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Tue, 07 April 2020
Infant found +ve for COVID-19 in Telangana
Timeline Refresh
23:21 Infant found +ve for COVID-19 in Telangana
A 23-day-old baby is among three COVID-19 cases reported at Mahabubnagar in Telangana on Tuesday, all of whom have been infected from the Tablighi Jamaat event returnees.
With this the total number of people in the district who have been infected has reached 10, officials said.
All the three cases are found to have been infected by those who returned after attending the religious congregation in Delhi, an official press release said.
The district administration has taken up measures, including identifying the primary and secondary contacts of persons who tested positive, quarantining people, restricting movements in localities and spraying disinfectants to contain the spread of the virus, it added.
The total number of active positive cases in Telangana cumulatively was 308, according to an official release issued on Monday. -- PTI
22:57 Enough capacity in country to meet hydroxychloroquine demand: Industry
Indian pharma industry on Tuesday said there is enough stock of hydroxychloroquine in the country, and drug firms are ready to ramp up the production to meet domestic as well as export requirements.
India has decided to partially lift the ban on the export of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine in sync with its global commitment to deal with coronavirus pandemic.
On March 25, India had banned the export of hydroxychloroquine in the midst of concerns that the drug could be used to fight COVID-19.
India is the largest exporter of the drug.
Officials said India would export the drug on a case-by-case basis after meeting all the domestic requirements.
"India manufactures 70 per cent of the world's supply of hydroxychloroquine. Companies like Zydus Cadila and IPCA are the major manufacturers of hydroxychloroquine in the country," Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance Secretary General Sudarshan Jain told PTI.
The production capacity is sufficient to meet the current demand. If the need arises, the companies are committed to ramp up production, he added.
"The government has withdrawn the restrictions on 12 products and its formulations. Various scenarios are being assessed and it will be the endeavour to meet both the domestic demand and export obligation for Paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine," Jain said.
The objective is to minimise speculative buying and hoarding in these trying times and ensure balance in distribution for patients and segment who need them, he added.
In similar vein, Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association Executive Director Ashok Kumar Madan said: "India needs around 24 million tablets per year as on date for the three indications --- malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, it was being used".
India currently has an annual installed capacity of around 40 metric tonne of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) of hydroxychloroquine. With this capacity, "we can make around 200 million tablets of 200 mg," he added. -- PTI
22:34 Diabetics need not overly worry about COVID-19: Survivor
A 51-year-old coronavirus patient with a history of diabetes and hypertension, who has been discharged from a hospital in Kolkata after recovery, on Tuesday said he was in a positive frame of mind during his treatment
and that diabetics should not be worried as long as their sugar levels are under control.
Gopi Krishna Agarwal said that though he is diabetic, his sugar levels are under control.
"Diabetics should not fear as they can be cured of the COVID-19 disease," he said, adding that since his sugar level is not very high, it was not much of a problem for him.
Medical experts have been saying that if diabetes is kept under control, a coronavirus patient with diabetes can be treated as any other non-diabetic COVID-19 patient.
"Two days after I was admitted, I was informed that I was coronavirus positive," he said.
The Salt Lake resident, who spent eight days at the hospital, said he was administered the drug for malaria there and was released on Monday after he tested negative for the coronavirus.
"The doctors were good and they have successfully done their job," he said while he spoke about the medical procedures adopted to treat him at the hospital.
A businessman by profession, Agarwal was admitted to AMRI Hospital in Salt Lake, on March 29 with fever, cough, along with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension and hypothyroid, a hospital source said. -- PTI
22:12 New York registers 731 COVID-19 deaths in 24 hrs
New York governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday that the COVID-19 deaths in the state hit a new one-day peak, with 731 people dead in the largest single-day increase in fatalities since the coronavirus crisis engulfed the state, the epicentre of the pandemic in the United States.
'The bad news is 5,489 New Yorkers have lost their lives to this virus. That is up from 4,758, the largest single day increase. That's 731 people who we lost. Behind every one of those numbers is an individual, is a family, is a mother, is a father," Cuomo said.
The state has a total of 138,836 coronavirus cases and as of Tuesday 5,489 people have died, up by 731 from Monday morning.
Cuomo said the number of newly hospitalized patients is also up from Monday. In what he described as "good news", Cuomo said daily ICU admissions and daily intubations numbers are down.
And right now we're projecting that we are reaching a plateau in the total number of hospitalizations and you can see the growth is starting to flatten. Again this is a projection. It still depends on what we do and what we do will affect those numbers. This is not an act of God that we're looking at. It's an act of what society actually does, he said in his daily media briefing.
The governor said he is coordinating with governors of New Jersey and Connecticut on plans to restart the economy and daily life.
We're not there yet. But this is not a light switch that we can just flick one day, and everything goes back to normal. We're going to have to restart that economy, we're going to have to restart a lot of systems that we shut down abruptly. And we need to start to plan for that, he said.
He said that he has spoken to New Jersey governor Phil Murphy and Connecticut governor Ned Lamont about coming up with a regional metropolitan tri-state approach to restart the economy and get everything up and running as quickly as possible. -- PTI
21:36 Actor Purab Kohli says he and his family had COVID-19
Actor Purab Kohli on Tuesday revealed he and his family "were down" with the novel coronavirus and are now on the road to recovery.
The "Rock On! 2" star, who is currently in London with wife Lucy Payton and children Inaya and Osian, took to Instagram to share a health update.
Purab said they had a flu and given their symptoms, according to their general practitioner, they had contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
"Pretty similar to a regular flu with a stronger cough and a feeling of breathlessness," he described the symptoms in a lengthy Instagram post.
The actor said it was Inaya who first showed COVID-19, followed by Lucy and then himself. Their son Osian got it last and ran a 104 degree Celsius fever for three nights.
"We were constantly in touch with the GP on the phone. Apparently everyone in London is getting it and its rampant here, and a few people we know have gotten it. Just wanted to share it with you if it helps reduce the panic a little to know someone who has had it and is fine," Purab wrote.
The "Out of Love" actor said they were out of the "self-imposed quarantine" last Wednesday and were "not contagious any longer".
Purab also suggested some measures he and his kin were taking to manage the impact of the infection.
He said even after taking a lot of rest for two weeks, they could feel their bodies "still recovering".
"Please stay safe. I hope none of you get it but if you do, know that your body is strong enough to fight it. Seek proper advice from your doctors as intensity of each case is different as was in my household alone. And please stay home and rest the body as much as possible," he added. -- PTI
20:53 SAARC Development Fund allocates $5mn to deal with COVID-19
The SAARC Development Fund on Tuesday said it has allocated $5 million (about Rs 38 crore) for COVID-19 projects in eight member countries as the virus pandemic threatens economic activities across the globe.
This COVID-19 project shall be funded by SDF under its social window thematic areas, it said in a statement.
SDF's social window primarily funds projects on poverty alleviation, social development focusing on education, health, and human resource development, among others.
"The objective of the USD 5 million allocation is to provide fund support to the member states in their efforts and to protect the people of the SAARC member states by mitigating the financial losses and severe socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic," SDF CEO Sunil Motiwal said.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the eight members of the SAARC formation.
"The approval process, project implementation, fund disbursement, management, monitoring and reporting shall be as per the existing SDF-Board approved policy, and practices of SDF and social window," Motiwal said.
