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MD of Times of India group fuels panic amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, falsely claims food supply will be affected amidst lockdown

OpIndia Staff
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MD of Times of India group fuels panic amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, falsely claims food supply will be affected amidst lockdown

Amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, the mainstream media appears hellbent on fueling panic among the people of the country. The SARS-CoV-2 has already given people plenty to worry about but people associated with the media appear to be working to fuel paranoia among the population. Vineet Jain, MD of Times of India group and a ‘non-conformist’, appears to be unwilling to conform to the conventional norms of common sense. He claims that there is a threat to the food supply and of vigilantism during the curfew.

Vineet Jain said on Twitter, “Big concerns of curfew-1) the food chain& it’s transport may get broken. Price of food will sky rocket & how to ensure that food supply does not run short bcoz people will stock up & the ones who don’t stock up should have access to it 2) unnecessary violence by police/vigilantes”. The MD of TOI group appears to be referring to the lockdown in the country to combat the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis. But his concerns are misguided and do not have a grain of truth in them.

The government has declared that essential services will continue to operate during the lockdown. This includes services such as healthcare, Police, electricity, fire etc. Moreover, only interstate passenger transport services and metro services have been suspended. Goods trains will continue to operate across the country. Therefore, the food supply will not be affected. Moreover, people have been directed to not engage in hoarding and they are expected to heed the Prime Minister’s call.

So far, there has been no addition to suggest any form of vigilantism has taken place, let alone an upsurge in such vigiilantism. In addition to that, the Police will continue to work and hence, they will maintain law and order even if there is an upsurge of vigilantism. Thus, quite clearly, Vineet Jain is engaging in fueling panic among the citizens of the country as the food supply will most definitely not be impacted. Normal life will be as the country is dealing with an unprecedented crisis. However, if people necessary caution and follow proper guidelines, then the country will not suffer undue crisis amidst the lockdown.

69-year-old Surat patient succumbs to Wuhan Coronavirus, had underlying health conditions

OpIndia Staff
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69-year-old Surat patient succumbs to Wuhan Coronavirus, had underlying health conditions

Surat has recorded its first death from the Wuhan Coranavirus pandemic. This is the first such case in Gujarat where 18 cases have been detected thus far. This takes the total number of deaths in India to 7.

The patient was a 69-year male old and had underlying health issues. He had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Another female patient has died in Vadodara who also had underlying health issues. The details of her test results are awaited.

The total number of cases in India has increased to 344. Meanwhile, a lockdown has been announced in 75 districts across the country. Railway, metro services and inter-state passenger transport have been suspended until the 31st of March. Freight trains will continue to operate amidst the lockdown.

“Quran mentions Coronavirus, Allah has sent it to the world to see who survives”, Burkha clad women make bizarre claims

OpIndia Staff
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“Quran mentions Coronavirus, Allah has sent it to the world to see who survives”, Burkha clad women make bizarre claims

In a contentious video that has now gone viral on social media, Muslim women can be seen claiming that the deadly coronavirus is the grace of Allah and the Quran to mankind.

A woman wearing a pink scarf made a startling claim, “Quran has the mention of a disease named Corona. We have always been strong and ready. Do you think you can scare us with corona? Death can come at any given time. Don’t think of scaring us with this disease.”

Another enlightened woman clad in Burqa remarked, “Allah is great! Allah has sent the coronavirus to the world to punish those who are torturing us. The decision of who will survive now rest in His hand. We are here in mass gatherings but we will not be affected. Those who fear coronavirus will only get infected.”

She added, “We must salute those women who have come here to protest to keep their household work aside.”

A Muslim woman dawning a Niqaab claimed, “We are not afraid of coronavirus because Allah has ensured that we (Muslims) are safe. Corona is no big deal.”

Another woman wearing a tricolour headscarf was heard saying, “Quran means Corona. We need knew that this would come. There are even more infectious diseases in the world. What does Modiji know about them?”

In another video, several Muslim women protesting against the CAA said that as they keep their faces covered all the time, they will not get the infection. They also accused that govt is trying to scare them using the coronavirus outbreak to make them end their anti-CAA protests. One woman said that they will avenge the death of youths died during the Delhi riots.

When the reporter talking to them asked them to maintain social distancing, they outrightly rejected that and said that this is unnecessary. They said that they were asked to maintain social distancing in an effort to end their protest, pointing out that even the policemen were sitting together.

“We read Namaj five times a day, Allah will give us the force to fight Corona”, a woman said. Another woman claimed that China has opened Mosques to get protection from coronavirus, and slammed those who have decided to shut mosques in India.

