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WB govt orders rice and potato distribution at schools on Sunday, BJP alleges deliberate move to defy Janta Curfew called by PM

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WB govt orders rice and potato distribution at schools on Sunday, BJP alleges deliberate move to defy Janta Curfew called by PM

Senior leaders of the BJP have accused Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee of engaging in vindictive politics and making attempts to ensure that Prime Minister Modi’s appeal for ‘Janta Curfew‘ across India on Sunday is not successful in the state of West Bengal. The Prime Minister had made an appeal to the citizens of the country to observe a self-imposed curfew on Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. But the West Bengal government has issued a directive to distribute rice and potato in Schools on Sunday, triggering allegations that the Mamata Banerjee govt has decided to this just to defy the Prime Minister’s appeal.

The distribution of rice and potato under the Mid-Day Meal programme which was earlier slated to occur on the 23rd and 24th of March has now been preponed to Sunday in West Bengal. The distribution will clash with ‘Janta Curfew’ and hence, during the time when the Prime Minister urged people to remain within the confines of their homes, people will gather schools in order to collect the provisions allotted for them, while officials will also need to be out in schools to distribute the items.

Swapan Dasgupta, a Member of the Rajya Sabha, said, “The exercise, which could have been done Monday is aimed at subverting social distancing. This is vindictive politics.” The order he shared on Twitter, issued on the 21st of March, reads, “It has come to the notice of the undersigned (District Inspector of Schools, SE, Kolkata) that Higher Secondary Examinations are postponed for the present and I have received directions from Higher Authorities that The Hon’ble CM desires distribution of rice and potato from the Schools among Guardians from today by 10:00 pm and complete the rest within 22.03.2020 and send a report in prescribed format to the office of undersigned in every day by 3 pm.” The order also instructed all the HOI of Junior/High/Higher Secondary schools of Kolkata district to treat the matter as “very urgent”.

Source: Swapan Dasgupta/Twitter

Amit Malviya, in charge of BJP’s social media team, has also shared an order by the District Inspector of Schools of Barrackpore Education District which urges the heads of all schools and Madarsa to ensure the “picking by Sunday” for “smooth distribution”. Malviya said, “All primary school teachers have been asked to report. It has been done just to spike the #JantaCurfew.”

Dr. Anirban Ganguly, head of the Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation (SPMRF), shared another order to the same effect and stated, “In an unthinking & extremely retrograde move Govt of #WestBengal has issued an order (20.3.2020) for distributing rice & potato in different schools on Sunday, 22 March 2020 during the #JanataCurfew. All teachers (primary) have been asked to be present.”

Earlier, Mamata Banerjee had claimed that the Central Government was ‘creating coronavirus panic’ to ‘divert attention’ from the Delhi anti-Hindu riots. She had said “that some channels are hyping coronavirus to cover up the Delhi riots. It’s the disease people should not panic, it’s a concern worldwide… those dead in Delhi violence did not die in coronavirus, they were killed by BJP.”

SP leader Ramakant Yadav booked for calling the Coronavirus outbreak in India a ‘BJP’s tactic to divert attention from the protests against CAA’

OpIndia Staff
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SP leader Ramakant Yadav booked for calling the Coronavirus outbreak in India a ‘BJP’s tactic to divert attention from the protests against CAA’

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former MP from Azamgarh, Ramakant Yadav has been booked by the UP Police for calling the coronavirus outbreak in India a “tactic” devised by the Centre to “divert attention” from the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.

The police in Azamgarh have booked him under Section 3 of the Epidemic Act, along with Section 505 (inciting people to commit any offence), Section 188 (disobedience of order promulgated by public servant) and Section 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease which is dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

While speaking in Azamgarh on Friday, Ramakant Yadav said the coronavirus outbreak in India has “been manufactured by the Centre to divert people’s attention” from issues like CAA, NRC and inflation.

In the video, which has gone viral on social media, the ill-informed SP leader is heard asking to name a single person in India who has died because of Coronavirus. Calling it BJP’s tactics the MP from Azamgarh said that he is willing to hug people infected with coronavirus to prove that it isn’t contagious.

The FIR against him was registered following orders from DIG Azamgarh Subhash Dubey after taking cognisance of his video which went viral on social media.

It is appalling that even when Novel coronavirus cases in India has risen to over 250 today and we stand at the brink of entering stage-3 (community transmission) of Wuhan Coronavirus, opposition leaders are not refraining themselves from playing politics over the issue.

But what can be expected from the minister who’s party supremo has only made such outrageous remarks in the past. The Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had recently gone on to equate BJP to coronavirus. In a statement, the SP bigwig had called “BJP a bigger virus than corona”.

Moreover, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had also accused the central government of ‘creating coronavirus panic’ to ‘divert attention’ from Delhi anti-Hindu riots. She even alleged that BJP killed those who died in the communal violence in the national capital. The TMC chief alleged that the BJP government at the Centre is trying to cover up the riots with coronavirus.

Telangana: Police nab absconding coronavirus-suspect Indonesian national, co-passengers kept in isolation

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: Police nab absconding coronavirus-suspect Indonesian national, co-passengers kept in isolation

An Indonesian national suspected to be carrying the Coronavirus, who was also missing, has been finally nabbed by Telangana police officials. He has been put in an isolation ward at a government hospital in Kurnool, reports Deccan Chronicle.

