16 CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL
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AsianVoiceNews
AsianVoiceNewsweekly
CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL
28 March - 3 April 2020
28 March - 3 April 2020
PM Modi announces 21-day all-India lockdown Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced complete lockdown of the entire India, as part of government’s stringent efforts to tackle coronavirus disease (Covid-19). “Today, I am going to announce a very important measure in our fight against Covid-19. The entire country will be under lockdown from today. The complete lockdown will come into effect from midnight tonight,” PM Modi said in his address to the nation. This lockdown will be in place for 21 days and more stringent than Janta Curfew, he added.
The Prime Minister described the situation in different countries due to the pandemic that has infected more than 350,000 people and killed over 16,000. “This virus has been spreading very fast across the world. It spreads like wildfire. Looking at the experience of these countries, and what the experts say, the only successful way to tackle the spread of the virus is social distancing,” said the Prime Minister. Some people believe that social distancing is only for those who are infected with the disease. It’s not true, and this thought will be detrimental for you, for me and for everyone. Social distancing is for everyone, even for the Prime Minister,” said PM Modi. This was the second time in a week when PM Modi addressed the country on the fast-spreading disease. In a television address last Thursday, PM Modi had highlighted the threat posed by the Sars-Cov-2 virus, which causes Covid-19 disease, and appealed to people to practise social distancing and work from home. He had also asked Indians to observe ‘Janta Curfew’, a self-imposed restraint measure to keep themselves and others in the society safe. The Janta Curfew was in place for 14 hours on Sunday from 7 am to 9 pm. And, as advised by the Prime Minister, people stayed off the roads and public places during this period. PM Modi had also apprised the nation of an
606 Of 728 Districts Under Lockdown More areas of India came under lockdown on Monday as the battle against Covid-19 entered a decisive phase with the governments of Maharashtra and Punjab imposing curfew across their states. Regimes like the Pinarayi Vijayan government in India’s second worst hit state Kerala – which had dithered on Centre’s directive to impose a lockdown in 10 affected districts just 24 hours ago – also decided to follow other states on Monday by ordering complete shutdown of the state till March 31. Other states where total lockdown was imposed on Monday were Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur. On Sunday, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,
emergency task force to mitigate the economic challenges stemming from the crisis. States under lockdown Earlier, India suspended all passenger train and interstate bus services till March 31 and more states imposed unprecedented restrictions to contain the spread of the infection. Delhi, Jharkhand, Punjab and Nagaland declared a statewide lockdown while similar curbs were announced in a number of districts in Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Several states, including Maharashtra, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, had earlier imposed a partial or complete lockdown. The Union health ministry said one death each was reported from Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra on Sunday taking the toll to 10. As the virus cases climbed to 415, Union home ministry officials said the central and state governments decided to completely lock down 80 districts
in 17 states from where Covid-19 cases have been reported while the states can extend the list of districts as they deem fit. The health ministry said states would earmark hospitals to exclusively treat coronavirus patients. The government was also expanding the network of labs for testing samples from suspected cases. 'Janata curfew' Millions of people stayed indoors to observe a ‘Janta curfew’ on Sunday after an appeal by Prime Minister Modi, but they stood outside their homes or in their balconies at 5pm to thank the health workers at the forefront of the fight against the virus. Shortly thereafter, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced that his government was placing the national capital under a lockdown. Nagaland said it was imposing an indefinite lockdown from midnight Sunday. India’s leading automakers, including Maruti Suzuki
India, Mahindra & Mahindra and Honda Cars, announced suspension of manufacturing activities at their plants. Fiat also put brakes on production in the country till the end of this month. In the two-wheeler segment, Hero MotoCorp and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India said they were suspending production. Earlier on Sunday, the Railways announced it was suspending all passenger services until March 31 and said only goods trains will run during the period. The suspension includes all suburban train services. Trains that commenced their journey
prior to 4 am on March 22 will complete their journeys, it said, adding that passengers can claim a full refund for trains cancelled during this period till June 21. The Railways has also ordered closure of all its museums, heritage galleries and heritage parks till April 15. The government also suspended all inter-state bus services until March 31. The extraordinary decisions were taken a day after the Railways reported three incidents (12 positive cases) of people asked to remain in quarantine travelling on trains and amid an exodus of people from urban areas to their
home states, raising fears of the virus spreading to the countryside. The West Bengal government said in a notification that Kolkata and several other areas of the state will be under lockdown from Monday 5 pm till Mar 27. According to the Health Ministry, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases at 67, followed by Kerala (52) and Delhi (29). Uttar Pradesh has recorded 27 cases, Telangana 22, Rajasthan 24 and Haryana 21. Karnataka has 26 patients. Punjab has 21 cases while Gujarat has 18.
