Coronavirus India Updates, September 4: Banks allowed to operate on Saturdays in Bengal; antibodies found in 8% people in Haryana

Covid screening camp in progress at Trombay Koliwada on Friday, August 7, 2020. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Here are the top developments in the country:

Banks allowed to operate on Saturdays in West Bengal

The West Bengal government has allowed banks to operate on working Saturdays as part of further relaxations in COVID-related restrictions.

Banks, which usually operate on alternate Saturdays, were asked by the state government to remain shut on weekends in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision to allow banking operations on Saturdays was taken in view of the current Covid situation and the relaxation in different activities permitted by the government outside the containment zones, PTI reported citing a government order.

India to deploy medical teams in DR Congo, South Sudan

India, which is among the largest troop contributors to the UN peacekeeping, will deploy two medical teams in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan after a request by UN chief Antonio Guterres to scale-up health infrastructure in the areas managed by the Indian peacekeepers to help contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.

India’s Permanent Mission to the UN said in a statement that the country responded to a request from UN Secretary-General Guterres and mobilised all efforts to assemble two teams of medical specialists to be deployed in hospitals at the UN missions in DR Congo and South Sudan.

Indian peacekeepers rise to the call to combat COVID!

In response to request of UN Secretary General, India is rushing two medical teams to Africa to strengthen Indian peacekeeping hospitals – one in Goma, DRCongo and other in Juba, South Sudan. @UNPeacekeeping @DrSJaishankar

— PR UN Tirumurti (@ambtstirumurti) September 4, 2020

Antibodies found in 8% people in Haryana: Anil Vij

Antibodies against the COVID-19 infection were found in eight per cent of people in the seroprevalence survey done in Haryana last month and those living in urban areas and NCR districts were found more affected, Health Minister Anil Vij said on Friday.

As many as 850 samples each were collected from 22 districts and the collection was done both in urban and rural areas, news agency PTI reported.

Overall, 18,905 samples were collected and the seroprevalence study showed that the seropositivity of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is eight per cent in the state, Vij said.

He said that the urban population was affected more than the rural population.

Mangaluru-Bengaluru train to resume services from Friday

Train services between Mangaluru and Bengaluru, suspended since March due to COVID-19, would resume services from Friday.

This is part of the three special trains the Railway Board has permitted to operate in the South-Western railway division, news agency PTI reported.

The Yeshwanthpur-Karwar train would begin operations from 6.45 pm on Friday. In the return direction, the train would leave Karwar at 6 pm on Saturday, the railway said.

Covid discharge rate inches past 84% in West Bengal

The COVID-19 discharge rate in West Bengal rose to 84.02 per cent on Thursday after 3,335 more patients recovered from the disease, a bulletin released by the state health department said. A total of 1,44,248 people have recovered so far in the state, it added.

West Bengal reported 2,984 new cases, pushing the tally to 1,71,681, the bulletin said, adding, the number of active cases stood at 24,039. with 55 fatalities, the coronavirus death toll climbed to 3,394 on Thursday. Forty-six people have died due to comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental.

A woman wearing a mask as a precaution against the coronavirus wades through a water logged street during heavy rain in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

No more tokens when Delhi Metro resumes operations

Tokens will not be accepted in the Delhi Metro when its services resume after a gap of over five months on September 7, state Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said Thursday. He said Civil Defence volunteers and personnel from the enforcement wing of the transport department would be deployed at the stations to help in crowd management and ensure proper social distancing by passengers.

“Tokens will not be allowed in Metro trains in Delhi to ensure protection against COVID-19 infection. Also, all the stations, except those in containment zones, will be open but depending on crowd, only some gates may open,” he told news agency PTI.

A man sanitises a Ganesha idol ahead of celebrations for Ganesh Chathurthi (Reuters)

Over 2,700 Mumbaikars fined for not wearing masks

Over 2,700 people have been fined by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the last five months for stepping out in public without wearing masks. As per the Union government’s guidelines following the viral outbreak, the civic body made masks mandatory in public places on April 9.

The civic body has collected a total of Rs 27.48 lakh in fines from 2,798 citizens between April 9 and August 31 and at least 9,954 citizens were issued warnings.

A man with a mask runs his tea stall in Kolkata. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Rajasthan govt fixes treatment cost at private hospitals

The Rajasthan government on Thursday fixed rates for coronavirus treatment at private hospitals, keeping the charges at Rs 5,000 to Rs 9,900 a day. The decision has come amid reports that private hospitals were charging exorbitant fee for the treatment.

According to a notification issued by the state Medical and Health Department, the cost of treatment in hospitals not certified by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) has been kept at Rs 5,000 to Rs 9,000 per day. In the NABL-accredited hospitals, the charges has been fixed at Rs 5,500 to Rs 9,900 a day.

A health worker takes a nasal swab sample to test for COVID-19 in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Noida govt hospital claims over one lakh RT-PCR tests

The Government Institute of Medical Sciences in Gautam Buddh Nagar on Thursday claimed that it has performed over one lakh RT-PCR tests for COVID-19, the maximum by any facility in Uttar Pradesh. The state-run hospital has so far admitted around 1,300 COVID-19 patients and more than 1,100 of them have been discharged after recovery, GIMS Director Dr Brig Rakesh Gupta said.

One more Maharashtra minister tests positive

Maharashtra minister Sunil Kedar, a Congress leader, has tested positive for COVID-19 and admitted to a private hospital here, his party said on Friday. He is the sixth minister in the MVA government to test positive for the infection. Other ministers have recovered from the illness.

Migrant laborers returning to the city for work undergo COVID-19 test in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Kedar (59) is the cabinet minister for animal husbandry, dairy development and youth welfare and sports. “He was admitted to the hospital on Thursday evening after his COVID-19 test came positive,” Atul Londhe, state Congress spokesperson, told PTI.

Arunachal Pradesh reports record spike of 214 new cases

Arunachal Pradesh reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases on Friday as 214 people, including 80 security personnel, tested positive for the infection, a health official said. The new cases have taken the state’s tally to 4,574, the official said. The state had registered its previous highest single-day spike of 157 COVID-19 cases on August 31.

The northeastern state now has 1,399 active COVID-19 cases, while 3,167 people have recovered from the disease. A total of 2,340 people have been cured of the disease since August 1, while 2,971 people, including 1,116 security personnel, have tested positive for the infection during this period, an official said.