Srinagar, March 21: A person, with travel history to Saudi Arabia, ran away from Chest Disease (CD) Hospital Srinagar as medicos were preparing to take his sample for coronavirus test, sources told GNS on Saturday.
They said that the person, who was advised by the district authorities to visit the hospital as a part of precautionary measure, reported to CD hospital today.
A resident of Padshahi Bagh Srinagar, the person was prescribed to undergo chest X-Ray and other tests including one for coronavirus. “He instantly ran away from the hospital, leaving hospital staff to raise alarm.” They said that the hospital authorities have now taken up the issue with district administration. (GNS)
With lack of protective gear, 2 docs turn coronavirus suspects
Srinagar, March 21 (KINS): Amid lack of protective gear, doctors and paramedics who are on the forefront to deal with coronavirus are vulnerable to attract the virus in Kashmir.
On Saturday two female doctors were put under observation at hospitals in Kashmir after they showed symptoms of coronavirus.
“Like other doctors, these did not have proper protective gear while treating patients,” a senior doctor at SKIMS Soura told Kashmir Indepth News Service.
One of the doctors is a resident at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, and another is a resident at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital Srinagar.
Shortage of proper protection equipment has been one of the reasons for infections among health workers.
Dr. Irshad Muntazir said, “We are in the middle of the battleground, the way armed forces are being provided the arms and personal protection likewise docs and medical staff must be equipped with who designated personal protective equipment in order to bend the curve of transmission. Otherwise be ready for the calamity which can create havoc.”
A doctor at SMHS Hospital Srinagar said authorities have failed to provide protection equipment including masks, gloves, hand sanitizers and gowns to doctors and other medical staff. “We are at the risk of catching the infection. Our two female doctors have shown symptoms as government failed to provide us proper equipments. We are vulnerable to attract infections while treating patients,” he said.
While Principal Government Medical College Srinagar Dr Samia Rashid in a tweet said, “We have more than 13,000 N95 masks 3300 personal protections kits and 22,000 triple layered masks.”
“Additionally, taking cognizance of the impending scarcity, Medical Superintendent SMHS has procured 10,000 additional triple layered masks last night,” she said.
Appeals people to follow health advisory, avoid social gatherings
SRINAGAR, MARCH 21: Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K. Pole today visited various quarantine facility centers across Srinagar city which were established for suspected Covid-19 patients.
The Div Com inspected round the clock facilities available at these centers including testing facilities, availability of adequate staff, equipments, ambulances, bedding, proper sanitation and other facilities.
On the occasion he interacted with the quarantined people and enquired about their wellbeing besides, enquiring doctors about the present status of quarantine and screening of the patients at these centers.
He asked the concerned officials to work with dedication and ensure all the facilities are made available to the people being quarantined at these centers. He asked them to take all precautionary measures to containing the spread of infection.
The Div Com observed that proper arrangements are in place and said that with the active cooperation of Srinagar district administration, it would be ensured that evolving situation raised due to spread of COVID-19 is tackled effectively.
On the occasion, he appealed people to adhere to the advisories issued by the Health Services to contain spread of COVID-19. He further appealed people not to pay heed to rumors and avoid social gatherings.
During his visit, Div Com was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Deputy Director Health Services, CMO Srinagar and other concerned officers.
The Delhi government on Saturday announced it will be giving more ration and pensions to the people of Delhi as coronavirus is causing financial troubles to the poor.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the government will give 50 per cent increase in ration to 72 lakh people.
He said the government is doubling the pension for old, handicapped & widows for this month.
For the ‘Janata Curfew’ on Sunday, he said there would be a 50 per cent suspension of buses while 50 per cent will ply for emergency cases.
“Corona restrictions causing terrible financial stress to poor. Following decisions taken to provide them relief, Rs 4,000-5,000 pension will be paid to 8.5 lakh beneficiaries by April 7 and free rations, with 50 per cent more quantity than the normal entitlement, to 72 lakh beneficiaries,” Kejriwal said.
Three out of four Ph.D. scholars who had escaped during quarantine from Aligarh Muslim University were traced to Kashmir on Saturday.
Four Ph.D. scholars of Aligarh Muslim University, who belong to the Valley, had escaped from the quarantine ward in that Uttar Pradesh city on March 18.
Two of them have been traced by the authorities in Baramulla district while the third one was traced in Anantnag district, District Magistrates of the two districts told media.
The fourth Kashmiri scholar who escaped from the quarantine ward in Aligarh is still untraced. They have been shifted to Health Centres for examination.
Officials said after preliminary medical examination today, doctors would decide the course of preventive procedure regarding these three persons.
Sources said that the three had returned to India from the UAE on the March 18 and their university had kept in quarantine where from they fled to Kashmir.
A letter issued by the medical authorities at the AMU had said three scholars fled the isolation wards without informing the authorities. The authorities in Jammu and Kashmir swung into action and traced the trio in their native villages in Anatnag and Baramulla.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anantnag Sandeep Chaudhary told IANS that the police was alert about their movement to Kashmir from Aligarh.
“The scholar from Anatnag was taken away by police just an hour after he reached his home at 3 a.m.,” Choudhary said.
The two youth from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district were also timely traced timely by the authorities.
Divisonal Commissisoner P.K. Pole told IANS that after the whereabouts of the three scholars were known, the government teams immediately tracked them down.
The authorities continued complete restrictions for the second consecutive day in Srinagar district today.
Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Srinagar DM has said this has become absolutely necessary to ensure safety and well being of the people in the district.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Strict restrictions on movement and assembly of people continued for the third consecutive day on Saturday in Kashmir to contain the spread of the new coronavirus that has infected one person in the valley, officials said.
