People can contribute to projects that aim to leave a map of the national mood and allow future historians a glimpse of 24 hours in a pandemic

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“I have underlying health conditions, including asthma,” writes a frightened 40-year-old woman , shortly before Sunday’s news of whether the lockdown will be eased. “I’m terrified to leave the house, even for exercise, but I’m not sick enough to be ‘extremely vulnerable’. Covid-19 could quite probably kill me.”

The anonymous contributor is part of a project called Covid-19 and Me, run jointly by the Young Foundation and the Open University, two of a number of organisations which are asking thousands of men and women of all ages, ethnicities, incomes, beliefs and backgrounds across Britain to keep diaries, complete questionnaires and be interviewed by their peers. They want to know what it is like, at an everyday level, to live through a global pandemic, to create an ongoing “weather map of public feeling”.

A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreak

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Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:

Only US is judged to have dealt with it worse, after it was reported the UK has the highest death toll of any country in Europe

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More people in this country now believe the UK has performed worse than Italy, Spain and France in the Covid-19 crisis than say it has done better than its European neighbours, according the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.

The data shows that only the United States is judged by a majority of people in the UK to have fared worse. While two weeks ago more people thought that the UK had done better than Italy and Spain, now the reverse is the case.

Prime minister expected to outline ‘roadmap’ to new normality in address on Sunday

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Boris Johnson is expected to unveil a coronavirus warning system for England when he outlines his plans to gradually ease the lockdown.

The prime minister will drop the “stay home” slogan and instead tell the country to “stay alert, control the virus and save lives” when he outlines his “roadmap” to a new normality during an address to the nation on Sunday. Johnson is planning to tell workers who cannot do their jobs from home to begin returning to their workplaces while following social distancing rules.

Anthony Fauci and top advisers from CDC and FDA to work remotely because of potential exposure to Covid-19; global cases pass 4 million; Russia cases approach 200,000. Follow the latest updates

• Three White House Covid-19 taskforce members to self-quarantine
• New York warns of children’s illness linked to Covid-19
• Hundreds queue for food parcels in wealthy Geneva
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8.42am BST

A navy ship carrying evacuees from the Maldives arrived in India today as part of an effort to bring home hundreds of thousands of nationals stranded overseas due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Workers and students were unable to return home after India banned all incoming international flights in late March as part of the world’s biggest lockdown to combat the spread of the deadly infectious disease.

8.32am BST

Malaysia’s government extended the time frame for movement and business curbs by another four weeks to 9 June, amid a gradual reopening of economic activity stunted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this week, businesses were allowed to resume business as usual, albeit under strict health guidelines, after having to close shop for two months as health authorities worked to contain the pandemic. Malaysia has so far reported 6,589 cases with 108 deaths.

Washington (AFP) - Orders for vaccines against diseases such as measles have declined since a national emergency was declared in the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

"I totally support your mask policy," a comment on Costco's Facebook said. "It is small minded individuals who don't understand the reason for it."

A Democratic-led subcommittee overseeing federal coronavirus aid is demanding that five companies return loans the panel says should have gone to smaller businesses. The subcommittee led by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., sent letters Friday to the companies as its first official action. The House voted last month to create the panel over the objections of Republicans who say it is partisan and duplicative of other oversight efforts around the federal government.

The head of the Food and Drug Administration will also self-quarantine; all three are on the coronavirus task force.

Tia has decided to work at a migrant camp in Calais instead of returning home to her family during lockdown.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the firm will leave California after he is ordered to keep a factory shut.

The government says "operational issues" in the UK meant 50,000 samples had to be flown to US labs.

Experts warn the true number of infections may be higher due to low testing rates in many countries.

Ex-president strongly criticises successor Donald Trump over his handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Top diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci is one of the three members of President Trump's task force to self-isolate.

The tests are for people arriving in Austria who want to avoid 14 days of quarantine, and cost €190.

Laura Fuchs is capturing New Yorkers who are trying to stay positive in the midst of the pandemic.

South Korea was once a Covid-19 hotspot but used technology and testing to avoid a total lockdown.

My name is Isabella, but I go by "Izzy" for short. I like chewing on my older sister Maddie and destroying her toys, cuddling with all my favorite people, napping, howling along with songs, and eating everything in sight. I'm not the most athletic dog, but I have excellent balancing skills and can walk around on my hind legs like nobody's business.

