With the death of one more employee this weekend, the toll of BEST employees succumbing to COVID-19 is two, while four have recovered and have been discharged.

Sources said that an employee from the transport engineering department of Backbay bus depot died at KEM Hospital.

"The employee had reported to work and has been listed on duty until April 21, after which he fell ill. This clearly shows he laid his life working for the BEST Undertaking. His next of kin should be offered a job in the BEST and his family should be given an amount of R1 crore out of medical insurance," Shashank Sharad Rao, general secretary of the BEST Workers' Union said.

A BEST spokesperson confirmed the development and said the employee was suffering from high blood pressure and had been absent from work since April 22. He tested positive for Coronavirus on May 1 and died on May 3.

The first employee BEST lost to Coronavirus was a foreman working for the electric supply branch. He tested positive for Coronavirus on April 2. Since March 16, he had been admitted to a private hospital and had kidney-related ailments. He resumed work at Wadala depot on March 20 after and worked till March 22, after which he died.

On the other hand, there have been success stories too. A BEST spokesperson said a BEST bus conductor, who was diabetic, was admitted with COVID-19 since April 18. He recovered and was recently discharged. Another employee residing at the Parel staff quarters has also recovered. In addition, BEST has seen no positive cases since May 1.

BEST in numbers

. 30: No. of employees recuperating from COVID-19
. 8,865: No. of employees tested
. 1,500: No. of high-risk employees told to stay home
. 400: No. of employees recommended home-quarantine as a precaution

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Over the past six days, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has recorded a total of 124 COVID-19 deaths, almost double of the toll recorded between April 22 and April 27 (59), making it one of the major causes of concern for the city. With four BMC workers succumbing to the viral infection in the last two days, 21 deaths were reported just on Sunday.

Of the 124 deaths, 60 are in the age group of 40 to 60 years, three are aged below 40, and the remaining 61 are above 60 years of age. As per the civic body's data, 2,144 new cases and 59 deaths were reported between April 22 and April 27. Another 3,024 cases got added between April 28 and May 3. Meanwhile, 441 new cases were reported on Sunday taking the city's tally to 8,613.

Sources in the BMC said that they had formed a four-tier system to deal with the COVID-19 cases. Around 2,000 asymptomatic patients have been shifted from hospitals to COVID-19 quarantine centres across the city so that the health workers can focus on the treatment of serious patients.

Meanwhile, the number of patients in Dharavi is also increasing by the day. On Sunday, 94 new cases and two deaths were reported in the area. So far, the total number of patients in the largest slum of the city has reached 590 with 20 deaths. Mahim has reported 16 new cases with the total being 68 in the area.

Four BMC workers die
A total of four BMC workers, including a BEST staff, involved in fieldwork related to COVID-19 have died over the past two days.

A 46-year-old staff was working in the labour ward of civic-run Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi, where a pregnant woman had tested positive for the virus. The worker was a high-risk contact and had tested positive for the virus too, after which he was admitted to Rajawadi hospital in Ghatkopar. However, he succumbed to the infection on Saturday.

One motor loader, 49, working with the solid waste management department in BMC died due to the viral infection on Saturday. Another worker of N ward and deputed at the MCMCR training unit in Powai for COVID-19 related work died the same day.

Speaking to mid-day, Ramakant Bane, general secretary of the municipal union, said, "The workers are worried about their and their family members' health. With the growing number of COVID-19 cases, the BMC should test their workers on priority."

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in the city, on Monday, Mumbai's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood in the poor category as the AQI dropped to 133, as per AQI India. The poor category of air quality in Mumbai is an indicator that such air quality can provide difficulty in breathing.

Air Quality Index (AQI) across different parts of Mumbai

According to AQI India, an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is moderate, 101-200 poor, 201-300 unhealthy, 301-400 severe and 401-500 is marked as hazardous. While Mumbai's overall air quality was poor, several parts of the city including Bandra (31 AQI), Worli (42 AQI), Powai (24 AQI), Kurla (44 AQI) reported good air quality. Sion, on the other hand reported AQI of 1094 which as per the AQI parameter is hazardous.

A snapshot of Air Quality Index (AQI) across different cities in India

In other cities of the country such as Delhi (83 AQI), Ahmedabad (90 AQI), Bengaluru (101 AQI) reported moderate air quality which is acceptable for healty adults but may pose a threat to senstive individuals as per the parameter reading.

Data sourced from aqi.in

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Call it red-tape or over-sensitivity about allowing non-essential shops to remain open in Mumbai amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but government agencies, especially the BMC, were apprehensive through most of Monday about allowing liquor shops to resume business even as thousands lined up for their favourite tipple since early morning.

The state government issued orders on Sunday that standalone retail liquor shops could do business in red, orange and green zones excluding containment areas between 10 am and 6 pm from Monday.

Following the state order, the State Excise Department's Mumbai city and suburban superintendents and district collectors came up with joint notifications a few hours before the 6 pm deadline and a little after 3.30 pm, some liquor shops opened, with some of them allowing only one bottle per customer.

A man with his liquor stock in Sion on Monday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

However, the BMC hadn't made any announcement till 5 pm. Some of its assistance commissioners tweeted early morning that non-essentials shops (including liquor shops) should not be opened without the BMC nod.

Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi did not respond to text messages. When told about the chaos, Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta assured to look into the matter. A senior BMC official said in the two video-conferences that Pardeshi held with state government bureaucrats, liquor shops were not discussed.

Meantime, Principal Secretary Bhushan Gagrani, in-charge of media relations for state government's COVID-19 mitigation, said in a press conference online that local authorities like municipal commissioners and district collectors are authorised to overrule the state's common guidelines under the powers vested in them by the Epidemic Diseases Act. But he said local authorities were told to issue separate orders elucidating the reasons behind stalling the state guideline. Nagpur and Aurangabad Collectors have specifically told state bosses that they won't allow liquor shops to reopen. Whereas, other collectors, who thought of allowing the measure, were prompt in circulating orders to retailers and other stakeholders.

A senior excise department official told mid-day that Greater Mumbai's case was different. "Here at least four agencies are involved in decision-making. We followed the state's orders and issued our own notifications that would also go to licensed retailers. BMC and city police are the other two agencies which have been working jointly in COVID-19 mitigation and they know the fight and its nuances for taking any further decisions," the officer said.

By late afternoon, some Excise Department officials had reached BMC headquarters to hand over the department's order and also seek information on containment areas. "It's a tricky situation that needs to be tackled in a foolproof process. Such decisions don't happen very quickly. The other side is that the shop operators might have their own difficulties like deputing healthy staff (50 per cent of the total strength) on counters. Shops might not have inventory and require new stock from wholesalers," he said, adding the business was likely to resume smoothly in a day or two, provided that the BMC gives a green signal.

6PM
Time by which liquor shops must shut

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been readying quarantine centres and acquiring hospitals for COVID-19 patients, but it seems it hasn't quite decided whom to let in. The 32-year-old wife of a COVID-19 positive patient from Dharavi has been running from pillar to post to get him to a hospital. The 35-year-old who requires dialysis, tested positive on May 1 but BMC officials allegedly advised her to quarantine him at home, as he is asymptomatic.

When she pointed out that they stay in a 180 sq ft house with senior citizen parents, they allegedly did not pay much heed. While the BMC maintains that asymptomatic patients are not hospitalised, the patient has become a potential threat not just to his family but to the whole SRA building with 91 flats, where they stay.

Neighbours and relatives of a COVID-19 positive person admitted to Sion Hospital being stamped. Pic/Suresh Karkera

"I repeatedly called the COVID-19 Helpline. They asked my husband's age and his other illnesses. But when they came to know he is asymptomatic, they told me to quarantine him at home. I told them we live in a 180 sq feet home with senior citizen parents, but they didn't pay attention," said the wife of the patient.

The patient needs to get dialysis done every three days from last year. "I don't know why they are doing this. Last week a patient was found in our building, and he also required dialysis. They took him to a hospital, but are refusing to take me. I am worried about my father and mother, who are senior citizens. In a house like this, how can we maintain physical distance?" the patient said.

"Home quarantine is not possible for him. The authorities should look into this matter and provide assistance. The family is also financially weak. The father of the patient, a former Indian Navy personnel, runs the house. Now they have approached the Mumbai police for help," said a family friend of the patient.

"Asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients are not required to be admitted in a hospital. I don't have the details of this patient, but I will ask officials to inquire and we can also arrange for dialysis for him at JJ Hospital," said Assistant Municipal Commissioner G/North Ward Kiran Dighavkar. A BMC official said if the patient's conditions worsens, he will be admitted.

180
The area (in sq feet) of the house the man stays in with his wife and aged parents

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Eight residents of Panchsheel chawl in Govandi — who were classified as high-risk patients after they came in contact with a deceased 55-year-old woman, whose death was posthumously ruled as due to COVID-19 tested positive on Sunday evening.

These high-risk patients had been kept at a quarantine facility in Mahul over the weekend and after their results came, they were shifted to an isloation centre in Shivaji Nagar. "The reports came in yesterday (Sunday) at 6 pm while we were still in Mahul," one of the eight people who have tested positive said.

"All of us were classified as high-risk patients. We will have to stay here for the next 14 days. This place is much better than the quarantine facility in Mahul. There we would only get vada pav to eat and the place had water issues. The doctors here asked us what our symptoms, but not many of us have a fever. We have been allotted rooms here and two people can stay in one room," the patient added.

