A Spicejet pilot, who did not fly an international flight in March, has tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus. “One of our colleagues, a first officer with SpiceJet, has tested positive for COVID-19. The test report came on March 28. He did not operate any international flight in March 2020,” a spokesperson of the airline told PTI.
“The last domestic flight that he operated was on March 21 from Chennai to Delhi and since then he had quarantined himself at home,” the spokesperson added. All crew and staff who had come in contact with him have been asked to quarantine themselves at home for the next fourteen days as a precautionary measure.
The spokesperson said, “All measures are being taken to provide appropriate medical care to him. The safety of our passengers and employees is our topmost priority.” “We have been diligently following the guidelines issued by the WHO and the government of India. All our aircraft are being disinfected thoroughly since the end of January and the disinfectants used are as per the WHO standards,” the spokesperson said.
All passenger flights have been currently suspended in the wake of the nationwide three-week lockdown. There are 932 active cases currently in the country as per covid19india.org as of the time of writing this report. 86 people have recovered from the disease while the number of deaths has gone up to 27.
Two Pakistani terrorists, operating out of Shopian region in Kashmir, have reportedly left for national capital to carry out terror attack reports Times of India. As per the report, the two Pakistani terrorists have allegiance to ISIS and were communicating using Telegram. ISIS magazines al-Naba and Voice of Hind have also reportedly written articles urging jihadis to ‘capitalise’ on India’s preoccupation with coronavirus outbreak.
An editorial in al-Naba reportedly urges jihadis to exploit the ‘opportunity’ as the government’s ability to coordinate counter-terror operations may be reduced as the country is focusing on ensuring safety and supply of essentials to citizens amidst coronavirus outbreak. As per the report, on pro-ISIS channels, a message was circulated that read, “We are preparing for new attacks, which will be the last thing they want. The military apparatus is also crippled because of restriction of movement. The overburdened hospitals will have a nightmare if the mujahideens greet them in the morning.”
Subsequently, security has been increased in Delhi and efforts are on to disperse crows at the bus terminals. Punjab as well as Mumbai Police have also been warned to stay alert. The security agencies are taking this threat ‘very seriously’ as per the report. According to the report, the terrorist duo have left for Delhi from Shopian by road last week and are expected to reach Delhi within few days.
Last week, ISIS carried out a terror attack on a Gurudwara in Afghanistan. One Mohammad Sajid from Kasaragod ISIS module in Kerala had reportedly carried out the attack.
On Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued directions to officials to keep roughly 1,00,000 people who had arrived in the state in the past three days under quarantine for 14 days. The migration of workers from different parts of India to Uttar Pradesh began after a nationwide lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak.
The #UttarPradesh government has ordered quarantine for approximately one lakh people who have arrived in the state from other parts of the country in the last three days.
The names, addresses and phone numbers of the migrant workers had been made available to the district magistrates. Yogi Adityanath had also asked village heads and ASHA workers to trace those migrant workers who have not been quarantined.
The Government has assured the migrant workers that all their daily needs including shelter and food would be taken care of by the State. Yogi Adityanath said, “No one in the state should remain hungry during the lockdown.” He also ordered the officials to keep the supply chain of essential goods intact. Urging people to stay at their homes, the UP CM said, “You will be provided with all kinds of facilities at your doorstep. For this, I and my team are working 24 hours.”
Migrant workers coming back from neighbouring states to Bihar will be kept in quarantine in relief centres at state borders, where they will be provided food and other essential amenities. They will be kept here for 14 days: Bihar Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha (file pic) #Coronaviruspic.twitter.com/RTrRObp2eG
Undertaking a similar initiative in Bihar, minister Sanjay Kumar Jha had said that the migrant workers would be kept under quarantine in relief centres located near the State border. Jha said that all essential amenities would be provided by the State Government.
Earlier, to do away with the migrant workers in the national capital amidst the pandemic, the AAP government in Delhi allegedly spread the rumour that buses have been waiting at the UP borders to take them to their respective households. This impelled the mass exodus of these migrant labourers, now camping at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, in an attempt to return to their respective villages.
A 57-year-old female shrimp seller, Wei Guixian, at a Chinese wet market in Wuhan is believed to be the ‘Patient Zero’ or the first person to have been diagnosed with the virus. Wet market refers to a market where live meat, fish etc are sold. It was reported as such by a Chinese digital news outlet, The Paper. Guxian developed cold on December 10 last year while she was selling seafood at the Hua’nan market.
