With attacks increasing on healthcare workers amid the coronavirus pandemic, the government has brought in an ordinance to protect doctors. Attacks on health care workers have been made a non-bailable offence and will carry imprisonment from six months to seven years, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has announced.
Safety and dignity of our doctors at their workplace is non-negotiable, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said as he urged the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to withdraw a symbolic protest by doctors against attacks on health workers who are in the frontline of the country's coronavirus battle. The doctors' body withdrew its protest after their meeting with the Home Minister and the Health Minister today.
The death count due to COVID-19 rose by 49 taking the number to 652 and the number of cases climbed to 20,471 in the country.
According to the Union Health Ministry, the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 15, 859 while 3,959 people have been cured and discharged, and one patient has migrated.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases Highlights:
US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he had signed an order partially suspending immigration to the United States, arguing the drastic measure would protect jobs during the coronavirus crisis.
"In order to protect our great American workers, I've just signed an executive order temporarily suspending immigration into the United States. This will ensure that unemployed Americans of all backgrounds will be first in line for jobs as our economy reopens," he told a press conference.
Eighteen new patients have tested positive for coronavirus in Punjab's Patiala.
"18 new positive cases, all related to the original Rajpura case (where five cases were reported and all were asymptomatic and the virus was transmitted through the same source)," said Punjab's Special Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu on Wednesday.
ANI Input
Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the Sarusajai Quarantine Facility in Guwahati would be converted to a temporary jail if those undergoing quarantine there do not cooperate with the authorities.
Mr Sarma interacted on Wednesday at the centre with a section of quarantined persons from Nalbari who had complained on social media about the alleged lack of facilities and demanded that they be allowed to go home.
Sixty-eight new COVID-19 cases and six deaths have been reported in Pune district since Tuesday night, an official said on Wednesday.
The death count in the district thus reached 60.
Some suspected coronavirus patients in a ward of Indore's ESIC hospital were seen singing popular civil rights movement song "Hum Honge Kamyab".
In a video being widely circulated on social media, the inmates can be seen singing the famous Hindi song and clapping together.
Indore is one of the worst-hit cities which so far reported 923 coronavirus positive cases and 54 deaths.
A Congress MLA from Gujarat on Wednesday allegedly abused a traffic regulator enforcing the coronavirus lockdown in Mehsana district for stopping his car.
In a video of the incident, the MLA Chandanji Thakor can be heard using abusive language in the presence of a traffic police constable.
PTI
Traders at Asia's biggest fruit and vegetable wholesale market, Azadpur Mandi, have requested the government to close it for some days.
The market, according to traders, gets crowded and all precautions against coronavirus are ignored.
Fear gripped in after reports of a vegetable seller dying of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Many of the vegetable dealers have complained of irregular temperature screening and no proper sanitization.
Amid the daily increase in the number of coronavirus cases and a high mortality rate, recovery of a 92-year-old woman from COVID-19 has brought some cheer for Pune.
What makes the recovery of the woman, resident of Kondhwa area, even more remarkable is that she had suffered a paralysis attack seven months ago.
She and four other members of her family had tested positive for coronavirus and were admitted to a Pune hospital in the first week of April, PTI reported.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today continued her tour of the metropolis, visiting a number of places for the second consecutive day and urging people to adhere to lockdown norms, even if that meant facing certain difficulties.
Ms Banerjee went to Khidderpore, Park Circus and Ballygunje areas in the city, addressing residents on a loudhailer.
"Please follow the lockdown norms and strictly practise social distancing... even if you face certain difficulties. Don't hide conditions like fever or symptoms of common cold," she said from inside her car, PTI reported.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation today said one of its employees who attended office on April 15 has tested positive for COVID-19.
All colleagues, who came in contact with the employee, have been asked to go into self-isolation as a precautionary measure, it said.
The office of the Civil Aviation Ministry has been sealed for three days as it has to be sanitised thoroughly, senior government officials said.
"All rooms, corridors and offices of B-block will be sanitised thoroughly during the next three days," they said, PTI reported.
The government has decided to promulgate an Ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 in the light of the pandemic situation of #COVIDー19 . This will facilitate punishment under the law in cases of violence against healthcare service personnel serving during an epidemic. pic.twitter.com/D6FGSvFax9
- Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) April 22, 2020
#CabinetDecision
- Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) April 22, 2020
Let's express our gratitude towards the healthcare service personnel and not harass them. Harassment & physical violence will henceforth be a punishable offence.#SwasthaBharat #Covid_19india #COVIDー19 pic.twitter.com/yF0qDZO8Zq
I thank Indian Medical Association for withdrawing their protest after meeting with Union Home Minister @AmitShah & me via VC today
- Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) April 22, 2020
We have assured #IMA that govt is committed to ensuring full safety & protection to doctors as well as all frontline health workers#CoronaWarriors pic.twitter.com/cRyZh9dUrJ
Government of Delhi is seized of the matter. They are taking appropriate steps as per the laid protocol for contact tracing and risk profiling.
- MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) April 22, 2020
#WATCH: Police perform 'aarti' of people who violated #CoronavirusLockdown norms at Kidwai Nagar in Kanpur. pic.twitter.com/crm5w3s9JZ
- ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 22, 2020
#ImportantAlert - High powered meeting held today morning under chairmanship of Hon. Shri Amit Shah with #IMA leaders pic.twitter.com/Fzh6MOAj9i
- Indian Medical Association (@IMAIndiaOrg) April 22, 2020
A 53-year-old COVID-19 positive patient, died on Tuesday night, taking the death count in Pune district to 55, said Health Department officials.
Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah interacted with doctors & Indian Medical Association (IMA) through video conferencing. He appreciated their good work. He also assured them security & appealed to them to not to do even symbolic protest as proposed by them, govt is with them. pic.twitter.com/Z88Woh8obr
- ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2020
#WATCH: Police personnel punish the violators of #CoronavirusLockdown in Indore. #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/XG8JxvDKS4
- ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2020
64 new #COVID19 cases have been reported in Rajasthan, as of 9 AM. Total cases in the state now at 1799, including 274 recovered, 97 discharged and 26 deaths: State Health Department: Rajasthan Health Department pic.twitter.com/FKqrqxUG0W
- ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2020
Azadpur Market reported its first COVID-19 related death y'day when a 57-yr-old seller died. Some sellers say, "The block (where his shop was) is sealed, no one is there. Sellers at that side have asked that their shops be barricaded&no one be allowed to come there unnecessarily" https://t.co/RpTJXo1tSJ
- ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2020
Delhi: Police are conducting checks at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border. Traffic movement between Delhi and Ghaziabad has been completely prohibited, only those rendering essential services and people holding valid passes are being allowed. #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/qMZLg6yVvn
- ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2020
Delhi: Traffic outside Azadpur Sabzi Mandi; the market has been allowed to remain open for 24 hours from 21st April. Movement of trucks allowed from 10 pm till 6 am; vegetables and fruits are being sold from 6 am till 10 pm. #CoronavirusLockdown pic.twitter.com/2XTkvt3Ve9
- ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2020