LIVE! COVID-19: GoM reviews situation in country

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Sun, 29 March 2020

COVID-19: GoM reviews situation in country

Timeline Refresh

22:22 Govt includes sanitary pads as essential commodity during lockdwon

"Taking note of growing concern regarding availability of Sanitary Napkins, Home Secretary to Government of India has issued clarification to Chief Secretaries of all the states regarding Sanitary Pads being an essential commodity," Smriti Irani, Union Cabinet Minister for Textiles and Women and Child Development, tweeted.

The Union home ministry on Sunday allowed the transportation of all essential and non-essential goods in the country and the use of premises of the state disaster response force (SDRF) to shelter migrant workers and the homeless stranded due to the lockdown imposed to combat COVID-19.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote to the chief secretaries of all states and Union territories, asking them to enure that relief camps were set up at the facilities of the SDRF for homeless people, including migrant labourers, to provide them shelter and food.

It said the Home Ministry had already issued an order invoking the Disaster Management Act, under which the district authorities were asked to strictly implement additional measures to stop the movement of migrant workers and provide them quarantine facilities, shelter and food, and ensure payment of wages and non-eviction by their landlords.

"Its strict implementation needs to be ensured," the home secretary said in his letter, and added that the district authorities and the field agencies should be informed so as to avoid any ambiguity at the ground level.

The letter made it clear that transportation of all goods, without distinction of essential and non-essential, have been allowed.

The home secretary also made it clear that the newspaper delivery supply chain is allowed under exemptions given for print media.

Bhalla added that the entire supply chain of milk collection and distribution, including its packing material, has also been allowed during the lockdown period, along with groceries.

"Groceries, including hygiene products such as hand wash, soaps, disinfectants, body wash, shampoos, surface cleaners, detergents and tissue papers, toothpaste/oral care, sanitary pads and diapers, battery cells, chargers etc.," are permitted during the lockdown.

The home secretary also included the services of the Indian Red Cross Society under the Establishment of National Disaster Management Authority.

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation has also been exempted and asked to work with bare minimum staff.

A nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24 for 21 days in order to arrest the spread of coronavirus in the country. -- PTI

22:08 COVID-19: GoM reviews situation in country

A Group of Ministers chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday carried out a comprehensive review of the situation arising out of coronavirus pandemic including treatment of affected people and supplies of petroleum products and essential commodities across the country.

The meeting also deliberated on the issue of a vast numbers of migrant workers taking journeys on foot for hundreds of kilometres in various parts of the country to reach home from urban centres after the 21-day nation-wide lockdown came into force.

Sources said the GoM reviewed the entire situation arising out of COVID-19 pandemic across the country.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Consumer Affairs and Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar attended the meeting.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal also participated.

The sources said petroleum products are available in adequate quantities across India and that transportation of essential commodities by train, air and road is going on without any difficulty.

They said any issue arising locally is being resolved. -- PTI

The Indian Medical Association on Sunday flayed the Kerala government's plan to supply liquor to alcohol addicts based on doctor's prescription, saying it was not "scientific".

Those showing withdrawal symptoms should be provided scientific treatment which can be given at homes or by giving medicines after admitting them to hospitals, IMA state president Dr Abraham Varghese said.

The association's reaction comes a day after chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government was mulling the possibility of supplying liquor to alcohol addicts as the closure of bars and state-run beverage outlets during the lockdown period was creating social issues.

A couple of people, having withdrawal symptoms, had committed suicide in the southern state in recent days allegedly upset over not getting liquor following alcohol ban.

"The move to supply liquor to such people cannot be accepted on scientific grounds. Doctors have no legal liability to give prescription to get them liquor," Dr Varghese said.

A 'liquor prescription' may even result in the cancellation of the licence of the medical practitioner, he said.

It was better to give scientific treatment to such persons and any other approach would make things more complicated, Varghese said adding that the IMA had already conveyed their concern to the Chief Minister in this regard. -- PTI

20:54 COVID-19 cases surpass 1,000-mark; 27 deaths

The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,024 and the death toll touched 27 after two fresh deaths were reported on Sunday evening, according to the Union health ministry.

In its updated data at 7:30 pm, the ministry said the two fresh deaths were reported from Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.

So far, Maharashtra has reported 6 deaths, Gujarat 5, Karnataka 3, Madhya Pradesh 2, Delhi 2, Jammu and Kashmir 2 and Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab, West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh have reported one each.

The ministry said the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country was 901, while 95 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated. -- PTI

Image: Workers prepare beds inside a quarantine facility for COVID-19 patients in Guwahati. Photograph: PTI Photo

20:48 14-day quarantine for migrants arriving in UP

Nearly one lakh people, who have arrived in Uttar Pradesh over the last few days owing to the countrywide lockdown, have been asked by the state government to remain in home quarantine while instructions in this regard have been conveyed to the village pradhans, a senior official said here on Sunday.

Principal Secretary, medical and health, Amit Mohan Prasad said, "Through community surveillance and our departmental officers, they (people arriving in the state) have been told to be in homes. They will be in home quarantine for a period of 14 days."

On Saturday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had issued directions to officials to keep the approximately one lakh people, who have arrived in the state in the last three days from other parts of the country, in home quarantine.

According to a state government spokesperson, Adityanath said one lakh people have come to UP from other states in the last three days.

Their names, addresses and phone numbers have been made available to the district magistrates and are being monitored, the spokesperson added.

Adityanath also issued directives for all these people to be kept in quarantine and arrangements for their food and other daily needs be fulfilled, a statement issued by the state government said.

