Delhi's Nizammudin has become the latest hotspot of the coronavirus disease with more and more people testing positive. (Photo Credit: IANS Photo)
New Delhi:
Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: April began on a disturbing note on Wednesday as the COVID-19 disease continues to kill people across the world. The global death count soared to 42, 139 on Wednesday as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise. According to Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, there were 8,58,957 confirmed cases across the world. The United States has become the new epicenter of the contagion killing more people on American soil than the 9/11 attacks. US President Donald Trump has warned his citizens about 'painful' weeks ahead. Back home in India, Delhi's Nizammudin has become the latest hotspot of the coronavirus disease with more and more people testing positive. The mosque congregation of Tablighi Jamaat has thrown a tough challenge at the officials who are at their wit's end to establish all the contacts of those who participated in the Markaz event in mid-March. As India and the world grapple to contain the spread of the disease, here are the latest updates from various sectors:
Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked Chief Secretaries of all states and union territories to create a mechanism at state -level where people can verify facts and unverified news promptly, similar, to the web portal being created by Govt of India.
The assault on Duty Doctor at Gandhi Hospital treating COVID19 patients is condemned. Strong action against the culprits will be taken immediately. Anyone indulging in such acts of vandalism will not be spared: Director General of Police, Telangana
The person from Dharavi in Mumbai who had tested positive for Coronavirus has died at Sion Hospital. He had symptoms like fever, cough, respiratory issues and also had co-morbid condition of renal failure.
Around 1,200 people from Telangana had attended Markaz gathering in Delhi, some of them were found COVID19 positive, six of them died. In the last three days only those who had gone to Delhi for Markaz have tested positive for COVID19: Eatala Rajender, Telangana Health Minister
Punjab Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa appeals to Giani Harpreet Singh, the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, to give a message to the Sikh community to not congregate on Vaisakhi in view of Coronavirus Pandemic: State Government
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has appreciated the officers and staff of Lok Sabha Secretariat who have contributed their one day's salary - amounting to approximately Rs 45 Lakhs - to PM CARES Fund, to combat COVID 19.
The Centre Wednesday told the Supreme Court that 250 Indian pilgrims stranded in Qom, Iran, have tested positive for coronavirus and have not been evacuated, while over 500 have already been brought back. The top court observed that it is thinking of asking the Indian embassy to constantly monitor the situation and be in touch with the stranded Indians in Iran.
A railway police head constable has tested positive for COVID-19. He has been quarantined at Kasturba hospital, Mumbai along with 5 of his colleagues. His 3 family members and 8 other colleagues have also been asked to remain in quarantine: Railway official
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday greeted the people of Odisha on the occasion of Utkala Dibasa, while it was being observed sans celebrations due to the nationwide lockdown to contain spread of the novel coronavirus.
The association of ambulance employees in Uttar Pradesh has called off their strike following negotiations with the administration over their demands for timely wages and protective gear to guard against coronavirus. Hanuman Pandey, a senior office bearers of the drivers' body, said they went on strike on Tuesday afternoon but it was called off in the night following negotiations.
Coming to the aid of citizens facing hardship due to the lockdown, the Karnataka government on Wednesday took a slew of measures to ensure uninterrupted supply of food grains, vegetables and milk. These decisions include protecting the interests of farmers and milk producers.
The total number of the novel coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka reached 143 with 21 fresh cases being reported on Tuesday, the highest single-day increase so far, health officials said on Wednesday, underlining that next two weeks will be crucial.
The State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) has called for a report from West Bengal Home secretary and the Kolkata Police Commissioner on an allegation of highhandedness by law enforcers with regard to imposition of lockdown over the coronavirus spread, an official said on Wednesday. Calcutta High Court judge Justice Dipankar Dutta, in his capacity as the executive chairman of SLSA, has asked the authorities to submit the report by Thursday.
Increase of 240 COVID-19 cases in the last 12 hours. Total number of corona positive cases rise to 1637 in India (including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths): Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Hockey India on Wednesday pledged to donate Rs 25 lakh towards the PM Cares Fund for the country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was taken by the HI Executive Board after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a special emergency fund for the nation to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
23 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Bihar till today morning. State govt has decided to test all the people who have returned from abroad after 18th March, because we have found that even those who had no symptoms have tested positive: Principal Secretary, Bihar Health Dept
43 new coronavirus cases reported in Andhra Pradesh, tally in state rises to 87.
Eight new coronavirus cases have been found in Gujarat, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 82, a health official said on Wednesday. All the new cases have been were reported from Ahmedabad,which has been declared as one of the COVID-19 hotspots in India.
New Zealand Rugby announced wage cuts for all staff Wednesday, warning the coronavirus pandemic could cost it up to NZ$100 million (US$60 million) in lost revenue. NZR chief executive Mark Robinson said under a worst case scenario Super Rugby teams and the All Blacks would not be able to take the field this year.
