Twenty-five districts across 15 states which had detected COVID-19 infections earlier have contained the spread and reported no new cases in 14 days, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. The ministry asserted that the government has enough stocks to conduct tests for up to six weeks and over two lakh samples have been tested so far. Addressing a press briefing here, Health Ministry Joint Secretary, Lav Agarwal said 796 new COVID-19 cases and 35 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 9,352 and deaths 324.

"Twenty-five districts across 15 states which had reported cases earlier have contained the virus and have not detected new ones in 14 days. This is a positive development," he said. The districts are Gondia (Maharashtra), Raj Nand Gaon (Chhattisgarh), Davangiri (Karnataka), South Goa, Wayanad and Kottayam (Kerala), West Imphal (Manipur), Rajouri (J&K), Aizwal West (Mizoram), Mahe in Puducherry, SBS Nagar in Punjab, Patna, Nalanda and Munger in Bihar, Pratapgarh in Rajasthan, Panipat, Rohtak and Sirsa in Haryana, Pauri Garhwal in Uttrakhand and Bhadradari Kothagudem in Telangana.

Agarwal also said that the Core Strategy Group on COVID-19 was working on rapid and economical diagnostics as well as new drugs. "The group has been formed, based on a detailed review of COVID-19 research, undertaken by Union Health Minister, Harshvardhan along with CSIR and its 38 labs. The group is working on digital and molecular surveillance, rapid and economical diagnostics, new drugs, repurposing of drugs and associated production processes," he said.

324
Total no. of COVID-19 deaths in the country

125
No. of cities where Swiggy has enabled grocery deliveries

Nation fights to regain normalcy

People throng Palayam market to purchase fruits and vegetables on the eve of Vishu festival, in Kozhikode, on Monday. Pic/PTI

. The Delhi Police Crime Branch (CB) is all set to nab Maulana Muhammad Saad as sources said that a CB team might question the Tablighi leader and other people named in the FIR on Monday or Tuesday.

. Small retailers whose shops have remained closed during the current lockdown have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately announce an economic package under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana to compensate the losses suffered by them.

. In a representation to the government under the aegis of the Federation of Retailer Association of India, the body of about 4 crore micro, small and medium retailers urged that the hardships being faced by them be appreciated and they be allowed to open their shops.

. According to the Prime Minister's instructions, all ministers of the Narendra Modi cabinet went back to their ministries on Monday physically, to resume work that was so far being done from home through video conferencing, in wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

. The Indian Council of Medical research has sought letters of intent from institutions with necessary equipment and infrastructure to participate in a clinical trial to study safety and efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange in COVID-19 patients, subsequent to necessary approvals and clearances.

. A man from Nagaland has tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus, the first case reported from the state, an official said on Monday. The man with Coronavirus-like symptoms was admitted to a hospital in Assam's Guwahati, where he tested positive for COVID-19, the official said.

. With the beginning of Ramzan just about 10 days away, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, the chairperson of the Islamic Centre of India and the Imam of Aishbagh Eidgah has issued an advisory to people on how to observe Ramzan during the lockdown.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Tuesday at 10 am, the Prime Minister's Office said. The 21-day nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Coronavirus ends on Tuesday and the PM is likely to talk about its possible extension. "Prime Minister @narendramodi will address the nation at 10 am on 14th April 2020," the PMO tweeted.

Last month, the PM had addressed the nation twice – on March 19 and March 24. On March 19, he had called for resolve and restraint to fight Coronavirus. He had also announced a 'janta curfew' on March 22, a Sunday. On March 24, he had announced the 21-day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of the deadly virus. In a video message on April 3, Modi had urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat the Coronavirus.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on Tuesday, extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3.

In a televised message to the nation the prime minsiter said that the main focus will be on the hotspots and the government will impose stricter measures to fight covid-19 outbreak. The PM said "Till 20th April, all districts, localities, states will be closely monitored, as to how strictly they are implementing norms. States which will not let hotspots increase, they could be allowed to let some important activities resume, but with certain conditions." 

He thanked and paid a debt to gratitude to the citizens for fighting a courageous battle against COVID-19 despite facing their own personal challenges. He praised everyone and said that everyone is well aware of the situation and has fulfilled their responsibility.

Prime Minister began his address to the nation by saying India is doing well to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. He thanks people on the frontline of the COVID-19 battle. "Our fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic is progressing with strength," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech invoked Dr. BR Ambedkar and acknowledged the courage shown by the people of India during the COVID-19 lockdown. "In our constitution, 'We the People' is written and the power of 'We The People Of India' has been seen in the country during the lockdown. This is the best respect we can pay to Dr BR Ambedkar on his anniversary." he said.

He also said that rules would be stricter in order to curb the spread of novel Coronavirus. "Till April 20, each district, each state will be monitored closely to see whether the lockdown is being followed. Then we can decide on relaxing the restrictions," said the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that whatever relaxations granted during the lockdown to some areas will be upon conditions and even if one such case is reported, the relaxations will be taken back.

Talking about daily wage workers, PM Modi said that the new guidelines will be made keeping their interests in mind. Rabi crops cutting is on, and the measures will be taken to reduce their problems.

He asked for the unity and support of India on seven issues where he spoke about taking care of elders in the family, supporting the healthcare workers among others. He issued a seven-point appeal to the citizens and asked for:

• Take proper care of the senior citizens of your house, especially those with underlying problems.
• Lockdown and social distancing should be properly followed. Home-made face covers and masks should be used.
• Increase your immunity by following directions given by Ayush Ministry.
• To help curb coronavirus spread, download the Aarogya Setu application.
• Wherever possible, help poor families.
• In your businesses, help your coworkers, including those working under you, don't downsize people.
• Respect the Coronavirus 'soldiers' -- doctors, nurses, sanitation workers and other essential service workers.

He added that India did not wait for the problem to increase but it foresaw the problem and made an attempt to control it. Modi added that compared to other nations, India is at a better position.

He ended the address by asking people to be very vigilant and wished everyone good health.

It was Narendra Modi's fourth televised address to the nation in less than a month. Last month, the Prime Minister had addressed the nation twice – on March 19 and March 24. On March 19, he had called for resolve and restraint to fight Coronavirus. He had also announced a 'janta curfew' on March 22, a Sunday. On March 24, he had announced the 21-day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of the deadly virus. In a video message on April 3, Modi had urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat the Coronavirus.

On Monday the number of COVID-19 cases rose by 1,253 to 10,444 cases. Nearly 10 states, including Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Telangana, Punjab had already announced an extension of the lockdown until April 30.

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Soon after the announcement of COVID-19 lockdown extension by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Railways on Tuesday stated that it is suspending all passenger services till May 3. "Indian Railways extends suspension of its passenger services till May 3," informed Rajesh Dutt Bajpai Executive Director(I&P) Ministry of Railways.

Indian Railways extends suspension of its passenger services till May 3: Indian Railways Officials pic.twitter.com/QAoZYHnIbv

— ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020

"All passenger train services on Indian Railways including Premium trains, Mail/Express trains, Passenger trains, Suburban Trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc shall continue to remain suspended till the 2400 hrs of 3rd May," he added.

However, freight movement will continue to carry essential commodities across the country. Informing about the cancellation of ticket booking, Bajpai stated that all booking counters of rail journey tickets for reserved/unreserved travel at railway stations and outside railway station premises will also be closed till May 3.

Earlier, the railways had also ordered the closure of all rail museums, heritage galleries and heritage parks as a preventive measure to control the spread of the deadly virus. So far, India has reported 10,363 COVID-19 cases. Out of the total, 1036 have been cured and 339 have died due to the infection.

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Jyoti Amge, the world's shortest woman, has appealed to the people here to remain indoors amid the nationwide lockdown enforced to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Dressed in pink top and black boots, Amge, who is just 62.8 centimetres tall, was seen making announcements on the loudspeaker pertaining to the preventive measures to be taken to fight COVID-19 while standing on the bonnet of a police vehicle on Monday.

Maharashtra: World's smallest living woman, Jyoti Amge along with Nagpur Police spread awareness on #Coronavirus and appealed people to stay indoors. (13.4) pic.twitter.com/W1bzeXnfA4

— ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020

Amge, who was wearing a face mask, was accompanied by a couple of policemen during the awareness drive. Amge has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia and is the world's shortest woman, according to the Guinness World Records.

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Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of lockdown, the Ministry of Civil Aviation informed that airline operations of all domestic and international flights will remain suspended till May 3.

All domestic and international scheduled airline operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm, 3rd May: Ministry of Civil Aviation pic.twitter.com/dJaOJfVMzJ

— ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020

"All domestic and international scheduled airline operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm, 3rd May," the Ministry said. Earlier today in his address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi announced that the country will remain under lockdown till May 3 to contain COVID-19 cases. The 21-day lockdown, which was announced by the Prime Minister last month, was slated to end today.

Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have already announced the extension of lockdown. India's total number of coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged/migrated and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today.

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After his address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed his profile picture on Twitter. He used a picture where his mouth was covered with a cloth, thereby spreading awareness.

Narendra Modi has often emphasized on the need to cover face, wash hands and practise social distancing to curb the spread of novel Coronavirus. His new profile photo with his face covered aims to spread awareness among people on covering their faces with homemade masks and other solutions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wore a mask when he held a virtual meeting with the chief ministers from various states. In his address, Modi extended nationwide lockdown until May 3 and said that detailed guidelines will be brought out on Wednesday in order to ensure that the virus does not spread.

India has reported 10,363 cases of the virus infection and 339 deaths so far.

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On the occasion of Bengali New Year which is also celebrated as Pahela Baishakh (first day of Bengali Calendar), Trinamool Congress MPs Nusrat Jahan and Mimi Chakraborty took to Instagram to wish their fans on the auspicious day.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Shubho Nababorsha to all... May we fight this situation of crisis and move towards a brighter day..!! Shokol ke amar subhechcha 🙏🏻

A post shared by Nusrat (@nusratchirps) onApr 13, 2020 at 10:53pm PDT

Basirhat MP Nusrat Jahan shared a series of pictures where she can be seen in traditional attires as she wished her followers a 'Happy New Year' to all. While extending her wishes, Nusrat urged her fans to fight the coronavirus crisis and move towards a brighter day..!!

