Corona virus updates 25-3-2020 Spain

Spain's coronavirus death toll overtook that of China on Wednesday, rising to 3,434 after 738 people died over the past 24 hours, the government said.

Across the world, only Italy now has a higher death toll than that of Spain. In China, where the virus emerged late last year, 3,281 people have died.

The spiralling number of deaths came as Spain entered the 11th day of an unprecedented lockdown to try and rein in the COVID-19 epidemic that has now infected 47,610 people, the health ministry said.As the authorities stepped up testing, the number of cases showed a 20 percent increase on the figures for Tuesday, while the death toll showed a 27 percent rise over the same period.

Despite the national lockdown imposed on March 14, which is to be extended until April 11, both deaths and infections have continued to mount, with officials warning this week would be particularly bad.

"We are approaching the peak," the ministry's emergencies coordinator Fernando Simon said in announcing the figures.

Health authorities are hoping it will soon become clear whether the lockdown is having the desired effect.

The Madrid region has suffered the brunt of the epidemic with 14,597 infections -- just under a third of the total -- and 1,825 deaths, or 53 percent of the national figure.

With hospitals on the brink of collapse from the surge in patients, troops have set up a massive field hospital in Madrid's vast IFEMA exhibition centre which currently has 1,500 beds but which could be expanded to take in up to 5,500 people -- making it the largest hospital in Spain.

And with the city's funeral services overwhelmed, officials have commandeered the Palacio de Hielo ice skating rink to serve as a temporary morgue.

Corona virus updates 25-3-2020

1. Amid a scramble for supplies, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged residents not to panic and said e-passes would be issued to vegetable-sellers and grocers among others to ensure essential supplies during the lockdown.
2. Safal, the fruits and vegetable brand of Mother Dairy, announced that all its outlets would be open. "Our stores' official timings are from 6 am - 2 pm and then 4 pm - 10 pm, in full capacity," said Safal Stores on their Twitter handle.
3. Moments after the PM's announcement, people in many states were seen rushing to the stores to stock up. People in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru were seen in images crowding around grocery stores. Many complained of soaring prices.
4. Shops shut down, fearing action by the police amid confusion over what can stay open. As states shut their borders, long queues of trucks carrying milk, fruits and vegetables crawled on the highway.
5. The home ministry put out rules asking states and Union Territories to keep a strict watch on rumours such as those claiming a shortage of food and other essential services and commodities.
6. The government also released guidelines that said fair price shops and those dealing with food, groceries, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, fish, animal fodder would remain open.
7. Walmart Inc's Flipkart has suspended services and Amazon India's pantry service, which delivers groceries, has been stopped. Anthony Thomas, a worker at a small online milk delivery service, who normally distributes 150 litres of milk and groceries in Delhi each morning, said his employer had told him to stay home, according to Reuters.
8. In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said for essential commodities or medicines, people could call a helpline and also assured doorstep delivery. But many people complained that their calls were handled rudely.
9. Visuals from states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu showed shops finding their own way of ensuring social distancing - by marking well-spaced circles for customers to stand in while they waited in queues.
10. While the lockdown is aimed at breaking the chain of transmission, shutting down a $2.9-trillion economy would cause widespread damage and especially hurt the poorest people, say experts. "The need of the hour is an economic package," said Madhura Swaminathan, head of the economic analysis unit of the Indian Statistical Institute in Bengaluru. "Asking people to stay at home is necessary, but that won't be enough for the majority of the population who cannot afford to sit at home without work and pay."

Corona updates 22-3-2020 india

1. At a meeting this morning, the railway board decided to stop the passenger train services till March 31.
2. Metro services in various cities as well as the interstate buses would follow suit. The suburban trains will run till tonight.
3. The railways said the passenger trains that are already on way will be allowed to reach their destination and adequate arrangements will be made for passengers.
4. "To ensure supply of essential items in various parts of the country, the movement of goods trains would continue,' a communique from the railways said.
5. International flights have already been banned for a week and many airlines have talked about reducing flights.
6. The government move came following a review meeting of the situation involving top officials of the Centre and the state.
7. A communique released after the meeting read, "It was agreed that there was an urgent need to extend the restrictions on the movement of non-essential passenger transport.
8. So far, 12 passengers who travelled in trains on March 13 and 16 have been found to be COVID-positive. On Saturday, a couple was pulled off a Delhi-bound Rajdhani train after co-passengers noticed a home quarantine seal on the man's hand.
9. Gujarat has announced a lockdown for four cities, Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara, until Wednesday. Only shops selling essentials like vegetables, dairy products, and medical items will remain open. West Bengal has also announced a partial lockdown from 5 pm, Monday, to March 28 midnight. While a complete transport lockdown across the state has been announced, six districts have been totally shut to check the spread of the virus. Those who violate the shutdown may face arrest, authorities said.

Many states suspended bus operations to prevent daily wage earners moving from cities to villages. Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "Many of my brothers and sisters are leaving the city where they earn a living and returning to their villages. Travelling in a crowd increases the risk of COVID19 infection. Wherever you're going, it'll pose danger to people there too. It will increase difficulties for them."