100 more +ve cases take TJ cluster count in state to 364

Attendees’ Kin In Containment Zones Across TN

Jaya.Menon@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.04.2020

As the authorities stepped up their outreach to members of the Tablighi Jamaat on Friday, 100 more from Tamil Nadu tested Covid-19 positive among those who attended a congregation of the group in Delhi last month. With this, 364 people have tested positive in the TJ cluster in the state.

Two people outside the cluster too tested positive on Friday taking the total number of cases in Tamil Nadu to 411. The two – a 52-year-old man who had a travel history to the US and a 60-year-old woman who has an autoimmune disorder – are residents of Chennai. “She was already vulnerable. As of now, we don’t know where she contracted the infection,” said a senior public health officer.

Tamil Nadu chief secretary K Shanmugam met 15 community and religious leaders on Friday and sought their help to reach out to TJ members and their families to contain the virus spread. Many of the TJ members have been isolated in hospitals and quarantined, and their families across Tamil Nadu retained within containment zones. At least 1,500 TJ members from Tamil Nadu had participated in the Delhi conference. Around 400 remained in Delhi while the rest returned home.

GO FULL THROTTLE: Disinfectants being sprayed in Chennai on Friday

Spike in cases because of isolation, testing of TJ cluster, says health secy

Health secretary Beela Rajesh said, “The number of cases has gone up because we have been able to isolate and test people in the cluster (TJ),” said health secretary Beela Rajesh. “In the last few hours, 200 more people have come. We are drawing samples from them for testing,” she said.

The state tested 376 people with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), admitted to various hospitals. “Three of them tested positive. All of them had a contact history,” said Beela Rajesh. Health minister C Vijayabaskar said the state had screened 2,10,538 passengers and 1,580 people were admitted to isolation wards.

As many as 364 people from the Delhi group tested positive while 303 others from the group tested negative. “This does not mean that they are all safe. Since the incubation period is 14 days, they still carry the risk of turning positive... Which is why we insist they remain in quarantine,” the health secretary said. Those who test positive would be moved to hospital quarantine even if they are asymptomatic.

The focus of the health department now is to extend the containment area so that the disease does not spread to the community. Door-to-door screening with a list of fever cases for intense monitoring is helping contain the disease.

Of the 102 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu on Friday, 38 are from the southern districts. This takes the total number of infected persons in the south to 147. A doctor from Kayalpattinam municipality who attended the TJ meet in Delhi has also tested positive.

Salem collector S A Raman said of the six Covid-19 patients, including five Indonesian TJ missionaries, under treatment in the district, three had recovered and tested negative on Friday. They will be discharged from hospital after getting the state government’s nod.

FULL COVERAGE: PAGES 2-9

At 9pm Sunday, switch off lights, light diyas, urges PM

Asks People Not To Breach Social Distancing Rule

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:04.04.2020

About halfway through the 21-day national lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a nine-minute blackout at 9pm on Sunday and urged people to use candles, diyas and mobile torchlights to demonstrate solidarity and reiterate a collective resolve to beat back the challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister’s brief video message telecast on Friday morning aimed to keep public morale up with Modi emphasising collective action and urging people to stay the course. Reaching out to people chaffing at confinement and monotony, he said, “We are confined to our own homes, and may be getting assailed by doubts as to how one can win this fight... But none of us is alone. The collective strength of 130 crore Indians is with each one of us.” He added that lighting of lamps on Sunday will help rearm the resolve to prevail against coronavirus. The Prime Minister underlined the need to assure people, particularly the poor, that their travails will end.

Address real issues, says opposition

Expressing deep disappointment with the Prime Minister’s message, opposition parties said he did not address the “real issues” of livelihood that citizens are concerned about and measures to quell worries regarding the spread of Covid-19. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted, “Just a feel-good moment curated by India’s Photo-Op PM.” Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra tweeted, “Get real Mr Modi.” P 7

Act of solidarity should not mean crowding: PM

Modi said, “Amidst the darkness spread by the corona pandemic, we must continuously progress towards light and hope. We must continuously strive to take those of us most affected, our poor brothers and sisters, from despair to hope and from uncertainty to certainty. We must defeat the deep darkness of the crisis.” In the “we-arein-this-together” video message recorded on the ninth day of the lockdown, the PM focused on the importance of the power of the collective as well as the need to demonstrate it for the battle against the pandemic. Referring to the massive response to his call for solidarity for doctors, paramedics and others on the frontline, he said, “On March 22, the country realised that we are united in this fight. It is important that in this long fight, we continue to feel and experience the power of the collective in its colossal splendour. It renews the spirit, sketches out the objective and lights up the path to achieve it.”