The SAARC Development Fund is mandated to build regional integration and economic cooperation through project funding in all the member countries through its economic, infrastructure and social windows.
The Secretariat is based in Thimphu, Bhutan.
Currently, SDF is implementing 90 projects in SAARC countries under its three funding windows with a total fund commitment/allocation of $198.24 million. -- PTI
20:51 Enforce total lockdown in Dharavi, local MP tells Maha CM
Mumbai South Central Lok Sabha MP Rahul Shewale on Tuesday urged Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to completely lock down Dharavi, one of the most congested urban areas in the world, in order to prevent it from emerging as a COVID-19 hotpsot.
The area, a massive maze of shanty colonies, small scale units and squalor, is part of Shewale's constituency and currently has seven coronavirus positive persons.
"If the virus is not contained in Dharavi, then Mumbai will be in serious trouble. The spread of coronavirus can be very fast in Dharavi due to the congestion," the Shiv Sena MP said.
"The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation must take over all hospitals and reserve them for COVID-19 patients. The Dharavi Sport Complex must be converted into a quarantine zone. A separate public distribution system must be set up for Dharavi to deliver essential items. State reserve police force should be stationed to enforce a total lockdown," he added. -- PTI
20:18 COVID-19 deaths rise to 124, total cases 4789
The death toll in the country due to novel coronavirus rose to 124 and the number of cases climbed to 4,789 on Tuesday, registering an increase of 508 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Union health ministry.
While the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 4,312, as many as 352 people were cured and discharged and one has migrated to another country, it stated.
The total number of cases include 66 foreign nationals.
According to the ministry's data updated at 6 pm, 13 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours.
Four deaths were reported from Madhya Pradesh, three from Maharashtra, three from Rajasthan and one each from Gujarat, Odisha and Punjab.
Maharashtra has reported the most coronavirus deaths so far at 48, followed by Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh at 13 each, Telangana, Punjab and Delhi seven each and Tamil Nadu with five fatalities.
Karnataka has registered four deaths so far, while West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have recorded three fatalities each. Two deaths each have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have reported one fatality each, according to the health ministry's data. -- PTI
19:34 Eating meat doesn't cause COVID-19: Raj govt
The Rajasthan animal husbandry department on Tuesday said eating meat is safe and it does not cause the novel coronavirus infection.
In an advisory, it also said that meat strengthens immunity and people can consume egg, chicken and fish.
The department suggested people to maintain hygiene and cook meat properly. -- PTI
19:32 SBI cuts savings rate by 25 bps to 2.75%
The country's largest lender State Bank of India on Tuesday said it has cut savings rate by 0.25 per cent to 2.75 per cent on all deposits.
The new rate will come into effect from April 15, 2020.
In view of adequate liquidity in the system, SBI realigned its interest rates on Savings Bank Deposits, with effect from April 15, 2020, SBI said in a statement.
The savings rate has been reduced to 2.75 per cent from 3 per cent, it said.
The bank has also reduced the marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) by 35 bps across all tenors.
The one-year MCLR comes down to 7.40 per cent per annum from 7.75 per cent per with effect from April 10, 2020, it said in the statement.
It is the 11th consecutive cut in MCLR in 2019-20, the bank said.
The one-year tenor is the benchmark against which most of the consumer loans are priced.
"Consequently, EMIs on eligible home loan accounts (linked to MCLR) will get cheaper by around Rs 24.00 per 1 lakh on a 30 year loan," SBI said. -- PTI
19:29 At least 1,551 Tablighis identified in UP: Official
At least 1,551 people linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation have been identified in Uttar Pradesh so far and 1,257 of them put under quarantine, an official said on Tuesday.
Over 230 Jamaat members have been put under quarantine in Meerut, followed by Bareilly 227, Varanasi and Gorakhpur 213 each, Agra 131, Kanpur 106, Lucknow 92, Gautam Budh Nagar 26 and Allahabad 17, Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Awasthi said.
Out of the total 323 foreign nationals found in the state so far, the passports of 259 have been seized, he said, adding that the remaining 64 are Nepalese.
The additional chief secretary appealed to the people to help trace the Jamaat members who last month attended a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, a COVID-19 hotspot.
Awasthi said foodgrains distribution in the state has gained momentum and over 2.87 crore ration card holders have benefitted from it till Tuesday afternoon.
The state has released 11,728 prison inmates to prevent them from coronavirus infection, he said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued directions to cover all those directly associated with checking COVID-19, including policemen, under insurance cover of Rs 50 lakhs, he said.
The government has taken a strong view on fake news on social media platforms and 54 such cases have been registered, Awasthi added. -- PTI
18:45 Launch of GISAT-1 satellite postponed further
The launch of GISAT-1 satellite has been pushed further due to lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, sources said on Tuesday.
The launch of GISAT-1 onboard GSLV-F10 was planned for March 5 but it was postponed due to technical reasons. In a statement, the Indian Research Revised launch date will be informed in due course.
Sources, however, added that the next launch was scheduled to be held in April.
"But now we cannot launch GISAT-1 due to lockdown. An exercise like launching a satellite requires nearly 1,000 people to do deal with its various aspects," a source said.
No fresh date has been fixed for the launch of GISAT-1, the sources said.
In India, satellite launches take place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
GISAT-1, the earth observing satellite roughly weighs around 2,275 kg and has a lifespan of seven years.
The satellite will also have a multi and hyper-spectral imagery along with the 700 mm Ritchey-Chretien telescope for earth observation and data collection, plus a high resolution camera.
It will help in near real-time observation of the Indian subcontinent under cloud free condition at frequent intervals. It will also help in quick monitoring of natural disasters and keep a constant watch on borders.
The satellite has been designed to obtain spectral signatures of agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow, glaciers and oceanography. -- PTI
18:13 Lockdown leads to subtle behavioral changes in stray dogs: Experts
The 21-day lockdown has led to subtle behavioral changes in stray dogs and has plunged them into a state of confusion, animal behaviorists in Delhi say.
Akansha Yadav -- founder of Pawtricks, a canine training and consulting firm - said there was not a behavioral change in all the dogs, but it was possible in specific categories.
"Because people are not on the streets anymore and there is scarcity of food, dogs may start competing with one another for food," Yadav said.
The animal behaviorist said it was a difficult time for dogs, which are used to human attention, especially those in markets where people pet them and give them food on the go.
India is currently under a 21-day lockdown since March 25, with only essential services exempted, to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed over 75,800 lives globally and afflicted over 13.5-lakh people across 183 countries.
Animal rights campaigner Sangeeta Dogra said stray dogs in her locality had left the area due to the lockdown.
"They are clueless and confused as to why there are no humans on the roads," she said.
However, Adnan Khan, who runs a dog training school in Chattarpur, said stray dogs were scavengers and not predators, adding that they might kill a cat, but they would not eat it.
"Hostility towards humans builds up when there are too many people around not letting them scavenge. It leads to frustration among dogs," he said.
Stray dogs are much happier in areas where there is less human intervention, like villages and countryside, Khan said.
"Right now, there are no cars, there are no people to shoo them away, to beat them up," Khan said. "So, they are lot more comfortable and happier. It is more of celebratory period for them, as humans have always been a bad intervention." -- PTI
17:38 Fighting a war with an unknown enemy: Punjab CM
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh says dealing with COVID-19 is like "fighting a war" wherein an "unknown enemy" is making the battle more complicated and challenging every day.
