Current Events :
The West Bengal government has requested the railway ministry to stop all trains from entering the state till March 31 to shield the state from any potential carriers of Covid-19 from outside.
The state also put a ban on interstate bus movement to contain the outbreak of the disease on Saturday.
“Considering the emergent situation developing due to spread of Novel Coronavirus, you are requested to ensure that no trains from outside the state of West Bengal enter West Bengal from midnight of March 22, onwards till March 31,” said a letter written by the chief secretary Rajiva Sinha.
The letter tagged as ‘most urgent and immediate’ was sent to the chairman of the railway board on Saturday. The state has already imposed stringent restrictions on public gatherings and crowding in the state
The Indian Railways has already stopped a few thousand trains on March 22 in an attempt to ensure that people follow the ‘Janta Curfew’ announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The railways announced on Saturday that 12 passengers who travelled on its network in the last 7-8 days have tested positive for the disease triggering concern about possible community transmission.
The national transporter has also announced the cancellation of several trains and cut down on the frequency of a few others in the wake of the disease.
Till Saturday three persons have tested positive of coronavirus in Bengal and around 21,000 people have been kept under surveillance in homes and hospitals
: A young male tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday morning taking the count of confirmed cases in the city to six, officials said.
The number of positive cases in the Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula have spiked to 11 in 5 days.
According to the Union Territory Administration, the man is the secondary contact of the 23-year-old-female who returned from England on March 15 and tested positive for coronavirus on March 18. The area of residence of the latest person to test positive has not been confirmed by the authorities.
The fresh case was admitted Chandigarh’s Government Medical College and Hospital on Saturday and his samples were tested at the city’s Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research.
Track coronavirus live updates here,
Earlier, the brother, mother and cook of the first positive case tested positive for coronavirus followed by a 38-year-old woman who worked at a beauty salon who came in contact with Chandigarh’s first coronavirus case.
All these four positive cases were from Mohal. But no fresh case has been reported from Mohali.
Also read: Covid-19: How it will change the world
“Reports of three persons who were suspected to be infected are negative. Reports of three other persons are awaited which can only be confirmed by evening,” Mohali Civil Surgeon Manjit Singh said.
Several roads are deserted, Metro stations closed in Delhi and public places shut down as the country is observing Janta Curfew which began at 7 am on Sunday. The curfew is being observed to break the chain of transmission of coronavirus disease Covid-19 that has killed four people so far and infected more than 300 in the country.
The voluntary curfew will last till 9 pm.
In Chennai, authorities have put up boards outside the Marina Beach announcing its closure. There is also adequate police presence in the area. “There is a restriction on a large gathering of people. So, we are organising the praying session via YouTube so they don’t need to come to the church for the holy mass,” said George Anthony Swamy, Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore.
From Ludhiana in Punjab to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, roads are empty and shops closed. Metro stations in Delhi also wear a deserted look. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had announced that its services will be closed on Sunday, when the country observes Janta Curfew.
All citizens barring those working for essential services are required to stay indoors during 14 hours of self quarantine.
India is currently at stage 2 of Sars-CoV-2 virus transmission. Today’s ‘public curfew’ is a precautionary measure meant to lessen the chances of the coronavirus disease from spreading to more people and ensure that the country does not slip into Stage 3 – that of community transmission.
“This is the first major step to prevent person-to-person transmission of the Sars-CoV-2 virus. First, this move will help in checking the spread of virus from the infected people to others. And secondly, it is an opportunity for the people of the country to test themselves for bigger challenges that lie ahead, as Prime Minister said,” said Dr Arvind Kumar, Chairman, Centre for Chest Surgery, Sir Gangaram Hospital, in a video posted by the government in its Twitter handle MyGov India.
The Indian Railways has announced that no passenger trains will originate from any junction in the country from midnight on Saturday to 10.00 pm on Sunday as part of the Janta Curfew.
The Prime Minister, in his televised address to the nation on Thursday, asked people to stay in the safety of their own homes as much as possible during the duration of the Janta Curfew. However, people can step out for absolutely essential services like an emergency situation or necessary healthcare.
India is observing a 14-hour self quarantine today to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease Covid-19. Named Janta Curfew by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this exercise is voluntary and helps in prevention of community transmission of the Sars-CoV-2 virus.
Community transmission occurs when a person with no travel history to a Covid-19-affected country or known contact with a confirmed case tests positive for the disease. It indicates undiagnosed and often asymptomatic people are unknowingly causing infection, which makes it difficult to break the chain of transmission.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been conducting community surveillance by lifting random samples from intensive care unit (ICU) patients suffering from severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), including severe pneumonia. These samples are taken from people with no travel history or contact with a positive patient.
The Janta Curfew seeks to break this chain as the people will remain indoors during this period. This means they will not step out of the house, not even for a morning walk or an evening stroll or for buying rations or other stuff. It is to ensure that people do not come in contact with any person outside who could be a carrier of the virus.
“As #JantaCurfew, people’s movement begins, I pledge to strictly follow PM @narendramodi ji’s call. I also urge my fellow countrymen to participate. Let’s break the chain and protect our nation against this pandemic with social distancing and self isolation,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted on Sunday morning.
