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No plan to extend 21-day COVID-19 lockdown: Govt

New Delhi (NVI): The central government today said that there are no plans to extend the current 21-day lockdown which came into force on March 24, 2020.

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba said, on reports that the lockdown could be extended, “I’m surprised to see such reports, there is no such plan of extending the lockdown.”

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting tweeted, “There are rumours & media reports, claiming that the Government will extend the #Lockdown21 when it expires. The Cabinet Secretary has denied these reports, and stated that they are baseless.”

This announcement comes after several media houses falsely reported that the government is planning to extend the lockdown.

The 21-day lockdown, which will continue till April 14, is aimed to curb the spread of coronavirus contagion that has infected more than 1,000 people in the country.

COVID-19: Death toll in Gujarat at 6

New Delhi (NVI): The coronavirus death toll in Gujarat has reached 6, after one more person died in Bhavnagar today, according to the media reports.

So far, three deaths have been reported in Ahmedabad, two in Bhavnagar and one in Surat.

In addition to this, a 45-year-old woman, died at a hospital in Bhavnagar late last night, principal secretary (health) Jayanti Ravi said.

With this the total number of positive cases due to the coronavirus contagion has reached 58 in the state.

Nationwide, the total number of positive cases have reached 1,071 with 29 deaths, according to the Health Ministry. A total of 99 people have been totally cured till date in the country.

Indian cities see dip in air pollution amid lockdown

New Delhi (NVI): As the country is under a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, several cities, including Delhi have been reporting decrease in air pollution levels from past few days.

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the impact of the recent lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak has led to drop in PM 2.5 by 30 per cent in Delhi and by 15 per cent in Ahmedabad and Pune.

Whereas, the level of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) pollution, which increases the risk of respiratory conditions, has also reduced.

As per the report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), presently the air quality in Delhi is in the ‘good’ category, Kanpur’s air quality is in the ‘satisfactory’ category.

As many as 92 other cities with CPCB monitoring centres have recorded minimal air pollution, with the air quality in the range of ‘good’ to ‘satisfactory’.

Meanwhile, Delhi experienced its best air quality over the weekend, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 45 on Saturday and 47 on Sunday. The AQI in the capital stood at 159 just a week ago.

On Sunday, PM 2.5 level also plummeted to 31 in Lodhi Road, the India Meteorological Department said. In Gurugram it was 36, 26 in Chandni Chowk, and 50 in Noida.

Pune saw this level reduced by 43 per cent, Mumbai witnessed it drop by 38 per cent, and Ahmedabad by 50 per cent.

The dramatic improvement in air quality is mainly due to almost no vehicular traffic and even less construction activities.

J&K: 4 more test positive for Covid-19, toll reaches 49

(Updating earlier copy)

Mubashir Bukhari

Srinagar (NVI): Four more persons have been tested positive for coronavirus in Kashmir this evening, taking the total number of cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 49.

“Three more cases detected positive in Kasmir. A total of 48 cases now,” JK Government spokesperson Rohit Kansal said in a tweet.

In another tweet, Kansal said, “Another positive case reported by SKIMS Soura. Total 49.”

Earlier in the day, seven cases were tested positive-three in Jammu and four in Kashmir.

With four more cases, the total tally for the day has reached 11.

Meanwhile, 11,644 persons are under observation and 722 samples have been tested so far in the Union Territory.

The UT Government said that 355 people are under hospital isolation/quarantine while 659 have tested negative.

“Reports of 15 people are awaited. Two persons have died and two recovered so far,” the government said in a statement.

US extends social distancing guidelines till April 30

Coronavirus

New Delhi (NVI): The United States has extended the social distancing guidelines upto April 30, in view of the increasing number of infected cases and deaths in the country.

President Donald Trump, during a news conference, said that the deaths in the US from the coronavirus contagion can reach 1,00,000 or more, adding that if the death toll stays at or below 1,00,000, “we all together have done a very good job.”

Trump extended the guidelines after a public health expert warned that deaths from COVID-19 could reach till 2,00,000 in the US.

In New York, the death toll surged by 237 in 24 hours, and the state announced 7,195 new cases, according to the media reports.

In addition to this, a total of 1,42,502 positive cases of the disease have been reported in the US, with at least 2,425 deaths, according to John Hopkins University data.

Whereas in Italy, 756 deaths due to the contagion were reported taking the total number of fatalities to 10,779, as the country continues to be the worst affected due to the pandemic.

838 new coronavirus deaths were announced, marking the country’s highest daily jump in fatalities and bringing the total deaths to 6,528 with almost 80,000 positive cases, according to Spain’s Health Ministry.

