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Indore: Medical team that had gone to check a coronavirus suspect assaulted, pelted with stones, police team attacked too

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Indore: Medical team that had gone to check a coronavirus suspect assaulted, pelted with stones, police team attacked too

A medical team that had gone to check on a patient with suspected coronavirus symptoms was attacked and pelted with stones in Indore’s Tatpatti Bhakhal today. As per reports, the gathered mob had viciously attacked the team of health workers and had even thrown stones from nearby rooftops.

As per reports, when the medical team sought help from the police, the police team was attacked too. The gathered mob even broke down the barricades and used the women among them as human shields when the police tried to take action.

The doctor informed that they had gone for screening as directed by authorities and have been doing so since past three days. The team had gone after they found a history of someone getting in touch with a COVID-19 positive person. “As soon as we started asking, they started throwing stones at us,” the doctor informs. The doctor further states that because they had the police force and others along with them, they were saved.

A police officer while speaking to the media said that an old lady was to be taken for medical tests but people started opposing. Soon, a crowd gathered. Following this, police was called upon. The mob then directed the authorities that before anyone from the locality is taken for medical tests, they should be first informed.

The Police officer also confirmed that the mob broke the barricades and pelted stones. “Action will be taken against them,” the police informed. One of the health workers said that they were just going about doing their work when a mob came and started hurling stones at them. They had to run away to save themselves.

The medical team had reportedly gone to take the suspected coronavirus patient for further medical examinations. After the attack, senior police and administrative officials have reached the place. The barricading has been put up again.

It is notable here that Indore has been the city worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Madhya Pradesh. On Tuesday alone, 20 new positive cases were found, including 11 women and children. The city’s coronavirus tally has reached 63.

This is one of the many such cases when a mob had tried to resist the works of the authorities during the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier, reports of vicious attacks and stone-pelting on police officials had surfaced in Bihar and Gujarat. In Bihar’s Madhubani, a police team was attacked, pelted with stones and even fired at by a Muslim mob when said team tried to prevent a mass gathering for Namaz at a Mosque.

In Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, health officials seeking contact details of coronavirus positive patients were assaulted on the suspicion that they were collecting data for CAA and NRC.

A massive manhunt has been launched after several dozen cases of coronavirus were traced to a large gathering of Muslims in a Tablighi Jamaat conference held in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area organised by Tablighi Jamaat. Over 400 attendees were shifted to hospitals yesterday and over 2000 were placed under quarantine. The area has been sealed off.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan invites Pakistani youth to do a ‘jihad’ against coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan invites Pakistani youth to do a ‘jihad’ against coronavirus

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has invited Pakistani youth to join ‘jihad’ against coronavirus.

Taking to Twitter, Khan said that he wants the Pakistani youth to ‘play their role’ in helping the country’s fight against coronavirus by joining something called ‘Corona Tiger Force’. The Corona Tiger Force is organised to do ‘jihad’ against the ‘suffering caused by the pandemic’.

On Monday, Khan addressed the nation and said that while Pakistan is not rich like the US to fight the coronavirus, the country has its faith, Islam and that would help them sail through. In fact, Khan had also praised China,  the country which unleashed Wuhan coronavirus on rest of the world, for tackling the deadly virus by ‘locking down 2 crore people’. Imran Khan had also informed his citizens that coronavirus is a threat only for the old and people who are already sick. There is no medical evidence to suggest this. “Of these, only 4-5% people need to be hospitalised. Remaining can be cured by self-quarantine,” Khan informed his citizens. Again, there is no medical evidence to back this claim.

Tipplers fall for April Fool prank in Karnataka town, line up in front of liquor shops after social media messages said they will open for a day

OpIndia Staff
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Tipplers fall for April Fool prank in Karnataka town, line up in front of liquor shops after social media messages said they will open for a day

Tipplers in the state of Karnataka who is going through a dry phase because of countrywide lockdown fell prey to an April fool day prank on social media that confirmed the availability of liquor at Gadag town on Wednesday.

People from various corners of the town queued up in front of a shop in Mulagund Road hoping to purchase some liquor unaware of the fact that it is April fool day. Although they were queued up in a disciplined manner, they had apparently ignored the norm of social distancing and stood in close proximity to each other. The crowd included women, youth and senior citizens.

The man who saw the incident and shot a video of the same said, “The tipplers were speculating that the shop would open on April 1 and today a person stood in the queue. Soon others too started following him. Thus a long queue was formed but to no avail.”

