Heena Sharma Blog

  As India reels under a calamitous second wave of the coronavirus infection , more than two thirds of its states have extended lockdowns. Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, most of the country is either under lockdown or restrictions like a curfew. Here is a look at coronavirus-induced lockdown/curfew in different states Karnataka: Total lockdown imposed in the state Lockdown end-date: May 24 Activities that are prohibited throughout state: 1) Only the scheduled flights and trains will operate. 2) All public transport services, including the BMTC and metro trains in Bengaluru and KSRTC across the State, will remain shut 3) Taxis, auto rickshaws, cab services are prohibited, except hired during emergency situations 4) All educational institutions including schools, colleges and coaching institutions will remain closed. However, online classes would be permitted 5) Restaurants, hotels will be closed. However, they are permitted to operate with limited kitchens for taking home d...

  The upward trend in COVID-19 cases continued in Telangana with 463 new infections being reported, pushing the total positives to 3.07 lakh, while the toll rose to 1,694 with four more fatalities. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) saw the most number of cases with 145, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri and Ranariddh districts with 46 and 28 cases respectively, a state government bulletin said on Tuesday providing details as of 8 PM on March 29. The bulletin said 364 patients recovered from the infection on March 29. The cumulative recovered cases stood at 3,00,833, while 4,678 were under treatment. It said 42,461 samples were tested on March 29. Cumulatively, the number of samples tested was 1 crore. The samples tested per million populations was 2,71,238, it said. Read More

  Indore, the worst-hit district in Madhya Pradesh in terms of COVID-19 outbreak , has reported 612 new infection cases, its highest single-day spike since the pandemic began, a health official said on Friday. These new cases were reported on Thursday, surpassing its previous high of 595 cases it had recorded on December 1 last year, he said. Taking serious cognisance of the spurt in cases, the district crisis management committee has decided to increase the night curfew timing by one hour. So the curfew will now begin at 9 pm instead of 10 pm, Indore Collector Manish Singh said. The administration has also decided to shut all religious places in the city, he said. Moreover, nobody will be allowed to step out of their houses to celebrate Holi on Monday, the collector added. Read More

  The global count of coronavirus cases has crossed 38.75 million, of which over 8.4 million are currently active. The global death toll is now over 1 million, with the US having the greatest number of deaths. In India, the confirmed case count has crossed 7.3 million, of which less than 12 per cent or 812,390 cases are currently active. Recovery rate is over 87 per cent, with over 6.38 million people having beaten the infection. The death toll has crossed 100,000. 1.India recorded a drop of over 128,000 active cases in the last 15 days India’s current active case count stands at 812,390, recording a drop of over 128,000 active cases in the last 15 days. The country has been recording more recoveries than adding new cases for 12 days in a row. Read More

  Amid concerns over lack of hygiene and social distancing in public transport, more Indians have now begun to prefer used cars and bikes. Shared cabs have also lost popularity. Buying new vehicles seems off the table for now because of rising financial insecurity. Sellers for used cars and marketplaces for used goods like Olx and Quikr have seen a hike in the demand for second-hand vehicles. Maruti Suzuki True Value Chain, which deals in used cars, has seen enquiry levels shoot up by 24 per cent in August and September as compared to the year-ago period. Other companies, like Mahindra First Choice, are also seeing a similar trend. Executives say that cheap options that also provide an alternative to public transport are set to be popular amid the pandemic. Read More

  IMF loans exacerbate poverty? The vast majority of International Monetary Fund loans extended during the Covid-19 pandemic have suggested or demanded spending cuts that would worsen poverty and inequality, charity group Oxfam says. Seventy-six of the fund’s 91 loans since March have sought belt tightening, according to Oxfam. The result could be deep cuts to public healthcare and pensions; wage freezes and cuts for workers such as doctors and teachers; and reduced unemployment benefits like sick pay. Total Confirmed Cases: 37,213,592 Change Over Yesterday: 329,824 Total Deaths: 1,072,959 Total Recovered: 25,883,454 Nations hit with most cases: US (7,718,947), India (7,053,806), Brazil (5,082,637), Russia (1,278,245) and Colombia (902,747). Read More

  After the government imposed the world’s harshest lockdown at short notice, migrant workers from around the country were forced to make a journey back home. It was only a matter of time before the pandemic would take off in the rural stretches of the country. On Juy 26, cases from rural India first topped the ones from urban areas. Since May, the government has not released district-wise data. However, an analysis of records throws up concerning statistics. In August alone, rural districts reported almost 1.1 million Covid-19 cases ; this was 56 per cent of all new cases recorded. For the first 27 days of September, 53 per cent of the nation’s Covid tally came from rural areas. By 27 Sept 49.7 per cent of the all cases came from these regions. UP saw a big jump in rural cases — from 40 per cent in April to 65 per cent in September. In MP, the numbers went from 20 per cent in April to 65 per cent in September. The pandemic has also killed more people in rural districts than in urb...

  Cineworld, the world’s second biggest cinema operator, is preparing to close all its screens in the US and UK after further delays to the new James Bond film pushed its struggling business to the brink. The indefinite closure of 90 per cent of Cineworld’s screens, which is expected as soon as this week, raises fundamental questions over the viability of the company and a cinema sector devastated by the Corona Virus pandemic . The closures include Cineworld’s 543 Regal theatres in the US and 128 cinemas in the UK, How remdesivir moved from back shelf to best which were banking on November’s release of the latest James Bond to boost ticket sales. Read More

  The world will officially record 1 million deaths from Covid-19 in the next few days, but the real tally might be almost twice that. Actual fatalities from the pandemic may be closer to 1.8 million -- a toll that could grow to as high as 3 million by the end of the year, according to Alan Lopez, a laureate professor and director of the University of Melbourne’s global burden of disease group. The coronavirus’s rapid spread and ability to transmit in people who show no signs of the disease have enabled it to outrun measures to accurately quantify cases through widespread diagnostic testing. Total Confirmed Cases: 32,230,923 Change Over Yesterday: 451,088 Total Deaths: 982,969 Total Recovered: 22,234,764 Nations hit with most cases: US (6,978,417), India (5,815,374), Brazil (4,657,702), Russia (1,123,976) and Colombia (790,823). Read More

  After a hiatus of six months, schools in India are set to re-open partially from today. According to the latest standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, schools across the country are allowed to partially reopen for students of Class 9 to 12 from today. However, in view of the worsening Covid-situation in the country, several states have decided against re-opening schools. Schools will not re-open in the following states until further notice: Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Goa, West Bengal, Karnataka, Odisha and Tamil Nadu have announced that they will not allow classes to resume for now. In Punjab, only higher education institutes will reopen for PhD and post-graduate students pursuing technical and professional courses that require them to do experimental work. States that are yet to take a call on re-opening of schools: States like Manipur, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Sikkim and others ar...