Underlining the state's resolve to tide over the crisis, he says his government is leaving no stone unturned in procuring adequate life-saving equipment, including ventilators, PPE kits, N-95 masks and expanding bed capacity of isolation wards.
The northern state has reported 79 coronavirus cases and seven deaths till Tuesday morning.
In an e-mail interview to PTI, Singh says the large number of non-resident Indian population in the state makes it more vulnerable to the deadly disease.
" another problem we are facing here in Punjab is the large number of NRIs and foreign returnees who have come to the state in the past one month or so. Tracking, tracing and following up on them is a massive task," he says.
He says the Punjab government has already announced that the passports of NRIs would be impounded if they failed to reveal their travel history.
"Most of the 95,000 passengers who arrived through Mohali and Amritsar airports before suspension of flights and the Attari-Wagah and Dera Baba Nanak land ports have been traced," he says.
"Subsequently, the Centre sent us a list of 55,000 people who arrived in Delhi and were quarantined. Contact tracing has also been completed in most cases, but there may be cases where people are hiding information, including their travel and contact history," Singh says.
The senior Congress leader says his government is procuring protective equipment for frontline workers, including doctors and other health staff, on a war footing.
"We are procuring equipment from wherever we can, but there is a shortage everywhere. We are getting indigenously made stuff speed-tested and produced. But it is not an easy job," he says.
On the state's preparedness on the healthcare front, Singh says the state will scale up the capacity of isolation beds to 20,000 in the next few days from the already operational 2,500 beds.
"We have already ordered 1.65 lakh PPE kits, of which nearly half have been received. Orders have also been placed for one lakh N-95 masks and 42 lakh triple layer masks, and more than half of them have been received," he says, adding private industry is also contributing by way of making PPE kits and N-95 masks.
The government hospitals in the state currently have nearly 500 ventilators, he adds.
Singh, however, laments that the state does not have enough COVID-19 testing kits.
"And of course, there is the question of testing of people for the disease. We are told to test, test and test. But we do not have enough kits, though we are now using mobile vans for community testing in hot-spot areas. The central government has allowed rapid testing, but we need kits for that too," he says.
Adding to the woes is the economic impact of the disease, with Punjab anticipating a hit of Rs 5,000 crore in revenue by April-end.
"As of now, things have not gone out of control in India, but the numbers are increasing every day. We have seen a spike (of cases) here in Punjab in the past few days," he says.
The chief minister says the COVID-19 crisis has hit the economy of the state with no revenue generation from VAT and other sources. Punjab was the first state in the country to clamp curfew last month. -- PTI
17:00 1 COVID-19 patient can infect 406 in 30 days: Govt
Update: Lav Aggarwal,Joint Secretary,Health Ministry: A recent ICMR study shows that if 1 COVID19 patient doesn't follow lockdown orders or practice social distancing, then the patient can infect 406 people in 30 days 1,07,006 tests have been conducted till now. R Gangakhedkar, Indian Council of Medical Research says that currently, 136 government labs are working and 59 private labs have been given permission to conduct COVID-19 tests.
With 354 new cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the total count of coronavirus positive cases in the country has gone up to 4,421, said the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Tuesday.
"A total of 4,421 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in India till now as 354 new cases were reported since yesterday. A total of 117 deaths have been reported so far including 8 deaths reported since yesterday," Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said during daily media briefing.
Aggarwal further said that till now 326 persons have been discharged after recovering the infection, adding the government is adopting a strategy for cluster containment.
"This strategy is producing positive results, especially in Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Pathanamthitta, Bhilwara and East Delhi," added Aggarwal.
16:36 Sensex jumps by 2,476 points on strong global cues
Equity benchmark indices closed nearly 9 per cent higher on Tuesday due to firm global cues and value buying amid tentative signs that coronavirus may be levelling off in the United States and Europe. There was broad-based buying and most sectors traded with healthy gains. Pharma stocks rallied after the government lifted restrictions on the export of 24 pharmaceutical ingredients and medicines made from them.The BSE S&P Sensex closed 2,476 points or 8.97 per cent higher at 30,067 while the Nifty 50 jumped 708 points or 8.76 per cent up at 8,792. All sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the positive zone with Nifty private bank gaining by 11 per cent, pharma by 10.4 per cent, auto by 9.4 per cent, FMCG by 8 per cent and IT by 7.4 per cent.Among stocks, the top gainer was included IndusInd Bank which zoomed 25 per cent after its promoter the Hinduja Group initiated talks with sovereign wealth funds and pension funds, including Canada's CPPIB and Singapore's GIC Pte Ltd, to raise nearly 500 million dollars. Axis Bank gained by over 20 per cent and ICICI Bank by 13 per cent. The other prominent winners with double-digit gains included Grasim, Dr Reddy, Hindustan Lever, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindalco and Maruti.
16:33 Railways have 40K isolation beds in 25k coaches
Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare briefing on the COVID-19 situation in the country. Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry and PS Srivastav, MHA, helming the briefing.
-- Till now 326 persons have been discharged after recovery. There are 4,421 COVID19 positive cases in the country, including 354 cases in the last 24 hours.
-- Government has been adopting a strategy for cluster containment and for outbreaks that are amenable to management. This strategy is producing positive results, especially in Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Pathanamthitta, Bhilwara & East Delhi.
-- Indian Railways has prepared 40,000 isolation beds in 2,500 coaches. They are making 375 isolation beds daily and this is going on across 133 locations across the country.
-- Status of essential goods and services is by and large satisfactory. Home Minister did a detailed review of the status of essential commodities and lockdown measures, he gave directions to take appropriate measures and ensure hoarding and black marketing is not done.
Image: Isolation coaches prepared by the Indian Railways to fight the Coronavirus pandemic, at Rajendra Nagar Terminal railway station in Patna. Pic: ANI
16:16 Spicejet uses passenger plane for crucial cargo delivery
SpiceJet operated India's first cargo-on-seat flight, carrying 11 tons of vital supplies in passenger cabin and belly space from Delhi to Chennai. B737 passenger aircraft to do five rotations today carrying crucial supplies, the airlines said.
A stunningly beautiful Pushkar lake in Ajmer starkly empty of tourists
16:00 Centre 'thinking' of extending lockdown
A lot of state governments as well as experts are requesting the Central government to extend the nationwide coronavirus lockdown, and the Centre is thinking in this direction, government sources said on Tuesday. However, sources did not indicate if a final decision has been taken on the matter. India is currently under the 21-day lockdown since March 25, with only essential services exempted, to contain the fast-spreading virus, which has claimed more than 75,800 lives and afflicted over 13.5 lakh people across 183 countries. -- PTI
15:51 Cops at Matoshree to be tested for coronavirus
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday said that police personnel deployed at Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra will be tested for coronavirus infection, a day after owner of a tea stall near the bungalow tested positive. Police personnel deployed at the bungalow will be quarantined and replaced as a precautionary measure, Deshmukh said.
"The policemen may have consumed tea from the stall. We will screen them and other staffers who were deployed there," he said. "We will quarantine them to contain the spread, in case they (the security personnel) have been infected," the home minister told a news channel. The tea vendor was admitted in Jogeshwari-based HBT hospital for COVID-19.
However, it is not yet clear how the vendor, who stays inside his small shop, contracted the infection. After the case was reported, civic officials on Monday sprayed disinfectant in the area.
