With 1,458 cases, T.N. tops 30,000-mark

With 1,458 cases, T.N. tops 30,000-mark

Nineteen deaths take toll to 251; 633 patients discharged from hospitals after treatment

07/06/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

With Tamil Nadu reporting 1,458 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the State’s tally has crossed the 30,000-mark.

While 633 patients were discharged from hospitals, the toll climbed to 251, with 19 persons succumbing to the infection in the last two days.

Saturday’s case count, which marked yet another high for the State, took its tally to 30,152*. Chennai continued to report 1,000-plus cases. With 1,146 new infections, the city’s case count rose to 20,993. Chennai accounts for 197 deaths so far.

As of date, 16,395 persons have been discharged from hospitals across the State. The recovery rate is around 54%, while there are 13,503 active cases.

Deaths in Chennai

All the 19 deaths reported on Saturday, including 10 in private hospitals, occurred in Chennai.

Three of the deceased were in their 30s. One of them — a 30-year-old man — died within 10 minutes of being admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) on June 4. His sample, which was lifted at a private laboratory on June 3, returned positive for COVID-19 on June 5. He died due to cardiopulmonary arrest, acute abdomen/perforation peritonitis and septic shock.

A 39-year-old man died in RGGGH on June 5 due to cardiopulmonary arrest and COVID-19 pneumonia, while a 31-year-old man, who was admitted to a private hospital on June 5 with hyponatremia, acute pancreatitis and decompensated chronic liver disease, died on the same day due to septic shock and viral pneumonia.

A 43-year-old man died in RGGGH on June 5 due to cardiopulmonary arrest, grade I COVID-19 pneumonia, type I respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Chengalpattu reported 95 new cases on Saturday, while Tiruvallur recorded 79. There were 16 new cases in Kancheepuram and 14 in Thoothukudi.

A total of 35 persons who had returned from abroad and other States tested positive on Saturday. Among them were five returnees from Saudi Arabia and one from the UAE. Twelve persons who had returned from Maharashtra by road/train also tested positive for COVID-19.

A total of 1,808 persons who had returned to Tamil Nadu on international and domestic flights and trains, by road and via seaports, have tested positive so far.

As of date, a total of 1,638 children aged 0 to 12 and 3,129 persons aged above 60 have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu.

The number of samples tested so far stands at 5,76,695, including the 16,022 samples tested on Saturday.

Till date, a total of 5,50,643 individuals have been tested in the State.

Web portal

The Health Department has put up details of beds (total number available/in use/vacant), Intensive Care Unit beds and ventilators in private hospitals and private medical college hospitals in and around Chennai on its website - stopcorona.tn.gov.in. On Saturday, the details of 15 hospitals, along with contact numbers, were displayed on the page.

(*This is inclusive of two deaths cross-notified to other States and one patient who died after testing negative for the infection)

Country is still at risk, says WHO expert

Country is still at risk, says WHO expert

07/06/2020, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA,UNITED NATIONS

COVID-19 has not “exploded” in India, but the risk of it happening remains as the country moves towards exiting the lockdown that was imposed in March to contain the disease, according to a top WHO expert.

WHO Health Emergencies Programme executive director Michael Ryan on Friday said the doubling time of cases in India was about three weeks at this stage. So the direction of travel of the epidemic was not exponential but it was still growing, he said.

The impact of the pandemic was different in different parts of India, and varied between urban and rural settings.

“In South Asia, not just in India but in Bangladesh and ... in Pakistan, other countries in South Asia, with large dense populations, the disease has not exploded. But there is always the risk of that happening,” Mr. Ryan said in Geneva.

Tamil Nadu varsity predicts 1.5 lakh Covid cases in Chennai by mid-July

Tamil Nadu varsity predicts 1.5 lakh Covid cases in Chennai by mid-July

Mathematical projections can prompt governments to decide on intervention strategies to contain the spread of the disease, but long-haul projections can be widely off the mark.

Written by Arun Janardhanan | Chennai | Updated: June 5, 2020 4:58:21 pm

Epidemiologists at the state-run Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University has predicted, based on mathematical projections, that Chennai city may witness 1.5 lakh Covid-19 cases and up to 1,600 deaths by July second week at the current rate of growth.

The university controls the medical education and medical colleges in the state, and its projections are used by government for active surveillance and preparedness.

Dr G Srinivas, professor and head of the department of epidemiology at the university, said their projection shows the number of cases in Chennai will touch 1.5 lakh by July 15 and will peak in mid-October. The university began projections from April 18, and submitted it to the government in May first week. “The disease continues to spread. However, the government is currently well-prepared to handle the number of cases with enough number of beds, isolation facilities, ICUs and such crucial infrastructure,” he said.

His team’s projection says the state may record 1.3 lakh Covid-19 cases and 769 deaths by June 30.

In 19 days, Covid cases in state jumped from 10,000 to 27,256 on Thursday. The city has 9,066 active cases, and reported 1,072 cases Thursday. Of the total cases reported in Tamil Nadu since March 7, 18,693 cases were from Chennai.

Coronavirus Explained

The university in the second week of April predicted that Covid cases will go up from 3,097 to 5,442 in the first 10 days of May. The real figures rose from 2,526 to 7,204 between May 1 and 10. Projection of Covid death number for May 10 was 38 and the actual figure was 47.

Mathematical projections can prompt governments to decide on intervention strategies to contain the spread of the disease, but long-haul projections can be widely off the mark. These projections can also throw up very different scenarios depending on the models used and the assumptions made.

Dr R Ramakrishnan, a senior scientist and former director of the National Institute of Epidemiology said: “Neither are scientists gods nor is this guess work. Just because their projections had been true for the past two months, we cannot say, it can still go wrong in coming months as there are many social factors. But these are indications that deserve to be taken seriously,” he said.

When outstation bus and train services resume, things may change suddenly, he said. “Or if we get a better clarity about clinical symptoms and treatment for Covid-19 from a research abroad or here, all these projections will become insignificant. But like lockdown, which was not to combat the virus but to buy time for the government to prepare, these forecast for July or October also should be taken into consideration,” Ramakrishnan said.

The university’s projections for Chennai were accurate. Their mathematical model had projected 83 deaths on May 25, which came true. Their forecast of cases for the same day — 11,119 —just fell short of 12 cases. When the forecast for June 3 said there will be 17,738 cases and 156 deaths, actual figures were 17,598 and 153.

State disaster management commissioner J Radhakrishnan said 9,034 people have recovered so far in the city. “About 1,000 containment zones (or streets) have not reported a single case in the past 14 days. Highest number of cases are in Chennai but it does not mean the entire city is affected. Maximum number of cases are concentrated in a few localities such as highly congested residential neighbourhoods and slums in Royapuram, Anna Nagar, Teynampet and Kodambakkam.”

Revenue dip may nudge govt to enhance retirement age

Revenue dip may nudge govt to enhance retirement age

Move Likely To Save State Up To ₹4,000 Cr

Roushan.Ali@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:07.06.2020

With revenues plunging due to the economic slowdown and subsequently the lockdown due to coronavirus, the government’s decision to raise retirement age from 58 to 60 is now looking more likely. The move is estimated to save the government as much as ₹4,000 crore per annum.