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Mulund's T ward saw the biggest spike in COVID-19 positive cases since March 2020 on Monday. There were 52 cases reported in 24 hours taking the number to 123. The number of containment zones has reached 33.

But, a major cause for concern is that the cases reported are from the slum pockets of Mulund West.

Mulund had comparatively kept the infection down till date.

There were 71 patients reported in Mulund till date, of which 52 are under treatment. There were 28 containment zones declared till now, of which 18 are active.

Authorities are on alert as Indira Nagar (19 cases), Ramgadh (15 cases) have slums. Rigorous testing and screening camps have been held in these areas.

"We had conducted camps to trace more patients, we have now received positive reports of 52 people in one day," said Assistant Municipal Commissioner (T ward) Kishor Gandhi.

According to T ward data, Amar Nagar found three new cases, Indira Nagar, 31 more cases and Ramgadh, 8 new cases in the last 24 hours. "The rising number in slum pockets is definitely worrisome, as they have narrow lanes and common toilets," said a health official on condition anonymity.

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On day 1 of the extended lockdown till May 17, Mumbai Police on Monday took to Twitter to share the importance of staying home amid the COVID-19 crisis. Giving a novel twist to one of the popular games during coronavirus lockdown, Mumbai Police latest meme inspired by Ludo struck a chord with netizens.

At times, it’s better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against Coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/v7KEmyjQic

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 4, 2020

While sharing the Ludo-inspired meme, Mumbai Police said, "At times, it's better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against novel coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona." The latest post by Mumbai Police urged people to stay home and not to try their luck by venturing out amid the coronavirus crisis.

Salute To Our Corona Warriors 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😊😊😊👏👏👏👏
A Huge Respect 🙏🙏🙏😊😊👏👏#IndiaSalutesCoronaWarriors

— Aaryen Tiwari (@AaryenTiwari) May 4, 2020

In the post, one can see tokens of all the four players inside the house with the COVID-19 virus occupying the place on the path of the Ludo board. While sharing the coronavirus twist Ludo game post with their followers, Mumbai Police sent a strong message showing how staying at home can be the only safe bet the COVID-19 epidemic.

Best example for current situation

— Pooja Chauhan (@PoojaCh39757719) May 4, 2020

Mumbai Police also put a hard hitting caption on the picture which read, "The safest place to be is IN #TakingOnCorona." Since being shared online, the post has garnered over 600 likes and about 5,000 re-tweets. Even Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra retweeted the post with heart emoticons of various colours. Besides Parineeti, hundreds of users lauded Mumbai Police's unique take on creating awareness on the importance of being home amid lockdown.

pic.twitter.com/6yEFDqcHRi

— Parth (@PresidentPique) May 4, 2020

One user commented, "Best example for current situation," while another user said, "So creative my god!." A third user wrote, "Kudos to ur creative team!!!." Lauding the Mumbai Police a fourth user said, "We will prefer to staying at home only."

Here's how netizens reacted to Mumbai Police's twist to Ludo game:

Thank you very much to all the police system. No matter how big the crisis is from now on, only the police system will stand before us as God.

— Sandip Jondhale (@SandipJondhale6) May 4, 2020

So creative my god!!🍁😍🙏

— Sonam Upadhyay (@Sonam22Upa) May 4, 2020

At times, it’s better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against Coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/v7KEmyjQic

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 4, 2020

At times, it’s better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against Coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/v7KEmyjQic

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 4, 2020

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Days after nine constables from the Wadala police station tested positive for COVID-19, another 12 policemen of the JJ Marg Police Station have been found to be infected of the virus. As many as 48 cops, who came in contact with these 12 policemen, have been quarantined. Even a DCP of Mumbai Police has also been found tested positive for the pandemic.

The 12 infected cops include six police officers and six constables. According to the information received from the police, the infected policemen were deployed at checkpoints in the area within their jurisdiction. They have been admitted for treatment in hospitals near their homes. The treatment of these policemen is also being monitored by senior officers.

According to information from sources, the DCP who was tested positive for COVID-19 did not show any symptoms of the virus. He is currently undergoing treatment. The area the DCP is in charge of has containment zones that have been declared as red zones.

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With the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak prompting governments to impose lockdowns in different parts of the world, officials have been coming up with creative ways to spread awareness and make people stay at home. From cops dressed as Yamraj, the god of death, to some cops wearing helmets with spikes that resemble that of the virus, the internet has seen it all.

Now, a lawyer dressed as the omen of death, ‘Grim Reaper’ has taken it upon himself to make sure people of Florida maintain social distance. Daniel Uhlfelder has been dressing up as the Grim Reaper and taking strolls of the Florida beach, that has been opened to public to ensure people maintain the advised distance from each other, that has also make netizens sit up and take notice of him.

Wearing a black ragged robe, a mask and carrying a long-handled scythe, Uhlfelder has posted photos of himself advising people not only to maintain social distance but also stay at home till the situation improves.

Stay home Florida pic.twitter.com/MV4fyAXvwu

— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) May 1, 2020

Busy day pic.twitter.com/uBmjaHmp2r

— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) May 1, 2020

Uhlfelder also announced on his Twitter account that he will be touring the beaches of Florida from May 1 to spread awareness about importance of social distancing, wearing the garb of the Grim Reaper. He has also sharing his experiences, especially his frequent run-ins with the police, while on tour.

Someone called the cops on my Grim Reaper tour pic.twitter.com/wTP1pPymm2

— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) May 4, 2020

His pictures donning the scary garb has garnered more than 13,000 likes on Twitter. The Twitterati has been showering him with praises and support in the comments.

pic.twitter.com/YFkuhCqVZI

— Adrian Steel🕵🏻ðŸÂŒ (@montana_steel) May 3, 2020

My family and I fully support you while we continue staying at home.

— Kenneth Sikora (@KennethSikora) May 1, 2020

pic.twitter.com/5gzfQDYJEP

— Laura Apollo (@lauraapollo) May 1, 2020

What do you think about the posts?

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With the increasing number of COVID-19 patients in the city, the total number of containment zones have crossed the 2,000 mark. Of these, 1,235 are in congested areas.

The Central and the state governments have ordered restarting some activities in the red zones across the country. As on May 4, the number of sealed areas in the city reached 2,083. Sixty per cent of the Containment Zones (CZ) are in congested areas like chawls and slum. Around 600 containment zones are in densely populated areas and require 24-hour police surveillance.

"While the exact number of people living in these containment areas cannot be calculated, around 400 to 500 people live in every CZ," said a senior civic officer, adding that CZs restrict the spread of COVID.

Till April 23, the number of CZs were 983 with 231 zones released after 14 days. The number of CZs increased two-fold in the past 11 days.

Shifting to CCCs
The BMC has now begun to shift mild-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients to Corona Care Centres II (CCC). The civic body has started these centres across the city with a total capacity of 17,651 beds. As of now, 1778 positive patients are taking treatment in these centres. The NSCI club in Worli with a capacity of 500 people, has 279 positive persons. Byculla which comes under the E-ward has 210 positive persons in CCC II. F-North (Wadala) has 210, G-North (Dharavi, Dadar) has 207, H-East (Bandra) has 124, K-West (Jogeshwari, Andheri West) has 194 and L-Ward (Kurla, Chembur) has 118 patients in the facility.

In institutional quarantine, the civic body managed to increase the capacity of CCCI to 20,462 beds. There are 7,771 high-risk contacts of positive patients staying in these centres.

There are around 10 lakh people living in containment zones in the city right now.

10 lakh
No. of people in containment zones in the city

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The number of COVID-19 cases has witnessed a sharp rise in Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) area. On Tuesday, the corporation area recorded 47 cases – the biggest single-day spike in numbers so far.

Of the 47 new cases found on Tuesday, 22 patients are either essential workers or belong to a family of one. What is more worrisome is that a total of 207 new cases have been discovered in the last seven days, taking the total toll to 395 in NMMC along with seven deaths.

Navi Mumbai municipal officials said the two major contributors responsible for the explosion of Coronavirus cases are — firstly the employees working in essential services who travel to Mumbai daily and secondly, the APMC vendors and merchants.

"There are some APMC vendors and merchants who reside in Mumbai. We had asked them to arrange accommodation in Navi Mumbai so they don't contract the virus. However, despite our several announcements, they haven't followed our orders. So, if this trend continues we will take stern actions against them," an NMMC official said.
Moreover, the doubling rate of the cases in Navi Mumbai has drastically come down from 11 days to six days.

To curb the infection, NMMC has already set a time limit for buying vegetables and groceries of 9 am to 5 pm. Also, considering the rising numbers, NMMC has refused permission to open liquor shops under its jurisdiction.

47
No. of new cases recorded in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday

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The nationwide lockdown imposed by the government due to the coronavirus outbreak has improved the air quality of some cities in the country. Days after a picture of the Dhauladhar Range in Himachal Pradesh being visible from Jalandhar in Punjab created a buzz, another similar picture has been doing rounds on the internet recently.

Residents of Singhwahini village in Sitamarhi district woke up to a stunning view of the Himalayan Range from their houses. The picture that went viral was posted by Twitter user Ritu Jaiswal, the Mukhya of Singhwahini Gram Panchayat who claimed that the picture was of Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world in Nepal, which was visible from the village.