Nation says thanks with clapping, clanging of utensils India’s gratitude to its foot soldiers in fight against the novel coronavirus on Sunday found expression in a choreographed yet chaotic nationwide chorus of clapping, clanging of utensils and conch shells being blown as the “janata curfew” that had started 10 hours earlier entered its final lap. PM Modi tweeted his approval by tagging a video clip of his mother Heeraben beating a plate in her Gandhinagar house. “With the blessings of crores of mothers like you, doctors, nurses, medical staff, police personnel, security personnel, sanitation workers and
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members of the media fighting coronavirus are encouraged,” he wrote. Empty roads & the sound of silence Pushed into action by the global Covid-19 pandemic, India on Sunday practised social distancing on a neverbefore scale through a “janata curfew” that kept the country’s 1.3 PM Modi's mother Heeraben claning utensils at her residence billion population indoors all day and wise congested streets, nationdelivered more than a few al landmarks bereft of surging fringe benefits - sparrows and weekend crowds and air purer pigeons frolicking on otherthan it has been in a long time.
Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram had ordered total lockdown. According to information provided by the Centre, 28 governments have imposed complete lockdown in the entire state/ Union territory, covering 548 districts. Another three governments have brought certain areas in the states under lockdown, covering total 58 districts. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray imposed a curfew in the entire state with immediate effect on Monday after imposition of Section 144 of CrPC in urban areas a day earlier proved to be ineffective with private vehicles back on the street in large numbers. “We
are forced to impose a curfew in the state. Also, the use of private vehicles, taxis and autoriskshaws will be
restricted only to the extent of procuring essential commodities, health services and other emergency reasons," he
said. Only one person besides the driver will be allowed in private vehicles. Justifying the strict mea-
sures while referring to the ‘janata curfew’ on Sunday for which PM Narendra Modi had given a call, Thackeray said: “We are putting these restrictions only for some time and for the benefit of the state. By beating thalis we have not killed the virus, this is a turning point in the fight against this virus." The CM said that most religious places have shut their doors to visitors “and the ones which haven’t will also be shut from today”. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh also announced state-wide “full curfew with no relaxations”. In a tweet, he said: “The DCs have been asked to issue orders accordingly. Any person required to be given relaxation will be so allowed specifically for given period and purpose.”
India halts its crucial train Anand Mahindra offers network to try to stop virus to provide ventilators As India expanded its virus-containment measures and halted its train network, the country's lifeblood, the federal government warned of strict legal action for those who flout the rules. "Please save yourself, save your family,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted in Hindi, calling for states to follow the preventive measures issued by the federal government to contain the spread of the virus. The strict legal action vowed wasn't immediately clear. Other places have simply sent violators home, since alternatives like detention would create crowded conditions where the virus could spread. To contain the outbreak, authorities have gradually started to lock down many of the country of 1.3 billion people, sending stock markets to record lows. Parliament adjourned its session, and India's civil aviation authority banned all commercial flights within India starting Wednesday. International flights were kept from landing from Sunday until at least March 31. At least 80 districts where cases of infection have been detected are under stringent lockdown. Police and health care were operating, but commercial establishments have closed except for essential services. Banks have asked their customers to switch to online transactions and reduced their office staff. The government has fervently appealed for people to practice social distancing and wash their hands often. But
Modi's call for a 14-hour voluntary curfew on Sunday was the first nationwide effort at social isolation practices the World Health Organization believes are critical to slowing the outbreak to a level that doesn't overwhelm health
care systems. Lockdowns in other places have lasted at least two weeks, which is believed to be the maximum incubation period of the virus. Streets across India’s cities on Sunday were deserted as citizens stayed indoors heeding Modi’s call. But key train stations were packed with thousands of migrant workers suddenly out of work and trying to head to their villages, risking carrying the infection to the nation’s vast hinterland. Late Sunday, train services were suspended until March 31 while crowds were still waiting to board. The suspension included major long-distance trains and public transit in India's big cities, exempting only freight. The
New Delhi Railway Station, usually teeming with activity, was empty on Monday. India's national railway system totals 67,000 kilometers (42,000 miles) and carries more than 8 billion passengers a year. India has at least 415 active cases of infection with the new coronavirus and 10 deaths from COVID-19, the illness it causes. Many were linked to foreign travel, but indigenous spread of the
With the number of coronavirus cases on the rise, many epidemiologists are of the opinion that India may just be entering the Stage three of transmission. Cases are likely to increase manifold in the coming months. And as the public health emergency threatens to hamper the country's healthcare system, businessman Anand Mahindra has come forward to provide aid to the medical fraternity.