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

শà§Âভ নববরà§Âষà§Â‡ পà§Âরà§Â€তি à¦Â“ শà§Âভà§Â‡à¦Âšà§Âà¦Â›া, বাড়িতà§Â‡ থাà¦Â•à§Âন- সà§Âসà§Âথ থাà¦Â•à§Âন ।

A post shared by Mimi (@mimichakraborty) onApr 14, 2020 at 12:57am PDT

On the other hand, Jadavpur MP Mimi Chakraborty shared a beautiful picture where she can be seen welcoming the new year in a traditional way. While wishing people a happy new year, Mimi requested her followers to stay home and stay healthy in order to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Waiting forðŸ¤Â”ðŸ¤Â”ðŸ¤Â” umm ohh yes bengali new year.. And plansðŸ¤Â”ðŸ¤Â”ðŸ¤Â”??ummm âž¡ï¸ÂðŸ”🥩🌭🍳🍞ðŸ¥Â–ðŸ¥ÂžðŸ§Â‡ðŸ¥¨ðŸ¥ªðŸ•ðŸšðŸ±ðŸ£ðŸ›ðŸ¦ªðŸ²ðŸ¥Â—🌯🌮ðŸ§Â†ðŸ¥Â™ðŸ¥®ðŸ¥ ðŸ¨ðŸŽ‚🍿🍦🍭🥧🍰ðŸ§ÂðŸ¥ÂœðŸ§Â˜‍♀ï¸ÂðŸ§Â˜‍♀ï¸ÂðŸ˜´ðŸ˜´ðŸ˜´

A post shared by Mimi (@mimichakraborty) onApr 13, 2020 at 3:49am PDT

Mimi also shared a small video clip where she was seen wishing her fans on the occasion of Bengali new year. In the video, Mimi was seen donning a black shirt with the caption: All I did todau was survive! A day before welcoming the Bengali new year, Mimi shared a picture where she can be seen posing for a selfie while being sunkissed.

While sharing the sun kissed picture with her fans, Mimi wrote: Waiting for...umm ohh yes bengali new year...And plans?

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

‪Stay Home ~ Stay Safe 🙏‬ ‪We shall overcome ❤ï¸Ââ€¬ #quarantine #indiafightscovid19

A post shared by Nusrat (@nusratchirps) onMar 23, 2020 at 8:35am PDT

Both Nusrat and Mimi have been quarantined at home and have been updating their fans on how they are staying safe and maintaining social distance. From Mimi playing games, cleaning her kitchen and enjoying the beauty of nature to Nusrat showing off her painting skills and donning a chef's hat, the two BFFs are making the most of the quarantined period.

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While checking our bank accounts and our stocked fridges this week, have felt a moment of gratitude for the economic security nets that we have, that will help us tide over the next 21 days untill 30th of April 2020, as announced by the Indian government for breaking down the chain of COVID-19 i.e Coronavirus.

But there are also many who don’t have this net, and now do not have the option of stepping out to earn their daily wage and henceforth they are needy.

Some organisations & Individuals are helping the fortunate former reach out to help the latter. Meet Palan if one of the individual helping the poor society during the lockdown.

To help you aid these initiatives, Volunteers for Meet's team has put together a list of verified Non-Government Organizations, charities and institutions, which are working towards this cause in Rajkot, Gujarat.

For instance, Meet's & his team has successfully called for contributions and have donated more than 270 kilograms of rice with more than 235 kilograms of dal which is the basic staple food in india. Congratulations to Mr Meet Palan and all the best to him for his good deeds.

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New Delhi: With 1,211 fresh cases of coronavirus reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country has reached 10,363 including 339 deaths, said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, here on Tuesday.

As many as 1,036 people have recovered from the disease so far, said Aggarwal during the daily media briefing on the coronavirus. "In one day, 179 people were diagnosed and found cured," he added.

"A total of 10,363 confirmed cases have been reported in India including 339 deaths and 1,036 people, who were COVID-19 positive have recovered. Out of the total deaths, 31 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours," said Aggarwal.

Aggarwal said that an evaluation of each district and city will be done till April 20.

"An evaluation of each district and city will be done till April 20 in which it will be evaluated what measures did that authorities take in these cities and districts to combat COVID-19," he said.

"Based on the results of this litmus test approach, permission will be granted for some selective activities to those districts and cities which controlled the situation effectively. Detailed guidelines will be issued soon," he added.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday morning that the lockdown would be extended till May 3. The announcement, though expected after looking at the surge in the Coronavirus cases in India, saw people reacting in different ways.  On Twitter, the hashtag #Lockdown2 topped the list of trends with many users describing their situations in form of memes that doesn’t disappoint.

Be it introverts, extroverts or ambiverts, the lockdown has affected everyone. During the 21-day lockdown placed last month, several incidents of animals were also reported, giving the Twitterati that the creatures will be seen again.

Here are some hilarious memes you can share with your friends and have a hearty laugh!

For the late-boomers

#Lockdown2
à¤Â˜à¤° रहà¥Â‡ सà¥Âà¤°à¤Â•à¥Âà¤·à¤¿à¤¤ रहà¥Â‡à¤Â‚।।
Modiji extended lockdown till 3 May ...
Me who get up at 1 pm pic.twitter.com/PbNgRqz2Rs

— Aniket Vijayvergiya (@aniketvijay09) April 14, 2020

For those who were planning to go on a trip soon after the lockdown only to face disappointment.

Pic-1: When You Are Ready To Go Out Thinking Lockdown Will Be Lifted.

Pic 2- When You Heard Lockdown Extended Till 3'May. #Lockdown2 pic.twitter.com/WPIdEWnjNj

— Bá´Â‡á´¡á´Â‹á´Âá´ÂÒ“ Lá´Â€á´Â…á´Â‹á´Â€ 💭 (@bewkoof_ladkaa) April 14, 2020

Extroverts after the lockdown till May 3 was announced.

#Lockdown2

Smokers, Alcoholics and Extroverts right now: pic.twitter.com/ViFmD1dZZC

— Vinay (@a_gyani_pandey) April 14, 2020

Some also praised Modi's decision to extend the lockdown with this meme.

#Lockdown2
My family members to me
Me to my family members pic.twitter.com/4yKCcrzCK0

— SARCASTER 🇮🇳 (@sarcaster_) April 14, 2020

What do you think about these memes?

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New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday called up Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over the gathering of a large number of people in Mumbai's Bandra area in defiance of the ongoing lockdown, officials said.

Shah stressed that such events weaken India's fight against coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. "The home minister spoke to the Maharashtra chief minister and expressed concern over the large gathering of people in Mumbai's Bandra area," a home ministry official said. Shah also offered his full support to the Maharashtra government in dealing with the situation, the official said.

About 1,000 migrant workers who earn daily wages gathered in Mumbai's Bandra area on Tuesday demanding transport arrangements for them to go back to their native places, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown till May 3.

A police official said the migrants were dispersed two hours later and have been assured that they will be provided accommodation and food till the lockdown lasts. In viral videos, police personnel was seen using mild cane-charge to disperse the migrants, who had gathered near the Bandra railway station in suburban Mumbai.

Daily wage workers have been rendered jobless ever since the lockdown was announced late last month to stem the spread of COVID-19, making their lives a constant struggle.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked people to follow seven steps in the coming days to help the government in its fight against Coronavirus.

The seven steps which the PM asked people to follow included taking care of the elderly as they are more prone to infection, keeping their faces covered while venturing out and taking care of the poor and the needy who have been effected by the lockdown.

"... if we continue to be patient and follow rules, we will be able to defeat even a pandemic like Coronavirus. With this faith and trust, I seek your support for seven things," he said in his address to the nation.

Health workers spray disinfectant at Nawabpura in Moradabad, on Tuesday. PIC/PTI

Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection.

The first step was to take special care of the elderly, especially those who have chronic diseases. "We have to take extra care of them, and keep them safe from Coronavirus," he said.

The second step, Modi said, was strict adherence to the 'Lakshman Rekha' of lockdown and social distancing. "Please also use homemade face-covers and masks without fail," he said. He also urged people to follow the protocol issued by the Ayush Ministry to enhance immunity.

"Regularly consume warm water and 'kadha'," he said. The PM also stressed the need to download the Arogya Setu mobile app to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus infection.

"Take as much care of poor families as you can ... try to fulfill their food requirements ... Be compassionate towards the people who work with you in your business or industry. Do not deprive them of their livelihood," he said.

Finally, he said people should pay utmost respect to Corona Warriors – doctors and nurses, sanitation workers and the police force.

Railway services suspended till May 3

The Indian Railways on Tuesday extended the suspension of all its passenger services till May 3, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to extend the nationwide lockdown amid the COVID-19 threat. It also said that full refund of fare would automatically be provided to its online customers for trains cancelled up to May 3, while those who have booked at the counters can claim the refund till July 31.

Gujarat police book Bhushan, Gopinathan

The Gujarat police have booked lawyer and activist, Prashant Bhushan and former IAS officer, Kannan Gopinathan for their social media posts on Sunday. While Bhushan has been charged for allegedly using an objectionable tweet against the Ramayana, Kannan Gopinathan has been booked for using government orders on social media to mislead people. The FIR was registered at Bhaktinagar police station, Rajkot city. Later, the investigation was transferred to the special operations group.

Airlines refuse to refund tickets

With the Centre extending the lockdown to May 3 and subsequently the suspension of all commercial passenger services also till then, domestic airlines have again decided not to refund the customers in cash for their cancelled flights and instead offer them rescheduling of tickets for a later date without any additional fee. India had imposed a 21-day lockdown from March 25 to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Consequently, all flights were suspended for the period.

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With 1,076 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 11,439, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. Out of the total tally, 9,756 cases are active while 1,306 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated. With 38 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll rises to 377.

According to the ministry, Maharashtra is the worst-affected state with 2,687 cases of which 259 patients have recovered/discharged while 178 patients have lost their lives due to the virus. Delhi comes in at the second position with 1,561 cases of which 30 patients have recovered while 30 patients have succumbed to the virus.

Tamil Nadu is the third state with over 1,000 cases at 1,204 cases of which 81 have recovered and 12 have died due to the deadly virus. Rajasthan is nearing the 1,000 mark with 969 cases of which 147 people have recovered while 3 patients are dead. Madhya Pradesh reported 730 cases including 51 patients recovered and 50 patients dead.