Gadag rural police personnel rushed to the spot after being informed about the incident and asked the people gathered in front of the liquor shop to disperse.

Read- Coronavirus lockdown: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan allows sale of liquor as ‘lack of alcohol may cause social problems’

Liquor shops in the state of Karnataka are shut and the sale of liquor is banned ever since the countrywide lockdown was announced by the Prime Minister in order to prevent the deadly epidemic of COVID-19 to stop spreading further. The coronavirus has been spreading rapidly across the population disrupting the normal lives of the people. India has reported 1723 confirmed of coronavirus while 171 recovered from the disease. 55 casualties have also been reported.

Four more Tablighi Jamaat attendees test positive in Assam, state tally 0 to 5 in less than a day, may cross double-digits by evening

OpIndia Staff
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Four more Tablighi Jamaat attendees test positive in Assam, state tally 0 to 5 in less than a day, may cross double-digits by evening

With four more positive cases reported in Assam on Wednesday, the total number of confirmed Wuhan coronavirus cases in the state goes up from 0 to 5 in less than 24 hours. These four new positive cases were all reported to be Tablighi Jamaat attendees as the Nizamuddin Markaz emerges as a hotspot for COVID-19.

“All four were in Markaz, attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi,” confirmed Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, also stating that the cases in the state “may cross double-digits by evening.”

Addressing a press meet in Guwahati, health minister Sarma said that in addition to the first patient at Silchar Medical College and Hospital, four more people have been tested positive for Coronavirus at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

The State health minister furthered that the centre has provided the state government with a list of 547 people on Tuesday, out of which 134 were in the Nizamuddin area but not in Tablighi Jamaat event. He added that 68 people had stayed back in Delhi and 4 of them tested positive in the National Capital itself. “347 are back in Assam but did not get themselves quarantined. Out of 347, 230 have been traced overnight and samples are being collected. However, 117 are yet to be traced, added Sharma.

After dozens of country-wide COVID-19 positive cases have been traced back to the Tablighi Jamaat, the authorities have started a massive nation-wide manhunt to trace all the attendees who had participated so that they could be quarantined and their contact tracing could be established. Many of the foreign nationals who had attended the event were found ‘hiding’ in mosques at various parts of the country.

The recent gathering of as many as 3,500 people at a religious conference at Nizamuddin in the national capital is threatening to turn the area into the biggest COVID-19 hotspot in the country as it is triggering a tide of infections in several states.

The central and state governments now face the challenge of pan-India contact tracing and containment as thousands of participants at the March 13-15 event at Nizamuddin’s Banglewali Masjid have been exposed to those who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Coronavirus positive cases in India has risen sharply to 1,637, according to the health ministry website. A jump of 386 cases in merely 24 hours. The death toll currently stands at 38.

United Nations Secretary-General terms COVID-19 as ‘worst crisis’ in 75 years of UN history, equates the pandemic to World War II

OpIndia Staff
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United Nations Secretary-General terms COVID-19 as ‘worst crisis’ in 75 years of UN history, equates the pandemic to World War II

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the ongoing Wuhuna Coronavirus pandemic could be the most challenging phase since World War II. He stated that the pandemic can lead to a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past.

The UN Secretary-General on Tuesday during the launch of reports on the socioeconomic impact of pandemic said, “We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations one that is killing people, spreading human suffering, and upending people’s lives… This is much more than a health crisis. It is a human crisis. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is attacking societies at their core.”

He stated that there is a risk of enhanced instability, enhanced unrest and enhanced conflict in the aftermath of the pandemic, stressing on a stronger and more effective global response to the outbreak.

The UN Chief called for unity against the pandemic, and forgetting the political games and understand that it is humankind that is at stake, may be able to emerge from the impending humanitarian and economic crisis. Mr Guterres said: “The new coronavirus disease is attacking societies at their core, claiming lives and people’s livelihoods”.

Antonio Guterres said, “The magnitude of the response must match the scale of the crisis large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive, with the country and international responses being guided by the World Health Organization.”

Read- As the world grapples with Wuhan Coronavirus, China engages in daylight robbery, theft and increased military activity: Read how

As per reports, the UN Chief reiterated the WHO’s clarion call clarifying that the pandemic is far from extinguishing at present and stressed the need for collaboration worldwide to tackle the negative impacts of the pandemic on the global economy.

He also warned the countries that are not respecting the guidelines of World Health Organizations.

