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Wuhan Coronavirus: Ignoring social distancing appeal, Muslims continue to gather in large numbers to offer Friday Namaaz

OpIndia Staff
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Wuhan Coronavirus: Ignoring social distancing appeal, Muslims continue to gather in large numbers to offer Friday Namaaz

The Indian government has been adopting various measures to make sure that the novel coronavirus spread can be contained at stage 2 and that we do not enter stage-3 or the community transmission stage of coronavirus. Stage-3 is the full epidemic stage in which the virus proliferates exponentially. To avoid this crisis, the government has appealed to the citizens to maintain social distancing.

However, in what could be seen as a complete disregard of the government orders and an absolute apathy towards fellow citizens, Muslims reportedly gathered in large numbers across the country to offer the Friday Mass prayer yesterday, reported News18.

Hundreds of Muslims thronged the streets in Mumbai to offer the Friday Namaz.

Muslims offer Friday prayers amid growing scare of coronavirus pandemic, in Mumbai.

Patna in Bihar too witnessed similar scenes.

Muslims offer prayers amid coronavirus pandemic, in Patna.

Hundreds of Muslims offered the Friday Nazam in front of Nakhoda mosque amid the growing scare of the coronavirus pandemic in Kolkata.

Muslims offer Friday prayers on a road in front of Nakhoda mosque amid growing scare of coronavirus pandemic, in Kolkata.

Many Muslims gathered in a mosque in Srinagar to offer Friday prayers.

Muslims offer Friday prayers at a mosque in Srinagar.

Ironically, the Muslims who had collected in large numbers yesterday to offer Namaz, which in the given situation is the biggest threat, were seen distributing pamphlets, containing information on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Members of the Muslim community distribute leaflets, containing information on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus, after offering Friday prayers at Nakhoda mosque, in Kolkata.

As if all this was not enough that Muslim users have now taken to TikTok, the video-sharing social networking service, to encourage social proximity amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak.

At a time when social distancing is crucial to preventing the spread of the pandemic, these TikTok videos encourage people under the guise of Islamic teachings to indulge in risky social behaviour.

Earlier, A Muslim protestor by the name of Rizvana in Shaheen Bagh had 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 Shaheen Bagh protesters could be heard dismissing the looming threat of coronavirus by claiming that Corona emerged from the Quran. Several Anti-CAA protestors do not think that the pandemic is a threat because the Anti-CAA protests are supposedly a ‘call from Allah‘.

Novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 258 today after 35 fresh cases were reported in various parts of the country.

Railway ministry asks people to avoid train travel as several Covid-19 infected persons found travelling in trains

OpIndia Staff
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Railway ministry asks people to avoid train travel as several Covid-19 infected persons found travelling in trains

Railway ministry on Saturday said that twelve people who were travelling by two different trains recently were tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus. The ministry tweeted that in the wake of Covid-19 infected persons were found to be travelling on trains, train travel has become risky. “Avoid train travel as you may also get infected if your co-passenger has Coronavirus,” the ministry said, and asked to postpone all journeys to keep people themselves and their loved ones safe.

Railway ministry informed that eight of the twelve passengers had travelled from Delhi to Ramagundam on AP Sampark Kranti Express on March 13, and rest four had travelled from Godan express from Mumbai to Jabalpur on 16 March.

In a tweet, Railway ministry had said, “Railways has found that 4 passengers travelling on Godan express(Train 11055) from Mumbai to Jabalpur on 16 march in B1 coach have been tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. They came to India from Dubai last week. all concerned have been alerted to take necessary action.”

Railway ministry has warned people not to travel on passenger and long-distance trains unless absolutely necessary. The Ministry added, “Eight passengers who travelled from AP Sampark Kranti from Delhi to Ramagundam on 13 March have tested positive of COVID-19 yesterday. Passengers are advised to avoid non-essential travel for the safety of fellow citizens.”

The Ministry said that two passengers who were marked with quarantine stamp were deboarded. They were found to be travelling through Rajdhani between Bengaluru and Delhi today.