Meanwhile, Deshmukh also lambasted people who flout the lockdown norms and step out of their homes for "frivolous" reasons, and warned strict action. "We are keeping vigil. We have issued orders to seize vehicles and 4,000 vehicles have been seized till Monday," he said.
The home minister also asked people living in containment zones not to panic and cooperate with the state government by not stepping out of their homes. -- PTI
Image: Posters declaring a locality, a containment zone was put up last night by the BMC after a tea vendor tested COVID19 positive near Matoshree. Pic: ANI
15:39 Delhi Police, govt, MCD conduct door-to-door verification of 2,000 houses in Nizamuddin area
Police along with the Delhi government and Municipal Corporation have conducted door-to-door verification of approximately 2,000 houses in and around Nizamuddin area, which became an epicentre of coronavirus spread in the country.
According to sources, the purpose of this door-to-door verification is to identify and establish the movement of people in the area and also find out if they have developed any coronavirus related symptoms.
It is expected to determine whether the people came in contact with anyone with COVID-19.
The police and crime branch are also scrutinizing thousands of dumped data of mobile phones which were active around Nizamuddin Markaz, sources said.
This comes after several people, who attended the congregation at Markaz Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin area last month, tested positive for coronavirus across the country.
Many who attended the congregation have also infected several others.
An FIR was earlier filed against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act in connection with the congregation. The area has also been sanitized and evacuated. -- PTI
Image: Medical workers take people who attended the Tablighi Markaz of Nizamuddin in New Delhi, to the quarantine facility after identifying them, in Ahmedabad on Monday. Pic: ANI
15:29 Gehlot favours phased withdrawal of lockdown
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said he favoured a phased withdrawal of the lockdown, saying it cannot be done immediately after the 21-day period ends. Addressing a press conference through video conferencing, he said saving lives is important and no step should be taken that would endanger lives. "We cannot withdraw lockdown immediately. It has to be done in a phased manner, that is what I feel," Gehlot said when asked about the right time is to lift the countrywide lockdown over coronavirus. He said a decision on withdrawing the lockdown will, however, be taken after the recommendations of a task force set up in this regard are received.
The chief minister said Rajasthan has showed the way on how to contain the spread of the virus by its steps in Bhilwara, which had become a hotspot of the virus, and the same model will be replicated across the state, including in Ramganj, Jaipur.
He claimed that the state authorities reached out to six lakh households in Bhilwara and conducted widespread testing there. Gehlot also said that Rajasthan will start rapid testing of coronavirus in the state within a week as his government has ordered 10 lakh testing kits from China which will be received soon.
He said Rajasthan is among those states which had taken the virus threat seriously and after holding extensive consultations with various stakeholders, the state prepared itself well and has been successful in containing it so far.
Gehlot also demanded a probe by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court into the Tablighi Jamaat incident, which saw the spread of virus across the country. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said the party was not against action against Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin if they violated any rules or norms. -- PTI
Image: Migrants take to the roads on a camel. Pic: ANI
A deer crosses the road at the Borivali National Park
15:10 Major air pollutants down by at least 50% in Delhi
With vehicles off the road and industries shut due to the ongoing lockdown imposed to combat the coronavirus outbreak, the presence of major pollutants in the air -- PM2.5, PM10 and NOx -- has reduced by at least 50 per cent in Delhi. The three pollutants -- PM2.5 (atmospheric particulate matter that have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers), PM10 (atmospheric particulate matter that have a diameter of less than 10 micrometers) and NOx (nitrogen oxide released in traffic emissions) -- are some of the most dangerous pollutants and prolonged exposure to these can lead to serious respiratory disorders.
According to an analysis by the central government-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the highest reduction in these three pollutants have been seen in Delhi. The other cities where a similar analysis was done by SAFAR was Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad. India is currently under the biggest lockdown with around 1.3 billion people asked to stay home in view of the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed over 100 lives and infected more than 4,000 people in the country.
In Delhi, the comparison made from the second week of March (before lockdown) to first week of April (April 6), reduction in PM2.5 was found to be by 62 per cent, PM10 by 57 per cent and NOx by 50 per cent, the latest SAFAR data accessed by PTI showed. In Mumbai, the comparison in the same period showed a reduction in PM2.5 by 45 per cent, PM10 by 51 per cent and NOx by 60 per cent, the data showed. In Pune, a reduction in PM2.5 by 31 per cent, PM10 by 32 per cent and NOx by 62 per cent, according to the data. In Ahmedabad, a reduction in PM2.5 by 57 per cent, PM10 by 47 per cent and NOx by 32 per cent, according to the data. Environmentalists have said these figures prove that the most air pollution is man made. "
-- PTI
14:58 A day in the life of a COVID-19 Warrior
Assistant Police Inspector Sandip Gawai from the Dadar police station, has been deputed at the Worli Koliwada, one of the containment zones in south central Mumbai that has emerged as a hotspot for having coronavirus-infected people. "My wife, who expresses her fears and anxieties every night when I return home after doing my duty at a COVID-19 containment zone, promptly wakes me up the next morning so that I can report for duty on time," the API tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com. Read the report here.
File pic
14:52 Stay home for Hanuman Jayanti, Shab-e-Barat: Maha govt
Citing a popular event from the epic Ramayan a day ahead of 'Hanuman Jayanti', Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday asked people to not step out like the revered devotee of Lord Ram to "lift hill", but stay indoors to avoid the coronavirus spread. Pawar also appealed to members of the Muslim community to observe 'Shab-e-Barat', when they visit graveyards to remember the dead, by offering prayers at their homes on Wednesday.
"Today, to protect the people from coronavirus, none needs to (step out of home and) lift hills. Instead, they should stay inside their homes on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti (to contain the spread of the viral disease)," an official statement quoted Pawar as saying. Wishing people on the occasion of the World Health Day, Pawar said that people should celebrate their festivals by staying inside their homes until further notice. Noting that the government has sealed certain areas to prevent transmission of the coronavirus, Pawar said that the violators will be jailed.
"The government will not take further risk on coronavirus. Serious offences will be registered against those responsible for the spread of coronavirus and they will have to suffer the consequences of it," he stated. -- PTI
14:49 Himachal govt announces pay cuts for ministers, MLAs
Himachal Pradesh state cabinet decides to cut the salaries of ministers, MLAs, Chairman and Vice chairmen in different boards and corporations by 30% for a period of one year. The MLA fund for 2 years will not be released and will be deposited in the COVID-19 fund of state government.
14:42 1 lakh tests...Kejri's 5-point plan to battle nCoV
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Tuesday a five-point action plan to contain the spread of coronavirus in the national capital and said one lakh random rapid COVID-19 tests will be conducted in the city's hotspot areas. Addressing a press conference via video link, he said the Delhi government-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, G B Pant Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital have been declared as COVID-19 dedicated hospitals.
Currently, 2,950 beds in city hospitals are reserved for COVID-19 patients. The Delhi government will takeover 12,000 hotel rooms in the wake of spike in number of coronavirus cases, Kejriwal said. "We will give the police phone numbers of Tablighi Jamaat event attendees to trace and ascertain whether they moved in nearby areas," he said.
Elaborating on the five-point action plan, the chief minister said, "It includes five Ts -- testing, tracing, treatment, team-work and tracking -- and monitoring."
Informing reporters that the government has made arrangements to deal with 30,000 cases, Kejriwal said provisions will be made for 8,000 more beds to treat COVID-19 patients.