Guterres said, “Let us remember that we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world. It is essential that developed countries immediately assist those less developed to bolster their health systems and their response capacity to stop transmission.”

The UN report estimates that up to 25 million jobs could be lost around the world as the result of the outbreak. It also projects an up to 40% “downward pressure” on global foreign direct investment flows.

As the Wuhan Coronavirus continues to spread rapidly, around 856556 cases have been reported worldwide. 42332 casualties due to coronavirus have been reported while 178300 have been recovered.

From skits to hiring artists and dressing them up as coronavirus, police officials employ innovative means to create awareness about the threat posed by novel COVID-19

OpIndia Staff
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From skits to hiring artists and dressing them up as coronavirus, police officials employ innovative means to create awareness about the threat posed by novel COVID-19

As the threat of the coronavirus in the country becomes more acute, the law enforcement officials across the country are coming up with ingenious campaigns to create awareness amongst the public about the perils of breaching the lockdown restrictions. With the fight against the coronavirus being tough and long, the police officials are leaving no stone unturned in discouraging the people from flouting the government-mandated constraints, often by using innovative and inventive ways.

Recently, the Bengaluru police’s avant-garde method to dissuade people from venturing out amidst lockdown is winning hearts on the Internet.

A bevy of policemen from the Ulsoor Traffic station presented a small street play to warn the people what would happen if they disregard the restrictions and step out of their homes. Cops wearing coronavirus-shaped helmets accosted the miscreant biker who was blissfully meandering the roads during the lockdown. Once the biker was caught, the coronavirus-shaped helmet was transferred to him, conveying that the virus could infect anyone who on and about the road. The play accurately captured the hazards of roaming around on the streets and attracted rave reactions from many on Social Media.

Before Bengaluru Police’s enthralling skit, police officials in the southern metropolis of Chennai were seen donning the spooky coronavirus-shaped helmets to exhort people to stay at home. A police officer named Rajesh Babu collaborated with a local artist Gowtham and designed a “Coronavirus Helmet” to raise awareness about the deadly Wuhan Coronavirus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He wanted to persuade people to comply with the nationwide lockdown by understanding the seriousness of the issue.

According to the Police personnel, the Coronavirus helmet has been useful in raising awareness. The distinct approach taken by the cops has appealed to the minds of the commuters. Children after seeing the gear chose to stay at home as well.

Andhra Pradesh cops today created awareness amongst people today by hiring local artists and dressing them up as Yamraj, Chitragupta and coronavirus.

They went about the town making announcements to make people stay inside the house amidst the lockdown.

In addition, the cops in Kerala, the state with one of the highest numbers of coronavirus cases, did a “handwashing” dance to illustrate people how frequent handwashing can help them in warding off the threat of coronavirus. The video showing a group of cops wearing masks and performing a handwashing dance to the Malayalam song Kalakkatha from Prithviraj’s film Ayyapanum Koshiyum quickly gained traction on social media with a record number of views.

The total number of coronavirus cases as of April 1 has skyrocketed to 1637, with the last 2-3 days witnessing a huge spike owing to a large congregation occurred at Markas Nizamuddin which was attended by at least 1700-1800 people and has emerged as a breeding ground for the virus’ unrestrained proliferation. With the cases rising steadily, it will, perhaps, need a lot more than police ingenuity to curb the spread of the virus.

Telangana: 20-year-old Engineering student sets herself ablaze fearing Chinese COVID-19 infection

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: 20-year-old Engineering student sets herself ablaze fearing Chinese COVID-19 infection

In a distressing incident, a 20-year old engineering student has committed suicide by setting herself ablaze in Telangana’s Rajanna Siricilla fearing that she might have contracted the Chinese coronavirus.

According to the reports, the deceased has been identified as Dasari Sravanthi, daughter of Dasari Balaiah of Jillella village of Thangallapalli block in the district. She was a studying fourth yeat B.Tech at a private engineering college in Siddipet district.

The complaint lodged by the victim’s mother Lakshmi said that the deceased set herself ablaze when no one was at home.

“My husband Balaiah went to Muscat long ago, my son Vamsi and I had gone to the fields for work and my father-in-law Rajaiah had gone out for some personal work. When my father-in-law returned home in the afternoon, Sravanthi was burning in flames. By the time my son and I reached home, she was already dead,” Lakshmi said in the complaint.

