Would you report to a hospital if you displayed symptoms of the coronavirus? A recent poll conducted by a civic engagement app suggests that as many as 22% of people would not disclose symptoms to a hospital, out of fear of quarantine facilities. The Neta App, which aims to foster political accountability, asked this question in a poll on the platform after news reportedly emerged of a family with foreign travel history who showed symptoms of COVID-19. They reportedly had a pact with neighbours

Amidst the growing communal narrative around the spread of COVID-19 in the country, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday asserted that the coronavirus doesn't discriminate based on caste, class and religion. In a video message to the people of his state, Jagan said that it's time to fight COVID-19 by standing together as Indians. Jagan asked people to desist from portraying the Tablighi Jamaat in a negative light over the developments that unfolded at its congregation i

As India attempts to flatten the curve of coronavirus and is currently under a 21-day lockdown period, some states are continuing to see a steady rise in cases. The 21-day lockdown is due to the viruss incubation period of 14 days, and it is expected to end on April 14. Cases in India have crossed 3,700. As testing increases, some states are recording spikes in cases and number of deaths. Experts say that India should still be testing more than it currently is, and the number of cases detected i

India has ramped up testing since the 21-day lockdown began on March 25. This even as the number of cases reported in the country have increased.   According to ICMRs 9 pm bulletin on April 4, a total of 79,950 samples have been tested and 3,113 individuals have been confirmed positive among suspected cases and contacts of known positive cases in India.  On 04 April 2020, till 9 pm, 11,182 samples were reported. Of these, 324 were tested positive. This is the most number of sample

The Press Council of India on Friday asked the print media to stop the publicity and advertisement of AYUSH-related claims for COVID-19 treatment in order to prevent dissemination of misleading information about AYUSH drugs and services.  In an order on Wednesday, the Ministry of Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) had directed all concerned Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathic (ASU&H) Regulatory Authorities in states and union territ

Its day 65 of the COVID-19 epidemic in India, and several doctors and nurses at the forefront of this battle are falling sick. Here is a look at a few of the cases reported in the media and highlighted by doctors on social media to draw attention to the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for nurses and doctors. One of the first cases of a doctor contracting the disease was of the 63-year-old doctor from Kalburagi in Karnataka who treated the 75-year-old man who was the first person to d

We tend to crave something the moment were told we cant do it. It is human nature, says Tushar*, who works in a media company, and lives on his own in Delhi. While he has never been much of an extrovert or outdoorsy, and would generally hang out at home most of the time he wasnt working, the 21-day lockdown has exacerbated his feelings of loneliness. Earlier, there was going to work, seeing a few friendly faces, banter. With the lockdown, there have been entire days where I haven't said a single

India has ramped up testing since the 21-day lockdown was announced on March 24, even as more cases have been reported in the country. While public health experts have called for wider testing to check for community transmission of COVID-19, the Indian Council of Medical Researchs (ICMR) guidelines limit testing to only certain categories. These are those who have international travel history and are symptomatic; those who have contact history with a confirmed COVID-19 case and have symptoms of

The official broadcasting agency of the government is warning citizens to refrain from using alcohol-based hand sanitisers on Sunday, April 5 while lighting candles or diyas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the countrys citizens to turn off the lights in their homes for nine minutes at 9 pm and light lamps to support the fight against coronavirus.  Public broadcasting agency Prasar Bharati on Saturday advised citizens not to use alcohol-based sanitisers during that time as they are i

The Prime Ministers call for a nine-minute blackout at 9 pm on April 5 sent the electricity management authorities into a huddle, as they tried to figure out how they would manage the sudden dip and then peak in power demand when people switch off and switch on lights. However, officials have said that they are prepared to deal with the challenges. The PM has asked people to switch off the lights for nine minutes and light lamps or put on their cell phone lights in the balconies or at the d

As many as six Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel stationed at Mumbai airport in Maharashtra have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of positive cases among the central force to 11. The first case of a CISF jawan being diagnosed with the viral disease was reported on March 28.  After the first case, the armed police force reported four more cases of COVID-19 among the personnel stationed at the airport on Thursday. On the same day, the CISF collected sa

In wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a novel foot operated hand washing mechanism has been devised by staff at the South Western Railways. In a statement, the Railways said that as suggested by the medical community, washing hands frequently can prevent spread of COVID-19 but the hand washing arrangements present at working places where large numbers of people work itself are a potential threat for virus transmission. To counter this, a novel method was devised as instructed by Arvind Malkhede, Div

Does your entire family believe that NASA has recorded the coronavirus leaving India because crores of Indians clapped together? Or that lighting diyas can kill the virus this Sunday? Are you getting forwards about what Taiwan doctors think you should do to prevent COVID-19? In these uncertain times, misinformation can add to the confusion, creating panic or a false sense of assurance. Many people do not pause to verify information that they receive on messaging apps like WhatsApp, and immediate

The government on Thursday launched a mobile app to help people assess themselves the risk of catching coronavirus infection and alert authorities if they have come in close contact with a person infected with the deadly virus. According to a ministry official, the app will detect only fresh cases and will send out alerts to only those who have been nearby the infected person.The App, called 'Aarogya Setu' joins Digital India for the health and well-being of every Indian. It will enable people t

Panchayats one-line premise; a lone urban man in an unfamiliar rural surrounding is pretty much the gist of English August by Upamanyu Chatterjee that had its uninterested public servant Agastya Sen struggle in his post as a civil servant in rural India. But perhaps since Panchayat, now streaming on Amazon Prime, is created by The Viral Fever (TVF), it tells a similar story, but replaces substance abuse and masturbation with humour and pathos in equal doses. When he finds no other jobs and just

The Editors Guild of India has said it is deeply perturbed over the government blaming the media in the Supreme Court for causing panic among migrant workers, leading to their exodus in the wake of the lockdown, and asserted that such actions could obstruct the process of dissemination of news. In a statement, the Guild said that blaming the media at this juncture can only undermine the current work being done by it under trying circumstances.The Editors Guild of India is deeply perturbed over t

Airlines in the country can accept domestic bookings after April 14, provided the lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus is not further extended, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday.  The Minister further added that any international flights to bring Indians stranded abroad will also operate only after April 14, once the nationwide lockdown is lifted.  We can start resumption of International flights on a case by case basis, after that (lockdown is re

A special passenger flight arranged by the Oman government will evacuate the Oman nationals stuck in India due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes 53 people who have been stuck in Kerala and 37 people in Tamil Nadu, following the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oman nationals who are in Kochi had come to Kerala for various Ayurvedic and Allopathic treatments. Most of them had reached Kerala on March 3 and have been stuck in the state following the imposition of the nationwide lockdown. But they have

The hospitality industry has been severely affected the world over due to coronavirus, with the travel and tourism industry virtually coming to a standstill. As in the aviation industry, the hotels industry is seeing pay cuts and layoffs in order to stay afloat and tide over this period.  OYO Hotels and Homes founder Ritesh Agarwal announced on Thursday that he would be taking a 100% pay cut for the rest of the year, and the companys leadership has taken a voluntary pay cut between 25-50%,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that at 9 pm on April 5 (Sunday), he wants the countrys residents to show coronavirus the power of light for nine minutes. We have to awaken the energy of 130 crore Indians. At 9 pm at April 5, I want nine minutes from you. Switch off all your lights, stand at your door or balcony, light a candle, lamp, a torch or your phone's flashlight, and keep it on for nine minutes, he said, adding that when all Indians do this exercise together, they will be able