Reportedly, an Indonesian man, who is a coronavirus (COVID-19) suspect, was absconding leading to a tense situation in the city. The police who had begun their search to find the suspect got information that the suspect was travelling in a bus from Dharmavaram to Kurnool. They were told to intercept the bus and detain the passenger.

As the police and health officials intercepted the bus, it was found out that the Indonesian passenger had already got down from the bus at Dhone much before they could nab him. When the sub-inspector of police intercepted the bus, it had nine passengers, who reported that the Indonesian suspect was sneezing and coughing. Soon, the passengers were taken to the Kurnool government hospital for observation and are now kept in isolation.

Later, the police intensified their search for the suspect and learnt that he was travelling by the Sampark Kranti Express train from Tirupati to Nizamuddin in Delhi. They alerted the security at Kurnool railway station to detain him. The health team and police finally nabbed him and took him in an ambulance to an isolation ward at a government hospital.

Dr Rama Giddaiah, district medical and health officer, said that the suspect has been kept in an isolation ward. Dr Giddaiah said that as of now, 187 people have been kept under house observation. Nearly 300 foreign returned people have been identified in the district, he said.

He further added that the remaining 123 foreign-return individuals had either given a wrong address or were not available in the district. A door-to-door survey was initiated across the district and all houses were being checked to account for foreign returnees, he said.

Reportedly, the increasing influx of religious preachers from Indonesia and Vietnam has become a major problem in Kurnool district. The locals say that mosques in the districts were regularly engaging services of Indonesia-based clerics to preach the congregations of religious Islamic scholars.

It was learned that at least 10 Indonesian and Vietnamese origin religious teachers were found to have visited masjids in Kurnool district in the last few days. A health official said that they were kept in isolation wards created in masjids.

The Islamic Republic of Bangladesh shuts down its largest brothel amidst coronavirus outbreak

OpIndia Staff
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The Islamic Republic of Bangladesh shuts down its largest brothel amidst coronavirus outbreak

In an unprecedented move, Bangladesh has closed the operations of Daulatdia, the largest brothel in the country located on the bank of river Padma, amidst the outbreak of coronavirus that has infected 20 people in the Islamic Republic. 1500 sex workers are known to work in the brothel and serve around 5000 customers.

Local Police Chief Ashiqur Rahman was quoted as saying, “The brothel at the Daulatdia was closed temporarily as part of precautions against coronavirus. The sex workers were asked not to allow any visitor until April 5.” He revealed that even though prostitution was illegal in the country, law enforcement authorities never interfered in their operations.

Jhumur Begum, a social worker, said, “The sex workers accepted the government order because it’s a serious health issue. But at the same time, we request the authorities help them. If the brothel remains closed for long it will be difficult for them to survive.”The cops had also requested the administration to provide 32 metric tonnes of rice to the sex workers that would help them sustain during the lockdown.

On Wednesday, thousands of Muslims gathered in Raipur town of Lakshmipur district in Bangladesh to recite “healing verses” from the Quran to get rid off the virus, despite the fact that such mass gatherings can accelerate the spread of infection. The event was organised by influential local religious leaders and no permission was sought from the administration. Apparently, people in Raipur “passionately believe” that Islamic sermons are the quick-fix to all their problems in life.

Earlier, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic 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.

“Lockdown means curfew-like situation, which will create unrest in the country and we cannot afford that. It would make poor people more vulnerable”, Khan was quoted as saying.

Coronavirus: Boxer Mary Kom breaks quarantine protocol after returning from Jordan, attends breakfast hosted by President

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus: Boxer Mary Kom breaks quarantine protocol after returning from Jordan, attends breakfast hosted by President

The callousness of many citizens including celebrities may act as a deterrent to India’s efforts to grapple the threat of entering stage-3 (community transmission) of Wuhan Coronavirus. According to reports, ace boxer and Rajya Sabha MP Mary Kom has broken the 14 days mandatory quarantine protocol put in place by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the governments across the world and attended the breakfast hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Mary Kom had competed in the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifiers in Amman, Jordan and had returned home on March 13. She was supposed to be in self-isolation for a minimum of 14 days. But flouting the rule put in place by the government amidst the coronavirus threat, Mary Kom attended the breakfast on March 18.

In one of the four pictures tweeted by the official Twitter of President of India, Mary Kom can be seen with other Members of Parliament. The caption of the post read: “President Kovind hosted Members of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan for breakfast at Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning.”

Speaking to IANS, boxing coach Santiago Nieva had informed that the members of the Indian boxing contingent, who participated in Jordan, are all under the mandatory 14-day quarantine. “10 days we had planned but now it becomes 14 days. So after 10 days, I am working on a training programme which I will send them. After this period they can start on that. If this is not solved within two weeks then we will have to continue like this as best as we can,” Nieva had said.

Mary Kom has, also admitted that she attended the President’s event. In a statement, she said: “I am home since I came back from Jordan. I only attended the President’s event and did not meet Dushyant or shake hands with. My quarantine after Jordan ends but I’m going to be at home only for the next 3-4 days.”

Incidentally, that breakfast party was also attended by BJP leader Dushyant Singh, who came in contact with infected Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor. Dushyant Singh is now in self-quarantine, and according to reports he has tested negative.

After the news of Singh going into self-quarantine broke, the President took to twitter to quote an article: “The coronavirus outbreak has forced us to keep a respectful distance from others. This isolation, self-imposed or medically mandated, can be taken as an ideal opportunity to ponder our journey so far and the future path.”

According to reports, President Kovind is likely to undergo a coronavirus test as he also met Singh when he attended the party.

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

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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.

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