Virus scare: doctors denied houses on rent in Warangal

Fearing spread of COVID-19, many owners decline to accommodate them

25/03/2020, GOLLAPUDI SRINIVASA RAO,WARANGAL URBAN DT

At a time when the whole world is lauding the efforts of doctors, some paranoid residents in Warangal are refusing to give houses on rent to people in the medical profession, fearing the spread of coronavirus.

Scores of house surgeons of a new batch who joined duties on Monday and Tuesday and their seniors, who were located around the MGM Hospital, are facing severe problems due to non-availability of accommodation.

When the issue was brought to the notice of Telangana Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao and district Collector Rajiv Gandhi Hanmanthu, they said the Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) authorities have allocated a new building to both senior and junior house surgeons. “Even the hostel rooms have been converted into quarantine wards and hence the problem. But it is now addressed,” the Collector said.

Most of these interns who hail from various parts of Telangana stay in rented houses near the hospital in the surroundings of Bhadrakali temple opposite KMC, Pochamma Maidan and Gopala Swamy temple until they complete their one-year internship in the MGM hospital. In the wake of virus pandemic, the house owners are reportedly asking them to vacate their houses.

A house surgeon working in MGM hospital has shared their woes on Facebook.

The post said that one of the owners called the doctors ‘dirty’ because of work in the hospital. “We are working without any protective equipment during this pandemic, without any holiday, without any stipend since five months while the nation is in lockdown,” the post read.

On condition of anonymity, one of the house surgeons described certain house owners as insensitive.

“They do not understand the risks we undergo to keep them healthy. It is really demoralising,” he said.

Meanwhile, GWMC Commissioner Pamela Satpathy responded to the viral post on Twitter and said “Few similar posts have come to our notice. The issue of accommodation has been resolved already. All Doctors/Medical Fraternity facing any such issue, are kindly requested to contact KMC Principal. ”

To transplant or not: a COVID-19 question

25/03/2020

The COVID-19 pandemic poses special challenges to patients with organ failure. Those waiting for transplant or who had received a transplant tend to have more severe disease due to weak immunity. Patients with severe heart, lung, or liver failure and waiting for transplant are at a high risk for dying if a transplant does not happen within a short period of time. But if there are clusters of COVID-19 disease in the region around the hospital or if there are COVID-19 patients already admitted in the hospital then, the course ahead becomes a quandry.

Performing a transplant surgery in such situation will increase the risk of exposure to the recipient during the surgery and in the recovery period. This exposure could happen from the donor or healthcare providers or other patients in the hospital. It is possible that the hospital resources could become limited due to COVID-19 cases and the care of the transplant recipients may get compromised.

Non-urgent transplant surgeries such as kidney transplants in relatively stable patients on dialysis may be avoided in areas of high prevalence of COVID-19. If the recipient is critically ill and the surgery is unavoidable then care must be taken to check both the donor and the recipient for COVID-19 prior to transplant.

Elective living donation transplants could continue in regions with low incidence and in hospitals with no infected patients. Deceased donation can continue in countries/regions with low incidence of COVID-19 but with stringent precautions.

Currently, there is no evidence to support blood-transfusion related transmission of the virus particles and no additional precautions need to be taken by the blood bank during transplant surgeries. But voluntary blood donation may decrease and hence available blood must be used judiciously.

All brain dead donors should be adequately screened for recent travel and potential exposure to virus. Deceased donation involves significant amount of interaction with the donor family, and increased human movement in hospital. Transplant coordinators should follow appropriate preventive measures to avoid exposure during evaluation. Donors with active infection or exposure to COVID-19 should not be considered for transplantation. Organ transportation throws additional challenges. Also deceased organ donation from hospitals with COVID-19 patients should be avoided due to risk of cross contamination.

Regular visits to the doctor should be limited during this period of virus spread. Physicians can use telemedicine to reduce visits but continue interacting with the patient. Routine investigations should be limited and any elective procedures must be postponed. Dialysis patients and their treating physician should identify another small volume unit for dialysis needs if the situation arises where the primary centre is overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

The role of pre-emptive placement of AV fistula should be evaluated in patients with advanced renal failure to avoid the occurrence of emergent needs during COVID-19 epidemic. Transplant recipients with mild symptoms including runny nose, cough, throat pain and low-grade fever should be considered as suspected case of COVID- 19. They should be asked to self-quarantine themselves at home and consideration must be given to lower the immunosuppression.

A majority of mild illnesses resolve spontaneously, with time and rest. However, such patients should be asked to closely monitor their symptoms. Patients with severe symptoms such as breathing difficulty, high fever and lack of oxygen should be admitted to the hospital.

Immunosuppressive therapy should be discontinued or reduced in patients with severe illnesses. Currently, there are no proven therapies to cure coronavirus infection. The treatment in the hospital includes oxygen and organ supportive care until the lung injury resolves. Certain anti viral medication have been used on experimental basis with some reported benefits.

Teachers told to remain on call

Directorate of Collegiate Education issues circular

25/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

The Directorate of Collegiate Education, in a circular, has instructed teachers and non-teaching staff coming under the purview of the Higher Education Department to remain on call.

The medical wing of Annamalai University, self-financing private colleges, nursing institutions and deemed universities are not under its purview. Teaching and non-teaching staff have been told to work from home except in case of evaluation and examination supervision. They must ensure that the institution’s premises and hostels are cleaned and ready for occupation.

University registrars, principals and hostel wardens have been advised to remain on standby and be prepared to arrive at the institution within 30 minutes, when called. The keys to the institution should be with a teacher who lives nearby. Institution heads should be prepared at all times to execute instructions issued by the Collector. Anyone who does not comply with the instructions would be liable for departmental action. Institutions have been instructed to ensure hygienic surroundings for foreign students in the hostels. All employees of the institutions must provide their phone numbers to their respective heads and be prepared to come in case of emergency.

