The government should go for COVID-19 testing "aggressively and strategically", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said today, as the total number of coronavirus-related deaths crossed 400. "In no way does a lockdown defeat the virus. It helps only to stop the virus for a short while. The only way to do this is to increase testing and chasing the virus and going beyond and this is my advice to the government -- use testing," the Congress MP said, addressing the media through a video app.
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed 414 in India, with 37 deaths reported in the last 24 Hours, government data shows. The number of people infected by the novel coronavirus in India has risen to 12,380 today. A list of 170 hotspot districts was released on Wednesday by the centre, which includes all six metros and most large cities. The list marked 123 districts as "large outbreaks" -- which includes all nine districts of national capital Delhi. Mumbai, Kolkata, nine districts of Bengaluru Urban, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur and Agra were among the areas marked hotspots also on the list.
On Wednesday, India was praised by the International Monetary Fund Wednesday for its proactive decision of nationwide lockdown in its fight against coronavirus. A day earlier, the IMF in its World Economic Outlook had forecast India's growth rate to be 1.9 per cent in 2020.
On March 25, India entered a three-week lockdown, which was slated to end on April 14. The lockdown was extended till May 3.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus Pandemic:
As many as 50 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Telangana on Thursday, taking the number of active cases in the state cumulatively to 496.
No death occurred on Thursday and the number of people who died due to the virus remained at 18, a state government bulletin said.
According to the bulletin, 68 people were cured/discharged from hospitals on Thursday after recovery.
The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat stood at 929 on Thursday after 163 new patients were detected, a senior official said.
Three COVID-19 patients died in the state since Wednesday night, taking the death count to 36, said Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi.
Till now, 73 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals in the state. It includes nine patients who walked out of hositals on Thursday.
Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday that the rate of doubling of coronavirus cases in the state has fallen, while complaining that the state has not recieved enough N-95 masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits.
In a video message, he also said all the 1,400 persons who arrived in the state after attending Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi have been traced, and only 50 of them have tested positive for Coronavirus.
Currency notes found lying unclaimed on road triggered panic among the locals in Madhya Pradesh's Indore - a Covid-19 hotspot with more than 500 cases.
The incident happened on Thursday afternoon when the local residents spotted currency notes in the denomination of 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 rupees lying unclaimed on the road.
The patrolling teams of the Indore police received a call from the people and picked up the currency with precautionary measures. The currency was later sanitised.
Maharashtra-based Yashwantrao Chavan Open University contributed Rs 10 crores to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund on Thursday.
The university had earlier put an advisory on its website asking everyone to download the Government of India's Aarogya Setu mobile application which disseminates relevant medical advisories concerning COVID-19
ANI
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state increased to 1,115 on Thursday. According to the health department, with 701 cases, Indore has reported the highest number of cases, followed by Bhopal with 196 confirmed cases.
Coronavirus cases spiked in Madhya Pradesh as the testing of suspected patients started late in the state, according to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
PTI Input
Airlines will have to refund tickets booked during the COVID-19 lockdown within three weeks without cancellation fees if a customer requests for it, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Thursday.
The directive will apply to all domestic and international tickets booked during the first phase of the nationwide lockdown, that began on March 25 and was extended till May 3 on April 14, for travel between the entire period.
Several consumer groups had raised complaints after most private airlines refused to refund the tickets, offering them options to reschedule instead.
The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), a government of India Undertaking, on Thursday said that it is playing its part in the nation's fight against coronavirus by ensuring uninterrupted power supply as well as utilising its infrastructure and CSR funds for relief measures.
"The NTPC has already utilised its 45 hospitals/healthcare units to make isolation facilities and procured the requisite equipment for the medical staff to handle such cases effectively," a release said.
All home delivery services of food establishments have been stopped in Ludhiana from Thursday until further orders, in a move to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19.
In an official notice, District Magistrate of Ludhiana, Pradeep Agarwal, said: "The permissions regarding food preparation establishments given earlier only for home delivery, were on an experimental basis and for a limited duration of time.
The Zoom meeting app is not a safe platform for video conference, the government today said, issuing a set of guidelines for the safety of private users who "still would like to use Zoom for private purpose". Zoom bombing has apparently become a favourite past time of people during the lockdown.
