Passerby feeding monkeys on National Highway-7 near Nada Sahib Gurudwara in Panchkula during lockdown. (Express photo: Jaipal Singh)
The death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 937, while the number of cases climbed to 29,974 in the country on Tuesday, registering an increase of 51 deaths and 1,594 cases since Monday evening, according to the Union Health Ministry. The number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 22,010, while 7,026 people had recovered, and one patient had migrated, the ministry said. The recovery rate is now at 23.3 per cent with 7,027 people recovered so far, said Health Ministry Joint Secretary Luv Aggarwal.
With the plasma therapy gaining a lot of traction as a possible cure for coronavirus, the ministry clarified that it was at an experimental stage and there was no evidence yet to support that it could be used as a treatment for the disease. Till the effectiveness of this mode of treatment is scientifically proven, its application except for research and clinical trial is illegal, Agarwal said.
Follow coronavirus news LIVE updates here
Here is a curated list of striking stories from across the country on 35th day of the lockdown.
Telangana woman threatens suicide on social media; police rush to help
A woman in dire straits due to the lockdown received help from the police and some members of the public after she made a passionate plea on social media for aid to take care of her four-member family. She even threatened to commit suicide, reported news agency PTI.
A team of police personnel was rushed to her house on the outskirts of the city, and she was provided foodgrains and cash assistance. The police had been alerted of her plea through the state’s Covid-19 control room. Some netizens responded to her plea by transferring money to her bank account.
In a tweet addressed to ruling TRS working president and minister K T Rama Rao, the woman said her family was “facing financial problems”, she was not able to get milk for her children, and she and her husband had health issues. “…no one is coming forward to help us financially so we have decided to commit suicide,” she reportedly said.
Police greet elderly man with birthday cake in Haryana’s Panchkula
THE PANCHKULA police came knocking on the door of a 69-year-old on Tuesday. They were on a special, secret mission – to deliver a birthday surprise for the Sector 7 resident.
The resident, identified as Karan Puri, owns a famous book shop at Panjab University of Chandigarh, and lives in Panchkula alone. In the heartwarming video released by the police on Twitter that soon went viral, a team of women personnel can be seen wishing him and singing for him as he bursts into tears.
Talking to The Indian Express, Puri said, “I was just roaming around the house with nothing to do. Then suddenly a patrol car came by and stopped outside. I thought they had stopped to scold me for being outside, but instead, they took out a cake and a cap and started singing. It was all very overwhelming for me. I have never been much for emotions, but it was touching. The tears were a surprise for me too.”
Trainee IAS officers attend virtual classes
Amid the lockdown, trainee IAS officers attend virtual classes and do the dishes and other chores all by themselves while maintaining social distancing norms during their stay at a prestigious training academy at Mussoorie, according to an official statement issued.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh was briefed about this and other activities being done at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) for the training of bureaucrats on Covid-19 related issues during a video conference with the director and faculty of the premier institution. He was briefed on how SOPs have been formed for different aspects of the functioning of the academy including training of IAS officer Trainees of Phase-I, the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said.
Thane cop rushes snakebite victim to hospital amid Covid-19 lockdown
A police constable deployed on Covid-19 lockdown duty came to the rescue of a seven-year-old snakebite victim at Badlapur in Maharashtra’s Thane district, police said on Tuesday.
Shivam Jadhav was bitten by a snake at a cattle shed near his home in Mankavli and his father was trying to find means to get him to a hospital during the lockdown, an official said. The boy’s father approached constable Girish Sahil, who was deployed in the area to enforced the lockdown, he said, adding that the policeman immediately rushed the child to a hospital on his two-wheeler.
Balwant Singh, RWA President at Delhi’s Sector 1 RK Puram, goes around the neighbourhood cautioning residents against Covid-19 on Tuesday. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
Odisha makes special arrangements for LGBT community members, pregnant women in temporary camps
Anticipating the arrival of more than 5 lakh people in the state after the nationwide lockdown is lifted, the Odisha government on Tuesday said it has made separate arrangements for members of the LGBT community and pregnant women housed in temporary medical camps and quarantine centres. The move was a part of the guidelines issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department for management of temporary medical camps (TMCs) and quarantine centres (QCs) set up at the gram panchayat and urban local body level. Odisha has so far created 7,102 TMCs with 2.27 lakh beds, officials said.
Jaipur couple distributes chyawanprash to police personnel on lockdown duty
To celebrate their strong relationship on wedding anniversary, a couple here distributed ‘chyawanprash’ to the police personnel on lockdown duty. Krishna Jhalani, 60, and his wife used to throw a party on their anniversary every year, but due to the lockdown this time, they chose to share the joy with the police instead.
The couple distributed 150 packs of the ‘chyawanprash’ (health supplement) at Kotwali police station and other places on Tuesday. “Immunity is crucial for all those who are on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus and we chose to provide them the booster to mark our wedding anniversary, Jhalani told PTI on Tuesday. Normally, we celebrate the occasion with family and friends and organise a party but this time we marked our day with those who do tough duty, he said.