Honda India Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Honda group companies in India, on Wednesday pledgedRs 11 crore aidtowards COVID-19 relief and prevention measures. As part of the initiative,Honda will immediately supply2,000 units of high pressure backpack sprayersto various government agencies.
Even a shortened IPL with just Indian players would be good enough in these "extraordinary times", Rajasthan Royals CEO Ranjit Barthakur said on Wednesday, revealing that a final call on the glitzy event's fate is unlikely to be taken before April 15. The top executive spelt out his franchise's wish even as the number of positive cases and death toll due to the pandemic continued to rise across the world.
The total US death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped 4,000 early Wednesday, more than double the number from three days earlier, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths was 4,076 -- more than twice the 2,010 recorded late Saturday.
Twenty more people tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 86, a health official said. Among the new cases, 19 were reported from Indore and one from the neighbouring Khargone district, he said.
Two persons, who had attended a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area, tested positive for coronavirus here on Wednesday, a senior official said. Director of Health and Family Welfare Mohan Kumar said the two had returned from Delhi after attending the congregation and were admitted to the State Government hospital.
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday announced he will donate his one year's salary to the Chief Minister Relief Fund COVID-19. He has appealed to Ministers, legislators, Members of Parliament, officials and citizens to also do their bit and contribute in whatever capacity possible to help the state in fighting the coronavirus outbreak.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a 61 million pound package to help the sport "withstand" the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic but did not declare any immediate cut in the players' salaries. According to the ECB, financial assistance will be made available at every level of the game across counties, boards and clubs.
According to the Union Health Ministry data, the total count of corona patients till 9 am stands at 1,397. There has been an increase of 146 cases in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.
16 more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mumbai and two more cases have been reported in Pune, taking the total number of cases in the state to 320. Total 12 people have died due to COVID-19 in the state till now.
NRI billionaire Lakshmi N Mittal on Tuesday announced a contribution of Rs 100 crore to the PM CARES Fund to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus in India. "ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), a joint venture between (L N Mittal's) ArcelorMittal and Japan's Nippon Steel, and HMEL, a partnership between Hindustan Petroleum and Mittal Energy Investments, today announce a package of support to strengthen India's capacity to protect families and communities impacted by the virus.
The Jaunpur administration has quarantined about 50 people who attended a Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area and returned to the district recently. "People who returned two days ago from Delhi and Noida on buses were scanned. Of this, there were around 50 persons who returned after attending the Tabligh-e-Jamaat. These people have been quarantined at Shia College, and their health check-up is being done," District Magistrate Dinesh Kumar Singh said.
The death count due to the coronavirus pandemic climbed to four in West Bengal on Tuesday after two patients succumbed to the contagion, while 10 new cases were reported, the highest single-day rise in the state so far. Five people did not have any travel history, while the rest either came in contact with a positive patient or had a travel history outside the state. The two persons who died were among the 10 new cases, officials said.
At the end of the first week of 21-day nationwide lockdown, the district administration of Dimapur has ordered total closure of all shops, commercial, private establishments, and imposed restriction on movement of public and vehicles for 66 hours with effect from 6 am on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia's hajj minister has asked Muslims to temporarily defer preparations for the annual pilgrimage amid uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round "umrah" pilgrimage over fears of the new coronavirus spreading to Islam's holiest cities, an unprecedented move that raised uncertainty over the annual hajj.
Canada will spend 2 billion dollars (USD 1.43 billion) on medical equipment as hospitals fear shortages in the face of the accelerating coronavirus epidemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced. The move came as the country reached the grim milestone of 100 deaths, and as nearly 8,500 cases were reported by mid-day.
World-renowned virologist Gita Ramjee has become the first Indian-origin South African to have died after contracting the novel coronavirus that has killed five people in the country. Ramjee, a stellar vaccine scientist and an HIV prevention research leader, had returned from London a week ago but reportedly showed no symptoms of COVID-19.
A 13-year-old British boy has died days after testing positive for COVID-19, hospital officials and his family have said, with relatives saying he had no underlying illnesses. The boy, who died Monday at King's College Hospital in London on Tuesday, is believed to be Britain's youngest confirmed death in the coronavirus pandemic.
The US death count from the coronavirus has climbed past 3,600, eclipsing China's official count, as hard-hit New York City rushed to bring in more medical professionals and ambulances and parked refrigerated morgue trucks on the streets to collect the dead. The crisis hit close to home for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who reported teary-eyed that his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, was infected.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the world faces the most challenging crisis since World War II, confronting a pandemic threatening people in every country, one that will bring a recession "that probably has no parallel in the recent past." There is also a risk that the combination of the disease and its economic impact will contribute to "enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict," the UN chief said
There are reports that tax relief has been announced for those donating for the PM-CARES fund. An Ordinance has been brought to amend the I-T Act. 100% deduction to fund contributors, a Times Now report said.
US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo also reiterated the United States’ unwavering commitment to work with India to advance peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe: Morgan Ortagus said.
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar by telephone today regarding coordination of efforts to respond to COVID-19, Morgan Ortagus, Spokesperson for US State Department said.