The total number of coronavirus cases has climbed to 271 on Saturday in India which includes 32 foreign nationals. The Indian Railways have cancelled 3700 trains in the wake of novel coronavirus crisis, it announced on Friday. It also said that the food plazas, refreshment rooms, Jan Aahars and cell kitchens will also be closed to as a precautionary measure to avoid gathering on Sunday.

Pakistan crosses 500 confirmed cases of Covid-19, PM Imran Khan says cannot afford a nationwide lockdown

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan crosses 500 confirmed cases of Covid-19, PM Imran Khan says cannot afford a nationwide lockdown

On Friday, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan said that the country could not afford a nationwide lockdown, despite 501 Pakistanis tested positive for the deadly Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). The inability to implement drastic measures to contain the pandemic has largely to do with Pakistan’s crippling economical condition. Three people had reportedly died.

Khan claimed, “Lockdown means curfew-like situation, which will create unrest in the country and we cannot afford that. It would make poor people more vulnerable.” He has pinned his hopes on the masses that they would “self-quarantine” and thus contain COVID-19 that has claimed 3 lives in Pakistan so far.

Imran Khan added, “We cannot compete with other countries of the world who are announcing economic packages.” He assured that the government was working on an economic package. Reportedly, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $238 million and $350 million respectively to Pakistan to contain the outbreak of coronavirus.

It was reported on March 16 that the total cases of coronavirus patients had reached 186. The number has more than doubled in just 4 days. Having effectively gauged the situation on the ground, Imran Khan has urged people to stay indoors and adopt “social distancing”. He warned that a spike in the number of coronavirus victims would put the country’s available medical resources under stress.

Thousands of Pakistanis who returned home from Iran were stuck in filthy, unhygienic quarantine camps with no medical care or sanitation facilities. The story came to light after a series of videos posted by Pakistani citizens who were quarantined at Taftan camp on the border with Iran had gone viral. The pilgrims at a camp could be seen not following guidelines of social distancing at a crowded camp and are relaxing without even comprehending the seriousness of the Coronavirus threat.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had launched a probe against Special Assistant on Health, Dr Zafar Mirza, who took part in the SAARC conference on coronavirus instead of Pakistan PM Imran Khan. He is accused of colluding with the deputy director of DRAP Ghazanfar Ali to smuggle 20 million face masks out of Pakistan to foreign countries.

Many inbound travellers took paracetamol tablets in flight to evade isolation, reveals a passenger onboard London-Mumbai flight

OpIndia Staff
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Many inbound travellers took paracetamol tablets in flight to evade isolation, reveals a passenger onboard London-Mumbai flight

A man who had recently returned from the United Kingdom and had tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus made an explosive revelation that many students who were on that flight with took paracetamol tablets before landing at Hyderabad airport to lower their body temperature to cheat the thermal screening at the airport being done to detect suspected coronavirus infected persons, says a report in the TOI.

Akhil Ennamsetty, 24, a student of LLM at the University of Edinburgh, who returned from London, tested positive for the virus. He took a connecting flight from Mumbai to Hyderabad, along with 10 other passengers on board, all of whom are now kept in quarantine after Ennamsetty was tested positive for the virus.

Ennamsetty claimed that many of those who had returned from London to Mumbai on his flight were students and had taken paracetamol tablets to lower their body temperature so that they are not sent to quarantine even if they are infected. “Most of my co-passengers in a flight from Heathrow were students from various universities in England. They took paracetamol tablets just an hour before the landing to avoid getting ‘caught’ in thermal screening done at the airport to isolate coronavirus infected passengers,” said Ennamsetty adding that at least 10 people he knew on the plane took paracetamol tablets before the plane landed.

Ennamsetty alerted the officials that those who were concealing their body temperatures to escape isolation and quarantine at the airport were putting in danger the society at large. He also claimed that the returnees brazenly lied about the symptoms of the virus in the self-declaration forms given on the airport to avoid getting quarantined upon arrival.