"No one in the state should remain hungry during the lockdown," the chief minister was quoted as saying.

While chairing a review meeting at his residence, Adityanath on Saturday also issued directions to officials to strengthen the supply chain of essential goods, the statement said.

While nodal officers of UP were deployed in 12 states on Friday, the CM deployed nodal officers in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Ladakh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh and the northeastern states on Saturday.

People from UP who are in other states, doing business and pursuing jobs there, can get all kinds of facilities by contacting the nodal officers.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said that 58,752 pradhans and 11,631 councilors have been contacted through the CM helpline and 11,912 complaints were also resolved.

Principal Secretary Prasad said anyone who has any kind of problem or symptom of the disease can call the CM helpline at 1076 and immediately get advice.

"Advice and medical facility can also be obtained at the helpline of the health department. The department is monitoring around 60,000 people who have returned from abroad," he said. -- PTI

If the lockdown is not followed, the country will fail to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday, as he assured migrant workers that his government has made food and boarding arrangements for them.

Addressing a digital press conference, the chief minister said the mantra to make the 21-day nationwide lockdown successful was to "stay where you are" just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested.

"A large number of people are returning from cities they work in to their villages due to the coronavirus lockdown. I appeal to them, please stay wherever you are," he said.

"We have seen what has happened in some of the developed countries like the US and Italy. Thankfully, India is not in that stage yet. But going into a crowd will invite risks of infection," Kejriwal said.

The Delhi government has made arrangements in schools for lodging purposes, the chief minister said.

"We have emptied the stadiums and made arrangements for people to stay there too if the need arises. We are giving free food to 4 lakh people daily. Let's fight this together," he added. -- PTI

The Prime Minister's Office on Sunday constituted 10 different high-level committees to suggest measures to ramp up healthcare, put the economy back on track, reduce pain and misery of people as quickly as possible post 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

These committees looking after various aspects will work under the overall guidance of P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, sources said.

The initiative is being viewed as pro-active step by the government to deal with multiple challenges, which the outbreak of pandemic COVID-19 has posed and made the country to deal with emergency situation, they said, adding these groups will also work on strategy for restoring normalcy in their respective sectors, including healthcare, in the shortest possible time frame.

The panel on the 'Economy and Welfare' headed by economic affairs secretary Atanu Chakraborty has been tasked to address the concerns of various sectors, including both formal and informal segments of the economy - hit hard by coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown.

The panel is expected to suggest various relief measures to put economy back on track as soon as possible, the sources said.

Special emphasis will have to be welfare schemes for the poor who have suffered a lot on account of the lockdown, they said, adding poor and vulnerable section of the society has been the key focus of the government and top priority will be given to deal with the challenges before them in the coming days.

Besides, two other working groups under the leadership of NITI Aayog memeber V K Paul and Enviornment Secretary C K Mishra will work on preparedness for medical emergency, seamless supply of medicine, medical equipment and hospital availability.

They have been entrusted with the task of mapping of hospitals across the country and medical facility of public sector undertakings and other government agencies, including police forces and army are roped in to deal with emergency situation post lockdown.

Already many agencies, including government school, universities and Railways have committed for setting up isolation ward.

In addition to this, the sources said, the panel would also focus on augmentation of trained medical professionals and capacity building.

Suggestions are also solicited on increasing capacity for manufacturing of ventilators and other medical equipment. Research and Development in the medical field is another focus area for the panel, they added. -- PTI

Disneyland and Walt Disney World will not be opening theirs doors for the public anytime soon.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two theme parks, based in California and Florida, were expected to open on Wednesday next week.

But in light of the rising numbers of coronavirus cases, which recently crossed the 600,000 mark globally with over 27,000 deaths, the theme parks will remain closed till further notice.

"While there is still much uncertainty with respect to the impacts of COVID-19, the safety and well-being of our guests and employees remains The Walt Disney Company's top priority," a statement from the company reads.

"As a result of this unprecedented pandemic and in line with direction provided by health experts and government officials, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort will remain closed until further notice," it added.

Earlier, Universal Studios Hollywood announced that its park would extend its closure to April 19.

Disney further said that it will extend paying hourly parks and resorts cast members through April 18. -- PTI

19:24 COVID-19: DGCA suspends alcohol tests

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Sunday said it was suspending breathalyser tests, which is done to detect alcohol, for all aviation personnel, including pilots, hours after an Air India union had requested it to do so citing that these tests could spread coronavirus.

The decision comes after SpiceJet said one of its pilots who did not fly any international flight in March had tested positive for the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Due to the "extraordinary" circumstances over COVID-19, and directions issued by high courts in Delhi and Kerala, the DGCA said in an order that breath-analyser tests for "all aviation personnel" was temporarily suspended "at all airports till further orders".

"Every aviation personnel, who is reporting for duty, is required to submit an undertaking in respect of the fact that he or she is not under the influence of alcohol and that he or she has not consumed alcohol/psychoactive substance in last 12 hours from the time of reporting for duty," the DGCA stated. -- PTI

The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to promote students of all classes, except standards 10th and 12th, of the state schools without exams in view of the coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Sunday.

The 10th and 12th board exams are carried forward, an official spokesman said.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday night reviewed measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and decided to promote students of all classes of the state schools, except 10th and 12th board, he said.

"The 10th and 12th board examinations will be carried forward and general promotions will be given to students of all other classes," the official said.

After the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, the then state government had also given general promotion to students of all classes, except those appearing for the board exams.

