A US warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on a “routine” transit for the second time in a month, the US military said on Friday, hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China of taking advantage of the world’s focus on the Covid-19 pandemic to push its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea.

Pompeo’s statement spotlights Beijing’s effort to push the envelope in the South China Sea where its territorial claims conflict with those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

At a video interaction with ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations grouping to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, Pompeo pointed to China’s announcement of administrative districts over disputed islands and maritime areas in the South China Sea and sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel earlier this month.

“Beijing has moved to take advantage of the (Covid-19) distraction,” Pompeo said, accusing China of deploying militarised ships to intimidate others from developing offshore gas and oil projects.

Also Read: Explained: What the South China Sea dispute is all about

China claims almost the entire South China Sea and the islands and reefs that dot it. Earlier this month, Beijing announced setting up two districts to administer islands and reefs of Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands to strengthen its claim to sovereignty over the area.

India tracks South China Sea developments

There has been no statement from India on recent developments in the South China Sea. Or Pompeo’s latest statement.

But New Delhi has an abiding interest in developments in the region.

For one, because about 55 percent of India’s trade passes through the Strait of Malacca, part of the South China Sea.

India has, on several occasions, called upon all parties to avoid unilateral action that lead to tensions in the region and called for peaceful resolution of disputes without threat of use of force.

Besides, state-run ONGC Videsh is also engaged in oil and gas production in cooperation with Vietnam and is directly impacted by China’s efforts to militarise the South China Sea.

Not just Pompeo

Chinese ships have also been accused of intruding in waters near the Japanese-controlled islets last week when four coast guard vessels sailed through the area for about 90 minutes before leaving. China claims the islets and calls them Diaoyu.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi picked up the phone this Tuesday to lodge a protest for sending government ships into Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

The Philippines also has filed two diplomatic protests with the Chinese Embassy in Manila over violations of international law and Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.

Stand-off with Malaysia

There has been a standoff between Chinese and Malaysian vessels over Kuala Lumpur’s effort to explore energy blocks in its extended continental shelf. Those waters are also claimed by Vietnam and China, which immediately sent ships to shadow the boat.

According to news agency Bloomberg, the situation took a turn for the worse on April 16 with the arrival of a Chinese surveyor known as the Haiyang Dizhi 8, which last year was engaged in a standoff with Vietnam over offshore energy blocks.

This week, the dispute turned into a five-nation face off involving US and Chinese warships, raising the risk of a direct confrontation as broader tensions grow between the world’s biggest economies, Bloomberg reported.

Medical experts and government officials steering India’s battle against Covid-19 said on Thursday that the country’s prophylactic measures have led to a reduction in the disease’s doubling rate.

Coronavirus disease Covid-19 is infecting more and more states in India every day. The spread of the disease has slowed, but many states are under its grip.

While the total number of Covid-19 positive cases have crossed 23,000-mark, there are four states which have the bulk of these infecte patients.

Here is a list of states with highest number of Covid-19 cases:

1. Maharashtra: With the addition of 778 new Covid-19 cases, Maharashtra recorded the highest 24-hour jump on Thursday. The tally of infected has reached 6,427 in the state, according to state health department data. The Union health ministry has, however confirmed 6,430 Covid-19 positive cases so far.

2. Gujarat: The state has the second-highest number of Covid-19 cases. A total of 2,624 people are said to be suffering here, of which 258 people have been discharged while 112 lost their lives, according to Union Health Ministry data. Nine of the fatalities have been reported since Thursday.

3. Delhi: With 2,376 Covid-19 cases, Delhi is third on the list. Two people have died in the national capital since Thursday; the total number of fatalities here stand at 50, according to the Union Health Ministry.

4. Rajasthan: Rajasthan on Friday morning reported 2,000 cases of the coronavirus disease Covid-19 with 36 new infections, including 13 from Jaipur. The desert state is on the fourth spot in terms of the number of Covid-19 cases in the country after Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi. Rajasthan had reported 1000 cases on April 14, taking the Covid-19 tally to 1005.

