A day after Odisha extended the lockdown in the state, the Punjab government followed suit today, extending the curfew in the state till May 1, PTI reported. According to Special Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu, the decision was taken by Punjab cabinet.
Punjab has so far recorded 137 cases and 11 COVID-19 deaths, according to media reports. Punjab became the second state to do so after Odisha, which also extended the lockdown till April 30 on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a 19 member expert committee constituted by the Tamil Nadu government to advise it of steps to tackle the COVID-19 crisis on Friday also recommended to Chief Minister K Palaniswami that the lockdown be extended by two weeks beyond April 14 considering the rise in number of cases.
As on Friday evening at 5pm, the health ministry recorded 6,039 “active” cases of coronavirus, of a total 6,761 confirmed cases. The death toll due to COVID-19, disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is now at 206.
Friday also marked the day when a doctor succumbed to novel coronavirus infection in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore – making it the second casualty of a front line health worker due to COVID-19.
Officials on Friday confirmed that 46 new cases of coronavirus infection have been found in Gujarat, taking the state count to reach 308. In addition, two more succumbed to COVID-19 in the state. With this, the state toll has rose to 19.
A 65-year old woman who who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus dies in Jaipur, according to officials on Friday. With this, the toll in Rajasthan is now eight.
The Delhi Waqf Board on Thursday designated one of its graveyards specifically to bury those who die from COVID-19, in view of problems being faced by people in performing last rites of coronavirus victims, news agency PTI reported.
In a letter to secretary of Delhi government and Health department, Board’s chief executive officer SM Ali said it has designated its ‘Jadeed Qurustaan’ graveyard near Millennium Park, for last rites of COVID-19 victims in the city.
Coronavirus cases in Delhi have risen to 720 and 12 people have died so far due to the epidemic.
Officials on Friday confirmed that ten persons who were declared COVID-19 positive after returning to the island from a religious congregation in Delhi last month have recovered.
As the as the nation nears the end of 21-day virus-induced lockdown and cases continue to surge, should India continue with lockdown for another two or three weeks? Independednt Journalist Ajaz Ashraf takes a look at the Swedish model of combating COVID-19 and explores if it can also work for India.
As Madhya Pradesh battles rising number of COVID-19 cases, burdening its health infrastructure, government data showed the state has just one ventilator for every 75,000 people and one intensive care unit (ICU) bed for every 47,000, PTI reported.
However, the availability of hydroxychloroquine, a common anti-malaria drug seen as potential cure for COVID-19, is around 30 tablets per person, according to an analysis of state government data.
Madhya Pradesh has so far registered 426 coronavirus positive cases and 33 fatalities.
As coronavirus cases in Bihar continue to surge, confirming as many as 19 in last 24 hours, the state government sealed off Siwan, Begusarai and Nawada districts, according to media reports. Siwan district reportedly has the highest number of cases in the state.
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday confirmed that only farmers in the state will be allowed district-wise relief from the lockdown. His comments came a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to hold a meeting with state chief ministers to decide upon whether to lift the lockdown or to extend it post April 14.
Singh said that the farmers will be allowed a relief to harvest rabi crops. He also informed that the state is expecting bumper crop of 185 lakh tonnes of wheat. Adequate arrangements for harvest is being made, including setting up 3,800 mandis across the state.
Two nurses from Dadar’s Shushrusha Hospital in Mumbai tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Times of India. Following this, BMC authorities had asked the hospital to immediately stop taking new admissions and gave 48 hours to the hospital to discharge all the existing patients.
The Tripura government has invoked the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) after a few nurses at a state-run hospital in Agartala complained about shortage of masks and other protective equipment in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, PTI reported.
Tripura is the second state after Madhya Pradesh to enforce the Act, which gives the police the right to arrest without a warrant anybody violating the ESMA’s provisions.
The decision to invoke the Act came shortly after Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb warned that strict action would be taken against the nurses who complained to the media about a shortage of masks and other protective equipment at the state-run GB Pant Hospital.
The Act mandates imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or fine which may extend to Rs 1,000, or with both, to any person who instigates a strike which is illegal under this Act.
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Centre to conduct mass testing on priority basis for identifying and treating COVID-19 infected persons, especially in the hotspot areas across the country, to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic, news agency PTI reported.
The petition, filed by three lawyers and a law student based at Allahabad, claimed that testing rate in India for COVID-19 is amongst the lowest in the world and the “shocking spike in the number of coronavirus infected cases within a matter of days, shows that it may only be the tip of the iceberg and we are oblivious to the real gravity of the situation”.
The Punjab government on Friday decided to extend the curfew restrictions in the state till April 30, PTI reported. According to Special Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu the decision was taken by Punjab cabinet.
Punjab became the second state to do so after Odisha, which also extended the lockdown till April 30 on Thursday.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has sought an inquiry into the death of a nine-month pregnant woman, who was suspected to have coronavirus and had to travel for over 70 km for medical attention, according to PTI.
According to a media report, a 27-year-old pregnant woman complained of not being able to breathe following which she was rushed to different hospitals covering 70 km between Nalasopara and Mumbai.
The next afternoon, the woman passed away and the unborn child could not be saved.
Calling the incident “very unfortunate”, the women’s body has sought an inquiry into the matter.
A 19-member expert committee constituted by the Tamil Nadu government has advised Chief Minister K Palaniswami that the lockdown be extended by two weeks beyond April 14 considering the rise in number of cases, PTI reported.
A day after Palaniswami said a decision on the lockdown extension will be taken based on the committee's recommendation, he also consulted public health experts, including World Health Organisation chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan and others via a video link from the Secretariat.
The Karnataka Health Department on Friday confirmed that as of Friday evening, 207 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed, including 6 deaths & 30 discharges. 10 new positive cases have been reported from 9th April 2020, 5:00 PM to 10th April 2020, 12:00 noon, added the health department in a tweet.
BMC on Friday confirmed 212 fresh cases of coronavirus in Mumbai, taking tally of confirmed cases in city to 993.
Tamil Nadu government on Friday one more coronavirus death in the state, taking the total to nine. In addition, 77 fresh cases have been reported in last 24 hours.
Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