They said adequate security forces have been deployed and barricades have been put up at several places in Srinagar. Only government and essential services employees with valid identity cards, mediapersons, and people with health emergency were allowed to move on streets, they added.
Police asked people to stay indoors and maintain social distancing through public address systems.
Most markets across the valley were shut, public transport was off roads and train services were suspended. Educational institutes and public places such as gymnasiums, parks, clubs and restaurants have been shut down. The measures have been taken after a 67-year-old woman from Khanyar area of Srinagar, who returned to the city on March 16 from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah, tested positive for COVID-19.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Authorities on Saturday sealed 10 shops and a hotel in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district for violating the prohibitory orders imposed in the district in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
Reports said that Tehsildar Bandipora sealed nine meat and one chicken shop after they were found operating at the main market in violation of section 144 CrPc.
So far one person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease in Kashmir valley. To prevent the spread of the virus, the Jammu and Kashmir government has imposed restrictions in the valley.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 258 on Saturday after 35 fresh cases were reported in various parts of the country, according to the Health Ministry.
Among the 258 are 39 foreign nationals, including 17 from Italy, three from the Philippines, two from the UK, one each belonging to Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.
The total figure also includes four deaths reported from Delhi, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra.
“The total number of active COVID-19 cases across India stands at 231 so far,” the ministry said, adding that 23 others have been cured/discharged/migrated while four have died.
Delhi has, so far, reported 26 positive cases, which include one foreigner, while Uttar Pradesh has recorded 24 cases, including one foreigner.
Maharashtra has 52 cases, including three foreigners, while Kerala has recorded 40 cases, which include seven foreign nationals.
Karnataka has 15 coronavirus patients. The number of cases in Ladakh rose to 13 and Jammu and Kashmir four. Telangana has reported 19 cases, which include 11 foreigners.
Rajasthan has also reported 17 cases, including that of two foreigners. Gujarat has reported seven cases so far.
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand have reported three cases each.
West Bengal, Odisha and Punjab each reported two cases while Puducherry, Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh reported one case each.
In Haryana, there are 17 cases, which include 14 foreigners.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NEW DELHI: India’s economic growth could take a hit of up to half a percentage point in FY21 because of the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, early estimates by the government suggest. But independent economists see a deeper cut of up to one percentage point. “There will be a hit of 0.3-0.5% on the GDP in the next fiscal year,” said one of the officials aware of the estimate.
“Growth in the first two quarters of the next fiscal could be as low as 4-4.5%,” another official added. The economy is forecast to grow 5% in current fiscal, the slowest in 11 years. The Economic Survey had forecast 6-6.5% rise in FY21, but Covid-19 has hurt recovery prospects.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked top verticals within the government, including the Niti Aayog, the Economic Advisory Council to the PM and finance ministry to assess the economic impact of the novel coronavirus. “India is relatively insulated from the global value chain and to that extent impact on India will be less,” Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das said on Monday. “But India is integrated into the global economy, so there will be some impact.” Independent experts have called for fiscal and monetary stimuli.
FIRST HIT ON SERVICES Sectors such as tourism, aviation, hospitality and trade will face the first brunt of the severe travel, assembly and activity curbs imposed by the governments across the world, followed by a wider impact on other sectors as economic activity stalls.
Moody’s has downgraded India’s growth to 5.3% in 2020 due to downside risks of Covid-19. “By first quarter in the next fiscal, we can definitely see a shaving off of at least half a per cent of GDP, which could go up to 1% depending on how much it permeates through the economy,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at CARE Ratings, pencilling in 5.5% growth for FY21. DK Srivastava, chief policy adviser at EY, said the impact would be limited to a 0.5 percentage point downward revision in the current and next quarter if the situation was contained within a month. However, if it dragged on till May, then GDP growth in FY21 could dip to 4%, he said. The “supply side contagion effect” will impact manufacturing, agriculture and the pharmaceutical industry, said Bornali Bhandari, an economist at the National Council of Applied Economic Research. Sectors such as consumer durables, automobiles and pharmaceuticals will feel the brunt of supply constraints. “On top of the likely consumption slowdown, production is also going to be hit,” said DK Pant, chief economist at India Ratings and Research. In the current situation, “no one is going to pile up inventories”. According to Sabnavis, banks will also have to be wary of a rise in non-performing assets (NPAs). If the shutdown on travel and malls continues for a month or more, a zero-revenue situation will definitely impact the ability to service loans, he said.
SOME PROTECTION China, where the coronavirus began, is likely to see a contraction in GDP in the first quarter of 2020 — the first contraction since 1998. The US and Europe are expected to slip into recession by July, dragging down overall growth.
India may not suffer as much, given that it has a smaller exposure to the global economy — exports of services and goods are only a fifth of the total economy. Lower oil prices will provide a cushion, boosting government revenue and creating room in household budgets.
“The correction in the CPI inflation in January 2020 has anyway opened the door for a rate cut in the next policy meeting,” said Aditi Nayar, principal economist at ICRA, adding that modest transmission could weaken its impact.
Monetary and fiscal policy will both be unable to arrest the slowdown but could reduce its intensity, said Sabnavis, citing the muted impact the Federal Reserve’s rate cut had on the US and global markets.
Srivastava suggested a 25-basis-point reduction in the repo rate. “The government should relax the fiscal deficit by another 25 basis points of GDP and direct the funds towards the health sector, since it is beneficial in the long run,” he added.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
