the novel coronavirus is still being studied, immunity against it is not fully understood. Theoretically, various factors can cause relapse in patients recovered from COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is like viruses that cause any other flu. Patients who test positive for COVID-19 develop protective antibodies. At this stage, it is not fully understood as to how the long the antibodies provide protection against the viral infection.
AIIMS trauma center to be converted into a dedicated hospital
Amid the effort to contain COVID-19, the AIIMS Trauma center in New Delhi will be converted into a dedicated hospital for the treatment of positive cases. According to the sources, training of all the healthcare workers started a month back and they will be working on a rotational basis.
“All the emergency patients coming to the Trauma center will be directed to the main AIIMS. Over the last few days, the accidental cases have drastically reduced and the last batch of the patients from the Trauma Centre was shifted to the main AIIMS on Sunday,” said Dr Amil Lathwal, medical superintendent of the hospital. So far, the hospital has not received any Covid-19 patients.
‘Happy yoga practicing’: PM Modi shares his fitness routine
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday shared links of yoga videos from his Twitter handle and urged the people to practice this during the three-week lockdown. This comes a day after the prime minister was asked about his fitness during his radio address Mann ki Baat. The yoga videos are available in different languages for people to follow them and practice easily.
During yesterday’s #MannKiBaat, someone asked me about my fitness routine during this time. Hence, thought of sharing these Yoga videos. I hope you also begin practising Yoga regularly. https://t.co/Ptzxb7R8dN
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 30, 2020
Stressing on the importance of yoga, the prime minister wrote, “I am neither a fitness expert nor a medical expert. Practising Yoga has been an integral part of my life for many years and I have found it beneficial.” He also encouraged Indians to share fitness regimes that they are implementing during the lockdown. “I am sure many of you also have other ways of remaining fit, which you also must share with others,” his tweet read.
Yogi Adityanath writes to Arvind Kejriwal for migrants living in Delhi
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has written his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, assuring him that his government will take care of those from Delhi living in Uttar Pradesh and urging the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief to look after those from his state living in the national capital. He also wrote that he hoped Delhi govt would ensure that health, security & other necessities of residents of UP, living in Delhi is looked after.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath interacts with the migrants on state border on Sunday. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastava)
Prashant Kishor demands Nitish’s resignation over treatment to migrants
Former JD(U) leader and poll startegist Prashant Kishor demanded the resignation of the Bihar chief minister on Monday, hitting out at the “heart-rending” treatment being meted out to people arriving in the state from outside.
“Another frightening picture of the government’s efforts to save people from the corona infection. This arrangement of Nitish Kumar for social distancing and quarantine of the poor people reaching Bihar from many parts of the country after facing heavy difficulties is heart-rending. Nitish must quit,” Kishor said in a tweet. He tagged a short video clip of a group of people locked inside a facility with one of them crying while sharing his troubles.
Passengers await the arrival of trains at railway stations as several rail services in Mumbai have been suspended or cancelled amid coronavirus outbreak. (Express photo)
PM appreciates Omar’s call for social distancing after his uncle’s death
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condoled the death of Omar Abdullah’s uncle and appreciated the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister’s call to supporters to respect guidelines and not gather at either his residence or the graveyard. Prayers from home will give peace to his uncle’s soul, Abdullah tweeted on Twitter on Sunday night while announcing the death of Dr Mohammed Ali Mattoo in Srinagar following a brief illness. Omar Abdullah was recently released from PSA detention.
Telangana to be coronavirus free by April 7 if no new cases emerge: KCR
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday said the state may become coronavirus-free by April 7 if no fresh cases are reported. Speaking at a press conference, the chief minister said the 25,935 people who have been quarantined and placed under surveillance would be completing their 14-day quarantine period by April 7. “After April 7, there will be no coronavirus patients if no new cases are reported now. Self-control is very important in this lockdown period,” he said.
Avoid non-essential travel
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 on 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.
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?
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