"The government has earmarked around 400 beds in private hospitals for COVID-19 patients. We have prepared detailed plan to take over private hospitals if the number of coronavirus cases rises up to 30,000 in Delhi," he said.
"One lakh random rapid COVID-19 tests will be conducted in hotspot areas. We will make arrangements in banquet halls and dharamsalas in the city to accommodate 10,000 COVID-19 patients if such a need arises," Kejriwal added. -- PTI
14:30 UK PM on oxygen support, not ventilator: Official
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not on a ventilator but has had some oxygen support, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said on Tuesday.
"He's not on a ventilator no ... The prime minister has received some oxygen support and he is kept under, of course, close supervision," Gove told the London-based LBC radio, adding that if Johnson's condition changes the government will make an official statement.
Johnson was taken to intensive care on Monday night after his coronavirus symptoms worsened, Downing Street said.
Johnson has asked British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputize for him, a Downing Street spokesman was quoted by Xinhua news agency.
The prime minister, 55, was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in London with "persistent symptoms" on Sunday night, 10 days after testing positive for coronavirus.
The spokesman said the prime minister was moved on the advice of his medical team and is receiving "excellent care."
Johnson was one of the first world leaders to be diagnosed with COVID-19, nearly two weeks ago, and was relocated to the intensive care ward as a precautionary measure, Downing Street said on Monday. His fiancee, Carrie Symonds, is pregnant and also recovering from coronavirus symptoms.
-- ANI
14:30 Bihar cop sacked for objectionable post on coronavirus
A Bihar police official was arrested and dismissed from service for an objectionable post on coronavirus on social media. Santosh Kumar, an ASI posted in Navanagar police station in Buxar district, was sent to judicial custody on Monday.
Buxar SP Upendra Nath Verma said Kumar was arrested on the directive of Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey.
According to the police, soon after Kumar posted the image along with a communal comment in the group, it was re-posted by former JD-U leader Sambhu Patel in Sonvwrsha police station's cyber senami group (cyber warriors group) that went viral. Patel has also been arrested.
A district police official said a cyber senani group was created for immediate service to people but this group was turned into a platform for entertainment.
-- MI Khan
13:58 Sonia writes to PM, suggests measures to save money to fight COVID-19
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting five measures to conserve money for the fight against COVID-19, including a complete ban on media advertisements by government and PSUs for two years and suspending the Central Vista beautification project.
The suggestions came after Modi reached out to several opposition leaders, including Gandhi, on Monday.
In her letter to the prime minister, Gandhi also called for ordering proportionate reduction of 30 per cent in expenditure budget (other than salaries, pensions and central sector schemes) for the government of India.
All foreign visits of the president, prime minister, Union ministers, chief ministers, state ministers and bureaucrats must be put on hold, she said.
The Congress chief called for transferring all money under the 'PM Cares' fund to the 'Prime Ministers National Relief Fund' to ensure efficiency, transparency and accountability.
Asserting that the need of the hour is austerity measures to divert funds to the fight against COVID-19, she said, "Impose a complete ban on media advertisements - television, print and online - by the Government and PSU's for a period of two years."
Gandhi also called upon the PM to suspend the Rs 20,000 crore Central Vista beautification and construction project forthwith.
-- PTI
13:47 Reuse N95 masks 4 times: AIIMS tells docs
AIIMS to provide only five N95 masks to doctors, nursing officers, technical staff, security guards and maintenance staff for 20 days. AIIMS circular states, "N95 masks to be disinfected by the users and re-used at least four times each, whereby these will suffice for about 20 days."
Meanwhile, AIIMS chief Randeep Guleria told India Today that though community transmission has been seen in some pockets, India is still between Stage 2 (local transmission) and Stage 3. Expressing concern over the worrying situation in India arising due to Coronavirus, Guleria said, "Cases have sharply increased at some places and localised community spread has also been noticed in some areas, such as Mumbai. We are in between Stage 2 and 3." The AIIMS director, however, clarified that most of India is currently at Stage 2 of Coronavirus pandemic.
Representational image
13:36 COVID-19: 3,000 people take self-assessment test in Thane
Over 3,000 people from Thane city in Maharashtra have taken an app-based self-assessment test for coronavirus, the Thane Municipal Corporation said on Tuesday. The civic body circulated the self-test tool available on its DIGI Thane app through WhatsApp, asking citizens to assess their condition, the TMC's public relations officer Sandeep Malavi said. TMC commissioner Vijay Singhal circulated the tool to over 30,000 people on different WhatsApp groups, of which 3,000 have already taken the test and the results were available with the civic body, he said. Meanwhile, infrastructure works in Thane district, which are scheduled to be completed before monsoons, will continue, collector Rajesh Narvekar said. Workers, who are working on these projects, will have to carry their ID cards and a copy of the government's order while commuting to the sites, he said in an order. -- PTI
Representational image
13:36 COVID-19: 3,000 people take self-assessment test in Thane
Over 3,000 people from Thane city in Maharashtra have taken an app-based self-assessment test for coronavirus, the Thane Municipal Corporation said on Tuesday. The civic body circulated the self-test tool available on its DIGI Thane app through WhatsApp, asking citizens to assess their condition, the TMC's public relations officer Sandeep Malavi said. TMC commissioner Vijay Singhal circulated the tool to over 30,000 people on different WhatsApp groups, of which 3,000 have already taken the test and the results were available with the civic body, he said. Meanwhile, infrastructure works in Thane district, which are scheduled to be completed before monsoons, will continue, collector Rajesh Narvekar said. Workers, who are working on these projects, will have to carry their ID cards and a copy of the government's order while commuting to the sites, he said in an order. -- PTI
Street art to get the message across. Photograph: PTI Photo
13:31 Low-risk states may have lockdown lifted first
'The government could consider a phased exit from the national lockdown and is studying a proposal to partially lift restrictions in low-risk states and districts while continuing with stringent curbs in areas with the maximum number of cases,' reports Teena Thacker in the Economic Times.
Quoting from 'the draft plan submitted by the Medical Emergency Management Plan, a Niti Aayog group constituted by the home ministry and headed by Niti Aayog member Vinod Paul, which the newspaper has viewed, Teena writes that 'high-risk states and districts could see the lockdown continue for 28 days more.'
The draft plan also divides 'states into four categories based on the severity of outbreak, with the worst-hit ones placed in stage 4', she reports.
To know more about the phased exit of the lockdown, click here.
13:10 16 Markaz men booked for hiding travel history
Sixteen Tablighi Jamaat members were booked on Monday in Korba for allegedly hiding travel history, misleading authorities and putting lives of others at risk, said Abhishek Meena, Korba Superintendent of Police. One of them had tested positive for COVID-19 and is undergoing treatment at AIIMS Raipur, informed Meena.
The Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases from across India were linked to the gathering including deaths in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
India's tally of total positive cases rose to 4,421, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday. Out of 4,421 cases, 3,981 are active cases, while 325 cases have been cured or discharged. The total number of deaths at the present is 114. -- ANI
12:51 COVID-19 +ve nurses, docs treated: Wockhardt
The Wockhardt Hospital said that several healthcare professionals at its South Mumbai facility have tested positive for COVID-19 and they are being treated."Several of our healthcare professionals tested positive for COVID-19 at South Mumbai facility. The source of the infection is identified as a 70-year-old patient who was admitted on March 17 for a cardiac emergency. Later, the patient tested positive for COVID-19," read a statement from Wockhardt Hospital.