This is not the first time that Muslims have cited Islam in the context of coronavirus. Earlier, a Shaheen Bagh protester by the name of Rizvana said, “Washing hands regularly is part of our lifestyle. We offer namaz five times a day and we wash our hands every time”, suggesting how she was safe from COVID-19 despite being a part of a mass gathering.

In a viral video, one of the protesters could be heard dismissing the looming threat of coronavirus by claiming that Corona emerged from the Quran. Several protestors do not think that the pandemic is a threat because the Anti-CAA protests are supposedly a ‘call from Allah‘.

At a time when social distancing is crucial to preventing the spread of the pandemic, Muslims have taken to TikTok to encourage people to indulge in risky social behaviour. The men can be heard making bizarre claims, “Islam teaches us that shaking hands spread love not coronavirus”, “sharing food eaten by another Muslim leads to Shifa (healing) and not corona” and “we are Muslims and therefore we are not afraid to die.”

As the world grapples with the Wuhan Coronavirus, Taiwan has managed to have things under control despite close proximity to China: Here is how

OpIndia Staff
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As the world grapples with the Wuhan Coronavirus, Taiwan has managed to have things under control despite close proximity to China: Here is how

Taiwan has emerged as a beacon of light in the midst of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. Despite being located just 130 kilometers (80 miles) away from Mainland China, Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, has managed to prevent the virus from spreading across vast sections of its society. As of the time of writing this report, the country had only 153 cases of the SARS-CoV-2 and had claimed only two lives in the state. This is vastly few compared to other countries in the region even though its population is estimated only to be 2.38 crores.

In order to manage such a feat, Taiwan has had to take drastic measures. As per a report on The Guardian, the government of Taiwan is tracking people through their phones in order to ensure that people duly observe the quarantine procedures. It was quick to enforce border controls and ban the export of surgical masks. The country had suffered significantly in the earlier SARS epidemic. Therefore, this time around, it was not taking any chances.

Taiwan was also quick to realize that the data shared by China wasn’t accurate and not reliable. “What we learned from Sars was that we need to be very sceptical with data from China,” Chan Chang-chuan, dean of National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health, told The Guardian. He added, “We learned very harsh lessons then and that experience is something other countries don’t have.”

Despite its stellar record, Taiwan is not a part of the World Health Organization (WHO) due to the objections raised by China. The Chinese government claims Taiwan is part of its territory even though Taiwan has its own democratically elected sovereign government. Since 2017, Taiwan has not been able to attend the annual World Health Assembly and in the midst of the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis, it has been excluded from WHU emergency meetings.

The numbers for Taiwan are even more impressive considering the fact that the 18 new cases discovered on Saturday were all imported from other countries such as the USA and Britain which have thus far failed to grab hold of the virus. The imports took the numbers to 153. Thus, the threat it faces now is almost entirely from people bringing the virus to the island from abroad. However, in the midst of the global pandemic, Taiwan has shown the world that the Wuhan Coronavirus can be overcome.

Taiwan had obvious vulnerabilities. Some 2.71 million Taiwanese visited China in 2019 and even as late as January 2020, there were a dozen round trip flights between the two every week. However, due to the strained relationship between the two, Taiwan has always been wary of China and exceptionally careful about contagious diseases since the first SARS epidemic. “Do not forget that Taiwan has been under China’s threat constantly,” wrote Wang Cheng-hua, a professor of art history at Princeton, “which has raised social consciousness about collective action. When the collective will supports government, then all of the strict measures implemented by the government make sense.”

While Taiwan has fared exceptionally well, enforcing strict measures and ensuring its smooth implementation to curb the spread of the virus, numerous other countries have faulted and floundered and are now staring at a nightmare. Italy, in particular, has witnessed harrowing death rates and suffered close to 800 deaths the previous day, the highest official toll for any country yet. Iran, too, gue to its history of religious radicalism has failed to contain the virus and is suffering heavy casualties.

Pakistan appears horribly unprepared as well and in India, while the government has been fairly proactive in tackling the matter, individuals have exhibited a remarkably lax attitude in taking matters seriously and have endangered the safety of others on numerous occasions. Thus, the immense success of the Taiwanese government is a combination of both, the proactive measures implemented by the government and the awareness of its population to adhere to the norms laid down.

Coronavirus Pandemic: Union Govt announces lockdown in 75 Covid-19 affected districts; trains, metros, interstate passenger transport suspended

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus Pandemic: Union Govt announces lockdown in 75 Covid-19 affected districts; trains, metros, interstate passenger transport suspended

In the midst of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak, a total of 75 districts across the country have been put under lockdown by the government. The decision was announced after a high-level meeting between the Chief Secretaries of all states by the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. The 75 districts put under lockdown have reported coronavirus positive cases.