“And that is why, this Sunday, on April 5, we must all together, challenge the darkness spread by the corona crisis, introducing it to the power of light. On this April 5, we must awaken the superpower of 130 crore Indians. We must take the super resolve of 130 crore Indians to even greater heights,” he said. Like in his previous addresses on the coronavirus situation, the PM underlined the need for social distancing and being at home, saying it was the only “Ram baan (Ram’s arrow)” to defeat the spread of the disease. He stressed that halting the pandemic was everyone’s fight and would need continued adherence to the lockdown norms. “You don’t have to come out on roads and in streets. Social distancing norms are to be observed under all circumstances as it is our only option, the perfect option, against against the virus,” he said.

He urged people to turn off all the lights in homes and stand in balconies or at the doors with candles, diyas or mobile flashlights to illuminate the common purpose of the fight against the pandemic. “Turn off all the lights in your homes, stand at your doors or in you balconies, and light candles or diyas, torches or mobile flashlights for 9 minutes,” Modi exhorted. The PM’s address was, however, criticised by opposition leaders, who alleged too many overlaps of the 9 numeral was inspired by Hindu astrology and that his remarks lacked any substantial assurances. But the PM said the exercise would make all realise that no one was alone and 130 crore Indians were linked by common resolve.

He added that the act of solidarity should not mean crowding. “However, I have one more prayer in this regard, that no one must assemble or gather anywhere while participating in this programme. Please do not go out on to roads, lanes or your localities, do it at the doorstep or balconies of your own homes,” Modi said.

Users struggle to buy, repair mobile, laptop

Pankaj.Doval@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:04.04.2020

D Vinayak, a senior professional with a media company in the Delhi-NCR region, is extremely worried over the last two days. His laptop — the only way he gets connected to his office and manages to carry out his assignments from home — has crashed.

On contacting the manufacturer, the staff at the helpline tried to sort out his problem over phone, but it turned out to be an issue with a specific part that needs replacement. “But movement of our repair staff is not allowed at residential societies. So, we cannot do anything,” he was told.

Worried that he may not be able to contribute to his office, he tried buying a new laptop. “Sorry, but there are no deliveries happening now, and our retail stores are also closed,” he got the answer, leaving him completely cut-off from his professional commitments.

RESTRICTED MOVEMENT

Hospitals, govt offices find it difficult to repair and replenish

I have a smartphone, but it is not sufficient for my work that requires a bigger screen and preparation of presentations, and other important stuff.” Vinayak is not alone. Neelima Sharma, a home-maker in Chennai, has been at odds after her refrigerator stopped working. All the food and other grocery essentials that she had stored are going waste — a big worry during the Covid-19 lockdown when people are conserving every bit of consumables that they have.

With no chance of a repair, a desperate Sharma has now posted an appeal in the WhatsApp group of her apartment, requesting anyone with “even a small spare refrigerator to lend/lease” it to her for some days.

With work from home (WFH) becoming the norm in the era of social distancing, many services that were broadly seen as “non-essential” till some time back, are now defining the new-age work culture. Repairs of laptops, printers, refrigerators, ACs, smartphones and even televisions are an absolute necessity when you are confined to your house under emergency conditions.

And it’s not just residential areas, even hospitals and government offices are also finding it difficult to repairs or replenish stuff. It’s near impossible to carry out any repair work swiftly without an emergency pass.

“Provision of these services is an absolute essential in such times. People are literally under house arrest and the only way we can drive productivity is through work-from-home. But if the repairs cannot be carried out, you not only end up wasting crucial man hours, but it’s also a loss for the country’s GDP,” Nitin Kunkolienker, president of IT hardware industry body MAIT, said.

Kunkolienker said that having the freedom to work from remote locations — home in the case of Covid-19 — serves the purpose of creating social distancing. However, he rues that enforcement agencies are not open to issuing even the bareminimum passes easily for the movement and passage of the support staff and essentials to carry out repairs. “Many states think that it is a favour that we are seeking… it’s not a favour, rather a necessity.”

LG Electronics has major AC deployments across hospitals, but is finding it difficult to get curfew passes. “We have not been able to carry out service in a big way. For important calls, we are guiding through phone. We are facing a difficult task, and are now raising it up with our industry association as well as concerned state governments,” Vijay Babu, vice-president for home appliances and ACs at LG India, said.