Meanwhile, Chouhan has also decided to provide ration free of cost to the poor, irrespective of whether they have ration cards or not, for the next three months. -- PTI

Fortis Healthcare has set up isolation wards in all of its 28 hospitals across the country and a total of 262 isolation beds have been earmarked to treat COVID-19 patients.

The medical teams at Fortis are already treating 21 COVID-19 positive cases along with 87 suspected cases at various hospitals, it said in a statement.

Two COVID-19 patients are all set to go home after their discharge from Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, on Sunday.

"The current capacity of isolation beds across the network has considerable scope for expansion as per situational requirements," it said.

Dr Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, CEO & MD, Fortis Healthcare, said, "We are continuously monitoring the evolving situation and will do everything possible to expand bed availability should the situation require the same." -- PTI

The health ministry on Sunday said 106 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths were reported from six states in the last 24 hours.

Joint Secretary in the ministry Lav Agarwal said till now, there are 979 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, including 25 deaths.

Raman Gangakhedkar of the Indian Council for Medical Research said till Sunday, 34,931 tests were conducted for the contagion.

"Capacity utilisation in the ICMR network is around 30 per cent. We have increased the number of laboratories, 113 have been made functional and 47 private laboratories have been given the approval to conduct COVID-19 tests," he said.

Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry Punya Salila Srivastava said employers must be instructed to give full wages to workers on the due date without any deduction for the closed-down period and landlords cannot charge rent for this period.

She also said the workers cannot be forced to vacate the premises.

"The SPs and DMs will be held personally responsible for its strict implementation," Srivastava said, referring to the orders issued to stop the mass exodus of migrant workers.

She also said that the states were instructed to seal the borders.

Agarwal said the ongoing 21-day lockdown has resulted in some behavioural, mental health issues and NIMHANS has launched a toll-free number -- 08046110007 -- for consultation.

Asked to provide the number of patients presently on ventilator, he said that data was being monitored at the state level. -- PTI

Largest commodities bourse Multi Commodity Exchange is offering up to 3x more salaries to select few employees, who are working from office in the city.

MCX, which dominates the commodities exchange space by a wide margin, employs around 400 people across the country and 300 of them are based in the headquarters in Mumbai.

"Since last Friday, 50 of our key employees have been working from the office. The office had made all the provisions, including their daily needs and stay in the exchange building itself.

"And to reward them monetarily for the risk they are taking, the management has decided to pay them at least double the salary to them. In some cases this may go up to 3 times," a senior exchange official told PTI, who also claimed that MCX is the only exchange to do so.

The nomination and remuneration committee of the bourse has approved a new reward/compensation programme for employees working in the office in the wake of the Covid pandemic to boost their morale and incentivise their productivity, the official added.

Under this programme, employees working in the office for a minimum of one week and continuing to work thereafter without a break will get a gross salary compensation for each week of work in the ratio of 1, 1.5 and 3 times in addition to their regular salary.

Other support staff on contract employment will also be adequately compensated directly by the exchange, the official explained.

Critical staff comprising four categories from all the departments have been identified from MCX & MCXCCL for Mumbai and Gandhinagar offices for activation of the contingency plan.

Employees are working in non-critical functions from home on a rotational basis from mid-March onwards. -- PTI

18:10 Labour Min allows EPF withdrawal amid lockdown

The labour ministry has allowed over 6 crore subscribes of retirement fund body EPFO to withdraw an amount not exceeding their three months basic pay and dearness allowance from their EPF account in view of the lockdown to fight COVID-19.

Besides, Employees' Provident Fund Organisation also introduced online claim settlement facility without manual intervention on Saturday morning for all KYC complaint subscribers during the lockdown.

The ministry has issued a notification in this regard on March 28, 2020 to amend the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme 1952, a labour ministry statement said.

The decision is taken in view of lockdown across the country to fight COVID-19.

The notification permitted non-refundable withdrawal not exceeding the basic wages and dearness allowance for three months or up to 75 per cent of the amount standing to the credit of their EPF account, which ever is less, the ministry said.

The COVID-19 has been declared pandemic and therefore employees working in establishments and factories across entire India, who are members of the EPF Scheme, 1952 are eligible for the benefits of non-refundable advance.

A sub-para (3) under para 68L has been inserted in the EPF scheme, 1952.

The amended Employees Provident Fund (Amendment) scheme, 2020 has come into force from March 28.

Following the notification, EPFO has issued directions to its field offices for promptly processing any applications received from members to help them fight the situation.

In its communication, EPFO has stated that officers and staff must process claims of EPF subscribers promptly so that relief reaches the worker and his family to help them fight with COVID-19.

"We are happy to inform that our online claim filing facility for Covid-19 withdrawals has been successfully launched at 11 am today (Saturday). IT (information technology) division of the EPFO has devised a system of auto settlement of claims through our centralized server in respect of all such members whose KYC (know your customer) data is fully updated and compliant.

"It is going to be a paradigm shift in claim settlements that will be possible to settle within 3 days. This facility will stop manual intervention. The EPF claims will be settled fully online," an official said. -- PTI

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said there were no cases of community transmission of the novel coronavirus in the state and all COVID-19 patients here were those who had come from abroad or the ones who had come in contact with infected persons.

In a series of tweets, Pawar said the the third stage of the outbreak, that is community transmission, had not yet been reached, and asked people to ensure it stayed that way by not venturing out onto the streets.

The state is under a 21-day lockdown from Wednesday to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

"The increased number of COVID-19 cases in the state are from people who are in close contact with the people returning from abroad," he tweeted.

