A policeman sanitising on fellow personnel at UP-Delhi border on Tuesday. (Express photo by Prem Nath Pandey)
Coronavirus India: A day after some relaxation was allowed to the extended lockdown period, Noida on Tuesday joined Ghaziabad in sealing its border with Delhi. Essential goods, government officials that have valid passes, ambulances, mediapersons with passes and doctors remain the only exception.
The central government will be conducting a telephonic survey on the coronavirus pandemic calling up citizens on their mobile phones across the country. This will be carried out by NIC and calls will be made from the number 1921.
The death toll due to the coronavirus pandemic in India rose to 603 Tuesday while the total number of confirmed cases nearing the 19,000 mark to reach 18,985 including 3,259 people who have been treated and discharged, according to the latest data by the health ministry. Maharashtra tops the tally with 232 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 77, Madhya Pradesh at 76, Delhi at 47, Rajasthan at 25, Telangana at 23 and Andhra Pradesh at 22. Globally, there are over 2.4 million infections with 170,261 deaths.
The ICMR Tuesday said it would advice the states to not use the rapid test kits for two days after Rajasthan stopped using the kits for delivering inaccurate results. In its daily press briefing, ICMR’s Dr R R Gangakhedkar said, “Too much variations were being reported in results of rapid test kits. In next two days, kits will be tested and validated in the field by our teams. States will be advised not to use these kits for two days. ICMR will give advisory on its use in two days.”
Meanwhile, a housekeeping staff member working at the Lok Sabha secretariat tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday and was admitted to the Safdarjung hospital.
On the international front, a total of 2,475,871 confirmed cases have been reported from across the globe with the US reporting the highest number of cases at 786,638 followed by Spain (200,210), Italy (181,228), France (156,480) and Germany (147,065).
Coronavirus LIVE updates: Health workers at Tikonia village near Indra nagar area of Lucknow.
Coronavirus LIVE updates: Futures in New York traded at around $1 a barrel after sinking to as low as minus $40.32 a barrel during Monday’s jaw-dropping collapse.
Vadodara has reported its 10th death due to the novel coronavirus, taking the total number of cases to 198. 63 year old man from Methi gaam, Karjan taluka of the district, died after testing positive on Tuesday. He had co-morbidity with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease.
Allegations made against Delhi’s Lok Nayak Hospital on Monday by family of a COVID-19 patient were not “ingrained in facts” but stemmed from “emotional distress,” a report by the hospital administration said Tuesday.
The daughter and wife of the patient, residing in Jahangirpuri, had alleged mismanagement and delay in treatment on behalf of the hospital authorities. The daughter had said that the patient was not given food for several hours and that he was not given proper care despite running a fever of 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday junked a plea which sought free treatment for all COVID-19 patients and warned the petitioner “do not create publicity interest litigation”. A bench comprising Justices N.V. Ramana, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and B.R. Gavai, which heard the petition through video conferencing, said the court does not have any fund and that it was for the government to decide whom to treat free and whom not.
Justice Kaul pointed out that the treatment was already free in government hospitals and added “we think this case should close now, no need to raise any litigation like this”. The bench also dismissed a plea which sought regulation of price of masks and hand sanitisers,
The court which took strong exception told the petitioner who was a lawyer that lack of legal work did not mean he could file petitions of such nature and added that it was of the mind to impose costs for wasting the court’s time. However, it spared him of any cost.
The court also delcined to entertain the prayer by an animal rights activists who contended that the lockdown was affecting food supply to animals in zoos. Justice Kaul obseved that animals in zoos too had to be looked after but added that it was for the government to do the needful.
A total of 4,62,621 samples from 4,47,812 individuals have been tested for novel coronavirus as on April 21. Today, on 21 April 2020, till 9 PM IST 26,943 samples have been reported.
After Ghaziabad, Noida has sealed its border with Delhi. Essential goods, government officials that have valid passes, ambulances, mediapersons with passes and doctors remain the only exception.
Treatment facilities for seeds, horticulture produce, research establishments, honey bee colonies allowed to open during lockdown: MHA
A 52-year-old woman from Taljai died of respiratory failure linked to coronavirus on Tuesday, while Sassoon General Hospital registered the death of a COVID-19 patient, a 57-year-old woman from Kondhwa, on Monday. With the two deaths in two days, the death toll in Pune has risen to 54.