Such is the scale of the problem that a senior employee at Samsung India has been unable to replace the faulty laptop charging cable of his family member. “How do I get it done? I have no answer,” he said, requesting anonymity.

An official with a top MNC computer maker said that their “service staff was beaten up by policemen” in the early days of the lockdown. “What do we do now? We can’t risk the safety and security of our support staff.”

Manish Sharma, president of Panasonic India, said that his company has sought curfew passes for certain number of service staff to cater to critical installation such as in hospitals. “We are still not sure how it will be given, but are working on it.”

மது கிடைக்காத குடி நோயாளிகள்.. குடும்பத்தினருக்கு எச்சரிக்கை!

டாக்டர் எஸ்.மோகன வெங்கடாசலபதி

2.4.2020

இரு தினங்களுக்கு முன்பு சென்னையில் குடிநோயாளி ஒருவர் மது கிடைக்காததால் தனது கழுத்தை பிளேடால் கீறிக் கொண்டு உயிரை மாய்த்துக்கொண்டார் என்றொரு செய்தி. இவர் மது கிடைக்காத விரக்தியில் தற்கொலை செய்துகொண்டார் என நாம் நினைத்தாலும், குடியில் இருந்து மீண்டு வரும்போது ஏற்படும் வித்ட்ராயல் அறிகுறிகளின் விளைவாகக் கூடஅவரது தற்கொலை அமைந்திருக்கலாம்.

குடியில் இருந்து மீண்டு வரும்போது ஏற்படும் தொல்லைகளை ‘ஆல்கஹால் வித்ட்ராயல் சிண்ட்ரோம்’ என்போம். இன்றைய ஊரடங்கு நாட்களில் குடிநோயாளிகள் எதிர்கொள்ளும் தீவிரமான பிரச்சினை இது.மனித மூளையில் ‘ரிவார்டு சென்டர்’ என்றொரு பகுதியில் ஏற்படும் வேதிப்பொருட்களின் மாற்றமே ஒருவன் குடிக்கு அடிமையாக காரணம். இவர்களால் குடிக்காமல் இருக்க முடியாது. முழு நேரமும் உடலும் மனமும் மதுவையே சார்ந்திருக்கும் குடிநோயாளிகளாக இருப்பார்கள்.

இப்படி மதுவுக்கு அடிமைப்பட்ட குடிநோயாளி மது கிடைக்காத இந்நாட்களில் எப்படி இருப்பார்?

குடி பழக்கம் உள்ள அனைவரையும் குடிநோயாளிகள் எனச் சொல்லிவிடமுடியாது. அதேபோல் மிதமாகக் குடிக்கிற, ஆரோக்கியமான இடைவெளி விட்டுக் குடிக்கிற, கல்லீரல் போன்ற உறுப்புகள் பாதிப்படையாத நிலையில் நல்ல சத்துள்ள உணவுகளை உட்கொள்ளும் குடி பழக்கம் உள்ளவர்களுக்கு மிக தீவிரமாக வித்ட்ராவல் அறிகுறிகள் இருப்பதில்லை.

தீவிர குடிநோயாளிகளுக்கு குடியை நிறுத்தி 6-லிருந்து 8 மணி நேரத்துக்குள்ளாக கைவிரல்களில் நடுக்கம் இருக்கும். சிலருக்கு வியர்க்கும். குமட்டல், லேசான வயிற்றுப்போக்கு, நெஞ்சு படபடப்புபோன்ற அறிகுறிகள் இருக்கலாம்.

அதையடுத்து 8 மணி நேரம் முதல் 12 மணி நேரத்துக்குள்ளாக மனப்பிறழ் உணர்வு தொந்தரவுகள் ஏற்படலாம். யாரும் பேசாமல் காதில்மாயக் குரல்கள் கேட்கலாம். மிரட்டுவது போலவும் பயமுறுத்துவது போலவும் அக்குரல்கள் இருக்கும்.