Some people got infected during their international tours and carried it here and their relatives, mostly family members, contracted the coronavirus infection, he said.

"We are still not in the third stage, also known as community transmission phase. People should make a resolution that they would not venture out on streets," he said, and called it the only way to break the spread cycle.

The state's COVID-19 count as on Sunday was 196, though the active cases stood at 155. -- PTI

Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation on Sunday announced donation of essential medical supplies, including face masks and COVID-19 test kits, to India and six other nations to help combat the spread of coronavirus.

"Collectively, these seven countries will receive a total of 1.7 million face masks, 1,65,000 test kits as well as protective clothing and medical equipment such as ventilators and forehead thermometers," the two foundations said in a statement.

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma is the co-founder of multinational technology behemoth Alibaba Group.

Besides India, the medical supplies will be donated to Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

The first batch of medical supplies for India arrived in Delhi last night and were received by the Indian Red Cross Society.

Similar to the arrangement with the Italian Red Cross Society in Italy, the Indian charity will facilitate the distribution of these supplies in the country, the statement said, adding that the remainder of the donation is expected to reach the country in the coming days.

With this, the two foundations have now donated essential medical supplies to 23 Asian countries totalling 7.4 million masks, 4,85,000 test kits, 1,00,000 sets of protective clothing along with other medical equipment.

Indian Red Cross Society Deputy Secretary Neel Kamal Singh took receipt of the deliveries from Vivek Sehgal, Manager, Alibaba Cloud India, acting on behalf of Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation in the presence of Ma Jia, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of China in India.

"We are one with the global community in the intense battle to protect all families against COVID-19. We are committed to doing everything we can to make a difference, most importantly by sourcing these supplies and overcoming logistical challenges to get the medical supplies to where they are needed as fast as we can," the statement said.

The move is among a slew of aid initiatives from the two foundations to support the areas of the world affected by the COVID-19 crisis, sourcing and delivering various types of medical supplies to countries across Asia, North America, Latin America, Europe and Africa, the statement said, adding that more initiatives and donations may be announced in the coming days and weeks.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a complete lockdown of the entire country for 21 days in an unprecedented move to halt the spread of the pandemic shortly after which the Centre said all road, rail and air services will remain suspended during this period.

The pandemic has claimed 25 lives in the country and number of COVID-19 cases have touched 979 in India. -- PTI

Indian Railways has extended services of all its hospitals and dispensaries to all central government employees and their families in view of the spread of coronavirus, a Railway Board order said.

The services include those of all 128 hospitals and 586 dispensaries of the Indian Railways all over the country.

"In view of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Railways has decided that the services of railway hospitals and health units across the country would be available for use by all Central government employees, on showing their identity cards, at railway hospitals and health Units," the order stated.

As of now the facilities could be availed by present and retired railway staffers only. -- PTI

17:31 Don't leave: Maha CM to migrant labourers

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday assured that his government will take care of all migrant labourers and provide them basic necessities like food and water.

The 'Shiv Bhojan' scheme offering meal at Rs 10 will now be available at Rs 5 from April 1, he said in a webcast.

Thackeray said the state has already set up 163 centres across the state to provide food and water to the migrant labourers.

"The state will protect them and provide food, but they should not leave their place. I understand that they are anxious but they should not leave. They should avoid increasing the risk of infection, he said.

In view of the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, several migrant labourers are left with no work and hence, they are leaving the state to return to their native places.

A number of them have been marching on foot, while some tried to make their way out of the state in goods trucks and tempos, but were caught during police checking.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra has gone up to 193 with 12 more people testing positive for coronavirus, a health official said on Sunday. -- PTI

Image: Labourers wait for food packets during a nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic at Kalbadevi area in Mumbai. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI Photo

Indian stock markets have seen significant downtrend in recent weeks, amid the coronavirus pandemic tightening its grip in the country, but experts believe it is the right time to start investing in equities through SIP route for the long term as the current valuations are juicy.

They believe that healthcare and telecom sectors are expected to perform well in this prevailing situation.

Nippon India Mutual Fund ED and CEO Sundeep Sikka said investors should invest in exchange traded funds (ETFs) and index funds as these have certain amount of 'assured liquidity' due to the very structure of the product.

Yes AMC CEO Kanwar Vivek advised to stay invested in the markets and if liquidity is available with the clients then continue investing in a staggered manner keeping the long term horizon in mind.

The spread of the novel coronavirus and slump in international crude oil prices have eroded market sentiment and contributed to the high volatility in the equity markets.

The benchmark Sensex crashed more than 12 per cent in this month so far, falling from 34,000 level to 29,000 level.

"The current market valuations are juicy and hence attractive for long term investors...it is time to start investing in equities for the long term," he added.

Echoing similar views, Amit Jain, CEO and Co-Founder of Ashika Wealth Advisors said,"Bear markets are considered the best time to invest in stock markets. The worse the market's performance is, the better returns you would get in the medium-long term".

He suggests new investors to allocate their 40 per cent corpus in Arbitrage funds, which may roughly give 7-8 per cent of return and 60 per cent should be parked in multi-asset and mid cap schemes for next six months.

Satyen Kothari, Founder and CEO of Cube Wealth has suggested investment through systematic investment route (SIP) as it will balance investments and benefit from rupee-cost-averaging.

Given the current pandemic, Jain expects healthcare sector to perform extremely well, primarily testing laboratories.

Besides, telecom space will shine as everyone is working from home and there is a great demand for internet as well as voice calls along with entertainment services like Netflix and Amazon Prime as 21-day nationwide lockdown is in force to tackle the spread of coronavirus infection, he said.

