IndiGo Says Will Resume Flight Operations From May 4 In Phased Manner: 10 Things You Need To Know Today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday that the nation-wide lockdown would be extended till May 3, the Indian Railways and the civil aviation ministry have said that flights and railways services will remain suspended till then.

The Union health ministry’s data at 6.30 pm on Tuesday placed the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India at 10,815, with 9,272 patients currently under treatment, and the death toll at 353. The ministry said that 1,189 people had so far recovered from the infection.

On Tuesday morning, Congress president Sonia Gandhi thanked frontline workers, saying “What can be more patriotic that all of us fighting the pandemic together. Our coronavirus warriors are fighting this war despite lack of basic safety gear. Doctors, health workers and volunteers are treating patients despite lack of protection kits.”

A Press Trust of India tally based on state government updates said the total numbers of cases in India was at 9975, with death toll at 346, as of 9.45 pm on Monday.

Here are the day’s top updates:

1. IndiGo Says It Will Resume Flight Services From May 4 In Phased Manner

IndiGo on Tuesday said it will resume flight services from May 4 in a phased manner by initially operating flights on vital domestic routes and then ramping up gradually.

In a press release, Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, “Complementing the government’s efforts against COVID-19, we will restart flight operations on vital corridors of air traffic from May 4, 2020.”

“We will begin operations for domestic only and then gradually ramp it up further, to commence operations on some international routes as well,” Dutta added.

IndiGo is working closely with the government and the airports to take its aircraft to a “significantly higher level of cleanliness” while ensuring “social distancing”, the CEO said. — PTI

2. India Has More Than Enough Testing Kits, Says ICMR

“Yesterday, we mentioned that we have kits that could last for 6 weeks. We have received another instalment for RT-PCR kits which are far more sufficient in numbers, which would essentially mean that we would be able to cover ourselves for a long period of time,” ICMR’s R Gangakhedkar said at the health ministry’s press conference.

“Additionally, we are ordering close to about 33 Lakh kits for RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) and 37 Lakh rapid kits are expected to come at any point in time,” he said.

“We are doing testing as per our sampling criteria. Mon-criteria based testing can result in sub-optimal use of testing kits. Besides, we are progressively widening our sampling zone, we are testing those who have SARI or influenza-like illnesses,” health secretary Luv Agarwal said.

3. 47 Red Zones In Delhi, Haven’t Received Rapid Testing Kits Yet, Says Satyendar Jain

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said there are 47 ‘Red Zones’ in Delhi now.

“We’ve made the criteria more stringent now. Earlier an area used to be declared a ‘Red Zone’ if 10 or more positive cases were found there. Now, if 3 cases are found in an area it’ll be declared a ‘Red Zone’ & contained,” he said.

“An area where 1 or 2 positive cases are found is considered an ‘Orange Zone’. It is monitored & declared a ‘Red Zone’ if more cases are found there,” he said.

Jain also said: “We haven’t received the rapid testing kits yet. There is a great need for them. The central govt is about to receive the kits which have been imported, then we will get too. We will start working with it, the day we receive it.”

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Delhi will fully implement lockdown measures announced by Modi to contain the COVID-19 spread.

4. All Airlines And Railway Operations To Stay Suspended Till May 3

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the lockdown till May 3, the civil aviation ministry and the railway ministry said that all airlines and railway operations will remain shut till May 3.

“All domestic and international scheduled airline operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm, 3rd May,” ANI quoted the civil aviation ministry as saying.

The Indian Railways said that IRCTC will make full refunds of all trains that will be cancelled due to the lockdown.

5. Congress Slams PM Speech, Asks For ‘Concrete Steps’ For Economy

The Congress on Tuesday termed the prime minister’s address to the nation as rhetoric and hollow on specifics , saying there was no mention of a financial package or concrete steps to revive the economy.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the PM’s address was like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark.

“Amazing PM address. Exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration.....yet hollow on specifics! No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither for poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses. Lockdown is good but cannot be end in itself! Where is single livelihood issue,” he asked.