On Tuesday, in an address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the 21-day national lockdown has been extended till May 3.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday demanded the Central government to bring back Indian workers stranded in the Middle East due to the COVID-19 crisis.

"The #Covid19 crisis & shutting of businesses in the Middle East have left thousands of Indian workers in deep distress & desperate to return home. The Govt must organise flights to bring home our brothers & sisters most in need of assistance, with quarantine plans in place," Gandhi tweeted.

The #Covid19 crisis & shutting of businesses in the Middle East have left thousands of Indian workers in deep distress & desperate to return home. The Govt must organise flights to bring home our brothers & sisters most in need of assistance, with quarantine plans in place.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 15, 2020

In India, a total of 11,439 COVID-19 positive cases have been reported, including 1,305 cured/discharged and 377 deaths.

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As coronavirus pandemic deepens, over 117 million children in 37 countries are expected to miss out on receiving live-saving measles vaccine, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Measles immunisation campaigns in 24 countries have already been delayed and more will be postponed, the World Health Organization and the UN children's fund UNICEF said. "Together, more than 117 million children in 37 countries, many of whom live in regions with ongoing measles outbreaks, could be impacted by the suspension of scheduled immunisation activities," Measles and Rubella Initiative (M&RI) said in a statement.

New WHO guidelines endorsed by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation aim to help countries to sustain immunisation activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The @MeaslesRubella Initiative supports recommendations to: temporarily pause preventive immunisation campaigns where there's no active outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease continue routine immunisation services, while ensuring the safety of communities and health workers," the statement added.

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. Before the introduction of measles vaccine in 1963 and widespread vaccination, major epidemics occurred approximately every 2-3 years and measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year globally. More than 140,000 people died from measles in 2018 - mostly children under the age of 5, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine.

The coronavirus has affected 210 countries and territories around the world. There have been 1,391,468 positive cases of COVID-19 globally and 591,751 people have died due to the deadly infection so far.

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Alappuzha District Collector M Anjana said that houseboats in the districts may be turned into COVID-19 isolation wards if the need arises.

Kerala: Alappuzha District Administration has decided to convert houseboats into isolation facilities amid #COVID19 outbreak. "This would increase our bed strength by 1500 to 2000",says M Anjana, Alappuzha District Collector. pic.twitter.com/YpPViQZ6aF

— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2020

"The Alappuzha model of handling COVID-19 has been one of preparedness and prevention. In the first phase we did this successfully, but in the second phase we propose to have a different strategy. Though our numbers are comparatively less, we need to augment our isolation facilities," M Anjana told ANI here.

"We have sufficient number of facilities but in the process of augmenting the facilities we have had extensive discussions with the houseboat owners' association. All the houseboat owners agree with the proposal and are willing to support the district administration in this respect," she added. She said that houseboats have different bed strengths.

"By bringing them together at a single spot or at two spots we would be able to convert them as a single isolation facility. This would increase the isolation facility strength by around 1,500 to 2,000," she further said. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 387 COVID-19 cases in Kerala, including 211 cured/discharged/migrated and three deaths.

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A district magistrate court in Rohtak opened its doors on the night of April 13 to solemnise the wedding of a local boy marry a Mexican girl under the Special Marriage Act as both could not tie the knot due to the ongoing lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus. The couple met on a language learning app in 2017 and got engaged the next year.

Niranjan Kashyap: On Feb 17 we applied for marriage under Special Marriage Act which has 30-day notice. The notice was to end on Mar18 but lockdown started on Mar 19 so we couldn't get married.We submitted an application to District Collector after which he conducted our wedding. https://t.co/BuZtjVQFFm

— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2020

According to Niranjan Kashyap, who hails from Surya Colony in Rohtak he and and his Mexican-origin partner Dana Joheri Oliveros Cruise applied to get married under the Special Marriage Act on February 17. "We met on a language learning app. In 2017, she came to India on my birthday. Then this February 11, Dana and her mother came to India for the wedding. On February 17, we applied for marriage under the Special Marriage Act which has a 30-day notice," Kashyap told ANI.

"The notice was to end on March 18 but by then the lockdown began so we could not get married. We submitted an application to the District Collector after which he conducted our wedding," he said. He further said that Dana had booked a flight back to Mexico on March 24 but with the lockdown being extended further till May 3 she has now rescheduled her flight to May 5

Dana said, "I came to meet him in 2017. We later got engaged in December 2018 and I returned to Mexico. I spent two years in Mexico. Due to lockdown, we couldn't marry. Deputy Commissioner helped us to marry."

Advocate Niranjan Kashyap, who helped the couple get married said: "Both of them came to us. Since the girl was from Mexico, they can marry under the Special Marriage Act. Later, we approached the District Magistrate and he sent requests to the Mexican Embassy and other offices for a no objection certificate. After NOC was obtained, the District Magistrate opened the court and performed the marriage on April 13 at 8 pm."

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With the coronavirus lockdown forcing people to stay at home, they are turning to the internet to keep their spirits up such a turbulent time. The social media is flooded with hilarious memes, videos and other posts that not only kept the netizens entertained but also spread awareness about the importance of maintaining  social distance.

Not just new content, even old content is making rounds of social media which is being seen in pretext of the lockdown. Union Minister Smriti Irani has shared a video to explain the importance of staying at home during the lockdown.

The video originally posted by popular Youtuber Ashish Chanchlani  in his page, Ashish Chanchlani Vines shows what would happen if American films were made in India. Portraying as a thriller, the video shows a man being chased by a masked man dressing like a ghost. As the man reaches at the doorstep of his house, he stops to remove his shoes and socks before stepping in, which customary in Indian households. After being prompted by the man, the killer removes his shoes too.

The union minister for Women and Child Development and Textiles posted the video on Instagram and captioned it as, "Lockdown Humour. Stay Home, Stay Safe!

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Smriti Irani (@smritiiraniofficial) onApr 12, 2020 at 9:54pm PDT

The post garnered 193,272 views and 23,209 likes on the photo-sharing app where many of her followers thanked her sharing the video along with posting hilarious reactions. One user said, "Culture with ever care vision (sic)." Another user said, "Kahani ghar ghar ki." A user said, "Nowadays, after entering the house both of them should wash their hands thoroughly too before continuing their run, otherwise donon ko corona mar degi!"

What do you think about this video?

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The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in its lockdown guidelines issued on Wednesday has given detailed standard operating procedures (SOP) for social distancing for offices, workplaces, factories and establishments. The ministry has said that all areas in the premises including the following shall be disinfected completely using user-friendly disinfectant mediums at the entrance gate of building, office, cafeteria and canteens, meeting room, conference halls, open areas available, verandah, entrance gate of site, bunkers, porta cabins, building, equipment and lifts, washroom, toilet, sink water points etc, walls/ all other surfaces.

The MHA has also said that transportation will be provided by employers and should be allowed only with 30-40 per cent passengers in vehicles. "For workers coming from outside, special transportation facility will be arranged without any dependency on the public transport system. These vehicles should be allowed to work only with 30-40 percent passenger capacity," MHA said.

All vehicles and machinery entering the premise should be disinfected by spray mandatorily and thermal scanning of everyone entering and exiting the work place to be done. "Medical insurance for the workers to be made mandatory. Provision for hand wash & sanitizer preferably with touch free mechanism will be made at all entry and exit points and common areas. Sufficient quantities of all the items should be available," read the MHA guideline.

The union home ministry guidelines also said that work places shall have a gap of one hour between shifts and will stagger the lunch breaks of staff to ensure social distancing. "Large gatherings or meetings of 10 or more people to be discouraged. Seating at least 6 feet away from others on job sites and in gatherings, meetings and training sessions. Not more than 2/4 persons (depending on size) will be allowed to travel in lifts or hoists," the guidelines said.

"Hospitals/clinics in the nearby areas, which are authorized to treat COVID-19 patients, should be identified and list should be available at workplace all the times," MHA said. The MHA guidelines came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of lockdown till May 3 amid surging coronavirus cases in the country.

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The Railways has decided to produce over 30,000 Personal Protective Equipment coveralls in April and also plans to manufacture 1,00,000 of the same in May 2020 for medical and health-care personnel who get directly exposed to the COVID-19 disease when working amongst infected patients.

To provide protection to healthcare professionals in the fight against #COVID19, Indian Railways plans to produce over 30,000 coveralls (Personal Protective Equipment) in April 2020. Railways plans to manufacture 1,00,000 of the same in May: Ministry of Railways pic.twitter.com/PrBfG5AsQ1

— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2020

"The Railways has been able to procure and distribute to its workshops and other units sufficient raw material for manufacturing more than 30,000 PPE coveralls in April. The Railways has set the target of manufacturing another 1,00,000 PPE coveralls in May and sourcing of appropriate raw material has been started," said the Ministry of Railways in a statement.

The Railways has recently started manufacturing of PPE coveralls. The prototype coveralls have already cleared the prescribed tests with the highest grades at the authorised Defence Research Development Establishment Laboratory of DRDO at Gwalior. The Railways has also converted over 5,000 of its passenger coaches into mobile quarantine or isolation facilities to deal with COVID-19 patients.

According to the Union Health Ministry, a total of 11,439 people have detected positive for coronavirus, including 1306 cured and discharged and 377 deaths. Currently, the country has 9,756 active corona cases.

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Amid fears over the spread of coronavirus, a 25-year-old man was allegedly shot at by another person, following an argument that was triggered by his "coughing" during a game of ludo at Greater Noida, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place around 9 pm on Tuesday at a temple in Dayanagar village under the Jarcha police station limits, where four people, including the man who received gunshot injuries, were playing the board game, they added.

The injured man, Prashant Singh alias Pravesh, was hospitalised, while the accused, Jai Veer Singh alias Gullu (30), is yet to be arrested, the police said. Both are residents of Dayanagar village and engaged in agriculture, according to the police.

"Prashant and three others were playing ludo at the village temple on Tuesday night when Gullu arrived there. An argument broke out between Prashant and Gullu when the former coughed. Gullu got angry thinking he was doing it deliberately," a police official told PTI.

"As the argument intensified, Gullu pulled out a pistol and shot at Prashant," he said. An injured Prashant was rushed to a private hospital, where his condition is stable now, the police said, adding that an FIR was registered against the accused and efforts were on to arrest him.

Coughing, fever and difficulty in breathing are some of the symptoms of the novel coronavirus, a highly contagious disease, according to government advisories.