The sectors that will be least affected include FMCG and real estate, among others, he added.

Sikka said index funds as part of prudent investment are suitable for both first-time as well as seasoned investors. One can wisely use these opportunities in combination with actively-managed funds to build a solid long-term portfolio.

"Index ETFs have a certain amount of 'assured liquidity' due to the very structure of the product. When markets recover, constituents of the benchmark index rally first before stocks outside the benchmark index follow. Every fall has been followed by a strong recovery and ETFs are the most appropriate option in the given scenario given the very design of the product," he added. -- PTI

After SpiceJet announced that one of its pilots has tested positive for COVID-19, an Air India pilots' union on Sunday asked aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation to temporarily suspend breath analyser test, saying the machine for it remains the same and droplets or aerosols of infected pilots may further infect the healthy.

The Indian Commercial Pilots Association, which represents Air India pilots who fly domestic and short-haul international flights, has written a letter to the DGCA.

"Continuing BA tests in these circumstances is extremely dangerous," the ICPA said in the letter.

"As a responsible association which has demonstrably believed in the efficacy of the pre-flight and post-flight BA tests, all we ask is that safety of our pilots be considered by you and appropriate orders be passed," it added.

SpiceJet on Sunday said that one of its pilots who did not fly any international flight in March has tested positive for coronavirus.

As a precautionary measure, the spokesperson said, all crew and staff who had been in direct contact with him have been asked to self-quarantine by staying at home for the next 14 days. -- PTI

With three more persons testing positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra, the number of such patients in the state has gone up to 196, state health minister Rajesh Tope said on Sunday.

However, he did not specify the places where these three new patients belong to.

"Three more people have tested positive, taking the tally to 196. However, 34 people have been discharged so far in the state. So the number of active COVID-19 patients in the state is 155," Tope said.

All the cured and discharged people have been advised to observe mandatory home quarantine for 14 days from the date of discharge, he said.

"The current count of COVID-19 patients in the state is 196- Mumbai and Thane Region 107, Pune 37, Nagpur 13, Ahmednagar 3, Ratnagiri 1, Aurangabad 1, Yavatmal 3, Miraj 25, Satara 2, Sindhudurg 1, Kolhapur 1, Jalgaon 1 and Buldhana 1," he said.

"Of the total number of discharged people, 14 are from Mumbai, 15 from Pune, one each from Nagpur and Aurangabad and three from Yavatmal, taking the total to 34. There are only 155 active cases in reality," he said. -- PTI

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has pledged to financially support 25,000 daily wage workers from the film industry in the wake of the national lockdown, according to Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees.

The country is witnessing a 21-day lockdown, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to contain the spread of the virus.

The daily wage workers across different avenues are badly hit by the lockdown.

According to FWICE president B N Tiwari, Salman via his Being Human Foundation reached out to their organisation to help the workers.

"Salman's Being Human Foundation has come forward to help daily wage workers. They called us three days ago. We have about 5 lakh workers out of which 25,000 are in dire need of financial help. Being Human Foundation said they will take care of these workers on their own. They have asked for account details of these 25,000 workers as they want to ensure that money reaches them directly," Tiwari told PTI.

"The remaining 4,75,000 workers can survive for about a month. We already have huge ration packets for all the workers but unfortunately due to lockdown they are not able to come here to collect it. We are thinking of ways how to reach out to them," he added.

Tiwari said FWICE has reached out to several actors and filmmakers to make a contribution.

"We have written letters and also sent messages to various people in the film industry to come forward and help the workers but we haven't received any response from them. Producer Mahaveer Jain has offered to provide help in terms of food and essential items," he added.

Earlier in the week, filmmakers and actors, including Karan Johar, Taapsee Pannu, Ayushmann Khurrana, Kiara Advani, Rakul Preet Singh, Sidharth Malhotra, and Nitesh Tiwari pledged their support to a new initiative aimed at supporting the daily wage earners.

The initiative, I Stand With Humanity, started by organisations -- the International Association for Human Values, the Art of Living Foundation and the Indian Film and TV Industry, will provide families of daily wage workers with 10 days of essential food supplies.

On March 18, the Producers Guild of India announced that they have set up a relief fund for daily wage earners impacted by the shutdown of film, television and web productions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Their decision came after many filmmakers, including Sudhir Mishra, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap, raised concerns over the impact of shutdown on the daily wage workers. -- PTI

16:00 Sudden lockdown has created panic: Rahul to PM

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the sudden lockout announced by the central government to combat novel coronavirus has created immense "panic" and "confusion".

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he highlighted the plight of the poor and called for steps other than total lockdown announced by some developed nations to tackle the deadly disease.

"It is critical for us to understand that India's conditions are unique. We will be required to take different steps than other large countries who are following a total lockdown strategy," he said.

Gandhi said the number of poor people in India who are dependent on a daily income is too large to unilaterally shut down all economic activities in the wake of the pandemic.

"The consequences of a complete economic shut down will disastrously amplify the death toll arising from COVID-19," he feared.

"The sudden lockdown has created immense panic and confusion," he said, adding factories, small industries and construction sites have closed, and tens of thousands of migrant labourers are undertaking arduous journey to reach their home states.

The Gandhi scion said the labourers have been rendered vulnerable without their daily wages or access to nutrition and basic services.

It is important that we help such sections find shelter and provide them with money directly into their bank accounts to help them tide over the next few months, he said.