MTC commuters get a taste of lockdown on Tuesday morning

25/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTCHENNAI

MTC commuters had a taste of the lockdown on Tuesday morning itself as limited bus services were operated. Though the lockdown was to fully come into effect only from 6 p.m. onwards, commuters, particularly those in the southern and western suburbs, faced severe hardships because of limited services. On some routes, buses were not operated at all.

Bus services were severely curtailed in some localities, which are already poorly connected, such as Sithalapakkam, Kovilancheri, Mambakkam, West Velachery, Pattabhiram, Valasaravakkam, and Mogappair.

T. Kumar, a resident of Sithalapakkam, said he found it difficult to reach Medavakkam as there were no MTC buses and finally had to pay double the cost by travelling in a share autorickshaw.

A senior official of MTC, denying that bus services were not adequate, said buses were operated normally.

As most of the drivers and conductors do not have personal transport, the buses were started late, he said.

30 flying squads formed

25/03/2020, ALOYSIUS XAVIER LOPEZ,CHENNAI

Chennai Corporation, the Revenue Department and the police have formed 30 flying squads to regulate congregation of more than five persons to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash held a meeting with police and revenue officials to regulate infection prevention and control in the city. “Residents who come out are requested to carry ID cards. Over 400 vehicles will patrol the streets. Eight check posts on stretches such as East Coast Road, Rajiv Gandhi Salai and Poonamallee High Road have been set up. All the 4.000 sanitary workers will get protective gear,” said Mr.Prakash.

Chennai goes into lockdown

Eight entry points to city closed; streets deserted

25/03/2020, VIVEK NARAYANAN,CHENNAI

Barricades put up on Kamarajar Salai near Marina Beach to regulate vehicles on Tuesday. R. Ragu

The usually bustling city wore a deserted look since Tuesday evening after the State came under a complete lockdown as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Policemen took over the streets after 6 p.m. to enforce Section 144 of Cr.PC and announcements were made on public address systems asking people to stay indoors.

As a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced restrictive measures in the State from 6 p.m on Tuesday till March 31. The public and private transport, including autorickshaws and taxis, will not be allowed to ply. There will be no inter-district and inter-State transport. Shops selling groceries, milk, vegetables, poultry and fish will remain open. All other shops should be shut.

In the evening, Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan issued the order under Section 144 of Cr.PC prohibiting assembly of more than five persons at public places in Greater Chennai police limits from 6 p.m. on March 24 to 6 a.m on April 1. Those who contravene the order will be subject to prosecution under IPC.

Speaking to media, Mr. Viswanathan said that eight entry points into the city will be closed. Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash said that only retail traders will be allowed into Koyambedu market. “If thousands enter the market, our sanitisation efforts will not bear fruit,” he said. Many thronged the vegetable markets and groceries since morning to stock up vegetables and essential commodities. After 6 p.m, the number of vehicles and people on the road gradually started reducing and by 8 p.m., the streets became deserted. The usually bustling Dr. MGR Chennai Central Railway Station wore a deserted look and usual sound of blaring train announcements fell silent. All the entries into the station were blocked by the police personnel. “I have never seen the station so empty in my lifetime. This shows the intensity of the problem,” said a policeman

No MTC buses

Though the lockdown was supposed to be from 6 p.m., MTC buses returned to their respective termini by 2 p.m. The Dr. MGR bus terminus was also shutdown around 4 p.m. and the entry points were barricaded. “On Tuesday alone, close to 500 inter-district buses were operated for people to reach their home towns,” said an official from the transport department.

Though the beaches were already shut for the public already, the arterial Kamarajar Salai was also barricaded and policemen advised the motorists to reach home at the earliest and stay indoors. The traffic police utilised two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transporter to patrol the service lane. On Anna Salai too, the police asked shop keepers, other than those permitted, to down the shutters.

At important junctions, including Nandanam, policemen, with the help of public address systems, warned people to stay indoors and explained about the intensity of the virus. “If you are safe, your family will be safe. If you venture out, you are not only bringing danger upon yourself, but also on others,” said one of the messages.

Lines in front of shops

In Tiruvallur, the police will be making announcements through public address system and asking people to stay indoors. Tiruvallur police is planning to draw lines in front of shops selling essential commodities to ensure social distancing.

Medical internship to be extended

DME instructs deans to extend CRRI by a month

25/03/2020, , SERENA JOSEPHINE M.,CHENNAI

Nursing staff helping colleagues don protective gear at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. R. Ragu

Medical interns, whose one-year Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI) comes to an end on March 28, will now have to work for another month in the wake of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) has instructed deans of all medical colleges to extend the internship by one month for all CRRIs.

In a circular issued on Tuesday, the DME has instructed all deans to give an extension of one month for all CRRIs completing their posting this month, and also arrange for immediate posting of the new batch of CRRIs. The existing batch comprises nearly 3,000 interns.

An official said the interns were doctors entering the service, and it was important for them to continue to be in service at a crucial time like this. “This is an epidemic. So, they will continue to be in service. They will help the doctors and be involved in patient care services. We will provide all protective equipment for them,” he said.

The new batch of interns, also known as house surgeons, have been asked to join on March 26. “The existing batch has been trained for a year. But the new students will need training. We will train them in the meantime and get them ready,” he added.

However, this has raised many doubts among the CRRIs. CRRIs of the Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association said as of now, there is no clarity on what basis the internship period is being extended. “We understand this is for COVID-19 management. As per our bond, CRRI is for 365 days. With this extension, we do not know if we will be junior residents, what our salary will be, and our accommodation,” an intern in one of the government medical college hospitals said.

Government extends tax deadlines to June 30

ATM withdrawal charges waived

25/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

Deadlines for filing income tax and GST returns have been extended to June 30, as part of a slew of relaxations of financial year-end compliance announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday.

The changes were prompted by the shutdown of large parts of the country in a bid to control the spread of the COVID-19 viral infection, so that taxpayers were not forced to endanger their health in a bid to meet compliance requirements, she said.

Bank account holders would not be charged extra for using a debit card to withdraw money from the ATMs of other banks for the next three months, and charges for not meeting minimum balance requirements would also be waived. Bank charges for digital transactions were also being reduced.

