Coronavirus LIVE updates: A medics collect samples for Covid-19 swab tests at a testing center in a government school in New Delhi.
Coronavirus (Covid-19) India updates: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Saturday opposed LG Anil Baijal’s decision of 5-day compulsory institutional quarantine for COVID-19 patients, and said this will make people evade testing which will further increase the spread of infection. He also said there is already a shortage of healthcare staff, how will it be possible to arrange doctors and nurses for thousands of patients at quarantine centers.
“When the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is allowing home-isolation for asymptomatic & mildly symptomatic cases across the country why different rules are being implemented in Delhi,” he asked.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday launched a Rs 50,000-crore employment scheme or campaign for migrant workers who have returned to their home states during the coronavirus lockdown. The scheme, Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan (GKRA), was launched through a video conference from Khagaria district’s Telihar village in Bihar in presence of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi. Chief ministers of other five states and Union ministers of concerned ministries participated in the virtual launch.
India reported 14,516 coronavirus cases and 375 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections on Saturday to 3,95,048 including 12,948 deaths, 1,68,269 active cases and 2,13,831 people who have been treated and discharged so far, as per the data by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Globally, over 85 lakh people (8,641,521) have been infected with the virus that has killed at least 459,474. While the World Health Organisation has warned that the pandemic is “accelerating”, it expressed optimism that vaccines could be available before the end of this year.
Coronavirus LIVE updates: The share of the top four states in the total caseload of the country has remained almost unchanged in more than a month.
Coronavirus LIVE updates: People walk through a downtown shopping district in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (AP)
The Civil Aviation Ministry on Saturday said that they are unsure about the resumption of international flight operations. Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said that international operations is only possible when other countries end lockdown. 'If international operations have to start, both ends have to be ready&there has to be traffic. There is a significant amount of traffic between India&North American continent. We may think of opening flights on a case to case basis.'
' In absence of a decision on resumption of international civil aviation which will depend on other countries opening up, we are left with no option but to continue what I call evacuation & repatriation flights under managed & controlled conditions,' he said adding that domestic private carriers have been offered to operate 750 repatration flights in third, fourth phases of Vande Bharat Mission.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said that over 2,75,000 Indians have traveled back to country in flights during lockdown.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Saturday said it has launched antiviral drug Favipiravir, under the brand name FabiFlu, for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. The Mumbai-based drug firm had on Friday received manufacturing and marketing approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). FabiFlu is the first oral Favipiravir-approved medication for the treatment of COVID-19, the company said in a statement. "This approval comes at a time when cases in India are spiralling like never before, putting a tremendous pressure on our healthcare system," Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Chairman and Managing Director Glenn Saldanha said. The company hopes that the availability of an effective treatment such as FabiFlu will considerably help assuage this pressure, and offer patients in India a much needed and timely therapy option, he added.
The Delhi High Court has directed the city government to investigate into the allegations against a private hospital of forcing to shift a physically disabled woman, suspected to be suffering from COVID-19, to another hospital over unavailability of beds. Justice Navin Chawla, who conducted the hearing through video conferencing, said the allegations made against Primus Super Speciality Hospital in Chanakyapuri here are of "grave nature". "As the allegations made by the petitioner (patient's father) against the Primus Super Speciality Hospital, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi are of a grave nature, the respondent no.1 (Delhi government) is directed to carry out an investigation into the same and in case the hospital is found to have derogated in its duty in any manner, take appropriate action in this regard. "I may, however, clarify that this court has not expressed any opinion on the allegations so made by the petitioner," the judge said in an order passed on Friday and made available on Saturday.
Family members of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) secretary Snehashish Ganguly tested positive for Covid-19, the state health department said on Friday. The wife of Snehasish, the elder brother of BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, was found to be positive for the disease, a senior official said. The mother-in-law and father-in-law of Snehashish also tested positive for the disease last week, he said.
Delhi Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia took to Twitter to say that a consensus could not be reached at today's SDMA meeting on rates of beds at private hospitals and L-G Anil Baijal's order of ending home isolation. Sisodia said another meeting will be held at 5 pm today.
DEATHS
In the last one week, Delhi has emerged one of the biggest point of concern in the efforts to contain the spread of novel Coronavirus epidemic, reporting large number of cases as well as deaths. The city state added 16,292 new cases of infection in the past one week, which is almost one third of its entire caseload of 53,116. During this time, it has reported more than 800 deaths as well, many of which happened much earlier, but had remained uncounted.