The Congress leader added that a complete lockdown will almost certainly lead to millions of unemployed youths rushing to their villages, thus increasing the risk of infecting their parents and the elderly population living in villages.

"This will result in a catastrophic loss of life," he noted.

Gandhi called for a nuanced approach that takes the complex realities of our people into consideration.

"Our priority must be to protect and isolate the elderly and vulnerable from the virus, and to clearly and strongly communicate to the young the dangers of proximity to older people, he said.

With fresh deaths in six states, the death toll from COVID-19 climbed to 25 in the country and the total number of cases to 979 on Sunday, according to the Union health ministry. -- PTI

The Centre on Sunday asked state governments and Union Territory administrations to effectively seal state and district borders to stop movements of migrant workers during lockdown, officials said.

During a video conference with chief secretaries and DGPs, cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba and Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla asked them to ensure that there is no movement of people across cities or on highways as the lockdown continues.

"There has been movement of migrant workers in some parts of the country. Directions were issued that district and state borders should be effectively sealed," a government official said.

States were directed to ensure there is no movement of people across cities or on highways. Only movement of goods should be allowed.

District Magistrates and SPs should be made personally responsible for implementation of these directions, the official said.

Adequate arrangements for food and shelter of poor and needy people including migrant labourers be made at the place of their work, the official said. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with over 200 people on a daily basis to get a first-hand feedback on India's fight against the coronavirus, the Prime Minister's Office said on Sunday.

It said the prime minister's interactions include phone calls to governors, chief ministers and state health ministers.

Modi also reaches out to doctors, nurses, health workers and sanitation staff in various parts of the country over the phone "to encourage them and pay gratitude to their yeomen service to the nation and society", a statement issued by the PMO said.

It pointed out that Modi also interacts with people from various walks of life through video-conferences in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The prime minister telephonically reaches out to some of those infected with the coronavirus and some of those who have recovered from its effects in order to keep an update on their progress.

Since January, Modi has held several rounds of meetings and discussions with people from various walks of life and officials in order to find ways and means to fight COVID-19.

He has been holding meetings on a daily basis, wherein he is updated by the cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the prime minister, the PMO statement said.

The prime minister is also updated by the Group of Ministers on the steps being taken by the government, it added. -- PTI

The railways ministry will donate Rs 151 crore to PM-CARES fund to help in combating the coronavirus threat, Union minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday.

"Following PM's call, I, Suresh Angadi, will donate one month's salary, 13 lakh rly, PSU employees will donate one day's salary, equal to Rs 151 cr to PM-CARES fund," Goyal, who is the railway minister, tweeted.

The Union government has set up a public charitable trust under the name of Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the chairman of the trust and its members include defence minister, home minister and finance minister. -- PTI

A 108-year-old woman, who survived two world wars and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, has become the United Kingdom's oldest coronavirus victim after she died within hours of testing positive for the deadly virus, according to a media report.

Hilda Churchill, who was to celebrate her birthday on April 5, started showing mild symptoms of the virus on Tuesday, the Sun reported.

She passed away on Saturday at her care home in Salford city, less than 24 hours after testing positive for COVID-19, the daily said.

She is believed to be the oldest British victim of coronavirus, which has so far killed over 1,000 people in the UK and infected over 17,000.

Her grandson Anthony Churchill said, "The most devastating thing is that we were not able to be there with her in her time of need, when she's been with us through all of ours."

"It's heartbreaking for us. Her birthday was just weeks away and we were all so excited."

Anthony said Hilda moved to Salford during the recession to find work as a seamstress after surviving the Spanish flu as a child.

But the pandemic, which spread across the world in 1918 killing 50 million people, killed Hilda's 12-month-old sister. -- PTI

13:43 40-yr-old woman dies of COVID-19 in Mumbai

The test reports of a 40-year-old woman who died in Mumbai on Saturday have come out positive for coronavirus, taking the death toll of COVID-19 patients in Maharashtra to seven, a civic official said on Sunday.

The woman was admitted to a civic hospital in Mumbai on Saturday after she complained of severe respiratory distress, the official said.

"She died on Saturday and her sample was sent for testing. The report came out positive for coronavirus. She is the seventh person who died of COVID-19 in the state," the official said.

"The woman was complaining of breathlessness and chest pain since last three-four days. She was also suffering from hypertension," the official added. -- PTI

Image: Locals throng to a market to buy vegetables during a nationwide lockdown in Mumbai on Saturday, March 28, 2020. Photograph: PTI Photo

13:09 Sri Lanka records 1st death due to coronavirus

Sri Lanka has recorded its first death due to coronavirus, a 65-year-old diabetic man.

The man, who was being treated for the deadly viral infection at Colombo's Infectious Diseases Hospital, died on Saturday, said Anil Jasinghe, Director General of the Health Services.

The patient had a history of high blood pressure and blood sugar, he said.

According to health ministry officials, the man had contracted the virus from Lanka's second coronavirus patient who was in contact with a group of Italian tourists.

As of Saturday, there were 115 confirmed COVID-19 cases and one death in the island nation.

Nine persons have been cured of the disease, while 199 were under observation at designated hospitals across the country.

Meanwhile, the country continues to remain under curfew and a restriction remained imposed on foreign arrivals.

Indefinite curfew will continue in Colombo, Gampaha, Kaluthra, Puttalam, Jaffna and Kandy, while for other regions, the ban will be lifted for eight hours -- from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM -- on Monday.

The ban on foreign arrivals has been extended till April 7 to contain the spread of the virus.

The Commissioner General of Prisons said some 1,460 prisoners will be released in view of the coronavirus threat.