In the caption, Jaiswal said that she saw Mount Everest from the rooftop of her home in the village for the first time, even though the other ranges in Nepal are usually visible in clear weather.

She tweeted in Hindi, saying that Mount Everest is visible from the roofs of the houses in Singhwahini village in Sitamarhi district, adding that nature was balancing itself, and she attributed the improvement in air quality due to the lockdown.

Ritu Jaiswal's post

हम सà¥Â€à¤¤à¤¾à¤®à¤¢à¤¼à¥Â€ à¤Âœà¤¿à¤²à¥Â‡ à¤Â•à¥Â‡ à¤Â…पनà¥Â‡ à¤Â—ाà¤Âà¤µ #सिà¤Â‚हवाहिनà¥Â€ मà¥Â‡à¤Â‚ à¤Â…पनà¥Â‡ à¤Â›à¤¤ सà¥Â‡ #MtEverest दà¥Â‡à¤Â– सà¤Â•à¤¤à¥Â‡ हà¥Âˆà¤Â‚ à¤Â†à¤Âœà¥¤ पà¥Âà¤°à¤Â•à¥Âƒà¤¤à¤¿ à¤Â–à¥Âà¤¦ à¤Â•à¥Â‹ सà¤Â‚तà¥Âà¤²à¤¿à¤¤ à¤Â•à¤° रहà¥Â€ हà¥Âˆà¥¤ नà¥Â‡à¤ªà¤¾à¤² à¤Â•à¥Â‡ नà¤Âœà¤¼à¤¦à¥Â€à¤Â• वालà¥Â‡ पहाड़ तà¥Â‹ बारिश à¤Â•à¥Â‡ बाद साफ मà¥ÂŒà¤¸à¤® मà¥Â‡à¤Â‚ à¤Â•à¤­à¥Â€ à¤Â•à¤­à¥Â€ दिà¤Â– à¤Âœà¤¾à¤¤à¥Â‡ थà¥Â‡à¥¤ à¤Â…सल हिमालय à¤Â•à¥Â‡ दरà¥Âà¤¶à¤¨ à¤Â…पनà¥Â‡ à¤Â—ाà¤Âà¤µ सà¥Â‡ à¤Â†à¤Âœ पहलà¥Â€ बार हà¥Âà¤Âà¥¤#NatureisBalancing@KashishBihar pic.twitter.com/Ss3UHAzxWN

— Ritu Jaiswal (@activistritu) May 4, 2020

When Jaiswal was questioned by a user about how she could be certain that the peak seen in the picture was of Mount Everest, she said that her husband could see the peak from the village when he was a child back in the 1980’s. She went on to explain that highest snowy peak of the Himalayas can only be seen and Everest is in the north east of our village and this pic is of the north east (sic)," she said in the comment.

Becasue definitely when we can see snowy peak of the Himalayas, the highest ones can only be scene and everest is in the north east of our village and this pic is of north east. And my husband in their childhood used to see everest in 80s. So we are sure that its the same.

— Ritu Jaiswal (@activistritu) May 5, 2020

The post, shared on May 4, garnered more than 4,500 likes and was retweeted 947 times. The picture was also shared by forest officer Parveen Kaswan who wrote that Mount Everest was seen from Bihar after decades.

When people of Singhwahini village, Bihar saw Everest from their own houses. They say this happened after decades. Courtesy @activistritu. pic.twitter.com/X0SQtZe22T

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) May 5, 2020

Here’s how the Twitterati reacted on the picture:

I am just waiting for the day when I will be able to see Himalayas from Mumbai😜

— Hemant Jain🇮🇳 (@hemant6479) May 5, 2020

If we really belonged to the planet and the way we lived was natural to this planet then our locking ourselves up shld have upset the balance not repaired it. However superficial or temporary the effect.

— Anku Pande Chibb (@ankupande) May 5, 2020

Guess they must have experienced change in temperature also .☺ï¸Â

— Thakur ji (@Thethakurji) May 5, 2020

Wow... !
What a view sir.. 😊🙌

— Sravani (@sravani950570) May 5, 2020

What do you think about the picture?

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Maharashtra BJP leader and former CM of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, on Wednesday paid a visit to Saint George, GT and Nair Hospitals where he met frontline workers including hospital deans, superintendents, doctors, nurses, and policemen who have been leading India's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis interacts with doctors and medical staff of Saint George Hospital, GT Hospital and Nair Hospital in Mumbai

Via. @dharmendrajore @Dev_Fadnavis @BJP4India @BJP4Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/rvdvNrLJNw

— Mid Day (@mid_day) May 6, 2020

The 49-year-old BJP leader not only interacted with the frontline workers but also complemented them for their exemplary service for the nation during coronavirus epidemic.

Devendra Fadnavis interacts with hospital staff while maintaining social distance

At Saint George Hospital, situated in Fort, Devendra Fadnavis met superintendent Dr. Khobragade, Dr. Gaiakwad, while at GT hospital he spoke to Dr. Shingare and Dr. Deshpande and at Nair hospital he interacted with Dean Dr Joshi.

The former chief minister visited the Mumbai hospitals to thank the medical workers for leading by example in the fight against COVID-19@Dev_Fadnavis @BJP4India @BJP4Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/ZzcIvElMCU

— Mid Day (@mid_day) May 6, 2020

While visiting these hospitals and interacting with the doctors, Fadnavis not only thanked the corona warriors but also reviewed the coronavirus situation in the state and especially in Mumbai.

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The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) on Wednesday put on hold its controversial decision to deny entry to local residents employed for
essential services in Mumbai, which has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, after a furore.

Apart from KDMC, the municipal corporation of Ulhasnagar and municipal councils of Ambernath and Badlapur-- all in neighbouring Thane district--had announced similar decisions on Tuesday.

However, only KDMC has stayed the decision, which was supposed to come into force from May 8 and remain effective till May 17, during the period of the extended lockdown. The announcement to suspend the decision was made on Wednesday by KDMC commissioner Vijay Suryavandhi.

Issuing an order, the KDMC commissioner had on Tuesday appealed to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other establishments to arrange for the stay of their employees who travel from KDMC to Mumbai.

"Many COVID-19 cases found in Kalyan-Dombivli and Ulhasnagar municipal corporations traced the source of their infection under the BMC limits. "Unless we stop people from moving between these cities and Mumbai, we cannot control further spread of COVID-19," said officials from both the municipal corporations.

Ambernath and Badlapur municipal councils have given options to their residents who travel daily to Mumbai to either stay in the metropolis from May 8 till May 17, or to avoid going to work and stay at their homes. Meanwhile, several nurses and employees of the state
government and the BMC have expressed their concerns over the decision of the KDMC and Ulhasnagar.

"What will happen to daily chores if I stay here in Mumbai for more than a week. My son is not even three-year-old, who will look after him?" said a nurse from state-run Nair Hospital who travels from Dombivli via bus.

"It is not an issue of one or two days. Everyone is scared of coronavirus infection. We feel safe when we go home and spend time with our family members. We can not simply stay
in Mumbai. I am not even sure about what kind of facilities we will be provided if we choose to stay in Mumbai," said a BMC staffer.

However, several health officials attached with these municipal corporations and councils have said that more than 50 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the metropolitan areas were
traced to Mumbai. "Some people returned from Mumbai have infected local residents, which has further stressed our already fragile health infrastructure," they said.

Congress leader and Mumbai city guardian minister Aslam Shaikh said the issue would be discussed at the state government level.

"This is the time to applaud the coronavirus warriors. The people who travel from KDMC, Ulhasnagar, Badlapur and Ambernath to Mumbai are nurses, BMC employees and other officials who are required to work in this crisis. We should be respecting their efforts.

"There are some places identified in Mumbai where temporary arrangements for accommodation can be arranged for people working in hospitals and other essential services. The state government will discuss the issue and decide further," he said.

However, Shiv Sena leader and Thane guardian minister Eknath Shinde said that no such decision will be taken without consulting the authorities concerned. Earlier in the day, Thane Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vijay Singhal suggested that similar decision--to
ban entry of local residents working in Mumbai--can be taken.

Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde expressed the need for a proper staying facility for the people who travel to Mumbai to avoid further spread of coronavirus infection. "Such arrangement can be made in Mumbai city," he said. Millions of working-class people commute daily to Mumbai in local trains and other transport for work from Thane, Navi Mumbai, Virar, KDMC, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, and Badlapur.

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The city's record for the highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day increased to 769 on Wednesday as the total count reached 12,716. Bracing for more cases in the coming days, the civic body is planning to set up additional COVID-19 care centres in various open spaces across the city.

Civic officials said that the new COVID-19 centres will come up at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Nehru Science Centre, MMRDA grounds in BKC, Mahim Nature Park and NESCO ground in Goregaon. Once the work is complete, civic officials said that the current capacity of 14,000 beds will increase to 34,000 beds. For critical patients, the capacity will be increased from 3,000 beds to 4,750 beds in hospitals like Nair, KEM and SevenHills. Additionally, ICU beds will be set up at the centre in NSCI.

The G South ward (comprising Worli) with 903 cases and G North (comprising Dharavi) with 888 cases, continued to have the highest concentration of positive cases. While three deaths were reported from the G South ward, one was reported from Dharavi where a 64-year-old male resident of Naik Nagar died on Wednesday. Civic officials from G North ward said that 68 new cases were reported in Dharavi, eight in Dadar and 11 in Mahim. Civic officials in G South ward said 25 new cases were reported on Wednesday.