Should the move materialise, the government will not have to pay gratuity, leave encashment, commutation and other retirement benefits in lump-sum thus resulting in huge savings. The finance department is currently working out the details and will send a report to chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who will then take a decision.

Many had been expecting most retirements to take place in the months of February and March instead of June.“This is because the dates of birth of most employees fall in June, July or August. About 35 years to 40 years ago, when parents used to admit their children in schools in villages, they used to give the date of birth as June school admission month because they did not have birth certificates. This is also one of the reasons for June topping the list for number of retirements,” said an official.

Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association president K Ravinder Reddy told TOI that it was high time for the chief minister to implement his promise of enhancing retirement age. “As it is, the government is not giving revised pay scales (PRC) which is due from July 2018. We were expecting at least over 60% if not PRC but economic slowdown and the lockdown has impacted the state and central revenues,” Reddy said.

Meanwhile, the executive committee meeting of government employees’ JAC on Saturday unanimously resolved to demand the government that it should pay full salary for June. Ravinder Reddy said the government incurs at least ₹50 lakh per employee on an average towards lump-sum retirement benefit. “Already, over 11,000 employees have retired since TRS came to power for second term and missed out on retirement age enhancement,” he said.

Elsewhere, unemployed youth JAC leader Koturi Manavtha Roy demanded the government first fill up the one lakh government job vacancies.

Covid tally: India overtakes Spain, 5th highest in world

Covid tally: India overtakes Spain, 5th highest in world

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:07.06.2020

India’s total Covid-19 caseload went past Spain’s on Saturday to become the fifth largest in the world, on a day when fresh infections in the country crossed 10,000 for the first time. As many as 297 deaths were reported, the highest single-day toll from the virus so far.

India’s tally of coronavirus cases stood at 2,46,549 late on Saturday night, having overtaken Spain’s count of 2.41,310 during the course of the day. Now, only the US (19,06,060 cases), Brazil (6,14,941), Russia (4,58,102) and the UK (2,86,294) have recorded higher number of cases.

As cases continue to surge — 10,434 fresh infections were recorded on Saturday — India can take solace from the fact that the toll is far lower than Brazil, Spain and the UK at the same stage of cases. Only Russia and the US had a lower toll at the same case stage (around 2.4 lakh) among the six worst-hit countries.

India’s daily count of Covid-19 cases crossed the fivedigit on Saturday, going past the previous highest of 9,651 recorded on Thursday.

Trump: More cases in India than in US

US President Donald Trump has said that countries like India and China would have many more coronavirus cases than America if they conduct more tests. “If we wanted to do testing in China or in India ... I promise you there’d be more cases”, he said at a medical manufacturing facility in Maine on Friday, adding that US had tested 20 million people. AGENCIES

Covid tally: Nine states record biggest single-day surge so far

Even the death toll was higher by two cases than the previous peak of 295, recorded just a day earlier, as per data collated from state governments. With this, India has reported 6,939 deaths from the virus, translating to a case fatality rate of 2.8%.

While Maharashtra yet again reported by far the highest number of cases at 2,739, at least nine states recorded their biggest single-day surges till date. These were Tamil Nadu (1,458 new cases), Bengal (435), Haryana (355), Assam (244, going by the difference in total cases in 24 hours), Jharkhand (106), Andhra Pradesh

(210), Telangana (206), Odisha (173) and Goa (71).

New infections also continued to remain high particularly in Delhi, which reported 1,320 cases, Gujarat (498), Karnataka (378), Uttar Pradesh (382), Bihar (233), Rajasthan (253), Madhya Pradesh (232) and Kerala (108).

Maharashtra recorded120 Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, its second highest toll in a day so far. The highest deaths reported so far in a day were139, on Friday. Of the120 deaths, 58 were in Mumbai, the city’s highest fatalities for a day; its toll so far is 1,577. The day’s death toll was high in Delhi, where 53 fatalities were reported by the state government, Gujarat (29), Tamil Nadu (19), Bengal (17), Madhya Pradesh (15), Rajasthan (13), UP (11) and Telangana (10).

Maharashtra’s overall toll is now 2,969, inching close to the 3,000 mark. The state update said that of the total deaths reported on Saturday, 30 were from the last two days, while the other 90 were from May 3 to June 3. Since Monday, the state has reported 683 deaths. Of the 120 deaths, 90 were from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Mumbai recorded 1,274 fresh cases, taking the city’s tally to 47,354 cases, with the case fatality rate at 3.33%. The Mumbai corporation’s daily Covid update too spoke of 57 deaths.

Gujarat recorded 498 Covid-19 positive cases in 24 hours ending 5 pm on Saturday, taking the tally to 19,617. The cases included 289 from Ahmedabad, 92 from Surat, 34 from Vadodara and 20 from Gandhinagar.

The state recorded the death of 29 Covid-19 positive patients in 24 hours, taking the toll to 1,219. Ahmedabad continued to record a high number of 26 deaths.

› FULL COVERAGE | P 5-8

TN health department caps Covid treatment costs at pvt hospitals

TN health department caps Covid treatment costs at pvt hospitals

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.06.2020

To prevent profiteering by private hospitals, the Tamil Nadu health department has fixed treatment costs for Covid-19 patients at Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000 a day. The state wing of the Indian Medical Association has asked the state to either revise the price or take over private hospitals that are willing to offer their space instead.

A release from state health minister C Vijayabaskar said hospitals in the A3 and A4 categories – as listed on the state health insurance webpage (https:// www.cmchistn.com) – cannot charge more than Rs 5,000 a day for treatment of Covid-19 in the general ward, multispecialty hospitals in A1 and A2 category can’t charge beyond Rs 7,500. For treatment in ICU, hospitals cannot charge more than Rs 15,000.

“Legal action will be initiated against hospitals that charge more than the prescribed fee,” he said.

Earlier this week, Vijayabaskar had said the government had received complaints that hospitals were fleecing patients. Minutes after the state released the tariff norms, IMA state secretary Dr AK Ravikumar said the doctors association will make a representation for revision. “We will not be able to run the wards at that rate. Many hospital owners are telling us that they are ready to give the Covid beds to the state government. We will just work for them,” he said.

Analysis of bills by TOI showed that a Covid-19 patient who stayed for 10 days in a semi-private room of a hospital in Chennai spent Rs1,081 towards medicines and Rs2,550 for blood tests and xray. But the patient had to pay Rs 2,500 for “other packages” and Rs44,000 towards consultation, Rs8,800 towards nursing charges, Rs20,000 towards room rent. The cost towards PPE for doctors and other healthcare workers was Rs1.01 lakh out of the Rs1.80 lakh bill. “On an average we need at least nine PPEs per patient. There is an additional cost when we have to quarantine staff on Covid-19 duty,” Dr Ravikumar said.

