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India locked down till May 3, IMF makes a grim projection: Covid-19 news today
Here is a preview of the top Covid-19 news today from India and the world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Monday that the 21-day nationwide lockdown will be extended for another 19 days until May 3, a move that experts said would flatten as well as delay the cycle of infections, although both the opposition and industry criticised his speech for its silence on an economic relief package. Industry bodies redoubled calls for a financial package of ₹14 lakh crore to ₹16 lakh crore to revive the economy that appears to have suffered a massive blow due to the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund slashed its FY21 growth projection for India to 1.9% from 5.8% projected in January, holding that the ‘Great Lockdown’ to combat Covid-19 will throw the world economy into the worst recession since the Great Depression in 1930s.
India to stay locked down till May 3
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in an address to the nation on Monday that the ongoing 21-day national lockdown will now be extended for another 19 days until May 3, a move that experts said would flatten as well as delay the cycle of infections, although both the opposition and industry criticised his speech for its silence on a much-needed economic relief package. Read more
Industry bodies call on govt for stimulus of up to ₹16 lakh crore
Industry bodies redoubled calls for a financial package of ₹14 lakh crore to ₹16 lakh crore to revive the economy even as they supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to extend the 21-day lockdown that ended on Tuesday by 19 days to May 3. Read more
Migrant woes spill on streets again as workers throng in Mumbai, Surat
Hundreds of migrant workers gathered at Bandra station in Mumbai on Tuesday, demanding they be taken back to their hometowns in an incident that dealt a major setback to social distancing efforts and highlighting the anxiety among some of the most vulnerable socio-economic classes. Read more
Covid-19: What you need to know today
The nationwide lockdown in India will continue till May 3 although the government will release on Wednesday guidelines for a phased exit in certain parts of the country. The extension of the lockdown, announced on Tuesday by the Prime Minister, means that by May 3, India would have been in quarantine for 40 days. Read more
Pool testing to tightening of curbs, states draw plans for lockdown 2.0
Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, will start pool testing of people for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Wednesday, strictly enforce the lockdown and will not allow any inter-district travel. Bihar will start door-to-door screening of residents. Read more
Covid-19 cases rising exponentially, it’s critical to test more: ICMR
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said that it is critical to increase testing for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as the number of cases in India is “rising exponentially”, a development that comes even as the government awaits the arrival of rapid testing kits from China. Read more
India asks China to ease export of medical equipment
Facilitating India’s imports of Covid-19-related critical medical equipment and keeping the drug production supply chain open by China is the “best” signal for bilateral ties, Indian ambassador Vikram Misri said on Tuesday. Read more
Aarogya Setu has 50 million users in 13 days, beats ‘Pokémon GO’ record
India’s coronavirus disease (Covid-19) contact-tracing app Aarogya Setu (health bridge) became the world’s fastest growing mobile app on Tuesday night with 50 million users in 13 days. Read more
India’s Covid fight so far is marked by hits and misses
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, announced the lockdown that was to end at Tuesday midnight would be extended till May 3. The 21-day lockdown that was to end Tuesday, saw a 20-fold increase in Covid-19 cases, pushing the Centre and the states to move to a strategy of containment , even as people showed exemplary resolve to stay indoors. Read more
CBSE awaits guidelines for clarity on exams
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is hoping guidelines the union government will release on Wednesday will provide some clarity on conducting the remaining Class 12 board examinations and on evaluating Class 12 and Class 10 papers, even as it prepares for the worst case scenario of not being able to hold the exams at all. Read more
IMF says India to grow at 1.9% in 2020; world -3%
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday slashed its FY21 growth projection for India to 1.9% from 5.8% projected in January, holding that the ‘Great Lockdown’ to combat the Covid-19 outbreak will throw the world economy into the worst recession since the Great Depression in 1930s. Read more
Tour de France called off amid pandemic, no fresh dates set
After weeks of holding out hope the Tour de France would be able to go ahead as planned despite the coronavirus pandemic, the world’s most famous cycling race was finally added to the list of sporting events called off. Read more
IPL in suspension till further notice
The 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL)—which was earlier put on hold due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent national lockdown—is set to remain suspended until further notice. Read more
Could Ebola trial drug be answer to Covid-19?
A new study has shown that the antiviral remdesivir, an experimental Ebola drug, may stop Sars-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, from replicating, thereby rendering the virus harmless. Read more
