Morning digest: ICMR denies community transmission of coronavirus, Trump extends distancing guidelines by 30 days, and more

A select list of stories to read before you start your day

March 30, 2020 08:06 am | Updated 08:06 am IST

President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing in the White House on March 29, 2020.

President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing in the White House on March 29, 2020.

Coronavirus | Cases surge; ICMR denies community transmission

India on Sunday reported more than 100 new cases of  COVID-19 , bringing the overall case load to 979. “There have been six deaths in the past 24 hours,” said Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Lav Agrawal at a briefing. “We have identified certain emerging hotspots and [will] investigate, on a war footing, what action can be taken there,” he added. However, none of the officials at the briefing specified the hotspots or the number of cases at these locations.

Coronavirus | Women warriors join battle against virus in Kashmir

The battle against  COVID-19  gets women ‘warriors’ in Kashmir. Fashion designers, small-time tailors and students volunteer to tide over the shortage of masks, body-bags and personal protective equipment vital for the front-line health workers. Sadia Mufti, 28, is a popular fashion designer and owner of Hangers, a boutique in Srinagar. This time, it’s not kurtis or khaftan she has innovated upon, but personal protective equipment.

Coronavirus lockdown | Supreme Court hearings on scope of religious freedom lie in limbo

The hearings before a nine-judge Supreme Court Bench on the ambit and scope of religious freedom practised by multiple faiths across the country lie in limbo due to the  COVID-19  scare. The Bench led by Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde is hearing this reference on the question of religious freedom in connection with the  Sabarimala case .

Coronavirus | Concern in Tamil Nadu over health status of 1,500 who attended conference in Delhi

Health authorities in Tamil Nadu are worried about the health status of about 1,500 people from Tamil Nadu, who reportedly attended a Thowheed Jamaath conference in Nizamuddin, Delhi. They are equally concerned about the possibility of cases spreading from these people. Sources said there is just cause for alarm as a high percentage of those who were tested turned out to be  coronavirus  positive in the group.

Experts speak | A look into key aspects of virus pandemic

There are a lot of scientific terms being bandied about during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a short primer on the key aspects everyone should be aware of.

Data | To reduce coronavirus spread, India needs to test more, lockdown notwithstanding

In India, the growth of COVID-19 cases has neither been exponential nor has it flattened out. The curve lies somewhere in the middle. But this picture is misleading as  India has a poor testing rate . Despite the fact that India has among the lowest % of positive cases of those tested,  the 21-day lockdown, which began on March 25, may not be enough . This is borne out in countries which imposed lockdowns but saw a surge in cases later.

Coronavirus | Donald Trump extends distancing guidelines by 30 days

President Donald Trump is extending the voluntary national shutdown for a month as  sickness and death from the coronavirus pandemic rises in the U.S. The initial 15-day period of social distancing urged by the federal government expires Monday and Mr. Trump earlier expressed interest in relaxing the national guidelines at least in parts of the country less afflicted by the pandemic. But instead he decided to extend them through April 30, a tacit acknowledgement he’d been too optimistic.

Coronavirus | New York State nears 1,000 deaths

New York State’s  coronavirus  death toll is nearing 1,000, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. The State accounts for more than 40% of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. The number of disease-related deaths in the State jumped Sunday to 965 from 728 the day before, he said. The vast majority have been in New York City. Figures released Sunday morning showed 678 coronavirus deaths in the city, which continues to be the epicentre of the pandemic in the U.S.

Coronavirus | Germany, U.K. seek Air India flights to evacuate citizens

Germany and the U.K. have approached the Indian government expressing their interest to charter Air India’s flights to facilitate the return of their nationals stranded in India following travel restrictions to curb the spread of the  COVID-19 , according to several officials. Between March 31 and April 3, the Air India will operate nine flights to Frankfurt with its 256-seater Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

Coronavirus | Nigeria orders lockdown in Lagos, Abuja

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday ordered the “cessation of all movements” for two weeks in the largest city Lagos and capital Abuja to stop the spread of coronavirus. “All citizens in these areas are to stay in their homes starting Monday,” Mr. Buhari announced in a televised address to the nation. “Travel to or from other States should be postponed. All businesses and offices within these locations should be fully closed during this period,” he said.

Virus outbreak stands in front of Yashasvi’s dreams

Yashasvi Jaiswal is used to hardships. He has lived in a tent, did odd jobs and even sold  pani puri  for a living. The 21-day lockdown in India due to the Coronavirus pandemic may not be as tough as the thought of not playing the Indian Premier League. The teenager had a splendid ICC U-19 World Cup in South Africa and he had started preparing for his maiden IPL for Rajasthan Royals but the Covid-19 outbreak stands in front of his dreams.

Cricket last thing on my mind at the moment: Shastri

Speaking to  The Hindu  from his home in Mumbai, India cricket coach Ravi Shastri said, “there is total gloom at the moment. The thing (virus) is flying everywhere. It would be foolish to talk about cricket in these times. It should be the last thing on your mind at the moment. Safety of the people is most important. Whatever precautions have to be taken should get priority. As said in no uncertain terms by the Prime Minister. We need to understand the gravity of the situation.”

Signs suggest summer dates for 2021 Olympics

Tokyo Olympic organisers seem to be leaning away from starting the rescheduled games in the spring of 2021. More and more the signs point toward the summer of 2021. Organising committee president Yoshiro Mori suggested there would be no major change from 2020. The games are meant to be in summer, so we should be thinking of a time between June and September, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported Mori saying on Saturday.

Himalayan Ibex a distinct species

A recent study by scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has proved that Himalayan Ibex, distributed in the trans-Himalayan ranges of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, is a distinct species from the Siberian Ibex. The paper, ‘Genetic evidence for allopatric speciation of the Siberian Ibex (Capra sibirica) in India,’ has recently been published in  Endangered Species Research , an international peer-reviewed journal.

 

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