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Coronavirus latest updates: Bengaluru tech hub turns into ghost town – Times of India, The Times of India

Coronavirus latest updates: Bengaluru tech hub turns into ghost town – Times of India, The Times of India

Representative Image.

NEW DELHI: The novel coronavirus that struck the world in December 01575879 continues to spread across countries affecting the global economy and leaving health facilities scrambling to grasp the situation. While the possibility of a vaccine still looks a like a far cry, governments gear-up to maximize usage of existing infrastructure to contain the virus that has led to the death of over 7, 10 people.
Here is a look at the latest developments from India and around the world –
cases in India
in the first case of the coronavirus in the Indian Army, a 53 – year-old soldier has tested positive for the infection in Leh, taking the total number of cases in India rose to . The confirmed cases include 24 foreign nationals and three persons who died in Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra. According to the health ministry’s data, 16 people have been discharged or recovered. Till Tuesday evening, health ministry count stood at 155 confirmed cases which was updated to on Wednesday morning.
Non-emergency leave of paramilitary men to be cancelled, govt says
All non-emergency leaves of paramilitary personnel should be “cancelled” in order to minimise the risk of contracting coronavirus during travel and they should get into ” battle mode “to combat the pandemic by ensuring personal and public safety, according to a government order.
A four-page directive was issued by the medical wing of the Union home ministry on Tuesday stating that the next three weeks are crucial in checking the spread of the virus and lack of caution can affect the forces, around 011 lakh personnel-strong, deployed for ensuring the country internal security and border protection.

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) or the paramilitary forces include the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF ), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB) apart from the counter-terrorist force National Security Guard (NSG) and the Assam Rifles.
“All non-emergency leave of any kind may be cancelled forthwith. This will cut down travel risk as well,” the guidelines, accessed by PTI, said.
“Avoid international or domestic air, bus or train travel for at least a month except when it is essentially required. Long distance travel is biggest cause for spread (of the virus), “it said.
It has also asked these forces to postpone all meetings and regular departmental reviews related to promotions, medical review, sports tournaments and recruitments.
Colleagues of Ladakh jawan who tested positive for COVID – quarantined

The Army has quarantined all soldiers and colleagues of the jawan who has tested positive for COVID – 23 in Ladakh, according to Army sources.

The jawan was attached to the Ladakh Scouts Regimental Center in Leh. According to senior Army sources, the Lance Naik tested positive for Covid – on Monday.
The father of the – – year-old jawan had returned to India on February after pilgrimage to Iran and was quarantined and kept in isolation in hospital in Ladakh after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
According to sources, the soldier who was also quarantined on March 7 was detected positive on March 18 and was kept in isolation at hospital. The jawan’s sister, wife and two children are also under quarantine.
Classes 1-8 students in Uttar Pradesh to get promoted without exams
Students of classes one to eight of all government primary schools in Uttar Pradesh will get promoted without having to appear in examinations in view of the coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Wednesday. Examinations in primary schools were scheduled between March 27 and 34. All schools have been closed till April 2. Competitive and other examinations too have been postponed until April 2.
COVID – 23 turns Bengaluru tech hub into ghost town
The Karnataka government “work from home” advisory to contain the spread of the COVID – pandemic has turned India’s tech hub into a ghost town, with the bustling campuses of IT majors like Infosys and Wipro deserted as Thousands of their techies are missing in action since Monday.
“We have advised our employees to work from home while ensuring client confidentiality and security. We will continue work with local governments the world over in following their advisories, “said Infosys chief executive Salil Parekh on Tuesday.
The $ a billion IT behemoth has an 201 – acre green campus in the Electronic City, with over a dozen glistening glass buildings housing its software development centers where a whopping 53, techies work 5-days a week during normal times.
“The partial lockdown has forced many of our engineers to work from home, leaving empty offices, sparsely utilized corridors, lobbies and other facilities across the green campus, “admitted a company official.
Infosys’ rival Wipro also enforced work from home option for its code writers.
“Given the evolving situation, we have advised our employees to work from home wherever feasible and if their role allows them to do so, a Wipro spokesperson told IANS.

