The Delhi government, a day before the lockdown is set to be eased in the country, announced the city will not lift any prohibitions as the number of coronavirus cases was on the rise. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the decision will be reviewed after a week. He repeatedly referred to the situation in European countries such as Italy, Spain and France in making a case for prohibitory measures, which have been in force in the city for nearly a month now.
Punjab also ruled out out any relaxation in the curfew in the state, except as needed to ensure free procurement of wheat, till May 3, when the situation will again be reviewed.
Explained: How SARS-CoV-2 behaves in a household setting
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh ordered strict enforcement of the curfew in all districts by the DCs, with no relaxation or concessions even during the Ramzan period beginning this week.
In Maharashtra, Pune and Thane were also declared containment zones, with boundaries sealed off.
On a linkedln post on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the coronavirus outbreak had significantly changed the contours of professional life and these days, home was the new office and internet the new meeting room.
Read | Here’s a list of what opens and what does not
“I have also been adapting to these changes. Most meetings, be it with ministerial colleagues, officials and world leaders, are now via video conferencing,” Modi said.
The need of the hour is to think of business and lifestyle models that are easily adaptable, the PM said. “Doing so, would mean that even in a time of crisis, our offices, businesses and commerce could get moving faster, ensuring loss of life does not occur,” he said.
Today, the world is in pursuit of new business models, PM Modi said, adding that India, a youthful nation known for its innovative zeal, can take the lead in providing a new work culture.
Read more news on coronavirus (COVID-19) in India, the world:
Explained: Guidelines for non-immigrant visa holders in the US amid COVID-19
Government offices to reopen with senior staff from April 20
In Mumbai, migrants lose hope, money: For how long, they ask
Don’t miss these articles on Coronavirus from the Explained section:
-How coronavirus attacks, step by step
-Mask or no mask? Why the guidance has been shifting
-Besides a face cover, should I wear gloves when I go outdoors?
-How the Agra, Bhilwara and Pathanamthitta Covid-19 containment models differ
After reports that a large number of patients, both with coronavirus symptoms and other illnesses, are being made to run from one hospital to another for admission, a task force created for critical care management of COVID-19 patients has suggested that private hospitals open their out-patient departments (OPDs) to treat all sorts of patients. Private hospitals have, however, resisted the suggestion stating that they do not have enough staff and fear the risk of shutdown if a coronavirus infected patient is admitted.
The state government and BMC observed that private hospitals are not sharing the burden of treating COVID-19 patients or even those with no coronavirus symptoms. In a video-conference Monday, private hospitals were advised to start normal operations and create a system of triage to refer COVID-19 patients to dedicated treatment facilities, while admitting other patients.
monthly limit of free stories.
with an Express account.
“We had a video-conference with CM Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday, too. A discussion is on to see if private hospitals can open OPDs. This will help patients who need treatment for illnesses other than coronavirus,” said Dr Gautam Bhansali, a member of the critical care task force. Read more
As many as 224 cases of COVID-19 were reported from Gujarat on Monday, taking the state’s tally to 1956, while 10 died of the viral infection, taking the death toll to 73.
According to Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi more than half of the deaths analysed by her department, were of patients who had risk factors, along with the presence of multiple co-morbidities. “Risk factor is categorised as those aged above 60 years, those aged below 5 years or pregnant women. We found that 35 of the COVID-19 deaths or 52.23% were patients categorised as high-risk and had multiple comorbidities. As many as 21 deaths that is 31.34% deaths were in high-risk patients who had a single comorbid condition. Four deaths were such who were high risk patients but had no comorbidity. Seven other deaths were seen in patients who were neither categorised as high-risk patient nor had any comorbidity,”she said. Two of Monday’s deaths also saw no co-morbid condition.
Ahmedabad reported 152 new cases, taking the district total to 1,243 cases. Since Sunday, the AMC conducted 264 rapid antibody tests as well, with eight results turning positive. On Sunday evening, the government decided that those willing to pay and get treated in private hospitals, can do so in Sterling Hospital, HCG Hospital and Narayana Multispeciality Hospital. Read more
With 466 new COVID-19 cases reported Monday, the tally reached 4,666 across the state. Mumbai accounted for 308 of these new cases, taking its total count to 3,032. Nine deaths were reported in the state, with the overall toll reaching 232.