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The Maharashtra government has taken serious note of complaints, alleging illegal collection of relief funds in the name of Covid-19 pandemic by certain organisations, according to officials here on Wednesday.

Following a specific complaint to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta asked the Home Department to take necessary action, said lawyer Vinod Tiwari, the complainant.

In his representation, the lawyer presented several social media posts and calls seeking funds for providing coronavirus relief.

"Most of these are solicited by registered or unregistered organisations, certain political parties, some media, individuals or entities without any credential checks by the authorities, like the Collector. This is in violation of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 53/54 and also the Income-Tax Act rules," Tiwari told IANS.

He said such collections were nothing but 'unjust enrichment' by some elements out to exploit the Covid-19 pandemic, as there were no accounts available of how much was collected or spent, and for what purposes.

"Besides, this is directly hampering the official fund-raising drive by the Chief Minister Relief Fund-Covid-19 or the PM-CARES Funds, which should be the only such means as accountable and permissible," Tiwari said.

He said similar shady fund collection drives were on all over the country, which must be immediately stopped and be acted against in the public interest.

Seeking the government intervention, he demanded seizure of all the illicit amounts collected by such entities, sealing their bank accounts and transferring the funds to the official PM-CARES Fund or the CMRF-Covid-19, besides initiation of criminal action against all them.

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Industrial units in rural areas will be allowed to function from April 20 provided they follow social distancing norms while all kinds of public transport will be barred and public places closed till May 3, according to guidelines issued on Wednesday to enforce the second phase of the lockdown.

Wearing masks/face covers in public places is now compulsory across the country. Besides, strict ban enforced on the sale of liquor, gutka, tobacco etc under the new Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines that come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3.

The PM also said necessary activities will be allowed from April 20 in identified areas of the country. Laying out the dos and don'ts for phase two of the pan India lockdown, the guidelines state that all work places should make adequate arrangements for temperature screening and must provide sanitisers at convenient places.

Services provided by self-employed electricians, IT repair personnel, plumbers, motor mechanics and carpenters will be allowed from April 20. Inter-state, inter-district movement of people, Metro, bus services will be prohibited till May 3. Manufacturing, industrial units with access control in SEZs, export oriented units, industrial estates, industrial townships will also be allowed to function from that date. Educational institutions, coaching centres, domestic, international air travel, train services will remain suspended, the ministry said. Public places such as cinema halls, malls, shopping complexes, gyms, sports complexes, swimming pools and bars will be shut too till May 3.

Leave without pay for Vistara employees

Vistara chief Leslie Thng on Wednesday announced that senior employees will be going on compulsory leave without pay for up to three days between April 15 and 30 as a measure to further conserve the airline's cash flow amid lockdown to combat the COVID-19 threat. On March 27, the airline had also introduced compulsory leave without pay for up to three days between April 1 and April 14 for the same set of senior employees.

'Monsoon will be normal this year'

Southwest monsoon will be normal this year, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday in its forecast for the four-month rainfall season in the country. In an online briefing, IMD Director General, M Mohapatra said the Long Period Average (LPA) of monsoon will be 100 per cent which falls in the "normal" category. "Monsoon will be normal this year," he said.

Gujarat CM Rupani goes into isolation

Gujarat Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani has decided to run the state administration without meeting anyone for the next one week after a Congress MLA whom he met tested positive for Coronavirus. Rupani's health is fine and he will run the state administration through technological facilities like video-conference, video-calling and tele-calling, Chief Minister's Office (CMO) secretary, Ashwani Kumar said on Wednesday. "No visitor will be allowed at the chief minister's residence for the next one week," Kumar said.

Doctors attacked in Moradabad

Stones were pelted at an ambulance carrying a team of medical personnel and police, which had gone to escort family members of a person who died of COVID-19 in UP's Moradabad, to a quarantine facility. "When our team boarded the ambulance a crowd started pelting stones. Some doctors are still there. We are injured," said the ambulance driver.

'Farmers will be paid in 3 days'

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Kailash Chaudhary said the farmers will be paid within three days of their crops purchased by the government. He has also asked the states to make arrangements for procurement. The government procurement of wheat in many states, including MP and Punjab, has started from Wednesday. Haryana has announced to start purchasing mustard first and then wheat from April 20.

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With 941 more COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India's coronavirus tally crossed the 12,000 mark with the tally reading at 12,380 cases, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday. Out of the total tally, 10,477 patients are active cases while 1,489 patients have been cured, discharged and migrated. With 37 more deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll has risen to 414.

According to the ministry, Maharashtra has reported the maximum number of positive COVID-19 cases with 2,916 cases including 295 recovered/ discharged and 187 dead. Delhi comes second on the list with 1,578 positive COVID-19 cases. The tally also includes 40 patients recovered/ discharged while 32 patients have died due to the infection. Tamil Nadu is third on the list and recorded 1,242 cases including 118 recovered and 14 patients have died due to the virus.

Rajasthan has crossed the 1,000 cases mark with 1,023 cases including 147 recovered and three patients dead. Madhya Pradesh is hovering around the 1,000 cases mark with 987 positive COVID-19 cases including 64 recovered and discharged and 53 fatalities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the nationwide lockdown--scheduled to end on April 14--will be extended to May 3.

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To ensure that the labourers and migrant workers can earn a livelihood once the lockdown is over, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation has started an initiative to introduce skill-based training among beggars and the homeless in the city. Tukaram Mundhe, Nagpur Municipal Cooperation Commissioner said, "After the lockdown was announced, we shifted the homeless and beggars to shelter homes and providing them with food, accommodation and other facilities."

With about 19 shelter homes around the cities accommodating close to 1,500-2,000 people, the commissioner said they are being provided with some skill development activities apart from having basic amenities. "We have also introduced skill development programmes for them. In the long run, we intend to take up the eradication of beggary program in Nagpur by providing them skills so that they can get employed," Mundhe said.

Glimpses of homeless beggars in Nagpur after a makeover by NMC:

NMC's shelter home took many #Homeless people under its care during the #lockdown

Some with special abilities were also given a complete makeover for health and sanitation purposes. #Covid_19india #homelessness pic.twitter.com/w11dVpnNBa

— Tukaram Mundhe (@Tukaram_IndIAS) April 12, 2020

"We are also giving them a makeover as we are providing them skill-based training so that they can earn their livelihood once the lockdown ends," said Manish Soni, Public Relations Officer, NMC.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2,916 positive COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state, out of which 295 patients have recovered and 187 patients have succumbed to the virus.

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An Indian Air Force Cheetah helicopter headed to Chandigarh with medical samples made an emergency landing on Outer Ring Road here following technical snag, official statement said on Thursday. The chopper was proceeding from Hindon to Chandigarh on a COVID-19 task of carrying test samples of Leh.

Approximately 3 NM out of Hindon, the aircraft developed technical snag and carried out a safe precautionary landing on Outer Ring Road highway.

"The actions taken by the pilots were prompt and correct. No damage to any property has been reported. Recovery aircraft was launched immediately from Hindon. The aircraft was rectified and recovered back promptly and safely at Hindon," the statement added.

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Six Indian companies are working on a vaccine for COVID-19, joining global efforts to find a quick preventive for the deadly infection spreading rapidly across the world, says a top Indian scientist. Nearly 70 'vaccine candidates' are being tested and at least three have moved to the human clinical trial stage, but a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is unlikely to be ready for mass use before 2021. As COVID-19 infects more than 1.9 million in the world and claims 1,26,000 lives, Indian scientists are also part of the global fight against the disease.

"While Zydus Cadila is working on two vaccines, Serum Institute, Biological E, Bharat Biotech, Indian Immunologicals, and Mynvax are developing one vaccine each," Gagandeep Kang, executive director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, told PTI. Kang is also vice chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which noted in a recent study that the "global vaccine R&D effort in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in terms of scale and speed".

But it is a complicated process with many stages of testing and many challenges, explained experts. A vaccine for the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, may not take 10 years that other vaccines do but it could be at least a year before it is proven safe, effective, and made widely available, they said. "Vaccine development is a lengthy process which often takes years, with many challenges," said E. Sreekumar, chief scientific officer at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) in Kerala.

"Generally, vaccines take several months to pass the different stages of testing, and then approvals also take time. For COVID-19, we don't expect a vaccine to come in this year," agreed Rakesh Mishra, director of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. Vaccine testing typically begins with animal and lab testing before going on to different stages of human testing.

"The human testing phase is composed of many phases," Sreekumar told PTI. "Phase one trials are small-scale, usually involving few participants, to assess whether the vaccine is safe for humans. Phase two trials often involve several hundred subjects, and mainly evaluate the efficacy of the vaccine against the disease," he said.
The final phase involves thousands of people to further assess the efficacy of the vaccine over a defined period of time, and can last several months, Sreekumar said.
"That is why we don't see a vaccine coming in at least a year from now."

Even after the vaccine is ready, he explained, there are a lot of challenges, including whether the vaccine is effective in all populations, and if it can be used for different strains of the novel coronavirus, which might start mutating as time passes. "There are lots of vaccines which are being tested for COVID-19, some of which are in the stage 1 clinical trial," Mishra added.

"But we still don't know how fast they will proceed towards a vaccine and they can take several months to reach any point," he said. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), three vaccine candidates are in the clinical testing phase, meaning they are able to be tested on humans, while nearly 70 are in the preclinical phase -- either in lab testing, or animal studies. Though Kang named six companies, the WHO has listed only Zydus Cadila and Serum Institute from India as among the global firms working on a COVID-19 vaccine.

As of April 8, 2020, said CEPI, the global COVID-19 vaccine R&D landscape includes 115 vaccine candidates, of which 78 are confirmed as active and 37 are unconfirmed.
Of the 78 confirmed active projects, 73 are currently at exploratory or preclinical stages, noted the CEPI team in an analysis published in the journal Nature reviews drug Discovery last week.

The most advanced candidates have recently moved into clinical development, including mRNA-1273 from US-based biotechnology company Moderna, Ad5-nCoV from Chinese biopharma company CanSino Biologicals, and INO-4800 from American pharmaceuticals company Inovio. Others in this list include LV-SMENP-DC and pathogen-specific aAPC from Shenzhen Geno-Immune Medical Institute in China.