5. Madhya Pradesh: The state has seen rapid increase in the Covid-19 cases, with Indore emerging as ine of the hotspots in the country. The state has reported 1,699 positive cases of Covid-19 till Friday. Eighty three people have died from Covid-19 here while 203 have recovered, according to the Union Health Ministry.

6. Tamil Nadu: The southern state is close behind Madhya Pradesh in terms of Covid-19 positive cases. Tamil Nadu has reported 1,683 cases till Friday, the Union Health Ministry said. The death toll has reached 20 in the state.

7. Uttar Pradesh: With further increase in numbers, Uttar Pradesh has 1,510 Covid-19 positive cases. While 206 people have recovered from the disease in Uttar Pradesh, 24 have died from the infection here, according to Union Health Ministry.

8. Telangana: Another southern state is fast approaching the 1,000-mark for Covid-19 positive cases. The Covid-19 positive cases have reached 960 in Telangana. Nearly 200 (197 to be exact) have made a recovery from the virus while 24 people have died from Covid-19.

9. Andhra Pradesh: The state has recorded 895 positive Covid-19 patients and 141 cases of recovery. Twenty seven people have died here, as per the latest data from Centre on Friday.

10. Kerala: As per the health ministry, Kerala reported 447 coronavirus cases on Friday. The state has witnessed three deaths due to Covid-19 while 324 people have successfully recovered.

The bridge is located in a region that witnessed a month-long military standoff in 2017 over the Doklam plateau, claimed by China and Bhutan, India’s ally. It was one of the most serious flare-ups since China won a border war with India in 1962.

India has opened a new all-weather access in a disputed part of its border with China to enable faster movement of troops and artillery, another potential irritant in relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

The new bridge, which can take 40 tons of weight, was built in Arunachal Pradesh in India’s remote northeast, a region that’s claimed by China and near the scene of previous clashes. Border intrusions have risen 50% in 2019 compared to the previous year, people with knowledge of the matter said.

”That part of the border has always had a tendency to friction point between India and China. Lack of reliable and all weather connectivity was vulnerability,” said Nitin Gokhale, a New Delhi-based strategic affairs expert. “The new bridge and improved road overcomes that and ensures uninterrupted supply to troops.”

The new access along the border with China comes amid heightened tensions between the two nations after Beijing accused India of blocking its companies in the South Asian nation after New Delhi tightened laws for foreign investors from acquiring local firms. The bridge is located in a region that witnessed a month-long military standoff in 2017 over the Doklam plateau, claimed by China and Bhutan, India’s ally. It was one of the most serious flare-ups since China won a border war with India in 1962.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a message requesting comment.

India claims the Chinese army violated the 3,488 kilometer (2,167 miles) long un-demarcated border, parts of which are disputed, over 600 times, the people said, asking not to be identified as the matter is not public.

“India and China have different perceptions of the border,” Indian Army spokesman Aman Anand said on Thursday. “Perceived transgressions are result of the perceived boundary.”

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is ramping up its infrastructure along the border, which it says isn’t aimed at any particular country, but rather the development of remote border areas. It has completed 74 strategic roads along the eastern border, with plans afoot to finish 20 more by next year, the people said. It will reduce time taken to move and material by half and help 431 villages that lie across the region during the Covid-19 outbreak.

India tweaked its law on foreign investment by making it mandatory for companies from countries that share a land border to acquire local firms only after seeking an approval from the government. The move, which cuts the risk of opportunistic takeovers as the coronavirus outbreak drives down valuations of Indian companies, had so far applied only to FDI from Bangladesh and Pakistan. India shares its land border with seven countries, including China.

The new bridge opened by the India also strides one of the main access routes of the Chinese Army into India from Tibet.

Even as no one is being tested as part of a house-to-house survey to track Covid-19 cases, about 650 persons exhibiting likely symptoms have been identified by the Chandigarh health department, which aims to cover the city’s entire population of around 12 lakh.

About 586 cases are being monitored daily by the medical officer, it has been learnt, as the administration puts the onus of responsibility on the citizens to be forthcoming with their health details.

Till date, a population of 9.92 lakh from 2.53 lakh households has been covered by 1,291 teams.