Meanwhile, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked about the country’s roadmap to fight coronavirus.

He said leadership does not mean making people realise their responsibilities but to fulfil the government’s duty of accountability towards the people of the country.

“A lot of talk has taken place. But, where is the roadmap to fight corona,” he asked.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said, “The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country,” he said on Twitter.

6. Nation-Wide Lockdown Extended Till May 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation on Tuesday said that keeping in mind the spread of coronavirus, the lockdown in India would be extended to May 3.

“Keeping in mind everyone’s suggestions we have come to the decision that the lockdown needs to be extended till May 3,” Modi said.

Modi said that most states and even citizens suggested that the lockdown should be extended. “We have to identify hotspots and we have to be even more careful than before,” Modi said.

He said till April 20 all districts, police stations and areas will be monitored to see if they are abiding by the lockdown.

He claimed that India jumped to take measures even before the coronavirus spread much across the country.

Modi said that compared to many developed countries, India was in a better state, and praised the power of “We the People” for the success of the lockdown. “From the experience in the past few days, it is clear that the path we chose is the right path. Social distancing and lockdown has helped us”

He said while the economic cost of the lockdown was massive, “nothing comes before the lives of Indians”.

7. Delhi reports 356 new patients in 24 hours

The nation capital reported 356 fresh COVID-19 cases in a day taking the tally to 1,510 on Monday night, while four people died of the disease within 24 hours, the Delhi government said.

With four more fatalities reported, the death toll from COVID-19 in Delhi has jumped to 28.

Total number of COVID-19 samples sent till date stands at 15,032, the Delhi Health Department said in a statement. As many as 2,456 have been kept in quarantine at various government facilities, it said.

As many as 27,735 people who came in contact with affected persons, are under home quarantine till date and 15,190 have completed their 14-day quarantine, they said.

8. Over 2,000 patients in Maharashtra, death toll over 100 in Mumbai

The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra on Monday night crossed the 2000-mark, with 352 more people, including 242 from Mumbai, testing positive for the novel coronavirus infection, a Health department official said.

While the number of total cases has gone up to 2334, the COVID-19 death toll increased to 160 with 11 more people succumbing to the infection on Monday.

Of the 11 deaths, nine were reported in Mumbai where toll has crossed 100.

9. Antiviral drug remdesivir may be effective in stopping replication of coronavirus: ICMR

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Monday said antiviral drug remdesivir, which was used during the Ebola outbreak, may be highly effective in stopping the replication mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19.

The ICMR said research on its efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19 is a part of WHO’s “Solidarity Trial”.

According to a recently published study in the New England Journal of Medicine, two out of three critically ill coronavirus infected patients who were on oxygen support or on ventilators showed signs of improvement when they were administered remdesivir.

Commenting on the study, Head of Epidemiology and Communicable diseases at ICMR Raman R Gangakhedkar said that drug which was used against Ebola virus, according to the researchers, hinders the reproduction of coronavirus which is why they believe that it could be effective in COVID-19 treatment.

He further said that remdesivir, developed by Gilead Sciences Inc, is not presently available in the country and the government is working on to see if any pharmaceutical company can manufacture it. (PTI)

10. WHO says vaccine needed to fully interrupt Covid-19 transmission

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva that the organisation was constantly learning about the new virus sweeping the globe, which has now killed nearly 115,000 people and infected over 1.8 million.

More than half of the planet’s population is currently staying home as part of efforts to stem the spread of the virus, but Tedros warned that “our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of the disease will continue”.

He pointed out that while COVID-19 had accelerated quickly, “it decelerates much more slowly.” “In other words, the way down is much slower than the way up,” he said, stressing that “control measures must be lifted slowly, and with control. It cannot happen all at once.” “Control measures can only be lifted if the right public health measures are in place, including significant capacity for contact tracing,” he said.

Regardless of the efforts put in place, the WHO acknowledged that “ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission”.

A vaccine is thought to be at least 12 to 18 months away. (AFP)