Amit Shah✔@AmitShah
As #JantaCurfew, people’s movement begins, I pledge to strictly follow PM @narendramodi ji’s call. I also urge my fellow countrymen to participate.
Let’s break the chain and protect our nation against this pandemic with social distancing and self isolation. #IndiaFightsCorona
The Prime Minister on Thursday called for Janta Curfew on March 22 from 7 am to 9 pm, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of house.
He also said that at 5 pm on March 22, “we should thank people like doctors, medical personnel, cleaning staff, for their service during the coronavirus outbreak”.
Karam Prakash
Tribune News Service
Patiala, March 21
Doctors at Government Rajindra Hospital are treating coronavirus patients sans masks. Sufficient masks are not available with the hospital authorities. Moreover, security personnel are also short of masks. They can be seen using handkerchiefs at the hospital emergency to protect themselves from the disease.
Residents and senior medicos rued that the hospital authorities were not providing enough masks to foot soldiers at the time of corona pandemic.
A senior paediatrician at the hospital, said, “Once again, the hospital authorities have failed to take care of their doctors. Essential items like masks should be in abundance at any hospital. It is unfortunate that such basic stuff is not available at an institute like Rajindra Hospital.”
One of the junior residents, who are usually are at the forefront of the hospital, said, “We are facing acute shortage of safety gear at the hospital.”
One of the residents, on condition of anonymity, said, “Apart from emergency, rest of the wards also don’t have masks. When we asked officials they said there is a shortage of masks and sanitisers.”
Rajindra Hospital has an isolation ward for Covid-19 patients. Also, there are some quarantines facilities at the hospital. In such a situation, there is a huge risk of infection to doctors.
Meanwhile, sources at the Health Department said, “We have already placed orders for masks and hand sanitisers following their shortage.”
Nursing students protest outside MS office
Students of the Government Nursing College, Patiala, ‘gheraoed’ the office of the Medical Superintendent (MS) of Government Rajindra Hospital today. Students were protesting shortage of masks, gloves and demanding holidays. Students said the administration of the hospital and the college was neither providing them gloves and masks to perform duties at the emergency nor allowing them holidays. Some college girls gathered outside the MS office and sought a meeting with him.
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, March 21
As there is a plan to open the level crossing near Vikas Nagar along the Sidhwan Canal for vehicular traffic, Cabinet Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu today inspected the site. He was also accompanied by Williamjit Singh, Deputy Chief Engineer (Construction Division), Northern Railway, and other senior officials. The level crossing was closed after construction of the railway overbridge that is a part of Southern Bypass.
Ashu and MP Ravneet Singh Bittu had met Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal in Delhi on March 18 and urged him to ensure that the Vikas Nagar level crossing was opened for vehicular traffic on a temporary basis because the main level crossing on Pakhowal Road had to be closed for some time when the construction of rail overbridge would start.
Ashu said the temporary opening of the level crossing (no. S3-A at Km 4/6-7) near Vikas Nagar area along the Sidhwan Canal was discussed with the Union Minister a few days ago. He stated that the construction work of rail overbridge (ROB) and rail underbridge on Pakhowal Road had already started and the construction of the ROB by the Railways would involve the closure of the main level crossing to facilitate work. “Therefore, it will be essential to divert traffic on other arterial roads during this period. So, a level crossing, no. S3-A at Km 4/6 -7 existing nearby, which was closed subsequent to the construction of the rail overbridge across it, if opened temporarily during the construction period, will immensely help in the management of the traffic,” he said.
Ashu said it was after his meeting with the Union Minister that Williamjit Singh was sent to Ludhiana to work out a plan. He also asked Williamjit Singh to ensure that the tendering process for construction work on the railways’ portion of the Pakhowal Road ROB & RUB project should be completed soon. He stated that the Deputy Chief Engineer assured that all issues would be redressed on a priority basis.
Later, Ashu also visited the Leisure Valley being developed at Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar and supervised the ongoing work. Perturbed over the slow pace of work, he asked the contractor to pull up his socks and finish work within the stipulated time.
Chandigarh, March 22
One more patient on Sunday tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. With this the total number patients rose to six in the city.
The health condition of all the six positive cases is stable, an official statement said.
One young male, the secondary contact of the first positive case who had returned from Britain, sampled at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Sector 32 was positive for COVID-19.
The sample of another male taken at the GMCH was negative.
The total number of positive cases in Chandigarh rose to six, it said.
A day after a student who returned from Britain was diagnosed coronavirus positive, the city on March 20 tested four more positive cases, prompting authorities to impose a ban on gatherings of over 50 people. — IANS
untiring efforts: Medics interact with an Indonesian tourist at a Covid-19 helpdesk at Gandhi Medical College & Hospital in Hyderabad. PM Modi will personally lead a national thanksgiving for corona warriors at 5 pm today. PTI
Sreevalsan Thiyyadi in Kochi
T HE near-vacant corridors manifest the grimness enveloping the hospital, where Dr Rajesh K Thankappan washes hands thoroughly after each round of consultation. His workplace reported India’s first corona-positive case — seven weeks ago.