“It’s a survey, not a screening,” said Dr Sangeeta, who goes by one name, from the department. “The intention is to give people locked down in their homes a sense of comfort that the health department is there for them. Health workers are approaching them at the doorsteps. It’s the social responsibility of the residents to reveal details,” she said.

“No samples are being taken,” she said.

The survey is being conducted on the pattern of pulse polio campaign with the city divided into four zones. Hotspots are covered first, followed by colonies and then sectors.

“About 150 auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) are deployed in the field, with one ANM and one beldar (local worker) in each team. They have been given a set of questions to ask and it’s the responsibility of the people to come forward and share details if there’s any symptomatic case,” Dr Sangeeta added.

About 650 symptomatic cases have been traced and follow-up of 586 is being done daily by the medical officer of the area. Of the remaining 67, she said either they were not at home or their houses were locked so they were not being tracked.

On the ANMs, Dr G Dewan, director, health services, said, “They are doing a wonderful job and it should be appreciated by city residents. They are not doctors as we cannot employ doctors for field survey. The ANMs are going from house to house to save time and are filling forms only for symptomatic cases. We are following these cases daily.”

The survey is likely to be completed by the weekend. “It’s on the pattern suggested by the Union ministry and we will be putting it forth to see if it can be used in other parts as well,” said Dr Shivani Gupta, World Health Organization consultant, Chandigarh.

Illegal gambling activities and hookah parties organised by well-knit groups amid the ongoing lockdown, not giving two hoots for the social-distancing norms, have emerged as the key reasons behind turning Rajpura into Punjab’s new Covid-19 hotspot.

As many as 18 residents tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday alone.

The town, located 26km from the Patiala district headquarters, has reported 30 positive cases so far, with the health department on Thursday collecting 35 more samples from the ‘containment zones’.

“Most of the 18 persons found positive yesterday are contacts of each other. Many of the men are believed to have met at gambling parties recently,” an official said.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Mandeep Singh Sidhu said, “It came to the fore during investigation that they held frequent get-togethers on a vacant plot near Anaj Mandi. Many residents of the locality confirmed that a group of men would remain there for hours.”

The infection spread after a group of 5-6 men involved in illegal activities like gambling continued to hold get-togethers and arranged liquor and hookah parties on multiple occasions even after the lockdown came into force, another official said.

Police have booked Krishan Kumar and Balraj, who tested positive for the coronavirus a day before, for allegedly endangering the life of fellow residents by violating curfew restrictions. The two travelled outstation before contracting the infection early this week, the SSP added.

A case was registered against them under Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease endangering life), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule) and 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Disaster Management Act.

With this, the district’s tally has risen to 49 cases, of which 47 have been reported in the past one week only.

Town declared a buffer zone

In a tweet, Punjab special chief secretary KBS Sidhu said Rajpura town was notified as a ‘buffer zone’ by the district administration.

“Movement from Rajpura to Patiala has been restricted. The result of 40 samples taken from the town on Thursday will come on Friday,” Sidhu tweeted.

The local police on Sunday closed 15 of the total 38 border points leading to Chandigarh after the UT administration declared the entire city a containment zone.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nilambari Jagadale said, “Another 23 points are open for vehicles coming from nearby areas. Police personnel at these checkpoints will thermal scan all commuters entering the city.”

Since Saturday, 2,906 four-wheelers and 2,418 two-wheelers have entered the city from other cities. Among these, 250 four-wheelers and 189 scooterists were denied entry.

POINTS CLOSED

T-point near Punjab and Haryana civil secretariat leading to Nayagaon and Kansal

Togan barrier

Road connecting Maloya with Togan village

Sarangpur barrier

Jayanti Majri

Barrier near IRB Complex road, Sarangpur, towards village Padachh

Road from Manimajra towards Mansa Devi

Road from Mauli Jagran to Sector 17, Panchkula

Road from Mauli Jagran to Sectors 17/18, Panchkula

Road leading to Raipur Kalan

Road near Sectors 52/53

Badheri barrier

Dividing road near Sectors 55/56

Road dividing Sector 48C and D

Road dividing Sector 49C and D

While the two countries are not comparable, owing to population demographic variations, South Africa has conducted 1934 Covid-19 tests per million compared to India’s 291.