State health officials reported 1,233 new cases in Maharashtra and the total count of COVID-19 cases now stands at 16,758. There were 34 COVID-19-related deaths on Wednesday of which 26 were in Mumbai which included one patient who was a resident of Uttar Pradesh, three in Pune, three in Akola and one each in Jalgaon and Solapur.

While 18 of the deaths involved patients who were senior citizens, 13 of them fell in the age group of 40-59 years and 27 of the patients were suffering from other ailments. Till date, Maharashtra has had 651 deaths due to COVID-19 and till date, 3,094 COVID patients have been discharged after a full recovery. Currently, more than 2 lakh people are under home quarantine while 13,107 people are kept at quarantine facilities.

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Thousands of migrants working in the power looms at Bhiwandi set out on foot for their villages hundreds of kilometres away earlier this week. While these migrants face an enormously difficult journey with almost zero resources, those who have stayed back are also on the brink of starvation.

The Maharashtra government has been assuring of help for migrant workers should they stay back amid the COVID-19-caused lockdown. Though the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) is offering food packets, the power loom workers say the quality of the food is inferior.

"The municipality has been giving khichdi for 15 days and the ingredients are rice and turmeric powder. Sometimes they mix vegetables in it. But the food quality is absolutely inferior, it cannot be eaten by any human being. Being a labourer does not mean that we will eat toxic food. The food smells and makes us nauseous," said Manzar Alam, a native of Bihar.

"It is the month of Ramzan and most of us are fasting. But after eating bad quality food, some of us vomited and had to break the fast," said Alam, adding that power loom owners are not helping either and that many are breaking their fast only with water.

"The power loom owner does not respond to our calls. He either switches off his mobile phone or blocks our number," said Mohammad Sahid, a native of Ambedkar Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh.

Raw ration only for state residents
Another power loom worker, Jalaluddin Ansari said workers get food once a day. "We have not been given raw ration by the state government. In this crisis, we have to wait in long queues for langar distributed by social workers," said Ansari.

There are seven lakh registered power looms in Bhiwandi

"There was a queue of nearly 200 workers on Monday. By the time my turn came, food was over. So, I rushed to another langar half-a-kilometre away and stood in another queue. But here too, the food finished," said Ansari, who did not eat anything on Monday.

"On Tuesday, I got food but it was not very little. This is the reality of many workers who did not dare to walk home. The state government is providing raw ration to only those who are from Maharashtra. We are not given any ration," said Ansari, whose co-workers Abdul Ali and Mohammad Younus echoed his views.

Workers say they are being given khichdi - the ingredients of which are usually rice and turmeric — in the food packet for the past 15 days

A few workers from Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh tried to go home in a truck recently. "A truck driver agreed to transport us to our native place. He took R2,500 from each worker. We started our journey a few days ago, but police at Karjat stopped the vehicle and caned the driver badly. We were forced to return to hell with no food," said Ali.

Nearly 3,000 workers rushed to the State Transport bus depot in Bhiwandi on Tuesday. mid-day spoke to a few of them and asked if they had any idea about when they would return to Bhiwandi to resume work: "Humlogo ke paas aur kya hai kamane ke liye?" said Yashpal, a native of Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh.

"It is a pandemic and the whole world is reeling under a financial crisis. We don't know what will happen to us as I have heard that big companies are downsising. We are not sure if the owners of power looms will downsize too," said Sahil.

A ray of light
There is confusion among workers regarding how and where they can get registered to travel home in trains. However, a power loom owner Parvez Alam Ansari has been helping his employees.

"I have told my workers not to panic. I have been providing them with ration, vegetables, etc. and they have been preparing meals for themselves. The power loom is shut but these workers are our assets. I cannot afford to keep them stranded amid a crisis," Ansari said.

Civic body's help mismanaged
"There are seven lakh registered power looms employing around three to four lakh migrant labourers. As per our estimate, more than one lakh people want to leave the city as they don't have work and are not getting food. We are doing our best to provide food but it's been more than a month now and the assistance provided by the local corporation is mismanaged. Now our priority is to help those who want to go to their home states, such as Uttar Pradesh, which is not cooperating with Maharashtra," said local MLA Rais Shaikh.

'We resolved all complaints'
According to Pravin Ashtikar, the chief of BNCMC, initially, there were a lot of complaints regarding food quality and its supply, but all have been resolved. "We are not denying that complaints were received from people but I must tell you that we listen to them and now things have improved in the past week. There have been no complaints about the food as far as quality and supply are concerned. There are several NGOs working with us and we are supplying 80,000 food packets daily. The migrants who want to leave just want to go home because the lockdown has been extended. Most of the migrants have been taken care of by us and their employers," said Ashtikar.

Ashtikar added that so far there are 20 cases of Coronavirus in Bhiwandi city, of which two have recovered and 290 are in institutional quarantine. "We started preparing for COVID-19 in the second week of march — we procured equipment for disinfecting and started sanitising the area much in advance. As you see the result, all positive cases in Bhiwandi have come from other areas. We have successfully stopped community transmission despite a high population. Currently, Bhiwandi has a population of over 8 lakh. We started door-to-door screening last week, targeting the most vulnerable people, and 75 per cent of the survey is complete. So far, 1,011 people are found to be vulnerable as they are suffering from other ailments and we are taking care of them," Ashtikar added.

80K
Food packets Bhiwandi civic body claims it is providing

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Trains ferrying migrant workers have been on the move with about 14 of them having left from the Central Railway section and 62 from the Western Railway section across different divisions. However, there continues to be limitations in the number of trains leaving from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) as it is a red zone.

So far, eight trains have left from the MMR region with a couple of more planned in the coming days. A Bhivandi Road-Gorakhpur one was the first train to leave the MMR region on May 2 with 1,104 migrants.

The same day another train left from Vasai Road for Gorakhpur with 1,200 migrants. After this, two trains left for Jaipur — one from Bhivandi and another from Dahanu — on May 4, two from Kalyan to Darbhanga and Kalyan to Guntkul on May 5 and another two — Panvel to Rewa and Bhivandi to Patna in the wee hours of May 6.

The first train to arrive in the state was from Rayanapadu in Vijaywada

First train to arrive in Maha
Meanwhile, the first train to arrive in Maharashtra was from Rayanapadu in Vijaywada. It reached Chandrapur with 1,212 migrants around 9.10 am on May 6. The passengers were provided with food and water by the state government and later taken for health check-ups by the district collector before being sent to their homes.

One of the group leaders, who was onboard the train, said the migrants from Maharashtra had gone to Rayanapadu for red chilli plucking and transport was organised by the Krishna district administration. "They were taken to the station in 48 buses with 25 passengers each. The passengers included senior citizens, women and children too," he told mid-day over phone. Western Railway chief PRO, Ravinder Bhakar said the railways would run these trains as long as there was demand from other state governments.

14
No. of trains that have left from the CR section

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Six new cases of Corona were found in the Panvel Municipal Corporation jurisdiction on Wednesday taking the count to 113 under the PMC. Among the new cases are two APMC staffers, a police officer, a kidney patient, a homemaker and a BEST employee.

The PMC, which falls under the Raigad district, was initially declared an orange zone, as was the entire Raigad district but within 24 hours, the collector put PMC areas in the red zone.

Ramesh Lengarekar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, PMC, informed mid-day that PMC was a part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), like Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan and Dombivli, etc, and considering the entire MMR is in the red zone, PMC, too, falls under the said category. "While the government has the power to decide the zones (red, orange, green), the collector has been empowered to list a zone from orange to red or green to orange."

12L population in PMC
So far, two deaths have been reported from the PMC region, which has a population of 12 lakh. The number of positive cases in Raigad district, excluding PMC, is lesser and is, therefore, in the orange zone.

Areas under the PMC — Panvel, Kamothe, Kalamboli, Kharghar, Ulve and Taloja — will follow the national lockdown period till May 17 with prohibitory orders under Section 144 (no assembly of more than five people) in force.

"As per the central government directives, we are making an attempt to keep some additional shops (five) other than medical and general stores open. A decision on this will be taken soon," a senior PMC official said.

Infection from Mumbai
The BEST staffer who tested positive is attached to the Govandi bus depot, and the police sub-inspector is attached to a police station in the Central Mumbai region.

The kidney patient was undergoing his dialysis treatment in a private hospital in Sanpada while the two APMC staffers are residents of Kamothe and Kharghar.

Mangal Kamble, founder president of Swachh Kharghar Foundation, said, "People working in Mumbai have been travelling daily between Mumbai and the PMC area, and have caught the infection in the city."

Cases spike in APMC market
"Also, our concern is that most of the vegetables, fruits, and grains are being transported all over the MMR region from the APMC market, which is already seeing an increase in the number of positive cases. A thorough screening of every vehicle entering and exiting APMC should be done and at every entry point within the PMC area. This needs to be done to curtail any community outbreak of the virus," Kamble added.

Over 100 COVID-19 cases in APMC
Dr Satish Choudhari, nodal officer for COVID at Gram Vikas Bhavan, Kharghar said, "At present, we have around 24 positive cases in the quarantine centre here. All those people who have a cold, cough, fever for more than three to five days are sent to the Gram Vikas Bhavan for quarantine and are referred to sub-district hospital Panvel or to MGM hospital in Kamothe if they need further treatment."

