1. India to Stay Locked Down Till 3 May
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in an address to the nation on Tuesday, 14 March, that the ongoing 21-day national lockdown will now be extended for another 19 days until 3 May, a move that experts said would flatten as well as delay the cycle of infections, although both the opposition and industry criticised his speech for its silence on a much-needed economic relief package.
Modi emphasised that while India had done better than most other countries in the battle against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), it still needs citizens to make more sacrifices to win the fight against the pandemic.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Over 1,400 New Cases in 24 Hours, Count Crosses 10,000-Mark
On the day the nationwide lockdown was extended by another 19 days, India recorded the highest single-day spike in novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases so far – 1,463 – and saw 29 deaths from the infection.
With this, the total number of cases detected so far has touched 10,815, of which 353 have died while 1,190 recovered.
Till now, the highest single-day jump was 918 cases on 12 April, which was followed by 905 cases on 13 April. The last three days have together seen an increase of 3,286 cases, which is over 30 percent of the total cases so far.
The worst-hit are Maharashtra (2,337 cases) and Delhi (1,510 cases), which together account for over 35 per cent of the total national tally. They are followed by Tamil Nadu (1,173 cases) and Rajasthan (879 cases).
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. ‘Need to Review WHO’s Role in Mismanaging COVID-19 Spread’: Trump Halts Funding
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, 14 April, a suspension of US funding to the World Health Organization because he said it had covered up the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak in China before it spread around the world.
Trump told a press conference he was instructing his administration to halt funding while “a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.”
According to Trump, the WHO prevented transparency over the outbreak and the United States -- the UN body’s biggest funder which provided USD 400 million last year -- will now “discuss what to do with all that money that goes to the WHO.”
(Source: Press Trust of India)
4. Industry Bodies Call on Govt for Stimulus of Up to Rs 16 Lakh Crore
Industry bodies redoubled calls for a financial package of ₹14 lakh crore to ₹16 lakh crore to revive the economy even as they supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to extend the 21-day lockdown that ended on Tuesday by 19 days to May 3.
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) on Tuesday estimated the magnitude of daily losses arising from the national slowdown at Rs 40,000 crores. “It is also expected that close to 40 million jobs are at risk during the period April-September 2020. Hence, an urgent relief package is also critical,” Ficci president Sangita Reddy said.
In his speech on Tuesday morning announcing the extension, Modi also asked companies not to retrench people. “Show empathy to people working in your business,” he said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. Longer Lockdown Brings 2,000 Angry Workers Out on the Street in Mumbai
Upset over the extension of the national coronavirus lockdown till May 3, nearly 2,000 migrant workers gathered outside the suburban Bandra West station in Mumbai Tuesday demanding the right to return home, and access to food and rations. The police had to resort to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
The gathering comprised largely of migrant workers and their families residing in the adjoining slum settlements. Many of them said they had been hoping that the 21-day lockdown that was to end Tuesday would be lifted — or that arrangements would be made to transport them to their homes in UP, Bihar and West Bengal.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. India to Grow 1.9%, Global Economy to Shrink 3%: IMF
India’s economy is forecast to grow by 1.9 percent in 2020-21, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday, 14 April, as it estimated the global economy to contract by 3 percent due to the devastating impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The international agency’s estimate for India is in line with forecasts by other economists and investment banks, Goldman Sachs estimates growth to slow to over 30-year lows of 1.6% in 2020-21, while the World Bank expects GDP growth in India to be in the 1.5% to 2.8% range, depending on the extent of the pandemic.
The latest IMF forecast puts India as one of the fastest-growing major economies even in the midst of the COVID-19 devastation, although it will be the slowest pace of expansion since the 1991 balance of payments crisis.
(Source: The Times of India)
7. Eight New Red Zones; Delhi to Conduct 20k Tests in Five Days
The Delhi government will undertake a massive testing exercise by conducting 20,000 RT-PCR tests for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), over the next five days on people living in containment zones and quarantine centres, even as eight more areas were identified as containment zones in the city on Tuesday, 14 April, taking the count to 55.
To put the number in perspective, a total of 16,282 tests have been conducted in Delhi since mid-January, when screening for COVID-19 began. The Delhi government has also designated private labs to help with the testing.
On Tuesday, 51 new cases were reported in Delhi, taking the tally to 1,561 as eight new containment zones were identified.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
8. Coronavirus: India Reaches out to China for 15 Million PPEs
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 revealed by Indian ambassador to China Vikram Misri in an online briefing from Beijing on Tuesday. This essentially means that India is depending on China for the PPE overalls as Indian doctors have complained of shortage of PPEs in the hospitals.
(Source: The Indian Express)
9. ‘Saptapadi’: PM Lists 7 Mantras to Fight Coronavirus
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, 14 April invoked "seven vows" that he asked people to take in their battle against coronavirus and the call came along with him announcing an extension of the nationwide lockdown till 3 May.
He concluded with the ‘Saptapadi', the seven principles, that should guide people in dealing with the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
The PM first referred to the care of senior citizens and elderly at home, especially those with pre-existing ailments. He also advocated a stringent practice of lockdown and social distancing norms, while also emphasising the need to use home-made masks to protect oneself. He began his address with a cotton muffler around his face which he then removed.
(Source: The Times of India)
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