Only Delhiites may be allowed in govt hosps

The Delhi government is likely to reserve its hospitals for the residents of Delhi till the city is battling the novel coronavirus pandemic, while the central government hospitals may continue to remain open for patients from across the country. A final decision is, however, yet to be taken. It is being done to ensure that outside patients do not overwhelm the Covid infrastructure in Delhi which has reported over 26,000 positive cases so far. The sealed Delhi borders are also likely to be opened after an announcement over reservations in the hospitals is made.

The state government has received over 7.5 lakh suggestions from the people of Delhi on the issue and a final decision is likely to be announced on Sunday. Many people have favoured reserving the Delhi government hospitals for the people of Delhi. “I liked a suggestion. But, a final decision is yet to be taken,” chief minister Arvind Kejriwal stated. TNN

City eateries prepare to open in new avatar from tomorrow

City eateries prepare to open in new avatar from tomorrow

CHANGE ON THE MENU Fewer Tables, Staff In Masks To Greet Diners

Petlee.Peter@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:07.06.2020

After a hiatus of 75 days, Bengaluru eateries are gearing up to reopen for dining in from Monday. From reducing the number of tables to ensuring use of masks and gloves by staff, the establishments are ushering in changes to abide by social-distancing and health norms.

According to Chandrashekar Hebbar, president of Karnataka Pradesh Hotel and Restaurant Association, Monday will witness a new chapter in eating out with many establishments getting ready to serve customers in banana leaves and paper plates/ cups. “There are nearly 25,000 eateries in Bengaluru, including fine-dining restaurants. Everyone is preparing to reopen on Monday with strict sanitisation and social-distancing measures in place. Owners are taking no chances as spread of Covid-19 can ruin their business,” Hebbar added.

The iconic Vidyarthi Bhavan in Gandhi Bazaar, operational since 1943, has never witnessed such changes in the 77 years of its existence. “Conventionally, we’ve had 28 tables. To adhere to social-distancing protocol, we have reduced 10 tables. Even the number of service staff has been decreased and those on duty will don gloves, masks and will cover their heads,” explained Arun Adiga, owner of Vidyarthi Bhavan, who described Monday’s reopening as a ‘big challenge”.

Now, dial in to reserve table at some darshinis

For the first time, Vidyarthi Bhavan and a few other darshinis plan to introduce a reservation system. “We often get large crowds for lunch and evening snacks. So we’re planning to implement a system where people can book tables over phone. This will be done on an experimental basis to reduce the number of people. We don’t know how successful it will be,” said Manjunath, who runs an eight-seater eatery in New Thippasandra. Health department rules have made it mandatory for eateries/restaurants to have less than 50 per cent of the regular capacity.

“We have to ensure people don’t crowd the place. We have reduced the number of steel tables outside where customers stand and eat and have switched from steel and plastic containers to paper plates/cups and wooden spoons,” said Radhakrishna Adiga, owner of Brahmins Coffee Bar in Basavanagudi.

Power bill moratorium not enough: Owners

The government has announced a moratorium on power bill payments for hotels, bars and restaurants for April and May; the amount can be remitted without penalty till June 30. But owners of establishments say the order doesn’t give them much respite. “The penalty amount was very small. But the truth is the restaurant industry, which was severely hit by the lockdown, has been ignored in terms of any relief package,” said Dheeraj Kumar, a Bengaluru-based bar owner.

Though restaurants are reopening on Monday, they are not allowed to serve alcohol, which accounts for a big percentage of their revenue. “The power bill moratorium is hardly a relief at a time when the industry has been ravaged. Sixty per cent of restaurateurs in the city will not be able to survive till the end of the year unless the government provides some aid,” opined Ranveer Sabhani, member, National Restaurants Association, Bengaluru Chapter.

How Bengaluru kept its coronavirus count low

How Bengaluru kept its coronavirus count low

MODEL CITY Country’s Tech Capital Has Fared Better Than Other Major Cities, Containing Spread Of Virus To Limited Areas

Nithya.Mandyam@timesgroup.com  07.06.2020

Bengaluru: While coronavirus cases are increasing sharply in many parts of the country, Bengaluru has contained the contagion with great success so far. The tech capital, which has a population of over 1 crore, has recorded 452 Covid-19 cases. Of these, only 162 are active. The other patients have recovered. The city has seen 13 Covid-related deaths in the past three months.

This is in stark contrast to the situation in other metros: Mumbai has reported over 46,000 positive cases, Delhi 26,000, Chennai 19,000, and Kolkata 2,000. Bengaluru’s success in containing the viral spread has been acknowledged by the Centre, and other cities have been exhorted to follow the same model. So, how did Bengaluru keep the corona count low? STOI spoke to various officials and experts about the strategy.

Cohesive approach

“When we realised that more people will be flying into Bengaluru from Covid-affected countries, we had to act in a cohesive manner. We roped in all agencies and made it clear that there should be no chinks in the armour. About 1.4 lakh international travellers were screened and their movements were monitored. Their primary and secondary contacts were kept under observation,” said deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan. “Coordination between the civic agency and health and home departments was effective and the spread of infection from the travellers was minimal.”

State health commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey said the labour department and police also played an important role. “In Bengaluru, people are responsible; distancing is being practised and almost everyone wears a mask,” he said.

Monitoring affected zones

Mapping of containment zones and predictive modelling are key factors, according to BBMP commissioner BH Anil Kumar, who was instrumental in setting up the Covid-19 Control Room. Every time a case was reported, the locality was sealed and residents’ movements were regulated. When five infections came to light in Padarayanapura on April 19, BBMP sealed the ward. “We didn’t wait for orders, we took prompt action,” said Dr Ravikumar Surpur, special commissioner, health. The same protocol was followed in Hongasandra, where a labourer tested positive. The steps protected nearby areas such Electronics City and HSR Layout.

Residents’ welfare associations acted as pillars by keeping a watch on those in home quarantine, Kumar said.

Contact tracing

BBMP didn’t stop at picking up and sending a patient to the hospital. Its teams identified all contacts, isolating them. As on Saturday, 1,840 primary and 5,759 secondary contacts were in quarantine. “Every time a case was detected, we launched contact tracing. We didn’t leave anything to chance,” said M Lokesh, special commissioner and Covid-19 surveillance in-charge.

Cops in action

Bengaluru police, led by Bhaskar Rao, strictly implemented the lockdown, ensuring citizens didn’t roam around without a genuine reason. In containment zones where trouble erupted, cops swiftly detained troublemakers and provided protection to health workers.

Eat, pray, shop: K’taka gears up for reopening tomorrow

Eat, pray, shop: K’taka gears up for reopening tomorrow

Space Markers At Temples, Hotels & Malls

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:07.06.2020

In the biggest push to restoring normalcy in Unlock 1.0, malls, restaurants and places of worship across the state are all set to open tomorrow after over 70 days, though with strict adherence to central government’s guidelines on social distancing norms and public safety and health.

This comes even as the state’s Covid count went past the 5,000 mark with two deaths on Saturday and the number of infections going up to 5,213.