The Labor Department said Friday that 20.5 million jobs vanished in April in the worst monthly loss on record, triggered by coast-to-coast shutdowns of factories, stores, offices and other businesses

It's only now that Ibrahim Ali Khan's presence on Instagram has become more frequent than before. And thanks to him being a TikTok fan, we now know that he has quite an actor in him! Credit the genes! But does he have plans to pursue it professionally?

Sara Ali Khan, who recently indulged in a candid conversation with Bollywood Hungama, was asked if Ibrahim plans to get into films. "He has not even gone to college as yet. So I think acting is a while away. It's definitely something he is interested in, something he is passionate about. And he's gonna study film in LA. So, if he wants to do something he'll do it,"  she said.

In October last year, Sara and Ibrahim shot for their first magazine cover together, and the internet was all praises. Given that he already has a thing for the camera, looks like it is only a matter of time before we see him in films!

Apart from impressing people with her acting skills, Sara Ali Khan has also been acing her social media game. The actress who often uses rhyme schemes in her Instagram captions also entertains people with her 'Knock Knock Jokes'. Her brother Ibrahim Ali Khan is often seen accompanying her in these videos. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, Sara Ali Khan spoke about these videos and how Ibrahim reacts to them.

Recently Sara Ali Khan posted a Tik Tok video where they are seen taking the challenge of ‘Who’s most likely to’. When asked about whose idea it was to make Tik Tok videos, Sara said, “I think Ibrahim was the first among all of us to get on to TikTok and he often tells me that 'Let's make a TikTok’. I asked him what to do because I am not good at this. The only thing I can do is Knock Knock Who's There, you don't find that very funny. He would be like ‘let's do this one’ and we just did it. As you can see, we did not know what the questions were going to be. We did not listen to the questions first and wanted it to be a surprise.

Talking about her popular Knock Knock jokes, Sara said, “I think Ibrahim needs to be told that. Because every time I go into his room in my nightie with my phone saying ‘knock knock’ and he is like ‘No Sara’ and I am like ‘Common please’. He always thinks I am not going to put it up because I am puffy, in my nightie, and choti (Ponytail). And I am like ‘Check Instagram’.”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Sara had started shooting for Atrangi Re before the lockdown was imposed. Atrangi Re directed by Aanand L Rai also stars Akshay Kumar and Dhanush.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Sara Ali Khan opens up on brother Ibrahim Ali Khan’s Bollywood plans, says it’s only a dream right now

Subhash Ghai is one of the celebrated filmmakers of Bollywood. He has films like Taal, Karz, Ram Lakhan and Khalnayak to his credit and has worked with several A-list actors. However, the director has never worked with Amitabh Bachchan. The two had started working on a project but it was called off in its early stage. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Subhash Ghai revealed why they never completed the film.

Talking about why the film was stalled, Subhash Ghai said, “Both of us tried to make the film, but the situation was such that the film could not be made. Neither of us was at fault. Sometimes situations are such that you feel that films cannot be made and we stop in between. There were several factors. Even I was at fault as I was impatient back then. He is one of the finest actors of India and it is my bad luck that I could not work with him. He does the bad scenes also so well that it puts the writer to shame. I did not write as well as Amitabh Bachchan performed it. I am a great admirer of Amitabh Bachchan and we are family friends. It was not in our fate to work with each other.”

However, Subhash Ghai seems hopeful of working with the veteran actor in the future when the time is right and they get the right script. The incomplete film of Subhash Ghai and Amitabh Bachchan was titled Devaa. In 2013 there were reports of Subhash Ghai collaborating with Bachchan for the biopic of Sarabjit which was ultimately essayed by Randeep Hooda and directed by Omung Kumar.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Subhash Ghai reveals the plot of Khalnayak 2 with Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, and Jackie Shroff

More than 78,400 people with COVID-19 have died in the United States and more than 1.3 million people have tested positive, according to the latest estimates from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University

Coronavirus update: Quidel said that the test can provide an accurate, automated result in 15 minutes. The company said it specialises in testing for diseases and conditions including the flu and Lyme disease.