Akhil’s tale signifies how the inbound travellers from abroad who are masking their body temperatures to avoid detection at the airports are posing a grave danger for their relatives, friends and family, and the society as a whole. Experts believe that if the infection goes undetected, it won’t take much longer for the pandemic to evolve into third stage leading to large-scale community transmission as witnessed in Italy and Spain. India is currently at the second stage where persons coming in close contact of foreign returned infected persons are getting infected.

Ennamsetty took to Facebook to declare about his ailment. In a post on the popular social media website, Ennamsetty said that he is been admitted to the isolation ward at Gandhi Hospital after being found positive for the novel coronavirus. He also added that everyone in his chain of contacts has confirmed that they don’t have to be isolated and that he took utmost care of quarantining himself after returning from the United Kingdom.

He also said that many in the UK may have been exposed to the virus because of the earlier ‘herd immunity’ approach that they were following. “UK’s approach towards controlling this pandemic has been worrying. They wanted most of the population to get infected so as to gain immunity. Though this has a scientific base, it doesn’t seem very promising at this hour of a public emergency.”

Wuhan Coronavirus: ‘In the last 60 days, world has changed,’ Odisha Govt enforces near-complete lockdown in five districts and seven towns

OpIndia Staff
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Wuhan Coronavirus: ‘In the last 60 days, world has changed,’ Odisha Govt enforces near-complete lockdown in five districts and seven towns

The Odisha Government has 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 will begin 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 Odisha Government announced that the majority of the 3000 people who have returned from foreign countries belong to the districts of Khurdha, Cuttack, Ganjam, Kendrapada, Angul, the towns of Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Jajpur Road and Jajpur Town and Bhadrak. Consequently, in the “first phase”, the Government is opting for “near complete lockdown” in these areas.

Source: Siba Mohanty/Twitter

The Odisha Government has emphasized that these are “extraordinary times” where everybody has to contribute to the efforts being made to bring the pandemic under control. The Government stressed the fact that the Police could not enforce it everywhere and hence, the people would have to see it as their own responsibility to protect the lives of themselves and their fellow citizens. The State Government of Odisha also said that “In the last 60 days, the world has changed.”

The Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic has already infected nearly 300 citizens of India. Although the numbers aren’t very large in absolute terms yet, an exponential rise in the number of cases has been observed all across the world. This is because unless serious measures are adopted early, the infection tends to spread very quickly due to the highly contagious nature of the virus.

Islam above Coronavirus safety: Users take to TikTok to spread falsehood, launch campaign against social distancing

OpIndia Staff
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Islam above Coronavirus safety: Users take to TikTok to spread falsehood, launch campaign against social distancing

As if misinformation on Whatsapp was not enough, Muslim users have now taken to TikTok, the video-sharing social networking service, to encourage social proximity amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak.

In one such video, a man in a black shirt can be seen greeting his three friends. When one of them refuses to shake his hand highlighting concerns about contracting coronavirus infection that may ultimately lead to death, the man in the black shirt gives him a lesson in Islam.

He makes a bizarre statement, “You will leave Sunnat (traditional Islamic custom) today and Islam tomorrow due to your fear of death. We are Muslims and therefore we are not afraid to die.” His reluctant friend, now enlightened by the teachings of Islam, then proceeds to hug the man in the black shirt.

In another TikTok video, a group of Muslims sporting skull caps can be seen talking about coronavirus. When one of them stops the other from shaking hands, he is rebuked. The protagonist claims, “Islam teaches us that shaking hands spread love not coronavirus.” They then leave the scene gloating over the fact that they have managed to stay true to Islamic preachings. Interestingly, the informed friend who earlier tried to highlight that physical contact can spread infection can later be seen saluting the protagonist for making him realise the ideals of Islam.

In a video uploaded on another video sharing platform, Vigo, the protagonist can be seen asking for water. On being stopped from drinking from the bottle that belonged to a friend who is supposedly infected with coronavirus, the hero claims, “Sharing food eaten by another Muslim leads to Shifa (healing) and not corona.”