Of the new cases in Mumbai, 53 were mediapersons, who had been recently tested by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The 53, all asymptomatic, have been moved to a hotel in Goregaon, where they are being kept under isolation. The BMC had last week tested 167 media professionals who had been reporting from the field.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar, too, went gone into self-quarantine as he had come in contact with some of the journalists who have tested positive. “I was present during the check-up of the journalists. My driver’s and my reports are negative but some journalists whom I met in the last five days (since the tests were conducted) have tested positive, so I have decided to isolate myself,” said Pednekar. Read more
THE HARYANA government on Monday ordered a probe after four samples reported positive for the novel coronavirus by a private laboratory tested negative in confirmation tests done at the government centres. The private lab, one of five authorised by the Centre to conduct COVID-19 tests in Haryana, was banned on Monday from conducting any further tests.
State Health minister Anil Vij directed ACS (Health) Rajiv Arora to conduct a thorough probe into the matter, and barred the SRL lab from conducting any further tests. “Since four tests conducted by the private lab have been found wrong, all tests that this lab has conducted so far will be re-tested in the government’s lab,” Vij told The Indian Express. Read more
Indian Railways is targeting to make 1 lakh coveralls by May 31 for the country’s frontline staff battling the COVID-19 outbreak . As of now, it has procured raw material for 60,000 of this critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and distributed it among its various zones. Railways’ coverall samples were passed by DRDO laboratory in Gwalior following which it picked up material from the four government-authorised suppliers of raw material for PPEs to stitch the coveralls.
While raw material for 60,000 coveralls is already distributed among all zonal railways, the same for another 40,000 has been requisitioned and will reach by April-end so that the figure touches a lakh by end of May. The coveralls that Railways is making are for half the cost of those available in the market, officials said. Including GST, the railway coverall costs Rs 447 per piece, whereas the ones available in the market are for Rs 808.50.
“We have tied up with the government-approved raw material suppliers. What we are making are not just cheaper but also superior in quality compared to what is available in the market,” said Arun Arora, Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer of Northern Railway, which got its coverall samples passed by the DRDO lab and then sent the design and tutorial videos to other zones to follow. Northern Railway is also the nodal procurement body for coverall-related material in all of Indian Railways. Read more
Bengaluru’s Bicycle Mayor wants govt to encourage employees to use bicycles: As post-lockdown measures are heavily discussed by the authorities and citizens across the country, Bengaluru’s ‘Bicycle Mayor’ Sathya Sankaran Monday suggested companies should encourage the use of bicycles among employees once restrictions are eased. In an open letter, Sankaran listed various reasons why cycling to work would be an effective option, especially in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cycling, being an individual mode of transport, would ensure physical distance among people while decreasing chances of intermingling, Sankaran explained.
Six foreigners found hiding in Uttarakhand caves for 25 days: Six foreign nationals were found hiding in caves near Ganga river in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarkahand for the past 25 days after they had to check out of hotels after they ran out of money during the lockdown. All the six tourists —four men and two women— have been put in quarantine after a medical examination in which they did not show any symptom of COVID-19 infection.
Prisoners from 4 jails cook food for migrant labourers: Inmates of four Haryana jails are doing their bit in the battle against COVID-19 by cooking food for migrant labourers and others rendered jobless by the lockdown. Haryana Jails Minister Ranjit Chautala told The Indian Express Sunday that prisoners at Bhiwani, Panipat, Jind and Rohtak (Sunaria) jails are preparing food using ration arranged by various groups. “At each prison, food for at least 2,000-2,500 persons is prepared and packed. The packets are then supplied to daily wagers, industry labourers and rickshaw-pullers who have been left unemployed following the lockdown,” said Chautala.
Liquor stash found in ambulance; milkman, cop arrested: With liquor vendors shut since lockdown was imposed, authorities in Delhi have cracked down on those selling or transporting alcohol illegally, sometimes using ingenious ways, and seized nearly 54,000 liquor bottles of different brands including a large stash from an ambulance, news agency PTI reported. In the first two weeks of April, 155 people were arrested for allegedly illegally supplying or carrying liquor. Among them were a Delhi Police constable and a milkman, according to data shared by Delhi Police.