A press release issued by Govt of India said that the State Governments were advised to issue appropriate orders to allow only essential services to operate in the 75 districts which have reported confirmed cases or casualties relating to COVID-19. The State Governments may expand the list depending on their assessment of the situation. It was noted that several State Governments have already issued orders in this regard, the notification said.

The notification also says that in view of the need to contain the spread of COVID 19, it was agreed that there is urgent need to extend the restrictions on the movement of non-essential passenger transport including inter-state transport buses till 31st March 2020. Therefore, all train services with the exception of goods trains have been suspended until the 31st of March. All metro services have also been suspended till 31st March. In addition to that, inter-state passenger transport has also been suspended until the 31st of March. Only essential services will operate in the districts under lockdown.

Source: Republic

A bare minimum of suburban rail services and metro rail in Kolkata will continue till midnight tonight. The Union Railways Ministry has directed all Zonal Railways to ensure that the guidelines issued are strictly followed. It has also instructed that passengers are informed of the decision through SMSes and have sought confirmation of the implementation of the orders.

Source: Rohan Dua/TOI

The State Governments have been given permission to expand the list after assessing the situation on the ground. Earlier, the governments of Punjab and Rajasthan had enforced statewide lockdown in the midst of the crisis. On Saturday, the Odisha Government had declared a lockdown across 5 districts and 7 towns.

‘Culture of eating exotic mammals in southern China a time bomb’: Read how paper published 12 years ago predicted Coronavirus pandemic

OpIndia Staff
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‘Culture of eating exotic mammals in southern China a time bomb’: Read how paper published 12 years ago predicted Coronavirus pandemic

The Wuhan Coronavirus has emerged as a pandemic and a global threat. It has triggered a meltdown of the economy, lockdown in various parts of the world and the world is running helter-skelter to get a grip on the virus. Popularly known as the COVID-19 or the SARS-CoV-2, the novel Coronavirus is highly contagious and can spread across the population very quickly and overwhelm its healthcare infrastructure at a remarkable pace. This is what we have observed in countries such as Italy.

As threatening as the virus is, the emergence of such a virus, and even more threatening forms of it, has been predicted by scientists for a very long time. These are zoonotic viruses and the SARS-CoV-2 has a close similarity to bat coronaviruses. It is suspected that it was introduced to the human population through an animal intermediary such as the pangolin. The food habits of humans has played a very critical role in the transmission of the virus from animals to humans.

A paper published by scientists years ago predicted the reemergence of such viruses. The paper published by Cheng VC, Lau SK, Woo PC and Yuen KY in 2007 warned, “The presence of a large reservoir of SARS-CoV-like viruses in horseshoe bats, together with the culture of eating exotic mammals in southern China, is a time bomb.” It added, “The possibility of the reemergence of SARS and other novel viruses from animals or laboratories and therefore the need for preparedness should not be ignored.” The Wuhan Coronavirus surfaced from the wet markets of the Chinese City of Wuhan.

The paper also warned that “Coronaviruses are well known to undergo genetic recombination, which may lead to new genotypes and outbreaks.” It also remarked, “The findings that horseshoe bats are the natural reservoir for SARS-CoV-like virus and that civets are the amplification host highlight the importance of wildlife and biosecurity in farms and wet markets, which can serve as the source and amplification centers for emerging infections.”

Regarding the spread of the first SARS epidemic, the paper stated, “The rapid economic growth in southern China has led to an increasing demand for animal proteins including those from exotic game food animals such as civets. Large numbers and varieties of these wild game mammals in overcrowded cages and the lack of biosecurity measures in wet markets allowed the jumping of this novel virus from animals to human.” It added, “The small reemergence of SARS in late 2003 after the resumption of the wildlife market in southern China and the recent discovery of a very similar virus in horseshoe bats, bat SARS-CoV, suggested that SARS can return if conditions are fit for the introduction, mutation, amplification, and transmission of this dangerous virus.”

The paper also noted that “…in 2003, sustained exposure of the animal handlers to these infected civets and other wild animals would result in the introduction of a moderately transmissible and more virulent SARS-CoV strain, which would have mutated from the animal strain and adapted to infect humans more efficiently.” As for SARS-CoV-2, it is almost certain now animal consumption habits contributed massively to the transmission of the virus from animals to humans.

The Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic is likely to have a profound impact on human society going forward. Given the extent of its impact, it is a history-altering event that will determine national and global policies not only in the immediate future but also in there short-term and long-term. Nations must also combat animal consumption habits and alter their dietary preferences in order to negate the possibility of even more threatening forms of the virus.

China, for instance, has shut down its wildlife farming industry, valued at $74 billion. In the last week of February, the Chinese government banned the buying, selling, and eating of wild animals in an effort to curb the spread and emergence of zoonotic viruses. However, it was too little too late to prevent the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic.

The hidden message behind PM Modi’s ‘Janata Curfew’

Abhinav Khare
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The hidden message behind PM Modi’s ‘Janata Curfew’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a Janata curfew from 7 AM to 9 PM on 22 March, Sunday to battle the coronavirus pandemic. He asked for our help in making this successful and here is why we should do everything we can to help make it a success.

India has done a commendable job in containing the spread of the deadly Coronavirus and has already implemented an array of measures for the last month. India started early in its fight against the pandemic: from early isolation, tracking the ones who are possibly affected to multiple follow-ups of the ones isolated! Now, only after the first round of measures did we find our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressing the nation. He did not want to be all talks and no action! And I think this is a brilliant move by the Prime Minister. He has definitely successfully reassured the citizen that the measures of combating this deadly virus are in place, now he requires the support and coordination of the citizens in this fight. We are in this together, as individuals and as a nation, and we shouldn’t forget that! 

PM Modi is rightly called the people’s PM. We have seen in all his previous initiatives as well as how he includes the people. He makes them a part of all the processes which ensures that people are aware of what is happening around without panic. He uses his popularity to the right use as any message from will ensure that people are sensitized for any upcoming challenges and will bust the fake news circulating. 

Read: Empty streets, public transportation closed as citizens overwhelmingly support PM Modi’s call for ‘Janata Curfew’ to fight the Wuhan Coronavirus

In his 30-minute-long address to the nation, PM Modi asked the nation to follow two things: Resolve and Restraint. And to start this process off, he has announced the Janta Curfew on the 22nd of March from 7 am to 9 pm. No, this curfew won’t be enforced by the state, it will be observed by the people themselves. This is indeed a litmus test for us as a nation to see how well we are prepared to handle this pandemic. He has also asked everybody to call at least 10 people and inform them of the Janata Curfew and measures to protect themselves from the coronavirus. As he had mentioned in his speech, the success of Janata Curfew will help us determine our preparedness. This is like a mock drill for us to prepare if the situation gets grave in the future. 

nother important point to note in his speech was his message to stay together. We are all worried about having food, medicines, and sanitizers during our quarantine, but nobody is thinking about staying mentally healthy! We saw a suspected coronavirus victim committing suicide just because of social ostracization associated with Coronavirus. We need to stop doing that. This outbreak of Coronavirus has already been very stressful for our people. The fear and anxiety about this are overwhelming and are causing extreme reactions in our citizens. So, how do we cope with this? At 5 pm on Sunday, following the sirens, we all need to come out to our balconies and clap. No, this isn’t a social media gimmick. This is done to foster a sense of togetherness. It will make us feel that we are all in it together and we will be together no matter what. These claps are also to encourage those who are tirelessly serving us day and night: the doctors, the nurses, the hospital staff, those who are delivering goods and services at our doorsteps, the government agencies, airport officials, the law enforcement agencies, etc. They aren’t caring for their safety! Rather they are ensuring we are safe and secure. These innovative ways help to keep encouraging those who are tirelessly working for our safety. 

Research has proven that the stress of disaster brings people together. According to a study by Markus Heinrichs and Bernadette von Dawans done at the University of Freiburg, Germany, the acute stress arising out of a disaster leads to people being more cooperative, social, and friendly. We all know that during a crisis situation, many human connections are formed. And this connection will help us all survive in this hour of crisis. So, it is imperative for us to stay together and fight this crisis and emerge a victor.

No, this is does not imply that the government washing their hands off. Our government now needs our support to amp up the preparation. This Janata Curfew is a step in the right direction, and we need to not just accept it with open arms but also provide our full support to it. This crisis has been termed as the biggest crisis since World War II and now it is on us to contain it. We should ignore all the social media honkers who keep criticizing the PM. Just because he did not announce what they wanted to hear; they are honking! We should definitely try and read in between the line of PM’s speech. He prepared us for an upcoming emergency without panic. He understands us better than we do and so he used symbols and rituals to convey the message. He knows that if we are together in this fight, we can deal with anything! 

Coronavirus scare: Indian Railways cancels all passenger trains upto 31st March

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus scare: Indian Railways cancels all passenger trains upto 31st March

In an effort to contain the spread of Wuhan Coronavirus in the country, the Indian Railways has cancelled all passenger trains in the country till 31st March.