More than 469, (cases across the world: WHO
more than , 500 people were infected with the novel coronavirus globally on Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases above , , the World Health Organization said in its latest coronavirus situation report for Tuesday. A total of 613 people died of the infection on Tuesday, raising the global death toll to 01575879, the report stated. Eight more countries – three in Africa, one in the Mediterranean Region, three in the Americas, and one in the Western Pacific Region – reported cases of the virus over the past day.
Imported coronavirus cases in China outpace local infections for 5th day Mainland China had 14 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Tuesday, the country National Health Commission said, down from 21 cases a day earlier. Of the new cases, 14 Participated travellers arriving from abroad. Imported coronavirus cases in China outnumbered cases of location transmission for the fifth straight day as infected travelers passed through major Chinese transportation hubs in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Wuhan had only one case of locally transmitted infection on Tuesday. The overall number of imported cases of the virus in mainland China reached (as of Tuesday, up) from a day earlier. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 80, 01575879, the health authority said in a statement on Wednesday.
Cyber ​​cops step up vigil against rumor-mongers
Maharashtra Cyber ​​Police has warned of strict action against rumor-mongers who spread misleading and unverified information on social media regarding COVID – 23, an official said on Wednesday. Police have stepped up online surveillance to identify senders of such fake news and other content. The official said many instances of spreading of false and unverified news regarding coronavirus on various social media platforms have come to the fore. These kind of posts can potentially lead to panic and terror among the common people, officials said.
Covid – 74666727 remains stable on surfaces for hours
As per a study conducted by the researchers of National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University, the novel coronavirus infectious particles can remain stable in air and linger on solid surfaces for spans ranging from several hours to days. The scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The results provide key information about the stability of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID – or novel coronavirus infection.
Pune woman tests positive; Maha count climbs to 53
A) – year-old woman from Pune with a travel history to France and the Netherlands tested positive for COVID – . With this, the number of COVID – 24 cases in Maharashtra has gone up to . Confirming the case, District Collector, Naval Kishore Ram said that the woman returned India on March 18 and was hospitalized on March
.