There was hectic activity at places of worship as the priests scrambled to comply with the government’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). For the moment, only those in non-containment zones will be opened. The distribution of prasad and theertha is banned though rituals can be performed.

Some religious places have decided to wait. BK Arshad of Masjid-e-Ibrahim Hinaya, said: “With number of cases increasing every day, it’s not appropriate to open the mosque. I’ve consulted epidemiologists and they suggested not to open at this point.” Mosques on the west coast and Madikeri too will not open.

Restaurants across the state are gearing up to open their doors for patrons. While eateries in Bengaluru have been providing takeaways and online deliveries for some time, customers can sit and dine there from Monday with strict conditions regulating their eating out.

“There are over 25,000 dining places in Bengaluru. Everyone is preparing for the Monday opening with sanitisation measures and distancing markings. Owners are taking no chances,” said Chandrashekar Hebbar, president, Karnataka Pradesh Hotel and Restaurant Association.

AWAITING FOOTFALL: Kukke Subramanya and (right) a Bengaluru mall gear up for visitors

HOW BENGALURU KEPT ITS VIRUS COUNT LOW: P 2

Lockdown doubts

Nod to plasma therapy Ph-III

Nod to plasma therapy Ph-III

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: 07.06.2020

The capital has received the Centre’s approval for starting the third phase of plasma therapy trials, under which 200 patients would undergo the procedure. In the second phase, 20 patients underwent the trials and recovered.

“The phase two trial of plasma therapy has been completed and its findings have been submitted to the Centre. The results have been quite encouraging. We have got the permission to start phase three trial, which will begin sometime next week. Earlier we saved lives of 20 people, and now I hope that we manage to save the lives of 200 patients,” chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said during an interview to a private news channel.

The first novel coronavirus positive patient who was given plasma therapy in a Delhi government hospital was timely discharged after recovering completely. He had been admitted to ICU when the therapy was administered on him, with the results turning out quite positively for the patient.

The Aam Aadmi Party government had endorsed the use of plasma therapy but later a few statements on behalf of the Union government caused people to believe that plasma therapy would be halted in the capital. The central government said that only states, which have been permitted by the Centre, should conduct the plasma therapy trials. The results of the plasma therapy are, at the moment, based on trials.

20 0

PATIENTS WILL UNDERGO PLASMA THERAPY IN THE THIRD PHASE OF TRIALS

Revenue dip may nudge T’gana to raise retirement age

Revenue dip may nudge T’gana to raise retirement age

Roushan.Ali@timesgroup.com  07.06.2020

Hyderabad: With revenues taking a big hit due to the economic slowdown and subsequently the lockdown due to coronavirus, the Telangana government’s decision to raise retirement age from 58 to 60 is now looking more likely. The move is estimated to save the government as much as ₹4,000 crore per annum.

Should the move materialise, the government will not have to pay gratuity, leave encashment, commutation and other retirement benefits in lump-sum thus resulting in huge savings. The finance department is currently working out the details and will send a report to chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who will then take a decision.

Many had been expecting most retirements to take place in the months of February and March instead of June.

Telangana non-gazetted officers’ association president K Ravinder Reddy told TOI that it was high time for the chief minister to implement his promise of enhancing retirement age.

Full report on www.toi.in

Retired AI pilot dies, suspected cause corona

Retired AI pilot dies, suspected cause corona

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:07.06.2020

An Air India pilot, who retired from the airline about a month ago, passed away on Friday night and the cause of death is suspected to be coronavirus.

An airline official said: “The senior captain, 58, had retired in April-end and had not flown in AI after that. We spoke to his family and they are saying it is not Covid, although the building (where the pilot lived) people are calling it corona.”

The senior captain operated the Airbus A320. During his career, he had also served as flight operation inspector in the DGCA. His demise has raised concern within the airline as a significant number of pilots and cabin crew are grappling with coronavirus.

“We have three-four symptomatic and 30-40 asymptomatic Covid-19 cases. Besides, we have 150 quarantined pilots and cabin crew members. In all about 200 of our crew members are either Covid positive or quarantined after passenger/s on the flights they operated tested positive,” said the official. Worryingly, the curve is rising in recent times, he added.

AI pilots are very agitated. They say while they risk their lives to operate Vande Bharat evacuation flights — the only international flights to and from India at the moment — the airline is not even paying them salary. The flying allowance (which accounts for over 70% of total pay) is due for March, April and May, and the basic of May is yet to be paid.

In the last two days, the pilots have been holding meetings with the AI management on the issue of pay. The aviation ministry is learnt to have asked the management to pay the pilots as per actual flying hours.

“When we leave our homes to operate flights, many of us face troubles from our RWAs or neighbours. We risk our lives for performing a service for the nation by flying stranded Indians from foreign countries home. On top of that the ministry and the management are showing no concern for us. No one even knows when and if we will be paid,” said a senior pilot.

Meanwhile, two pilots of Vistara have tested positive for Covid-19.

Ambulance charges ₹8K to go 200m between hospitals

Ambulance charges ₹8K to go 200m between hospitals

Mohammed.Wajihuddin@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:07.06.2020

A Covid-19 patient was recently charged ₹8,000 by a private ambulance to transport her from one hospital to another 200 metres away in Kurla. A relative of the patient made a video of the driver insisting on the ₹8,000 and it went viral.

On Monday, Kurla resident Kabirun Nisa was admitted to Habib Hospital with symptoms of novel coronavirus infection. The next day, when the middle-aged patient’s reports came positive for Covid-19, the hospital told her relatives to take her to another hospital as Habib did not have the facilities to treat her.

“I called Just Dial and enquired about a private ambulance as the government ambulance was not available. I was directed to contact Mobile Care, an ambulance service in Jarimari. They sent an ambulance and said they would charge ₹10,000,” Mohammed Mudassar Shaikh, Nisa’s brother-in-law, said.

Shaikh, who had fought the BMC election on aSamajwadi Party ticket and lost from Ward No. 168, Kurla, in 2017, said the patient needed oxygen and a regular vehicle was risky. So, he bargained and brought the fare down to ₹8,000.

Nisa was transported in the ambulance from Habib Hospital to Fauzia Hospital, 200 metres away. After Shaikh got Nisa admitted to Fauzia Hospital, which has facilities to treat Covid-19 patients, he came down to pay the ambulance driver. “I told him to take a little less. We were ready to pay even for the PPE kits the driver had used. His owner, Mohammed Ismaeel, would not take less than ₹8,000,” Shaikh said.

Owner Ismaeel said most drivers had left the city in the lockdown and costs were high.

A relative of the patient made a video of the driver insisting on the ₹8,000 and it went viral

Covid forces advocate, a first gen graduate, back to weaving baskets

Covid forces advocate, a first gen graduate, back to weaving baskets

Vincent.Arockiaraj@timesgroup.com  07.06.2020

He burned the midnight oil to become an advocate, but the coronavirus has shattered his dreams forcing him back to his traditional job of making bamboo baskets.