“The Covid-19 threat, after a lull, has intensified. Let’s be very vigilant,” says the surgeon at the Government General Hospital in Thrissur. The central Kerala town was in the news in January-end when a Malayali student from China’s Wuhan was diagnosed with the pathogen known to cause respiratory illness that can be deadly. By this weekend, Kerala had registered 40 corona cases (no deaths), ranking second in the country (after Maharashtra).
Fear over a devil of a virus runs high in God’s Own Country. People in upstate Kasargod, with a noticeable number of families having members working abroad, are getting a phobia for those returning from West Asia. Down south, capital Thiruvananthapuram saw Union minister V Muraleedharan placing himself in quarantine after visiting a top health institute that diagnosed an official with corona following a trip to Spain. The medical centre moved 76 employees (one-third doctors) to an isolation ward.
Health centres have begun screening visitors. Dr MN Girija, who practises in Ochira of Kollam district, says her hospital lets in patients only after they fill in a form with three questions. “The answers give an idea about one’s probability of carrying the virus,” she says. The tables in consultation rooms have just glass-sheets on them; the cloth-covers have been removed. “Like all hospitals, we too don’t admit patients with suspected corona. We refer them to the health authorities.”
Contrasting with its Arabian coast, Kerala has hills along the east. Kattappana in Idukki district, for instance. “Ours is a quiet town; it’s more so these days. No one ventures out,” says Dr Anil Pradeep, recalling the March 15 off-loading of a tourist aboard a UAE-bound flight in Kochi airport. The corona-positive Briton had just been to Idukki’s scenic Munnar.
Alternative medical practitioners are volunteering help. East of Kochi, Chottanikara has students of a homeopathy college distributing “preventive pills” in houses, says Dr Janaki Krishnan of the institution.
Paramedics, too, are busy. The Kerala Government Nurses Association (KGNA), noting that its uniformed caregivers spend “95 per cent of the day” in contact with patients, says any hospital inmate with cold or cough is a potential corona case. “We are optimistic of overcoming this crisis. We make best use of the PPE kit,” says KGNA official Sudheeshkumar NB, referring to the personal protective equipment. “The state has ample stock of it.”
Kerala’s world-class healthcare system finds fresh highlight when the government’s workers on the ground reveal stories of working hours — corona or otherwise. Suresh Jayan, junior health inspector in Avanur village near Mulakunnathukavu where Thrissur district has its 1982-founded government medical college, says a strong grassroots network enables the state to promptly detect instances of a potential pandemic.
“If there’s a whiff of flu, someone in the vicinity will alert us. Over phone, we provide all advice and tips. If needed, we visit them with all precautions. In the odd case of non-conformity or disobedience, we inform the police,” he reveals. “In any case, we routinely hold monthly meetings of ASHA and Anganwadi workers along with residents’ associations.”
The spirit shows — as is clear from a youngster in an interior Palakkad belt. Farook Cherpulassery, enthused by Health Minister KK Shailaja’s counter-corona conduct that has earned her mass appreciation, comments thus below her Facebook post: “Please give me a call if my efforts can be put to good use for more number of people.”
Dr GS Vijayakrishnan of the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association says whoever is back from a stay anywhere abroad warrants medical check-up. “We can’t enter the third stage of corona spread,” he cautions. Chimes in Dr Anoopkumar AS, handling critical care medicine at a leading Kozhikode hospital: “Unlike Nipah (that claimed 17 lives of the 19 cases in the summer of 2018), the coronavirus strikes with lesser mortality: two among 100 patients. The young and healthy resist it better. No complacence, though.”
Kasargod’s health officials are busy with awareness drives that include compassion for the Gulf returnees, says District Surveillance Officer Manoj AT.
A Kottayam-based doctor, who doesn’t want to be named, finds piquancy in his personal and professional life. “In hospital, the patients want me desperately. Outside, my friends slink away when I try to join them at the badminton court.” Adds Dr Girija: “More than the disease, it seems the possible isolation scares people.”
Shimla, March 22
Almost complete voluntary shutdown on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Janata curfew’ to prevent coronavirus spread was observed on Sunday in the BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh.
Almost all towns and villages witnessed deserted streets with shops and business establishments closed to mark the pan-India solidarity.
Reports of the shutdown of shops and other establishments were received from the state capital, Rampur, Theog, Solan, Dharamsala, Palampur, Kullu, Una, Bilaspur and other places.
With state-run roadways and private transport completing shutting their services, buses were off the roads.
The entry and exit of all contact carriers and inter-state carrier buses were banned, except limited services not exceeding 10 per cent with proper arrangements of sanitisation only to most frequent destinations like Delhi, Haridwar and Chandigarh by state transport buses from March 21 midnight onwards.
In Shimla, a majority of shops were closed in various localities. People avoided morning walks.
However, the supply of milk was normal.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday urged the leaders of all political parties to give wholehearted support to the government to check the coronavirus spread. And, there is adequate stock of essential commodities.
Chairing an all-party meeting here, he said the government would deal the cases of hoardings and profiteering of essential commodities sternly.
The government has decided to postpone the date of payment of various public utility bills like electricity and water without any extra charges.—IANS
