The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 873 in India on Saturday, 28 March with the death toll rising to 19, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The United States on Friday, 27 March, announced $174 million financial assistance to 64 countries, including $2.9 million to India, to help them fight the coronavirus pandemic, PTI reported.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an advisory to states and UTs on Friday to prevent an exodus of migrant and agricultural labourers, industrial workers, and unorganised sector workers during the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said that the state government will provide meals to 325 schools, and feed over four lakh people starting Saturday
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development on Friday, said it has postponed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam
• First phase of Census 2021 and updation of National Population Register (NPR) postponed until further orders
• Nationwide lockdown to curb coronavirus was announced on Tuesday, beginning at midnight, 25 March, for 21 days
• The United States now has more than 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases

Over 2,500 People in Nagaland Kept Under Home Quarantine

Over 2,500 people have recently returned from other parts of the country and placed under home quarantine in Nagaland, where no person has so far tested positive for COVID-19, officials said.

Out of the 17 samples that were sent for testing, results for 13 were negative and the remaining reports are awaited, government spokesperson and minister for planning & coordination Neiba Kronu said.

Six New COVID-19 Cases in Maharashtra, Total Rises to 159

Six new coronavirus positive cases were confirmed in Maharashtra on Saturday – 5 in Mumbai and 1 in Nagpur. The total number of positive cases in the state has risen to 159, said Maharashtra Health Ministry.

Restaurants in Dehradun Can Keep Kitchen Open For Take Away/Deliveries

Restaurants in Dehradun can keep their kitchens open for take away/food deliveries from today, reported ANI. Also, vehicles of people rendering/availing essential services will not be stopped, ANI said quoting Dehradun District Magistrate Ashish Kumar Srivastava.

Dornier Aircraft of Indian Navy Carrying 60 COVID-19 Samples Takes off to Pune

A Dornier aircraft of Indian Navy, carrying 60 samples for COVID-19 testing, took off from INS Hansa (located near Dabolim in Goa) to Pune in Maharashtra on Friday, 27 March. The samples were carried by a technician from Goa State Health department.

China Reports Three Deaths, 54 New Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus

China has reported 54 new imported coronavirus cases, taking their tally in the last few days to 649, while the death toll in the country has risen to 3,295 with three more fatalities confirmed on Friday, China’s National Health Commission said on Saturday, 28 March.

While no new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 were reported on Friday, the number of coronavirus infections in people returning from abroad has gone up to 649 with 54 new cases reported, it said.

A total of three deaths and 29 new suspected cases were reported in the Chinese mainland on Friday.

All the deaths were reported in the COVID-19 epicentre Hubei Province and its capital Wuhan, which are now being gradually opened up after kept under lockdown since 23 January.

The overall confirmed cases in the mainland reached 81,394 by the end of Friday.

Coronavirus Cases in India Climb to 834, Death Toll Reaches 19

The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 834 in India on Saturday with the death toll rising to 19, according to the Union Health Ministry.

In its updated figures, the ministry stated two fresh deaths.

However, it could not be immediately known where these two new deaths were reported from as the state-wise figures are awaited.

748 Active Cases, 19 Deaths in India: Health Ministry

There are 748 active COVID-19 cases so far in the country, out of which 67 are cured/discharged/migrated cases and 19 deaths, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday, 28 March.

COVID-19: 2 More Test Positive in Jammu and Kashmir

Two more persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, Principal Secretary and government spokesperson Rohit Kansal said on Friday.

Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 27

Just allow us to walk down to our native places in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Bihar and UP, plead those stranded at construction sites, madrasas, dharamsalas and slums in local towns and surrounding localities.

However, the administration is all out to support their subsistence by providing them regular supply of essential commodities with the help of social organisations.

Ahmedgarh SDM Vikramjit Singh Panthey and DSP Karanveer Singh claimed to have roped in communal organisations, which are supplying free ration and cooked food to the needy.

Having received information about their problems, authorities in intelligence agencies have drawn attention of the government towards the problems of these groups, who are not provided organised help, and might increase risk of spreading coronavirus by moving in an unsafe manner.