"Our colleague nurses and the doctors identified as COVID-19 positive are presently being treated. The hospital is currently declared containment zone by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and we are closely working with the authorities," the statement added.Meanwhile, 23 new coronavirus positive cases were reported in Maharashtra on Tuesday.The total number of positive cases in the state has increased to 891. -- ANI
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12:33 I'ts a cop out: Omar on Mehbooba's continued detention
Former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah reacts to Mehbooba Mufti being moved to her home. Abdullah who was released from detention on March 24, tweeted, " Mehbooba Mufti must be set free. Shifting her home while continuing to keep her detained is a cop out."
Mehbooba Mufti, at present detained under the Public Safety Act, was shifted from a make-shift jail to her residence, officials said on Tuesday. The order to shift the 60-year-old Mufti, who was initially put under preventive custody on August 5 last year and later booked under the stringent PSA on February 6, was issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Home department. The order stated that she was being shifted from a subsidiary jail at Maulana Azad Road to "Fairview Gupkar Road" which is her official residence. Before shifting her, the government accorded status of subsidary jail to her official residence with immediate effect, it said. -- PTI
12:22 Lifesaving drugs for Indians first: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that India must help all countries in their fight against coronavirus but lifesaving medicines should be made available to Indians first.
"Friendship isn't about retaliation. India must help all nations in their hour of need but lifesaving medicines should be made available to Indians in ample quantities first," he said on Twitter.
Gandhi's reaction came after the Ministry of External Affairs said that India would to export anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to several countries including those in the neighbourhood on a case-by-case basis in sync with its commitment to the international community to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Hydroxychloroquine is an old and inexpensive drug used to treat malaria.
Last month, India banned export of hydroxychloroquine in the midst of views that the drug could be used as potential anti-viral agent to protect healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients from the infection. India has received requests from several other countries including its immediate neighbours Sri Lanka and Nepal for supply of hydroxychloroquine. -- PTI
12:09 Kalyan, Dombivali borders sealed to contain spread of COVID-19
Civic authorities have ordered sealing of borders of the Kalyan and Dombivali cities here in in Maharashtra with immediate effect to check the spread of coronavirus. In an order issued on Monday, Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryavanshi said it was absolutely essential to seal the borders of the two cities.
Police personnel have been deployed to ensure strict implementation of the directive. The order will not be applicable to the essential and emergency services, the commissioner said. Till Monday, the Thane region, which includes Kalyan and Dombivali cities, reported 85 coronavirus cases and nine deaths. A total of 175 surveillance teams are pressed into service in the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation area to identify clusters for containment. The number of such teams in Thane and Navi Mumbai is 214 and 178, respectively, an official earlier said. -- PTI
12:02 Delhi HC rejects interim bail to Christian Michel in AgustaWestland case
Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant interim bail to Christian Michel, an alleged middleman in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam case, in view of the risk of him contracting coronavirus in prison.Justice Mukta Gupta, while dismissing the bail, noted that the apprehension of the petitioner being infected by COVID-19 is unfounded as he is lodged in a separate cell with only two other prisoners and thus, is not in a barrack or dormitory where there are a number of prisons.
The court said that it is not the case of the petitioner that any of the two inmates residing with him are suffering from COVID-19.
It also noted that the petitioner, failing to qualify on three criteria laid down by the High Power Committee, which was set up to decongest the prisons in the national capital amid coronavirus fears, has not been released on bail.
The committee had decided not to release foreign nationals, those involved in more than one case not being on bail in others and the cases being under Prevention of Corruption Act and Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Advocate DP Singh, appeared for the CBI, opposed the interim bail and stated that the petitioner is not entitled to bail as he did not join investigation anywhere and after a long drawn extradition process, was extradited from Dubai.
Advocate Amit Mahajan, appearing for the ED, contended that the petitioner is presently lodged at the safest place in the country being the Tihar Jail.
Mahajan had said that there is no threat of the petitioner coming on contact with any COVID-19 patient and thereby, his apprehension that due to his age, and being a British national, not accustomed to Indian conditions, his immunity is low, is totally unfounded.
Michel, in his plea, moved through advocate Aljo K Joseph, stated that his age and health condition are at risk of contacting COVID-19 infection and added that it is "far-fetched that he is likely to jump bail" when he can be procured during the trial by imposing other conditions. -- ANI
11:58 GoM on COVID-19 underway
The Group of Ministers meeting on COVID-19, being chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is underway.
11:52 23 new coronavirus cases in Maharashtra
23 new Coronavirus positive cases reported in Maharashtra today -- Sangli 1, Pimpri-Chinchwad 4, Ahmednagar 3, Buldhana 2, Mumbai 10, Thane 1 & Nagpur 2. The total number of positive cases in the state rises to 891.
Image: Brindaban Society in Thane has been after a man who returned from Dubai tested positive for the virus. His wife and son tested negative but have been quarantined by the Thane Municipal Corporation. Pic: ANI
11:42 Odisha makes it mandatory to wear masks
Odisha has become the first state in the country to make a face mask or use of cloth in "at least two layers" mandatory for the citizens when they come out of home for any purpose. The order shall come into effect from 7 am on April 9.
"The general public is directed to cover their mouth and nose with any available form of mask while stepping out of house for any purpose. A handkerchief or any other piece of cloth in at least two layers can also be used for the purpose, until further orders," read an official order from the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Odisha, on Monday.
It further stated that COVID-19 is "assuming grave threat to the health of the general public in the state" and the virus is "believed to be spreading through droplets."
"Masks have been found to be extremely useful in controlling and containment of the spread of coronavirus as seen from several Global and National experiences, so it is imperative to adopt strict social distancing and isolation measures to contain the spread of COVID-19," it added.
The state government has directed district municipal authorities to ensure prevention of crowding and also ensure the use of any form of masks or clothes such as handkerchiefs, bandanas, gamuchha, dupatta etc. by the people while stepping out of their houses. -- ANI
11:36 Extension of deadline will destroy economy: Sanjaya Baru
Sanjaya Baru, policy analyst and former media advisor to Dr Manmohan Singh when he was PM weighs in on the extension of the lockdown. The Telangana CM has asked PM Modi to extend the lockdown saying otherwise it will be impossible to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Baru tweets: This will destroy the state and if extended to entire country such an extended lockdown will destroy India." Baru is also the author of the Accidental Prime Minister.
11:32 Man tests coronavirus +ve after return from Indonesia
A Chandrapur resident who recently returned from Indonesia and is quarantined at neighbouring Nagpur in Maharashtra has tested positive for coronavirus, an official said. The man is a member of the Islamic organisation Tablighi Jamaat and since he has not come back to Chandrapur after returning from Indonesia, the district administration is trying to gather more information about him, the official said on Monday.
Four couples from the district went to Indonesia in February and flew back to Delhi in the third week of last month. They later took a domestic flight and reached Nagpur where they were kept under quarantine at an MLA hostel, the official said. None of them has since returned to Chandrapur, which is located about 150 km from Nagpur. One of these persons, who is a member of the Tablighi Jamaat, tested positive for coronavirus in Nagpur on Monday, the official said.
11:03 Too early to decide on lifting lockdown: K'taka
The Karnataka government indicated on Tuesday it's too early to take a call now on lifting the nation-wide lockdown but said it's in favour of its extension in COVID-19 hotspots in the country by at least an additional two weeks.
