110 new cases from Delhi event emerge in T.N

02/04/2020

“After we made a fervent appeal asking persons who had attended the conference to come forward and report to officials, this number has increased to 1,103 persons. We have admitted them to isolation wards in hospitals, and we have lifted samples from 658 of them so far. We will test samples from the remaining persons in the next 24 hours,” the Health Secretary said.

The department had earlier mentioned that 1,500 persons had travelled to Nizamuddin from TN and it was a “dynamic figure”. It appeared that around 300 to 400 persons are still in Delhi, and many of them have tested positive after laboratory testing. But the exact numbers were not clear, she said.

Expedite tracing of Tablighi attendees, Centre tells States

Enforce quarantine, says govt.; PM to hold video call with Chief Ministers today

02/04/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

Mapping one and all: Participants from Agartala at the Delhi Tablighi meet being taken for tests on Wednesday.PTI

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Wednesday held a videoconference with the Chief Secretaries of all the States a day after the Tablighi Markaz at Nizamuddin was evacuated and the area — the latest COVID-19 hotspot — put under an intense lockdown.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to hold a video call with all the Chief Ministers on Thursday. A government statement said Mr. Gauba “sensitised” the Chief Secretaries that contact tracing of the congregation attendees (spread over multiple States) be undertaken on a war footing and quarantine procedures enforced.

He also stressed that many of the congregation had violated visa terms.

While appreciating that on the whole the lockdown was being implemented well, he said all the benefits announced by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last week under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana be disbursed within the week.

Supply chain worries have been top of the mind with the government allowing transport of all goods across various State borders last week. But Mr. Gauba again told the Chief Secretaries that this needed to be smoothed further and that manufacture and supply of goods, especially essential ones, be maintained across the States.

India has entered the second week of a three-week lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, the country saw its largest spike in COVID-19 positive cases, more than 200 in over 24 hours, as the Tablighi Markaz case came to light.

A.P. bites the bullet, defers salary payments

It is 100% for top brass, partial for others

02/04/2020, STAFF REPORTER,VIJAYAWADA

With its revenue streams drying up owing to the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and containment measures entailing an additional burden on the exchequer, the Andhra Pradesh government has resorted to deferment of salaries and pensions to salvage the situation. The deferment is in respect of the payments for March 2020 payable in April 2020 and it will be in force till further orders.

According to a G.O. dated March 31, the deferment is 100% in respect of the Chief Minister, Ministers, MLCs and MLAs, chairpersons and members of corporations, elected representatives of all local bodies and people holding equivalent posts.

It is 60% for All- India Service Officers, 50% for all other government employees and persons engaged as direct individuals through third parties, except Class-IV employees.

The deferment is 10% for Class-IV, outsourcing and contract employees.

Kerala Cabinet nod for ‘salary challenge’ for govt. employees

Initiative to collect a month’s pay to fight COVID-19

02/04/2020, SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT,THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Cleaning drive: Fire service personnel spraying disinfectant at the Thiruvananthapuram Sub Treasury.S. MAHINSHA

The Kerala Cabinet has given the go ahead to the ‘salary challenge’ for State government employees.

The Cabinet on Tuesday decided to collect one month’s salary from government employees compulsorily to meet the financial burden incurred by the spread of COVID-19. The funds would be routed to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. Ministers would contribute ₹1 lakh each to the fund.

A final decision on the mode of implementing the ‘salary challenge’ would be made after eliciting the response of the employees, sources said.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) flayed the “unilateral” decision of the Cabinet. “The Chief Minister counsels people to be spartan during the lockdown,” said leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala. “He wants to confiscate the salary of government staff but he has no qualms in sanctioning ₹2 crore at this juncture to hire a helicopter for VIP travel. There is a dichotomy between what this government sermonises and what it practices.”