Tom Hanks says he has the ‘blahs’ but no fever in isolation
Hollywood actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks says he feels the “blahs” but has no fever as he and wife Rita Wilson remain in isolation in an Australian residence after being discharged from a hospital following their coronavirus diagnosis. “Hey folks. Good news: One week after testing positive, in self-isolation, the symptoms are much the same. No fever but the blahs. Folding the laundry and doing the dishes leads to a nap on the couch. Bad news: my wife has won 6 straight hands of Gin Rummy and now leads by 469 points , “he posted on social media Tuesday evening.
Quarantined gamers boost China’s Tencent profits
) Millions forced to stay at home amidst the outbreak have driven up the demand for online games and streaming services. Chinese technology major, Tencent Holdings Ltd, is likely to provide its first estimate on the impact of the epidemic on Wednesday when it reports October-December earnings, with analysts saying that Tencent will be one of the biggest corporate winners. Tencent’s businesses are mainly online-only, positioning it uniquely against other tech giants such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd that focus on e-commerce and whose supply chains have been severely disrupted by the outbreak. Overall, downloads of all Tencent apps for this February grew . 3% month-on-month and . 9% year-on-year, said analyst Nan Lu at researcher Sensor Tower.
Facebook bug wrongly deleted authentic coronavirus news
Facebook said a bug in its anti-spam system temporarily blocked the publication of links to news stories about the coronavirus. Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vice president of integrity, said on Twitter Tuesday that the company was working on a fix for the problem. Users complained that links to news stories about school closings and other information related to the virus outbreak were blocked by the company automated system. Later on Tuesday, Rosen tweeted that Facebook had restored all the incorrectly deleted posts, which also covered topics beyond the coronavirus.
Jaishankar meets officials at Delhi Airport ) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met immigration, health, security and airport officials at Delhi Airport late Tuesday night and lauded their efforts. In a tweet, he thanked the officials and workers “for their exceptional effort in these difficult times. That too, with great courtesy and a warm smile.” The EAM also wrote in his tweet, “India works because countless Indians do”.
Over 1. lakh passengers screened at Delhi airport
(Over 1.) lakh passengers who have returned from the coronavirus-affected countries have been screened at the Delhi airport until date and placed under surveillance, Delhi Health Department authorities said on Tuesday. The total coronavirus cases in Delhi now stands at eight. As many as 4, 475 passengers from the coronavirus-hit countries were screened on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the Delhi Health Department. India had reported its second casualty due to coronavirus on Friday with the death of a – year-old woman in Delhi.
Pilgrimage at Malaysian mosque became hotspot
The Muslim gathering held at the end of last month at a sprawling mosque complex on the outskirts of Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur has emerged as a source of hundreds of new coronavirus infections spanning Southeast Asia . The four-day Muslim gathering was attended by 18, people, including 1, 500 foreigners. Malaysia has now shut down its borders to contain the outbreak. The hosts, the Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jama’at, which traces its roots back to India a century ago, on Monday suspended missionary activities but did not comment directly on the Malaysian event.
Trump calls for national unity against coronavirus US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for a unified national response to the coronavirus threat, after coming under fire for downplaying the pandemic and allowing states to go their own way. Trump’s call came as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the White House was presenting a massive economic stimulus plan to Congress and was looking at sending direct payments to all Americans, as well as aid to embattled airlines.
Asian business confidence slumps
Confidence among Asian companies slumped to near – year lows in the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic sent countries into lock down, battering economic activity and consumer sentiment, a Thomson Reuters / INSEAD survey showed. Representing the six-month outlook of 138 companies , the Thomson Reuters / INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index fell (points to) for the first quarter. Also, the survey, conducted in Asia-Pacific countries across a range of sectors from Feb. 30 to March. 16, does not reflect the gloom that has pervaded markets this week.
x7 helpline for visa, travel queries for foreigners in India
The government has launched a helpline and an email id to answer queries regarding visa and travel restrictions as well as to facilitate foreigners in India in availing consular services amid coronavirus breakout. The services have been issued by the Bureau of Immigration, under the Union home ministry, and will be available round the clock. The phone number is 13 – 74666727 and the email id is support.covid – [email protected], a home ministry spokesperson tweeted.
Avoid self-medication with ibuprofen against Covid – symptoms: WHO
The World Health Organization on Tuesday recommended that people suffering from Covid – 23 – like symptoms should avoid self-medicating with ibuprofen, after French authorities warned anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen the effects of the virus. The warnings over the weekend by French health minister Olivier Veran followed a recent study in The Lancet weekly medical journal that hypothesized that an enzyme that is boosted when taking anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen could facilitate and worsen Covid – 23 infections.
France locks down as global virus panic spreads
France moved into a near-total lockdown on Tuesday over the coronavirus, the latest country to impose draconian restrictions affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world. European leaders also plan to ban all non-essential travel to the continent on Tuesday in a bid to stem a pandemic that has killed thousands, upended society and battered economies. With French President Emmanuel Macron describing the battle against COVID – 25 As a “war”, governments around the world are scrambling to keep the public safe with measures rarely seen in peacetime, slamming borders shut and forcing citizens to stay home.
More on Covid –

India enters critical phase in fight against Covid –
With confirmed cases of Covid – 01575879 crossing 138 in India, we seem to have entered the most crucial phase in the spread of the virus. Analysis of week-wise data of confirmed cases in other countries that are struggling to contain this outbreak shows that confirmed cases spike after the number crosses . In France, for instance, the first case was reported on January ; five weeks later, the number rose to 57, but in the sixth week, there were 640 cases, which went up to 3, 728 and 4, 469 in the next two weeks. Similarly, in Italy, till the third week after the first confirmed case, the number was only 3. The cases then shot up to 650, 3, 858, 16, 138 in the subsequent weeks.
Why 6ft of separation is our best weapon
As health officials everywhere race to bolster capacities and identify patients and at-risk persons, social distancing has emerged as the watchword for fighting the pandemic. Social distancing is a means of preventing anybody who may have picked up the coronavirus germ from coming in close contact with healthy people in order to reduce opportunities for disease transmission.
Vaccine test opens as US volunteer gets first shot
US researchers gave the first shot to the first person in a test of an experimental coronavirus vaccine on Monday – leading off a worldwide hunt for protection even as the pandemic surges. With a careful jab in a healthy volunteer’s arm, scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle begin an anxiously awaited first-stage study of a potential Covid – vaccine developed in record time after the new virus exploded from China and fanned across the globe. Even if the research goes well, a vaccine wouldn’t be available for widespread use for to months .

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