K Uthamakumaran, 34, who hails from the tribal malai kuruvar community, is a first-generation graduate of his family. After completing his law graduation in 2010, he had been practising at the Pattukottai court in Thanjavur. He has been unable to earn anything for the past two months as all courts were closed due to the lockdown. With his last bit of savings of ₹10,000 exhausted, Uthamakumaran was left penniless by the end of May. He stays at Thennankudi in Peravurani taluk with his wife and seven-year-old son.

“Since I had to eke out a living, I was ready to do any work. But the only other work Iknow was my ancestral vocation of weaving baskets from wild date palm fronds. After completing Class XII, I was helping my father Kalimuthu in the business as it was my family’s source of income. So, I started to make baskets,” he added.

Besides using it to store things in villages, such baskets are used to filter water from cooked rice at functions. “People come over to our house to buy various things made of palm fronds. Then we started to sell in weekly sandhai (markets). I made 10 baskets. Normally a basket is sold for ₹100 to ₹120. If two people are engaged in it, we can make 12 baskets a week and earn ₹1,200 to ₹1,500,” he says. He admits it is not enough to run the family as he has been earning about ₹25,000 a month as an advocate.

Around 2 lakh malai kuravars live across the state made a living from weaving baskets or sharpening grinder stones. “The government must provide some financial assistance to the community,” he said.

BACK TO ROOTS: As a lawyer, K Uthamakumaran earned ₹25,000 a month. He barely makes ₹1,200 a week now

Restaurants told to use disposable menu cards, napkins

Restaurants told to use disposable menu cards, napkins

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.06.2020

The state government on Saturday advised restaurants to use disposable menu cards, and encourage online and QR code-enabled payment methods wherever possible to avoid cash transactions due to Covid-19. Air conditioners or air coolers should not be used, instead all windows should be kept open.

Releasing a standard operating procedure for restaurants — just ahead of resumption of dine-in facilities with 50% seating capacity from June 8 — the government gave a slew of instructions to be followed by customers, owners, managers and workers, including thermal screening and hand wash at the entrance, and providing hand sanitisers on all dining tables. “In order to maintain strict social distancing in restaurants, seating arrangements should be made in such a way that 1sqm distance is maintained between each table,” the order said. Total number of dine-in customers should be displayed on a board prominently at the entrance.

Good quality disposable paper napkins must be used instead of cloth napkins, use of escalators with one person on alternate steps will have to be encouraged, while gaming arcades/ children play areas will remain closed in restaurants. CCTV camera surveillance is a must at the entrance and at other places for tracing contacts if need be later.

Customers having cough, cold or fever should not be permitted and those with comorbidities should avoid visiting restaurants, the government has advised. “Biometric attendance system should be avoided in restaurants. People above 65 years of age, those with comorbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home except for essential runs and medical needs,” the order said. Take aways should be encouraged instead of dine-in, and food delivery personnel should leave food packets at customers’ doorsteps.

Restaurants should ensure physical distancing of at least 6ft is maintained within and while queuing up to enter their premises.

In another order for shops and other establishments, the government said hand wash facilities should be made available with soap and water or sanitisers at the entrance. “At a time, only one person should be allowed to buy the goods and a minimum of four to five people shall be allowed to wait in the marking area,” the order said. Customers should not touch products at the shops “unnecessarily” and should wash their hands once they reach home.

Shops, other establishments must allow only one customer at a time, says government in latest order

Children’s home new Covid hotspot in city

Children’s home new Covid hotspot in city

Corpn Seals Facility; 35 Kids, 3 Staff Tested +ve

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.06.2020

Greater Chennai Corporation on Saturday sealed a children’s in Tondiarpet after 15 children tested positive for Covid-19. Nineteen children had tested positive on Thursday.

All 81 children in the home, under the social defence department, have been shifted to hospitals and various quarantine facilities.

One block in the home had 24 children — temporary inmates including those rescued from railway stations — while the other had 57 permanent inmates.

On May 30, a boy from the reception block tested positive days after developing fever. It was found he had contracted it from a caretaker who showed symptoms of the infection. Later, all the inmates including the staff were tested. Nineteen children tested positive on June 4 and another 15 including three teachers tested positive on Saturday.

One child has been isolated at the Chennai Trade Centre in Nandanam, 19 were shifted to the Communicable Diseases Hospital in Tondiarpet and 13 kids are in hospital quarantine as they showed mild symptoms but tested negative. Thirty-three other children are at Vivekananda School. The home has been converted into a quarantine facility, with a doctor regularly checking the remaining children.

A senior Tondiarpet zone official said the home was disinfected daily. “The first case was found after a surveillance worker reported that a child had symptoms. There are 11 other homes in the zone and we are checking on them every day. We have instructed the caretakers of the homes to ensure they don’t come in contact with those who go out to buy essentials.”

Sources said the children couldn’t be taken for tests to fever camps due to lack of transport and social distancing at the small home was impossible. A guard tested positive after he showed up at an Urban Primary Health Care Centre and the children at the home were tested.

Corporation commissioner G Prakash said officials had begun testing children in other homes as well as inmates of old age homes. “Since the guards and caretakers come from other areas, there is a chance of spread. We have fever surveillance workers who check on them every day and if anyone shows symptoms, we will test them,” he said.

The shelter is being disinfected daily for the past four days

16% of city’s streets have most of its Covid patients

MICRO MANAGEMENT

16% of city’s streets have most of its Covid patients

Royapuram Among Hotspots

Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.06.2020

As the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise, Greater Chennai Corporation data shows that of the 39,537 streets across 15 zones, only 6,537 streets, or 16%, have Covid patients. Among these streets, all active cases are on 5,943 streets.

Royapuram, Tondiarpet, Thiru vi ka Nagar, Teynampet and Kodambakkam zones account for the highest number of cases and affected streets.

In Tondiarpet, 2,249 patients live on 870 of the 2,995 streets. An official from the zone said only 76 streets had more than 5 cases.

“We are planning several measures and campaigns. We conduct 90-100 fever camps every day. We are testing every contact of Covid positive patient in these streets.”

In Royapuram, 3,344 patients lived on 563 streets, while in Thiru vi ka Nagar, 1,925 patients live on 497 streets and in Kodambakkam, 1,934 patients were on 373 streets. On Saturday, there were 8,947 positive cases with 9,392 people recovered.

“The idea behind breaking the cases as per streets is to ensure we have a micro plan for every street. Whenever there is a cluster, we ensure measures are taken to prevent the spread and to take measures to isolate contacts. This will also help us in consolidating streets without any cases,” said J Radhakrishnan, Covid special officer for the corporation.

Earlier, the strategy was to look at it as an area. “Now, we will break it into streets. In Tsunami colony, earlier an area, will be broken into five streets.”

In a letter drafted to the corporation commissioner and zonal special team leaders on June 4, the chief secretary asked them to follow a new street plan, giving constant updates on streetwise total cases, active cases, recently reported cases that would provide an idea about new outbreak, recurring cases and so on. Corporation commissioner G Prakash said micro plans were being implemented to curb the spread in zones, wards and streets.