Coronavirus Delhi update: The teacher had last come to school on April 28 and started showing COVID-19 symptoms from May 2. His test report came on Friday

The deadline for research scholars to submit their theses/dissertations has been extended to December 31

Musk has been ranting about the stay-home order since the company's April 29 first-quarter earnings were released, calling the restrictions fascist and urging governments to stop taking people's freedom

Coronavirus in Maharashtra: In the last 24 hours, Maharashtra's COVID-19 positive cases jumped 1,165. Coronavirus has killed as many as 779 people in Maharashtra. The state reported 48 deaths in last one day

The measures comprise 24-hour sanitisation of factory premises, providing face masks and PPEs to all workers, temperature check of all employees twice daily, no sharing of tools, and ensuring physical distancing by raising barriers on work floors as well as dining facilities, among others

Saturday's development comes three years after India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam region in Sikkim sector

Former Australian National Rugby League (NRL) star Robbie Farah has revealed how a failed effort to clinch a date with Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard, fondly called Genie, was only a joke between drunk friends. In a recent interview to Fox League Live, Robbie, 36, said of the February incident: "I was in Miami and I was pi***d. I was with a bunch of mates and we thought it'd be funny if I sent her a message.

"The next day it blew up in the media. I had all these people having a go at me, some people thought it was rude or whatever. I was like it's a joke. If you can't take a joke, seriously…what world do we live in?"

Robbie had tagged Eugenie in two tweets, asking her for a date. His first tweet read: "@geniebouchard, surely you're having a drink with me in Miami!" Within a few minutes, he wrote: "@geniebouchard if I rub you do I get three wishes?" Genie did not reply to his tweets, but that didn't stop the media from reporting his verbal attempts. The tweets are since deleted.

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That Mother's Day has arrived amid the lockdown this year is only as inopportune as it is befitting. After all, few could have had a better first-hand account of the panache with which she maintains the physical and emotional well-being of the entire family, even when isolated with them for months, within the confines of four walls. Among the many artistes to pay tribute to mothers is Anushka Manchanda, who has released a single, Thanks maa, that streams on Resso.

"When the pandemic struck, a lot of us began to reflect on how vulnerable we feel. We look to our family and loved ones for support and the single most important person we tend to depend on are our mother. Whether they are away, or at home with us, they give us so much support and comfort. In times like this, it's even more important to let them know how grateful we are for them." Manchanda says that composer Charan Singh Pathania has captured the essence of what she wanted to say. "I wanted the song to be joyful while capturing the emotional bond we share with our mothers," says the singer.

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As the nation celebrates Mother's Day today, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut on Saturday dedicated a beautiful poem for her mother, Asha Ranaut. The poem was shared by Kananga's official team on Instagram. The poem began with lines that read: "I'm your longing for life. When I first arose in your young heart...Your eyes gleamed with hope."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

#KanganaRanaut pens down this beautiful poem on the account of Mother's Day. Here, she dedicates some beautiful words as gift to her mother and all the mothers in the world. Happy Mother's Day. ♥ï¸Â . . . #mothersday #happymothersday

A post shared by Kangana Ranaut (@team_kangana_ranaut) onMay 9, 2020 at 7:53am PDT

The 33-year-old actor wrote about the "love and warmth" she saw nowhere else but only in her mother. "And then I went to my own heart, I found you, mother, I found you there....You arise in my heart...as a desire...as a longing for life...I'm your longing for life," the lines read.

In another post, the team shared a picture of the mother-daughter duo, beaming with smiles.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

They say a mother understands what a child does not say, today let's tell them out loud. Let's make #MothersDay extra special for our mothers by telling them what's in our hearts!! ♥️🤗🤰

A post shared by Kangana Ranaut (@team_kangana_ranaut) onMay 9, 2020 at 9:11am PDT

Born and brought up in Himachal Pradesh, the 'Panga' actor has been spending quality time with her family in Manali ever since the COVID-19 induced lockdown was imposed in the country.

Though she does not have a social media profile of her own, her team keeps her fans well posted about updates from her personal and professional life on social media.

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Baahubali sensation Prabhas's next is KK Radha Krishna Kumar's film, co-starring Pooja Hegde, Just before the lockdown was announced, the unit was shooting in Georgia for the love story. On Friday, May 8, Kumar shared snapshots from the set, which have gone viral on social media. Not content with the pictures, the South star's fans want the makers to announce the title and unveil the teaser.

