Central teams visit Ahmedabad, Surat to assess situation

Two teams of the Union government on Saturday met local officials in Ahmedabad and Surat districts of Gujarat where the number of coronavirus cases has risen sharply in the last few days.

Two inter-ministerial central teams (IMCT) headed by Additional Secretary-level officers visited Ahmedabad and Surat Saturday to assess the COVID-19 situation, officials said.

On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had said the situation in these two emerging hotspots in Gujarat as well as in Thane, Hyderabad and Chennai was 'especially serious'.

The central teams met the collector, municipal commissioner and police commissioner among other officials in Ahmedabad and Surat.

Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra said the visiting officials expressed satisfaction over the AMC's response to the outbreak.

'We had a detailed discussion with the central team.

They were given all the information. They expressed satisfaction, and said steps regarding active surveillance and aggressive testing adopted by AMC will be made exemplary so the central government could share it with other cities,' he said.

The central team officials discussed measures taken in containment zones in central and south zones of the city, and later visited SVP Hospital where coronavirus patients are being treated.

In Surat, the team also visited a gymkhana where food is prepared for distribution to 30,000-35,000 people daily during lockdown.

The central team also visited the Covid-19 control room of the Surat Municipal Corporation, officials said.

Coronavirus cases in Ahmedabad crossed 2,000-mark to reach 2,003 on Saturday, while in Surat the number went up to 496, with 182 and 34 new cases, respectively.

The teams had been sent by the Union government to make on-the-spot assessment of the situation and issue necessary directions to state authorities and submit a report to the Centre.

Indore death toll rises to 57; cases tally 1,085

The death toll due to coronavirus in Indore city of Madhya Pradesh, one of the COVID-19 hotspots in the country, has reached 57 with two more persons succumbing to the infection, an official said on Saturday.

Two men, aged 75 and 55, died due to COVID-19 in the last three days, Chief Medical and Health Officer Praveen Jadia said.

One of them suffered from bronchitis, he said.

According to him, the number of coronavirus positive patients in the city has gone up to 1,085 after 56 more people tested positive in the last 24 hours. Of them, 107 have recovered and returned home so far, Jadia added.

As per the data, the city's COVID-19 mortality rate stood at 5.25 per cent till Saturday morning, which is higher than the national average. The city has a population of over 30 lakh. Curfew has been imposed in the city since March 25, after the first case of coronavirus infection came to light.

Baramulla man dies; death toll reaches 6 in J&K

A 70-year-old man hailing from Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday became the sixth person to die due to Covid-19 in the union territory, officials said here.

The person, a resident of Tangmarg area of the north Kashmir district, died at the SKIMS hospital in Bemina here on Saturday morning, the officials said.

The patient had tested positive for coronavirus and was admitted to the hospital on April 13, they said.

This is the sixth death due to coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir and the second from Tangmarg area, the officials added.

Eight new cases in Amravati

As many as eight persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra's Amravati city in 24 hours, taking the total number of active cases to 12 here, an official said on Saturday.

The city has recorded 16 coronavirus cases so far, of which four patients succumbed to the infection, while four others were discharged following recovery on Friday, the official said.

The active cases include two men aged 65 and 45 years, who had come in contact with two women from Kamela Ground and Hyderpura localities who had tested positive for the infection post their death, a release here stated.

As of now, there are 12 active cases in the city, which has 26 containment zones.

A Kashmiri girl feeds pigeons on a deserted road outside the closed Shah-e-Hamadan shrine on the first day of Ramadan during lockdown to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in Srinagar, Kashmir, Saturday, April 25, 2020. AP

Amid lockdown, cops convey surprise birthday wishes to woman

Amid the ongoing lockdown, police here made it a memorable birthday for a 60-year-old woman by wishing her surprisingly following a request of her US-based son.

Kutty Hadassa Paul, whose late husband Vijay Paul was a well-known cricket coach, lives alone.

She was formerly a teacher.

Her son Paul Talluri sent a message from America to Malkajgiri DCP Rakshita Murthy, requesting her to convey wishes to his mother as he could not come down to India due to the lockdown.

Deputed by the DCP, Narasimha Swamy reached Kutty's residence on Friday and greeted her.

As cakes and sweets are not available because of the lockdown, we gave her fruits, Swamy told PTI.

Not just that, the police officer sang a Hindi song Baar baar din ye aaye as part of the surprise celebration.

Swamy said they distributed masks and sanitisers to the residents of the locality.

Traffic policemen guard the deserted Howrah Bridge during the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of novel coronavirus, in Calcutta PTI

Entire Delhi not a hotspot: Delhi health minister

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday said there are 92 coronavirus hotspots in the national capital but the entire city is not a hotspot.

Jain was replying to a query on whether the Delhi government was considering easing the curbs enforced to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier this week said the lockdown will continue as usual in the national capital and no relaxation of prohibitions will be allowed before a review meeting of experts on April 27.