Twelve new cases have been detected in the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) market taking the tally there to over 100.

The market, however, continues to function as per the guidelines of the committee appointed for monitoring the situation.

113
Total no. of COVID cases in PMC area

2
No. of novel Coronavirus deaths in PMC area

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Over a 100 goons led by the deputy sarpanch of Kalamb village in Vasai attacked the house of a vegetable vendor who had been helping migrant workers fill forms online and register with the state government to go back to their villages, on Tuesday night.

Vasai police have registered a case against 12 people, including the deputy sarpanch Anand Gharat, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and arrested one person.

The goons, armed with iron rods and bamboo sticks, first started throwing stones at the bungalow of Brijesh Chauhan in Nirmal village, Vasai West. The house's glass windows were shattered and Chauhan's wife, Reema, got injured by little shards of glass.

The incident happened after Chauhan registered a Non-Cognisable (NC) complaint against one of the accused a day before the attack.

"My husband has been helping migrant workers fill forms online. On May 4 at 8:30 pm, two migrant workers came to my house to get themselves registered online. My husband told them to collect the details of at least 10 people and then one or two can come to submit the details as it also maintains social distancing," said Reema.

"But the duo got angry and told my husband that they belong to Kalamb village and their work should be done on priority. They screamed at us and then left, only to return 15 minutes later with Darshan Gharat and 20 other people from Kalamb village. They shouted and abused everyone in our family, including women. My senior citizen father-in-law was also manhandled," she added. "After abusing us, the mob returned to Kalamb village. Around 10 minutes later, they came with deputy sarpanch Anand Gharat, who too abused us. Somehow we managed to send them away," Reema said.

Brijesh then registered an NC against the group. "On May 5 at 9 pm, Anand and goons riding triple seat on motorcycles, armed with iron rods, bamboo sticks, etc. came shouting and started pelting stones at my house. I got injured. Neighbours came to our rescue and police also came on the spot just 10 minutes after we called them," she added.

Deputy sarpanch flees
An officer from Vasai police said, "We have registered a case against 12 people and other unidentified people and arrested one person. In all, 12 people, including deputy sarpanch Anand are wanted. We are trying to trace him."

Deputy sarpanch Anand Gharat

Anand, who is planning to seek anticipatory bail, told mid-day that Brijesh had assaulted a student residing in Kalamb village. "I had gone to resolve the matter but they have registered a case against me. An officer from Vasai police asked me to surrender but I am innocent," said Anand, who is out on bail in a rape and kidnapping case registered against him at Vasai police station last year.

May 5
Day the incident occurred

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In a latest controversy, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had decided to file a police complaint against doctors who prescribe COVID-19 tests to patients without conducting physical examinations. The officials of L ward had also come up with a complaint format that was supposed to be sent to police stations. However, when doctors slammed the move, the civic body withdrew it on Wednesday.

According to the complaint letter issued by L ward, a doctor found to have referred a patient for the COVID-19 test without a physical examination would face an FIR under Section 188 of the IPC (disobeying orders of a public servant) and the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897. Confirming that such a decision was taken by the civic administration, a senior civic official said, "The COVID-19 task force decided that doctors have to examine the patient physically before prescribing any test. Ward officials will file the complaint with the respective police station if the regulations are not followed and the police will investigate the matter further."

However, when contacted, an L ward official said that the decision was taken after a doctor based in New Delhi referred a patient for testing in Mumbai and the complaint form was being used as a scare tactic. "We weren't planning on taking action against doctors. We just wanted to discourage the medical fraternity from referring patients without examining them. The complaint form was shared on some chat groups," added the official.

Dr Avinash Bhondwe, president of the Indian Medical Association in Maharashtra said that it is an unjustifiable move since doctors don't have access to PPE kits and they cannot examine a suspected patient without adequate protection. "We are only working with masks and gloves. It is very risky to physically examine a patient and doctors are not able to buy PPE kits either since it's not available, which is why in some cases doctors are consulting patients over phone. However, the BMC cannot take action against doctors and this will be challenged in the court of law," said Dr Bhondwe.

He added that even making physical examination mandatory doesn't make sense unless the civic body provides PPE kits to all doctors. "More and more doctors are testing positive every day. If a doctor examines a patient without PPE and if the patient tests positive, then the doctor will be placed in quarantine," he said. Dr Bhondwe added that instead of testing only the symptomatic patients, the government should make arrangements to test everyone. "Health is a constitutional right and everyone should be able to undergo tests," he added. Dr Bhondwe also pointed out that till date none of the circulars issued by the ICMR have mentioned that physical examination is mandatory. He further said that L ward officials later assured him that no FIR would be filed against doctors.

When contacted, Dr Gautam Bhansali, consulting physician with Bombay Hospital, said that taking action wasn't the correct approach in such stressful times. "Such decisions are demeaning to doctors who are working so hard. Referring a patient is not a crime and doesn't warrant a punishment. At best, circulars can be issued to create awareness among doctors," he said.

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A slice of the verdant Nehru Science Centre in Worli has been taken over by the civic authorities for what Centre director Dr S Khened thinks must be for "an isolation centre, or for quarantine."

Khened said, "I do not know exactly for which. We got official communication a couple of days earlier that a portion of the centre's space will be acquired. The front portion of the Centre, just as you enter the main gate, has been taken. We usually use that space to hold Science exhibitions. We have also held a vintage car exhibition two years ago in that venue, so it is a massive space."

Centre officials said preparations are in full swing, with beds and mattresses and even mobile toilets being brought in. The Science Centre officials have tried to talk to those in charge at the site for details but without too much success.

They reasoned, "it is evident that the officials are extremely stressed and we are in fact, prepared for the worst. Authorities are working extremely hard to get this ready," they stated.

Khened said that the environs of the Centre are very green and will need to be maintained. "We need to have some skeletal staff inside to maintain the green patches, the trees, the many plants that we have. They need water and regular upkeep," he said adding that it was important that the Coronavirus facility is completely sealed off from the other parts of the sprawling complex.

The Centre also has skeletal staff quarters on the premises where currently eight senior officers are living with their families, "so it is vital that those who are going to be shifted into the facilities for Coronavirus, be confined to that space. I am sure this has been thought out and will be done," said Khened.

Physical space
The Science centre has moved its activities online, like most other institutions, with two virtual lectures scheduled on their YouTube channel on May 9 and May 11 respectively. The former will be a talk by Dr Vasant Shinde on Rakhigarhi Excavation and the latter is Dr Anil Kakodkar, on 'dealing with energy needs in the context of climate crisis'. Yet, said Dr Khened, "We will open again as a physical space when the government gives the green light. Children, the main visitors at the Centre, may have some apprehension about visiting since this will be used as a Coronavirus facility.

There is a great deal of wariness as the Centre is just next to the Jijamata Nagar slum area, which is a COVID hotspot. "However, with all the trepidation, we too understand that this is for the greater good, and everybody has to do their part in this fight," the director said.

Line up
The Worli area, with an unenviable record number of Coronavirus cases in Mumbai, is also being taken over as quarantine/isolation areas rapidly. Just around the corner from the Science Centre, the Nehru Centre, which is next to the Nehru Planetarium has also been acquired for Corona purposes.

S P Verma, Jt Director of Nehru Centre, said, "The two exhibition halls on the ground floor have been acquired, not the Nehru Planetarium. I think beds and other amenities will be moved in shortly, I do not know when exactly. We had been told to hand over possession of the spaces and have done so," he finished.

The Nehru Centre joins neighbour, NSCI club's The Dome and Mahalaxmi racecourse as an entire line of Haji Ali institutions, whose space has been acquired for Corona combat.

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'Goodfather' is one of the biggest Hollywood cult classic of all times. The dialogues in the film are so popular that even Mumbai Police, being themselves, played around with words and used it in their latest post on Instagram, to share the importance of wearing masks.

In the post, the police department shared a meme with a still from the film and played around with its famous line, "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse' to 'I'm gonna offer him a mask he can't refuse.' In the captions, the police wrote, "Your enemy 'corona' always gets strong on 'the mask' you leave behind," with a striking hashtag #GodfathersOfSafety.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onMay 5, 2020 at 9:05pm PDT

The post, shared on Wednesday garnered 16,459 likes so far. One of the users who double tapped on the post was Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, who seemed impressed by the creativity of the police department, just like the users who commenting on the post.

A user said, "Suddenly i can't remember what the original line was. Mumbai Police tum bohot acha kaam karta hai." Another user said, "Mumbai Police are now best police in the world... In making memes too!" One more user said, "These guys keep getting better day by day!!"

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An under-trial inmate and two staff at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai have tested positive for Coronavirus. The inmate has been admitted for treatment at JJ Hospital. The jail administration, looking at the seriousness of the matter, got 150 people, including staff and inmates tested, of which results are awaited.

According to information received from prison sources on May 2, the inmate, who was accused of murder, collapsed in the jail after which he was admitted to JJ Hospital, Meanwhile, he underwent the Coronavirus test and he was found positive on May 4 as per his reports. The jail administration then got into action and tested 150 people in the jail for the virus, and their reports are awaited.