Bengaluru: India and South Africa implemented stringent lockdown measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 at around the same time. But not accounting for differences in socio-political, economic and population structures, the South African strategy of aggressive testing before and during the lockdown seems to have paid off, as the nation is now recording far fewer daily cases, despite being in lockdown for roughly the same period of time as India.

India went into a national lockdown on 24 March, 54 days after the country’s first confirmed case (30 January), while South Africa did so on 26 March, 21 days after its first case (5 March).

As of Monday morning, India has 17,615 active cases with 559 deaths while South Africa in comparison has just 3,158 cases with 54 deaths.

Impact of lockdown

While India and South Africa are not entirely comparable, owing to population demographic variations, there are lessons from the African nation’s response to the pandemic.

On the day the Indian lockdown commenced, the country had a total of 536 cases with 18 deaths. By contrast, South Africa had already reported 927 cases but no deaths on the day of its lockdown. The African country’s first reported death came the next day as case numbers crossed the 1,000 mark.

Nearly a month on from their respective lockdowns, India has had 17,079 newer cases while South Africa has recorded 2231 newer cases.

During the period of the lockdown so far, India has seen 541 new deaths, while S. Africa has had only 54.

But the testing data shows that now, India is recording upwards of 500 new cases each day, while South Africa is averaging at about 150 new cases a day. The highest spike South Africa saw was on the first day of its lockdown — a mere 243 new cases.

The key difference between the two countries has been the testing strategy.

India continued testing slowly, expanding the inclusion criteria in steps, even after the lockdown. New Delhi began testing those with symptoms but without travel history only on 9 April, a full 70 days after the first confirmed case and 15 days after the national lockdown began.

South Africa went the exact opposite way, ramping up testing and aggressively chasing the whole population. On day 15 of its national lockdown, the country had conducted 64,000 tests, a large part of which was done by the private sector.

Also read: Boris Johnson won’t have to pay hospital bills. And it’s not because he is PM

How SA kept numbers low

South Africa went into lockdown in 21 days of detecting its first patient. India had only three confirmed cases on 20 February, which was 21 days of its first detected case on 30 January.

By contrast, South Africa had already detected 900 cases before a full lockdown was announced. The increased number of cases, as compared to India, is likely due to increased, methodical testing.

South Africa tested rigorously.

By 7 February, the disease had not even entered the country, but its National Institute for Communicable Diseases had already conducted 42 tests, all of which were negative. By mid-February, again before the first positive case was confirmed, the government announced free testing at all state hospitals.

In just a week after its first case on 5 March, South Africa had already tested over 47,000 people. It now has the capacity to test 36,000 people a day through drive through test centres as well as at clinics and hospitals.

In all, as of 20 April, South Africa has conducted over 1,14,000 tests so far, within 50 days of the disease being in the country. The testing frequency measures at 1,934 tests per million people. By contrast, India has conducted over 4,00,000 tests — larger in number but only 291 tests per million, in the past 80 days that the disease has been in the country.

Also read: How Trump is dividing America as virus lockdown begins to hit his re-election campaign

Stages of lockdown

While the South African lockdown commenced on 26 March, President Cyril Ramaphosa had declared a national emergency and issued travel restrictions from 15 March.

Schools were closed down on 18 March, 13 days after the first case. On the same day, all government and parliamentary sessions and meetings were suspended.

A day later on 19 March, fearing panic buying, the government enforced price controls and limits on items, and price gougers were punished through a hefty fine or a year in jail.

Those who violated travel and transit bans were heavily fined too. Within seven days of lockdown, over 2,200 people were arrested for violating social distancing procedures. Even a minister was put on leave for two months for violating lockdown regulations.

But just like in India, the police in South Africa have come under criticism for excessive use of force. Nine people have reportedly died from police brutality so far.

The Rs-50,000 AEP will facilitate the evacuation of Covid patients in a fully sealed patient transfer capsule. It will also aid during normal operations.