The police rushed immediately to the village with a fire tender to put out the flames. A suicide note was recovered from the house in which Sravanthi said she was suffering from symptoms of cold and fever and feared she might be suffering from coronavirus.

“She suspected that she might have contracted the virus from her co-passengers in the bus in which she used to travel to her college in Siddipet. She asked her brother to take care of parents,” Lakshmi said.

Lakshmi added that there could be some other reason for her suicide and requested a thorough investigation as Sravanthi had not spoken about symptoms before.

Rahul Hegde, the Superintendent of Police of Rajanna Siricilla said that prima facie, it was evident that Sravanthi had committed suicide fearing that she might have contracted COVID-19. “But we have sent the suicide note to the forensic experts to find out whether it was written by Sravanthi herself or fabricated by anybody else. We are also awaiting the autopsy report to know whether she really had any COVID-19 symptoms,” the SP said.

This incident comes on the lines of a similar incident after a 58-year-old man committed suicide in Channarayapatna taluk in Hassan district on Sunday morning. The parent was earlier examined for COVID–19 infection and tested negative for the same. However, he was asked to stay quarantined at home for two weeks.

As the deceased had suffered from many other ailments, it has been suspected that the quarantine might have driven him to take the extreme step, said the medical officer.

In another incident, a 44-year old senior anaesthetist, Utpaljit Barman who was working at Pratiksha Hospital in Guwahati had reportedly died from a heart attack after he took anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine, that is also said to be effective against the Wuhan Coronavirus.

Delhi’s state cancer institute shut after a doctor tested positive of Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi’s state cancer institute shut after a doctor tested positive of Coronavirus

The Delhi State Cancer Institute has been shut to suspend the hospital’s out-patient clinics for the purpose of sanitizing the premises after one of its doctors has been tested positive for coronavirus. The 35-year old doctor from the institute’s preventive oncology department is admitted at the Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini. His wife and child are admitted to nearby Lok Nayak hospital near Delhi gate after having tested positive.

As per reports, the origin of his infection is unclear. An official of the Delhi government health department said that the doctor had no history of foreign travel and neither was he treating any COVID-19 positive patient. And while his brother and sister-in-law did travel to the UK in February, they haven’t tested positive for the infection.

Delhi’s Health Minister Satyender Jain while speaking to ANI said that the hospital has been closed for today and it is being disinfected. The health minister added that those who came in contact with the doctor will be quarantined.

This is the fourth case in Delhi where a doctor has tested positive. First two were Mohalla Clinic Doctors while other was a private practitioner. One of the Mohalla Clinic doctors came in touch with a Saudi return woman who later tested positive for COVID-19. His wife and daughter also later tested positive. About 800 people who came in touch with the doctor were quarantined.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Banks start rolling out EMI moratorium scheme, know the details and impacts

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus Outbreak: Banks start rolling out EMI moratorium scheme, know the details and impacts

To give a relief to people who may have suffered a hit on their income due to the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, the Reserve Bank of India had on 27th March had permitted the banks to allow a moratorium of three months on EMI payments of all term loans. Following the advisory of the regulatory bank, several banks have now announced that their loan customers can defer payment of EMIs for three months. As RBI has not directly deferred the EMI payments, and ‘permitted’ the banks to defer the same, each bank will have to announce the EMI moratorium individually, and each bank may adopt different process to implement the same. Accordingly, banks have started issuing such notifications.

State Bank of India, India’s largest bank, tweeted yesterday, “In terms of RBI COVID 19 regulatory package, SBI has initiated steps to defer instalments and interest/EMIs on Term Loans falling due between 01.03.2020 to 31.05.2020 and extended the repayment period by 3 months.”

SBI has adopted an opt-in system for the moratorium, which means customers who want to defer their EMI payments will have to inform the bank about their intention. For those loans where EMIs are collected through National Automated Clearing House (NACH) or Standing instructions, customers are required to send an email to the bank along with a duly filled annexure. The respective email ID for various locations and annexures are available on this webpage of the bank. Customers who want to continue paying EMIs need not take any action.