Even as India observed a 14-hour "Janata Curfew", the Mahindra Group chairman took to Twitter and wrote that there was an immediate need to create "scores of temporary care facilities" to deal with the crisis as well as ensure there was no scarcity of ventilators. He further added that
disease is considered inevitable in India, where tens of millions live in dense urban areas with irregular access to clean water. Experts have said the number of confirmed cases seemed low for the world's second-most populous country, amid concerns that India is not testing enough people. The bulk of the testing had been aimed at international travellers and their contacts, but in recent days the government has expanded it to people in hospitals with respiratory symptoms such as pneumonia. “Our biggest challenge is how do we break this chain of transmission,” Lav Agarwal, a senior health ministry official, said at a briefing in New Delhi.
Anand Mahindra
Mahindra Group will "immediately begin work on how our manufacturing facilities can make ventilators". Mahindra also added Mahindra Holidays was ready to offer its resorts as temporary care facilities and that its Project team was ready to assist the government and/or the Army in building temporary facilities. "The Mahindra Foundation will create a
fund to assist the hardest hit in our value chain (small businesses & the selfemployed). We will encourage associates to voluntarily contribute to the Fund. I will contribute 100% of my salary to it & will add more over the next few months. I urge all our various businesses to also set aside contributions for those who are the hardest hit in their ecosystem," Mahindra tweeted. Mahindra's tweet comes after India lost another patient to COVID19 with the death toll rising to 10. Even as Indians observed self-isolation and social distance on Janata Curfew, Mahindra's tweet managed to bring cheer to social media.
Delhi's Tihar jail to release 3,000 prisoners Tihar Jail authorities have said that they will try to release about 3,000 prisoners in the next few days to contain the spread of the coronavirus infection as the number of positive cases rises across the country. At least 1,500 convicts will be released under parole or furlough and 1,500 under trial prisoners on interim bail. However, this would not include hardened criminals. "We will try to release around 1,500 convicts (on parole / furlough) and around same number under trial prisoners (on interim-bail) in coming 3-4 days. To ease congestion in jails in the wake of threat of Coronavirus. This will not include hardened or
dangerous criminals," the director general of Tihar Jail said. According to the Health Ministry, there are 415 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections in India, with 29 of them in Delhi. At least 10 people have died so far due to the virus. Earlier on Monday, the AAP government told the Delhi High Court it has decided to decongest its prisons to check the spread of coronavirus by providing convicts with the options of special parole and furlough. The Delhi government told a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad that it was going to amend its prison rules to provide the options of special parole and furlough. The sub-
mission was made by the Delhi government's additional standing counsel Anuj Aggarwal who said a notification would be issued within a day to amend the prison rules to include the two new provisions. Taking note of the submission, the bench directed the Delhi government to take steps during the day to implement what it has proposed and disposed of a plea moved by two lawyers seeking decongesting of the prisons in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The bench disposed of the matter on the submission made by the government and did not examine the matter further, saying a similar issue has been taken up by the Supreme Court on its own.