Income tax returns for the financial year 2018-19 can now be filed until June 30, with the interest rate on delayed payments reduced to 9% from 12%. The last date for linking Aadhaar with PAN has also been extended from March 31 to June 30. Other taxpayer compliance deadlines, including for investment in savings instruments or for roll-over benefit of capital gains, under the Income Tax Act and other laws have also been extended.

The deadline for filing GST returns for March, April and May, as well as for opting for the composition scheme, has been extended to June 30 for smaller companies — with less than ₹5 crore aggregate annual turnover — without any interest, late fee or penalty being charged.

As COVID-19 toll touches 10, PM announces 21-day lockdown

Govt. allots ₹15,000 crore to beef up infrastructure for treatment of patients

25/03/2020, NISTULA HEBBAR,NEW DELHI

As the death toll from COVID-19 rose to 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown for the entire country, stating that it was the only way to break the chain of infection. The lockdown will be in effect till April 14.

In a nationwide television broadcast, Mr. Modi said the pandemic was a huge challenge to every country and even countries like the U.S. and Italy, considered to have good health infrastructure, were struggling to control the situation.

“In such a situation we have learnt from the experience of the countries that have managed to get some control over the surge in cases, and these show that a lockdown for a sustained period of time is the only way to break the chain of infection,” he said.

India on Tuesday recorded 564 positive cases, with the number of positive patients in Kerala and Maharahstra crossing 100.

Stating that it was the priority of both the Centre and the State governments to set up health infrastructure as fast as possible to deal with the pandemic, Mr. Modi said the government had allotted ₹15,000 crore for the purchase of personal protection equipment for healthcare workers, setting up testing laboratories and quarantine centres.

“Draw a Laxman Rekha outside your house door and do not step outside of it. Stay where you are. This will be the decisive battle against coronavirus,” he said.

Sounding a note of caution, he said: “If we are not able to adhere to this lockdown sincerely for 21 days, believe me, India will go back 21 years.”

Education sector in state comes to a grinding halt

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 05.35 AM IST

Vijayawada: The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the education sector in the state to a grinding halt. The impact of the epidemic has forced the state government to shut all educational institutions till March 31.

Even coaching centres have shut operations. Nearly one crore students are limited to their homes for almost a week now, and there’s every possibility of the lockdown being extended. Several busy academic centres in the state, including Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Kakinada, Guntur and Anantapur have been witnessing muted activity due to the closure of colleges, schools, universities and hostels.

Other than international students, most universities have vacated students from hostels. Some varsities have also postponed practical examinations. Meanwhile, thousands of teachers and faculty members have also been voluntarily observing self isolation due to the ‘lockdown holidays’.

Prof M Jagannadha Rao, vice-chancellor of Adikavi Nannaya University, has asked students to limit themselves to their homes and refrain from going to crowded places during the lockdown period. “We have already postponed the exams. We have conducted various awareness programmes for students on the prevention of the pandemic,” he told TOI.

Andhra University registrar Prof V Krishnamohan, dean (international affairs) Prof Dhanamjaya Rao and Dr Paul Douglas (chief warden of AU international hostels) have been visiting the hostels housing international students and reviewing measures being taken there in view of the prevalence of the pandemic.

Prof Dhanamjaya Rao said they interacted with international students residing in the hostels. “All students expressed satisfaction regarding the sanitary and hygienic conditions there. We have requested them to follow the self-imposed curfew for a few more days,” said professor Rao.

M Ravikrishna Kumar, a maths lecturer at a corporate college in the city, said his college has asked faculty members too to remain at their homes. “Students attended college even during cyclones and heavy rains. But for the first time, all faculty members have got holidays for an extended period due to Covid-19,” he said.

Many flyers stranded at airport

Mar 24, 2020, 04.07 AM IST

New Delhi: On the last day of domestic flight operations out of Indira Gandhi International Airport before suspension of flights, many passengers succeeded in their last-ditch effort to leave the capital, though some weren’t so lucky when their flights were cancelled owing to crew or pilot unavailability. There were numerous complaints about unexpected cancellations of connecting flights that left flyers stranded at the airport.

From Tuesday midnight, a major chunk of the airport staff will cease working. The cargo terminal operations and special flights bringing Indians stranded abroad will continue, and two runways have also been kept operational for chartered planes and special flights. At 1.30am on Tuesday, 270 passengers landed at IGIA from Iran on a Mahan Airways flight and were sent into quarantine.

“The airport staff requirement will be toned down, and only those essential to operations will be retained for duty. Even their numbers will be reduced because reaching the airport during the lockdown will not be easy,” an airport official informed. “Along with cargo and special flights, we are also prepared to manage chartered planes because a large number of MPs and politicians are in Delhi.”

On Monday, the central government had announced the cessation of domestic flight for a week, starting from 11.59 pm on Tuesday, to combat the spread of Covid-19 cases. An airport source said several flights were cancelled in the last 24 hours. Some had very low occupancy. Among those cancelled was an IndiGo flight to Jammu. Yash Naruka, a Twitter user, posted: “My female friend is at Delhi airport terminal 1D, she's from Jammu. She works in jaipur, she was travelling to Jammu. now in Delhi all the connecting flights have been cancelled and she have no place to go, please look into it (sic)”.

Gunjan Chawla, a passenger scheduled to come to Delhi from Mumbai, was unable to travel after her Vistara flight UK 960 was cancelled in the early hours of Tuesday. “I simply received a message at night about my flight being cancelled and when I called the helpline numbers to ask them to accommodate me on another flight, I had to wait for over an hour without luck,” said Chawla.

Another Twitter user, Aadeep Singh, said his brother and over 50 others from Raipur were struck at IGIA. “@IndiGo6E took the bookings of a connected flight from Coimbatore to Raipur, and now cancelled the flight at Delhi.(sic)”, complained his tweet.

