<p>Karnataka sees a further drop in cases, 28 new cases were reported today. The first special train chugged into Bengaluru from New Delhi and was met with chaos. And migrant workers can look forward to 2 months of free food grain from the ₹20 lakh crore economic package.</p>.<p>The daily update with Akhil Kadidal and Suraksha Pinnu.</p>.<p>Link to AIR's YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2Tlku99 </p>.<p>---</p>.<p>Full Text:</p>.<p>This the daily Covid update from Deccan Herald.<br />On the bulletin today:<br />Karnataka reports 28 new cases, a further drop since yesterday...Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announces measures for migrant workers as part of the 20 lakh crore economic package and chaos greets the first set of train passengers who arrived in Bengaluru from New Delhi.<br />But first, a look at the daily figures.<br />---<br />As we go into this recording..the country has reported over 81,000 cases since January...More than 51,000 people are active carriers of the virus in the country.<br />Over 27,000 patients have recovered since they were first tested and...The country has registered 2,644 covid-related deaths so far. <br />---<br />ICMR tested more than 92,000 samples for the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, and has conducted more than 19 lakh tests so far.<br />---<br />Moving on, a quick look at how the states did today.<br />There is no let down in Maharashtra, the state recorded 1602 new cases and 44 deaths today. The state has more than 20,000 active patients.<br />At 447 new cases, Tamil Nadu has seen numbers drop for the second consecutive day.<br />Delhi also recorded its highest single day spike with 472 cases. While no new deaths were reported, the death toll was updated, taking into account earlier deaths. Gujarat has reported 325 new cases and has over 5000 active cases.<br />---<br />28 new cases have been reported from Karnataka today. Of which 8 have a domestic travel history to Mumbai and Ahmedabad, 4 are from containment zones and 1 has presented with Influenza-Like-Illness. The rest are contacts of previously diagnosed patients.</p>.<p>Bidar has reported 7 cases today, of which 3 are from containment wards, 1 has a travel history to mumbai and the rest are contacts of a previously diagnosed patient.<br />Mandya and Bengaluru have reported 5 cases each. 4 patients in Mandya have a travel history to Mumbai and the rest from both cities are direct contacts of other patients.<br />Gadag has reported 4 cases, all of whom have a travel history to Ahmedabad. Davangere has reported 3 cases of whom 1 is from a containment ward, 1 has Influenza-Like-Illness and 1 is a contact of previously diagnosed patient.<br />2 patients from Kalaburagi are direct contacts of previously diagnosed patients and Belagavi and Bagalkote have reported 1 case each - both have a domestic travel history.</p>.<p>2 deaths were reported today. Patient 507, an 89-year-old woman from Dakshina Kannada, who had been admitted due to a stroke, tested positive for Covid and died due to a septic shock.<br />Patient-796, 60 year old man who is a resident of Ananthapur in Andhra Pradesh was admitted at a Covid hospital in Bengaluru, with severe pneumonia, respiratory distress and hypotension. He died due to cardiac arrest.</p>.<p>With this, the state has reported 987 cases in total. There are 491 active cases, 9 of whom are in the ICU. 460 patients have recovered, while 35 have died. The state has tested more than 7000 samples in the last 24 hours.<br />----<br />Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the second part of the 20 lakh crore economic package today. The announcement focused on migrant workers, street vendors, small farmers, shop keepers.<br />The government will implement One Nation One Ration Card by August, which is aimed at allowing migrants to receive food grains from any fair price shop in the country. <br />Free food grain will be supplied for the migrants for the next two months, those without a ration card are also entitled to supplies. While the Centre will bear the expense, the responsibility of distribution rests with the State governments. <br />50 lakh street vendors will be provided access to a special credit facility of 5000 rupees, the scheme will be implemented within a month.<br />For detailed analysis, log on to our website at deccanherald.com<br />---<br />Under attack from the opposition over the migrant workers’ crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi allocated 1,000 crore rupees from the PM-CARES Fund for providing medical treatment and making travel arrangements for the labourers.<br />The allocation of 1,000 crore rupees for migrant workers would be made to state governments and union territories on the basis of the 2011 Census.<br />---<br />However, all of these efforts, as necessary as they are, might have come too late as migrant workers continue to head back home in any way they can, at great risk to their lives.</p>.<p>6 migrant workers walking along the Muzaffarnagar-Saharanpur highway, have been killed after a speeding bus ran over them.