'There are 92 coronavirus hotspots in Delhi. The entire district or the entire city is not (a hotspot),' he said.

The health minister also said the rate at which coronavirus cases are doubling in Delhi has now slowed down to 13 days, from lesser number of days earlier.

Central teams assess situation in Ahmedabad, Surat

Separate central teams visited Ahmedabad and Surat cities in Gujarat on Saturday to take stock of the COVID-19 situation in these two districts, officials said.

The teams held talks with senior officials, including collectors, civic chiefs, police commissioners in Ahmedabad and Surat, they said.

Both the inter-ministerial central teams (IMCT) are headed by Additional Secretary-level officers.

The visit comes a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that the coronavirus situation in Ahmedabad, Surat, Thane (Maharashtra), Hyderabad (Telangana) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu) is 'especially serious'.

Till Friday evening, Ahmedabad district reported 1,821 coronavirus positive cases, while the number of such patients in Surat district is 462. As many as 83 patients have died in Ahmedabad, while 14 others succumbed to the infection in Surat district.

Homeless people stand in queue to receive free food distributed by people during nationwide lockdown in Gauhati, on Thursday, April 23, 2020. AP

Bodies of two men found hanging from trees in separate Delhi areas

The bodies of two men were found hanging from trees in separate areas in the national capital, police said on Saturday.

A 23-year-old man, identified as Ankit, allegedly committed suicide by hanging from a tree in Rohini area, they Saturday.

A native of Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, Ankit lived with his sister and her husband in a rented accommodation in Delhi's Buddh Vihar area, police said.

He worked at a factory in Bawana, but recently lost his job and was unemployed. He was also undergoing medical treatment, they said.

'We received information regarding the incident on Thursday. The body was found hanging from a tree in Rohini's sector-23. It was sent to the mortuary and the relatives were informed,' a senior police officer said.

In another incident, a 30-year-old homeless man was found hanging from a tree in southeast Delhi's Sarita Vihar area, police said.

Police received information regarding the incident and rushed to the spot at Pillar Number 299, Near Mohan Estate Metro Station, Mathura Road, they said.

The victim was found hanging from a tree by using a piece of cloth. There was no injury mark on his body and no suicide note was found, police said.

The man was seen roaming around the Sarita Vihar Metro Station for the last five-six months, a senior police officer said.

Efforts are being made to identify the victim. The body has been sent to AIIMS mortuary, police added.

The death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 779 and the number of cases climbed to 24,942 in the country on Saturday, registering an increase of 56 deaths and 1,490 cases since Friday evening, according to the Union health ministry.

The 56 deaths were the maximum reported in the country in a span of 24 hours, the ministry said.

The number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 18,953, while 5,209 people have been cured and discharged, and one patient has migrated, it added.

'So far, around 20.88 per cent people have recovered in the country,' the ministry said.

The total number of cases includes 111 foreign nationals.

Of the 56 deaths reported since Friday evening, 18 were in Maharashtra, 15 in Gujarat, nine in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Delhi and West Bengal, two each in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh and one each in Punjab and Kerala.

Of the total 779 Covid-19 deaths, Maharashtra accounts for the highest number of 301 fatalities, followed by Gujarat (127), Madhya Pradesh (92), Delhi (53), Andhra Pradesh (31) and Rajasthan (27).

The death toll reached 26 in Uttar Pradesh as well as in Telangana, 22 in Tamil Nadu, while Karnataka and West Bengal have reported 18 deaths each, the ministry said.

Punjab has registered 17 fatalities so far, Jammu and Kashmir five, Kerala four, while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three Covid-19 deaths each.

Bihar has reported two coronavirus deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported a fatality each, according to the ministry data.

There has been a lag in the Union health ministry figures, compared to the number of deaths announced by the states, which officials attribute to procedural delays in assigning the cases to individual states.

According to the health ministry data updated in the evening, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country is from Maharashtra at 6,817, followed by Gujarat (2,815), Delhi (2,514), Rajasthan (2,034), Madhya Pradesh (1,952) and Uttar Pradesh (1,778).

The number of Covid-19 cases has gone up to 1,755 in Tamil Nadu, 1,061 in Andhra Pradesh and 984 in Telangana.

The number of cases has risen to 571 in West Bengal, 489 in Karnataka, 454 in Jammu and Kashmir, 451 in Kerala, 298 in Punjab and 272 in Haryana.

Bihar has reported 228 coronavirus cases, while Odisha has 94. Fifty-nine people have been infected with the virus in Jharkhand and 48 in Uttarakhand.

Himachal Pradesh has 40 cases, while Chhattisgarh and Assam have registered 36 infections each.