At a time when social distancing is crucial to preventing the spread of the pandemic, these TikTok videos encourage people under the guise of Islamic teachings to indulge in risky social behaviour.

Earlier, A Muslim protestor by the name of Rizvana in Shaheen Bagh had 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 Shaheen Bagh protesters could be heard dismissing the looming threat of coronavirus by claiming that Corona emerged from the Quran. Several Anti-CAA protestors do not think that the pandemic is a threat because the Anti-CAA protests are supposedly a ‘call from Allah‘.

Jamia Coordination Committee invites people to mark 100 days of protest amidst Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak, to be joined by Shaheen Bagh ‘Dadis’

OpIndia Staff
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Jamia Coordination Committee invites people to mark 100 days of protest amidst Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak, to be joined by Shaheen Bagh ‘Dadis’

The protesters against the Citizenship Amendment Act have by now it clear that they have no intention of withdrawing their protests in light of the Wuhan Coronavirus Pandemic. Such large public gatherings are the perfect breeding ground for the virus to infect even more people. However, anti-CAA protesters are not concerned yet, despite the fact that an organizer of one such protest has already tested positive for the virus. Consistent with the approach, the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) has invited people to join them in their protests on the 21st of March to mark the completion of a hundred days of their protests.

Source: Facebook

The JCC has played a pivotal role in organizing these protests. As we had reported earlier, the JCC had campaigned heavily in areas that had witnessed extreme violence during the communal riots in Delhi during US President Donald Trump’s official visit to India. Earlier, they had also released a controversial video alleging brutality by the Delhi Police on the night of 15th of December, when the Police were forced to enter the campus to flush out rioters. JCC is not an official body of the Jamia Milia Islamia University. The protests on the 21st of March are being organized against the CAA, NRC, NPR, and ‘Police Brutality’.

  • Source: Facebook

The protests will feature a performance by one Nizamuddin’s Inquilabi Team at 5 p.m. in the evening. The protests will likely see a great crowd and are in direct contravention of the guidelines issued by the government to prevent the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. It is important to note that such protests have regularly attracted performances by artists, often of great prominence. However, with the arrival of the pandemic, ’eminent’ individuals appear to be not taking any chances.

Source: Facebook

‘Inquilabi Dadis’ of Shaheen Bagh will also deliver a speech on the occasion of the completion of 100 days of the Jamia protests. The ‘dadis’ are extremely vulnerable to the Wuhan Coronavirus and are particularly at risk of succumbing to the disease. However, as recent comments by them have revealed, they appear to believe that their faith in Allah will ensure that they are not infected by the virus.

Source: Facebook

Earlier, the anti-CAA protesters had declared that they will continue with their protests with certain modifications. Women above the age of 70 years had been barred from participating in the protests. However, it appears that the ‘Dadis’ will mark the Jamia protests with their presence. The protesters believe that the pandemic is not a threat to their health because the Anti-CAA protests are supposedly a ‘call from Allah‘.

Update: The Jamia Millia Islamia protests that have been going on at gate no. 7 of the university are now temporarily suspended.

Two foreign returned women defy coronavirus isolation protocol in Kolkata, forcibly admitted to hospital

OpIndia Staff
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Two foreign returned women defy coronavirus isolation protocol in Kolkata, forcibly admitted to hospital

Two women returnees from abroad were forcibly taken to the hospital in Kolkata after they violated the safety norms set by the government in view of spreading coronavirus scare. The Kolkata Police admitted the two women to a hospital for defying the coronavirus isolation protocol.

As per reports of IANS, the two women are identified as residents of housing societies of the Bellygunge area of South Kolkata. The women had defied the self-quarantine norm after returning from abroad.

The Mamata Banerjee government recently warned people to be forcibly sent to quarantine if they fail to cooperate with the protocol after returning from abroad. The clear warning of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came just after reports of two coronavirus positive patients who defied the protocols to remain in self-isolation.