‘Staying home is religious duty’

Mar 24, 2020, 04.10 AM IST

New Delhi: Following announcement of the lockdown in Delhi due to novel coronavirus, mosques across the city have appealed to people to pray from home and follow social distancing. Staying at home was nothing short of a religious duty, they said through loudspeakers.

Jama Masjid’s imam could be heard asking people to pray from home and not step out for any non-essential activity. Earlier, there were rumours of a few positive cases being found in Old Delhi.

Defence Colony mosque appealed all to pray from home as a precaution, while Friday prayers were not held at the mosque at Green Park.

Shahi imam of Fatehpuri mosque, Dr Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, shared a video message with imams in Delhi and across the country, explaining that Islam has options for praying at home in such times.

“It is the need of the hour to fight coronavirus through social distancing. We have requested people to pray in homes and take care of their health. It is as per the options Islam provides in rare circumstances such as present times,” he said.

Mufti Mukarram added that ever since LG Anil Baijal and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal have asked for a lockdown, he has been requesting Muslims across Delhi to follow the advisory and ensure no handshakes and mingling. Even for Friday, he has requested people to not travel far to attend prayers and offer it as zuhr namaaz at home.

He also urged people to maintain hygiene and wash hands regularly. Regarding concerns over hand sanitisers having alcohol content, he said cleaning hands with sanitisers does not mean consuming alcohol. If the need arises, people should use masks and sanitisers and wash hands regularly before eating, he added.

“There should be no fear that mosques are getting closed or religious practices are being affected. Prayers are being held by the staff. We are only taking temporary precautions which is the need of the hour. We should follow advisory and pray from home for health of our country and the world.”

DTC makes ID card must for passengers

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 05.11 AM IST

NEW DELHI: With nearly 2,000 buses of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) on the city roads on the second day of lockdown, there was less crowding inside the buses compared with Monday. However, to ensure only those involved in essential services are allowed to travel, DTC has now made it mandatory for all passengers to show identity cards. An order in this regard was issued by DTC managing director on Tuesday.

“This was necessary as even those who were not involved in essential services were roaming around in buses, putting other passengers and our staff in danger,” an official from DTC said.

“Our buses are being thoroughly sanitised, but with unnecessary crowding, maintaining social distancing becomes difficult,” he added.

“With more DTC buses in place, vehicles were comparatively less crowded today. The situation will improve on Wednesday with only those with official identity cards allowed to board buses,” he asserted.

While barring all types of public transport from operating on Sunday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had allowed only 25% buses of the DTC fleet to operate from Monday. Due to the overcrowding witnessed on the first day of the lockdown, DTC was asked to operate 50% of its fleet. With the number of buses in DTC’s fleet being 3,756, around 2,000 buses operated on Tuesday.

“The frequency of buses was significantly better on Tuesday and all passengers were able to maintain a comfortable distance,” said a central government employee who didn’t wish to be identified.

Navatri celebrations, in distance mode

Mar 24, 2020, 04.09 AM IST

New Delhi: With the capital in complete lockdown to check the spread of the novel coronavirus, the faithful will not, as usual, gather at temples when the Navratri festival begins on Wednesday. The major city temples instead are prepping to offer Delhiites the novelty of participating in the aarti and having a darshan from the safety of their homes. This is one win for technology over the virus’ ground assault.

Dedicated to Goddess Aadi Shakti, the Jhandewalan temple near Karol Bagh is among the oldest in Delhi and attracts lakhs of people during the nine-day Navratri period. It has made extensive arrangements to deter people from congregating there. “We have informed everyone besides putting up huge banners on all four sides of the temple warning of a closure till the next update,” said Sandeep Kumar, the temple spokesperson. “Devotees should worship Devi Maa in their own homes.”

But that will not deprive worshippers of participation in the pujas. Kumar elaborated, “The aarti of Devi Aadi Shakti will be live streamed on YouTube as Jhandewalan Devi Mandir Live Aarti. While the 4am morning aarti and the7pm evening aarti will be available live on all nine days, we have made arrangements to have a 24-hour live session on the auspicious day of Ashtami.”

Authorities at south Delhi’s Kalkaji Mandir have decided to appeal to devotees to carry out the Navratri rituals in their houses. Lokesh Bharadwaj, general secretary of the Shri Kalkaji Mandir Prabandhak Sudhar Samiti, said the pooja-archana-sringar will be carried out by the temple priests, but the lakhs who came to the shrine to take jyoti will be urged not to venture to the shrine this year.

Bharadwaj said that a meeting between committee members and the temple high priest will decide whether the proceedings will be streamed live. Perhaps for the first time in the history, there will neither be langars or bhandaras nor people thronging the temples. Jai Prakash, chairman of North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee, said anyone wishing to organise a bhandara should instead have a “bhandaras of soaps and hand sanitisers” for poor people as a service to Devi Maa.

The Chhatarpur Temple has been closed from March 21, and the shrine management has made arrangements for the live streaming of morning and evening aarti on the temple website.

Two students held under Goondas Act for spreading fake news

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 04.11 AM IST

Erode: The Goondas Act was slapped against two college students at Gobichettipalayam on Monday for spreading fake news about Covid-19 on social media.

Police, who arrested the youths, identified them as S Boobalan, 20, and N Karthikeyan, 20, of Thookanaickenpalayam village in the district. While Boobalan was second year BSc computer science student at a Coimbatore college, Karthikeyan was an engineering student at Sathyamangalam.

Erode SP Sakthi Ganesan said police conducted an inquiry after a video of a news feed stating that 24 people were infected with Covid-19 at Thookanaickenpalayam village was circulating on WhatsApp. It also asked people of the village not to step out their houses.

“We found the video was created by the duo. They downloaded the logo of a private news channel and used it as a template to make the video,” a police officer said. The duo also confessed to the crime, the officer added.

The Bangalapudur police arrested them on Monday. District collector Kathiravan slapped the Goondas Act against them based on a recommendation from the SP, who also warned of severe action against people spreading fake news.

