Health

New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) It has been a month. Of life slowing to a crawl, of going back to the basics, of recalibrating equations with family, friends and colleagues and waking up, as if from a dream, to the vast inequalities and commonalities that underlie Indian society.

Mumbai, Apr 24 (PTI) As the city is grappling with the rising number of coronavirus cases, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, the civic transport service, has converted seven of its AC mini-buses into ambulances.

These `semi-ambulances' will be used to ferry suspected coronavirus patients, or those who have only mild infection, to COVID-19 Care Centres, a senior official said.

Ahmedabad, Apr 24 (PTI) A woman Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) attached to the Ahmedabad city crime branch has tested coronavirus positive, an official said on Friday.

So far, 46 police personnel in the city have tested positive for the infection, the official said.

Nawada, Apr 24 (PTI) Already grappling with COVID-19 pandemic, Bihar has also reported bird flu cases from Nawada district, officials said on Friday.

Nawada District Magistrate Yashpal Meena said that samples collected from a poultry farm in Rajahat village under Akbarpur block of the district have been found positive for bird flu.

A total of 6,800 chicken have been culled so far, the DM said.

SINGAPORE, April 24 (NNN-CNA) — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Singapore will care for Indian migrant workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Lee outlined his phone call with Modi where both leaders discussed the ongoing COVID-19 situation in their respective countries.

PRETORIA, April 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 70,000 extra troops will be deployed in South Africa to help enforce a lockdown intended to stop the spread of coronavirus, President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced.

South Africa has had 3,465 confirmed coronavirus cases – second only to Egypt in Africa – and 58 deaths.

The country has some of the most stringent coronavirus lockdown restrictions in the world.

But security forces have struggled to enforce them.

LUANDA, April 24 (NNN-ANGOP) — Angola’s National Assembly (Parliament) approved the second extension of the 15-day State of Emergency in the country, as part of the effort to arrest the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The decision followed a petition from President João Lourenço for the purpose, which was unanimously backed by the Parliament.  

MADRID, April 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — By the time children under 14 are allowed out of their homes again on Sunday, Spain’s lockdown will have been in place for six weeks.

The government has now given details of how it’ll work under a so-called 1-1-1 rule. Up to three children will be allowed out with one responsible adult for one hour and for up to 1km from their home.

COPENHAGEN, April 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization said Europe was seeing an “unimaginable human tragedy” at its care homes, where deaths from the new coronavirus accounted for up to 50 percent in some countries.

The WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, called the situation “deeply concerning.”

Speaking at a weekly press conference, Kluge said estimates from some European countries showed that “up to half of those who have died from COVID-19 were residents in long-term care facilities.”

LIMA, April 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Peru will release under amnesty about 3,000 prisoners including those who are particularly at risk from the coronavirus pandemic, the justice minister has said.

The disease has killed at least seven inmates, and infected more than 40 in Peru’s overcrowded prisons along with 26 wardens.

“We are going to amnesty approximately 3,000 detainees who fall into the groups vulnerable to the coronavirus,” Minister Fernando Castaneda said on the ATV channel.

He said the government would issue a decree on Thursday formalizing the measure.