5 !" -./ !" !& &2 &67'' ! 8#') 5-!7 : # ' # $%& $'#( 7 )& %8 ' %' '%#%& ##)##' *+(,,, # ## &% &% & % 8%& &% 9&%'%: ;%9%% . 012 30 !"#$%&$"'('()* 4%#5/.%"" ICMR. “Widespread antibody test- ome Saturday and India ing could also provide key Cwill introduce a new way of data for efforts to model the testing that would identify course of the pandemic. coronavirus infection through Current predictions vary so detection of antibody in a widely, causing some scientists patient. to question the need for severe The rapid antibody tests, containment methods such as also known as serology test, will lockdowns and social distanc- be carried out first in “hotspot” ing. By indicating how much of ) ) regions in urban and rural the population is already clusters. India has reportedly immune because of mild infec- fter clapping and beating of ! '( procured nearly 5 lakh such tions, antibody data could offer Autensils, now it is time to antibody-based rapid testing a key to how fast the virus will light up lamps to “show soli- tips to the citizens to cope with kits already. continue to spread,” says write darity in the fight against the situations emerging from This is not a confirmatory up in the Science magazine. Covid-19”. Light candles, diyas the lockdown, in force since test but the result will come Meanwhile, Union Health and mobile torches at 9 pm this midnight March 25. much quicker and will have to Minister Harsh Vardhan has Sunday for nine minutes to The PM’s message came a be confirmed by an RTPCR test appealed to patients and their energise self and the country to day after he held a meeting using throat or nasal swab to families not to create any obsta- wage a decisive fight against with the Chief Ministers and detect the presence of genetic cle in the path of doctors and coronavirus, says Prime asked them to “formulate a material of the coronavirus. expressed concerns over mis- Minister Narendra Modi. common exit strategy to ensure In the antibody tests, blood behaviour with doctors. “This Sunday on April 5, staggered re-emergence of the testing is done to trace virus in we have to challenge coron- population once the lockdown the human body instead of the 3 avirus. I need your nine min- ends” on April 14. traditional testing of nasal or utes at 9 pm. Switch off the Continued on Page 4 throat swab. The outcome will 0 4 lights of your house. Light up show whether a person had a candle, lamp or use the contacted the disease and New Delhi: The US embassy in mobile torch. This light will ! recovered on his own. New Delhi on Friday said one show that we are together in The rapid tests will be con- of its employees had tested pos- this battle,” said the Prime ducted on symptomatic cases ! " #$%& '( itive for the novel coronavirus. Minister in a nationwide and even those with “milder According to a news report on address this morning. symptoms”. The decision fol- possibility that 30 per cent of Council of Medical Research China, and the other five are revised its strategy to include all Friday, the US envoy to India, He asserted no one must lows concern regarding spread these people are already carry- (ICMR) had issued an interim from the United States and hospitalised patients of severe Kenneth Juster, in an email gather on roads. “The only way of the disease after the exodus ing novel coronavirus infection. advisory on Thursday on the Singapore. At present, symp- acute respiratory infection dated 1 April informed to break the chain of coron- of workers from cities to their Health Ministry Joint use of the rapid antibody test tomatic individuals who have (SARI) for testing. employees of the mission that avirus is to maintain social dis- pposition leaders on villages and the recent spread Secretary Lav Agarwal on and has finalised modalities in undertaken international trav- Currently, China, South an “American had tested posi- tancing,” he said. Modi said OFriday slammed Prime of the infection through Friday at a Press briefing said this regard. el in the last 14 days, sympto- Korea, Japan and the US are tive” and also sought to allay amid the nationwide lockdown Minister Narendra Modi for Tablighi Jamaat congregation in from Saturday antibody rapid So far, the ICMR has given matic contacts of positive manufacturing antibody testing any apprehension of infection to fight coronavirus, none exhorting people to light can- Delhi’s Nizamuddin area which tests will be conducted and a approval to 12 antibody-based Covid-19 cases and sympto- kits to detect Covid-19. An spreading by saying that the should feel alone, the massive dles on Sunday evening, say- the Government has identified guideline in this regard is in the rapid test kits for novel coron- matic healthcare workers are ICMR official said presently mission was in the