Teacher climbs tree to cross internet hurdle to teach students: Subrata Pati, a history teacher, works from a nest perched on a neem tree, giving lessons to his students on events of seminal importance that shaped civilizations and obliterated them, conquests by kings and generals, and horrors of war and pestilence, as Covid-19 savages the world. Taking classes online is a battle Pati, who teaches at two educational institutes in Kolkata, is fighting from his native Ahanda village in West Bengal’s Bankura district, where his cell phone screen blips to life one moment and lies dead frozen the next. Now, every morning, the 35-year-old man climbs up the neem tree next to his house and parks himself on a makeshift wooden platform tied to its branches and receives uninterrupted signals on his cell phone he uses to teach his pupils. (PTI)
Postmen delivering essentials to homes, hospitals in Ranchi: Postmen in Ranchi have been keeping busy delivering medicines and other essentials to homes and hospitals, news agency PTI reported. Some of them have also found the addressees sceptical about receiving parcels or registering their digital signature on their phones due to threat of virus transmission, he said. “In a couple of areas, our personnel had to return with the parcel as people were scared of touching the consignment,” said Sadhan Kumar Sinha, the senior superintendent of post offices in Ranchi. Sinha also said that postmen had on occasions delivered items even after midnight.
A day after Pimpri-Chinchwad was declared as containment zone, stricter implementation of lockdown failed to create the expected impact on Monday, with grocery shops, vegetable and milk vendors appearing confused over the civic body’s order. The absence of newspapers also added to the confusion.
Late on Sunday evening, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar had issued an order, allowing grocery and vegetable shops to remain open between 10 am and 2 pm, while announcing the “enforcement of stricter containment plan” to check the spread of coronavirus. However, most grocery shops in the area started operations since early Monday morning.
BJP leader Sarang Kamtekar said though police vehicles were seen moving in the area, some grocery shops were opened from around 9 am till late afternoon. D G Baliga, a 75-year-old resident of Pimprigaon, said he saw people going out on morning walk. “Since the order was issued late in the evening and with newspapers not being delivered, I think people must not have known about it,” he said. Read more
In line with his decision to not ease the statewide curfew despite relaxations allowed by the Centre, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday clarified that industrial units being permitted to function in non-containment zones would be required to align with the state government’s earlier orders, as well as the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The MHA guidelines are in consonance with the state government’s decision to allow certain units to function with labourers staying on-site, the chief minister pointed out, adding that the Centre had accepted Punjab’s suggestion on this count.
Amarinder, who had announced on Sunday that there would be no relaxation in curfew in the state till May 3, on Monday asked the DCs to immediately clamp down on all activities contributing to the spread of COVID-2019 in containment zones and any other areas where the local administration sees a hotspot developing.
At the same time, he asked the DCs to facilitate opening of industrial units in non-containment areas by meticulously complying with instructions issued by the state government on April 18. All MHA guidelines and conditions should be strictly complied with by the district administration, he added.
TWO DAYS after the Punjab government allowed opening of bookshops, AC and cooler outlets, it withdrew its order Monday after the Centre pulled it up for “diluting” relaxation guidelines, calling it a violation of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
The state government had Saturday allowed shops selling school, college and university material, as well as outlets that sell or repair air-conditioners and coolers to open. The government had also allowed delivery of non-essential items through e-commerce and vehicles providing these services were allowed to run with permission.
In a letter to Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said, “Punjab government…has circulated revised guidelines for lockdown measures to all departments, district collectors, superintendent of police and other heads of departments….it is observed that the GoP has allowed opening of some activities which are prohibited in the aforesaid order dated April 15 of MHA. Such additional activities allowed by GoP, inter alia, including distribution of books by bookshops to school and college students and to treat the sale of air conditioners, air coolers, fans and their repair shops as essential goods/services. This amounts to dilution of guidelines issued by MHA and violation of MHA order dated April 15, issued under the Disaster Management Act 2005.” Read more
A day after civic bodies in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad declared their jurisdictions as containment zones for COVID-19, the police commissionerate in both urban limits on Monday imposed conditional curfew till April 27, allowing specific time windows during the day for procurement of essential supplies.
