Several States in shutdown mode
NEW DELHI, Mar 13: India reported its second casualty due to Coronavirus today with the Health Ministry saying a 68-year-old woman, whose son with a travel history abroad had tested positive, died in Delhi.
The death was caused due to co-morbidity (diabetes and hypertension), it said, adding she had tested positive for COVID-19.
The woman was admitted in Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, officials said.
She became the second person to die of Coronavirus infection in the country. On Thursday, the first death was reported in Karnataka.
The Health Ministry said so far 82 cases have been reported across the country with seven in the national capital.
Health Ministry and Delhi Government officials said the woman came in contact with her son, the fifth case of Coronavirus in the national capital, with a travel history to Switzerland and Italy between February 5 and 22.
“She had history of contact with a positive case. The son had returned to India on February 23. He initially was asymptomatic, but developed fever and cough after one day and reported to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on March 7.
“As per protocol, the family was screened and since he and his mother had fever and cough, both were admitted,” a Health Ministry statement said.
The woman also suffered from diabetes and hypertension.
Her sample was collected on March 8 and her condition worsened a day later, the statement said.
“She was shifted to the intensive care unit. Her sample also tested positive for COVID19,” the Health Ministry said.
Since March 9, she was having respiratory fluctuations and was provided ventilatory support.
“However, due to co-morbid conditions, she died on March 13 at the RML Hospital, Delhi as confirmed by the treating physician and Medical Superintendent,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, several States across India went into battle mode to contain the spread of COVID-19, shutting down schools, theatres and colleges, and many public events, including the IPL, were postponed.
Cases of the infection have been reported from at least 11 States and Union Territories, including Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala, where three patients were discharged last month after they recovered.
Addressing reporters, officials said Coronavirus — a pandemic that has infected 1,31,500 people in 116 countries and territories and killed more than 4,900 — is not a health emergency and there is no need to panic.
They said India has evacuated 1,031 people, including from Maldives, US, Madagascar and China.
The Centre has also decided to allow international traffic only through 19 border checkposts out of 37 and continue the suspension of Indo-Bangladesh cross border passenger trains and buses till April 15, or earlier, if so decided.
Officials disclosed that 42,000 people across the country are under community surveillance.
Taking stock of the situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a video conference of SAARC leaders to chalk out a joint strategy and set an example for the world.
“Our planet is battling the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. At various levels, Governments and people are trying their best to combat it,” Modi said on Twitter.
South Asia, which is home to a significant number of the global population, should leave no stone unturned to ensure that the people are healthy, he said.
Amid speculation over the ongoing Budget Session being shortened, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, “There is no question of curtailing the session.”
While States such as Karnataka, Odisha, Delhi and Bihar went into virtual shutdown mode, the under-pressure BCCI suspended the start of this year’s IPL cricket tournament from March 29 to April 15.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend IPL 2020 till 15th April 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) situation,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.
The statement made it clear that it’s a “suspension” and “not postponement”, which means there is no clarity on whether the event will start on April 15.
Even if it starts on April 15, it is expected to happen behind closed doors without the fans.
The decision came hours after the Delhi Government, which on Thursday announced that schools, colleges and cinema halls would be closed till March 31, sad it was also stopping all sports gatherings, including IPL 2020.
Sisodia said District Magistrates have been asked to ensure that all directives pertaining to Coronavirus are implemented.
A day after the country’s first Coronavirus death was reported from Kalaburagi in the State, the Karnataka Government announced a Lock-down of malls, cinema theatres, pubs and night clubs for a week.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa also issued instructions to stop all kinds of exhibitions, summer camps, conferences, marriage events and birthday parties.
“We will close all universities for a week in the entire State,” he told reporters.
Tech giant Google confirmed that an employee of its Bengaluru office, who had returned from Greece, was diagnosed with COVID-19.
In Kalaburagi town, 46 people who were in direct contact with the 76-year old man who died on Tuesday night were placed under quarantine, district officials said, adding that 31 were categorised as “high risk” and 13 as “low risk”.