The 52-year-old woman was admitted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital on April 19 and had hypertension, said Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant medical officer of health at Pune Municipal Corporation. She passed away on Tuesday due to COVID-19-related complications.
At Sassoon General Hospital, authorities said the total number of deaths were 43. The 57-year-old woman from Kondhwa was admitted on April 19 and she had co-morbidities like diabetes. While she died on at 2.20 pm on Monday, the swab sample taken from her tested positive hours later, on Monday night.
Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, on April 21 said that 2,081 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Delhi till April 20. Out of these, 431 have been recovered and 47 have lost their lives due to the virus. Currently, there are 1,603 active cases in national capital.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned hearing on petitions seeking restoration of 4G Internet services in Jammu and Kashmir in view of the COVID-19 situation with the centre stating that “militancy is still” being reported from the region and that the issue involved question of “national security”.
Attorney General K K Venugopal told a bench of Justices N V Ramana, R Subhash Reddy and B R Gavai that it is a “very serious issue”. He submitted that when a militant was killed recently, a large number of people came for the funeral and that the militants were being made into martyrs.
Kerala today saw a spike in the number of Coronavirus cases being reported with 19 new cases being confirmed today. Ten of the new cases are from Kannur district, four in Palakkad district, three from Kasargod district, and one each in Malappuram and Kollam districts. Of these, 13 persons have returned from abroad, three from Tamil Nadu and one from Uttar Pradesh. The rest two are cases of local transmission.
At the same time, 16 patients under treatment have recovered from the disease. Seven patients from Kannur district, four each in Kasargod and Kozhikode districts, and one from Thiruvananthapuram district are those whose test results came as negative.
The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Kerala till date is 426 and currently, 117 patients are undergoing treatment in various hospitals across the State. 307 patients have so far recovered from Coronavirus.
Emirates announces new pandemic induced dress code for staff.
Government of India to conduct a telephone survey on prevalence of Covid-19.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that bedside attendants, care givers of senior citizens residing in their homes allowed to offer services during lockdown. It also said that recharge facilities for prepaid mobile connections will also be allowed during lockdown.
Bread factories, milk processing plants, flour, dal mills in urban areas allowed to function during lockdown, MHA added. (PTI)
The second COVID-19 patient of Manipur, who tested negative for the virus after two consecutive tests, was discharged on Tuesday.
The first test was conducted on the 56-year-old man from Thoubal district, on Saturday followed by a second test on Sunday which also came negative. While he was discharged from the Isolation ward of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), surveillance over him will continue, said Manipur health department.
The man who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi tested positive on April 1 making him the second positive case in the state. He returned to Imphal from Delhi on March 11. He was evacuated to RIMS on March 31.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh appealed to the people never to take it easy with the notion that the state has zero positive case now.
The Chief Minister said that the long battle against deadly Coronavirus is just a beginning which requires a systematic approach to come out victorious.
N Biren Singh on Tuesday said that the state government has also mooted on the feasibility of opening a grocery kiosk in selected border areas to prevent people from crossing border to purchase essential items.
He said that Manipur needs to maintain extra vigil along its border areas to check incoming of infected persons as even slight negligence may lead to an unmanageable situation. Singh said that he had directed Director General of Police L.M. Khaute to reinforce with more police force in Churachandpur district to increase the number of check posts.
Despite accounting for a fifth of the world’s population (21 per cent), the eight SAARC nations — India, Pakistan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan — account for just 1.28 per cent of the world total of 24,80,503 coronavirus cases. In terms of fatalities, the SAARC total is nearly half a percentage point (0.54 per cent) or 937 of the total of 1,70,397 people who have died of the infection worldwide, according to data by worldometers.
The SAARC countries have recorded much lower infection rates in the region compared to the worst affected countries, including the US, Italy, Spain, the UK, Iran and China.
However, the number of coronavirus cases in the SAARC region is growing by an average of 8.61 per cent as compared to the world average rate of 3.66 per cent. Moreover, cases are doubling in the SAARC region in less than half the number of days (8.36 days) than the global average of 19.65 days. Read more
Four more people have tested positive for Coronavirus in Gurgaon today. Total cases in the district now 41, of which 26 have recovered.
Two persons died due to the coronavirus in Pune on Tuesday. 42 cases were detected today while 19 were discharged after they were cured of the virus.