The conditional curfew will not be applicable to essential and emergency services, including police, defence forces, health and civic staff, personnel involved in COVID-19 response, people involved transportation and provision of essential commodities. Read more
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb Monday appealed to the people living along the Indo-Bangla border areas to keep a strict vigil and make sure that no one can cross the border and enter Tripura from Bangladesh during coronavirus outbreak. Deb said Border Security Force (BSF) and state police were asked to intensify patrolling along the border. However, the chief minister has asked those living in there to carry on ‘janata patrolling’ to strengthen measures preventing illegal immigration to ward off any virus threat from Bangladesh.
The central government on Monday decided to convert “surplus rice” available with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) into ethanol for use in making alcohol-based hand-sanitizers. The decision was taken during a National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) meeting headed by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan. Read the full story here
West Bengal government on Monday started conducting rapid antibody tests as per ICMR directives in “red zones' where containment measures are going. The rapid antibody tests were done in Kolkata's Belgachia urban slum area where there were reports of considerable outbreak.
India entered into Day 27 of nation-wide lockdown on Monday. Hers, Express photoographers brings to you exclusive pictures from across the country. Find more exclusive visuals here
Maharashtra's total number of coronavirus cases reached 4,666 and toll stood at 232 on Monday. Of the total numbers, Mumbai recorded 3,032 cases and 139 deaths.
Watch the video to get the top ten pointers on today's COVID-19 updates from across India and the world.
Even as it earns praise within India and outside for its deft handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the ‘flattening’ of the infection curve, the Kerala government is in the dock for allegedly breaching privacy of 1.75 lakh people under quarantine in the state by striking a deal with a US-based tech firm Sprinklr to handle the data compiled from them. So, what is the Sprinklr controversy? How did the LDF government respond to the allegations levelled against it? What is the political relevance of the controversy? Read our explainer by Vishnu Varma here
A total of 750 rapid testing kits were made available to the health department in Gurgaon today. Officials said these will make testing a "faster" process. The kits have been used to test five suspected COVID-19 patients in Sohna and adjoining villages so far.
Kerala COVID-19 update
The Indian Army Monday said that all personnel who are to rejoin their posts after either coming back from leave or finishing their courses will undergo a 14-day quarantine.
The Army said that every individual will be categorised into green, yellow and red categories. All personnel, it said, who have completed 14-day quarantine period will be classified as green, while those who need to undergo the quarantine will be under yellow. Symptomatic individuals, who require isolation and treatment in a COVID hospital will be put under the red category. Read more here
18 cases were reported in Chennai today, taking the tally to 303. First COVID-19 positive case reported in Pudukottai today. Of the total 46 patients discharged today, 22 were from Coimbatore ESI hospital.
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday thanked Prime Miister Narendra Modi and India for sending across 500k tablets of hydroxychloroquine, 100k tablets of paracetamol, and 75,000 metric tons of wheat. He said the supply is expecte to reach the country in a day or two. "Thank you also for further commitments to supply more items including medicines and equipment as availability increases in India. In the difficult times of #Covid19, closer cooperation between allies and friends will prepare us better to fight this menace and save our people," he added.
PM Modi too assured to combat COVID-19 together with the neghbouring country, "with solidarity and shared resolve" just as the countries have "fought jointly against the scourge of terrorism".
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded that all the essential items used in fighting the virus be made GST-free. "It is wrong to acquire GST from people, who are already fighting poverty, through sale of soaps, sanitisers, masks," Gandhi wrote on Twitter.
With rising number of Covid-19 cases rising in Gujarat and with patients taking to social media to air their complaints, the state government has appointed eight senior IAS officers to coordinate activities and treatment in various parts of the state.
Five of these senior officers will be keeping an eye on the activities in Ahmedabad city and in the remaining parts of the district where the number of Covid-19 infections have shot up by over 1190 cases on Monday morning. There are total of 1850 positive cases in the state including those in Surat (244) and Vadodara (181). Read more
Questioning the Centre’s decision to send Inter-ministerial central teams (IMCT) to several districts of West Bengal to assess lockdown violations, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the basis of the move was “unclear” and sought to know its criterion from the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. Failing which, the CM added, it would be “difficult to move ahead… as it might not be consistent with the spirit of federalism”. Two IMCTs have already arrived in Kolkata, of which one first went to NICED and thereafter to Howrah and Belgachhia in the city. Read more here
Meanwhile, we bring to you updates around globe
Ola App cab service platform Monday rolled out ‘Ola Emergency’ in Mumbai, marking the availability of its service across 15 major Indian cities. "Enabling citizens across the country to access essential medical care with minimum delay, the service is now available in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Vizag, Nashik, Varanasi, Indore, Bhopal, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali, Rourkela and Bhubaneswar," read its press release.