"We need to see for another few days before taking final call," Medical Education Minister Sudhakar K, who is in-charge of all matters related to COVID-19, told 'PTI' when asked if the State is in favour of the rollback after the 21- day period ends on April 14.
The Minister opined that the decision on its withdrawal should be based on the COVID-19 pandemic situation at the time in terms of number of cases and response to the outbreak. When the lockdown is lifted, it has to be in a staggered and phased manner, and not at one go, Sudhakar stressed.
"Where there are red alerts and zones, those zones, in my opinion, should continue to be in a lockdown situation at least for two weeks...till this month-end, I will request them (the Centre) to do this," he said.
The Telananga Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday appealed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the 21-day national lockdown imposed to contain COVID-19 outbreak beyond April 14, saying it was essential to save lives.
Sudhakar said the Karnataka government is facing financial challenges because of drastic fall in revenues due to the lockdown, adding, it would take "tough decisions" to cut expenditure. The Finance Department is in the process of evaluating the State's fiscal position. -- PTI
Image: Traffic police light diyas on Sunday in Bengaluru. Pic: ANI
10:46 Rupee rises 26 paise to 75.87 against US dollar in early trade
The Indian rupee appreciated by 26 paise to 75.87 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday tracking positive opening in domestic equities. Forex traders said higher opening in domestic equities supported the local unit, while sustained foreign fund outflows and concerns over coronavirus outbreak weighed on the local unit.
At the interbank foreign exchange the rupee opened at 75.92, then gained ground and touched 75.87, registering a rise of 26 paise over its previous close. On Friday, rupee had settled at 76.13 against the US dollar. The forex market was closed on Monday on account of Mahavir Jayanti.
Traders said investor sentiments remain fragile amid concerns over the impact of coronavirus outbreak on the domestic as well as global economy. The number of deaths around the world linked to the new coronavirus has crossed over 74,000. In India, over 4,400 coronavirus cases have been reported so far.
Meanwhile, domestic bourses opened on a positive note on Tuesday with benchmark indices Sensex trading 1127.33 points higher at 28,718.28 and Nifty up by 344.95 points at 8,428.75. Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers in the capital market, as they sold equity shares worth Rs 1,960.97 crore on Friday, according to provisional exchange data. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 2.90 per cent to USD 34.01 per barrel. -- PTI
10:38 Guj govt ropes in pvt firms to manufacture PPE, N95 masks
The Gujarat government has roped in state-based private companies to manufacture personal protective equipment and N95 masks required by health staff who are at the forefront of the battle against coronavirus.
A private company from the state has already manufactured low cost ventilators and will be supplying them soon to government-run hospitals, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said a few days back.
The state government feels it will be better prepared to fight the disease if local manufacturers provide such vital equipment, chief minister's secretary Ashwani Kumar said on Monday.
"Chief Minister Rupani has called upon industries of the state for local production of items essential to tackle the viral infection," Kumar said. As part of the initiative, the Rajkot-based Jyoti CNC has started production of ventilators after getting necessary approvals, he said. "Two other companies -- Arvind Mills in Ahmedabad and Sure Safety in Vadodara -- will soon start production of personal protective equipment," he said.
The state government got technology transferred from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur for N95 masks, he said, adding that Ahmedabad-based Cellulose Products will manufacture 25,000 such masks per day. -- PTI
10:34 India partially lifts ban on hydroxychloroquine
India has partially eased restrictions on the export of anti-malarial drug hydroxycloroquine, refusing to cave in to a threat of 'retaliation' from US President Donald Trump if New Delhi turned down his request to lift the hold on American orders.
Hydroxychloroquine tablet is seen as a viable therapeutic solution to cure Covid-19 disease that has so far affected over a million people across the world.
The MEA statement read: "In view of the humanitarian aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been decided that India would licence paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine in appropriate quantities to all our neighbouring countries who are dependent on our capabilities. Existing orders will be cleared. We will also be supplying these essential drugs to some nations who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic. We would therefore discourage any speculation in this regard or any attempts to politicise the matter."
India had banned the export of hydroxychloroquine and formulations of the malaria drug while experts test its efficacy in helping treat COVID-19 patients.
There are currently no approved treatments, or preventive vaccines for COVID-19, the highly contagious, sometimes deadly respiratory illness caused by coronavirus.
Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, is among the medications undergoing testing as a potential treatment for patients with the disease. India is one of the world's largest manufacturers of the medicine.
10:21 Tharoor slams Trump
Shashi Tharoor reacts to Trump's statement on hydroxychloroquine: "Never in my decades of experience in world affairs have I heard a Head of State or Govt openly threatening another like this. What makes Indian hydroxychloroquine "our supply", Mr President? It only becomes your supply when India decides to sell it to you. @USAndIndia."
US President Donald Trump hinted at a possible retaliation if India does not lift its hold on the export of Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug used in the treatment of coronavirus patients.Trump speaking from the White House during the Coronavirus taskforce briefing said that India does very well with the US and he sees no reason why India would not lift the hold on the US order of the medicine.
He said, "Didn't hear that that was his (Modi) decision. I know that he stopped it for other countries I spoke to him yesterday, very very good talk, and we'll see whether or not that stays I wouldn't be surprised if he would you know because India's does very well with the United States,"Trump said that during his recent phone call with Modi, the latter had said he will consider the request of releasing the order to the US.
10:05 2 more COVID-19 cases in Dharavi
Two more positive cases found in Dharavi -- the father and brother of the 2nd positive case from the area. Dr Baliga Nagar area of Dharavi has been sealed. Contact tracing of the new cases is being done. Total Coronavirus positive cases in Dharavi now stand at 7 (including 1 death).
10:01 Sensex rallies over 1,300 points; Nifty reclaims 8,400
Equity benchmark Sensex rallied over 1,300 points in early trade on Tuesday led gains in bank, IT and auto stocks amid recovery in global equities. After hitting a high of 28,963.25, the 30-share BSE barometer was trading 1,127.57 points or 4.09 per cent higher at 28,718.52. Similarly, the NSE Nifty soared 347.95 points, or 4.30 per cent, to 8,431.75. IndusInd Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging up to 15 per cent, followed by Mahindra and Mahindra, HCL Tech, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Infosys. On the other hand, Bajaj Finance was the sole loser.
In the previous session on Friday, the 30-share BSE barometer ended 674.36 points or 2.39 per cent lower at 27,590.95 and the NSE Nifty shed 170 points, or 2.06 per cent, to finish at 8,083.80.
Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market, as they offloaded equity shares worth Rs 1,960.97 crore, according to provisional exchange data.
Market was closed on Monday on account of Mahavir Jayanti'. Despite concerns over rising coronavirus cases in the country, domestic equities took positive cues from global stocks and turned positive, traders said.
Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul rallied up to 2 per cent. Benchmark exchanges on Wall Street ended over 7 per cent higher in overnight trade. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 2.66 per cent to USD 33.93 per barrel on fresh hopes an OPEC-led meeting this week will reach an agreement to reduce oversupply and shore up the market.