IRT Perundurai hosp to treat Covid related cases only

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 04.12 AM IST

Erode: With two Thai nationals testing positive for Covid-19 in Erode district, the IRT Perundurai Government Medical College (IRTPGMC) has been made to treat only Covid-19 related cases. The hospital houses two positive cases, besides 11 people, including four other Thai nationals, quarantined in an isolation ward.

The move follows after health officials are monitoring people who came into contact with the two positive cases. “The health department officials are closely monitoring 694 people of 169 families in the district. They were quarantined at their houses from Sunday,” collector C Kathiravan said. The hospital has 300 beds and doctors were equipped with enough facilities to treat new cases if they arise, he added.

The collector also said patients who were treated for other aliments would be shifted to the government hospital in Erode city at the earliest.

He warned against spreading fake news on social media and threatened to slap the Goondas Act against miscreants.

Coimbatore: Summer rain brings relief to residents in lockdown times

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.26 AM IST

COIMBATORE: In what could be a relief for people who were made to quarantine themselves under the sweltering heat, the city has been experiencing brief to moderate summer rain on and off since Saturday. Though the rain may not be enough to change water levels in tanks, it seems to have brought down temperature by 1C to 2C. Farmers too say the rain will help preparing soil for summer cultivation.

TNAU’s agro climate research centre recorded 8mm of rainfall on Monday and 37mm of rainfall on Saturday. This was the first summer showers in the district after the last drizzles that were recorded in January third week. While the centre did not record rainfall on Sunday, other parts of the district, like Peelamedu, Periyanaickenpalayam and Narasimanaickenpalayam, recorded 4mm to 10mm of rainfall. “This is convectional rain. If temperature keeps increasing and more clouds keep forming, it will result in more rainfall,” said director of the centre S P Ramanathan.

After rain, maximum temperatures at various places across the district fell by a couple of degrees. According to the regional meteorological centre, the district, which recorded average temperature of 36C on Thursday and 37.6C on Friday, saw average temperature fall to 35.4C on Monday and 36C on Tuesday.

The rain and relatively moderate afternoon temperature brought cheers among housewives and people working from home. “Rather than cooped in an airconditioned room, the rain made it tolerable to spend afternoon in balcony or play in the garden,” said Aparna Ram, a housewife in R S Puram.

Farmers also welcomed the beginning of the summer rain, as it will reduce the salinity of the soil and help getting better yield of their long terms crops like banana, sugarcane, turmeric, among others. “The summer rain gives crops the much needed moisture at the point when the leaves begin to dry up without irrigation. It will also help desalinate the soil making the crops grow well,” says district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam P Kandasamy. “It will also help summer cultivation of millets and pulses, which is done after mid-April. This moisture will help prepare the soil for it,” he added.

Shops selling essential goods to remain open in Salem

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.41 AM IST

SALEM: Shops providing essential commodities such as vegetables, milk parlours, medical stores and grocery shops will remain open in Salem.

However, the Salem municipal corporation (SMC) officials have asked the supermarkets and commercial establishments (marriage halls, malls etc) in the city to be closed from on Tuesday onwards. Any shop with a housing capacity of more than 10 people has to remain closed.

The state government has imposed section 144 of CrPC across Tamil Nadu as a preventive measure against Covid-19. The state also directed the hotels to provide only ‘take away’ parcels and not to accommodate customers inside the hotel.

Meanwhile, the Salem district administration and the corporation officials have started inspecting the city since Tuesday evening. They shut down supermarkets and commercial complexes that were seen operating after 6 pm on Tuesday.

The corporation officials warned that, they will permanently seal the shops if owners violate government order.

Salem collector urges contacts of Covid-19 patients to approach health department

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.43 AM IST

SALEM: District collector S A Raman has urged the public to come forward for self-declaration if they had any contact with 11 Indonesians who had spent their time in the city for nearly 13 days. The collector said the Indonesian team went to five mosques in the city and attended religious meetings there.

Raman said the Indonesian Muslims came to the city on March 11 from New Delhi. They went to a mosque at Rahamath Nagar in Suramangalam police station limit on the next day.

Later, they had visited Para Market mosque in Shevapet police station limit on March 13 and stayed there for two days. “They had given religious preaching in the mosque for three days,” he said, adding that, later they had stayed from March 16 to March 18 at Sheik-Umar mosque in Ammapet police station limit, Buharia mosque between March 19 and 21 and Janadul Firdhouse mosque at Kitchipalayam on March 22.

“They went with another five people, including one person from Chennai and the rest from Salem,” the collector said, adding that all the 16 people were admitted to the quarantine ward in Salem government Mohan Kumaramangalam medical college and hospital for treatment.

He urged those who attended the sermons held by the Indonesians to reach the health department officials at the earliest. “People can contact the officials via 1077 – the toll-free number, 0427-2450022, 2450023 and 2450498 telephone numbers at the earliest,” he added.

Coimbatore: Taxi, auto drivers stare at loss of livelihood

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.24 AM IST

COIMBATORE: Taxi and auto drivers in the city said the imposition of CrPC Section 144, which would be in force until April 1 morning, would hit their earnings hard. Pointing out that they won’t be able to pay EMI on their vehicle loans, they urged the state government to help them by directing banks and other non-banking financial companies to offer them moratorium on loan repayment till the situation improved.

There are more than 3,000 taxi drivers in the city, some of who have tied up with app-based cabs. According to them, their woes started on Sunday when the entire nation shut itself down for janata curfew. Since then, the number of rides has come down by 10 times drastically, they said.

T G Sivanath, a taxi driver, said earlier he used to earn anywhere between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,500 a day. “But since the curfew, my earnings have plunged to Rs 200 a day. There is no hope of getting any rides in the coming days as Section 144 would be in place.” The state, in its notification on Section 144, has exempted only those taxis running to and from airports, hospitals and residences. In this scenario, Sivanath said, they won’t get long rides.

P Babu, another taxi driver, said earlier he used to get 17 to 18 trips in the city in 10 hours. He had been roaming around the city idly in his vehicle for the past three days, barring occasional trips. “I usually shell out Rs 500 daily on fuel. But in the past three days I have spent only Rs 300 and that too i couldn’t recover from the trips,” he said.