Investigations revealed that at least 100 people, which include women and children, were feeling stranded due to the lockdown imposed owing to COVID-19 crisis.

Besides supply of essential commodities, worry about other members and their scattered families was common concern for all these groups.

A labourer, who was at an under-construction police station building, Ajay Giri, said at least 40 people, including women and children, were on the verge of starvation, due to the lockdown and none of them were ready to stay here as there was no certainty about restoration of work in the near future.

“If government can not arrange transport for sending us to our families at our native place, we should be allowed to walk down so that all members of our families can face the crisis together,” said Ajay Giri regretting his wife was stranded in Nepal.

He worries about his parents in Bihar too.

Another group of Kashimiri labourers, led by Abdul Halik, who was stranded at Bhagat Ravidass dharamsala at Chhanna village, also wanted to return to their native state as there was no source of income now.

“How long can we survive on food and ration donated by social organisations of the area.” argued Halik demanding the government should arrange a way to send them back to Jammu and kashmir.

Condition of slum dwellers from Gujarat, led by Nikku and Sonu, was even worse as they could be asked to decamp from their present location at Jandali Bridge, and they have no source of communication with their families in their state.

They do not have their mobile phones.

Kari Furkaan of Madrasa Umar Farooq informed that at least 27 students from other states were feeling helpless by being isolated from their parents.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

Chandigarh-based NGO, ‘I am Still Human’ (IASH), has initiated a campaign to help the underprivileged amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The team of the IASH is targeting the poorest of the poor, including daily wage earners, people living on footpaths, slums and specially abled people on streets. Under the campaign, sanitisers and masks are being distributed by the founder and volunteers of the IASH. The NGO is also making arrangements for ration for these people. The strategy being adopted is to make rations available for 15 days per person.

Vivek Mehra, founder of the NGO, said: “The livelihood of those living in slums and on footpaths depends on what they earn by doing daily work. The national 21-day lockdown, which is of utmost importance, has resulted in loss of work for people. In such a situation, they need to be helped for not just provision of important things such as sanitisers, soaps and masks to ward off getting infected, but also giving ration. We are working on both aspects.”

If the crisis worsens, there will be a shortage of medical facilities and food supplies which will hit the underprivileged segment the most. In this situation, the NGO’s support to the poor segment of society will go a long way in mitigating their hardships.

Mehra adds: “The free distribution of sanitisers and masks has started and in the next phase, we intend to provide them with basic food kits, so that they do not sleep hungry during the lockdown and curfew.”

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

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Though supply of essential items improved a bit today, many residents complained of getting poor response from contact numbers of grocery shops, which were released by the UT Administration yesterday for delivering ordered items on their doorstep.

The situation also led to gathering of crowd on roads in some parts of the city, defeating the purpose of social distancing for which the lockdown was ordered in the whole country.

The Administration had yesterday released a sector-wise list of 144 kiryana stores on its website. However, many residents found the numbers on waiting, switched off or unanswered

“The arrangements are pathetic. I called up a grocery store owner, but his number was switched off. Either e-commerce stores should be allowed to operate or some responsible volunteers should be engaged to do the job,” tweeted an unhappy Sumit Rawat, a local resident.

Aman Arora, a local resident, said he was running out of flour, but could not get it as the phone number uploaded by the Administration was not working.

“Ideally, the Administration should have released the numbers of maximum grocery stores. Since, there are a few stores on the list, many residents failed to get the supply. I have been receiving calls from residents since morning. The authorities should have involved the area councillors for better arrangement,” said Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla.

CRAWFED chairman Hardeep Puri said, “Various RWAs associated with us have complained that the grocery stores’ numbers are switched off or remain unanswered. Milk supply is normal. However, supply of vegetables and fruits is yet to be regulated. We appeal to authorities to involve RWAs.”

Social distancing not observed at Dhanas

Defeating the purpose of lockdown, a large number of Dhanas residents without wearing a mask came on roads to procure essentials.

“For three days, we are locked down. On Thursday, the social distancing norm failed in our locality as people rushed in hordes,” said Rajesh Kumar, a local resident.

