The number of coronavirus cases in the country shows no sign of abating. The Ministry of Health has updated the latest figures to over 1,200 cases in the country. More than 100 patients have recovered from the infection while over 30 people have lost their lives.
On Tuesday the country entered the seventh day of the 21-day Covid-19 lockdown.
Here are the key developments:
1. Delhi’s Nizamuddin area has emerged as the hotspot of coronavirus disease after several cases of Covid-19 emerged in people who were a part of a religious congregation in the area earlier this month.
2. More than 2,000 delegates from countries like Indonesia and Malaysia attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin West from March 1-15.
3. Over 200 foreign nationals who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin flouted visa norms and appeared to have entered the country on a Tourist visa rather than mandatory Missionary visa, a senior government official told Hindustan Times.
4. The Delhi government has given an order to lodge an FIR against the organisers of the religious congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin.
5. India is likely to blacklist over 200 foreigners who came from 16 countries on tourist visas and attended an Islamic congregation at Delhi’s Nizamuddin.
6. Maharashtra government will take a pay cut to fight Covid-19. There will be 25 to 50% cut in salary of government staff. The chief minister, cabinet ministers and elected representatives to take 60 % pay cut.
7. Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal said that the number of food distribution centres in Delhi will be ramped up from 500 to 2500.
8. A European think-tank, European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), has said that the 21-day lockdown by PM Modi is a crucial step in fighting coronavirus.
9. The government on Tuesday issued a release on ways to battle social isolation during the Covid-19 lockdown. The ministry, in its release, said fear is the most common emotion faced by many amid the coronavirus crisis. Fear can give rise to anxiety and panic which can make a person think or do things that we might not “consider appropriate under normal circumstances”.
10. The Centre has ramped up its initiatives to meet the growing demand for protective equipment and other medical essentials in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. The Ministry of Health has placed an order for the production of more ventilators and PPE kits.