Only Maharashtra has added more number of cases, and reported more deaths, during this time. But Maharashtra has a caseload which is about 2.5 times that of Delhi and its growth rate is very slow. Delhi, on the other hand, happens to be one of the fastest growing states. Only seven states right now have a growth rate (seven-day compounded daily growth rate) higher than that of Delhi, and except Haryana and Telangana, all these states have relatively insignificant caseloads.
The World Health Organization warned Friday of a "new and dangerous phase" of the coronavirus pandemic with people tiring of lockdowns despite the disease's accelerating spread. The warning came as it emerged the virus was present in Italy in December, months before its first confirmed cases and about the same time as the disease was first reported in China. The virus, which has now killed more than 454,000 people and infected 8.4 million people worldwide, is surging in the Americas and parts of Asia even as Europe starts to ease restrictive measures.
Lockdowns imposed to halt the spread of the disease have caused crippling economic damage, but the WHO said the pandemic still posed a major threat. "The world is in a new and dangerous phase. Many people are understandably fed up with being at home... but the virus is still spreading fast," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference. (AFP)
Kejriwal also said that Railway has provided isolation coaches but given the hot weather, how will someone stay in them.
The Delhi government Saturday opposed the Lt Governor Anil Baijal's order to "scrap" home isolation, in the DMA meeting. Opposing LG's decision of 5-day compulsory institutional quarantine for COVID-19 patients, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said this will make people evade testing which will further increase the spread of infection.
Kejriwal also said when the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is allowing home-isolation for asymptomatic & mildly symptomatic cases across the country why different rules are being implemented in Delhi."
He also said there is already a shortage of healthcare staff, how will it be possible to arrange doctors and nurses for thousands of patients at quarantine centres.
PM Modi says, "Earlier, money used to be given in your name but it never reached you; now things are changing."
PM Modi also said, 'For first time, Internet being used more in villages; work about raising Internet speed, laying of fibre cables will be undertaken.'
'My labourer friends, the country understands your emotions & your needs. 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan' starting from Khagaria, Bihar is a major tool to fulfil this need and emotion,' PM Modi said.
Talking about the role of rural India in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, PM Modi said, "The way villages have fought coronavirus has taught big lesson to cities. Whether someone acknowledges your work or not, I hail your contribution in fighting coronavirus."
"It is our endeavour that workers get jobs near home; till now you were developing cities, now you will help your village," he said.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has said that Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting is scheduled for 12 pm today. "We will oppose LG's order of ending home isolation in this meeting. Ending home isolation is against ICMR guidelines and will create chaos in Delhi."
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has been administered plasma therapy. He has no fever now, his health will be monitored at ICU over the next 24 hours, according to the Office of Satyendar Jain. Jain was tested positive for COVID-19 on June 17.
AAP MLA Raghav Chadha said, "As per yesterday's order, all COVID-19 patients, symptomatic or asymptomatic, will be kept in quarantine centres for 5 days. People from my constituency have told me that they won't get themselves tested for fear of being whisked away to quarantine centres:
Hr also said, "As per our calculation, Delhi needs 15,000 beds by June 30 but after this order, now we need 90,000 beds by June 30. From where will we get 90,000 beds?"
For economic agents – particularly poor households and small businesses – the crisis today is a crisis of liquidity. The nationwide lockdown, imposed to stop the novel coronovirus in its tracks, has led to scores of daily wage workers and informal sector entrepreneurs losing earning opportunities from their existing activities.
On Thursday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a Rs 1.70 lakh crore ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana’ relief package to alleviate the distress of those least equipped to bear the cost of staying at home for the larger public interest of battling the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indian Express examines the effectiveness of the package in meeting its stated goal.
During the launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tributes to the soldiers who were killed in Ladakh. He said, "Country is proud of the sacrifice made by our braves in Ladakh. Today when I am speaking to people of Bihar, I will say the valour was of Bihar Regiment, every Bihari is proud of it. I pay tributes to the braves who laid down their lives for the nation."
The move has come at a time when lakhs of migrants have returned to villages in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak and the need for employment having gone up drastically in rural areas.
Here’s all you need to know about Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan (GKRA)
*GKRA is a campaign launched by Centre to “empower and provide livelihood opportunities” to the returnee migrant workers and rural citizens.
* It is a 125-day campaign involving implementation of 25 different types of works to provide employment to the migrant workers on one hand and create infrastructure in the rural regions of the country on the other hand.
* GKRA will primarily focus on six states where maximum migrant workers have returned. A total of 116 districts across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha have been chosen for the campaign which includes 27 aspirational districts. These districts are estimated to cover about 2/3 of such migrant workers.
*According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, the workers will help build gram panchayat bhawans and anganwadi centres, national highway works, railway works and water conservation projects, among others across six states.