New Delhi: The Navy has indigenously designed and made an Air Evacuation Pod (AEP) for safe evacuation of Covid-19 patients from remote locations.

Designed by the Naval Aircraft Yard (Kochi) under the Southern Naval Command (SNC), the AEP will facilitate the evacuation of patients in a fully sealed patient transfer capsule, ensuring there is no risk for cross infection to pilots and evacuation team and the need to sanitise the aircraft post evacuation, a government statement said Monday.

Talking about the development, a senior Navy officer told ThePrint that the AEP will not only aid during the pandemic, but also in normal operations of ships where casevac (casualty evacuation) from sea is an integral part.

“Where every kg counts in the range and endurance of an helicopter, a lightweight evacuation part would mean evacuating patients from farther out at sea,” said the officer on condition of anonymity.

The evacuation pod was designed under the guidance of the principal medical officer of the naval air station at Kochi, INS Garuda in consultation with specialists from the naval hospital INHS Sanjivani and SNC headquarters, according to the statement.

Made of aluminum, nitrile rubber and perspex, the AEP costs Rs 50,000 per unit.

“The highlight of the pod is that it weighs only 32 kg and has incurred a manufacturing cost of ₹50000/- which is only 1% of cost of an imported equivalent item (Rs 59Lakhs),” said the statement.

It further added that trials of evacuating patients inside AEP were successfully completed on 8 April aboard Indian Navy’s Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) and Dornier aircraft at SNC.

So far, 12 AEPs are planned for distribution across Southern, Western, Eastern and Andaman and Nicobar Naval commands.

Also read: DRDO develops product to prevent spread of air droplets to doctors from Covid-19 patients

Navy’s other indigenous designs

Amid a deepening Covid-19 crisis in the country, the Navy has been making several indigenous products to aid in the fight against the pandemic.

The Naval Dockyard in Mumbai has designed and developed its own low-cost handheld infrared-based temperature sensor for screening of personnel. The Visakhapatnam dockyard has manufactured a portable system that can supply oxygen to six people at a time.

The decision to develop handheld sensors was taken to overcome the scarcity of temperature guns, which are priced higher in the market due to the pandemic.

The Portable Multi-feed Oxygen Manifold set up uses an industrial 6-way radial header to enable one jumbo size oxygen bottle to supply oxygen to six patients concurrently.

The Navy has also been maintaining its quarantine facilities and providing ration to stranded labourers during the Covid-19 crisis.

The Navy also said Tuesday that INS Dega of the Eastern Naval Command ensured that the joint-user airfield at Visakhapatnam remains open round the clock.

New Delhi: The Army has issued fresh directions to all its units across the country to adhere to a strict “no movement” order in the wake of the extension of the nationwide lockdown until 3 May, even as it allowed graded relaxation from 20 April.

According to the directions issued Thursday, all military establishments, cantonments, formation headquarters and units will observe strict “no movement” until 19 April. Only personnel connected with provision of essential services will be allowed to move in this period.

“This will not hinder any operational tasks of the formations or units which will be conducted with the requisite strength,” the order said.

However, the Directorate General Medical Services (Army) will continue to function at full strength. All medical establishments and hospitals will also continue functioning at full strength.

“It is about maintaining a delicate balance between what can be avoided and what cannot be,” a senior Army officer told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.

The Army, which has put severe restrictions on the movement of its personnel, training and even introduced work-from-home without affecting the operational necessity, is at the forefront of fighting India’s war against Covid-19.

Also read: Army advises personnel to use govt’s Aarogya Setu app, but with usual cyber precautions

What the instructions say

According to the latest order, only the military operations, military intelligence, operational logistics and strategic movement branches will function within the Army Headquarters to carry out operational and Covid-19 related tasks.

However, the duration of stay and strength within these branches will be at bare minimum.

The order added that the remaining branches will work from home and any specific task can be handled on a case-to-case basis.

Within command headquarters, only manpower, logistics and operations branch will function with skeletal staff, barring Northern and Eastern Command, where additionally the intelligence branch will also function.