The drivers said they had mailed the cab aggregator firms, which replied that they were mulling ways to help the former. They appealed to the state to take cognizance of their situation and direct banks and non-banking financial entities to give them moratorium on loan repyment until everything returned to normalcy.

Similarly, there are around 13,000 auto-rickshaws in the city and another 2,000 in rural parts. P K Sugumaran, general secretary, Coimbatore District Auto Workers’ Union, said, “Their livelihood is also at stake. It is only fair that the state announces a moratorium on loan repayment.”

HC quashes FIR against PhD holder for post on university

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.05 AM IST

Madurai: The Madras high court has quashed an FIR registered against a PhD holder for posting certain remarks on social media about the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) in Tirunelveli district, after he gave an undertaking that he will be careful and measured while using social media.

The petitioner, J Mohammed Khan who had completed PhD at MSU had posted about the irregularities in the university. Based on the complaint lodged by the registrar of the university, a case was registered against him by the Pettai police station in 2018. The petitioner moved the high court Madurai bench seeking to quash the FIR registered against him.

Hearing the plea, justice G R Swaminathan observed that the relationship between the petitioner and the university was not all that smooth. The petitioner was an active user of social media and it was a remark which had triggered the university to lodge a complaint against him.

The judge observed that a perusal of the FIR reveals that the petitioner had condemned the management of the university in caustic language. The judge noted that the petitioner who appeared before the court gave a clarification.

The judge also took cognizance of the fact that the petitioner has got a bedridden dependent mother and the petitioner is eking his livelihood as parotta master. The petitioner underwent his college education on a part time basis and he was a full time research scholar.

“A person coming from such a disadvantaged section ought not be entangled in a criminal prosecution merely because he made some offending posting in social media,” observed the judge.

Since the petitioner undertakes that he will be careful and measured in his conduct while using social media, the judge quashed the FIR which was registered against him.

Families bond over boards, cards to kill time

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.21 AM IST

Madurai: As people are being urged to stay indoors to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the demand for board and card games has gone up. Enterprising shops too have seized the opportunity to cash in on the situation by keeping ready enough stocks in the last few days.

``When we were kids, we would sit down for a game of cards after dad came back from work, mostly after dinner every day,’’ said T Kumar of Anna Nagar. But he rues that such habits had become forgotten today as children rarely find time to leave their phones and get family time.

Parents say they are thinking of ways to ensure the participation of everybody at home. Poornima of Anna Nagar said they had bought board games such as scrabble, ludo and monopoly. ``This is the first time we are actually buying games which we can play together and not just gift them to others. Besides, these games are great stress-busters,’’ she said. Many young parents have found that they did not know the rules of several of these board games as well as their parents did. Hence, these games end up as contests between children and grandparents in many homes.

Some small shops which opened on Tuesday saw people enquiring about cards such as UNO and the regular as well as ordinary cards. ``We don’t keep more than five packs at a time but they were all sold out last week,’’ said Thirupathy, a shopkeeper in K K Nagar. ``I didn’t know my grandfather could play games so well. He is a master at carrom and beat all of us on all the days we played,’’ said 16-year-old Sudhesh for whom his 80-year-old grandfather’s finger strength came as a revelation.

Class XII students relieved as exams end before curfew

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.39 AM IST

Madurai: The more than 36,000 Class XII students in Madurai district who had appeared for the state board exams this year breathed a sigh of relief as they completed their final exam on Tuesday just before Section 144 was imposed across the state.

A total of 34,869 students sit the final exam in Madurai on Tuesday. Amid the Covid-19 scare, the exams began half an hour late at 10:30 am and ended by 1:30 pm. All the 120 centres here were disinfected and students had to sanitise their hands before entering the exam hall. However, after the exams, students were seen celebrating and running out of the exam halls in groups, prompting police and teachers to discipline them.

Instead of the usual cheers and tears, all students were immediately sent home with many not even returning to their schools to say a farewell. “During our Class X board exam, the whole class celebrated in school with teachers. Today, we were just relived that exams are over instead of getting postponed,” said Sruthi R, a Class XII student of a private school.

Meanwhile, teachers and students said that the new syllabus, introduced for the first time across all subjects, was challenging but not too daunting. “The questions were asked from all chapters for all subjects. Students were quite happy since they did not feel cornered by one or two difficult topics. It may be difficult to get high scores because of everything being new but students can easily get pass marks. We are all hoping for the best,” said the headmaster of a government school.

The evaluation of Class XII board exam answer sheets, in view of the curfews imposed in the state has been tentatively postponed to April 7.

HC Madurai bench restricts functioning

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.45 AM IST

Madurai: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court has begun restricting its functioning from Tuesday for three weeks as per guidelines issued by the Madras high court Chief Justice A P Sahi, in an attempt to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

A notification issued by the registrar (judicial), said that in view of the emergent situation which has arisen on account of Covid-19 pandemic, it has become imperative to adopt the guidelines issued by the Chief Justice at the principal seat, with slight modifications, for the restricted functioning of the Madurai bench. The lawyers are requested not to operate from their chambers and they are requested not to invite the litigants inside unless it is absolutely imperative either for their personal presence that may be required on orders of the court or for such personal verification as per the directions of the registry. Lawyers are requested to limit filing of cases as far as possible except only in extremely urgent matters. As per the notification, changes have been made to the sitting arrangement in Madurai bench as follows.

A division bench of justice P N Prakash and justice S S Sundar will hear urgent motions and admissions in writ petitions, writ appeals and habeas corpus petitions.After the division bench sitting, justice P N Prakash will hear urgent motions and admissions in criminal original petitions (under Section 482 of Cr.PC) and justice S S Sundar will hear all single bench appellate side matters. Justice G Jayachandran will hear criminal original petitions - bail and anticipatory bail petitions.tnn

People throng shops in panic to fill their larder

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 04.21 AM IST

Chennai: As the curfew lifted on Monday, people fearing a lockdown thronged grocery and vegetable shops as well as markets. Zam Bazaar market was crowded with people eager to stock up on supplies. While many went to the chicken and fish shops, several others were busy buying sacks of rice.