Mamata Banerjee told the media at the secretariat, “Those returning from abroad, will have to go into self-isolation. If they don’t, then they will be out in force quarantine.”

A huge disturbance was created in the state after the UK returned teenage son of a senior bureaucrat defied self-quarantine and freely roamed various places in Kolkata. He was the first positive case of coronavirus in Kolkata.

Officials revealed that the son of senior bureaucrat ignored the repeated requests from the health department to get hospitalized and get tested.

Another youth, who is also tested positive of coronavirus had returned from the UK on 13 March had also defied the self-quarantine norm. As per reports, he also visited his father’s sanitary fittings outlets for three days.

Posts claiming presence of swans, dolphins in canals of Venice after Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak turns out to be misleading

OpIndia Staff
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Posts claiming presence of swans, dolphins in canals of Venice after Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak turns out to be misleading

As the Wuhan Coronavirus spreads across the globe, there are several images of new animal life that have come to the fore. Many users have shared pictures claiming that though Coronavirus is a pandemic, there is an upside to it since animal life is thriving again. A social user named Kaveri on Tuesday shared a series of images of claiming the presence of swans, dolphins at the canals of Venice, Italy.

Kaveri, posting the images of the crystal clear canals, rejoiced about the presence of swans in the canals. According to Kaveri, the presence of swans in the canals of Venice was a side effect of the pandemic outbreak of coronavirus. Her tweet was shared across the social media platforms leading to the garnering of more than a million likes.

“Here’s an unexpected side effect of the pandemic,” her tweet said. “The water flowing through the canals of Venice is clear for the first time in forever. The fish are visible, the swans returned,” she added.

Kaveri, however, did not stop there. She went on to share another set of misleading reports claiming that Dolphins had returned to the Venice canals as humans self-isolated themselves after coronavirus pandemic spread across cities of Italy.

Nevertheless, the images shared by Kaveri are not real. According to the National Geographic channel report, the images of swans at the canals was apparently captured at the canals of Burano, a small island in the greater Venice metropolitan area.

The Venetian dolphins which were allegedly seen at the Venice, according to the claims of Kaveri are also false as the videos were filmed at a port in Sardinia, in the Mediterranean Sea, hundreds of miles away.

Despite the clarification, Kaveri has not deleted her misleading Twitter posts. Speaking to the NGC, she argued that her posts were still relevant because waters in Venice are clearer than usual a result of decreased boat activity and that is what mattered to her.

Defending her posts, she tweeted about the unprecedented number of likes and retweets she has received on the tweet. “It’s a personal record for me, and I would not like to delete it,” she said.

Kaveri’s defence about it being a ‘personal record’ perhaps refers to the number of retweets and likes her tweets garnered over time. At the time of this report, her tweet had 281.9k retweets and over 1 million likes.

UP Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh tests negative for Wuhan Coronavirus after attending infected Kanika Kapoor’s party

K Bhattacharjee
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UP Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh tests negative for Wuhan Coronavirus after attending infected Kanika Kapoor’s party

Health Minister of Uttar Pradesh Jai Pratap Singh has tested negative for the Wuhan Coronavirus after attending a party with singer Kanika Kapoor, reported PTI. The Bollywood singer had tested positive following her return to India from the United Kingdom on Sunday. The singer had then proceeded to throw a dinner party that was attended by numerous influential people.

Earlier, Dushyant Singh, who had attended Kanika Kapoor’s dinner party along with his mother Vasundhara Raje, had tested negative in his first sampling taken to test for coronavirus infection. They will remain in quarantine despite for the time being. Dushyant Singh had attended the Parliament the next day and interacted with fellow MPs raising serious health concerns for his colleagues. Dushyant was also among the MPs who had met President Kovind recently.

Subsequently, a case was registered against singer Kanika Kapoor at Sarojini Nagar police station in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh for negligence (IPC Section 269), disobedience of an order issued by a public servant (IPC Section 188) and spread of the deadly Wuhan virus, COVID-19 (IPC Section 270), following a complaint filed by the Lucknow Chief Medical Officer.

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