As per relaxation criteria for lockdown advised by Government of India, about 53 industries resumed production at Bodhjungnagar industrial growth centre, RK Nagar, Dukli and Badharghat areas.
A press statement issued from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) today informed that the industrial activities were resumed whilst maintaining social distancing and other public hygienic measures. At the same time, construction of Water Supply treatment plants at Usha Baazar and Panchmukh were started using the migrant labourers available in the city as well.
‘Due to starting of industrial and urban development works, much needed relief is granted to entrepreneurs, contractors as well as employees who were waiting for more than 3 weeks”, the statement said.
Tea estates and brick kilns were allowed to operate from last week itself with involvement of over 35,000 labourers.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to allow Punjab pilgrims stranded in Nanded in Maharashtra to return home, This comes after Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said the Centre’s permission was required for the return of the pilgrims.
In his letter, CM Amarinder Singh said he had already spoken to his Uddhav over telephone in this regard as a follow-up to his earlier letter of March 25. The chief minister also apprised Shah that the pilgrims, mostly belonging to farming families, were extremely anxious to return to Punjab in view of the Rabi harvesting season, which had commenced in the state from April 15.
The Chief Minister assured the Union Minister that all the pilgrims, on their arrival in Punjab, would be screened and quarantined as per the Centre's health protocol.
The Dharavi slum sprawl in Mumbai on Tuesday reported 12 new COVID-19 cases with one death, a senior BMC official said. With this, the total number of the coronavirus-afflicted people in this congested locality reached 180.
The number of the deceased has gone up to 12 with a 62-year-old man succumbing to the coronavirus infection earlier in the day, the official said.
The new cases, including three women patients, were found in Mukund Nagar, Madina Nagar, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, and Muslim Nagar localities of Dharavi. (PTI)
No new COVID-19 cases reported in Bengaluru for the last three days. Over half of the total 89 cases confirmed in the city so far have recovered from the infection.
Fire erupted in Ripon Palace Hotel at Belasis Road in Mumbai Central. This hotel is declared Covid Care Center.
Civic officials have said that 25 people are quarantined in this hotel. Fire has been brought under control.
In Jammu and Kashmir, 12 new cases - 11 from Kashmir and one from Jammu division (Kathua) - were reported. 10 recoveries too. Total cases now 380. Jammu Division-56 and Kashmir Division-324.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Tuesday handed over one lakh surgical masks to AIIMS for the use of its staffers, officials said.
The three-layered masks have been prepared at a CRPF facility in the national capital by the family welfare association of the paramilitary.
The country's largest paramilitary force had set up a mechanised masks-making automated machine in order to produce the face cover at a rapid pace for supply to not only its nationwide units but also to other organisations.
"These three-ply surgical face masks will play a pivotal role in safeguarding the lives of our frontline healthcare workers, one of the precious resources in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic," Medical Superintendent of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) D K Sharma said in a communication thanking the force. (PTI)
The Centre on Tuesday directed the West Bengal government not to obstruct the work of two central teams visiting the state for an on-the-spot assessment of implementation of lockdown measures taken to fight novel coronavirus.
The home ministry said the West Bengal government is not cooperating with the central teams visiting the state to assess the ground situation and are specifically restraining them from interacting with health workers and touring the affected areas.
The Centre has directed the West Bengal government not to obstruct working of central teams in reviewing and making on the spot assessment of the implementation of lockdown measures, an official statement said.
The ruling Trinamool Congress, however, dubbed the visit of the central teams as "adventure tourism" and asked why such delegations were not sent to states with much higher numbers of infections and hotspots. (PTI)
Five persons tried to enter Goa, two by railway track and three by sea from Karwar. Five along with 9 boat owners who assisted them are all in compulsory quarantine. Licences of boat owners expected to be cancelled.
Aligarh reports its first COVID?19 death on Tuesday afternoon. The patient was admitted in AMU hospital last evening. An enquiry has been set up against an AMU doctor for alleged medical negligence and violation of protocol.
In Tamil Nadu, 76 people tested positive for COVID-19 today, taking the tally to 1,596. Today, 6,060 samples were tested and 178 patients discharged following treatment.The state reported 1 death today, taking the toll in the state to 18. 940 cases are active till date.