TMB donates ₹5 crore

02/04/2020,TIRUNELVELI

Thoothukudi-based Tamilnad Mercantile Bank has contributed ₹5 crore to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund (PM-CARES) towards COVID-19 mitigation measures. In a statement, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of TMB K.V. Rama Moorthy has said to fight against the spread of deadly virus, doctors, nurses, sanitary workers and police personnel were working round-the-clock risking their life. India needed lot of medical equipment to help the affected. Hence, the bank was donating ₹5 crore, as a supportive measure to wage the war against COVID-19

It’s too early to detect lock down impact

As incubation period is 14 days, the cases emerging now are older and they have to be discounted

02/04/2020, JACOB KOSHY,NEW DELHI

Empty spaces: A deserted highway near the Akshardham temple in New Delhi on Wednesday. R.V. Moorthy R.V. Moorthy

The impact of the lockdown on arresting the spread of COVID-19 can be gauged only after two weeks, government and independent experts suggest.

On the evening of March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide 21-day lockdown to arrest “community transmission” of the novel coronavirus, or SAR-CoV-2. Between March 24 and April 1, the number of COVID-19 positive cases has more than doubled — from 606 on March 25 to 1,637 on April 1. This, however, was slower — about half the rate of growth from the week before when only 151 cases were confirmed on March 18.

The growth in number of positive cases in India is slower than in many countries that are dealing with the worst of the pandemic. On March 8, the U.S. recorded 541 cases in two days, and the figure nearly doubled to 994 cases. In the last week, however, it has risen by 75%.

Indonesia, which as on March 31 had 1,528 cases and therefore roughly in the league of India, is also recording a similar growth rate. It had 686 cases on March 24 or a little fewer than half the cases from today. Though it has laws restricting movement, there is no lockdown.

Government experts and independent researchers concur that it is early to estimate the impact of the lockdown on slowing down the spread of the virus. “The incubation period of the virus is 14 days. Therefore, the cases we are seeing are older cases (from before March 24). So only once these old cases are discounted can we judge the impact of the lockdown. Whatever models and statisticians say, nobody can really predict the outcome of the epidemic,” Raman Gangakhedkar, Chief Scientist, Indian Council of Medical Research, and spokesperson for COVID-19 communication, said at a press briefing.

Sujatha Rao, former Secretary of the Health Ministry, tweeted on Tuesday: “Impact of lockdown can only be known after April 5. Today’s infections are of the situation two weeks ago.” However, both of these reflect the extreme outer limit of the incubation period — defined as the time taken to contract the virus and an infected person manifesting symptoms. The World Health Organization says incubation is commonly five days.

For more testing

Giridhar Babu, an epidemiologist and physician associated with the Public Health Foundation of India, said it would take a minimum of three weeks and a lockdown would be useful only with heightened testing, particularly to catch those who might be carrying the virus but were not yet manifesting symptoms. “Lockdown alone, without an increase in finding the new cases either through a syndromic approach or increased rate of testing, is not enough to break the chain. Also reviewing of the States with silent areas [where very few cases are reported] is important,” he said in an e-mail.

India welcomes foreign donations to PM-CARES

02/04/2020

The issue of the short supply of essential items made the headlines after nurses and doctors sent video messages to Mr. Modi, urging for lifesaving devices. However, at the last weekend, Serbia purchased medical items from India, prompting a debate.

The official, however, clarified that the supplies to the Serbian government did not include the prohibited items.

Along with the other countries of the SAARC region, India has set up the SAARC-COVID-19 Emergency Fund for helping the front-line health workers with the personal protective equipment. Mr. Modi took up similar issues and urged for a global approach at a videoconference with G20 leaders.

The official indicated that India would be open to having the issue discussed at the United Nations Security Council. “However, it is a matter to be taken up by the members of the Security Council,” he said.

The Ministry of External Affairs has set up a dedicated wing for communications with the Indians abroad, many of whom are eager to return home. The wing has so far received 3,300 phone calls and 2,500 emails.