"Zoom is not a safe platform even for usage of individuals a detailed advisory has already been issued by CERT-India," the home ministry said in a new advisory.
The guidelines, the government said, will prevent unauthorised entry in the conference room and even malicious activity by authorised participants on terminals of the other participants. It would also avoid DOS attack by restricting users through passwords and access grant.
Around 100 migrant workers gathered in an industrial area of Surat city in Gujarat on Thursday afternoon and protested over the issue of food being served to them during the lockdown, officials said.
The migrant workers and their family members, mostly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, sat on a street in Pandesara area, complaining about food being served to them, a local police officer said.
PTI
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has outlined the difficult economic environment countries are facing because of the COVID-19 epidemic and her global plan of action to take it on.
"It is a crisis like no other in scope. We are now in the worst recession since the Great Depression," she said at a virtual press conference to open the 2020 Spring Meetings on Wednesday (local time).
"We are experiencing a 3 per cent contraction of global GDP. And 170 countries are going to see income per capita falling versus what we expected three months ago for a 160 for them to go up."
As many as 941 new coronavirus case and 37 deaths were reported across the country in last 24 hours, health ministry said in a press conference on Thursday. A total 12,380 cases have been reported in India so far, including 414 deaths.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has outlined the difficult economic environment countries are facing because of the COVID-19 epidemic and her global plan of action.
"It is a crisis like no other in scope. We are now in the worst recession since the Great Depression," she said at a virtual press conference to open the 2020 Spring Meetings on Wednesday (local time).
A COVID-19 suspect who had fled from the isolation ward of a hospital in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district was caught by police on Thursday.
Yusuf Khan's samples had been sent for testing and he was under quarantine when he fled from the hospital on Wednesday night, creating scare among the people in the district and surrounding areas.
Acting swiftly, the Punjab Police arrested the 40-year-old man from Chabbewal town in Hoshiarpur the next day.
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday directed state waqf boards to ensure strict implementation of lockdown and social distancing guidelines during the holy month of Ramzan, starting next week amid the coronavirus pandemic.
At a meeting via video conferencing, Mr Naqvi asked the state waqf boards' officials to create awareness among people to offer prayers and perform other religious rituals like "iftar (breaking of fast)" during Ramzan, which begins on April 24 or 25, staying inside their homes.
PTI
With an aim to curb the spread of coronavirus, the police in Bhind distict of Madhya Pradesh have announced a cash reward for those who provide information about the people coming from COVID-19 hotspots, but not revealing their details to the authorities.
"I am announcing Rs 500 cash award to those who inform about the people who have come in Bhind district after 10 from hotspot cities like Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain and are hiding," a senior police official said in a video message.
PTI
बच्चों ने खेल-खेल में जो बता दिया, उसमें कोरोना महामारी से बचने की एक बड़ी सीख है। pic.twitter.com/n13Z92zi2W
- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 16, 2020
Coronavirus Pandemic: Delhi Senior Police Official Allegedly Hits Constable With Baton For Not Wearing Mask On DutyA Delhi Police constable was allegedly beaten by a senior police official with a baton, for not wearing a mask while on duty."
Two more COVID-19 positive cases reported in the state today, taking the total tally of positive cases to 74 now: Sanjay Kumar, Principal Secretary (Health), Bihar
- ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020
We will ask the concerned authority to film the entire event and document it. If any violation of the #COVID19 guidelines takes place will take action without any second thought: Karnataka Deputy CM CN Ashwath Naraya on Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy's son's marriage pic.twitter.com/enpkpTtTNg
- ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020
#Watch | "For us, life is the most important thing and we can't simply let our people be under these circumstances": Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on #coronavirus crisis. pic.twitter.com/iMlgVOJRPe
- NDTV (@ndtv) April 16, 2020
165 more #COVID19 cases (including 107 in Mumbai) reported in Maharashtra today, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 3081: State Health Department pic.twitter.com/a1xpyzfyrX
- ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020
- Are you happy with the package announced by the government?
- The speed with which money has to reach the people is not happening. That needs to be tackled on priority.
- A food supply shortage will happen... it is bound to happen... we must utilise our food storage in godowns have to be used effectively and efficiently.
- The umemplyment has started rising and will rise more rapidly with time. The got must think fast about what to do with small industries and MSMEs.
- This was on the economic side, now on the medical side.