Faced with criticism about insufficient testing and the reality of limited resources, India has decided go for pooled testing in districts where no cases have been reported. This would on the one hand give data on whether these really are zero-case districts, and on the other, save resources. So, what is pooled testing? Where can pooled testing take place? Read our explainer here
Gujarat's Anand district reported 27th COVID-19 case. The 35-year-old woman from Isarama in Petlad has been admitted to SVP hospital in Ahmedabad, district administration confirmed.
Vadodara sees 8th Covid-19 recovery. A 54-year-old resident of Nagarwada, first from the red zone to be diagnosed with Covid-19 on April 5, has been discharged. Chhota Udepur district's first Covid1-9 patient, 60-year-old from Bodeli has also been also discharged after recovery.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s father Anand Singh Bisht passed away on Monday morning while undergoing treatment at the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. The chief minister said he would not be able to perform the last rites because of the lockdown.
Expressing his grief, the chief minister in a statement said, “He inculcated the habits of being honest, hard work and to work for the public welfare in me. I wanted to visit him in his last moments but couldn’t do so because I was involved in planning the fight against coronavirus. I will not be able to take part in the last rites because of the lockdown.” Read more here
Of 100 people with infection, 80 do not have symptoms, said Dr R R Gangakhedkar of ICMR
Some test kits in West Bengal are reported to have defects. 'The problem is it has to be stored below 20 degrees. This sometimes happens when you reuse,' said Dr K K Gangakhedkar of ICMR, Delhi. "Told the state government that we will give 10,000 kits to West Bengal to temporarily tide over the present," he added.
Some of the pointers from Health Ministry presser
# Total 1,553 confirmed cases, 36 new deaths in last 24 hours, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
# 14.75% people have recovered
# Doubling time has gone down from 3.4 days before lockdown to 7.5 days now
Doubling time more than 30 days
?Odisha - 39.8 days
?Kerala - 72.2 days
Doubling time between 20 days to 30 days
?Andaman & Nicobar - 20.1 days,
?Haryana - 21 Days,
?Himachal Pradesh - 24.5 days,
?Chandigarh - 25.4 days,
?Assam - 25.8 days,
?Uttarakhand - 26.6 days
?Ladakh (UT) - 26.6 days
Doubling time less than 20 days
?Delhi - 8.5 days
?Karnataka - 9.2 days
?Telangana - 9.4 days
?Andhra Pradesh -10.6 days
?J&K (UT) - 11.5 days
?Punjab - 13.1 days,
?Chattisgarh - 13.3 days
?Tamil Nadu -14 days
?Bihar -16.4 days
Home Ministry said it has written letters to state governments pointing out lockdown violations in some areas in their respective states. States have been told that they can make the lockdown guidelines more stringent depending on the need in specific areas, but can’t dilute them. Kerala government has been informed about the concerns, Punya Salila Srivastava Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health Affairs, said.
Health ministry briefing on coronavirus underway.
Vadodara reported 9th COVID-19 death, 2nd death today. A 60-year-old woman from Khodiyar Mata Khancho, Nagarwada, succumbed to the infection in SSG around 3pm, health department confirmed. She had hypertension and had developed pneumonia. She was admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms on April 18.
No relaxation in lockdown restrictions in Tamil Nadu till May 3. The already announced exemption for essential services is set to continue. Government to take further decisions after analysing the severity of the infection and consulting the expert committee.
With selective lockdown relaxations set to kick-in in several non-containment areas across the country on April 20, three COVID-free districts of Punjab – Bathinda, Fazilka and Tarn Taran – have decided to strictly implement the curfew till May 3. Read the full story here
Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to send a central team consisting of officers and doctors, who are specialists in public health, to West Bengal in order to assess lockdown violations in hotspot areas. Bengal government is however not happy with the decision. One of the top state officials said, "We are abiding all the orders of the central government and maintaining continuous liason with them. Even after that, this act is basically interference in the federal structure of the state."