An official of Arthur Road Jail told mid-day, "We had taken measures to prevent coronavirus. After one of the inmates and two jail staff tested positive, we got 150 people in Arthur Jail tested. The report is yet to come."

Two jail staff who tested positive have been kept under quarantine. They were earlier sent out for fieldwork. According to the jail sources, if an employee has been sent outside the jail after lockdown, he would not be given in-prison duty again and would be sent on quarantine for 14 days.

The jail has been closed down because of the coronavirus outbreak, due to which no new inmates are being accepted in the jail. At such a time, only essentials services workers are allowed inside the jail.

As the number of cases in the state is on a surge, the prison department planned some important measures. As the inmates in the prison were prone to get infected, some of the prisoners were temporarily sent out on bail. Also, five prisons in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, and Pune have been closed down due to the pandemic.

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With the cases of coronavirus continuing to surge in Mumbai, the Mumbai Police has been pulling all stops to ensure the safety of the people. The police department has been active not just in the public space but on social media with their public interest messages urging people to respect the lockdown and follow the precautions put in place by the government.

In their latest post on Twitter, the Mumbai Police has posted a series of posters used some of the famous musical bands’ names such as Backstreet Boys, Linkin Park, Oasis and U2 to make sure people follow the lockdown rules.  The police department urged their followers through slogan coined with puns asking people not to visit Linkin Park,  reminding ‘U2’ stay home and that your home is your ‘Oasis’.

The Mumbai Police said in the caption, “Stay indoors, for we are on the streets, playing your favourite safety tunes with our 'Band-o-bast'.

Stay indoors, for we are on the streets, playing your favourite safety tunes with our 'Band-o-bast'. #LockdownPerformance #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/ejPW0Ofbfw

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 7, 2020

The post shared on Thursday morning has garnered more than 1,900 likes and was retweeted 333 times. Users commenting on the post lauded the the police department’s creativity on their social media posts.

You guys have a great taste in music!

— Rudresh Solanki (@rudresh97) May 7, 2020

Huge respect to the person/group of people managing this account and showing his/their creativity even in this tough situation!!
Kudos to the team guys.
More recognition to you all.@MumbaiPolice @OfficeofUT

— Rishabh 🇮🇳 (@Rishabh4593) May 7, 2020

You always amaze with something 😍 new.. it's a pride to b a Mumbaikar and to be safe with Mumbai police 🙏

— roshan bangera (@roshbangera32) May 7, 2020

Creativity level genius 🔥

— Karen P (@Head_in_d_cloud) May 7, 2020

What do you think about this post?

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With the cases of Coronavirus continue to surge in the city, the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) has decided to suspend its operations from May 11 to 17.

The market committee has decided to shut all five markets, that include onion-potato markets, spices, fruits, vegetables and grains. The decision was made as cases among the market participants have been rising in spite of strict guidelines put in place to maintain social distance.

Navi Mumbai mayor Jaywant Sutar had urged the Maharashtra government to shut the APMC Market in a bid to stop the movement of people as many of the customers come from Mumbai to the travel to buy their stock of groceries.

The APMC Market in Vashi is the largest supplier of fruits, vegetables, grains and spices to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday refuted speculation about the Army being called in in Mumbai which has become a major coronavirus hotspot.

In a live webcast, he said additional manpower may be sought from the Union government if needed so that the state police force gets some respite.

CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray addressing the State https://t.co/ZZ65xsR3Oy

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) May 8, 2020

Asking people not to believe rumours, the chief minister said the government might ask for additional manpowerfrom the Centre, if needed, to enable the police personnel to take rest in a phased manner. "This doesn't mean that Mumbai will be handed over to the Army. Police personnel are tired after working round-the- clock, some have fallen sick and a few of them have succumbed to the virus. They need rest," Thackeray said.

He also admitted that while the spread of the virus has been contained, the state has not succeeded in breaking the chain of infection yet. Whether the lockdown will be extended or not after May 17 will depend on how far people maintain discipline and follow rules, he said.

"We have to come out of the lockdown one day or the other. We can't be living permanently like this. But to come out of this sooner, you need to follow rules and maintain discipline of social distancing and use face mask," Thackeray said

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To tackle the spread of Infection, Panvel Municipal Corporation has taken a big decision. Contributing more than 40% cases in the tally of Covid-19 cases, Corporation has decided to declare entire Kamothe node as containment zone from Friday night. No travelling outside Kamothe will be allowed for common citizens, also residents will be allowed to step out only for buying essential things. Only employees working in essential services will be allowed to enter or exit the area.

Panvel Corporation area till now has reported 138 Corona cases till now. Out of these cases, 54 are from Kamothe node. To tackle the spread, Corporation was thinking of taking some strict action, finally it has decided to declare entire Kamothe node as containment zone.

The node is spread over 2.76 Square kilometer, having population of 1.13 lakh rupees. "Kamothe is contributing more cases than rest of the area, so we needed to take some strict action. As per standard practice, we were sealing a building as containment zone where positive case gets detected, but now we have decided to declared entire node as containment zone" told Ganesh Deshmukh, Municipal Commissioner of Panvel Corporation.

No travelling of persons will be allowed inside Kamothe from Friday night, only essential services employee including Medical practitioners, Government and Corporation employees, security personnel will be allowed after providing ID cards.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has increased the capacity of Corona Care Centres (CCC) for positive asymptomatic people double fold, with the help of schools, college buildings and pandals on open plots. The city now has 37,343 beds reserved for people who are positive but don't have any symptoms. One-fourth of the city's patients are in these centres. The maximum number of these CCC2 facilities is in wards which are on the top with high numbers of COVID-19 cases.

While the institutional quarantine centres (CCCs) have over 7,000 high-risk contacts with a capacity of little more than 20,000, the BMC is now focusing on the Corona Care Centres 2 (CCC2) which deal with positive asymptomatic patients. The maximum number of facilities is available in E (Byculla), L (Kurla), M east (Govandi, Mankhurd), M west (Chembur) and S (Bhandup) wards where the number of patients is increasing significantly.

With the Shreeniwas Mill building have a capacity of 3,000 beds, two parking lots with 1,000 beds, NSCI club of Worli with 500 beds, and some schools, G south ward has 5,568 beds for asymptomatic positive patients. Byculla has 2,605 beds with an 850 beds centre in a hall and a pandal. With more than 900 cases in Dharavi, G North ward utilised the space of Dharavi College to set up another 700 beds facility. C ward used gymkhana lawns and buildings on Netaji Subhash Road for more than 1,200 beds.

L ward erected pandals in Somaiya ground and Kurla ST Depot for 2,000 beds, M west ward uses the Swami Vivekanand College building for 1,200 beds and M east ward with densely populated slums used MHADA buildings for a 700 beds facility.

As of today, 2,233 people are in CCC2. "Hardly 6 per cent of the beds are occupied so far. But the BMC is preparing for the worst scenario," said a BMC official.

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The ongoing lockdown imposed by the government due to the Coronavirus outbreak in the country has taken a toll on the public lives of the people. With social distancing being the new norm, people have come up with innovative techniques to ensure the supply of essential goods is not affected. Just like this milkman who came up with a creative idea to deliver milk, which netizens are terming as ‘jugaad.’

In a photo of the person posted by IAS officer Nitin Sangwan, the customer is seen standing a few feet away from the milkman carrying four cans of milk behind his motorbike. A pipe is fixed on the back of the bike, with a funnel attached to it. As the milkman pours milk into the funnel, the customer holds a bowl on the other end of the pipe to collect the milk coming out of it.

Sangwan captions on the photo shared with his post, “Good to see that some people go extra mile to keep themselves and others safe,” adding how others can help maintain social distancing by staying at home and wearing mask.

Good to see that some people go extra mile to keep themselves and others safe.

Let's do basic minimum things of staying at home, wearing mask and keeping social distance even if we cannot go an extra mile like this innovative milkman. pic.twitter.com/RrjYVtdaKW

— Nitin Sangwan, IAS (@nitinsangwan) May 7, 2020

The photo of this innovative technique that ensures zero contact was shared on Thursday and has garnered 704 likes. It was also retweeted 105 times. Users commenting on the photo praised the idea and posted about how this ‘jugaad’ can help in maintaining social distance.

Creativity....This is called desi jugaaad.

— mahesh chemte (@mchemteMT) May 7, 2020

Super plan & i really appreciet the milk man ideas... dear indians plz keep distance, stay home

— Suryaprakash (@suryapr65773817) May 9, 2020

Kudos...innovative & creative to think of others and himself too, stay safe.

— Vimileswari Naidu (@VimileswariN) May 7, 2020

Now is the time for every Indian citizen to place safety before anything other priority so that we can break the Covid19 chain. Well done my dear milkman🙏

— SURESH SUBRAMANIAN (@SURESHSpallipur) May 8, 2020

What do you think about this post?

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At a time when the Coronavirus outbreak has thrown people all over the world into despair, jazz legend Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a wonderful world’ bring a sense of hope and positivity. The song’s message of having a happier and better tomorrow couldn’t be any more relevant at such a time, which is why a rendition of the song that has gone viral on YouTube has won hearts online.

The video shared by the India chapter of the International Advertising Association features four melodious singers, Prabhakar Mundukur, Shalini Gupta, Subhash Kamat, and Rajeev Raja, who are a part of the Marketing and communications field.