- Our efforts and responses are not as quick and fast as it should be and it is worrying me. It is now a national and a security issue.
- Have spoken to large number of experts, both on India and abroad.
- First thing to understand is that a lockdown is only a pause button, it is in no way a solution to battle COVID-19. But it is important to have a strategy to come out of the lockdown.
- A lockdown only gives more time for us to prepare and get our preparation sorted. In no way does a lockdown defeat the virus.
- Our current testing is 199 per million and 350 per district.... so this is in no way to go about it.
- We must test far more dramatically and start random testing.
- We are currently chasing the virus.
#Watch | "We are in a very serious situation and all political parties have to work together": Rahul Gandhi addresses media on #coronavirus crisis. pic.twitter.com/jid7Ta08r8
- NDTV (@ndtv) April 16, 2020
Coronavirus: Name-And-Shame For VIP Lockdown Violators, Says Chandigarh Officer. AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu ObjectsVIPs violating curfew to check coronavirus in Chandigarh will be named and shamed, a top officer has warned in a tweet that has drawn sharp reactions. "From tomorrow we will publish name and designation of VIPs violating curfew orders and going for morning and evening. Be warned," Union Territory adviser Manoj Parida tweeted on Wednesday."
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa today inaugurated a mobile #Covid_19 testing booth in Bengaluru. These mobile booths will start working in all wards of the Bengaluru to take samples for #Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/PB1B8xd5uN
- ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020
COVID-19: Delhi Pizza Delivery Agent Tests Coronavirus Positive, 72 Families Quarantined#WATCH Maharashtra: Police made people, who violated lockdown for a morning walk, perform yoga in Bibvewadi area of Pune, early morning today. #CoronavirusLockdown pic.twitter.com/m5ooX6ixaN
- ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020
"कोरोना से लड़ाई में बहुत अच्छा काम हो रहा है और ऐसा लग रहा है कि पूरा हिंदुस्तान वाकई एक दूसरे से जुड़ा हुआ है। लेकिन चंद लोगों की वजह से ये बीमारी फैलती जा रही है।
- BJP (@BJP4India) April 16, 2020
हम सब रहें या कोई ना रहे, तय कर लो!"@BeingSalmanKhan का ये संदेश सबको सुनना चाहिए और इस पर अमल करना चाहिए। pic.twitter.com/gCNotImprE
Coronavirus: IMF Proposes USD 1 Trillion For COVID-19-Hit Nations: Crisis Like No OtherDescribing the COVID-19 pandemic as "a crisis like no other," IMF head Kristalina Georgieva has said the international lender plans to use all its USD 1 trillion lending capacity to support countries across the world battling the deadly outbreak."
#IndiaFightsCoronavirus A total of 650,000 kits, including Rapid Antibody Tests and RNA Extraction Kits have been despatched early today from Guangzhou Airport to #India | #2019nCoV #StayHomeSaveLives @MEAIndia @HarshShringla @DrSJaishankar
- Vikram Misri (@VikramMisri) April 16, 2020
Karnataka: Dr. Arun M Isloor,head of Chemistry Department, National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, along with research scholar Syed Ibrahim developed a disinfection chamber out of an old fridge.Dr.Arun M Isloor says,"we have named this as ZERO-COV." #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/mLgLOv38Uz
- ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020
Delhi: Visuals from Bengali Colony, Mahavir Enclave in South-West Delhi.
- ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020
Gali No. 5 & 5A, H-2 Block, Bengali Colony, Mahavir Enclave has been identified as one of the 55 containment zones by the Delhi government. #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/ltX24zaeSs
Coronavirus - ICMR Quotes Chinese Theory On COVID-19: Once In 1,000 YearsThe country's top medical body on Wednesday said that a research study in China has shown that the coronavirus strain at the heart of the global COVID-19 pandemic is a mutated form of its variant found in bats."
#WATCH Kerala: A person carried his 65-year-old ailing father in Punalur & walked close to one-kilometre after the autorickshaw he brought to take his father back from the hospital was allegedly stopped by Police, due to #CoronavirusLockdown guidelines. (15.4) pic.twitter.com/I03claE1XO
- ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020
Commercial flight services have been suspended till May 3 as the government has extended the nationwide lockdown in continuing efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus infection, which has already affected more than 11,000 people in the country.