Chandigarh has 28 cases, while there are 27 Covid-19 patients in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Twenty coronavirus cases have been reported from Ladakh, 12 from Meghalaya, while Goa and Puducherry have registered seven Covid-19 cases each.

Manipur and Tripura have two coronavirus patients each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each.

'Forty-nine cases are being assigned to states for contact tracing. Our figures are being reconciled with that of the the ICMR,' the ministry said on its website.

State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added.

Central team in Hyderabad to assess situation

A central team, appointed to assess the COVID-19 situation, began its visit to the city on Saturday and visited a COVID-19 hospital set up by the Telangana government.

The Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) visited the sports facility at Gachibowli in the city, which has been converted into a COVID-19 hospital by the state government in a record time, as part of its efforts to assess the preparedness and the situation.

A state health official said they have apprised the team about the facilities provided in the hospital for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The visiting team members asked some questions and took details, he said.

The team also asked for details on the facilities created for COVID-19 patients and the protocols being followed by the state government at other hospitals, he said.

Stating that the state government has acquired the necessary facilities, the official said the team was satisfied with the arrangements.

The Telangana government recently converted a 14- storey tower at Gachibowli sports complex here into a 1,500-bedded COVID-19 special hospital.

About 1,000 workforce sweated it out to convert the tower, part of the sports complex , constructed in 2002, into a full-pledged coronavirus hospital with 50 intensive care unit (ICU) beds, a senior state government official involved in the execution of the healthcare centre earlier said.

On Friday, 13 cases were reported, taking the tally to 983, while the number of people who succumbed to the virus in the state was 25.

The number of people who have been discharged from hospitals was 291.

Gyms, theatres, casinos, pools to remain shut in Goa

The Goa government on Saturday issued an order extending the closure of establishments like casinos, gymnasiums, night clubs among others in the coastal state till further orders.

The order comes a day after the Centre allowed neighbourhood and standalone shops, including those located in residential complexes, in urban areas to open during the ongoing lockdown.

As per the order of the Ministry of Home Affairs, shops in markets will continue to remain shut, while in rural areas, all shops, except those in shopping malls, are allowed to open.

Goa Health Director Jose D'Sa ordered that gymnasiums, cinema theatres, public swimming pools including those in hotels, casinos, spa and massage parlours, salons, river cruises, nightclubs and multiplexes will remain closed till further orders.

Several shop owners in the coastal state said they were unaware of the MHA order, while some said they would not be able to open their establishments immediately due to lack of supplies.

18 family members, another person test positive in UP

Nineteen people including 18 members of an extended family have tested positive for coronavirus in the district and have been admitted to hospital, a senior administrative officer said on Saturday.

A student of the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary who had come to the district last month had tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week. His family members and close relatives were subsequently kept in quarantine and their samples were sent for testing, of which 18 have been found to be positive, District Magistrate Ravish Kumar Gupta said.

One person from Tilathi village in Bakhira police station area has also tested positive for the virus, Gupta said.

This patient had recently returned from Mumbai. His sample was sent to Gorakhpur medical college and the report was received Saturday, the DM said, adding that his family members have been quarantine and their samples sent for testing.

The District Magistrate said with these new cases, the number of coronavirus positive patients in the district was now 21.

The areas from where these cases have been reported have been sealed off, he added.

7 new cases in Firozabad, tally 78

Seven more people tested positive for coronavirus in Firozabad district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, taking the total number of cases here to 78, an official said.

All the fresh cases have been reported from hotspot in the Ramgarh police station area here, Chief Medical Officer SK Dixit said, adding that the area has been completely sealed off.

A list of people who came in contact with them is being prepared, the CMO added.

UP govt starts bringing back workers; over 2,000 return from Haryana

The Uttar Pradesh Government has started bringing back workers hailing from the state who were stranded in other parts of the country due to the lockdown and as many as 2,224 labourers have returned in the first phase, a senior official said on Saturday.

Briefing reporters here, Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Information) Awanish Awasthi said the first batch of workers was brought back in 82 buses from Haryana on Saturday, and 11,000 workers will return by Sunday.

All the workers will be kept in a 14-day quarantine.

Orders have been issued to prepare shelter homes in the state in a major way so that the returnees can be quarantined there.

It has also been directed that once the quarantine period of the labourers coming from other states ends, preparations should be made to provide them employment near their village, the official said.

Street dogs rest in an alley during lockdown to prevent the spread of new coronavirus in Prayagraj, on Saturday, April 25, 2020. AP

People resort to panic buying in urban Tamil Nadu

People resorted to panic buying by swarming markets in cities including Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai on Saturday to buy vegetables and essential commodities in view of the four day complete shutdown from Sunday.

As people thronged the markets, Chief Minister K Palaniswami ordered extension of time for shops selling essential commodities and vegetables by two more hours till 3 PM.

However, there was no dip in the crowds and important roads, and intersections that are usually deserted, be it here or in other cities like Coimbatore teemed with vehicles and people.