Numerous other vaccine developers have indicated plans to initiate human testing in 2020, the CEPI scientists said. Experts believe the genome sequencing of the new coronavirus provided by scientists in China shows it shares 79 per cent of the same genetic material as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and 50 per cent of the same material as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a species of coronavirus which infects humans, bats, and camels.

This allows developers to use groundwork already created in research for vaccines for those viruses. Australia's national science agency CSIRO announced earlier this month that it has begun preclinical tests of a vaccine developed by Oxford University in the UK. A striking feature of the vaccine development landscape for COVID-19 is the range of technology platforms being evaluated, including nucleic acid (DNA and RNA), virus-like particle, live weakened virus, and inactivated virus approaches.

The CEPI noted that many of these platforms are not currently the basis for licensed vaccines, but experience in fields such as oncology is encouraging developers to exploit the opportunities that next-generation approaches offer for increased speed of development and manufacture.

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People living in around 72 houses have been asked to stay in quarantine after a pizza delivery boy, who had delivered food in Malviya Nagar area, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, according to District Magistrate, South Delhi. Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that 17 other delivery boys linked with the infected man have also been placed under institutional quarantine. "A pizza delivery boy has been detected with COVID-19 here. 17 other delivery boys linked with him have been placed under institutional quarantine and 72 people have been placed under home quarantine," Jain told ANI.

Food delivery app Zomato said that the staff of infected person's restaurant has delivered some orders which were placed on its platform.

"We've been made aware today that a restaurant's employee, who has been recently tested positive for COVID-19, had delivered food in the past to a few customers in the Malviya Nagar area in Delhi. All these customers have already been contacted by the govt authorities... We are not sure whether the rider was infected at the time of delivery," the company said in a statement.

Zomato also claimed that colleagues of the delivery boy have tested negative for COVID-19.

"This restaurant had instructed their riders to wear masks and follow strict hygiene to keep customers safe from any unintended mishap. All co-workers of the said rider have been tested negative. And as a precaution, the restaurant where this rider worked has suspended operations," read the statement.

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With over 12,000 active cases of COVID-19 in the country that resulted in the nationwide lockdown getting extended till May 3, the government had on Wednesday issued a set of fresh guidelines till May 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a televised speech on Tuesday announced measures that the government would undertake to tackle the pandemic.

The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry have also earmarked the districts in the country into three categories –red, green and orange zones as per the frequency of the cases reported from the areas. 

#COVID19 containment starts with the identification of hotspots and their categorization into Red, Orange & Green Zones: Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs pic.twitter.com/FbWUlfcyCd

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020

The BMC will also come up with red and orange zones in Mumbai to mark containment zones for stricter implementation of the lockdown. While the plans are still being drafted, areas with a high number of positive cases of COVID-19 will be put in the red zone and will have no external essential service providers. Let's know more about these zones.

Red zone

According to the Union Health Ministry, the districts identified as hotspots are marked as red zones. These districts have reported a large number of Coronavirus cases and need focused attention. As much as  170 districts in the country have been marked as hotspots, which is further divided into two groups: (a) 123 districts where a large number of cases have been reported and  (b) 47 districts where cases were reported in clusters.

According to the Health Ministry, the districts contributing to more than 80 per cent of the cases reported in the country, the districts contributing to more than 80 per cent of the cases in a state or districts with doubling rates reported to be less than four days, can be classified as a 'hotspot' or a 'red zone'. The ministry also said that the government will provide door-to-door facilities and undertake containment activities in these districts for the next 14 days. Mumbai,  recording the highest number cases in the country with 3,081, has been declared a hotspot by the government.

Orange Zone

The districts that had reported less number of Coronavirus cases or not seen a surge of positive cases in the area have been marked as 'orange zone'. In these zones, limited services of public transport, farm harvesting activities and functioning of small scale industries manufacturing essential items such as flour, pulses, and edible oils have been permitted. A hotspot district can be declared an orange zone if cases reported in 14 days is less or none.

According to the health ministry, 16 districts in Maharashtra have been declared as an orange zone. The districts are Gondia, Washim, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Hingoli, Akola, Beed, Amravati, Jalna, Latur, Osmanabad, Satara, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri and  Sindhudurg

Green Zone

According to the Union Health Ministry, the districts that have not reported positive cases of Coronavirus are classified as green zones. In these zones, essential items that generate state revenue would be given an extension. Small scale industries manufacturing essential items will be allowed to function freely, but with strict maintenance of social distancing.

Hotspots have to undertake effective containment activities to flatten the curve and bring the number of Coronavirus cases down in order to qualify as an orange zone and subsequently as a green zone in 24 days.

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After doing her duty from morning to evening, IPS officer Shalini Singh, who is the Joint Commissioner of Police (West Zone), never returns to her home. Instead, she visits every checkpost in her area to encourage the police personnel who have been deployed on 'corona duty'.

Everyday Singh begins work by arranging food and other essential items for needy people with the help of her colleagues. She stays with the police staff -- whether men or women -- voluntarily preparing food for poor people, ensuring social distancing and spares time to encourage her female subordinates who are voluntarily preparing masks to distribute.

It has been 22-23 days since the lockdown was implemented but she never thinks of going home as she believes that people need her more than her family. "Hunger, tiredness, boredom or laziness etc., they would capture you whenever you think about these things, hence, I am totally engaged in serving people whether they are common citizens or my staff. I can take rest any time in future but this time people need me," Singh told IANS when asked how she manages.

Speaking about her routine she said, "A total of three -- Dwarka, Outer and West -- districts come under my jurisdiction and I am supposed to supervise them. Besides, on humanitarian grounds and being a senior, I have other responsibilities as well. Hence, I try to reach each and every one of my staff."

When asked how the women police personnel in her area prepare face masks for 10-12 hours on a war-footing besides performing their other duties, she said: "When you do anything with your own will and an intent to serve, then it never feels like a burden, and tiredness can't even touch you."

All the districts in west Delhi share a border with Haryana which increases the possibility of liquor smuggling. The Joint CP said that smugglers tried their best to bring liquor from Haryana to the national capital but the Delhi Police have foiled all their attempts. The best example of it is Haridas Nagar Police Station where the maximum cases of liquor smuggling have been filed. The smugglers believe that no one would check during the lockdown but the police are always one step ahead of criminals.

"For instance, a man tried to smuggle the liquor in LPG cylinder by cutting it from the bottom but the police caught him. In many incidents, the criminals tried to run over the police personnel in an attempt to flee but nothing worked before us. Still, liquor smuggling is a big problem for Delhi Police," Singh concluded.

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Amid lockdown over COVID threat, Indian Railways has decided to start two special trains for military to meet operational requirements of Indian Army at northern and eastern borders, force said on Thursday. Indian Army is also coordinating with the railway ministry for plying of additional trains for military purposes in coming weeks.

Amid #lockdown over #COVID threat, #IndianRailways has decided to start two special trains for military to meet operational requirements of #IndianArmy at northern and eastern borders, force said on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/M7YRZjyliP

— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) April 16, 2020

"To meet the operational requirements of Northern and Eastern borders, two military special trains are planned to be run," Indian Army stated. The force said that that both the trains for military purpose will start from Bengaluru. The first train will start on April 17 and reach Jammu and the second train will start on April 18 for Guwahati.

The route planned by the Indian Army is that the first train will start from Bengaluru and will have stoppage at Belgaum, Secundrabad, Ambala and terminates at Jammu. The second train will start from Bengaluru and stop at Belgaum, Secundrabad, Gopalpur, Howrah, New Jalpaiguri and terminates at Guwahati.

"This will enable decongestion of category A and B training establishments at Bangalore, Belgaum, Secundrabad and Gopalpur as well as assist in operational preparedness of active formations deployed in the borders," sources in Indian Army said.

The force said that the personnel due to rejoin units deployed in northern and eastern borders have undergone mandatory quarantine period and found medically fit. They will be now accommodated.

The force also stated that "further coordination with Ministry of Railways is in progress for planning additional trains in coming weeks".

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said a lockdown is not a solution to the virus and suggested the Centre should aggressively go for testing and use it strategically.

"We are in a very serious situation, that is clear and I think all political parties have to work together and the people of India have to work together if we want to solve this problem and defeat this virus... Over the last couple of months, I have been speaking to large number of experts in India and abroad, who have a very good understanding of what is going on. So, a lot of what I am going to be saying is going to be based on these conversations," Rahul said while addressing media via video conference.

Lockdown is in no way a solution to the #COVID19. Lockdown is like a pause button. When we come out of the lockdown, the virus is going to start its work again: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/PLQlHtZCCL

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020

"The first thing to understand is that a lockdown is like a pause button. A lockdown is in no way a solution to COVID-19...When we come out of the lockdown, the virus is going to start its work again. So, it is very important that we have a strategy to come out of the lockdown," he added.

Rahul stated that lockdown "allows you the time and space to put in medical resources, to ramp up your testing ability, to prepare your hospitals, to get ventilators, to create the type of architecture that is required to fight the virus when it picks up again." "So, there is one misconception that I would like to clear up. In no way does a lockdown defeat the virus. It stops the virus for some time. Now what is the real weapon against the virus, the biggest weapon? The Biggest weapon is testing. Testing at scale so you know where the virus is moving and you isolate the virus and target the virus," he said.

Now we've reached a level, where we are in an emergency situation. India must unite&fight against it. My main suggestion is that blunt instruments must not be used. We must work strategically. Lockdown has not resolved the problem, it has only postponed the problem: Rahul Gandhi https://t.co/1Pt8uD2OQ0

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020

The former Congress president also stated that India's testing rate is 199 out of a million. "If you look at all the tests that we have done over the last 72 days, it works out to approximately an average of 350 tests per district. This is in no way enough to tell you how the virus moving," Rahul said

"If you want to fight the virus, you have to increase testing dramatically and your testing has to go from chasing the virus to moving ahead of the virus... Lot of our testing is currently chasing the virus because we are identifying cases and then following the virus. With that type of testing, you will never be able to actually get a good image of what the virus is doing and where the virus is," he added.

If you want to fight the virus, you've to increase the testing dramatically & your testing has to go from chasing the virus to moving ahead of it. You've to move to random testing and pre-empt where the virus is moving: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi #Coronavirus https://t.co/YWG4PJEoSK pic.twitter.com/9t2hOA1wgm

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020

Rahul has advised the central government to push testing aggressively, maximise testing and use testing strategically. The testing levels are currently too low and the Government of India is not using testing strategically, he noted. Prime Minister Modi had on March 24 announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID19. Earlier this week, he announced the extension of lockdown till May 3.