</p>.<p>In Madhya Pradesh, 8 labourers have died & around 50 were injured after the truck they were travelling in collided with a bus. All the 8 killed labourers were going to their native places in UP from Maharashtra.</p>.<p>In Bihar, 2 migrant workers were killed, and 12 injured in a road accident. The bus was carrying 32 migrant labourers, and was going from Muzaffarpur to Katihar.<br />---<br />Migrant workers returning home, by both domestic and international travel will have to undergo RT-PCR based pooled sampling to determine the prevalence of Covid-19.<br />In pooled testing, blood samples from many individuals is tested as one specimen. If the specimen is negative, it results in cost savings. However, if the specimen is positive, individual testing is carried out for that pool.<br />The tests will be conducted at all institutional quarantine centres receiving travellers, and at other facilities or hotels ear-marked for quarantine.<br />The Centre also asked health authorities to conduct similar tests for surveillance purposes in green zones and districts that have not reported a Covid-19 case for the past 21 days.<br />---<br />In news from Karnataka....The first special train from New Delhi arrived in Bengaluru this morning and despite having had 2 days to plan, there was chaos at the station. Passengers said that they were informed about mandatory institutional quarantine only AFTER they had boarded the train, and the hotel tariff of 750 per day was far too high for many.<br />Several passengers chanted ‘home quarantine’ in response to the options available to them.<br />Nearly 800 passengers of the 900 who travelled on the train have agreed to institutional quarantine, as have 30 of those who were demanding home quarantine. The rest have asked to be sent back to Delhi and according to S Suresh Kumar, the official spokesperson for Covid-19 matters in Karnataka, a special bogey is being arranged to take them back.<br />According to sources in the railways, quarantine is a state responsibility.<br />----<br />Staying with Bengaluru, plans to conduct mass testing of more than 7000 households at Padarayanapura, are proceeding slowly, following unrest yesterday. <br />Just 11 people were tested today, and testing the zone may take as many as 16 days to complete.<br />Residents of the neighbouring ward, Rayapuram which is a green zone, had objected to the use of a fever hospital in the area, to conduct these tests.<br />Health officials have now deployed a mobile fever clinic bus outside JJ Nagar police station. According to BBMP officials, two more testing kiosks will be placed at the JJ Nagar hospital. <br />Padaranayapura is among 21 Wards in the city which have a containment zone. As of Thursday afternoon, 54 out 189 cases reported in Bengaluru, have come from Padarayanapura.<br />Fears of community transmission have increased after 7 people tested positive in a round of random testing. These cases had not been in contact with previously diagnosed patients.<br />---<br />Moving on, a letter by Congress leaders CM Ibrahim and Abdul Jabbar to the Chief Minister seeking permission to permit Eid prayers in mosques and Idgahs, has faced criticism on social media.<br />Several people have accused the leaders of risking public health by seeking permission for public congregation amid pandemic.<br />At present, owing to the lockdown, the state government has prohibited congregations in mosques requesting the community to pray at homes during the month of Ramzan. <br />---<br />In other news, the Karnataka government released 2 crore rupees to the Prisons department, to purchase essential equipment to fight the spread of Covid-19.<br />The Director-General of Police, (Prisons), Karnataka had written to the state government seeking funds to equip the jails to fight the Covid-19 outbreak. The letter highlighted that several undertrials are sent to judicial custody on a daily basis, and stressed on the need for testing such undertrials.<br />Following the proposal, the state government on Wednesday released 2 crore rupees for purchase of PPEs for medical personnel at the jail hospitals, wardens and other staffers at Prisons. Further, the government has directed prison officials that the sanctioned amount shall be used only for Covid-19 related purposes.<br />---<br />And before we go, <br />The Bengaluru station of All India Radio is mining its archives during the lockdown, and is posting interviews of all-time greats on its YouTube channel.<br />The interviews date back to 1971, and feature many stalwarts who are no more. Writers interviewed include Bendre, Kuvempu, Devanooru Mahadeva, U R Anantha Murthy, P Lankesh, & R K Lakshman among many others.<br />Among the film personalities featured are director Puttanna Kanagal and legendary actor Dr Rajkumar.<br />The interactions go back to the pre-TV era, when radio used to be the only means of entertainment.<br />Check out the videos in the link given in the description below.<br />---<br />For the latest updates, log on to deccanherald.com. <br /> </p>