On December 11, 2019, she visited a local clinic and was given an injection. When her condition worsened, Guxian rushed to the Eleventh Hospital in Wuhan. The doctors gave her some medicines but could not cure her disease. She then went to the Wuhan Union Hospital where a doctor had called her disease as “ruthless.”
The probable ‘Patient Zero’ was quoted as saying, “Every winter, I always suffer from the flu. So I thought it was the flu. I felt a bit tired, but not as tired as in previous years.” She was quarantined in late December and recovered completely by January 2020. Guixian is of the view that she had contracted the infection after using a public toilet used by other meat sellers.
Her daughter who would frequently touch Guixian along with her niece and the niece’s husband had tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus. The seafood vendors who worked in close proximity with her at the Hua’nan market had also contracted the infection. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, the ‘Patient Zero’ said that the number of casualties would have been much lesser if the Chinese Government acted on time.
A December 31 statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission revealed that Wei was among the first 27 patients to test positive for COVID-19, and one of 24 cases with direct links to the seafood market.
Taking a strong note on the possibility of China unleashing the biological weapon of Wuhan COVID-19, the Indian government on Friday demanded the strict compliance of a global treaty banning the production of the entire range of biological weapons of mass destructions. India also highlighted the need for an effective response to the challenges posed by new scientific developments in the area.
The significant statement by the Indian government comes at a time when the Chinese coronavirus has caused a health emergency across the world. This is the first time that India has tacitly insinuated that China may have used a bio-weapon against other countries. In making the fresh call to ban biological weapons on the occasion of 45th anniversary of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) coming into force, India made mention of the fast-spreading coronavirus and its global impact.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation through his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio show, the first time since the nationwide lockdown began from Wednesday.
Five days into the three-week lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the need to enforce the restrictions, saying those who are violating the lockdown are “playing with their own life’.
Prime Minister Modi added, “This virus does not differentiate between the rich and the poor. Some people are still not understanding the seriousness of the situation. The battle against COVID-19 is a tough one and it did require such harsh decisions. It is important to keep the people of India safe.”
Apologising the nation for enforcing the lockdown, PM Modi said the tough measures were a necessity to fight the global epidemic COVID-19, which has killed thousands of people across the world.
“I am sure people of the country will forgive me for taking such a drastic step to lock down the country amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. However, as this is a battle between life and death, there was no other way out. I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you.” said PM Modi as he began his address to the nation on Mann ki Baat.
PM Modi said there was a need to fight the illness before it takes its toll. “Coronavirus has imprisoned the world. It has affected all: old, young, weak and strong. The whole of humanity needs to come together and fight this crisis,” he added on.
Urging the citizens to strictly follow the rules of the lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The lockdown has been put in place to protect you and your family. You have to be courageous and draw the “Lakshman Rekha”. There are many breaking lockdown rules. I request them not to do so, otherwise, we cannot win this war. Health is wealth and when people break the rules, they are putting their health at risk. There are many medical professionals who are fighting the virus.”
“I was extremely hurt when I came to know that some people are misbehaving with those who are being advised home quarantine. We need to be sensitive and understanding. Increase social distancing but reduce emotional distancing,” PM Modi expressed his disappointment over people roaming around streets despite the country is in total lockdown.
On Mann ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his gratitude to the “foot soldiers” fighting the battle against coronavirus from the frontlines. “There are many soldiers who are fighting Coronavirus, not from their homes but from outside their homes. These are our front line soldiers, especially our brothers and sisters on duty as nurses, doctors and paramedical staff.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also interacted with doctors about COVID-19 and how they are treating patients. PM Modi said that doctors’ sacrifices remind him of ancient Hindu sage who said one who serves patients without financial motive is the real doctor.
Dr Nitish Gupta, speaking to PM Modi said that many hospitalised patients are scared after seeing news of death tolls in other countries and that they need counselling. Dr Borse from Pune told the Prime Minister that all patients in his hospital are recovering well.
PM Modi said “daily life heroes” such as sanitation and utility workers are ensuring that our daily lives are continuing smoothly. He has also hailed bank employees, grocers, e-commerce delivery personnel, people in the IT sector for helping India work during the lockdown.