With 941 more COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India's coronavirus tally crossed the 12,000 mark with the tally reading at 12,380 cases, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday. Out of the total tally, 10,477 patients are active cases while 1,489 patients have been cured, discharged and migrated. With 37 more deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll has risen to 414.

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The well-known Zoom video conferencing app for meetings is not a safe platform, the Cyber Coordination Centre (CCC) of the Ministry of Home Affairs has warned in an advisory issued last week.

The well-known #Zoom video conferencing app for meetings is not a safe platform, the Cyber Coordination Centre (CCC) of the Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) has warned in an advisory issued last week. pic.twitter.com/rPRLkLGvpX

— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) April 16, 2020

In the advisory, issued on April 12, it is mentioned that "secure use of Zoom meeting platform is for private individuals and not for use of government offices or official purposes". The government said that CERT-In on the same lines had been informed on February 6 and March 30 this year clarifying that "Zoom is not a safe platform".

In a set of guidelines for the safety of private users, the CCC division of the MHA mentioned that "those private individuals who still would like to use Zoom for private purposes" should follow certain guidelines like prevention of unauthorised entry in conference room and unauthorised participants to carry out malicious activity on terminals of others in the conference. The advisory also suggested to "avoid 'DOS' attacks by restricting users through passwords and access grant".

Zoom app has apparently become a favourite and famous tool among people during the lockdown and it is being used by schools and many private players. "Most of the settings can be done by logging into users zoom account at website, or installed application at PC/Laptop/Phone and also during conduct of conference," the guidelines from MHA mentions.

Officials in the Home Ministry told IANS that the app has some specific weaknesses so it is necessary to avoid its use for official purposes as it can encrypt meeting data.

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A heartwarming video of a monkey playing with a kite amid lockdown across the country is winning hearts online. The beautiful video was shared on Twitter by Susanta Nanda, an Indian Forest Service officer who is working in Odisha. In the video, a monkey can be seen flying a kite from the terrace of a building.

Evolution happening fast due to lockdown😂

Monkey flying a kite. Yes it’s a monkey for sure😁 pic.twitter.com/6W8MtpPK43

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 16, 2020

In the 12-seconds video clip, the monkey can be seen on top of a building terrace holding the string of a kite and pulling it towards itself. As the video moves further, the monkey can be seen successfully pulling the kite and holding it as people in the background cheer him.

Can't even imagine that a monkey can fly a kite

— Heena Mehta (@HeenaMe61603627) April 16, 2020

While sharing the video with his 30,000 followers, Forest officer Susanta Nanda captioned it: Evolution happening fast due to lockdown. Monkey flying a kite. Yes it's a monkey for sure. The heartwarming video which has left people suprised has garnered over 20,000 views and counting.

Superb video! In all probability, it might have caught hold of a cut string and pulling it in, but definitely a rare catch!

— Jyoti Shankar Roy Choudhury (@JSRoyChoudhury) April 16, 2020

Hundreds of netizens took to the comments section of the post to share their views. One user wrote, "Rise of the planet of the apes - RELOADED," while another user wrote, "And he is doing it better than I ever could."

Preparing to challenge the human after lockdown 😂😂😂

— Kalung Nyipa (@KalungNyipa) April 16, 2020

A third user said, "At this Pace, Brace for a Jumanji." While explaining the video a fourth user commented, "Superb video! In all probability, it might have caught hold of a cut string and pulling it in, but definitely a rare catch!"

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The number of COVID-19 cases in India has reached 12,759, the Health Ministry said on Thursday. According to the official data, India has 10,824 active cases and 1514 discharged and cured cases. Meanwhile, 420 people have died from the disease which originated in China. Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases in the country which stands at 2919, including 295 cured and discharged and 187 deaths.

COVID19: Decrease in the rise in cases & death rate, 826 positive cases & 28 deaths in 24 hours; the total number of positive cases 12,759 https://t.co/gPAgYFAOMP

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020

With 1578 coronavirus cases, Delhi is in the second position of India's tally of corona infected people; followed by Tamil Nadu (1242) and Rajasthan (1023). Kerala, which reported India's first coronavirus case, has 388 confirmed cases, including 295 cured and discharged and 187 deaths.

On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, that border the national capital, have 773 and 205 cases, respectively. Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh and Pudducherry have reported 33, 21 and 7 cases respectively. While West Bengal has 231 coronavirus infected people, Odisha has confirmed 60 cases.

The newly carved union territories -- Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir--- have 17 and 300 cases, respectively. In the Northeast, 33 people were detected positive for COVID-19 in Assam, which is the worst-affected states in the region.

Six corona cases were confirmed from Meghalaya, two each from Manipur and Tripura and one from Arunachal Pradesh. Nagaland remains free from coronavirus till date, said the Ministry.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus outbreak, a shocking video of an elephant walking on the empty streets in Kerala's Munnar district has taken the internet by storm. The heartwarming video, which has gone viral was shared by Indian Forest Service officer Sudha Ramen, who said that the elephant in the video is called Padaiyappa.

Tusker 'Padaiyappa' on his night patrol to check on the lockdown at Munnar Town.
Sighting wild elephants are common here. 'Padaiyappa' is not new to the locals, he has been visiting the town now & then. Looks like he had some special task this time. Received via WA. pic.twitter.com/kvlELa5pst

— Sudha Ramen IFS 🇮🇳 (@SudhaRamenIFS) April 16, 2020

On Thursday, Sudha took to Twitter and shared the beautful video where the elephant can be seen wandering on the empty streets of Kerala amid lockdown due to coronavirus. While sharing the video with over 25,000 followers, Sudha wrote: Tusker 'Padaiyappa' on his night patrol to check on the lockdown in Munnar Town.

She further said that sighting wild elephants in Kerala is a common sight. Talking about the elephant, Sudha said that Padaiyappa has been visiting the town every now and then and is quite acquainted with the local. She said that it appears as if the elephant is on some special task this time.

The locals call him notorious.. Here he looks calm. However, it's always better to stay away or keep a distance from the wild elephants, especially when it's a lone tusker!

— Sudha Ramen IFS 🇮🇳 (@SudhaRamenIFS) April 16, 2020

In the 37-seconds video clip, the tusker can be seen walking down the empty streets of Munnar on night as the state fights the coronavirus crisis. In another tweet, Sudha said that although the elephant looks calm its best to to stay away from wild elephants, especially when it's a lone tusker.

Now it is quiet, with less pollution and people crowding the streets, the animals are coming back. It's a beautiful thing. Nature wants to bring itself back. Wonderful.

— Therese (@ThereseRalston) April 16, 2020

Since the time it was shared., the video has garnered over 3,0000 views leaving netizens in awe of the elephant. One user said, "Have heard the name from locals. Seeing him for the first time," while another user wrote: It actually gives an idea why not all cities can go lock down from 10.00 pm till 05.00 am? Explaining the video, a third user commented saying, "Nature wants to bring itself back. Wonderful."

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After thanking doctors, nurses and health care professionals, on Thursday, the Google doodle paid tributes to food service workers, who have been serving people amid the coronavirus crisis with an animated illustration on Thursday. The animated doodle is part of the Google doodle which the search engine giant launched last week in order to celebrate the coronavirus warriors.

Today, we’d like to say:

To all food service workers, thank you.

#GoogleDoodle → https://t.co/QV09JLTULv pic.twitter.com/WvIaLPLYQo

— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) April 16, 2020

When one hovers over the doodle, it shows the message, "To all food service workers, thank you." The 'Thank You' doodle for food service workers features a heart emoticon being sent across to food service workers, who have been preparing food for COVID-19 patients, doctors and staff of the hospitals.

Besides food service workers, chefs, restaurants and food delivery workers have also resumed work in order to help the country fight the global pandemic. Through its animated doodle series, google will be honouring people who have been leading the fight against the novel coronavirus.

Today, we’d like to say:

To all grocery workers, thank you.

#GoogleDoodle → https://t.co/XWOzYTjMqO pic.twitter.com/BudQ17hEMz

— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) April 13, 2020

A few days ago, google released a doodle to thank medical professionals who have been leading India's fight against the deadly virus. To all doctors, nurses and medical workers; thank you." read the doodle message. The animated doodle also featured a little heart emoticon for everyone who is fighting the battle against COVID-19 on the frontline.

Talking about their animated doodle series to honours those fighting coronavirus Google said, "As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people are coming together to help one another now more than ever. We're launching a Doodle series to recognize and honour many of those on the front lines."

Today marks the beginning of our #GoogleDoodle series recognizing and honoring those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, we’d like to say:

To all the public health workers and to researchers in the scientific community, thank you.

→ https://t.co/EcrUYgo0xU pic.twitter.com/PUPl7Z0WHO

— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) April 6, 2020

Besides healthcare professionals and food service workers, Google has so far honoured public health workers, emergency services workers, sanitation workers, farmers, grocery workers, public transportation workers, and delivery workers among others.

Till yesterday, India had 10,824 active cases and 1514 discharged and cured cases while 420 people have died from the disease which originated in China. Maharashtra has been the worst affected state with 2919 COVID-19 cases including 187 deaths.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, Nagpur police in its unique and witty is informing, educating and protecting its citizens across the city amid the nation-wide lockdown. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi extending the lockdown till May 3, citizens across the country have ample of time with themselves.

Things to do during #Lockdown#NagpurPolice pic.twitter.com/2cScHJ8KP8

— Nagpur City Police (@NagpurPolice) April 15, 2020

In order to kill boredom, Nagpur has come up with a few handy tips by taking inspiration from Bollywood's iconic film Sholay. On Wednesday, Nagpur police took to its Twitter account and shared a 4.0 handy guide list which will keep people engaged and entertained at home amid lockdown.

A still from Sholay urges people to play music and pursue hobbies

The Nagpur police shared few stills from the movie in order to get their message across to its people. A still featuring actor Amjad Khan as Gabbar urged people to call and connect with old friends while another still featuring superstar Amitabh Bachchan requested people to pursue their hobbies and indulge in music.

The witty post also featured two stills which urged families to engage in story telling while another one asked people to shave but at home amid the coronavirus lockdown. This ins't the first time that the Nagpur police took a clue from Bollywood films in order to create awareness on the spread of coronavirus.

