Unlock 1.0, Day 9: Sikh body offers to run Covid care centres in Delhi; ‘Hilsa’ boom in Bengal

Here are other interesting stories across the country on day 9 of unlockdown:

Sikh body offers to run Covid care centres in Delhi gurudwaras

The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has offered to create 850-bedded Covid care centres in premises of its gurudwaras and educational institutions in the city amid the rising number of coronavirus cases. These centres could be used to admit those with low-grade fever, sore throat and other mild symptoms, DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa said. The offer was made in a letter sent to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to set up 850-bedded Covid care centres in premises of its gurudwaras, he said. The DSGMC has requested the Delhi government to give necessary permissions and sanctions for immediate operation of Covid care centres.

Delhi has been reporting almost 2,000 new cases each for the last few days now

Sirsa said best medical care, oxygen and laboratory services will be provided to coronavirus patients at these centres. The committee has offered 200 beds at its fully air conditioned marriage hall at Gurdwara Nanak Piao Sahib, 235 beds at Guru Harkrishan Yatri Niwas in Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, 60 beds (30 rooms) at Guru Arjan Dev Yatri Niwas in Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, 11 beds at Guru Hargobind Institute of Management and Information Technology, 100 beds at Guru Harkrishan Public School, 40 beds at Gurdwara Damdama Sahib and 50 beds each at Guru Tegh Bahadur Polytechnic Institute and Guru Nanak Sukhshala.

Sirsa said if the condition of any patient gets critical, then the person could be referred to the Covid-19 hospitals.

MP: Man found infected, 86 marriage revellers quarantined

A total of 86 people, who had attended a marriage ceremony in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district last week, have been quarantined after one of the attendees was found to be coronavirus positive. The infected person, who had travelled to his native Madnibar village in Chhatarpur district last week from Gurugram in Haryana, attended the marriage despite being asked to remain quarantined at his home, he said. “This person not only attended the marriage of his acquaintance but also helped cooks in preparing food for guests,” said District Panchayat’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Himanshu Chandra.

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“The man was subsequently sent to the isolation ward of Chhatarpur district hospital on the night of June 14, but the marriage function was not cancelled,” the CEO said. After the marriage ceremony, 86 guests were shifted to a quarantine centre, he said.

‘Hilsa’ boom amid Covid-19 gloom in Bengal

Bengalis are in for a pleasant surprise amid the Covid-19 gloom, as fishermen in West Bengal have exuded hope of a bumper ‘hilsa’ yield this year, given the dip in economic activities in the seas over the past three months due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. With monsoon having arrived, many of them have already ventured out with their trawlers, trying their best to lay hands on the prized ‘silver crop’ — a nonpareil delicacy that can be savoured when fried or cooked in mustard sauce. “As there was near-zero commercial activity in the seas and the rivers, and no industrial effluents were released into the waters during this three-month hiatus, fish breeding, which is common during this season, is bound to pick up pace.

Fishermen take their boats to safety in Umargam taluka of Valsad in Gujarat. (Express photo by Javed Raja)

“Since June 14, several fishermen have set sail. The catch is expected to be higher this time, compared to the past two years,” Sunderban Development Minister Manturam Pakhira told PTI on Tuesday. Ganga meets Bay of Bengal near Sunderbans in South 24 Parganas district, and the confluence happens to be the breeding ground for ‘hilsa’, which moves upstream from the seas to the river around this time of the year.

(With input from PTI)