Government offices to reopen with senior staff from April 20
All central ministries and departments and their subordinate offices will start functioning from April 20 with 100 per cent attendance of officials in the rank of Deputy Secretary and above, while 33 per cent of the rest of the staff are to be present in the offices, as per new norms of relaxation of Covid-19 lockdown rules issued by […]
There’s paranoia in the air and UP’s Corouna village is paying a big price for it
Corouna (Sitapur): The residents of an Uttar Pradesh village find themselves shunned by neighbours and others amid the Covid-19 pandemic, even though there hasn’t been any positive diagnosis in the settlement of 8,000 people. The reason? The village is called “Corouna”, a name whose pronunciation resembles that of “corona” — a shortened form of “coronavirus” that has gained colloquial […]
Coronavirus: India reaches out to China for 15 million PPEs
Coronavirus (COVID-19): To meet its requirement of 15 million personal protection equipment (PPEs), which includes gowns, masks, gloves and goggles, India has now reached out to China and has placed orders. New Delhi is also in the process of procuring 1.5 million rapid testing kits from China, some of which have already been delivered. These were […]
MHA issues revised guidelines for extended lockdown; total infections cross 11,000, toll at 377
The Ministry of Home Affairs Wednesday issued revised guidelines for the extended lockdown, in which it gave relaxation to agriculture, e-commerce and select industrial activities from April 20. The government also granted exemptions to all health services, financial services, MNREGA works, public utilities, supply of goods and cargo services, saying strict action will be taken […]
Coronavirus cases in India climb to 11,439, death toll at 377
There were more than 1000 cases of the coronavirus infection and 38 deaths in India in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday morning. Out of the 11,439 Covid-19 cases, 9756 are active, 1306 people have been cured, discharged or migrated and 377 have died, according to the health ministry website […]
Govt issues revised guidelines for Covid-19 lockdown: What’s mandatory, what’s prohibited
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of Covid-19 lockdown, the government on Wednesday issued revised guideline to be followed till May 3. Travel by air, rail and road, operation of educational and training institutions, industrial and commercial activities, hospitality services, cinema halls and shopping complexes will remain closed, as per the order issued […]
ICMR plans plasma therapy clinical trials in 2 weeks to treat critical Covid-19 cases
New Delhi: India’s apex health research body, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is hoping to begin two clinical trials of plasma therapy in the next two weeks for the treatment of critically ill Covid-19 patients. On 12 April, the ICMR uploaded proposals, inviting health institutions, hospitals to participate in two randomised controlled trials — one for convalescent […]
After Mumbai, Migrant Workers Protest In Surat Amid Lockdown; Demand To Be Sent Back Home
Hundreds of migrant workers gathered in Surat on Tuesday evening, demanding they be sent to their native places despite lockdown, police said. The migrant workers gathered in Varachha area of the city and sat on a road demanding that they be allowed to go to their native places, police said. Varachha is the diamond polishing […]
India extends world’s biggest coronavirus lockdown till May 3
India’s nationwide coronavirus lockdown, the biggest in the world, will be extended until at least May 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said. The three-week lockdown of the nation of 1.3 billion people, which started at midnight on March 25, was scheduled to end at midnight on Tuesday. “From the economic angle, we have paid […]
‘India delayed purchase, now critically short’: Rahul Gandhi on testing kits
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the government on Tuesday for what he said was a delay on its part in the purchase of testing kits for Covid-19 and said the country is “now critically short of them”. The comments by the former Congress president came after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on […]