Friends: Let's all go together for a picnic

Me : #CoronaStopKaroNa #BreakTheChain pic.twitter.com/NECkgJLZ5Z

— Nagpur City Police (@NagpurPolice) March 21, 2020

Last month, the Nagpur police has shared a meme from Shahid Kapoor's popular film Kabir Singh, which showed friends making plans to go for a picnic amid lockdown. But it was their picture-perfect caption that won many hearts. The caption urged people to maintain social distance and break the chain.

Here are few movie inspired memes shared by Nagpur police:

Essential Goods shall continue to be available.
Don't indulge in Panic Buying please. 🙏🏻#NagpurPolice pic.twitter.com/k64g3fz8pP

— Nagpur City Police (@NagpurPolice) March 25, 2020

The Rock featuring in Nagpur police meme as they request people to not indulge in panic buying.

Kaun Banega #Coronawarrior? pic.twitter.com/coh26bEype

— Nagpur City Police (@NagpurPolice) March 28, 2020

Taking a cue from Kaun Banega Crorepati, they asked people to be a corona warrior by being at home amid lockdown.

Was Bunty Right? pic.twitter.com/Bfif7lE80k

— Nagpur City Police (@NagpurPolice) March 12, 2020

Another one from an ad film showcasing the importance of washing hands amid coronavirus outbreak.

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Even as the country has been fighting hard to contain the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, the authorities know how to use humour in their social media posts while urging people to take the necessary precautions to stay safe. IRCTC has been following government authorities such as Mumbai Police, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Pune Police and has been posting hilarious memes to explain why is it necessary to follow the precautions.

The popular line "Mere paas maa hai!" from 1975 Amitabh  Bachchan- Shashi Kapoor drama Deewar has been a part of many jokes and memes. To refresh your mind, the line was a part of a dialogue in the film which is about two brothers –Shashi Kapoor who plays the role of Ravi, the good cop and Amitabh Bachchan, who plays Vijay, a criminal. In the iconic scene, Vijay asks Ravi, "Aaj mere paas property hai, bank balance hai, bangla hai, gaadi hai.. kya hai tumhare pass?" (Today I own a bungalow, a property, a car, have a bank balance… What do you have?) In his reply, Ravi emotionally mouths the line, "Mere paas maa hai!" (I have mother.)

IRCTC played around the line and came up with a witty meme posted on their Twitter page to spread awareness about wearing masks.

To win over this pandemic, you need both Maa and Ma-Sk . Keeping your family close and Ma-sk closer. Always wear a mask when stepping out to buy essentials. Else #StayHome #StaySafe #SaveLives#IndiaFightsCorona

— IRCTC (@IRCTCofficial) April 14, 2020

The meme posted on Tuesday garnered 147 likes and was retweeted 16 times. It received many praises in the comments for its innovation and creativity.

What do you think about the post?

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New Delhi: Congress Lok Sabha MP leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday appreciated Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and his colleagues in the ministry for doing "great job" amid COVID-19 outbreak.

"Thanks for the response @drharshvardhan! You &your colleagues are doing a great job in difficult circumstances. Guess this means that it won't be long before Thiruvananthapuram is off the hotspot list, as Kerala has categorised it in a lower tier than the most affected districts," Tharoor tweeted.

Tagging the minister in a tweet earlier, the Congress leader asked why Thiruvananthapuram is listed as a COVID-19 hotspot.

"A bit curious as to why Thiruvananthapuram is listed as a #Covid19 hotspot when it has such a great track record!? Perhaps @MoHFW_INDIA can enlighten us?" Tharoor, the Lok MP from Thiruvananthapuram had tweeted.

A but curious as to why Thiruvananthapuram is listed as a #Covid19 hotspot when it has such a great track record!? Perhaps @MoHFW_INDIA can enlighten us? @drharshvardhan @vijayanpinarayi @CMOKerala @kgkrishnan05 https://t.co/RWjjW3TiMp

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 16, 2020

Responding to the Congress leader, Harsh Vardhan said there are 170 hotspot districts, 207 non-hotspot & rest non-infected.

India's total number of coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 13,387 including 11,201 active cases, 1,749 cured/discharged/migrated and 437 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today.

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Thiruvananthapuram: A 50-year-old woman travelled 2,700 km in a car crisscrossing 6 states to meet her critically ill son, a BSF jawan in Jodhpur, despite strict lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19.

The woman was accompanied by her daughter-in-law and another relative during the journey, which they covered in three days' time. Speaking to PTI from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Sheelamma Vasan said the health condition of her son, Arun Kumar (29), who was suffering from myositis, (inflammation of muscles), was improving.

"Due to God's grace we have reached here without any problems anywhere", she said. The family was informed by a Malayali doctor at AIIMS in Jodhpur about Arun Kumar's condition following which they decided to undertake the journey from Kerala through Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat to reach Rajasthan.

Thanks to the intervention of Union Minister V Muraleedharan, the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leader Oommen Chandy, the family could get necessary passes for the travel across the states.

Volunteers of Hindu helpline, a VHP organisation, helped in arranging a cab and two taxi drivers free of cost to take them to Jodhpur. After getting necessary passes arranged by Kottayam District Collector P K Sudheer Babu, Sheelaamma accompanied by her daughter-in-law Parvathyand another relative set off on the journey from Panackachira village in Koruthodu panchayat in Kottayam on April 11and reached Jodhpur on 14th, "Vishu" (Malayalam new year).

The jawan, who had come to his village in February end on leave and days after his return had fallen ill, had expressed desire to meet his mother and wife.
Arun Kumar's one-year-old child is in Kerala.

The mother's journey comes close on the heels of another woman who rode 1400 km on her two-wheeler from Telangana to bring back her son stuck in Andhra Pradesh. The Burqa-clad mom, Razia Sultana, a school teacher from Bodhan town in Telangana undertook the journey on her scooter and brought her son, a student from Rehmatabadin Andhra Pradesh.

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A plea has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking to restrain Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his administration from classifying some COVID-19 cases as "Tablighi Jamaat" or "Masjid Markaz", alleging it amounts to religious profiling. In Delhi, coronavirus has infected around 1,640 and claimed 38 lives. The petition by a lawyer on Thursday alleged that after the Tablighi event, Kejriwal via his tweets "deliberately" classified several affected cases under a separate caption -- "Masjid Markaz".

The petitioner, advocate M M Kashyap, claimed that such reporting of the coronavirus cases has led to "communal antagonism" and perpetrating of hatred against a specific religious community. It contended that when the atmosphere was already tense and sensitive in Delhi, post the riots in north east parts of the national capital, such reporting of COVID-19 cases would only deteriorate the situation.

The plea, filed through advocates Fozia Rahman and M Qayam-ud-din, said that it was the need of the hour that the nation is united in the fight against coronavirus and giving communal angle to the cases would hamper the same. The petition, likely to be heard on April 20, contends that communal reporting of the Tablighi Jamaat incident needs to be stopped immediately and any delay in doing so would promote ill-will, enmity and hatred towards Muslim community.

It also contended that Kejriwal has violated the advisory or guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which has strictly advised to refrain from religious profiling of coronavirus cases. The petition seeks directions to Kejriwal and Delhi government to prohibit and stop dissemination of coronavirus infection data allegedly on the basis of religious or communal classification.

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A woman in Telangana delivered a child by the roadside as she could not be shifted to a hospital in Suryapet town on time by her husband on his motorbike due to barricades put up on the way due to the ongoing lockdown. D. Venkanna, a daily-wage worker, and his wife Reshma live in Annadurainagar, near Suryapet town.

When his pregnant wife complained of pain late in the night, he called 108 Ambulance service but was told that the vehicle had gone to some other place to pick up a patient. With no option available, he made her sit on his scooty and left for Suryapet Government General Hospital. Venkanna said when they reached the old bus stand, the road was closed with barricades.

As there were no policemen posted there, he asked his wife to sit on the footpath and rushed to a nearby police station and pleaded with a constable to remove the barricade. The cop allegedly told him that he can't move from the assigned place of duty and advised Venkanna to himself remove the barricade. An anxious Venkanna rushed back to the place to find his wife crying with pain.

Even as the man ran around to get some help to remove them, the woman delivered the baby girl by the roadside. The incident occurred barely a km away from a government hospital in the early hours of Thursday. Hearing the cries of the woman and her husband's call for help, some area women rushed out of their houses to assist her.

After repeated attempts by the locals, an ambulance reached the spot. The medical assistants cut the umbilical cord and shifted the mother and the newborn to the hospital. Doctors said both were doing well.

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A 50-year-old coronavirus patient succumbed to the infection in state-run Sassoon Hospital here in Maharashtra on Friday morning, taking the toll in Pune district to 48, an official said. The man suffered from pre-existing illnesses and was under treatment for the last two days, he said. With this, the death count in Pune district, the second worst affected by coronavirus after Mumbai, has gone up to 48, according to health authorities.

As many as 39 of these COVID-19 patients have died in the state-run hospital, whose dean, Dr Ajay Chandanwale, was transferred on Thursday evening by the government. "The man with co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and hypertension was admitted to the hospital on April 15 and died on Friday during treatment," said an official from the medical facility.

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The Karnataka government has announced the purchase of an additional two lakh rapid test kits for COVID-19 detection at a task force meeting on Thursday. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and other senior officials were present at the task force meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwathnarayan.

The Chinese government has agreed to supply rapid test kits to an officially listed company, which will increase the number of tests once it arrives, Ashwathnarayan said.

Moreover, 250 kiosks will be set up in the state to collect saliva samples of a person with COVID-19 symptoms. Such kiosks will be launched one-by-one in taluks of the state. Ashwathnarayan explained that this would increase the sample collection process and prevent the spread of disease.

Ashwathnarayan said the purchase of the required 25,000 RT-PCR kits was also approved. He stated that COVID-19 patients should be treated at government-appointed hospitals. A separate coronavirus helpline will be made operational to address the queries of people, Ashwathnarayan said.

During Ramadan, it has been decided not to allow mass prayers, he said. And added that tracing of cases related to the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi has been completed in the state.

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New Delhi: With novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases growing rapidly in India, overburdened doctors, nurses and healthcare personnel at the frontline are facing immense pressure from the society at large. While fighting against the deadly virus, they are continuously facing threats and abuses from the society, affecting their mental health as they battle it out in the ICUs as well as inside the corona patients wards.