Wearing a mask and gloves in hands, Pappu Sahni (38) sanitises his hands every time he hands over a packet of fresh Verka milk, curd, lassi, paneer or a box of fresh kheer to his customers in Ludhiana’s Bhai Randhir Singh (BRS) Nagar. With no customer to ferry amid the curfew, Pappu’s battery-operated e-rickshaw now gets loaded with fresh dairy products from Verka — the brand owned by the Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (MILKFED) — every morning and he sets off to sell milk products door to door. A banner at the back of his vehicle advertising Verka products reads — ‘Phulo Palo, Pure Khao Pio’, as it makes the round of his assigned block – B and D – in BRS Nagar. Verka, which has one of its largest milk plants on Ludhiana’s Ferozepur Road, has started an initiative to run mobile milk booths along with a Ludhiana-based e-rickshaw manufacturing firm. As part of the plan, e-rickshaw drivers get a margin of five per cent on daily sales they clock. Read the full story here
To mitigate economic hardships brought on by the shutdown, Mumbai has been allowed a few activities from Monday, including work at infrastructure projects and wedding events, only if these are outside designated containment zones and follow strict safety procedures against coronavirus.
Guidelines issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Sunday said other than essential services — medical and grocery stores — fisheries and related work, cable services, DTH and call centres can resume work in non-containment areas, with minimum staff. Further, those allowed to resume operations also have to apply for and obtain permission passes from the BMC.
Click here for a list of activities that will be allowed in Mumbai from April 20
Six foreign nationals were found hiding in caves near Ganga river in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarkahand for the past 25 days after they had to check out of hotels after they ran out of money during the lockdown. All the six tourists —four men and two women— have been put in quarantine after a medical examination in which they did not show any symptom of COVID-19 infection.
According to the police, the officials in Laxmanjhula police station area had on Friday received an information that some foreign nationals were staying in caves near Ganga river in Garun Chatti area. Following this, the local police along with the intelligence unit carried out a joint search operation in the area and found them out. Read more here
Days after a pizza delivery employee in South Delhi tested positive for COVID-19, 16 co-workers of his, who he came in contact with, have tested negative.
The administration has categorised contacts as high risk and low risk. While those he worked with are categorised as high risk, those who he delivered food to, are categorised as low risk. Only high-risk contacts have been tested so far.
Officials said he is likely to have contracted the infection from someone who he delivered food to in Malviya Nagar or Hauz Rani (parts of both areas have been declared containment zones). The patient delivered food in a five-kilometer radius of the restaurant, located in Malviya Nagar and homes in Malviya Nagar, Saket, IIT Delhi, and Hauz Khas have been placed under quarantine.
It might be true that hair salons will see long queues when the lockdown ends. But, at the moment, vulnerability is all that looms on the lives of innumerable barbers that groom the country of 1.3 billion. The lockdown has pushed them to a razor’s edge. Naman Shah brings their story
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s father Anand Singh Bisht passed away on Monday morning while undergoing treatment at the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
The chief minister said he would not be able to perform the last rites because of the lockdown.
Expressing his grief, the chief minister in a statement said, “He inculcated the habits of being honest, hard work and to work for the public welfare in me. I wanted to visit him in his last moments but couldn’t do so because I was involved in planning the fight against coronavirus. I will not be able to take part in the last rites because of the lockdown.” He also made a request to his mother and family members to complete the last rites with minimum possible people and said that he would visit once the lockdown is over.
After Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad were declared as containment zones for COVID-19, the police commissionerates in both urban limits imposed conditional curfews till April 27 allowing specific time windows during the day for procurement of essential supplies. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) had declared their entire jurisdictions as containment areas considering the rising number of cases of the COVID-19. The civic bodies had ordered sealing of boundaries of these jurisdictions till April 27.
