Coronavirus India Updates: Covid-19 Cases In India At 31,787; Death Toll Crosses 1,000

In the wake of rising coronavirus cases, authorities in Faridabad on Thursday ordered restrictions over movement of government employees and regular people from other districts or states.

According to an order issued by Faridabad's Deputy Commissioner Yash Pal, those government employees and regular people who commute daily from other districts or states, their movement has been stopped with effect from 12 pm on April 29.

"Doctors, paramedics, bank employees and police are allowed to enter the district only till 12 p.m. of April 29 with their valid identity cards after which no relaxation for movement will be given," the order said.

Those working in neighbouring places like Delhi that includes doctors, paramedics, bank employees and police personnel will have to make arrangements to stay at their workplace, it said, adding the directions will remain applicable till May 3.

However, ambulances, vehicles transporting essential supplies and those involved in banking and gas services will be allowed to enter the district.

The movement passes issued by the Centre under special circumstances will be recognised and such pass holders will be allowed to enter Faridabad, which abuts Delhi.

Faridabad district has reported 46 coronavirus cases and is closely behind other worst-hit districts Gurgaon (51) and Nuh (57).

Earlier, Haryana's Home Minister Anil Vij had said that the state's borders with Delhi were “sealed” with essential services allowed but stricter restrictions imposed on those coming in from the national capital.

Vij had said that many of the coronavirus cases in NCR districts, including Sonipat, Gurgaon and Faridabad, have been found to have contracted infection from the national capital.

He said that daily movement of the employees working in Delhi to their residences in Haryana increases the risk of spreading Covid-19.

Source: PTI

With the coronavirus pandemic taking a toll on jobs, recruitment software product firm Talentrackr Technologies has launched a platform to connect those who have been laid off with prospective employers.

The Pune-based firm which has been in the market from past 12 years in the HR industry is impressing upon all employers to give preference to people who got laid off due to the Covid-19 pandemic and consider them over other candidates who applied for lateral job change.

The company that has corporate clients such Sony Software, Lodha Group, Growel, Talent Anywhere, Parisons and Rucha Engineering, connected with a network of over 20,000 HR personnel, said within a day of its platform going live it has already received over 150 applications from across sectors spanning from IT, manufacturing, automobile, retail to telecom.

"While discussing with employers/clients we noticed a trend of layoffs/job cuts due to various reasons associated with the current situation. This platform is exclusively built for people who have lost their jobs," Talentrackr Technologies Co-founder and CEO Charan Pal Singh told PTI.

Source: PTI

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said the four-day total shutdown in Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore Corporation limits ending by today will not be extended.

It also announced a relaxation in the business hours of shops selling essential items including vegetables for April 30, saying they can function from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m..

Amidst rising Covid-19 cases in the state, Chief Minister K Palaniswami had on April 24 announced a complete shutdown from Sunday (April 26) in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai for four days, disallowing grocery shops as well and fully curtailing movement of the public.

The shutdown in the corporation limits of Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore, scheduled to end by Wednesday night, will revert to the pre-April 26 conditions, an official release here said.

On Wednesday, the government announced extending the business hours of shops selling essential items for Thursday, saying it will be applicable only for tomorrow.

"On April 30, to enable people buy essential items like vegetables, fruits and grocery, shops selling these will be allowed to remain open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m," the release said.

However, business hours will be curtailed from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. from the next day, May 1, in adherence to the lockdown conditions announced earlier.

The government urged the people to strictly follow social distancing while buying the essential items, besides asking them to remain patient and calm during shopping.

"People are directed to wear masks," while visiting the shops, it said cautioning them against the contagion.

Incidentally, people had given a go-by to all social distancing norms on Saturday, a day before the total lockdown kicked-in in the said cities and resorted to panic buying by swarming markets in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai to purchase essential commodities.

Source: PTI

MG Motor India on Wednesday said it has joined hands with Vadodara-based MAX Ventilator, a part of AB Industries, to increase ventilator production.

This collaboration with Max Ventilator, which is among the top 25 ventilator brands in the world and caters primarily to private hospitals, is focussed on assisting the overall production of ventilators by addressing specific areas of the supply chain, IT system and manufacturing processes, MG Motor India said in a statement.

The production capacity would be increased five times to 300 ventilators per month in Phase I, which should be completed within next eight weeks, it said.

"In Phase II, the production capacity can be enhanced up to 1,000 ventilators per month, depending upon the demand, especially from the government hospitals to help meet the shortage of the life-saving medical devices in the country," the company added.

Commenting on the partnership, MG Motor India President & Managing Director Rajeev Chaba said, "we understand that ventilators are the most critical requirement at this time, and we would do our best to enhance ventilator production.

"The collaboration comes as a result of aligned core values of both organisations and is designed to work towards the common goal of serving the communities around where our operations are based." AB Industries – MAX Ventilator Managing Director Ashok Patel said in such times of need, it is an admirable thing for all those capable to come forward and help in some way.

"As a manufacturing company of respiratory ventilators, this collaboration with MG Motor will help us to scale-up the production with our teams working together hand in hand. Collaborations like these will guarantee that we meet the requirements to treat the rising Covid-19 cases in India," he added.

MG Motor India had earlier stated that it was in talks with three medical device makers to produce ventilators at its Halol facility to help meet demand during the coronavirus pandemic.

Apart from developing ventilators in-house, the company had also announced a Rs 10 lakh support through grant to youngsters and young engineers who could design a low-cost ventilator.

Moreover, the company had pledged donation of Rs 2 crore to government hospitals and health institutions in Gurugram and Halol (Gujarat), where the carmaker's facilities are located, to fight coronavirus pandemic.

Source: PTI

• Over 2 Lakh H-1B Workers Could Lose Legal Status By June
• Risk Aversion Across Banks Delays Relief To The Economy
• Rakesh Mohan On Out-Of-The-Box Ideas For India Amid The Covid Crisis
• Alcohol Fight Shows States Battling Modi For Virus Billions
• ‘Hand-To-Mouth’ Crisis Fuels Calls For More Fiscal Aid
• The Pandemic Is Accelerating Coal’s Demise
• Job Loss From Covid-19 To Be ‘Much Worse’ Than In 2008

Global Update:

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. passed the 1 million mark and deaths topped 58,000, double the toll in Italy. France plans to begin reopening shops on May 11, while Spain is preparing for a “new normal” as Europe’s hardest-hit nation removes restrictions over the next eight weeks. The trend of overall cases is improving in Singapore.

Globally, total cases topped 3.1 million while deaths passed 2,16,000, as per John Hopkins data.

Track latest news updates on the evolving coronavirus situation in India here: