Coronavirus India updates, July 5: India surpasses Russia to become third worst-hit nation

Here are the top developments in India:

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner BH Anil Kumar on Saturday apologises to the family members of 65-year-old COVID-19 patient who died on the road waiting for an ambulance in Hanumanthanagar, South Bengaluru.

Kerala extends Covid-19 safety guidelines for a year

The Kerala Health Department has issued a notification, extending the enforcement of state’s Covid-19 safety guidelines till July 2021 after amending the state Epidemic Disease Ordinance. Wearing masks or face covers in public and social distancing are among the rules that will be mandatory. An amount of Rs 10,000 will be fined for not wearing masks in public places.

Weddings can only be attended by up to 50 people and funerals by 20. No social gatherings, get-togethers, processions, dharnas, congregations or demonstration can be conducted without written permission from authorities. Participants in such gatherings will not exceed 10 people, the government said.

In shops and all other commercial establishments, the maximum number of people or customers allowed at a time shall not exceed 20.

A screenshot of the Kerala govt notification

Aside from this, state capital Thiruvananthapuram will be placed under a week-long complete lockdown in the wake of a surge in Covid cases in the state. All government offices, including the state secretariat, will remain closed. The total lockdown will be in placed from 6 am on Monday (July 6). Only hospitals and medical shops will remain open.

Earlier, tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that Thiruvananthapuram district is ‘sitting on an active volcano’ with rising number of Covid cases and there was no guarantee that there would be no community spread.

Intense lockdown in Tamil Nadu on Sunday

A strict lockdown, without any relaxations, was imposed across Tamil Nadu on Sunday as part of the state’s measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. The state government had earlier announced that on all the four Sundays in July, intense lockdown will be in force across Tamil Nadu and only health care services, including pharmacies and hospitals, will be functional.

People remained indoors and no commercial activities were witnessed, reports said. Shops, including vegetables and groceries
stores were closed in many parts and there was no vehicular movement on key roads in different parts of the state. Police personnel were posted in various junctions as part of total implementation of the lockdown.

Delhi LG inaugurates world’s ‘largest’ COVID care centre

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal inaugurated the 10,000-bed Sardar Patel COVID care centre, the “largest” of its kind in the world, at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas here on Sunday. The centre has been set up in Chhatarpur for treating mild and asymptomatic coronavirus patients.

It will also serve as a treatment centre for those who are asymptomatic but cannot afford home isolation. The centre is 1,700 feet long, 700 feet wide — roughly the size of 20 football fields — and has 200 enclosures with 50 beds each. Authorities say it is the largest of its kind in the world.

People drive past a mural honouring the warriors of COVID-19, during unlock-2, in New Delhi, on Thursday, July 2, 2020. (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)

While the Delhi government has provided administrative support, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will be the nodal agency operating the centre. Volunteers from the religious sect of Radha Soami Beas will also help run the centre.

Goa councillor dies of coronavirus infection

A 72-year-old councillor of the Mormugao Municipal Council in Goa died due to COVID-19 in the wee hours on Sunday, a state health department official said. Pascoal DSouza, who did not belong to any political party, tested positive for coronavirus last month following which he was admitted to Margao-based ESI Hospital, a specially designated facility for COVID-19 patients.

People wait to give swab samples for the Covid test outside Hyderabad’s Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital. (PTI)

He succumbed to the viral infection on Sunday, the official said. D’Souza represented a ward in Mangor Hill area, which has been declared as a containment zone after more than 200 people there tested positive for coronavirus. With the councillor’s death, the overall toll in the coastal state has reached seven.

Manipur’s Jiribam district under complete lockdown

Manipur has imposed a complete lockdown in Jiribam district, which borders Assam, after a sudden spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. A complete curfew was also imposed in the entire district. Only essential service will be exempted in the district, said the order by Manipur Chief Secretary.

On Friday, Jiribam reported 28 positive cases, which include 26 police personnel and two civilians. The highest single-day spike in the district was registered two days after an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Jiribam district police tested positive for the virus.

Kh Sasheekumar, spokesperson Manipur Health department, said that contact tracing was in full swing in Jiribam. As many as 180 persons who came into close contact with positive cases have been traced, he said. The spokesperson ruled out community transmission in the district.

The state has also closed the Jiribam gate, one of the two entry points to Manipur, and will allow only inter-state trucks carrying goods through the gate.

4 Assam Rifles personnel, 10 NDRF staffers among cases in Mizoram

Twenty-two more people, including four Assam Rifles personnel and ten NDRF staffers, tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, taking the state’s tally to 186, an official said on Sunday. Of the fresh cases, 14 were reported from Aizawl district and four each from Siaha and Lawngtlai, he said. This is the second-highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases in the state after the first coronavirus patient was found in Mizoram on March 24, he said. The state had reported the biggest single-day spike of 51 coronavirus cases on June 10.

Health worker gets ready with PPE kit before beginning duty at a Covid center attached with LNJP Hospital in New Delhi on Friday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

The 10 National Disaster Response Force personnel were stationed at Lungverh, about 17-km from here, while four Assam Rifles men were posted at Zokhawsang in Aizwal. With these new patients, the state now has 56 active cases and 130 people have recovered from the disease.

Tripura: 22 people test positive on Sunday

Twenty-two people tested positive for Covid-19 in Tripura on Sunday, taking the state’s tally to 1,581. Of this, 1,199 persons have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals. The state now has 382 active cases of Covid-19.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb Tweeted about the new cases late Sunday evening and wrote, “22 people found COVID-19 #POSITIVE, Out of 1630 samples tested today. The count includes – West Dist: 7 Khowai Dist: 6 North Dist: 4 Sepahijala Dist: 3 Dhalai Dist: 1 Gomati Dist:1 #TripuraCOVID19Count”.

Thane Municipal Corporation orders audit of COVID-19 treatment charges of hospitals

In a bid to check overcharging by private hospitals, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has ordered an audit of charges levied by hospitals treating COVID-19 patients here, a civic official said on Sunday. Four teams of auditors have been formed to audit bills of 15 hospitals here in Maharashtra, the official said.

Mumbai: Health workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) conduct health check-ups of residents of Poddar Wadi Slum for the detection of COVID-19 cases, at Vile Parle East in Mumbai, Thursday, July 2, 2020. (PTI Photo)

The order was issued by TMC Commissioner Dr Vipin Sharma on Saturday after complaints that some hospitals were charging exorbitant amounts from patients, he said. If any hospital is found to be charging more than the permitted charges, then the TMC will issue a show-cause notice to the medical facility and order refund of the excess amount, Deputy Municipal Commissioner Vishwanath Kelkar said.

Rajasthan records highest Covid cases in a day, crosses 20,000 mark