Singapore's health ministry confirmed on Monday an additional 1,426 cases of the COVID-19 infection, a record daily jump, mainly among foreign workers living in dormitories. Authorities have managed to mitigate the spread of the virus and the COVID-19 respiratory disease it causes among Singapore's citizens by rigorous contact tracing and surveillance, earning praise from the World Health Organization. But the disease is spreading rapidly within the large migrant worker community, highlighting what rights groups say is a weak link in containment efforts. Authorities have ramped up testing for the disease in the dormitories. Among the new cases, 16 cases are of Singaporeans or permanent residents. The city-state's tally of cases stands at 8,014, with 11 fatalities. Singapore has the highest number of cases of the disease in Southeast Asia, based on official data.
A police inspector in Odisha was suspended for allegedly entering Shree Jagannath temple in Puri, in violation of the ongoing lockdown, a senior officer said on Monday. A case was registered against the inspector for his misconduct, the officer said.
“DGP has placed Inspector Deepak Kumar Jena IIC Badachana PS under suspension for his misconduct. Puri Singhdwar PS Case no 40/2020 has also been registered against him,” the Odisha police tweeted.
A newborn baby has tested positive for coronavirus in Rajasthan's Nagaur district, an official said Monday. "The baby born on Saturday is coronavirus positive. Her mother, father and other family members too are COVID-19 patients," Nagaur chief medical and health officer Dr Sukumar Kashyap said. Dr Shadab Ali, in-charge of Basni primary health centre where the pregnant woman was admitted, informed the family that the newborn was coronavirus positive. The test report of the baby came on Sunday. In Nagaur, 59 people have tested positive so far. A 62-year-old man from the district, who was admitted at SMS hospital in Jaipur, died on Sunday night. (PTI)
Bangladesh has tightened a clampdown on seven villages after tens of thousands attended the funeral of a popular local cleric in spite of a nationwide lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus, officials said on Monday. The massive gathering in Brahmanbaria district, about 60 km east of the capital Dhaka, has raised concerns about the potential for a spike in infections. Bangladesh has 2,456 confirmed coronavirus cases and 91 deaths. The government-imposed lockdown is in place until at least April 25 but many are starting to flout the rules including garment workers who took to the streets over the weekend demanding back pay.
At least 54 people were arrested on Monday for allegedly trying to clear the barricades and vandalise a pandal put up at Padarayanapura in Bengaluru, which has been sealed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to contain the spread of COVID19. According to the officials, the mob started protesting and vandalising the barricades when civic body officials along with the ASHA workers arrived there on Sunday evening to take 58 secondary contacts of a deceased COVID-19 patient into government quarantine centre. The area was sealed after 10 positive cases until 17 April were reported from here.
A cook’s nine-year-old daughter forgo her savings, accumulated over months to buy a fancy video game, and a driver donated a part of his salary- to contribute in the fight against COVID-19, as over a hundred residents of Chandigarh’s Sectors 27 and 28 came forward to purchase PPE kits and sanitisers for doctors.
Through the contributions, the residents purchased at least 700 personal protective equipment (PPE) and 100 bottles of sanitisers for the medical professionals- who are in the line of fire in the ongoing crisis. The representatives of both the sectors, along with councillor Devinder Singh Babla, submitted the contributions to the DC on Friday.
Rajya Sabha staff wait for elevators at the secretariat, while standing in marked circles, in a bid to maintain Social Distancing. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariat resume work from today after they were shut on March 24 in the wake of the COVID19 outbreak.
As restrictions were gradually eased on Monday, some pictures from outside Parliament House
Healthcare workers from a Denver-area hospital blocked lines of cars and trucks campaigning against the state government’s stay-at-home order to curb the spread of coronavirus. Hundreds of protesters defied social distancing norms on Sunday and gathered at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver demanding lifting of the lockdown measures and reopening of nonessential businesses.
As restrictions are eased across states, Central government offices resume functioning from today. The ministers have been asked to practice social distancing
As the lockdown continues, spot-boys in the film industry are struggling to make ends meet. "Spot boys manage to get work for some 15 odd days in a month. I’d earn around Rs 18,000-20,000 per month. With the coronavirus outbreak, production houses have suspended work, and now due to the lockdown, we are stuck at home without work. It is like a break that we don’t even want and can’t afford. I don’t know how we are going to manage. I have a family of three children and a wife. Whatever little savings I had managed, are fast dwindling," Rakesh Dubey told Komal RJ Panchal