The Chinese coronavirus, or COVID-19, the pandemic has spread across 190 countries. Sunday is the fifth day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown. The total number of reported active COVID-19 cases in India is 867. The Union Health Ministry has said that 87 people have recovered so far, but 25 have died.
Globally, there have been over 6.6 lakh confirmed cases of COVID-19. At least 30,800 people have died so far. The US now has the highest number of cases, followed by Italy. Cases continue to surge in Europe.
An FIR has been registered against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Raghav Chadha for creating enmity, hatred and ill will in the society and also defaming Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by claiming that the UP government was beating up migrants who are leaving from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh.
Mrityunjay Kumar, Media Advisor to UP CM tweeted that a complaint against AAP MLA Raghav Dhadha has been filed in Noida on Sunday under IPC section 500, 505(2) and section 66 of the IT Act for making false claims and creating hatred in the society. The complaint has been filed by Delhi-based lawyer, Prashant Patel Umrao.
डिलीट करने का कोई फ़ायदा नहीं है @raghav_chadha, तुम्हारी पार्टी की इस नीच हरकत का जवाब UP पुलिस दे रही है। यह उन लोगों के लिए एक सबक़ बनेगा जो योगी सरकार के ख़िलाफ़ झूठ बोलकर निकल जाते है। pic.twitter.com/szPnElUAGC
“There is no point in deleting, Raghav Chadha. UP Police is giving a befitting reply to your petty politics. This will be a lesson to all those who lie against the UP government and get away with it,” Kumar tweeted.
The complaint reads, “His malicious and deliberate action is not only dangerous to the maintenance of law and order but also it will create panic among the people who are going to their native places at this difficult time due to coronavirus pandemic.”
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raghav Chadha had stoked a controversy claiming that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is getting migrants going from Delhi to UP beaten up.
Taking to his Twitter handle the newly-elected MLA alleged, “According to sources, Yogiji is getting migrants going from Delhi to UP beaten up. He is saying why did you people go to Delhi and you will not be allowed to go to Delhi again. My appeal to the UP government is not to do this and not to increase problems in this difficult hour.”
Later, Chadha quietly deleted his controversial tweet without giving any explanation.
Raghav Chadha’s tweet
Following the misleading claims made by Raghav Chadha, the Uttar Pradesh government had decided to take action against him for spreading fake news of UP government harassing migrant workers.
Ever since the nation-wide lockdown has been announced across the country, the migrant workers working in Delhi have begun to travel back to their respective villages. They had arrived at Anand Vihar bus terminal in large numbers on Saturday evening. The AAP government is under attack from all corners for its mismanagement in handling the migrant exodus.
On Friday, a 50-year-old man who hailed from Khurja in Bulandshahr district in Uttar Pradesh was diagnosed with the deadly Wuhan Coronavirus. He was admitted to LLRM Medical Hospital in Meerut on Thursday night. His relatives who were also tested for COVID-19 infection also tested positive. Reportedly, the man had returned from Maharashtra’s Amravati.
As reported by Times of India, the Bulandshahr man had travelled from Amravati in Maharashtra. He had travelled via Chattisgarh Express and Amravati-Jabalpur Superfast Express to Meerut. On March 19, he had reached his in-laws’ house in Shastri Nagar. The patient had also attended a wedding ceremony in Meerut on 20 March and also offered namaaz at two mosques and travelled to Humayun Nagar on March 22.
The man had visited a private doctor before being admitted to LLRM hospital on March 26. After he tested positive for Coronavirus, he was shifted to an isolation ward. The Health Department had also admitted his wife and 3 brothers-in-law after they tested positive for the deadly disease on Saturday. 37 of his contacts have now been identified and quarantined.
As per the report, the man has no history of foreign travel. The Meerut District Magistrate has ordered sealing of areas where he lived and has asked the area to be disinfected. The authorities are also looking for provisions to see if the man could be booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act as he travelled despite being ill.