Tata Trusts has donated 10 thousand triple-layered masks and 10,000 pair of gloves to Tripura to fight coronavirus outbreak.
The donation has come in response to a plea from Tripura Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Devvarma last month where he sought a bouquet of benefits including 100 ventilator, 50 thousand Personal Protection Equipments (PPE) and alcohol-based sanitizers, one lakh N95 masks and 500 tents for housing COVID patients.
In a Tweet, Deputy Chief Miniser Jishnu Devvarma thanked Tata Trusts and wrote, “My sincere gratitude to @tatatrusts for providing 10000 three layered masks and 10000 pairs of gloves to Govt. of Tripura at Tripura Bhawan, Delhi. And materials like PPE, ventilators etc. are expected to be available soon to ackle corona crisis. #RanjitBarthakur”.
Earlier on March 30, Jishnu Devvarma wrote to Tat Trusts chairman Ratan Tata seeking the supplies, after he had pledged Rs. 1,500 crore to fight COVID-19 outbreak.
Two persons were tested positive with COVID-19 in Tripura so far, out of whom one has already recovered and was released from state-run GB Panth Hospital, where she was being treated. The other patient, a TSR jawan, is still under treatment.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Bihar rose to 126 after 13 more positive cases were reported from the state, including 7 from Munger.
State-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) has transported 8,250 tonnes of PDS foodgrains to Andaman & Nicobar (A&N) and Lakshadweep, via sea route, during the lockdown period, the Food Ministry said on Tuesday.
During the 27 days of lockdown, 1,750 tonnes of foodgrains have been moved to Lakshadweep from Mangalore port which is almost thrice the normal monthly average of 600 tonnes, it said in a statement.
The remaining 6,500 tonnes of foodgrains have been moved from Kakinada Port to Port Blair, and different public distribution centres situated at different islands of A&N, which is more than double the normal monthly average of 3,000 tonnes, it added.
FCI transported foodgrains in two ship vessels to A&N, and in seven small vessels to Lakshadweep Islands since the imposition of lockdown on March 24 to combat the coronavirus pandemic, it said. (PTI)
'Yamraj' was seen teaching lesson to lockdown violaters on road in Ludhiana.
Key points from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's press conference today:
*Out of 1,397 samples taken, 78 people were found infected with COVID-19 on Monday
*There are 1,603 active cases of COVID-19 in Delhi; 47 people have died of coronavirus
*Delhi govt to give 2,000 food coupons each to every MLA, MP for distribution among the needy
*Delhi govt to start COVID-19 testing for mediapersons from Wednesday, we have set up a Centre for it
*Delhi govt to procure 60 new ambulances in wake of coronavirus outbreak
*Delhi govt to provide ration to 30 lakh people who don't have ration cards
The death toll due to the coronavirus pandemic in India rose to 603 Tuesday while the total number of confirmed cases crossed the 18,000 mark to reach 18,985 including 3,259 people who have been treated and discharged, according to the latest data by the health ministry.
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden is an iconic tourist destination in Kashmir. However, this year the garden witnessed a dramatic drop in tourists since the implementation of restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus in the region. Click here for more pictures
Thanks to the intervention of Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi, the life of a five-year-old child in Belagavi was saved after crucial medicines were transported to the Karnataka city from Pune.
According to a statement released by the South Western Railway, the Minister's office at Belagavi got a request to help in getting critical medicines from Pune for the child.
"A child of 5 years of age in Belagavi was undergoing treatment from a doctor based at Pune. The medicine was said to be critical and it was to be transported to Belagavi from Pune. Their (the child parents) appeals to the Maharashtra state authorities to permit their relatives based at Pune to drive their vehicle to Belagavi to bring the medicine had gone in vain," the SWR statement read.
The Bombay High Court has 'in principle' decided to cancel its annual month-long summer vacation starting from May 7 in view of COVID-19 pandemic. Summer vacation for subordinate courts likely to stand cancelled. Formal decision to come out soon.
Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry: So far, 17.48% coronavirus cases have been recovered. In the last 24 hours, 1,336 were reported taking the total to 18,601. Pratapgarh in Rajasthan had no case in 28 days. Several more states in list with no cases for 14 days.