Largest private sector bank ICICI Bank has also given their customers the option of opt-in or opt-out of the moratorium scheme for EMI payments. The bank has enabled the moratorium automatically for certain category of loans, and those who want to continue pay their EMIs for loans will have to Opt-Out of the moratorium by sending an SMS or e-mail. Such loans are Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Farm Equipment (FE), Self-Help Group (SHG)/Joint Lending Group (JLG)/Loans given through Business Correspondent (BC), Jewel Loan, Corporate Farmer Finance, Business Lending – Unsecured (Current Account Over Draft/Small Business Loan/Roaming Protect/Loan Against Credit Card Receivable), Dealer Funding, Working Capital/Trade Advance to Auto Dealers, Commercial Business, Working Capital/Trade Advance to Commercial Business customers, Consumer Finance, Two Wheeler Loans. If customers of these loans do not Opt-Out, it will be assumed that they have opted for the deferment. For all other types of loans, the customers will have to Opt-In for the moratorium.

Bank of Baroda has also published a FAQ on the moratorium scheme, which says that customers will have to approach their base branch to stop Standing Instruction or NACH mandate by Mail of letter.

Similarly, HDFC Bank also has issued guidelines for the scheme. Customers who want to defer their EMI or interest payments during the lockdown period may request for the same. The bank also says if customers skip payment of EMI, it will be assumed that they are opting for the moratorium. Loan customers of IDBI Bank can defer their EMI payments by sending an email to [email protected] latest by April 3, 2020.

Several other banks have announced the implementation of the moratorium scheme, while others are in the process of doing so. It is expected that most other banks will start rolling out the scheme very soon.

The EMI moratorium scheme is for three months, March to May. but if some customers have already paid the March EMI, they will get moratorium of only two months. Some banks have allowed refund of already paid March EMI, if customers want.

Impact of EMI moratorium

Although the scheme allows loan customers to defer their EMI payment, it is important to know its implications. Even though one need not pay the monthly instalments, interest will continue to accrue on the loan account. And due to the deferment, the loan tenure will get extended by 3 months, resulting in increased interest payment. This means, total interest payable on the loan will go up, which will eventually result in an increase in the number of EMIs to be paid to repay the loan completely.

According to an illustration by SBI, for an auto loan of Rs.6 Lacs with a remaining maturity of 54 months, the additional interest payable would be Rs.19,000 approx, which will equal to an additional 1.5 EMIs. And, for a home loan of Rs.30 Lacs with a remaining maturity of 15 years, the net additional interest would be approximately Rs.2.34 Lacs equal to 8 EMIs.

Therefore, all banks have advised that this scheme should be used by only those people who have faced a hurdle in cash flow during the lockdown period and overall downfall in business during the coronavirus pandemic. For those people who are not affected financially, like salaried people, they should not opt for the moratorium, and should continue to pay their dues as scheduled.

Ahmednagar: Health officials seeking contact tracing of Tablighi Jamaat attendees assaulted on the suspicion of collecting information for CAA/NPR, 3 arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Ahmednagar: Health officials seeking contact tracing of Tablighi Jamaat attendees assaulted on the suspicion of collecting information for CAA/NPR, 3 arrested

While the authorities across the country are scrambling to identify the Markas attendees who participated in the congregation in Nizamuddin in mid-March, a team of health officials in Ahmednagar were beaten up by contacts of Markas attendees on the suspicion that they are collecting information for the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA), NPR and NPR. The health officials were simply involved in- contact tracing, the process of identification of persons who may have come into contact with an infected person (“contacts”) and subsequent collection of further information about these contacts.

On March 29, Sunday, 2 positive COVID-19 cases with the history of attending the Markas Nizamuddin had come to the fore. Following this discovery, the health officials in the region on Monday started contact tracing by visiting door to door in the village of Ahmednagar seeking details from the residents about their past travel, and if they had come in contact with suspected Markas attendees, considering the participants of Markas attendees were Islamic preachers. The protruding questions fuelled misgivings among the residents who thought the officials are seeking details for CAA and NPR. The residents then thwacked the health officials and stopped them from tracing contacts who may have come in touch with Markas attendees and contracted the deadly contagion.

A case was registered for obstruction of duties of government officials after which 3 people involved in the assault of the health officials were arrested by the police.

The deaths of 10 people from COVID-19 who had attended a congregation in Nizamuddin touched off a massive manhunt to identify the myriad participants from different states that attended the religious event held On March 21 in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area by the Tablighi Jamaat, a Sunni organisation. More than 1700 Muslims had assembled for Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz in South Delhi out of which around 1530 hailed from India and rest from the foreign countries.

The thousands who took part in the event later returned to their homes in virtually every state. Many of these reported COVID-19 cases are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat. The state governments have now started identifying and locating these people in order to stop the transmission of Chinese virus in the population.

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