Be it Koyambedu, one of the largest markets in Asia for vegetables, fruits and flowers or the cramped ones in locations like Royapuram, or the RS Puram Uzhavar Sandhai (farmers market) at Coimbatore, it was human heads everywhere.

People could be seen jostling for space in markets breaching social distancing norms and only a section of them sproted masks.

Every single shop had at least 100 men and women queuing up to buy veggies and other commodities.

As COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami on Friday had announced a complete shutdown beginning Sunday in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai for four days, disallowing grocery shops as well and fully curtailing movement of the public.

Also, Salem and Tirupur in western Tamil Nadu will be shut similarly, albeit for three days from April 26 and Palaniswami assured people that vegetables and fruits shall reach their doorsteps via mobile outlets.

Chennai Corporation has made it clear that no shops will be allowed to function even for selling vegetables and fruits and that only push carts and mobile vehicles would be permitted to do so.

Pradeep John, well known as the 'Tamil Nadu Weatherman' in his twitter handle, said many people he saw were not wearing masks, adding...'when I asked them, they all say my house is so nearby. Whether your house is near or far, Please wear mask wen u go out'.

Sections of people are apprehensive that the full shutdown may be extended further and this too prompted panic buying in several localities.

Even beyond the 3 PM deadline, several neighbourhood shops functioned and around 4.30 pm, all the roads and markets were deserted again with only police patrols and corporation flying squad vehicles doing the rounds.

Traders and vegetable dealers said they expected a surge in crowds today in view of the announcement of complete shutdown, adding they were able to meet the demand.

The Government said it has made arrangements for supply of vegetables through vans.

Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers'Federation (Aavin) had announced that it has inked a pact with online food delivery aggregators Zomato and Duzo to distribute its flagship milk brand 'Aavin' and other dairy products,including ghee, directly to consumers in Chennai from its 21 hi-tech parlours effective Friday.

Districts, including Cuddalore announced that the complete lockdown will be followed on Sunday in their respective regions and disinfection tasks shall get priority.

Police and civic authorities meanwhile said tough action will be taken against those flouting the full lockdown norms.

Police said they have seized 2,65,756 vehicles and levied a fine of Rs 3.13 crore as on date for violating lockdown norms.

The District Collectors of Chengelpet, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram had separately issued directions for implementing the full lockdown in their respective areas which are close to Greater Chennai Corporation neighbourhoods and falling under the jurisdiction of Chennai police.

Highways Min asks truckers to take precautions to avoid infection; releases video

The government on Saturday asked truckers to take all possible precautions while transporting essential goods across the country.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways also released an animation video with illustration of 'Dos and Don'ts' for Truck/Lorry Drivers as they handle increasing movements of goods across the country.

'Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Ministry has released an illustrative animation video which provides for broad Dos and Don'ts for truck/lorry drivers as they are handling trips to transport essential goods across the country.

'The animation calls upon people to respect and cooperate with truck/lorry drivers who are working to ease life by transporting essential goods and medicines in the scenario when Government had to extend lockdown to curb COVID-19 and save lives,' the ministry said in a statement.

The Dos and Don'ts issued in the form of graphic animation which urges drivers to maintain personal hygiene, wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds whenever possible, to wear a mask while driving/exiting the vehicle and wash it with soap and water after use.

It also urges them to 'Use 70 per cent alcohol-based hand sanitizer while driving/exiting the vehicle' and to 'not to travel with extra passengers other than a helper and a driver as per the rules' besides maintaining social distancing.

'Avoid coming in close contact with people at check posts/loading-unloading points/restaurants, etc,' it urges them while asking to sanitise vehicles every day.

FB live sessions by experts, celebrities to keep Churu residents motivated

After a man committed suicide here fearing that he contracted coronavirus, the Churu Police in Rajasthan has started an initiative to create a feeling of togetherness and keep people motivated during the lockdown by connecting them with motivational speakers, artistes, celebrities and experts from different fields through social media.

Apart from scheduling live sessions of TV actors, motivational speakers and theatre personalities in the series, the Churu Police is also planning to invite Bollywood actresses like Mahima Chaudhary and Lara Dutta, and Punjabi singer Guru Randhawa.

On April 20, health experts appeared on a live session on the Facebook page of Churu Police and gave tips to the viewers for achieving a positive mindset.

Find the full story here.

3 women test positive in Aurangabad

Three women from a family tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district on Saturday, taking the tally of cases to 47 in the region, an official said.

Of the 47 patients, 22 have recovered from the infection and five have succumbed to it, the official said.

At present, 18 patients were undergoing treatment at the COVID-19 (Civil) hospital, while two were recuperating at the Government Medical College and Hospital, civil hospital health officer Dr Pradeep Kulkarni said in a release.