According to Sujith, Chief of Nursing Services, Columbia Asia Hospital in Pune, it is disheartening to see that people, for whom the fraternity has been taking so much risk to ensure their health and safety, have failed them.

"This is sad when we watch on television that healthcare workers have been facing threats, attacks and abuses as we work on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. It has been observed that many of these attacks are allegedly sparked by the fear that healthcare workers are exposing others to the virus. We are really going through a stressful time," Sujith told IANS.

The frontline health workers want a little sympathy and respect as they are working non-stop, without thinking about their own families and lives.

Dr Sachin Nayak working at JP Hospital in Bhopal has been living in his car to prevent passing on the virus to anyone else, including his wife and child. He has stocked up daily use items and books in the car.

"We completely understand public health emergencies are stressful times for people and communities but that doesn't mean we should be at the receiving end," said Sujith.

On Wednesday, a mob tried to stop a medical team from taking a coronavirus-infected man into isolation. They hurled stones at an ambulance that left four injured.

The incident took place in Uttar Pradesh's Nawabpura area. The injured included one doctor and three paramedics. A police vehicle was also damaged.

After the attacks on doctors, the Union Home Ministry said that it is ascertaining cases of violence against healthcare workers engaged in surveillance and quarantine measures.

Health workers on the streets of Mumbai. Pic: Ashish Raje

Savitha Kuttan, CEO of Omnicuris, an online medical education platform, said that operating under severe resource constraints, healthcare workers are bearing the brunt of a hostile external environment.

Healthcare professionals have taken to social media to describe in painful detail the growing stigma they are facing with each passing day.

"From working long, gruelling shifts without adequate protective gear and facing attacks from patients to getting booted out of their homes and feeling afraid for their families, the mental strain our medical professionals are going through is immense. All of them are going through severe anxiety and many are having difficulties sleeping," Kuttan said.

She added that doctors are professionally obligated to take care of their mental health so that they can provide good quality care to their patients.

"Considering the enormity of what they are going through, we cannot expect them to go looking for mental health support. In fact, they should get unlimited access to mental health services during this time of crisis," Kuttan, told IANS.

A recent study, published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry, revealed that front-line medical staff must be prioritised for rapid mental health support.

According to Ekta Soni, Chief Clinical Psychologist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi, healthcare workers don't have the luxury of living inside their homes to shield themselves from the coronavirus.

They have to expose themselves to the risk, and some are separating themselves from their families for weeks to avoid transmitting the virus to them.

"Healthcare workers working with COVID-19 patients reported symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, and reported distress. The risk of infection, especially if it is asymptomatic, instils fear of spreading the virus to their patients and families," said Soni.

"They're deeply sad for their dying patients, many of whom are slipping away without their loved ones at their side. Many admitted to harbouring darker feelings," she added.

However, some corona warriors are receiving utmost support from their neighbours.

Sharing his own experience, Manoj Goel, Director, Pulmonology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram, said: "People are very cooperative in my society and keep asking about my wellbeing through calls and messages".

"My neighbours are putting cards outside my house as a thank you note and consider me a corona warrior. While I am working in the hospital they enquire about my families health and wellbeing and if they need any help in my absence. I am greeted with a smile by our society security guard whenever I leave or enter my society".

According to experts, having an open channel of communication to assess what they are going through is a need of the hour.

Not only will it help them readjust to everything once the situation starts to improve, but also keep them from developing post-traumatic stress.

Containment operations will be scaled down if no secondary positive case of COVID-19 is reported from a quarantine zone for at least four weeks after the last confirmed test has been isolated and all his contacts have been followed up for 28 days, the Union Health Ministry said. According to the ministry's 'Updated containment plan for large outbreaks COVID-19', a containment operation (large outbreak or cluster) is deemed to be over 28 days from the date the last case in that zone tests negative.

The closing of the surveillance for the clusters could be independent of one another provided there is no geographic continuity between clusters. However, the surveillance will continue for severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and influenza-like illness (ILI). States shall ensure that all required steps are taken to contain clusters within the large outbreak and chain of transmission is broken, it said.

The document stated that in India also, clusters and large outbreaks have been noted in parts of the country and unless they are contained in time, the risk of further spread remains very high. Large number of cases has been reported from Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The Centre has declared 170 hotspots — 123 hotspot districts with large outbreaks and 47 hotspot districts with clusters. Besides, it has identified 207 non-hotspot districts with clusters. In a bid to utilise the extended lockdown period to the maximum extent to contain the spread of Coronavirus, states have been asked by the ministry to classify districts witnessing higher number of cases or high growth rate as hotspots, districts where some cases have been found as non-hotspots, and those which have reported no cases as green zones.

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A video that captures a rare sight of four majestic tigers taking a stroll in the Satpura forest in Madhya Pradesh has been amusing netizens for quite some time now. In the undated video, the family big cats were seen taking a stroll as a vehicle of safari-goers parked behind them watched the sight in shock.

The 28-minute-long video posted by forest officer Ravindra Mani Tripathi on Twitter shows the big cats, some moving around while others seated. As a sight of the tiger would frighten anyone in real life, as one of the women can be heard in the video asking the driver to reverse the vehicle.

The video that was also shared by Ramesh Pandey IFS on Twitter was captioned as, "Such frequent sightings of 4 or more tigers were not so usual a decade back." The post has garnered more than 6,400 views and 500 likes and was retweeted 98 times.

After Pech, Panna, Tadoba and Dudhwa here goes a worth watching video from Satpura Forests MP as shared by @ravindramtripa1.
Such frequent sightings of 4 or more tigers were not so usual a decade back. #conservation pic.twitter.com/ukofC6cRmy

— Ramesh Pandey IFS (@rameshpandeyifs) April 16, 2020

The users commenting on the video has been praising the beauty of Satputa tiger Reserve and how lucky they were to catch a glimpse of the big cat in their tours.

Wow !! Beautiful. We did not opt for a safari at Satpura tiger reserve during our recent stay at Pachmarhi, as the chances of sightings are less. Next time we will try our luck :).

— Abhishek Jagdale (@CSABHI84) April 16, 2020

Lovely but why are people so loud and talkative even at this moment . Surprisingly it doesn’t distract the wildlife

— Liberator (@Tiksmum) April 16, 2020

Woww.. Satpura sighting is pretty difficult. Surprised to see four!! I remember forest guard saying, "Satpura is land of all animals cos predator is less here". And now here they come😮

— Chittra M (@masalaboxtravel) April 16, 2020

I have to say the IFS has done a tremendous job and everyone else who supported them

— Naveen Naidu (@NaveenN81477836) April 16, 2020

What do you think about the video?

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The Union Health Ministry on Saturday said 4,291 or about 30 per cent of the Coronavirus cases in the country have been traced to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi. In Delhi, 63 per cent of the reported 1,707 cases are linked to the same gathering.

The total number of confirmed cases in India is 14,792. So far, 488 people have succumbed to the disease. The mortality rate of COVID-19 is 3.3 per cent. Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary Health Ministry, said that 4,291 cases are epidemiologically linked to the Nizamuddin Markaz event. "These cases are spread across 23 states and Union Territories, which include most of the high-degree burden cases. There are 84 per cent cases in Tamil Nadu, 63 per cent in Delhi, 91 per cent in Assam, 61 per cent in Uttar Pradesh and 83 per cent in Andaman & Nicobar.

"If lockdown and social distancing norms are not followed, then the entire country would have to face the consequences," said Agarwal. He also added that 47 districts in 23 states have shown positive trends in the fight against the outbreak in the country. "One district each in Puducherry and Karnataka has not reported a positive case yet. Along with this, 22 new districts, split across various states, have also not reported new cases in the last 14 days," added Agarwal.

Probe in Tablighi funding
The role of money exchanger RM & RM Associates based in Delhi's Nizamuddin and a chartered accountant working with Tablighi Jamaat is being scrutinised by Crime Branch sleuths of Delhi Police to ascertain foreign remittance received by the Jamaat, a senior IPS officer said.

The role of RM & RM Associates was flagged by senior police officers in the case against Tablighi Jamaat. Deputy Commissioner of Police Joy Tirkey has been directed to probe the financial aspects in the case. Senior officers have issued directions to Tirkey to question owners and employees of RM & RM Associates. "They should be thoroughly questioned about the amount of remittance received from foreign countries by the Tablighi Jamaat," the direction stated.

Medical supplies flown
The Centre on Saturday said that under the Lifeline Udan initiative, 274 flights have transported around 463.15 tonnes of medical supplies across the country till April 17. "About 274 flights have been operated under Lifeline Udan by Air India, Alliance Air, IAF and private carriers. Cargo transported till date is around 463.15 tonnes," the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said in a statement on Saturday.

GoM may enlist retired docs
A Group of Ministers' meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday reviewed the situation in the wake of lockdown. The meeting examined suggestions received to enlist services of retired doctors and medical students in the final year of their graduation.

Plasma Therapy in Gujarat
After Kerala, Gujarat has become the second state to have started Convalescent Plasma Therapy from Saturday to treat patients. An oral nod from the concerned Central Government agencies has been obtained and the state has started the preparations to commence the treatment of patients in two of the Ahmedabad hospitals. Jayanti Ravi, principal secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Gujarat, said, "We have obtained the Drug Controller General of India's (DCGI) approval over phone."

Punjab cop succumbs
Assistant Commissioner of Police (North) Anil Kohli, who was posted in Ludhiana city, on Saturday succumbed to the virus. The 52-year-old officer was diagnosed positive on April 13. The officer was on ventilator in a private hospital in Ludhiana since April 11, Civil Surgeon Rajesh Bagga said.

In a first-of-its-kind clinical use of convalescent plasma therapy in the state, doctors on Saturday decided to try to cure him by using plasma of another young volunteer patient. Doctors said he died due to multiple organ failure.

Railways makes contactless cubicles for COVID-19 doctors in Karnataka

The South Western Railway (SWR) zone's Hubballi workshop has produced a contactless doctors' cubicle to treat patients without direct contact, an official said on Saturday. "SWR Hubballi workshop has come out with an innovative idea by creating contactless cubicles so that doctors checking suspected patients do not come in direct physical contact with them," a SWR spokesperson said in a statement. Looking like a telephone booth of yesteryears, the transparent cubicle will enable a doctor to put his hands out through two flexible glove-like protrusions to reach the patient.

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