A notification issued by Indian Railways said that all passenger train services on Indian Railways including Premium trains, Mail and Express trains, Passenger trains, Suburban trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc will be cancelled till 31 March 2020.

Bare minimum numbers of suburban trains and Kolkata metro will operate till midnight on 22nd March. This includes suburban services in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Secunderbad, along with Kolkata Metro.

The trains which have already started their journey before 4 AM on 22nd March, will run upto their respective destinations. Railways will make adequate arrangements for the passengers in such trains during the journey and also at their destination stations.

The movement of good trains will continue on the Indian Railway network, to maintain the availability of essential items across the country.

Railways have also waived cancellation charges for travellers, and people who had booked tickets will be able to avail full refund for tickets of cancelled trains upto 21st June.

Coronavirus Scare: Rajasthan, Punjab governments order complete down till March 31, only essential services to remain open

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus Scare: Rajasthan, Punjab governments order complete down till March 31, only essential services to remain open

On Saturday night, the Rajasthan Government announced a complete lockdown of the State until March 31 in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

During the lockdown, only essential services and medical facilities will remain open to the public. Government and private offices will cease to continue their operations. Malls, shops, factories and public transport across the State will also remain closed during the said period. The borders of Rajasthan with other States shall be sealed.

“No worker will be laid off from any factory during the lockdown. Labourers will be entitled to leaves with wages. The State government is with the people in this hour of crisis. Every possible step will be taken to protect the people and defeat the coronavirus ”, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was quoted as saying.

The Punjab Government headed by Captain Amarinder Singh has also imposed a lockdown in the state till 31st March to check the spread of Covid-19. During the lockdown period, all essential public services will continue, and shops selling essential items such as food, medicines, will remain open.

Shops, Commercial establishments selling non-essential items will remain closed while factories involved in the manufacture of essential items will remain operational.

Yesterday CM Captain Amarinder Singh had announced an immediate relief of Rs 3,000 each for all the registered construction workers in the state. The money would be transferred to the bank accounts of the workers by Monday.

Earlier, the Odisha Government had ordered a complete lockdown of five districts and seven towns from the 22nd of March to the 29th in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown began at 7 a.m. on Sunday and continue till 9 p.m. the Sunday after. Only essential items and services will remain open during this period.

Hospitals, clinics, medical shops, grocery shops, restaurants (only takeaways and home delivery), vegetables, meat and milk shops/bread and bakery, Railways, Bus Stand, Airports and public transport will remain open. Administration, Police, Health, Fire, ODRAF, Electricity, Water, Municipal Services, Banks, ATMs and Petrol Pumps will remain open along with the private establishments that support these services or are linked to the fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus.

The total positive cases for Covid-19 has risen to 324 in the country, out of which 296 are active cases. 6 persons have died from the disease so far in the country, with two added on Sunday, one in Maharashtra and another in Bihar.

Qatar returned 38-year-old in Patna dies while getting treated for kidney ailments, tested positive for Coronavirus after death

OpIndia Staff
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Qatar returned 38-year-old in Patna dies while getting treated for kidney ailments, tested positive for Coronavirus after death

In the first case of death being reported from Eastern India, one person has died in Patna, Bihar who was tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus. While one person has died, another has been tested positive, reported Hindustan Times.

The person who has died is a 38-year-old man which makes this case even more significant since he is not a senior citizen. It is also being reported that the patient who died had returned from Qatar before being tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus.

“A 38-year-old man, who had come back from Qatar, has died of Covid-19,” Dr Pradeep Das, director of Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, said. Reportedly, the man who had a travel history to Qatar had landed in Patna from Kolkata two days back and died in RMRI yesterday.

Speaking to OpIndia, an AIIMS doctor confirmed that the man died of Kidney failure. According to him, the positive result of the Coronavirus test came after his death. He said whether the death was due to kidney failure and the extent to which Coronavirus contributed to the death will be confirmed only after an autopsy is conducted. The doctor has confirmed that the man had travelled to Patna for kidney treatment and tested positive for Coronavirus only after his death.

The death of the 38-year-old man takes the death toll from the Wuhan Coronavirus in India to 6. Earlier today, an elderly man had succumbed to the virus in Maharashtra. Reportedly, his wife had also tested positive. The death of the elderly man was the 5th death in India and the second in Maharashtra alone.

India has recorded a jump in the Wuhan Coronavirus cases. The Union Health Ministry said on Sunday that the number of positive cases in India is up to 324.

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