Activists say making plans is one thing, implementing them another. “On my street in Nanganallur, a 42-year-old man tested positive. Till date, none of us on the street has been tested though we are senior citizens,” said V Rama Rao, a social worker.

Soon, an app to alert availability of Covid beds across hospitals

Soon, an app to alert availability of Covid beds across hospitals

Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.06.2020

To ensure smooth hospitalisation and treatment, the Greater Chennai Corporation is working on a mobile application that will provide data on bed vacancy, Covid care centres for patients and officials. After reports of some patients being turned away from Covid care centres and a few private hospitals, TN chief secretary K Shanmugham put this initiative in the works.

A Covid-19 positive patient with recent miscarriage was rejectedby many privatehospitals due to non-availability of beds, before getting admission into a privatehospital atVanagaram. In another case, an infected patient who had undergone bypass surgery earlier could not find beds in government hospitals in the city and had to wait for 24 hours before being admitted into Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, said Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam.

On Saturday, a document with details on the available beds was circulated along with contact numbersof doctors.As per data from thehealthdepartment, 17,433 beds were available across government and private hospitals and covid care and healthcare centres as on June 6. Eight government hospitals and four private hospitals and colleges have been converted into Covid health centres with 2,560 beds. At least 17 colleges and other institutions have been converted into covid care centres with 5,372 beds.

A corporation official said the instruction is to create at least 10,000 beds available in variouscovidcarecentres. “We are identifying various schools, halls and institutions and are purchasing beds as well,” said the official. Regarding the application, the official said each zonal official was filling the information on bed occupancy and availability. “We will allocate beds and centres only through the application onceitis ready,” said an official. “The app is almost ready.There are some issues that we are resolving,” said G Prakash, Greater Chennai corporation commissioner.

On Friday, health minister C Vijayabaskar said the information on the number of available beds and cost of treatment will be available on the website on a real-time basis for people to make informed choices. Treatment at government hospitals is free, he said. “This is being made available so that people don’t have to run from pillar to post. As several cases of Covid positive patients being turned awayduetounavailability of beds is being reported, we wanted to make this information public,” he said.

Jayaram Venkatesan said to avoid confusion, total occupancy rateshouldbe provideda part from oxygen and ICU beds and ventilator detailsshould also be made available, he said.

Anna varsity mulls online exam for 1 lakh engg students

Anna varsity mulls online exam for 1 lakh engg students

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.06.2020

As one lakh engineering students across the state wait to complete their graduation, Anna University is mulling to hold online exams for finalyear students due to uncertainty in conducting pen-and-paper exams during the lockdown.

The university, which expects more than 70% students to choose the online mode, may also offer offline exams for students who cannot take it online.

“We cannot wait indefinitely and have to conduct exams. We are seriously considering conducting online exams for finalyear students,” said M K Surappa, vice-chancellor, Anna University.

Even if students fail in online exams, they may get a second chance to write exams in offline mode. “If only 30% students opt for offline exams, we can accommodate them in hostels and exam halls by maintaining social distancing norms,” the VC said. The online exam mode may have embedded artificial intelligence features to prevent foul play. The questions are likely to be based on multiplechoice pattern.

‘Online test would be big challenge’

The questions will have various levels of difficulty to test students.

“We wanted to introduce online exams for our four campuses first. After learning about issues, exams could be conducted for students studying throughout the state,” Surappa added.

Deemed universities and IITs were also planning online exams. “Those students are small in numbers and they are mainly urban students. But a majority of students from Anna University are from rural areas and their numbers are more. So, it would be a big challenge,” professors said.

Earlier, the university decided to conduct digital evaluation to rule out malpractices in revaluation. In the first phase, the university conducted digital evaluation for first semester students on four campuses College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG), Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), AlagappaCollege of Technology and School of Architecture and Planning.

உணவகங்களுக்கான வழிகாட்டி விதிமுறைகள்

உணவகங்களுக்கான வழிகாட்டி விதிமுறைகள்

Updated : ஜூன் 07, 2020 00:21 | Added : ஜூன் 07, 2020 00:07

சென்னை; 'உணவகங்களில், 'ஏசி' பயன்படுத்தக் கூடாது; நோய் அறிகுறி உள்ளவர்களை அனுமதிக்கக் கூடாது' என, தமிழக அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

தமிழகத்தில், நாளை முதல் உணவகங்களில், 50 சதவீதம் பேர் அமர்ந்து சாப்பிட, தமிழக அரசு அனுமதி வழங்கி உள்ளது. அதையொட்டி, உணவகங்களில் பின்பற்ற வேண்டிய வழிகாட்டி விதிமுறைகளை, தமிழக அரசு, அரசாணையாக வெளியிட்டுள்ளது. அதன் விபரம்:

* உணவகங்கள் நுழைவு வாயிலில், உணவகங்களுக்கு வரும் ஊழியர்கள் மற்றும் வாடிக்கையாளர்களின், உடல் வெப்பநிலையை பரிசோதிக்கும் வசதியை ஏற்படுத்த வேண்டும்

* காய்ச்சல் இருந்தால், அவர்களை அனுமதிக்கக் கூடாது; டாக்டர்களை அணுகும்படி, அறிவுரை கூறி அனுப்ப வேண்டும்

* நுழைவு வாயிலிலே, கை கழுவ சோப் அல்லது கிருமி நாசினி, தண்ணீர் வசதி ஏற்படுத்த வேண்டும்* உணவகங்களில், 'ஏசி' பயன்படுத்தக் கூடாது; அனைத்து ஜன்னல்களையும் திறந்து வைத்திருக்க வேண்டும்

* உணவு அருந்தும் மேஜைகளிலும், கிருமி நாசினி வைத்திருக்க வேண்டும்; உணவகங்களில் உள்ள, கழிப்பறைகளை சுத்தமாக பராமரிக்க வேண்டும். அங்கும் கை கழுவ, கிருமி நாசினி வைக்க வேண்டும்

* சமையல் அறை உட்பட, உணவகங்களின் அனைத்து பகுதிகளையும், கிருமி நாசினியால் தினமும் சுத்தப்படுத்த வேண்டும்

* உணவகங்களில், 50 சதவீத இருக்கைகளில் மட்டும், வாடிக்கையாளர்களை அனுமதிக்க வேண்டும்; சமூக இடைவெளியை கடைப்பிடிக்கும் வகையில், இருக்கைகளை ஏற்படுத்த வேண்டும்

* பயன்படுத்தப்படாத இருக்கைகளில், 'சேவை இல்லை' என, அறிவிப்பு பலகை வைக்க வேண்டும். வாடிக்கையாளர்களிடம் ரொக்கமாக பணம் வாங்காமல், மின்னணு முறையில் பணம் செலுத்த நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும்

*வீடுகளுக்கு உணவு எடுத்து செல்லும் ஊழியர்களின், உடல் வெப்ப நிலையை பரிசோதித்த பிறகு அனுப்ப வேண்டும்

* முதியோர் மற்றும் கர்ப்பமாக இருக்கும் பெண்களை, பணியில் ஈடுபடுத்தினால், கூடுதல் கவனம் செலுத்தவும்