Dr R R Gangakhedkar, ICMR: Yesterday we receiced a complaint from a state that the rapid test kits were testing less samples. Today we asked 3 more states, Too much variations reported in results of rapid test kits. In next two days kits will be tested and validated in the field by our teams. States will be advised not to use these kits for two days. ICMR will give advisory on its use in two days.
In its daily briefing, the central government said it has launched two portals for COVID-19 volunteers - igot.gov.in and covidwarriors.gov.in. A master database has been made available for the volunteers and health professionals at covidwarriors.gov.in while igot.gov.in has training modules for COVID-19 volunteers. Over 15,000 AYUSH professionals have been deployed.
The 25-year-old maternal uncle of the 9-year-old girl tests positive for COVID-19 in Dahod. A resident of Indore, he was quarantined in Dahod after the girl had tested positive. His sample was sent for testing as a precaution before his quarantine ended today. He will b treated at Zydus, Dahod.
The girl who had returned from Indore had tested positive earlier in the day, making it the first case in Dahod. She has been shifted to Vadodara for treatment.
A Kangaroo had the run of the streets in Adelaide in Australia as residents stayed inside to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
A total of 27 journalists who worked with a Tamil TV channel have tested positive for Covid-19 till Tuesday. A senior official representing the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health confirmed that all of them have been isolated in government facilities in Chennai and are receiving treatments.
According to the official, the first case from the channel was reported on Monday. “Immediately, we had taken steps to test a total of 92 more employees who worked there. When results came on Tuesday, 26 of them turned positive. We have already isolated them and their secondary contacts are being traced now,” the official said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a swipe at the government over reports that rice would be used to make sanitisers and asked the poor of the country as to when will they wake up. He said while the poor are dying of hunger, the government was allowing rice to be used for making sanitisers.
"After all, when will India's poor wake up? You are dying of hunger and they are busy cleaning the hands of the rich by making sanitizers from your portion of rice," he said in a tweet in Hindi.
He attached a news report about government's decision to allow use of surplus rice for manufacturing sanitisers in the country.
Tamil Nadu government says so far, Rs 160.93 Crores has been donated to Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for COVID-19.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday announced a financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh each for the families of all health workers and support staff who lose their lives in the fight against COVID-19. He said the government will treat them as martyrs.
"The state government in convergence with Centre's initiative will ensure that Rs 50 lakh is given to all health personnel, both private and public, and members of all other support services, who lose their precious lives in the fight against COVID-19," the chief minister said in a video message.
He said a detailed scheme of awards will be instituted, recognising their unparalleled sacrifice.
The awards will be given on national days, the chief minister said. (PTI)
The Election Commission of Sri Lanka has postponed the parliamentary elections for nearly two months in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. On 2 March, President Gotabaya Rajapaksha dissolved the parliament 6 months ahead of its schedule and called a snap election on 24 April. Earlier, the election commission met with the government officials and reviewed the pandemic situation affecting the election machinery.
A 58-year-old in-charge of Neelganga Police Station in Ujjain passed away early on Tuesday, the second police official to die of the novel coronavirus infection in two days. Yashwant Pal had tested positive on April 6, two days after he was admitted to a hospital in Ujjain after he showed symptoms. He was shifted to Aurovindo Hospital, Indore, but he continued to remain critical. Aurobindo Hospital Chairman Vinod Bhandari said Pal had pneumonia in both lungs and despite treatment, there was no improvement. He suffered from acute respiratory distress syndrome and was on a ventilator for the last two days. Paying tributes to Pal, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced monetary assistance of Rs 50 lakh, extraordinary pension and a job in the police department to his daughter. The CM said `Karmaveer Award' will be given posthumously to him. Devendra Kumar, a 44-year-old in-charge of Old Indore Police Station, Indore, succumbed to the infection on April 19.
On Sunday, Goa announced that all of the seven people, who had tested positive in the state, had recovered. Six of them, having tested negative twice, are now at a resort, waiting to complete the official 14-day buffer isolation cycle before they go home. Theirs was an encounter with fear, panic and stigma, but also hope and care. Six of them have given their consent to offer their blood for convalescent plasma therapy if needed. The Indian Express spoke to two recovered survivors, both seafarers, who recount their days of being COVID-19 positive.
Two days ago, a 24-year-old sub-editor from a private television channel tested positive. Following this, a mass testing was carried by the Chennai corporation on all the people working on that channel and also on the family members of the journalist who tested positive. 94 samples were collected and today 27 of those samples have tested positive. According to reports, the channel has been closed following mass detection.