Those inmates will be released who are serving jail terms for failing to fulfil bail conditions, he said.

Last week there was a riot in the north central province jail, causing at least two deaths, as inmates feared that they may get infected by the virus. -- PTI

13:03 12 new COVID-19 cases in Maha; total 193

The total number of OVID-19 cases in Maharashtra has gone up to 193 with 12 more people testing positive for coronavirus, a health official said on Sunday.

Out of the 12 new patients, five have been reported from Pune, four from Mumbai and one each from Sangli, Jalgaon and Nagpur, the official said.

Mumbai leads in the number of positive patients in the state 77.

Sangli has 25 cases, Pune-24, Pimpri Chinchwad-12, Nagpur 12,Kalyan-Dombivali-seven, Navi Mumbai-six, Thane-five, Yavatmal and Vasai-Virar-four each, Ahmednagar-three, Satara and Panvel-two each, Ulhasnagar, Aurangabad, Ratnagiri, Pune

rural, Sindhudurg, Palghar, Kolhapur, Gondia and Jalgon one each.

One patient hails from Gujarat. -- PTI

Image: Railway police officials patrol at Churchgate station during the a nationwide lockdown in Mumbai. Photograph: Kunal Patil/PTI Photo

12:29 PM Modi apologises for coronavirus lockdown

Addressing the 63rd edition of his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked for the forgiveness of all countrymen, and especially the poor, for the nationwide lockdown in the country in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

"I seek forgiveness from all countrymen, and my conscience tells me that you will definitely forgive me as I had to take certain decisions which have put you in a lot of difficulties, especially when I look at my poor brothers and sisters. I definitely feel that that they must be thinking, what kind of prime minister is this who has placed us in this difficulty. I especially seek their forgiveness," Modi said.

The prime minister, in his first 'Mann ki Baat' since the lockdown came into force, further said that he understood that many people would be "possibly angry at him for being locked in their homes."

"I understand your troubles, but there was no other way to wage a war against corona for a country like India with 1.3 billion population. It is a battle of life and death and we have to win it and, therefore, such strong measures were absolutely necessary," Modi said.

He further said that "nobody likes to take such strong measures, but after looking at the situation all over the world it seems this is the only option to keep you and your family protected."

During his address to the nation on March 24, Modi had announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the deadly virus. -- ANI

12:24 SpiceJet pilot tests positive for COVID-19

SpiceJet said on Sunday that one of its pilots who did not fly any international flight in March has tested positive for the coronavirus.

"One of our colleagues, a first officer with SpiceJet, has tested positive for COVID-19. The test report came on March 28. He did not operate any international flight in March 2020," the airline's spokesperson told PTI.

"The last domestic flight that he operated was on March 21 from Chennai to Delhi and since then he had quarantined himself at home," he added.

As a precautionary measure, the spokesperson said, all crew and staff who had been in direct contact with him have been asked to self-quarantine by staying at home for the next 14 days.

The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 979 in India on Sunday with the death toll rising to 25, according to the Union health ministry.

The ministry reported six fresh deaths -- one each from Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Telangana.

Thus, deaths have so far been reported from Maharashtra (6), Gujarat (4), Karnataka (3), Madhya Pradesh (2), Delhi (2) and one each from Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

In its updated data at 10 am, the ministry stated that the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country was 867, while 86 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated.

The total number of 979 cases in the country included 48 foreigners, the data stated. -- PTI

Image: Fire brigade personnel spray disinfectants during a nationwide lockdown in Nadia, West Bengal. Photograph: PTI Photo

11:07 Walking 200 km to reach home, man dies on road

A 38-year-old man who had walked 200 km from the national capital to reach home died on the Delhi-Agra highway on Saturday morning. Ranveer Singhs destination, his family in a remote village in Madhya Pradeshs Morena district, was still 100 km away.

The two men, who were accompanying Ranveer Singh, told the police that Ranveer Singh complained of chest pain sometime before he collapsed a short distance.

The death is the first recorded fatality among the tens of thousands -- some estimates put the numbers into six digits -- of migrant workers walking back to their villages for food and shelter after losing work in metropolitan cities during the three-week lockdown put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease.

Ranveer Singh had decided to walk home after the government suddenly imposed a national lockdown, ordering shops and offices to close. Eating joints were allowed to stay open provided they dont serve but deliver the food to customers. But in the initial days of the lockdown, the police wouldnt let them operate.

Agra district police chief Babloo Kumar said the restaurant in south Delhis Tughlakabad locality where Ranveer Singh worked had shut down.

Like the thousands of migrant workers in and around Delhi who have been struggling to go home, Ranveer Singh also decided to go home. Since the government had stopped public transport services - buses and trains - his only option appeared to be to travel the 300 km by foot.

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropic arm of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, has announced plans to team up with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to donate $25 million to a research fund exploring possible COVID-19 treatments.

"I'm really proud to share that (The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is) going to be joining Gates and others to put together something they're calling the therapeutics accelerator to fight coronavirus," Chan told "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King.

Chan told King that their goal is "to fund a group to screen all the drugs that we know have potential effects against coronavirus."

Zuckerberg said one drug can often be used to treat multiple diseases.

"You can basically take all those drugs that have already been screened as safe and test them to see if they might also have a positive impact for either preventing the coronavirus or reducing the symptoms and making it less damaging," he said.

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is sinking the cash into an effort, run by Zuckerberg's mentor Bill Gates, that is exploring new possible antiviral drugs that could protect people from the disease.