"I usually don’t get people asking for sacks of rice but today we have had many customers," says Mohan, a trader. "People are stocking up because they fear a shutdown." Though social distancing is the need of the hour, none of the shoppers seemed aware of the gravity of the situation.

It was a different scenario at Kovai Pazhamudir Nilayam (KPN) on North Boag Road, T Nagar. By noon, there was a small queue of customers lining up before the entrance as the store is particular about the numbers allowed in at a time. A female employee, wearing a mask, took down names and numbers of customers, while another sprayed sanitiser onto the palms of those entering. "We have been insisting that customers use sanitiser before they enter our stores for more than a week now," says Senthil Natarajan, managing director, KPN. "We have also put in place a policy wherein only 20 people can be present in the store at a time," he says, adding that the protocol has been put in place across all 34 stores in Chennai.

While the store has been trying to ensure social distancing, customers do not seem to be sticking to it. Once inside, people often do not maintain distance as they rush to grab supplies. "There has been a rush in all our stores. We have tried reassuring people that there is no need to hoard," says Natarajan.

At More supermarket in Thiruvanmiyur, only up to 10 customers are allowed inside at a time. "People from our apartment complex are constantly sharing messages not to hoard supplies as the store is well stocked now," says Anuradha Balasubramanian, a resident of Ramaniyam Abhishek apartment complex located above the supermarket.

At Nilgiris supermarket in Madipakkam, residents poured in to stock up on essential supplies. "We have been given orders to limit the number of customers inside the store. So far we’ve had no shortage of milk, fruits and vegetables," says the store manager S Alagappan.

(With inputs from V Ayyappan and

Saranya Chakrapani)

3 city GHs to pay up for illegal dumping of biomedical waste

Mar 24, 2020, 04.24 AM IST

Chennai: Following private healthcare facilities (HCFs), government hospitals are now facing action for violating biomedical waste disposal rules and dumping untreated waste into sewers.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has penalised at least 11 government hospitals across the state hefty amounts, ranging from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 80 lakh, for flouting the rules. This includes Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMC), Institute of Child Health and Welfare in Chennai. Tirupur GH stood first among violators and has been fined Rs 83 lakh.

“Many of these hospitals didn’t have an effluent treatment plant (ETP) and disposed biomedical waste into underground sewers without pre-treatment. This included waste from operation theaters, testing labs and laundry rooms,” said a senior TNPCB official.

Delhi faced a public health and environmental concern last December stemmed from similar waste disposal. With many sewer lines criss-crossing with drinking water pipes, leaks led to liquid waste from hospitals mixing with the potable water.

Earlier six private hospitals in Tamil Nadu were also fined. Without an efficient ETP, the HCFs become ineligible for the mandatory environmental clearance (EC) from TNPCB. Sixty three such HCFs were shut down for illegal biomedical waste dumping after a NGT order.

TNPCB has issued a final warning to other HCFs, some of which continue to dump blood samples without disinfecting or fail to use bar-coded bags for the disposal flouting NGT and Central Pollution Control Board guidelines.

Coronavirus scare: Chennai hospital to deploy robots to deliver food, medicines in wards

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 04.25 AM IST

CHENNAI: Soon, robots will deliver food, beverages, and tablets to Covid-19 positive patients in the isolation ward of Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here. They will carry monitors and cameras to aid video conferencing between patients and care givers.

A private university that developed the technology will organise a demo for doctors and paramedical staff after which they will deploy the robots. “The aim is to reduce frequent exposure for health staff and limit the number of people entering the ward,” said dean Dr J Jayanthi.

While doctors and nurses will continue their rounds and duties in the wards, the robots will be sent in for nonmedical needs. Studies show that the virus can stay alive on steel for three days and cardboard for up to 24 hours. Such machines are being used in several countries as frontline workers. For instance, in China a machine that has a robotic arm on wheels performs ultrasound scans, takes mouth swabs and listens to sounds made by a patient’s organs. Some others clean surfaces with disinfectants and hand over hand sanitisers.

Last week, the hospital, which sees 80,000 footfalls a day, shut all private canteens and eateries, restricted visitors and outpatients, and advised doctors to postpone elective surgeries. The pharmacy will also give 30 days supply of drugs, instead of the usual one week, to patients with chronic ailments.

The GH has also opened the ground floor Tower 3 block as a Covid-19 outpatient ward. “We decided not to wait for the inauguration. Having a separate unit will prevent people with symptoms entering the main hospital,” said health minster C Vijayabaskar. At least 150 beds have been set aside in six of the eight floors in the rheumatology block.

Meanwhile, a pulmonology block is now getting converted into 30-bed isolation unit that will satisfy international standards.

Covid-19: Family cardholders in Tamil Nadu to get Rs 1,000 each

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 11.26 AM IST

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edapapdi K Palaniswami on Tuesday announced a Rs 3,280crore relief package to help people in the wake of the rising Covid-19 cases. All family card holders will get a cash support of Rs 1,000 each.

The family cardholders can also avail rice, dal, edible oil and sugar for April free of cost. The government will give tokens to avoid rush at PDS outlets. Those who don’t wish to get the cash support could register online.

Those who fail to get the commodities in March could get them in April too, along with the entitlement for that month.

Unregistered pavement vendors will get an additional cash support of Rs 1,000, besides the Rs 1,000 announced for PDS cardholders. MGNREGS workers will get a special pay for two days.

Making a suo motu statement in the assembly, the chief minister said lockdown would come into effect in the state at 6pm on Tuesday. “Due to the announcement, the livelihood of public, including daily wage labourers, taxi drivers, construction and unorganised sector workforce, pavement vendors and elders will be affected hugely,” he said.

“The families of construction workers and auto drivers enrolled in the driver welfare board will get a special cash support of Rs 1,000, 15kg of rice, one kg of dal, one kg of edible oil,” chief minister said.

