1. 227 New COVID-19 Cases Nationwide With 5 More Deaths
The COVID-19 crisis got worse on Monday, 30 March, as the government reported more than 200 new cases of infection and at least five more deaths across India but maintained it was still in the local transmission stage. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, cautioned that fear and panic are becoming a bigger problem than the coronavirus.
In its latest update, the Union Home Ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 has risen to 32 and the number of total positive cases to 1,251 as on Monday 9:30 pm, up from 1,024 positive cases and 27 deaths as on Sunday evening. While there are more than 1,100 active cases, nearly 100 have been cured.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. 6 Die Due to COVID-19 After Attending Delhi’s Mosque Congregation
Six persons from Telangana who attended a religious prayer meeting in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area earlier this month died of coronavirus on Monday, 30 March, taking the toll in the state to eight in the last 48 hours.
An official press release from the chief minister’s office late Monday night said six persons who attended a religious prayer meeting from 13-15 Marchat Markaz in Nizamuddin area in Delhi succumbed on Monday.
“Of them, two persons died in Gandhi Hospital, one each in Apollo, Global Hospital, Nizamabad and in Gadwal,” the CMO release said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Yogi Adityanath Pulls up Officials Over Noida Cases, DM Shunted Out
The District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar, B N Singh, was shunted out on Monday, 30 March, and a probe ordered against him hours after he attended a meeting chaired by Yogi Adityanath in Greater Noida, where the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister expressed displeasure over the handling of coronavirus cases linked to a fire-safety firm.
Following the meeting, Singh issued a statement saying he did not wish to continue in the post.
“A departmental enquiry, which will be headed by an IAS officer, has been set up against B N Singh. The primary charge against the official is that the fire safety firm in Noida was not sealed in time, which contributed to the rise of coronavirus cases in the district. He stands attached to Board of Revenue in the interim,” said a government spokesperson.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. ‘India Still in Local Transmission Stage’: Health Ministry
COVID-19 outbreak in India remains in ‘local transmission’ stage and any evidence of ‘community transmission’ will be shared with the public so that the level of alertness can be increased, the government said seeking to put at rest speculations about a wider spread of the virus, said the Union Health Ministry in a press conference on Monday, 30 March.
“It is only local transmission in the country. If there is a community transmission, we will be the first to tell you as we would want to covey it to the community through you (media) to increase the level of alertness and management for COVID-19 at the field level,” health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Telangana Cuts Salaries to Overcome Financial Crisis
The Telangana government on Monday, 30 March, announced drastic pay cuts for all its employees, bureaucrats and public representatives in the wake of a crippling financial position of the state on account of coronavirus that has affected 77 people so far.
The pay cuts range from a minimum of 10 percent to a maximum of 75 percent.
A statement from the chief minister’s office said there would be 75 percent cut in the salaries of the chief minister, his cabinet colleagues, MLAs, MLCs, chairpersons of various state-level corporations and representatives of urban and rural local bodies.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Lockdown Working but Need to Be on Our Toes, Says Govt
India has witnessed a slower rate of progression in COVID-19 cases as compared to several other countries, even developed nations, indicating that the national lockdown and other measures are having a positive effect even though there is no scope for any laxity in enforcing social distancing, the government said on Monday, 30 March.
“Our analysis shows that it took 12 days for cases to rise from 100 to 1,000 in our country, whereas several developed nations, having lesser population than us, have seen a multiple times increase,” health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said. He added that in some developed nations with far less population, cases surged to 3,500; 5,000; 6,000 and even as high as 8,000 in a comparable time frame.
(Source: The Times of India)
7. Delhi's Nehru Stadium to Be Converted Into Quarantine Centre
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Monday, 30 March, announced that it will hand over Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to the Delhi government to be used as a quarantine centre for COVID-19 patients.
"Delhi government has approached us officially for Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. So, we are giving it, we have already handed over our Sonepat center. SAI Training Center (STC) in Patiala has also been made ready as a 120-bed quarantine center. The STC is outside NIS Patiala where our elite athletes are staying and training," a source from SAI told ANI.
(Source: The Times of India)
8. 21 Lakh PPE Kits Ordered, 60,000 Supplied to Hospitals: Centre
The health ministry on Monday said it has placed orders for 21 lakh personal protection equipment (PPEs) coveralls for medical staff dealing with COVID-19 patients with 11 domestic manufacturers, whereas around 60,000 PPE kits have already been procured and supplied to hospitals and healthcare workers across the country.
In a move to ensure smooth supplies of ventilators and PPEs like masks and coveralls, the government has stepped up efforts to manufacture, procure and boost the supply of such items. This has been part of an ongoing effort after it became apparent that foreign supply was limited. Guidelines were revised in early March and intensive consultations with likely manufacturers were held.
(Source: The Times of India)
9. India Lockdown Day 6: Govt Zeroes in on 10 Hotspots
As the number of COVID-19 cases reached 1,251 across the country (101 recovered, 32 dead), India is set to ramp up testing in 10 identified “hotspots” where “unusual” transmission has been detected. Of these, two – Dilshad Garden and Nizamuddin – are in Delhi, the others being Noida, Meerut, Bhilwara, Ahmedabad, Kasaragod, Pathanamthitta, Mumbai and Pune. In the last 24 hours, 227 cases and five deaths have been reported.
A source in the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme said, “Normally we define any area where there are more than 10 cases as a cluster. Places, where there are several clusters, are treated as hotspots. Sometimes the cases are localised, sometimes so widespread that the entire city has to be covered. Ahmedabad is an exception — there have been just five cases, but three deaths. Our assessment normally is that there are 100 cases for every death. That is why Ahmedabad is a hotspot in our list. Three deaths and five cases do not add up.”
(Source: The Indian Express)
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