Have a look at one of the posts right here that gave us a glimpse of the shooting experience of the crew:

10 degrees cold, pouring rain and corona virus threat. Nothing stops the spirit of crew. #Prabhas20 pic.twitter.com/8i5v0vSQeo

— Radha Krishna Kumar (@director_radhaa) March 14, 2020

The film, as it is being reported, is tentatively titled Prabhas 20, since this biggie marks the 20th film of the actor. However, no confirmation about the same has been made yet. Taking to his Twitter account, he shared some pictures from the opening ceremony of the film.

Have a look right here:

Here is a glimpse of our darling from the opening ceremony of #prabhas20 #StayHomeStaySafe pic.twitter.com/uWfijGhulf

— Radha Krishna Kumar (@director_radhaa) May 8, 2020

And here were some more of them:

And some more pic.twitter.com/6cP7UfDNjD

— Radha Krishna Kumar (@director_radhaa) May 8, 2020

The shooting has been going for almost a year now and fans are desperately waiting for their Darling Prabhas, as he's fondly called, to announce the official title and also release the teaser quickly. Prabhas has been one of the biggest stars in the Telugu industry ever since he began his journey as an actor. In the North, he became a sensation after the historic and humongous success of Baahubali: The Beginning and Conclusion.

It's nothing but the testimony of his star-power that Saaho, despite mixed reviews from critics, smashed multiple box-office records and went on to become a major success. Now we all have to wait and watch how much hysteria this film generates at the ticket windows

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Actor Jake Gyllenhaal says he has become less interested in work and more interested in personal life, adding that he hopes to have kids in the future.

In an interview with British Vogue, the actor, who has been part of showbiz since the last two decades, shared that he is now ready to focus on his personal life, reports etonline.com.

"I'm interested in my life, even more so than my work. I've reached a point in my career where I feel hungry in a different way," said Gyllenhaal, adding: "I've seen how much of my life I've neglected as a result of being committed to that work and that idea."

"(I've) lightened up. Seeing life as something that is, you know, fleeting, and the world being as it is now. I've turned to my family, I've turned to my friends and I've turned to love. I'm a little less interested in the work, I would say, and more interested in that," said the 39-year-old star, known for starring in movies like "Donnie Darko", "Brokeback Mountain", "Nightcrawler" and "Spider-Man: Far From Home".

Gyllenhaal, who has been romantically linked to French model Jeanne Cadieu in the past few years, shared that he "definitely" sees kids in his future.

"Yes, of course I do. I definitely do," he said, adding: "The act of making love to make a child…the real thing is life. You get to the end of the show and that's what it's about. Children. Children and art."

He continued: "I'm not someone who has ever existed in a space where I've really known what's coming next. But you do have to be open to it. And there has been no other time in my life that I can safely say…. My mother and my sister are some of the most extraordinary people I know. Our vulnerability with each other, our ability to communicate about how tough times can be is what I'm most proud of in my family. For everything I hope to pass on, that's the most important."

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As the nation celebrates the indomitable spirit of motherhood on Sunday, Bollywood celebrities also dedicated heart-warming messages to their mom's on the occasion of Mother's Day."

Sara Ali Khan shared a heart-melting throwback picture where she is seen as an infant in the arms of her grandmother while her mother is looking at baby Sara in a moment of affection. The actor captioned the post as, "Meri Maa ki Maa. Thank you for creating Mommy. #HappyMothersDay."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Meri Maa ki Maa 💁🏻‍♀ï¸ÂðŸ¤°ðŸ¤±ðŸ»ðŸ™‡ðŸ»‍♀ï¸Â Thank you for creating Mommy 💝🙏🏻👩‍👧‍👧🐣🐥🐤 #HappyMothersDay

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95) onMay 9, 2020 at 11:45am PDT

Vicky Kaushal put out a childhood throwback picture on Instagram where the actor is seen caught in a moment of mischief as he jogs at the shore of a beach, while his mother is seen scolding him. Along with the picture Vicky wrote," Dodging them till date. Keep them coming Maa. Love you! 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Dodging them till date. Keep them coming Maa. Love you! ❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09) onMay 9, 2020 at 5:40pm PDT

Ananya Panday shared an adorable video from her childhood days where she is seen sporting a while kurta-churidar with a red dotted dupatta. The video initiates with a question by a person behind the camera who asks, "Whom do you love the most in the world?"