The video opens with a message flashed on the screen that reads, “A musical message of optimism from the four members of the Marcom industry,” after which the singers present their soothing rendition of the famous song accompanied by the piano and the flute.

Shared on Tuesday, the video has garnered 4,885 views on YouTube with tons of comments praising the rendition and how the song made them feel refreshed.

A user said, “It’s people like you who make India a splendid part of this wonderful world.” Another user said, “Wow.. what a masterpiece !! Feel so refreshing.” One more user said, “Thank you, it is indeed a wonderful world and thank you for your part in making sure we hear it in your amazing voices. Beautiful!!"

What do you think about the post?

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When Elon Musk revealed his newborn son’s name, X Æ A-12, he took the internet by storm. Even as the Tesla and Space X explained the meaning of the name, the buzz around it refuses to die down. Mumbai Police, taking a cue from Musk, posted a hilarious cryptic lockdown mandate.

The police department took to Twitter and asked their followers to solve this cyptic lockdown mandate that was written with characters Æ, b, 8 and a home emoji.

*Æ b 8 🏠

Crack this #lockdown mandate.#AMaskDecode

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 8, 2020

The post that was shared on Friday was quick to catch people’s attention and many tried to decipher the tweet. From answers ranging from ‘Aye, ghar baith’ to ‘All be at home’, the Twitterati realized that the Mumbai Police was asking people to stay at home. Some people also lauded the creativity of the police as they cashed on a trending topic and posting as a public service message.

Aye, Be At Home?

— Easha (@Esssaaa12) May 8, 2020

Ae baith ghar

— Arfat Qureshi (@arfatqureshi327) May 8, 2020

All be at home

— Richie Rich (@picachuppp) May 8, 2020

We should be at home...

— Rachit James (@james_rachit) May 9, 2020

😂..very creative,( Elon Musk )..👍🏻

— Sylvestre Almeida (@Sylvestre_n_twt) May 8, 2020

Wow! Thanks for letting me know the pronounciation of first word 😂

— Sushmush♉ (@sushmasarraf) May 8, 2020

What do you think of the post?

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A staff member of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has tested positive for COVID-19. Tokyo organizers issued a statement Wednesday saying it was a male employee in his 30s who worked at the headquarters building in a part of Tokyo known as Harumi. Organizers said he was in quarantine at home and gave no further details. The Tokyo Olympics were postponed last month until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The committee employs about 3,500 people, and organizers say about 90% have been working from home for the last several weeks. Organizers said the area in which he worked would be disinfected, and people who worked nearby have been told to stay home.

The Olympics are scheduled to open on July 23, 2021, but questions persist if that will be possible in light of the pandemic.

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Prachi Dhabal Deb will demonstrate eggless royal icing work on cakes and cookies

Baking a batch of chocolate brownies is simple enough, provided you follow the recipe to the T. But, what if you want to create a two-tiered wonder for your best friend's wedding? Starting today, Cakeology, brings together cake artists from around the world to equip you with all the skills you need to go from home baker to pro baker.

Sachiko Windbiel's 3D fondant cake toppers

"The country's cake decorating industry has been witnessing drastic changes in the past few years. Home baking is a serious business now," says Farzana Gandhi, project and brand building consultant, Cakeology.

The second edition features artists like Alyson Reynolds (Scotland), Sachiko Windbiel (New York), Tina Scott Parashar (Dubai) and Bijay Thapa (New Delhi), who will hold 35 demos and six workshops for aspiring bakers.

Learn to make realistic sugar flowers from Alyson Reynolds

In her six-hour hands-on workshop, which is open to beginners as well as professionals, Windbiel will show participants how to create cute 3D figurines and toppers using fondant. Along with new fondant techniques, special attention will be paid to achieving good body proportions as well as creating expressive facial features.

Three special cakes will be on display this year. UK-based cake sculpture expert Rose Macefield will be making a life-size bride and groom wedding cake. The second is a life-size elephant by Samie J Ramachandran, whose 500kg London Bridge cake got plenty of eyeballs at an exhibition in Bengaluru. For the last one, London-based bakers and best friends Valeri Valeriano and Christina Ong of the multi-award winning Queen of Hearts Couture Cakes will create an entire English garden using nothing but buttercream.

Till: September 10, 10.30 am to 6.30 pm
At: World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade
Log on to: cakeology.in
Call: 9820744629
Entry: 200 per day

British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and German Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel praised late Argentine great Juan Manuel Fangio as both racers eye matching Fangio's five Formula One titles.

Hamilton secured his fourth title weeks before the end of the 2017 championship while Vettel won the last of his four consecutive crowns in 2013.

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton

"Certainly, we will never match him in how successful he had been in such a short time and so little races. Obviously, back then it was different. Racing was different," Vettel told Efe on Thursday ahead of the season-ending race this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Fangio, who died in 1995, won his maiden world title in 1951 and took four straight crowns between 1954 and 1957.

"To have achieved what he did achieve in that time, where a lot of things needed to come together, the cars were not as reliable and all of that, still he managed to be that successful, I think he's probably the best we've ever had in terms of putting it together, in terms of skill, in terms of how brave they were at the time," Vettel said.

Hamilton echoed Vettel's opinion of Fangio.

"I agree with Sebastian. Naturally, he's just a leading icon in motorsport. To have achieved what he achieved in the time, when danger was really at its worst. I think he's the driver that I think everyone admires most, perhaps being that it was in the most dangerous period of time in motorsport," Hamilton said.

"I think he should be celebrated more for his success. It's not really mentioned a huge amount. Often you hear about Ayrton and Prost, but I feel he's the godfather of the sport in terms of the drivers," he added.

Hamilton said he expected fierce competition from Vettel during the 2018 Formula One season.

"No one is perfect. Even I have things to work on. I expect Sebastian to raise the bar again next year. Ferrari had a great season," the British racer said.

As India remains under lockdown to contain coronavirus, Bollywood celebrities including actor Deepika Padukone are relying on group video calls to catch up with their near and dear ones.

The Bollywood's dimple queen on Monday set rather perfect friendship goals while practising social distancing as she spent some quality time with her childhood friends Divya Narayan and Sneha Ramchander on a group video call.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

❤ï¸Â #forever @divya_narayan4 @sneha_ramachander

A post shared by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) onApr 27, 2020 at 5:10am PDT

The 34-year-old actor, who is quite active on social media, shared on Instagram a three-window jolly screenshot of the video interaction session between the childhood buddies. In the image, all three childhood friends are seen beaming with joy while speaking to each other over the video call.

Keeping the caption of the picture simple yet striking, Deepika inserted a heart emoji along with a hashtag that said "forever" marking her strong bond with her two friends. Earlier this month, superstar Kareena Kapoor Khan was also seen speaking to her best friends several times during the lockdown.

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Actor Vidya Balan, who is raising funds through donations for providing personal protection equipment (PPE) kits to healthcare workers, has released the first batch of 2,000 safety kits to Kasturba Gandhi Hospital here.

The 'Mission Mangal' actor took to Instagram to post the pictures of PPE kits being loaded in trucks and thanked her fans for their generous donations.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

First batch of the 2000 PPE kits donated by you all is being loaded at the plant in Delhi on its way to Kasturba hospital 😊👊🏽🙏🏽💃🏻. Thank you so much for your generous donations and God bless you with a million times over of the best blessings life has to offer 😇☀ï¸Â!❣ï¸Â @tring.india @atulkasbekar @manmundra00 #UniteForHumanity #WarAgainstCovid19

A post shared by Vidya Balan (@balanvidya) onMay 2, 2020 at 7:37am PDT

"First batch of the 2000 PPE kits donated by you all is being loaded at the plant in Delhi on its way to Kasturba hospital," she wrote in the caption.

"Thank you so much for your generous donations and God bless you with a million times over of the best blessings life has to offer @tring.india @atulkasbekar #UniteForHumanity #WarAgainstCovid19," Balan's caption further read.

Besides Vidya, 'Dabangg' actor Sonakshi Sinha is also raising funds for donating PPE kits to healthcare workers.

Earlier on Friday, Sinha posted a video message on Instagram and urged the people to donate generously to help the frontline warriors combating COVID-19.

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The I For India concert was possibly the best initiative by the Hindi film industry ever since the Coronavirus pandemic began. The intent was to raise money to financially help all those warriors or the unsung heroes that are battling day and night to ensure the crisis ends soon. All the major Bollywood celebrities went live on Facebook and paid a tribute to them in their own style.

Let's talk about two of the best tributes, that of Hrithik Roshan and Alia Bhatt. Talking of Roshan first, he took to his Instagram account to share a video where he could be seen singing and playing the piano at the same time, and confessed he knows neither. He sang the Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahaan song and it's a must-watch.