Globally, a total of 7,22,435 infected cases have been reported with 33,997 deaths and 1,51,991 people have totally recovered from the coronavirus, according to John Hopkins University data.

PM shares his lockdown fitness routine

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today shared some Yoga videos in a bid to encourage people to stay fit during the lockdown period.

The Prime Minister shared some animated videos of him practicing yoga on Twitter and said: “During yesterday’s Mann Ki Baat, someone asked me about my fitness routine during this time. Hence, thought of sharing these Yoga videos. I hope you also begin practising Yoga regularly.”

He also advised everyone to practice yoga in the lockdown period to curb the spread coronavirus.

PM in another tweet said, “I am neither a fitness expert nor a medical expert. Practicing Yoga has been an integral part of my life for many years and I have found it beneficial.”

“I am sure many of you also have other ways of remaining fit, which you also must share with others. The videos are also available in different languages, he added.

Nepal Govt extends lockdown by a week

New Delhi (NVI): The Nepal government has decided to extend the COVID-19 lockdown by a week. That means, the lockdown which was imposed on March 24 and was to reach maturity on March 31, will be effective till April 7 now.

The Himalayan reported that the Nepal government has issued a decree in this regard. A cabinet-level meeting of Nepalese government officials took place in Kathmandu today and the lockdown was further extended to slow the spread of coronavirus, the newspaper reported.

Apart from this, the Nepal government also extended ban on all international flights until April 15 as a preventive measure.

The Himalayan nation went into lockdown on March 24 in a bid to break the spread cycle of the pandemic, a day after the second person was tested positive for the contagion.

4.2 bn people globally lack adequate sanitation: UNDP

New Delhi (NVI): Around 4.2 billion people across the world are living without access to adequate sanitation, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said at a time when an unprecedented thrust is being laid on cleanliness and repeated hand washing amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Two out of every five people in the world do not have a basic handwashing facility with soap and water at home, the global body said.

”Washing hands is key to stopping the coronavirus. Yet, 785 million people remain without safe water for drinking, let alone handwashing,” the UNDP said.

Around 4.2 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation while 4 billion people experience water shortages for at least one month of the year.

By 2050, it is projected that at least one in four people will suffer recurring water shortages as the world has lost 70 per cent of its natural wetlands over the last century, the report said.

In 2015, around 71 per cent of the global population had safely-managed drinking water but 844 million people still lacked even basic drinking water.

2.9 billion people, globally, had safe sanitation in 2015, but 2.3 billion people still lacked basic sanitation. 892 million people practised open defecation, it said.

80 per cent of wastewater goes into waterways without adequate treatment. Water stress affects more than 2 billion people if this figure projected to increase, the report added.

Kashmir to Poonch: 24 labourers walk over 100 km to reach home

(Source: Twitter @Whiteknight_IA)

Mubashir Bukhari

Srinagar (NVI): Stranded in Kashmir due to lockdown over COVID-19 pandemic, at least 24 labourers from Rajouri district of Jammu walked over 100 Km on foot to reach their destinations.

These labourers were working in different parts of Kashmir but were stuck in the Valley due to strict restrictions and lack of transportation.

With no solution at hand, they decided to take a long journey on foot through mountainous terrain.

According to officials, these laborers had started their journey by foot from Shopian on Friday and reached Surankote in Poonch last evening.

The laborers walked more than a hundred-kilometer road stretch of Mughal Road which is filled with snowfall, they said.

District Commissioner, Poonch, Rahul Yadav told NVI that they have received 24 labourers from Shopian. “They are from Rajouri and we have screened them and sent to Surankote quarantine center,” Yadav said.

He said that the workers were not allowed to go forward. “For 14 days, we have kept them in quarantined, once that period ends, they will be allowed to go home,” he said.

COVID deaths in India rise to 27, total 1024 cases

New Delhi (NVI) The total number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 1024 today, while 27 people have lost their lives due to the disease so far.

According to the latest data by the Health Ministry, the numbers include 48 foreign nationals. 95 patients have been cured or discharged in the country.

Meanwhile, Kashmir reported its second COVID-19 death today, a 52-year-old man from Tanmag, who succumbed to his disease at Government CD Hospital in Srinagar.

Yesterday, Kashmir reported total of 33 coronavirus cases in Kashmir, with 30 active ones. Around 13 people were tested positive for the virus yesterday.

So far, Maharashtra has reported 186 coronavirus positive cases, followed by Kerala at 182 and Karnataka at 76.

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