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India hints curbs will be eased, migrants to return home: Covid-19 news today
Here is a preview of important Covid-19 news from India and the world today.
India indicated on Wednesday that restrictions will be eased in many districts after May 3, when the extended national lockdown is scheduled to end. The government also issued guidelines to enable the return of migrants to their home states by buses. Meanwhile, scientists in China said they found genetic fragments of the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in airborne droplets, but stopped short of saying the disease is airborne.
Considerable easing next week, says govt
In a tweet late on Wednesday night, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said, “New guidelines to fight #COVID19 will come into effect from 4th May, which shall give considerable relaxations to many districts. Details regarding this shall be communicated in the days to come.” Read more
Covid-19: What you need to know today
India, Peru, Portugal, and Ecuador are clustered between the 15th and 20th positions in terms of the number of Covid-19 cases. The number of cases in the four countries, on Wednesday morning, was 31332, 31190, 24322, and 24258 respectively. Read more
9 districts with high case loads lack adequate facilities: Centre
A document created by the health ministry and shared with states and union territories on Wednesday caused a flutter after it was circulated on social media and showed that nine of the 23 districts with a high load of Covid-19 cases don’t have enough health facilities. Read more
Areas not affected by Covid mostly in rural areas: Data
When the nationwide lockdown imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease ends, restrictions are likely to be first eased in predominantly rural areas of India, a Hindustan Times analysis shows. This is because the green zones, or districts not affected by the pandemic, are mostly in rural areas. Read more
Metro trains to have contactless ticketing to curb Covid-19 spread
The government is likely to do away with single token tickets and plans to allow the use of only contactless individual smart cards for travelling on metros when these services resume, officials aware of the matter said. Read more
Punjab extends lockdown till May 17; curbs to ease for 4 hours
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said on Wednesday that a curfew will stay in force in the state for two weeks beyond May 3, when the national lockdown for the Covid-19 is due to be lifted. Read more
Airport guidelines to bring more checks, reduce rush
Once restrictions on passenger flights are lifted, airports will facilitate limited domestic and international flights in phases, may be at 30% capacity to facilitate social distancing, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said in a set of guidelines for resumption of services once the lockdown is lifted. Read more
UGC issues new guidelines to keep academic year on track
Students can be graded based on their performance in internal assessment tests and the previous semester, the University Grants Commission said on Wednesday, in one of many suggestions aimed at keeping the academic schedule on track in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. Read more
Inside Dharavi: India’s largest slum and a major Covid hotspot
In the past month, Mumbai’s Dharavi, India’s largest slum, has emerged as a major hot spot of Covid-19 cases. The first case was reported in this slum on April 1; the number of cases have since rapidly increased -- to 344 in a span of just 29 days, along with 18 deaths. Read more
Nations that mandate TB vaccine may have lower Covid death rates
Countries that mandate the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine for newborns to prevent tuberculosis, including India, Peru, Portugal and Saudi Arabia, have fared 3.4 times better on the Covid-19 case fatality rate (CFR) than nations that haven’t made the vaccine obligatory. Read more
Antiviral drug shows some hope in US govt-run study
Gilead Sciences Inc. said early results from a US-government-run study showed its experimental drug to treat coronavirus helped patients recover more quickly than standard care. Read more
Study finds fragments of virus in airborne droplets
Scientists in China have said they found genetic fragments of the virus that causes coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in airborne droplets in medical and staff areas during the outbreak in February and March in two Wuhan hospitals, but they stopped short of saying the disease is airborne. Read more
The collective punch to get Dingko to Delhi for treatment
On March 25, the Covid-19 pandemic brought upon a countrywide lockdown and the closure of air travel for three weeks. On April 14, the lockdown was extended by another three weeks; fiery boxer turned coach Dingko Singh Dingko was trapped at home, with no way to get treatment. He was running a high fever and was growing weaker. Read more
Half of the world’s workers could lose livelihoods: ILO
Nearly half of the entire global workforce is in immediate danger of having their livelihoods destroyed by the coronavirus pandemic, the International Labour Organization (ILO) warned on Wednesday. Read more
US GDP shrinks, set to worsen
The record-long US economic expansion is over after almost 11 years, with what’s likely to be the deepest recession in at least eight decades now under way. The world’s largest economy shrank at a 4.8% annualised pace in the first quarter, the biggest slide since 2008. Read more