* ஒரு முறை பயன்படுத்தி துாக்கி எறியக்கூடிய மெனு கார்டுகளை பயன்படுத்த வேண்டும்; நோய் அறிகுறி உள்ள ஊழியர்களை, பணிக்கு வர வேண்டாம் எனக்கூறி, மருத்துவமனைக்கு அனுப்பி வைக்க வேண்டும்

* உணவக ஊழியர்கள் அனைவரும், முகக்கவசம் மற்றும் கையுறை அணிந்திருக்க வேண்டும். உணவை கையாளும் ஊழியர்கள், கைக்கடிகாரம் மற்றும் அணிகலன் அணிவதை தவிர்க்கவும்

* காய்கறிகள், பருப்பு, அரிசி போன்றவற்றை, சமைப்பதற்கு முன், குளோரின் நீரில் சுத்தம் செய்யவும்

* சமையல் அறை ஊழியர்கள், 30 நிமிடங்களுக்கு ஒரு முறை, தங்கள் கைகளை கிருமி நாசினியால் சுத்தம் செய்ய வேண்டும்

* உணவகத்திற்கு வரும் வாடிக்கையாளர்களுக்கு, சளி, இருமல், காய்ச்சல் இருந்தால் அனுமதிக்க வேண்டாம்.இவ்வாறு, அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

புதிய மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகள் கட்டுமானப் பணிகள் துவக்கம்

புதிய மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகள் கட்டுமானப் பணிகள் துவக்கம்

Added : ஜூன் 06, 2020 23:38

சென்னை; இரண்டு புதிய மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகள் கட்டுமான பணிகளை, பொதுப்பணி துறை துவங்கி உள்ளது.

விருதுநகர், ராமநாதபுரம், திண்டுக்கல், நாமக்கல், திருப்பூர், நீலகிரி, கிருஷ்ணகிரி, நாகப்பட்டினம், திருவள்ளூர், கள்ளக்குறிச்சி, அரியலுார் ஆகிய, 11 மாவட்டங்களில், அரசு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகள் அமைக்க, மத்திய அரசு அனுமதி வழங்கியது.

ஒவ்வொரு மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிக்கும், தன் பங்களிப்பாக, 195 கோடி ரூபாயை, மத்திய அரசு வழங்கியுள்ளது. மாநில அரசு, தலா, 130 கோடி ரூபாயை, ஒதுக்கீடு செய்துள்ளது. இந்த நிதியை பயன்படுத்தி, ஒன்பது மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளின் கட்டுமானப் பணிகள் நடந்து வருகின்றன.கள்ளக்குறிச்சி மற்றும் அரியலுார் மாவட்டங்களில் மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகள் அமைக்க, ஜன., மாதம் ஒப்புதல் கிடைத்து விட்டது. ஊரடங்கு காரணமாக, இதற்கான பணிகள் பாதிக்கப்பட்டன. தற்போது, ஊரடங்கு விதிகளில் தளர்வு கிடைத்துள்ள நிலையில், கட்டுமான பணிக்கான ஒப்பந்ததாரர் தேர்வை, பொதுப்பணி துறை துவங்கியுள்ளது.

கள்ளக்குறிச்சியில், மருத்துவமனை கட்டடம், 144 கோடி ரூபாய்; கல்லுாரி கட்டடம், 102 கோடி ரூபாய்; மருத்துவர் மற்றும் ஊழியர் குடியிருப்புகள், 55 கோடி ரூபாயில் கட்டப்பட உள்ளன. அரியலுாரில், மருத்துவ கல்லுாரி மற்றும் மருத்துவ மனை கட்டடம், 188 கோடி ரூபாய்; குடியிருப்புகள், 95 கோடி ரூபாய் மதிப்பீட்டிலும் கட்டப்படவுள்ளன. இம்மாதம், ஒப்பந்ததாரர் தேர்வை முடித்து, கட்டுமான பணிகளை துவங்க திட்டமிடப்பட்டு உள்ளது.

RGUHS COVID19 Innovation Challange: Applications Invited From Faculty, Students By GarimaPublished On 5 Jun 2020 12:22 PM | Updated On 5 Jun 2020 12:22 PM 

Bengaluru: The renowned Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka (RGUHS) has invited applications from its medical colleges' faculty and students to participate in RGUHS COVID19 Innovation Challange. 

The university in association with partners such as IIT-B, IISC, GHA, BBC, NSRCEL, Microsoft, Elsevier has come up with a call inviting innovative students to participate in 'RGUHS COVID 19 Innovation Challenge. RGUHS will provide a suitable platform for new inventions. This will be a first-ever healthcare innovation challenge 

All the interested faculty and students of RGUHS affiliated institutions can apply by 5th June 2020, that is today till 5 pm. The Hackathon will be held online on 8th June 2020. The purpose of this day-long Hackathon is to provide a platform for our students to explore their potential and showcase their mettle for innovative solutions for myriad challenges in COVID-19 healthcare and related issues. The following are the themes in which they can participate. 

1. Health, 2. Vulnerable Populations, 3. Businesses, 4. Community, 5. Education, and 6. Data Sciences. 

2. The Hackathon is being held in collaboration with institutions of national repute and will add to the profile of the participants. Issuing a notice informing about the effect, the Vice-Chancellor of the varsity called upon its medical colleges' authorities to motivate and exhort your students to participate online in this historic event under the themes relevant to their skill and aptitude and contribute actively for the national cause. 

https://medicaldialogues.in/news/education/medical-universities/rguhs-covid19-innovation-challange-applications-invited-from-faculty-students-66408

Uber cabs return to Chennai streets, with several safety measures

Uber cabs return to Chennai streets, with several safety measures

Uber driver-partners have been directed to disinfect their car before and after every trip. To allow for space between the driver and the rider, customers are advised not to occupy the front seat.

By: Express Web Desk | Chennai | Published: June 4, 2020 9:54:42 pm

Though the services have resumed, many are still reluctant to avail of them. 

Cab-aggregator Uber resumed its services in Chennai Thursday. Residents can now access UberGO, UberXL, and Uber Premier services, with rates dependent on the demand-supply algorithm.

Over the past few weeks, Uber had launched a comprehensive set of safety measures, such as the Go Online Checklists, a mandatory mask policy for both riders and drivers and pre-trip mask verification selfies for drivers, along with an updated cancellation policy, allowing both riders and drivers to cancel trips if they don’t feel safe.

Uber driver-partners have been directed to disinfect their car before and after every trip. To allow for space between the driver and the rider, customers are advised not to occupy the front seat. Only two riders are allowed in a car.

In a release, Ratul Ghosh, Head Ridesharing, East and South India, said on resumption of services: “This will bring back earning opportunities for our drivers and we will constantly work with the authorities to continue to ensure the highest possible hygiene and safety standards for our drivers and riders.”

The released added that Uber has provided more than 3 million masks and 20,000 bottles of disinfectants and sanitisers to its driver-partners free of cost.

