2,361 evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz
Coronavirus India Latest Updates: With the death of a 75-year-old man in Mumbai and two deaths reported from Bengal on Wednesday, the coronavirus epidemic death toll spiked to 38 while the total number of positive cases soared to 1,637, including the 132 who have been discharged. Three resident doctors working in government hospitals in Delhi are among the healthcare professionals who have been tested positive in the national capital.
A nationwide tracking effort is underway to identify, quarantine and test all the people who attended a gathering of almost 4,000 people in Delhi's Markaz Nizamuddin in mid-March. The area has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot and has been put under a strict lockdown after 18 people present at the event tested positive in Delhi, 50 in Tamil Nadu and five died in Telangana. As links to this are emerging in several parts of the country, the Home Ministry has asked state governments to identify and quarantine all Tablighi Jamaat foreigners and deport them after medical clearance.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today tweeted that the Nizamuddin Markaz area has been cleared this morning adding that 2,361 people were evacuated and 617 of them have been placed under quarantine.
Nizamuddin Markaz cleared, 2361 people evacuated: Sisodia
Asserting that the area was cleared Wednesday morning, Sisodia said 2,361 people were evacuated and 617 of them have been placed under quarantine. The evacuations had started on Monday. "After conducting a 36-hour intensive campaign, the entire building in Nizamuddin's Almi Markaz was evacuated at 4 am today. There were 2,361 people in the building out of which 617 have been admitted to hospitals and the rest have been quarantined. Medical staff, administration, police, DTC staff all worked together in this 36-hour operation, putting their lives at risk. Hats off to all of them," Sisodia tweeted.
Three resident doctors working in Delhi govt hospitals test positive
Among the healthcare professionals who have been tested positive in Delhi, three resident doctors working in government hospitals have tested positive for coronavirus. One is a senior resident doctor working in the department of preventive oncology in Delhi State Cancer Insitute (DSCI), while the other is a 32-year-old doctor working in the department of pediatrics in Delhi government's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel hospital (SVBPH). He tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday after his wife, who works in the department of biochemistry at a Safdarjung hospital, was tested positive on March 26.
12th death in Mumbai, Maharashtra cases rise to 320
A 75-year-old man died in Mumbai, taking the total number of casualties in Maharashtra to 12. The total number of positive cases in the state rose to 320 with 16 new cases being reported from Mumbai and two from Pune. Also, thirty-nine coronavirus positive patients have been discharged after recovery so far.
20 new COVID-19 cases in MP; tally jumps to 86
Twenty more people tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 86, a health official said. Among the new cases, 19 were reported from Indore and one from the neighbouring Khargone district, he said. Of the 19 new patients in Indore, nine are from one family, including three children, aged 3, 5 and 8, residing in Tanzeem Nagar area of the city, the official said. A police official from Indore is also among the new coronavirus patients. (PTI)
Security personnel guarding Srinagar mayor put in isolation
Security personnel guarding Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu were put in isolation after a family member of an employee in his office tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday. The employee, whose brother tested COVID-19 positive, works as a generator operator at the Srinagar Municipal Complex. Mattu said the precautionary step was taken because of the security personnel station's proximity to the generator room.
Yediyurappa to donate a year's salary to fight COVID-19
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday announced he will donate his one year's salary to the Chief Minister Relief Fund COVID-19. He has appealed to Ministers, legislators, Members of Parliament, officials and citizens to also do their bit and contribute in whatever capacity possible to help the state in fighting the coronavirus outbreak. "It is a very difficult time that we are all going through. And it is important that we fight this epidemic together. Personally, I am donating my one year's salary to the #CMRF Covid19. I request you all to contribute, however small, and help #Karnataka fight #Corona.Thank you," Yediyurappa tweeted along with a video message announcing the same.
Vehicles to be seized in Karnataka if found plying on roads
The Karnataka police has warned that all two-wheelers and four-wheelers that ply on the roads will be seized during the 21-day nationwide lockdown. Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood said in a tweet, "This is not an April Fool's prank. Two/ four-wheelers are banned from use until the 14th of April. We will SEIZE your vehicle if you CEASE to ignore this lockdown regulation."
Indian Navy transports samples for COVID-19 testing from Goa to Pune
A Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy carrying 38 samples for COVID-19 testing took off from INS Hansa to Pune on Tuesday. The samples were carried by an official from the Goa State Health department. The air transportation was arranged following a request by the Secretary (Health) to the Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area.
In Punjab, residents thank garbage collector with garland of currency notes
Sanitation workers in Nabha in Punjab's Patiala district were in for a pleasant surprise on Tuesday morning as they went door-to-door to collect garbage. Residents of a locality in Nabha welcomed them by showering flower petals from their rooftops and applauded them for putting their lives under risk to perform their duties amid the coronavirus lockdown. Some residents also honoured the workers with garlands made of currency notes. A video tweeted by news agency ANI showed residents wearing masks garlanding one of the workers and patting him on the back.
Vadodara Police quarantines five men who were present at Delhi's Markaz Nizamuddin
Vadodara Police has tracked down five men who were present in the gathering at Delhi's Markaz Nizamuddin. They have been quarantined. They had men departed on March 20 by Sampark Kranti train to reach the Tablighi Jamaat in Haryana, where they stayed in a Masjid in Yamunanagar in Todarpur near Panipat. They returned to Vadodara on the night of March 31, travelling by a truck from Delhi to Godhra (Panchmahals, Gujarat), hitched a ride on a Sumo Jeep to the Vadodara highway, alighted at Golden Chowkdi junction and walked back to their homes due to the lockdown.
Karnataka Police seize fake hand sanitisers, infrared forehead thermometers
Karnataka's Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) police conducted a raid in an apartment in Srirampura and arrested a 46-year-old man for manufacturing fake sanitisers in his house. The police seized 180 ltr Isopropyl alcohol, 65 ltr surface cleaner, 10 ltr glycerine, 5,382 bottles of fake hand sanitisers. In a separate raid, the police arrested the manager of Prajval Surgical & Scientific store in Rajajinagar for selling fake infrared forehead thermometers.
Explained: Rate of COVID-19 spread in India, world
Although COVID-19 cases have grown faster over the last one week, the transmission rate in India is lower than elsewhere, experts note. A comparison of growth in cases, deaths between India and other countries.
Coronavirus: Symptoms, DOs and DON'Ts
#1. Common signs of coronavirus infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
#2. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap for 20 seconds at least 3 times a day.
#3. Regularly use hand sanitiser
#4. Avoid touching your face, nose
#5. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Discard any tissue used
#6. Avoid sharing water bottles and personal hygiene items like towels
#7. Avoid non-essential travel
#8. Don't stockpile disposable face masks.
#9. Prevent the spread of medical misinformation
#10. There are no known cures or preventive medicines for coronavirus
Coronavirus Helplines
The Ministry of Health has set up a telephone and email helpline for any queries and emergencies related to coronavirus.
Number: +91-11-2397 8046
Email: ncov2019@gmail.com
(Inputs and image from theindianexpress.com)