The number of COVID-19 cases in India has stood at over 4,400 and the death toll was above 100, according to health ministry log. Global tally of the infections has crossed 13 lakh, with over 74,000 deaths. -- PTI
Security personnel question a woman in Assam
09:50 354 COVID-19 cases in 24 hrs, India tally 4421
COVID-19 updates this morning: Increase of 354 COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths in last 24 hours; India's positive cases rise to 4421 (including 3981 active cases, 325 cured/discharged/migrated people and 114 deaths): Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Delhi govt: to conduct over 1 lakh tests in next few days. Random testing to be done in hotspots. Quarantine centers being set up in large numbers. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to brief today at 1 pm about a 5-point plan, formed in the view of increase in no of COVID19 cases in Delhi.
Maharashtra: As per local administration, Ahmednagar district has a total 25 COVID-19 positive patients. 21 out of the 25 patients include Tablighi Jamaat returnees and their close contacts. In the last 24hours, four people tested positive out of which three are close contacts of persons who attended Markaz.
09:38 US COVID-19 death toll crosses 10,000
The death toll in the US from the coronavirus crossed the 10,000-mark on Monday as the country entered the most difficult phase during this pandemic with officials stating that there are encouraging signs in the fight against the dreaded disease mainly due to the aggressive implementation of the mitigation measures.
By Monday, more than 10,800 Americans died due to the deadly coronavirus and over 366,000 tested positive, to which top American scientists are racing against time to develop either a vaccine or a successful treatment.
Globally it has infected more than 13 lakhs people and resulted in the death of more than 74,000. In New York, the epicenter of COVID-19 in the US, the fatalities on Monday increased to 4,758 and confirmed cases to 130,000, with officials saying that new cases and deaths have now slowed down in the Big Apple.
Members of the White House Task Force on coronavirus said that the new models based on fresh data projects less than 100,000 death against the previous projections between 100,000 and 200,000. This has been mainly due to the aggressive implementation of the mitigation strategy.
"We are increasingly hopeful that the aggressive mitigation strategy we put into place will ultimately allow our hospitals system to successfully manage that major influx of cases that we have right now," Trump told reporters at his daily White House news conference.
The goal is that all Americans have been sacrificing to achieve these last few weeks things that a lot of people thought were not possible to achieve, he said.
"I think we've more than achieved, but we have to go through. Again, we're going to have a rough week, were going to have maybe a rough little more than a week but there's tremendous light at the end of that tunnel, he said.
According to the president, there are so many things happening with therapeutics, and with vaccines. "Those therapeutics, the vaccines are going to be always a little bit later because of that testing period, but the therapeutics, getting the kind of things that I heard about today talking to these brilliant companies and brilliant people on the phone was fantastic," he said.
Currently there are 10 different therapeutic agents in active trials and some are looking incredibly successful, he said, adding that another 15 are in plans for clinical trials. -- PTI
09:22 A taste of corona
In West Bengal, a sweet shop in Kolkata has made 'Corona' sweets for its customers as a gift. The owner of the shop says, "Thousands of people are dying due to the Coronavirus. It's a message to uplift the spirit of people that we will fight and digest corona and not vice versa". Sweet shops in Kolkata have been allowed to stay open.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
09:16 1182 people held in Assam for violating lockdown
As many as 1,182 people have been arrested and 504 cases registered so far in Assam for not following the lockdown restrictions imposed in view of the coronavirus outbreak, an official said. "1,182 people have been arrested and 504 cases registered so far in Assam for violating the coronavirus lockdown," said GP Singh, Assam Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order. State minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that over 2,000 samples have been tested in the state, out of which 26 tested positive for coronavirus so far.
"There are a total of 26 coronavirus positive cases in Assam so far. We have tested 2,000 samples till date. The reports for 165 samples are pending and are expected to come by this evening," Sarma said during a press conference at NHM office. The country is under a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of 111 people and infected a total of 4,281 people, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. -- ANI
08:55 Area near Thackeray house sealed due to COVID-19
The civic body in Mumbai has sealed Kalanagar area around Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence Matoshree after one tea stall seller was confirmed COVID-19 positive.
The BMC has sprayed disinfectants in the area.
"The vendor runs a tea stall in the locality. After he was found positive, contact tracking is going on," said a BMC official.
Police sources added that four persons residing in the building of the tea-seller, who is possibly infected with Coronavirus, have been placed under quarantine.
Some security personnel deployed at Matoshree, who visited his tea stall have also been kept in isolation as a precautionary measure.
08:16 China reports no new coronavirus deaths for first time
China on Tuesday reported no new coronavirus deaths for the first time since it started publishing figures in January, the National Health Commission said.
Cases in mainland China have been dwindling since March, but the country faces a second wave of infections brought in from overseas, with health officials reporting nearly 1,000 imported cases in total.
07:53 Trump warns India of retaliation on drug export
US President Donald Trump hinted at a possible retaliation if India does not lift its hold on the export of Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug used in the treatment of coronavirus patients.
Trump speaking from the White House during the Coronavirus taskforce briefing said that India does very well with the US and he sees no reason why India would not lift the hold on the US order of the medicine.
He said, "Didn't hear that that was his (Modi) decision. I know that he stopped it for other countries I spoke to him yesterday, very very good talk, and we'll see whether or not that stays I wouldn't be surprised if he would you know because India's does very well with the United States,"
Trump said that during his recent phone call with Modi, the latter had said he will consider the request of releasing the order to the US.
The US president added, "So I wouldn't be surprised if that was a decision he'd have to tell me that I spoke to him Sunday morning I called him and I said we'd appreciate your allowing our supply to come out. If he doesn't allow it to come out, he doesn't allow it to come out, that would be okay, but of course, there may be retaliation, why wouldn't there be?"
Trump said that India and the US have had good trade agreements and hinted at possible retaliation if India decided not to lift the hold.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday had said that he has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to supply Hydroxychloroquine tablets that can be used to treat COVID-19 patients.
"After call today with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is giving serious consideration to releasing the hold it put on a US order for hydroxychloroquine," Trump announced at the White House Coronavirus task force briefing.
-- ANI
01:00 Hang in there: Modi wishes good health to Boris
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hoped that his British counterpart Boris Johnson, admitted to a hospital for treatment of coronavirus, finds himself in perfect health soon.
'Hang in there, Prime Minister @BorisJohnson! Hope to see you out of hospital and in perfect health very soon,' the prime minister wrote on Twitter.
British Prime Minister Johnson had earlier tweeted that on the advice of his doctor, he went into hospital for some routine tests as he was still experiencing coronavirus symptoms.
'I'm in good spirits and keeping in touch with my team, as we work together to fight this virus and keep everyone safe," he had said.
00:51 Tea seller near Uddhav's home tests positive
A vendor who sells tea near 'Matoshree', the private residence of Maharashtra Chief Minster Uddhav Thackeray in suburban Bandra, has been found positive for novel coronavirus infection, a civic body official said on Monday.
As a precautionary measure, civic officials have sprayed disinfectants in the area.
"The vendor run a tea stall in the locality. After he was found positive, contact tracking is going on," he said, adding that the area near 'Matoshree' has not been demarcated as a 'containment zone'.
Police have installed barricades in the area.
The official said the vendor was admitted to Jogeshwari-based HBT hospital.
According to sources, the man used to stay inside his small shop.
"However, it is not yet clear how he contracted the infection," they said.
Meanwhile, in view of rising COVID-19 cases in Mumbai, the civic body has procured a new machine for speedy tests which will be installed at Kasturba Hospital.
"The 'safe fast evaluation swab technique machine' is being set up in the hospital," an officer said.
The worst-hit Mumbai has reported 526 COVID-19 cases so far with 34 deaths. -- PTI
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