Coronavirus in India live updates: Fourth positive case of COVID-19 reported from Gurugram

Acute shortage of branded and FSDA-approved hand sanitisers has prompted unscrupulous local manufacturers to flood the market with substandard options, exposing unsuspecting buyers to greater risks amid the global coronavirus outbreak. While health experts are advising residents not to panic if alcohol-based sanitisers are unavailable and instead wash hands as frequently as possible with soap and water, substandard cleansers are being sold at pharmacies in different parts of the city.

Amid calls for social distancing to check the spread of Covid-19, religious institutions and prominent temples across Uttar Pradesh have joined campaign against the virus. In Varanasi, Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust announced measures to keep devotees safe from infection. Entry of devotees inside ‘garbha griha’ has been banned and priests have been given masks and sanitisers to check infection.

Odisha health secretary Nikunja Dhal has earned appreciation from various quarters for returning within 24 hours of his father’s death given the difficult situation arising out of Covid-19. The 93-batch officer, a native of Jajpur district, lost his father on Monday. He returned to work on Tuesday.

The number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 147 on Wednesday, with 10 fresh cases reported from various parts of the country, according to the health ministry. The cases include 25 foreign nationals and the three persons who died in Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Over 5,700 people, who had come in contact with these positive cases, are under rigorous surveillance, the Ministry said.

With schools, colleges and universities in UP being ordered shut till April 2 to contain the coronavirus scourge, academic institutes and coaching cradles have turned to online classes, assessments and tests. While engineering colleges are falling back on free webinar services such as Google Hangouts and Skype to conduct online classes and complete syllabuses on time, coaching institutes are preparing students for entrance exams via virtual tests.

The city is heading towards a lockdown to proactively check the spread of novel coronavirus infection by closing places of public gathering, including universities, parks, public libraries and tourist places. Lucknow zoo, weekly markets, clubs, multiplexes and cinema halls have already been shut till the end of the month. On Tuesday, the state government announced extended closure of all educational institutions till April 2. The district administration directed all tourist places and museums and all government/private public libraries to remain closed till March 31. Lucknow Municipal Corporation has closed gates of 55 parks under its jurisdiction till March 31 as a preventive measure to stop public gatherings, said mayor Sanyukta Bhatia.

A 34-year-old soldier has tested positive for novel coronavirus in Leh, Army sources said on Wednesday. This is the first COVID-19 case in the armed forces. The soldier, a resident of Chuhot village in Leh, came in contact with his father who had already contracted the infection. His father had returned from a pilgrimage in Iran by an Air India flight on February 20 and is in quarantine at the Ladakh Heart Foundation since February 29.

A 28-year-old woman from Pune with a travel history to France and the Netherlands has tested positive for Covid-19, a senior official said on Wednesday. With this, the number of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra has gone up to 42.

Divisional commisisoner Deepak Mhaisekar on Tuesday said stringent measures, including filing of FIRs under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, would be taken against incoming travellers violating the home quarantine protocol. “Though a tracking method is in place and our staffers are conducting checks, it is the individual’s duty to adhere to the home quarantine rules. Over 1,090 people are currently under home quarantine and there will be more under institutional quarantine,” he said.

Food delivery partners across the city remained extremely busy till Sunday. On Monday, there was a big drop as Punekars opted for social distancing. On Tuesday, restaurateurs said deliveries fell by nearly 60%. Kunal Udane, owner of German Bakery, said, “Last week, food deliveries increased, though walk-ins reduced. However, on Monday, we noticed a significant drop in delivery orders as well.”

A majority of restaurants and bars in the city have decided to voluntarily down shutters for three days from Wednesday till Friday in an attempt to arrest the spread of Covid-19. Many restaurants in the city decided to batten down from Tuesday itself. While the commissioner of police told TOI that the police has suggested restaurants continue parcel and home delivery services for customers dependant on the establishments for daily meals, Pune Restaurants and Hoteliers Association (PRAHA) said that restaurants may take a call such services if it was viable.

The Andhra Pradesh government has warned foreign returnees that criminal cases would be filed against them if they failed to confine themselves in home isolation for 14 days. In a move to effectively manage the novel coronavirus trouble, the government has decided to book cases under Section 188 of IPC if the people, who returned from foreign travel, did not stay at home for the mandatory period.

From reducing future holidays to holding special classes, educational institutions across Telangana have now gone on a preparation mode foreseeing a possibility of considerable delay — almost a month — in commencement of the new academic year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Schools had already lost many working days owing to extended Dasara holidays during the academic year 2019-20. While most schools were expected to commence classes for new academic session from March 16, principals term the present situation as an unforeseen one as they consider tweaking the calendar to beat the coronavirus shutdown.

Following the outbreak of coronavirus, companies selling health insurance are floating out advertisements recommending policies targeted for the treatment of the viral infection. Sources say that while the policies remain the regular ones, they are being marketed highlighting coverage of Covid-19. Marketing experts say that owing to virus outbreaks such as Ebola, Zika and Nipah, insurance companies too have begun designing policies to cover such infections. Consequently, since Covid-19 is also an infection, just like other infections, coverage for it will be available with insurance products that cover hospitalisation costs. Therefore, coverage for in-patient treatment, pre-hospitalisation, post-hospitalisation, OPD and ambulance that a health insurance policy offers will be available for Covid-19 as well.

Amid growing concerns over spread of coronavirus, doctors at several government hospitals are demanding a cap on the number of outpatients (OP). In this regard, hospitals are considering sending text messages to patients, whose contacts are available on the database, to not visit the hospital unless it is absolutely urgent. Hospitals are also arranging for tele-consultations. “Crowded elective OPD (out patient departments) in all hospitals should be shut down and only emergencies should be attended. I request the director of medical education to ensure that only emergencies come to hospitals,” said resident medical officer at the government ENT Hospital in Koti, Dr Manish Gupta. The ENT Hospital, in recent days, has seen a spike in number of outpatients with the numbers increasing each day, according to hospital sources.

A 52-year-old Indonesian tested positive for the Covid-19 virus on Tuesday, raising the number of positive cases in Telangana to five, even as the state health minister said there are no local transmission so far. The patient had flown into Delhi on March 9 and after a few days took a train to Karimnagar, about 170 km from Hyderabad, for a religious meeting with a group from Indonesia and Malaysia. A rapid response team rushed 10 of his companions to the isolation ward in Hyderabad’s Gandhi hospital, while they are still searching for dozens of more contacts. The mosque where they stayed has also been sanitised.

Kolkata Police has set up special teams — both at Lalbazar and in each police division — to flag down and take action against widespread rumour-mongering regarding the Covid-19 scare. The cops have decided to take the carrot and stick policy in this regard — it will be encouraging for those who bring baseless rumours to the police’s notice, while legal action will be taken against all those spreading canards. Special drives have already been undertaken across the city where cops are trying to reach out to the community asking them to desist from any speculation. The cop action comes amid reports of Odisha police arresting a person for spreading Covid-19 related rumours and the social media being flooded with “home grown remedies” and theories about the outbreak.

News of convenience stores in Covid-19 affected cities in India and abroad running out of essential staples and groceries has triggered panic buying in Kolkata with customers making bulk purchase fearing shutdown of stores. Branded standalone grocery stores in the city are seeing an unprecedented rush from the first hour itself. People are queueing up, waiting for the stores to open, so that they can pick up essential supplies before stocks are exhausted. Store employees say they are witnessing an unprecedented rush for foodgrains and essentials with people wanting to stock up for at least two months.