process of collective power of 130 crore ing they had expected him to as one of the 71 risk hotspots. final stage. avirus detection, which will hit tested for coronavirus. Apart there are a total 182 labs, “contact tracing” and providing people is with everyone. announce a second financial The Government told the Following decision by the the Indian pharma market from this, on March 21, the including 52 in private sector medical support to those who Since the outbreak of coro- package to alleviate the pain Supreme Court that there is a empowered group, the Indian soon. Seven of these are from Government and ICMR that have been approved by the may have been exposed. navirus, Modi has been giving and anxieties of the people. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said he lis- tened to the “Pradhan # Showman” where there was ! nothing about how to ease people’s pain, their burdens, their financial anxieties”. $ '(() *+,- & # / While former Finance Minister P Chidambaram ed on Friday, number of coro- Jharkhand, Karnataka, to carelessness by some people, advised the PM to listen to the & navirus cases in Maharashtra Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil he said in an apparent reference Opposition and to the wise jumped to 490 and death toll Nadu, Telangana Uttarakhand to the Tablighi Jamaat. counsel of epidemiologists rose to 26. and Uttar Pradesh. “We should understand and economists, Trinamool vice of Tablighi Jamaat mem- Second place was Tamil The Joint Secretary said that we are dealing with the Congress MP Mahua Moitra bers. “Women officers and Nadu which recoded 102 cases that in the past few days the infectious disease, he said asked Modi to “get real” and ix member of the Tablighi workers should not be on Friday taking it overall tally cases were coming at a partic- underlining the importance of provide a fiscal package to SJamaat quarantined at a deployed to treat and provide to 441, while Delhi stood at the ular level, which showed that ensuring social distancing protect poor workers. “Turn hospital in Ghaziabad misbe- security to quarantined third place with 384 positive lockdown aimed towards social norms during the lockdown out lights and come on bal- haved with the nurses, making Tablighi Jamaat members. Only cases and Kerala was placed distancing was working effec- announced by Prime Minister conies,” she asked in a tweet. lewd remarks, dropping their male health staff and cops will fourth with 295 cases. tively. Narenendra Modi on March Continued on Page 4 pants and walking naked be posted in such wards hous- Telengaga recorded 75 new The sudden rise it is due 24, 2020. around the wards, provoking ing Jamaat members,” said a cases taking the toll to 229 fol- the Uttar Pradesh Government statement issued by the State lowed by Uttar Pradesh which to invoke the stringent National Government on Friday. added 44 new cases to take the Security Act against them. In the complaint, a nurse total to 172 cases, 34 of which 0 The Chief Medical Officer alleged that the Tablighi mem- have come from Noida alone. of MMG Hospital in his letter bers roamed without their As many as 647 COVID-19 to the Ghaziabad Police stated, trousers in the hospital, sang positive cases were found in 14 12)1 “The members of the Tablighi vulgar songs and made ugly States in the last two days are Jamaat who are kept at the iso- gestures towards female staff. linked to the Tablighi Jamaat lation ward of the hospital, have Continued on Page 4 congregation. Out of the 12 mission from foreign travel. been roaming in their wards * ! deaths reported in the last 24 91 new positive cases were naked.” # hours some are related to the he total number of coron- reported in the last 24 hours. Calling those involved in Tablighi Jamaat congregation, Tavirus cases in Delhi has The CM also announced the indecent behaviour with reported in the past 24 hours. Joint Secretary in the Health risen to 384 — third highest in the COVID-19 WhatsApp female members of the nursing Nearly 9,000 people who Ministry Lav Agarwal said in a India — including 259 who helpline number to provide staff “enemies of humanity”, 0 0$ he number of positive cases attended New Delhi’s Tablighi daily media briefing. were evacuated from credible information at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Tin India crossed 3,000- Jamaat congregation between The Joint Secretary said Nizamuddin Markaz, Chief 8800007722. In Noida, a 55- Yogi Adityanath said, “ They New Delhi: Doctors from var- mark on Friday night, report- March 10 and 15 have been 647 positive cases of the coro- Minister Arvind Kejriwal said year-old man and his son test- will neither accept the law nor ious hospitals in Delhi, where ing major increase in traced across 14 States in India.