Earlier, a woman who had returned from Saudi Arabia had set off the chain of Wuhan coronavirus infection in Delhi. The Muslim woman has now reportedly transmitted the virus to her family members and now a doctor too. The woman’s mother and two daughters, too, have tested positive. The viral infection was also transmitted to her brother-Tabrez Khan, one of the organisers of the Jahangiri anti-CAA protests, who was admitted to the LNJP hospital and tested positive for the contagion. A doctor at a mohalla community clinic in northeast Delhi who had come in contact with the woman has tested positive for coronavirus, health officials said on Wednesday. His wife and daughter, who were also found to be infected with coronavirus, have been admitted to a hospital
A Former Foreign Minister of parody nation Pakistan has now come up with some wild conspiracy theories accusing the US of ‘inventing’ the virus in lab and giving a clean chit to China which has actually perpetrated the virus on all of humanity.
Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister, in what appears to be reading a lengthy WhatsApp message, shared his fantasy theories claiming that the coronavirus is not natural but created in a laboratory in collusion with Israel, UK and the United States to halt fast-emerging China.
Calling it a conspiracy, in his deranged rant, he said the virus was created by the United States as a weapon for chemical warfare to be used in Syria. He said the aim was to create a disease that would spark panic and fear among the people of the world.
“The patent for the virus was obtained by an American company Chiron from the US government in 2006. The second aspect of this is that in 2014, they sought a patent in Europe for its vaccine. The patent would have been granted in a few years, but it was not granted till November 2019,” Haroon claimed as he came up with the chronology of the ‘creation’ of the coronavirus by the US.
The former Pakistani ambassador to the UN further claimed that the vaccine for the virus was being manufactured in Israel. “Israel has said it would share its patent only with those countries that recognize it as a country,” he alleged.
Continuing his conspiracy theory, Haroon further said that the reason behind creating the virus was that the US had for many years been worried about China being powerful and had tried many things to stop it but had failed until now.
“The coronavirus was created in a lab in the UK and whose registry was in the US. From there it was sent to a lab in Wuhan via Air Canada. The lab in the UK was sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation while the John Hopkins and the Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US had made preparations to dispatch the virus to Wuhan,” he said.
Hussain also claimed his belief that the reason behind the virus being named COVID-19 was because the virus was made with the permission of the Center for Disease Control in the US. “A computer simulation was run regarding this in 2019. The money for this was also given by the Gates Foundation, John Hopkins University and even the World Economic Forum also gave monetary help to make this virus,” he added.
In an attempt to absolve the crimes of China, which has unleashed the deadly COVID-19 across the world, continuing his deranged theory, the ex-Pakistani ambassador to UN claimed that the US, after getting alarmed, moved everything to Winnipeg in Canada where they have also detained a Chinese biologist Dr Kading Chan. The former ambassador added that Israel was the biggest beneficiary of the conspiracy since it was manufacturing the vaccine for the virus.
Shockingly, some Pakistanis we appreciating Haroon and and insisted that whatever he said should be taken seriously.
Some even claimed how Allah trumps the ‘Kufars’ and hence, Allah’s planning will overrule the planning by ‘Kufars’.
While Haroon was appreciated widely for his pearls of wisdom, some pointed out the discrepancies in his claims. Soon, he released another video to respond to criticism over his claims. In his latest video, Haroon repeated his claims of the virus being invented in the west and not in China.
His rationale to absolve China comes from the point, as he stated, “Chinese have been eating bats and snakes for ‘thousands of years’ and how come Coronavirus never came earlier?”. According to Haroon, Coronavirus is relatively a new phenomenon that is nowhere connected to the eating habits of the Chinese.
Continuing his fantasy, Haroon claimed that believing that the virus was created in laboratory was more logical than believing that eating bats or snakes can cause coronavirus.
Further, Haroon in his video also accepted the patent numbers he had shared with viewers in his first video are not found on the US official record, thus making his claims he raised in his previous video questionable. However, he claimed that the patent numbers were cancelled in November 2019 and continued to spread his false propaganda.
Haroon perhaps thought that the Pakistani citizens would buy his fantasy theories of blaming the west for the spread of coronavirus across the world and absolve China for his crimes. With Pakistanis themselves refusing to accept Haroon’s claims, the former diplomat has now turned out be another laughing stock just like his country Pakistan.
The Chinese COVID-19 – which has been declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) has wreaked havoc in nearly 200 Countries wherein 30,880 people have so far lost their lives while a total of 663,741 people have fallen victim to it since December 2019.
Pakistan currently has over 1,500 infected people in the country. With 123,750 cases and 2,227 deaths recorded so far, the United States has become the worst affected Country by the virus across the globe surpassing China wherein the virus was originated. The UK has seen nearly 1,019 deaths out of the 17,089 positive cases. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock have also tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The confirmed Chinese coronavirus positive patients in Pakistan as of 29th March 2020 has crossed 1,500 mark. Of these, 12 people have reportedly died. As per Pakistani media, the initial cases were pilgrims from Iran, especially those who returned after crossing the border at Taftan. Pakistan’s Dawn reports that the COVID-19 positive patients rose sharply after March 15 as more pilgrims returned.
Soon, many Pakistanis took to social media to blame the Shias who returned from pilgrimage for spreading coronavirus.
Shia community should be restricted from organizing gatherings all over the country even after the end of #COVID19. They have brought the virus to Pakistan from #Iran which should have #COVID19SelfIsolate. What a shame!
Some even said that more than China, the country where the deadly virus originated, Shias are responsible and the Chinese virus should actually be called ‘Shia Virus’.
Some also accused the Shia Muslims of ‘intentionally’ bringing the virus to Pakistan.
People came from Iran are traitors because they are involve with the Iran they did this intentionally to sabotage the virus into Pakistan and they succeeded and also the shïa people who were supporting procession they should know they will be punished in akhrat….. https://t.co/hII0PW5Il0
In Pakistan Corona virus is spreading due to Shia Zaireen who came from iran. Now they’re openly doing this and creating trouble for whole Pakistan. They must be arrested, punished and quarantined immediately. Sindh is alwats on top in every disease. Either its HIV or Covid.
Some even accused Shias of being enemies of Islam.
Shia kal bhi islam ka dushman tha shia aaj bhi islam ka dushman hai . or paksiatan ka dushman hai . dekh lo in murdaron ki waja sy pakistan me virus aaya ha https://t.co/1KGGDPBu5M
Some even accused them of indulging in ‘bio terrorism’.
Shia in all state institutions have proved they are shia first Iranian second and Pakistani later by committing the act of bio terrorism and intentionally bringing over the virus to #Pakistan#coronavirusinpakistan but now shouting from the top of their lungs MASJID BAND KARO
It is quite clear that Pakistan has become a breeding ground for the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus due to the whimsical approach of the authorities and the government in the country. Furthermore, organizations such as the Tableeghi Jamaat are still having an almost free run in the country, thereby, not only putting Pakistanis in jeopardy but citizens of other countries as well. They appear more concerned with ensuring that Islamic clerics are not miffed than with containing the spread of the virus.
The predicament of Pakistan is comparable to that of Iran, another country that has been devastated by the Wuhan Coronavirus due to the pervasive religious fundamentalism of its population.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to stay at home, wherever they are, in a bid to contain the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government seems to have had its own plans to push the country into chaos. In a video shared by BJP leader Kapil Mishra, one can see announcements being made in colonies where UP-Bihar migrants are staying in Delhi informing them that Delhi government-run DTC buses will take them to the Anand Vihar bus terminal.
दिल्ली में इस तरह बस्तियों में रात को माइक से अनाउंसमेंट किये गए थे
आनंद विहार के लिए बस जा रही हैं, वहां से आगे यूपी बिहार के लिए बस मिलेगी
सोते हुए लोगों को उठा उठाकर बसों से बॉर्डर पर भेजा गया
In the video, one can hear that the person making the announcement is saying that from Anand Vihar ISBT, they will be able to get the buses to take them further to UP and Bihar. This, when most of the state governments have sealed their borders and banned commercial vehicles to ply.
Earlier it was reported that Kejriwal-government run DTC buses dropped off the UP-Bihar migrant workers at the Ghaziabad and Noida borders. Following which, lakhs of migrant workers took foot journeys to their homes as the UP state government had closed state transport buses. On humanitarian grounds, after the lakhs of migrant workers were found walking home, the UP government on 28th March announced that it will ply buses to drop off these people to their homes safely. This was done to ensure people do not have to suffer anymore than they already have to owing to the pandemic.
On 28 March, 2020 it was reported that the UP authorities had accused the Delhi authorities of disconnected the water and electrical energy connections of individuals, forcing them to leave their homes in Delhi and head back to their villages. “Throughout lockdown, individuals weren’t even supplied meals and milk in Delhi,” stated a report quoting UP govt sources.