The district collectors and labour welfare boards will identify migrant construction labourers and offer 15kg of rice, one kg of dal and one kg of edible oil free of cost.

Amma Unavagams, the budget canteens in the state, will continue to offer food.

The chief minister said district collectors and the Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner have been directed to set up community kitchens to prepare food for the needy. “District collectors have been told to offer food at the doorstep of the senior citizens, who avail the services of anganwadi centres,” Palaniswami said.

Mayiladuthurai to be Tamil Nadu’s 38th district

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 11.56 AM IST

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday announced bifurcation of Nagapattinam district to create a new district with Mayiladuthurai as its headquarters. Mayiladuthirai will be the 38th district in the state.

Making a suo motu announcement in the assembly, the chief minister said, “The district is created for administrative reasons and to speed up the welfare measures to the public.”

While laying the foundation stone for the construction of a new medical college earlier this month, Palaniswami said the government was considering the bifurcation, a long pending demand.

With this, the EPS government has created six new districts in the last one year. Earlier, it created Tenkasi by bifurcating Tirunelveli, Chengalpet by bifurcating Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi by bifurcating Villupuram and Ranipet and Tirupattur by trifurcating Vellore.

During the debate in the assembly on Tuesday, deputy speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman demanded that the government create Pollachi district since the Pollachi municipality has been in existence for the last 100 years.

Coronavirus in Chennai: Three more patients test positive for Covid-19

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 01.59 PM IST

CHENNAI: Three more Covid-19 cases have been reported in Chennai, taking the total number of novel coronavirus-infected patients in Tamil Nadu to 15, health minister C Vijaya Baskar said on Tuesday.

The minister said all the three patients had returned from abroad. A 74-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman, both of whom returned from the US, are admitted to Stanley Medical College and Hospital. A 25-year-old patient, who returned from Switzerland, has been admitted to Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. They are residents of Porur, Purasawalkam and Keelkattalai.

At present, 14 patients are undergoing treatment for the viral infection in the state. The condition of a patient admitted to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai continues to remain critical while all other patients are stable.

One patient, who was cured, was discharged from hospital last week.

Covid-19 scare in Tamil Nadu: Doctors, nurses, sanitary workers and others to get additional one month salary

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 01.15 PM IST

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday announced an additional one month salary for doctors, nurses, local body officials, sanitary workers and others involved in the efforts to combat Covid-19.

While making a suo motu statement in the assembly, the chief minister asked MLAs and ministers to clap their hands to thank people involved treating patients and preventing the spread of the disease. The members clapped their hands as suggested by the CM.

The chief minister appealed to the public to extend cooperation in controlling the virus. "All those who return from abroad must register themselves for screening. Those who have symptoms must admit themselves in hospitals and get treatment," said Palaniswami

He said many people coming from abroad land in Bengaluru and entre Tamil Nadu from there. “We are not able to identify and screen them,” he said.

Covid-19 scare: Bus services from Chennai’s CMBT stopped

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 03.32 PM IST

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu transport department on Tuesday afternoon stopped bus services from Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) at Koyambedu.

The last batch of buses left around 2.30pm. If operated beyond this, it will be difficult for drivers to return before 6pm when the lockdown begins in the state to prevent spread of Covid-19. The lockdown will be in force till March 31.

Around 2,850 buses were operated from CMBT on Monday night to clear extra rush of passengers. More than 1.9 lakh passengers left Chennai using these buses, according to official data. The excess crowd turned CMBT chaotic on Monday night.

In addition to this, around 30,000 people boarded buses at Tambaram. As many as 430 buses were operated from Tambaram.

Saving the strays: Good samaritans feed furry friends in Chennai

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.20 AM IST

CHENNAI: M Neelagandan got married five months ago. But he will be next meeting his wife only after the lockdown period ends. For, the animal lover has volunteered to stay at the Blue Cross of India shelter during this time of need to help care for the voiceless.

“They need us now more than ever and it gives me great satisfaction to be here for them,” says Neelagandan, who runs a few canteens in the city. “They are shut now, so I have the time to volunteer. My wife supports what I do.”

The lockdown will affect not just humans but animals too. On Monday, Maneka Gandhi appealed on Twitter, requesting people to feed animals. “In the event of a lockdown, if they are not fed, many will die, creating another serious problem. I have asked all animal welfare workers to feed the animals during this period. I will be doing the same,” she wrote.

Animal welfare activists in the city and other individuals have risen to the challenge. With hotels shut, stray animals in the city are finding it difficult to find food. If many starve and die, it will worsen the situation.

At shelters, volunteers and staff are staying on to do their bit. “Twenty two of us, including two vets, two volunteers and Blue Cross staff will stay at the shelter to care for the sick and injured animals. We have 1,263 animals and have to ensure they are fed nutritious meals, and get exercise. We also have to attend to the upkeep of the shelter and go on rescues,” says Dawn Williams, general manager, Blue Cross.

Dinesh Baba, who runs Cloud No 9 Kennel and Nursing Care, is providing cooked food to street animals. “On Monday, I cooked about 75kg of dog food, and fed strays,” says Dinesh, who commutes from Porur to Injambakkam every day.

Sumita Pai, who lives in Alwarpet, has been regularly feeding birds and community animals but plans to make a more concerted effort during the lockdown. “I will follow all government guidelines and directives. I will feed the animals on my own and step out only for a brief period,” she says.

Animal lovers say it is necessary to feed strays but do so in a responsible manner. “You can feed animals in your locality so you don’t have to step out much. Also, do not do it in groups, social distancing is must,” says Dinesh.

In a related development, the Animal Welfare Board of India wrote to all the chief secretaries of all the states and UTs, saying that it had come to their notice that a large number of pet shops or animal breeding facilities where animals and birds are kept for sale are now shutdown. "The animals stranded in such places are likely to suffer and die without food, water, temperature control, etc. All such pet shops are to be evacuated by the State Animal Welfare Boards through SPCAs. Where there is no SPCA available, the district administration shall ensure to check and evacuate all animals," it said in the letter.