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

it’s clear where I get my crazy from 😜 happy Mama’s day to my Mama and all the beautiful mama’s out there ❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Ananya 💛💫 (@ananyapanday) onMay 9, 2020 at 12:15pm PDT

To which baby Ananya innocently replies, "Mama."

And he asks, "And the second?"

She smilingly replies, "Nobody."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

The answer is still the same 😜 love u @bhavanapandey ❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Ananya 💛💫 (@ananyapanday) onMay 9, 2020 at 12:16pm PDT

Along with the caption she wrote, "The answer is still the same. love u @bhavanapandey."

Recalling his childhood moments spent with her mom, Ishaan Khatter shared a couple of throwback pictures with his mom in an Instagram post.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Mom for president ✌🏼

A post shared by Ishaan (@ishaankhatter) onMay 9, 2020 at 1:16pm PDT

The special post featured 3 pictures of which the first one shows baby Ishaan lying in bed while his mother is seen pecking a kiss on his little arms. The second one shows his mom in a glamorous monochromatic picture, and the third one shows baby Ishaan in his childhood days, where he is seen sitting in his mother's lap and passing a smile at the camera.Along with the post he wrote, "Mom for president."

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In the fight against COVID-19, Uber has extended support by offering free rides to frontline BMC healthcare workers and non-COVID patients in Mumbai through its recently launched UberMedic service.

All UberMedic cars are fitted with a roof-to-floor plastic sheeting enclosing the driver. Additionally, all drivers are being trained in safety procedures and provided with personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, sanitisers and disinfectants to sanitise the cars between rides.

The agreement is part of Uber’s recent offer to provide free rides worth Rs 1 crore to the Maharashtra government. Prabhjeet Singh, Director, Operations and Head of Cities, Uber India & South Asia, said, “The BMC has been working tirelessly to contain the spread of COVID-19. We feel privileged to be supporting them in these challenging times and will help move what matters by leveraging our global experience, technology and network of drivers.”

Uber’s recently launched UberMedic service has been transporting frontline medical workers in 35+ hospitals across 23 Indian cities.

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US employers have cut a staggering 20.5 million jobs in April amid the COVID-19 pandemic, erasing a decade of job gains since the global financial crisis and pushing the unemployment rate to a record 14.7 per cent, which is the highest level since the Great Depression.

In April, the unemployment rate surged by 10.3 percentage points to 14.7 per cent, the largest over-the-month increase in the history of the series dating back to January 1948, the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) said in a report.

Since mid-March, numerous US states have rolled out "stay-at-home" policies and shut down non-essential businesses in a bid to slow the spread of the virus, leading companies to cut millions of jobs in weeks.

Employment in leisure and hospitality plummeted by 7.7 million, or 47 per cent, the report showed. The manufacturing sector shed 1.3 million workers, and employment in retail trade was down 2.1 million jobs.

The education and health sector lost 2.5 million jobs. Government employment also dropped by 9,80,000 in April, according to the bureau. Hispanics and African-Americans have been hit the hardest in the job crisis, said the BLS report. President Donald Trump said that with the reopening of the economy, lost jobs will come back.

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The city might miss seeing Lord Ganesh in his full glory this year, as work on the gigantic idols, which usually adorn the biggest and richest pandals during Ganesh Chaturthi, has taken a big hit due to the Coronavirus outbreak and the resulting lockdown. Sculptors, who usually start work in May for the annual festival that will be celebrated on August 22 this year, have been forced to put all orders on hold, as raw materials aren't available, and most of the artisans are stuck in their hometowns. The government too, hasn't given permission to begin work. With the lockdown extended till May 17, the sculptors say that mandals might have to settle for scaled-down versions of the idol.

Mumbai has over 10,000 sarvajanik Ganesh mandals. To ensure that the idols are delivered on time, sculptors start work three months in advance, first making the pattern, a rough model, which is then corrected with welding at the workshops. Another 20 days are invested in painting the idol, and giving it the final touches. Mandals usually accept delivery of the idols 10 days before the festival begins.