இதற்கும் அடுத்த கட்டம் வலிப்புவரும் நிலை (ரம் ஃபிட்ஸ்) . இது மதுவை நிறுத்தி 12 மணி நேரம் முதல் 24 மணிநேரத்தில் வரும்பாதிப்பு. அப்படி வலிப்பு வரும்நேரத்தில் குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்கள் எச்சரிக்கையாக இருந்து நோயாளிக்கு முதலுதவி அளிப்பதுடன், மருத்துவரிடம் அழைத்து செல்வது நல்லது.டாக்டர் எஸ்.மோகன வெங்கடாசலபதி

ஆபத்தான நிலை இதுதான்

இதற்கு அடுத்த நிலை ஆபத்தானது. குடியை நிறுத்திய 3 நாட்களில் இருந்து இந்த ‘ரிஸ்க்’ ஆரம்பிக்கும். குடி நோயாளி ஒரு விதகுழப்ப நிலைக்கு செல்வார். தானாகப் பேசுவார். கடும் எரிச்சலுடன் காணப்படுவார். குடி நோயாளியின் இந்நிலையை ’டெலிரியம் ட்ரெமென்ஸ்’ என்று சொல்வோம். இந்நிலை ஒரு மருத்துவ அவசர நிலையாகும். அவரை உடனடியாக மருத்துவமனையில் சேர்த்து தீவிர சிகிச்சை அளித்தால் ஒரு சில நாட்களில் நிலைமை சற்றே சீரடையும்.

குடிநோயாளிகள் அனைவருக்கும் ‘டெலிரியம் ட்ரெமென்ஸ்’ வரும் என புரிந்துகொள்ளக் கூடாது.அளவுக்கு அதிகமான குடி, உணவே சாப்பிடாமல் குடித்து அனைத்து சத்துப் பொருட்களையும் இழந்த குடி நோயாளிதான் இப்படி பாதிப்படைவர்.

கரோனா தாக்கியவர்களில் மிகச் சொற்பமான சதவிகிதத்தினரே உயிரிழக்க நேரிடும். அது போன்று மிகச் சொற்பமானவர்களுக்கு வரும் இந்நிலை குறித்து, குடிநோயாளிகளின் குடும்பத்தினரும் நண்பர்களும் சில எச்சரிக்கைகளை அறிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும். காரணம், தற்போதைய அசாதரணமான சூழலில் குடி நோயாளிகள் ஆபத்துகளை சந்திக்காமல் இருக்க, உடனே மருத்துவ உதவியை நாடினால் பல சேதாரங்களைத் தவிர்க்கலாம்.

குடி நோயாளிகள் எப்படி மீள்வது?

குடி நோயாளிகள் இந்த ‘வித்ட்ராவல்’ அறிகுறிகளை வீட்டிலேயே சரி செய்துகொள்ள முடியும். கை கால் நடுக்கம், தலைவலி, தூக்கமின்மை, பசியின்மை, படபடப்பு, வாந்தி போன்றவை தானாகவே சரியாகிவிடும். நல்ல ஊட்டச்சத்து மிகுந்த உணவுகளை உட்கொள்ள வேண்டும். காலை சூரிய வெளிச்சத்தில் உலாவ வேண்டும். குடும்பத்தினரின் அன்பு, அரவணைப்பு மற்றும் அருகில் இருத்தல் குடி நோயாளிக்கு இந்நேரத்தில் மிக அவசியம். இந்த சந்தர்ப்பத்தை நேர்மறையாக எதிர்கொண்டு மதுவில் இருந்து மீண்டு வந்துவிட முடியும் என்கிற உந்துதலை குடிநோயாளிக்கு குடும்பத்தினர் கொடுக்க வேண்டும்.

நான்கைந்து நாட்கள் சமாளித்துவிட்டால் உடலில் இருக்கும் விஷம் கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாக இறங்கி (detoxification) தனது உண்மையான ஆரோக்கியத்தை அவரே உணர ஆரம்பிப்பார். உடலும் மனமும் புத்துணர்ச்சிஅடையும். இத்தருணத்தில், தொடர்ந்த ஆலோசனைகள் மூலம் அவரை குடி பழக்கத்தில் இருந்து மீட்டெடுத்து விட முடியும்.

யாருக்கு கவனம் தேவை?

தீவிர அறிகுறிகளான வலிப்பு மற்றும் ‘டெலிரியம்’ என்ற குழப்ப நிலையில் இருந்தால் மருத்துவ உதவியை நாடியே ஆக வேண்டும்.

இந்த அறிகுறிகள் குடி பழக்கத்துக்கு அடிமையான நபரிடம் தென்பட்டால், குடும்பத்தினர் உடனே மருத்துவமனைக்குச் சென்றால் குடி நோயாளியை மீட்டெடுக்க முடியும்.

இது போன்ற அசாதாரண சூழலில் அரசும் பிற மருத்துவ அமைப்புகளும் குடிநோயாளிகளுக்கும் அவர்தம் குடும்பத்தினருக்கும் இது குறித்த விழிப்புணர்வை ஏற்படுத்த வேண்டும்.

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.