When asked how Uber is taking care of its driving partners in the lockdown, a spokesperson of Uber via mail said they had created the ‘Uber Care Driver Fund’ with an initial commitment of Rs 25 crore from the company, and welcomed contributions from their employees, citizens, NGOs and corporate partners.

“Through the fund collected, we have disbursed grants to more than 90,000 drivers. It is in addition to tens of thousands of free rides that are being offered to various state governments, and for services provided on UberMedic, UberEssentials and last mile deliveries. Other forms of our support to drivers during these challenging times includes waiver of lease rentals, facilitating EMI relief, rolling out an additional insurance policy and offering drivers access to online medical services such as DocsAPP at no charge,” the spokesperson said.

Though the services have resumed, many are still reluctant to avail of them.

Lakshmi Narayanan, who resides near Medavakkam in Chennai, said she is a regular user of private aggregators like Uber and Ola because of their low price and quick service in comparison with regular autos/taxis. But now, she is hesitant to travel in cabs due to the fear of the coronavirus spread.

“Just like everyone, I am scared about the spread of the virus. Though I have heard from my friends that the drivers wear masks, provide sanitizers, etc. I am still hesitant to travel. Maybe after 10-15 days, after seeing positive responses from more users, I might opt for their service again,” she said.

மீண்டும் சேவையை துவக்கியது, 'ஓலா'

மீண்டும் சேவையை துவக்கியது, 'ஓலா'

Added : ஜூன் 05, 2020 23:36

சென்னை; சென்னையில் போக்கு வரத்து சேவையை, 'ஓலா' நிறுவனம், மீண்டும் துவங்கி உள்ளது.

இதுகுறித்து, அந்த நிறுவனம் வெளியிட்ட செய்திக்குறிப்பு: தமிழக அரசின், சமீபத்திய புதிய வழிகாட்டுதலின்படி, கோவை, மதுரை, திருச்சி, சேலம் உட்பட, பல்வேறு முக்கிய நகரங்களில், ஏற்கனவே சேவை துவக்கப்பட்டது. தற்போது, சென்னையில், ஓலாவின் போக்குவரத்து சேவை துவக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.விமான நிலையம் மற்றும் பிற பகுதிகளுக்கு சென்றுவர, ஓலா ஆட்டோ மற்றும் கார்களை வாடிக்கையாளர்கள் பதிவு செய்யலாம்.

ஒவ்வொரு பயணத்திற்கு முன்பும், டிரைவர் மற்றும் பயணியருக்கு, முக கவசம் அணிதல், காரில் கிருமி நீக்கம் செய்தல், டிஜிட்டல் பண பரிவர்த்தனை உள்ளிட்ட, ஐந்து அடுக்கு பாதுகாப்பு வழங்கப்படுகிறது. பாதுகாப்பு அம்சங்களை பின்பற்றாத டிரைவர் மற்றும் வாடிக்கையாளர்களின் பயணம் ரத்து செய்யப்படும்.இவ்வாறு, அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

Coronavirus intrudes into Secretariat, 23 test positive

Coronavirus intrudes into Secretariat, 23 test positive

The coronavirus has intruded into the State Secretariat with 23 employees, including eight officers, reportedly testing positive for the viral infection.

Published: 05th June 2020 07:09 AM | Last Updated: 05th June 2020 07:09 AM

For representational purposes (Photo | Shekhar Yadav, EPS)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The coronavirus has intruded into the State Secretariat with 23 employees, including eight officers, reportedly testing positive for the viral infection. The test results of a few IAS officers are awaited, said sources. Pointing out the rise in infections, the Tamil Nadu Secretariat Association has made a representation to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami urging him to reduce the number of staff present on a given working day to 33 per cent.

They stated that maintaining physical distance has became difficult after 50 per cent of staff were told to attend office from June 1. The association has also urged the Chief Minister to exempt employees aged above 55, pregnant women, lactating mothers and those having ailments from attending office till the lockdown gets over.

Association president S Peter Anthonysami told Express that employees coming from red zones should be allowed to work from home. He said thermal scanning should be compulsory for all staff at entrances to the Secretariat. The quarantine period of employees should be treated as special casual leave and until the pandemic is contained fully, entry of public into the Secretariat should be restricted.

Three Madras High Court judges test COVID positive

Three Madras High Court judges test COVID positive

The restriction will also apply to subordinate courts across the State as nine district courts were allowed to conduct open court hearings.

Published: 06th June 2020 06:50 AM | Last Updated: 06th June 2020 06:50 AM | A+A A-

Madras High Court (File photo | PTI)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Three judges of the Madras High Court on Friday tested positive for Covid-19 and are undergoing treatment in private hospitals in the city, said sources in the High Court.

Following this, the functioning of the court has been restricted with limited benches put in place and judges to hold video-conferencing from their residences. Apart from the three judges, some of the personal staff and secretaries have also tested positive. Two division benches and four single judges will take up only urgent matters and the hearings would be conducted from the residential chambers of the judges and not from the Court premises from Monday. A circular pertaining to functioning of courts has also been released.

The restriction will also apply to subordinate courts across the State as nine district courts were allowed to conduct open court hearings. All access to the High Court premises will be restricted till June 30.

15 private varsities get notices over admission tests

15 private varsities get notices over admission tests

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:  06.06.2020

The admission overseeing committee for professional courses in Karnataka has slapped notices on 15 private universities for announcing separate tests for engineering and management admissions and inviting applications even before class 12 exams are completed.

According to the Supreme Court, institutions offering the same discipline should conduct a common entrance test and centralised counselling instead of holding their own test, burdening students. “…Single-window system of admission is necessary in order to achieve the twin objectives of transparency and merit, all institutions of the same or similar type, whether minority or non-minority institution, will therefore be required to fill their seats through a single entrance test...,” the apex court had said in its judgment in the TMA Pai Foundation case. Such colleges have to come together and conduct an entrance test.

Till last year, while some institutions held their own entrance tests, others were relying on ComedK scores. However, the number of institutions holding their own tests increased this year. With this, students have been forced to pay for separate application forms and write multiple tests for an engineering seat.

The committee headed by Justice B Manohar has sent notices to15 institutions and warned them of action if they fail to comply.“...Necessary recommendation will be made to the apex bodies and state government to take over the admission process and to substitute its own procedure for selection of a student,” said the notification sent to the institutions.

“Students are forced to apply to different colleges. They have to cough up application fees to all these colleges, write exams for these universities as they cannot take a chance and undergo unnecessary stress. Some of the colleges have already received around 15,000 applications,” said Justice B Manohar.

Multiple exams

An engineering aspirant in the state has to appear for multiple entrance tests to have a safe option: Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) for IITs, JEE Main for NITs, Common Entrance Test for engineering seats in Karnataka, ComedK for seats in private engineering colleges, entrance tests for deemed-to-be and private universities in Karnataka and other states.

Matter of branding

For many private institutions, conducting their own test is a matter of branding as much as it is about autonomy and cherry-picking.

“We started doing the test because all prestigious institutions have it and it’s a matter of branding. But, we are ready to join others if a common test is mooted,” said a top private university in the state.