A Ganesh idol-making workshop at Chinchpokli, where work otherwise begins in May, is currently shut due to the lockdown

With the way the situation has panned out till now, work is unlikely to begin before July. This will leave sculptors with just about a month to complete work. Reshma Khatu, daughter of late sculptor Vijay Khatu, says, "Currently, we have put all the orders and planning on hold and are awaiting the government's decision. The crisis doesn't seem to be nearing an end. We do not want to put our workers at risk. Even if one person is detected COVID-19 positive, work will go for a toss and the entire workshop will be sealed."

The other problem is that at least 70 per cent of the workers employed, hail from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They work in Maharashtra during May to October. Vijay Kumar Soni, hails from Patna, but is currently stuck in Konkan, where he and his employer Rajan Zaad, have been working on rough designs. "We came here in March, and hence could begin work. Some of the dyes are ready, and we hope to get started on the idols when we return to Mumbai. But, I am not sure if the other workers from Patna will be able to make it on time." Zaad, who is a sculptor from Lalbaug, says that he will be requesting the mandals to accept smaller-sized idols.

Sculptor Rajan Zaad says he intends to request mandals to have smaller-sized idols this year

The raw materials for making the larger idols come from Rajasthan and Kerala, while shadu—a kind of clay used for the sculpture—comes from Gujarat. But transportation has taken the biggest hit, and state borders are sealed.

Ankush Kambli, a sculptor from Parel village, says he has started work from home with the help of his family members but is running out of raw materials. Ditching the ubiquitous plaster of Paris, he has decided to use only shadu. "There is no clarity, if we will be able to get back to our routines of working from a workshop. We understand that there is the need for social distancing and that is the sole reason why we are working from home."

Reshma Khatu

The Brihanmumbai Murtikar Samanvay Samiti, an umbrella body of Ganpati sculptors, has decided to share their concerns with the government. Gajanan Tondvalkar, president of the samiti, and a sculptor in Naigaon, Dadar, says, "We will request the government to help ensure transportation of raw materials, so that we can work from home, at least."

Meanwhile, the city's Ganesh mandals, have decided to put discussions about the festivities on hold. Sudhir Salvi, secretary of Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal, says, "Calls that need to be taken regarding the celebrations will be done once the Coronavirus situation is under control." The secretary of Lalbaug Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal, popularly known as Ganesh Galli Ganpati, Swapnil Parab, says the committee is yet to take a decision and will honour the government's directive.

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Maharashtra's count for COVID-19 cases crossed 20,000 cases and the city had 722 new cases on Saturday. The bar of the state's death toll rose higher with 48 deaths, and 27 of them occurred in Mumbai.

State health officials said that while Mumbai has 12,864 COVID-19 cases, an additional 178 cases have been reported, but are yet to be added to the tally. Apart from 27 deaths that occurred in Mumbai, 10 were reported in Pune, eight in Malegaon and one each in Akola, Nanded and Amravati. State health officials said that the 48 deaths had occurred between April 25 and May 8.

Migrant workers, who were walking to MP on the Eastern Expressway, were herded back by policemen before the Mulund Toll Naka. Pic/Sameer Markande

Civic officials said that among the 27 patients who died, 21 of them were suffering from other ailments and three of the patients who died were less than 40 years old. In order to reduce the burden on the city's hospitals, the civic body is now urging people who test positive but have no symptoms to refrain from visiting hospitals. They are encouraging asymptomatic positive patients to visit COVID care centres instead.

Meanwhile, 25 new cases were reported from Dharavi which included one death. Five of the cases were from Mukund Nagar, the slum pocket with the highest concentration of cases. Dharavi alone now has 833 positive cases. Five other cases were reported from Mahim, 18 in Dadar, including eight cases from Kasarwadi.

In order to avoid the spread of the infection as seen in Dharavi, officials from H West ward are sealing the Khar Danda area, which includes slum pockets. The decision was taken after five members of a family in a residential building in the area tested positive earlier this week. "We found a high-risk patient while tracing the contacts of the family that tested positive. We are sealing the area. We are figuring out the arrangements for food," said an official from H West. In other parts of Bandra West, 13 cases have been reported from Shastri Nagar and 14 from the slaugherhouse near the Bandra Railway Station. Civic officials said another 12 cases have been reported from the Nargis Dutt Nagar slums.