A large number of vendors gathered near the MC office to obtain permission slips to sell essential items. They were without masks. “The authorities have contact details of all registered vendors. They could have been called in an organised way. By sitting on roads together, they are only inviting risk,” said Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla.

Grocery stores flooded with calls

City grocery stores received an unprecedented number of phone calls for the supply of essential items on the first day of the start of home delivery of groceries.

A shopkeeper in Mani Majra said he received over 1,000 calls for the supply of food items since morning. At a time, there are more than 10 calls in waiting, he said, adding that after receiving orders, they would pack the items in bags and supply the same in a tempo on residents’ doorstep. He said they could supply the goods till the stock lasts. However, there was a problem in getting wholesale supply from the grain market.

A shopkeeper said he had to switch off his mobile phone after groceries ran out of stock. Most calls were made for procuring rice, wheat flour, edible oil and small items, said another shopkeeper.

Tribune News Service

Karnal, March 26

Despite the police being deployed on main roads, locals were seen commuting via dry canal route to avoid action on the second day of the 21-day-long lockdown.

After the lockdown, the district police have sealed the boundaries of the district and are not allowing people to enter into the city as well as the district. The police have installed nakas on Kaithal Road as well as Kachwa Road, but the residents of nearby areas traced new paths to commute between city and villages. They are using dry canal near Kaithal Road as a passage to commute.

“I wanted to enter into the city from the Kaithal road side for getting the cylinder refilled, but I was not allowed by the police, so I had no option but to pass through the canal,” said a resident of nearby village.

Another resident said the police barricades had forced them to use this passage.

No entry, exit in Jind’s Kandela village

The gram panchayat of Kandela village in Jind district too has decided to seal its borders for outsiders. The village panchayat has formed a committee comprising the sarpanch, panches and some youths who will ensure the lockdown. Outsiders will be allowed only after sanitisation at the entrance of the village, the direction from the gram panchayat reads.

Our Correspondent
Udhampur, March 26

The Army’s efforts towards the fight against Covid-19 have gained momentum in the UT of J&K and Ladakh considering that the pandemic has entered its sensitive phase.

Surveillance and control measures have been put in place and a number of innovative awareness programmes are being run by field formations and units for the benefit of the people, particularly in rural areas, advisories by medical specialists on identification and precaution against the disease has been issued to all in text and audio visual formats.

Army personnel are being motivated to share the information with their families, friends and civil population in the area of their deployment.

At the unit level, a dynamic and judicious approach has been adopted by all ranks of the Army. A number of measures are being taken by IA to prevent the pandemic among its personnel so that the Army personnel are available to do their primary task and support the people in the fight against Covid. Troops returning from leave or out-station duties directly report to the screening centre established at various transit camps. After the medical screening they are being quarantined for 14 days in the quarantine room established in the units. In the barracks to avoid congestion, distance between the beds has been increased, to avoid crowding in dining halls, meals are served at staggered timings, social distancing is being maintained and adequate hand-washing points are in place.

A total of 17 helplines in the the two UTs for the people have been established by the troops of the Northern Command. The mobile vehicle check posts that are usually deployed for counter terrorist operations are educating the population on Covid-19 by way of audio broadcasts through loudspeakers. While the aim of reinforcing the seriousness with regard to the preventive measures against the disease is being achieved, The Army personnel are ensuring their own safety through a series of precautions laid down in the protocol. Critical aspects such as social distancing, hand hygiene and use of face masks are being maintained, posters and banners are also being pasted at multiple places in in Urdu, Hindi and English.

Multiple advisories on social media, including audio and video content has been posted using the Twitter handle of the Northern Command and the same can be accessed by the people. It is reiterated that the firm commitment of the Northern Command in taking this fight forward is very well expressed in the newly coined mission “Corona mukt awam”.

The Northern Command stands shoulder to shoulder with the Civil Administration of the UTs of J&K and Ladakh in these testing times. The Army as an organisation are proactively taking all measures. Drills have been set in, which is the most important factor in containing the virus and in preventing any incident of Covid.

Should there be a situation to extend facilities to the civil administration, medical personnel and units are building their capacities, non-medical personnel are being taught to actively contribute to the care of patients and effort is being made to enhance equipment holding