Gujarat government to begin purchasing wheat from farmers from April 27. Over 27,000 units given permission to restart operations in the state, the government said today.
To reduce the burden of 1200 bed COVID-19 hospital at Ahmedabad civil hospital, AMC-run SVP hospital's capacity doubled from 500 to 1000 beds. Several complaints were recently received from COVID-19 patients against lack of proper facilities at Ahmedabad civil hospital.
Also, Gujarat's first and country's seventh c-section of a COVID-19 positive 30-year-old patient performed successfully at AMC run SVP hospital, Ahmedabad. 'Both mother-daughter are fine, after 24 hrs newborn's sample would be collected for Covid-19 test' says AMC commissioner Vijay Nehra.
Country's first plasma transfusion done at Ahmedabad's SVP hospital's plasma therapy study centre. The Plasma therapy research is under trial as 'phase II open-label randomised control trial to assess efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma to limit covid-19 associated complications in moderate disease' says Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra.
Condition of the patient is stable. Process for the second transfusion initiated as well as second plasma donor has also been identified and approval received. This will be ICMRs multicentric collaborative study with SVP hospital's Dr Janak Khambholja as the principal investigator, Dr Nilesh Suthar, Dr Cherry Shah and Dr Sankat Shah as co-investigators. --reports Ritu Sharma
When we wore masks to Parliament you said it’s gimmicks. The onus is now on the Centre to make us understand why the teams have been sent in those seven districts. Just because not seeing home minister in public is he pulling strings from the back? Why no district in Gujarat, Rajasthan or Uttar Pradesh picked for the visit of the central team, asks Derek O'Brien.
The TMC on Tuesday dubbed as "adventure tourism" the visit of Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (ICMTs) to West Bengal to monitor some districts over coronavirus cases and questioned why teams were not sent to states with much higher number of cases and hotspots. Addressing reporters through a zoom conference, TMC MPs Derek O' Brien and Sudip Bandyopadhyay claimed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was informed about the team's visit three hours after its arrival which was unacceptable. "The ICMT team is on an adventure tourism. The CM was told about the team's visit three hours after the team landed," said O' Brien.
A research scholar waiting to meet his newborn baby, a graduate worried about the job offer in Bangalore and a pregnant woman whose four-day work trip now stretches interminably are among the at least 220 Indians stranded in Japan and getting increasingly desperate to return home. Stuck in a foreign land as COVID-19 tightens its grip on many countries, dwindling financial resources and expired medical insurances are adding to their tensions. The group of 220 Indians, including 92 dependants, have collectively reached out to the Indian Embassy in Tokyo asking to be evacuated to India, which has been under lockdown since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on March 24. --PTI
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Centre and Jammu and Kashmir administration to file their responses by April 27 on a plea seeking restoration of 4G internet services in the Union territory in view of prevailing Covid-19 pandemic. The top court was told that due to non-availability of 4G services, several aspects are affected including medical facilities and education services. The Centre opposed the plea by telling the apex court that it is a question of national security as militancy still poses a serious threat in Jammu and Kashmir and cited a recent incident where hundreds of people gathered in the valley for a funeral of a militant killed by security forces.
The Darul Uloom, Deoband and other Muslim organisations in the country have issued advisories, asking members of the community to maintain social distancing during the month of Ramzan which begins on April 23. The advisories have been issued in view of the country-wide lockdown and social distancing guidelines put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus which has claimed over 500 lives across the country. In its advisory, the Darul Uloom said Muslims should pray at home and avoid visiting mosques so that social distancing, as ordered by the government, is maintained. A similar advisory in Karnataka asked people not to hold sehri (the early morning meal) or iftaar (the evening meal to end the fast) parties and urged to follow government instructions regarding selling and buying of essentials.
In Haryana’s Nuh district, which has recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases in the state so far, the impact of the infection and the lockdown has had an unexpected casualty — the district blood bank. According to officials, reserves of certain blood types have dried up due to a fall in blood donations over the last month. Officials said the situation is so dire that the health department has been looking to other districts to source the blood units required.
Rapid Testing Kits from China inaccurate, says Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma. Of the 168 tests on already confirmed positive cases, the kits had an accuracy rate of mere 5.4 per cent.