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The Coronavirus lockdown has exposed our state and nation's deep, economic divide, as it has turned out to be a nightmare for lakhs of migrants and urban poor in Maharashtra. Not only have they lost their livelihood, they are also struggling to eat two square meals a day. "Apart from food, people also need money to pay rent and electricity bills, recharge their phones, meet medical expenses," explained Lalita T of the Stree Mukti Sanghatana, an NGO working for the rights of waste picker women. It has provided dry ration kits to 5,000 waste picker women in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane. They plan to carry out another distribution drive within the next couple of weeks.

The central government seems to have taken cognisance of the hunger problem as it has allowed NGOs conducting relief activities to approach the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for procuring food grains (rice and wheat) at subsidised rates from its warehouses. "We have to pick up a minimum of 1,000 kg at once. With trucks refusing to ply during the lockdown, this puts us in a tight spot. An additional challenge is that the wheat that's been allocated is whole grain wheat. It hasn't been milled into flour," said Trina Talukdar, co-founder of Kranti. Kranti first mailed the FCI on April 16 and its request to buy food grains from them was finally approved on May 8. They have provided food essentials to 700 families in Kamathipura and Malad so far, with money raised via private fundraising efforts. Each packet typically lasts a family of five for a month.

Lalita T, consultant with the Stree Mukti Sangathana

Agreeing with Talukdar, Nishant Bangera of the Muse Foundation remarked, "Providing only rice and wheat is inadequate. Why haven't pulses been included? We expected more hand-holding from the government because we lack resources. I'm not just referring to finances, there is also a shortage of volunteers on the ground given that we are dealing with a public health crisis." The founder of the Thane-based NGO revealed that carrying relief supplies for 100 people amounts to carrying more than three tonnes of material. It has been able to help about 500 families as of now. Muse emailed its registration certificate (bearing the charity commissioner's signature) to the authority concerned. Its request to buy rice was approved and it has distributed the same. It decided not to purchase wheat, because with no disposable income at hand and mills shut, recipients can't convert it into flour.

"The state has failed in its responsibility to cater to the needy. It has shifted the onus onto NGOs, but we don't have the kind of infrastructure that the state does, to reach every nook and corner," says Bilal Khan, an activist with the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao (GBGB) movement. The GBGB kits includes supplies to prepare a basic meal— rice, wheat, pulses, masala, tea, oil, sugar, poha, rava, etc. It's logistically unfeasible for GBGB to procure rice from the FCI and all other materials from elsewhere, they say. GBGB has written to the FCI, but it hasn't heard back from them yet. Khan was one of the petitioners who had approached the Bombay High Court on March 23, seeking to address the gaps in the state government's relief response during the lockdown.

Ulka Mahajan, social worker

"It's the government's constitutional responsibility to provide food for everybody. We also want all the interstate and intrastate migrant workers to be safely transported back to their hometowns after their wages are settled," said Ulka Mahajan, a prominent social worker, who was a co-petitioner along with Khan. Mahajan feels that instead of solely depending on non-profits for distribution of food, they should also have been made stakeholders in the discussion around the lockdown and its exit plan. She stated the example of Kerala as a state which has benefitted from doing the same.

The divisional manager of the FCI in Mumbai, Avinash Dhabade, dismissed allegations of red tape claiming that, "More than 50 NGOs in Mumbai, such as the Rehbar Foundation and Citizens for Justice and Peace, have picked up food grains from us so far. NGOs engaging in relief work have to mail us their registration certificate, bearing the signature of the charity commissioner, online. If everything is in place, we will approve their request on the very same day."

Mukta Srivastava, right to food activist

As far as the stipulation to pick up one metric tonne of grains at once is concerned, Dhabade said that his hands are tied because the FCI is simply following a central government directive.

In what seems like a cruel joke, the Centre has decided to use the surplus stock of rice in its warehouses to make hand sanitiser by converting it into ethanol. The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) based on the national policy on biofuels, which allows for the conversion of excess grains into ethanol. This move comes across as high-handed and insensitive, given the food insecurity of innumerable people in major cities across the country.

Trina Talukdar, co-founder, Kranti

"What about those who haven't registered themselves with the Maharashtra Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board for instance? Or those who don't possess ration cards and so, they are excluded from the government's Public Distribution System," asks Mukta Srivastava, a Right to Food activist, questioning the government's apathy towards its most vulnerable.

Nishant Bangera, founder, Muse Foundation

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