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

So the equation goes as: Non pianist + non singer x 7 hours = 😐 (On phone speaker) and. 😬 (on headphones). . . I FOR INDIA. . Thank you Zoya and Karan and the rest of the team for initiating, conceiving, constructing , designing and assembling all of us together for something so needed and important. Proud. 👏. @zoieakhtar @karanjohar

A post shared by Hrithik Roshan (@hrithikroshan) onMay 3, 2020 at 11:19pm PDT

Coming to Bhatt, she crooned her own song from Udta Punjab, Ik Kuddi, and had the company of her elder sister Shaheen Bhatt. One of her fan-clubs posted the video. Don't miss this either:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Ikk Kudiiii 😍😘Uffff her voice 😭🔥💘 __________________________________ @aliaabhatt and @shaheenb join the #IForIndia initiative ❤✨ __________________________________ Follow for more 👉 @aliabhatt_heart 🌸 - - #aliabhatt #alia #aliabhatt_heart #followforfollowback #follow4followback #followtrain #follow #followｍe #followfollow #followmeto #followfollowfollow #followmeto #followyou #follower #followers #followbackinstantly #followmeplease #follow4like #followbacknow #followparty #followalways #likeforlikes #likelike #like4follow

A post shared by ❥ Alia Bhatt Fanclub☀ (@aliabhatt_heart) onMay 4, 2020 at 12:05am PDT

As mentioned above, this is indeed a heartfelt initiative and we hope the crisis ends soon. Way to go!

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Celebrities supporting social causes is indeed commendable because amidst the current scenario, the world needs empathy, love and financial support at the right time. In this regard, one person who always goes an extra mile; by extending support towards social causes and works for the betterment of indigent is Superstar 'Salman Khan'.

Commencing the financial aid, he was one of the first people who made sure that money was directly transferred into the bank account of 25,000 daily wagers who were in dire need. It did not stop there, he further transferred money into the account of additional 7000 daily wage workers of the film fraternity.

The actor also helped 90 vertically challenged wage workers associated with All India Special Artistes Association (AISAA), a wing of FWICE.

The superstar also arranged for food supplies for thousands of people from varied corners of the state. A video of the same surfaced on the internet recently where truckloads of essentials were sent to the villagers around the farm.

Salman Khan has been carefully watching the situation and extending help in installments to ensure steady flow of income and essentials for the needy in different parts of the country.

Over the years the actor has been involved more into humanitarian work and the great thing about him is that apart from money, he also gives his time and effort. Even in the current situation, he has personally invested himself in providing support to the nation.

Salman Khan is known for his philanthropist activities. Keeping in mind the current situation, he has released several videos where he has voiced his opinions and made personal appeal to his massive fandom and people of the nation and his massive fandom to stay indoors and maintain social distancing.

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She may have dressed up the biggest Bollywood names in her unique designs but nothing has given Masaba Gupta as much joy as making face masks for frontline warriors. She has created a line of non-surgical reusable masks, Maskaba, for police personnel in appreciation for working tirelessly for the well-being of citizens during the pandemic. The rest can shop from the Maskaba collection, online. For every mask sold, the designer will donate one to charity. We like.

The designer has dished out an initiative called Maskaba in the most stylish manner. While the pandemic has brought all operations at House of Masaba at a halt, the designer and actress is keeping her business ship afloat in these testing times quite creatively.

Sharing details of the same on Instagram, Masaba also stated that while executing this idea all hygiene and safety standards are being kept in mind. These stylish masks are being made from fabric that was meant for garments, and are washable and reusable. A team of three workers who are staying at the same production facility are making these masks.

Apart from this, Masaba is also posting motivational content on her Instagram handle. 

Masaba also shared a collage of the women working for House of Masaba. In the picture, nine women can be seen standing with placards that reads: We're all in this together. Let's flatten the curve. Although Masaba didn't feature in the post, she captioned it: Some of the incredible women at House of Masaba - reminding us that the only way to stick together right now...is to stay apart.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Some of the incredible women at @houseofmasaba - reminding us that the only way to stick together right now...is to stay apart. ðŸ¤ÂðŸ¤ÂðŸ¤Â #flattenthecurve #masaba #quarantine

A post shared by Mufasa✨🌙 (@masabagupta) onMar 24, 2020 at 6:52am PDT

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The lockdown was supposed to end tomorrow on April 14, but given the extent to which the Coronavirus pandemic has spread, it seems things will take time to get back to normal. Not only that, but the cases are also only rising and this has led to buildings being sealed. One of the recent ones being the residency of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah actress Sonalika Joshi.

Speaking to SpotBoyE, she confirmed that it had indeed happened. She said the building has been sealed since March 27. She resides in the Kandivli area of Mumbai. Another actor from the same show whose building was sealed is Tanmay Vekaria, who stays in the same area as Joshi. Tanmoy also confirmed this news to the same portal.

We wish that everyone stays safe and the pandemic is eradicated soon!

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Ramayana actress Mahika Sharma is stuck in the United Kingdom owing to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has prompted nationwide lockdowns all over the world. Far away from family and friends, the F.I.R actress has been in self-quarantine all alone in the foreign city and celebrating the Indian New Year distributing self-made sweets.

"Being Indian girl, and coming from a very religious Brahmin family I was always taught a girl should learn to adjust and survive in any circumstances away from family and should care to bring joy all around to let people feel her presence. Here in London I'm in a friend's apartment. Its a new year time in India. Be it Bihu in my home state Assam. Pôhela Boishakh at Kolkata or Vaisakhi.. Its a new year for India. So for celebrating it I'm making sweets here and greeting to people here. Its my luck," she said.

Later talking about coming back to nation. Former Miss teen northeast said, "I want to return India as soon as possible. But I don't want to take any risk. I'm safe and healthy here.. so won't return till things genuinely change and provide me a healthy and safe travel."

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Relationships in Tinsel Town can be very fragile. There are a lot of couples that got married and there are more couples that drifted apart due to irreparable differences. One of the couples is Shefali Jariwala and Sidharth Shukla. Shefali turned a lot of heads and made a lot of noise when she became the wild-card entry in Bigg Boss 13 last year, and her bonding with Shukla could clearly be seen. And speaking to BollywoodLife, she spilled the beans on her past and current relationship with the actor.

She said, "See, initially we bonded and then we had a bad fight. After he came back from the secret room, our equation got better. Both of us are very logical people. Also, we have similar interests, we would talk about travel, space, bullet trains and what not. Even after we stopped dating, we were always cordial whenever we bumped into each other."

And then, talking about his relationship with Shehnaaz Gill, she said, "See, that is my opinion of their equation from what I saw inside the house. Sidharth definitely cares for her but I did not find it a romantic equation per se. However, saying that, I would be happy if they indeed fell in love and got married. It would be great. It will be wonderful."

Would you also like to see Shehnaaz and Sidharth tie the knot soon? 

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Since the lockdown began in March, we have seen umpteen videos of celebrities working out, cooking, eating healthy, playing with their pets, gardening, and pursuing their many hobbies. Now, with a video that actress Jaya Bhattacharya has shared on social media, we will see the actress going bald on camera!

Sharing how she has wanted to do this for ages, Jaya Bhattacharya compiled a post of five videos telling us why she finally decided to take the plunge, the reasons that compelled her to do so, and also that she thinks vanity isn't something she cares much about.

Jaya Bhattacharya wrote, "#surprise wanted to do this since ages but never had enough motivation.
This helps me work more freely and better."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

#surprise wanted to do this since ages but never had enough motivation This helps me work more freely & better #monday #mondaymotivation #feedthehomeless #feedthehungry #feedstrays #feedstraydogs #feedstrayanimals #coronatime #covid19mumbai #lockdowndiaries #lockdownextended #doyourbit #behelpful #weiredtimes #doyourbest #lifeisbeautiful #lifeisbeautiful as you make @ankitbathla10 SORRY

A post shared by Jaya Bhattacharya (@jaya.bhattacharya) onApr 20, 2020 at 8:26am PDT

Jaya shared her motivation to go bald and said, "Every time I come back home, I've been feeding dogs, sharing ration... Be it day or night, I and everyone in my home make it a point to soak our clothes in soap and piping hot water, and we take a bath from head to toe. It's getting difficult for me to maintain my hair..."

As the videos go on, we realise that the real motivation for the actress is helping others during the COVID-19 lockdown, and her desire to do it freely. She further said, "I actually never cared for my looks. The acting mattered to me, my other work mattered to me." After having all her hair chopped off, she asks for it to be kept carefully as she will use them to get wigs made for cancer patients.

Well, that's one bold move and more power to you!

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Ramanand Sagars popular TV serial 'Ramayan' which is re-airing on Doordarshan became the world's most-watched show on April 16 with 7.7 crore viewers, DD India posted on its official Twitter handle on late Thursday night. 'Ramayan' is being telecast again since March 28 on public demand. In fact, when it was telecast for the first time, the serial had broken all records of popularity, and the show has repeated its history again. Ramanand Sagar had made a total of 78 episodes of this serial based on Valmiki's Ramayana and Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas.

For the first time in the country, the serial was originally broadcast from January 25, 1987 to July 31, 1988. Then, every Sunday, at 9.30 a.m. the show was aired on TV. From 1987 to 1988, 'Ramayan' became the most watched serial in the world. Till June 2003, it remained recorded in the Limca Book of Records as "the most watched mythological serial in the world".

Interestingly, when the serial started airing in the country for the first time, people used to remain glued to the TV sets. Since there were less TVs at homes then, most of the people used to gather at some neighbour's place to watch 'Ramayan'.

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President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte revealed during his recent State of the Nation address that tobacco firm Mighty Corporation had agreed to settle three cases of tax evasion with the Filipino government.

Having accepted a settlement from the tobacco firm, the Philippines Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Department of Justice on October 2 dropped three tax evasion cases against Mighty Corp.

The Philippines Department of Finance has said the country will look to install a 25 percent corporate income tax rate on a broader base as part of the second phase of its tax reform process.