Four family members of the man have displayed flu symptoms and their swab samples have been sent for testing.
In Odisha, the Naveen Patnaik Government announced that educational institutions would be closed till March 31 but provided an exception for holding exams.
He said the Government has earmarked Rs 200 crore to combat the coronavirus threat and declared COVID-19 a “disaster”.
Non-essential official gatherings such as seminars, workshops and conferences are to be cancelled, Patnaik said. Social gatherings and assemblies like religious functions, marriage receptions and parties will be regulated by local authorities.
Cinema halls, swimming pools and gyms in the State will be closed as well.
Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia suspended classes in Delhi. Other universities such as Jindal University in Sonepat in Haryana announced the university would be open but there would be no classes till March 29.
As concern mounted, people scrambled to change their travel plans. At an Air India office in Delhi, for instance, there were crowds of people waiting to change their tickets.
Aviation watchdog DGCA has asked international airlines to consider waiving ticket cancellation and reschedule charges or look at providing any other incentives.
States which had not reported any case were also on alert.
Schools, colleges, coaching institutes, zoos and parks in Bihar will be shut till March 31 over the Coronavirus threat, an official said.
Vishwajit Rane, Health minister in the tourism hub of Goa, said the Government will issue a circular asking hotels and industries to take preventive measures in the wake of the coronavirus scare.
In all this, there was some good news.
All 112 people admitted to an ITBP quarantine facility in Delhi for over a fortnight tested negative for the coronavirus. All of them were evacuated last month from Wuhan in China. (PTI)
Masks, hand sanitizers declared ‘essential commodities’
The Government today declared masks, including N95, and hand sanitizers as ‘essential commodities’ in the wake of the Coronavirus scare leading to shortages and black marketing of these items.
These items will remain under essential commodities segment till June-end, a move aimed at ensuring availability at reasonable prices and cracking down on hoarders/black marketeers.
The Government has notified an order under the Essential Commodities Act to declare masks (2 ply and 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand santizers as essential commodities up to June 30, 2020.
The decision has empowered the Centre as well States to regulate production, quality, distributions of masks and hand sanitiziers, and also to smoothen sale and availability of these items, and carry out operations against speculators.
The step has been taken in view of the “ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 and concern of the logistics for COVID-19 management, particularly during last couple of weeks, and that masks and hand sanitizers have been noted to either not available with most of the vendors in the market or are available with difficult difficulty at exorbitant prices,” said the Government order.
An offence under the Essential Commodities Act can attract imprisonment up to 7 years. (PTI)
44 pilgrims arrive from Iran
The second batch of 44 Indian pilgrims arrived from Iran today, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.
An Iran Air flight carrying Indian pilgrims stranded in Coronavirus-hit Iran landed at the airport in Mumbai today afternoon, an official said.
They were later taken to a Navy’s quarantine facility in Ghatkopar, a suburb in northeast Mumbai, a Navy official said. Earlier, the plan was to take them to an Army quarantine facility in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Iran is one of the worst-affected countries by coronavirus outbreak and the Government has been working on plans to bring back the Indians stranded there.
“Second batch of 44 Indian pilgrims has arrived today from #Iran. Our efforts to bring back the others continue. @India_in_Iran and our medical team – keep up the good work. Appreciate the support of Iranian authorities and their airlines,” Jaishankar said in a tweet.
The first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims were brought back from Iran on Tuesday.
“A special Iran Air flight, IR810, arrived from Tehran at CSMIA today at 12:07 hrs with 44 Indians evacuated from COVID-19 hit Iran.
“All passengers and crew underwent screening by the APHO at the isolation bay and were transferred directly from the aircraft to the Indian Naval facility in Ghatkopar to follow the mandatory 14-day quarantine period,” a statement by the Mumbai airport operator MIAL said.
Jaishankar on Thursday said there are more than 6,000 Indians in various provinces of Iran.
Coronavirus outbreak is a matter of “great concern” and the Government’s initial focus is to bring back Indian pilgrims stranded in Iran, he had said. (PTI)
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