The donation is among the biggest single grants to an outside organisation ever given by CZI, established in 2015.

CZI's gift is the second biggest tech philanthropy donation for the coronavirus that has been publicly unveiled, falling short of only the Gates Foundation's donation to the same therapeutics fund.

-- PTI

India, the world's third largest energy consumer, has enough petrol, diesel and cooking gas in stocks to last way beyond the three-week nationwide lockdown as all plants and supply locations are fully operational, Indian Oil Corp Chairman Sanjiv Singh said.

Singh, who continued to oversee the mammoth operations of ensuring that fuel reaches every nook and corner despite bereavement of his father on the day 21-day lockdown was declared, said there is no shortage of any fuel in the country and customers should not resort to panic booking of LPG refills.

"We have mapped demand for all fuel for entire April and beyond. We have refineries operating at levels enough to meet all of the demand. Besides all bulk storage points, LPG distributorships and petrol pumps are functioning normally. There is absolutely no shortage of any fuel," he said.

The nationwide lockdown that has shut businesses, suspended flights, stopped trains and brought almost entire vehicular movement to a halt, has impacted fuel demand with petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel showing negative growth (degrowth or fall in demand).

With most cars and two-wheelers going off the road, petrol demand has fallen by 8 per cent in March while diesel demand has been down 16 per cent. ATF demand has fallen by 20 per cent, he said.

"LPG consumption however continues to grow and we are servicing all customers," he said adding refill demand saw more than 200 per cent jump as the lockdown was announced.

-- PTI

A batch of 275 Indians evacuated from coronavirus-hit Iran arrived at the Jodhpur airport on Sunday morning, an official said.

He said a preliminary screening of the passengers was conducted at the airport and thereafter, they were shifted to the Army Wellness Facility set up at the Jodhpur Military Station.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said of the 275 passengers, there were 133 women and 142 men, including two infants and four children.

-- PTI

09:37 14-day quarantine for migrants returning to UP

A 14-day quarantine in state-run camps is mandatory for lakhs of migrant labourers who are returning to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in special buses amid a nationwide lockdown over coronavirus or COVID-19.

Thousands desperate to return home had crowded bus stations in Delhi on Saturday after over 500 buses were arranged for them by state governments in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Heartbreaking visuals over the last few days had shown migrants trying to reach their native towns and villages on the foot. Transport services - including interstate buses and passenger trains - are shut for the next three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Tuesday announcement of "total lockdown" to curb spread of COVID-19.

In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed all the district magistrates to trace over 1.5 lakh migrants who have returned to the state in the last three days, quarantine them in state-run camps and ensure arrangements for their food and other everyday needs. Their names, addresses and phone numbers have been made available to these officials and they are being monitored.

"All of these migrant labourers have to stay in government camps for 14 days. They would not be allowed to return to their homes," Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said. More than 65,000 calls were made to village heads last night to ensure the arrangements.

Nodal officers have been appointed to carry this exercise. The village bodies have also been asked to prepare a list of migrants.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju donated his one month salary over and above Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive to all BJP MPs to contribute Rs one crore from MPLAD funds in the country's fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

"PM Narendra Modi ji announced #PMCares Fund to strengthen disaster management capacities and to encourage research on protecting citizens. It accepts micro-donations too. Let us contribute to make India healthier and more prosperous for our future generations. I've donated my one month salary," Rijiju wrote on his Facebook page.

"Also keeping in touch with District Administration and authorized my nodal DC to use my MPLAD funds to purchase emergency medical kits to fight #COVID-19."

The country is under a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of the deadly virus that has claimed more than 30,000 lives globally. In India, 19 people have succumbed to the disease.

-- PTI

08:46 PM to focus on COVID-19 in Mann Ki Baat today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday will address the 63rd edition of his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat' at 11 am amid nationwide lockdown in the country in the view of novel coronavirus.

Today's episode will focus on the situation prevailing in the country in the wake of COVID-19.

"Tune in tomorrow at 11. Tomorrow's episode will be focused on the situation prevailing due to COVID-19. #MannKiBaat," the Prime Minister tweeted on Saturday.

During his address to the nation on March 24, the PM announced a 21-day nationwide to contain the spread of the deadly virus. He said that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.

PM had said that the world is going through a serious phase and citizens have fought the novel coronavirus epidemic firmly. He also requested senior citizens to remain indoors for the next few weeks.

-- ANI

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife said that she has recovered from being ill from COVID-19 disease caused by the new coronavirus.

"I am feeling so much better," Sophie Gregoire Trudeau said in a statement on social media. She said she received the clearance from her doctor and Ottawa Public Health.

Trudeau's office announced on March 12 that she had tested positive for the coronavirus after she fell ill upon returning from a trip to London.

The prime minister and his family have been in self isolation at home since then. He and their three children didn't show symptoms.

Justin Trudeau has been giving daily news conferences outside his residence. He said earlier Saturday that his wife was in in fine form.

"From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you to everyone who reached out to me with their well wishes. And to everyone who is suffering right now, I send you all my love," she said.

The prime minister suggested that he would continue to work from home to set an example for Canadians who are being asked to stay at home.

Canada has more than 5,616 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 61 deaths. About 445 people have recovered.

07:56 US coronavirus deaths surge past 2,000

Deaths from new coronavirus in the United States surged past 2,000 Saturday, doubling in just three days, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The number of deaths late Saturday was 2,010, about a quarter of them in New York City, the country's hardest hit region, Johns Hopkins reported.

Confirmed cases in the United States topped 121,000, according to the tally.

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