(TibetanReview.net, Apr21’20) – With more than 75,000 infections and over 5,100 deaths reported over the past 24 hours, the total number of China-originated Covid-19 infections across the world had reached 2,553, 853 and the deaths 176,323 as of Apr 21 at 2:08:24 PM (GMT-4), according to the Dashboard maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. President Donald Trump of the USA, the worst hit country with 787,370 infections and 42,335 deaths, has said he will sign an executive order to temporarily suspend all immigration to the country “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens.”
India reported more than 1,200 increase in cases for the third successive day at 1,336 and 47 deaths, taking the cumulative totals to 18,601 cases and 590 deaths as of Apr 21 at 8AM (GMT+5:30), according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
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Maharashtra was the worst hit state by a wide margin with 4,666 (+463) cases, followed by Delhi with 2,081 (+78) cases, Gujarat with 1,939 (+196) cases, Rajasthan with 1,576 (+98) cases, Tamil Nadu with 1,520 (+43) infections, Madhya Pradesh with 1,485 (+78) infections, Uttar Pradesh with 1,184 (+100) cases, Telangana with 873 (+29) cases, Andhra Pradesh with 722 (+76) cases, Karnataka with 408 (+18) cases, Kerala with 408 (+6) cases, West Bengal with 392 (+53) cases, Jammu & Kashmir with 368 (+18) cases, Haryana with 254 (+21) cases, Punjab with 245 (+26) cases, and Bihar with 113 (+20) cases.
Other badly hit states/Union Territories were Odisha, 74 (+6); Jharkhand, 46 (+4), Uttarakhand, 46 (+2); Himachal Pradesh, 39 (+0); Chattisgarh, 36 (+0), Assam, 35 (+0); Chandigarh, 26 (+0); Ladakh, 18 (+0); Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 16 (+1); and Meghalaya 11 (+0).
Besides, Puducherry (7), Goa (7), Manipur (2), Tripura (2), Mizoram (1), and Arunachal Pradesh (1) and had reported cases. One case in Nagaland was transferred to Assam.
Maharashtra also had the most number of deaths at 232 (+9), followed by Madhya Pradesh, 74 (+4); Gujarat, 71 (+8); Delhi, 47 (+2); Telangana, 23 (+5); Tamil Nadu 17 (+2); Andhra Pradesh, 20 (+5); Punjab, 16 (+0); Karnataka, 16 (+0); Uttar Pradesh, 18 (+1); West Bengal, 12 (+0); Rajasthan, 25 (+11); Jammu & Kashmir, 5 (+0); Haryana, 3 (+0), Kerala, 3 (+0); Jharkhand, 2 (+0); and Bihar 2 (+0). Besides Odisha, HP, Meghalaya, and Assam had 1 death each. (Source: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/)
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On Apr 21 the government said the rate at which India was doubling the case numbers had slowed down considerably after the lockdown was begun from Mar 24 when the rate almost 3.4 days. Now it was stated to be 7.5 days.
Eighteen states had a doubling rate much slower than the national average, with Kerala having the slowest at 72.2 days. For Delhi it was 8.5 day while for Himachal Pradesh it was 24.5 days.
Himachal Pradesh had 23 active cases with 11 patients having recovered, four having migrated out of the State and one having died.
In the state’s Kangra and Una districts, there was a partial relaxation of the statewide curfew from Apr 21 which saw plumbers, electricians, AC mechanics and other service providers lining up for curfew permits.
Kangra District Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati has said grocery shops or stores selling food grain, groceries, milk, bread, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, poultry, meat, fish, eggs, animal feed and fodder, chemist shops, medical equipment stores, fair price shops, shops relating to services provided by self-employed persons like electricians, plumbers and carpenters may open from 8 to 11 am daily from April 20. Besides, computer repair shops and bookshops would remain open from 8 to 11 am on Monday and Thursday every week.
He has said auto, truck, tractor repair and welding shops and agriculture implement repair shops would remain open from 8 am to 2 pm daily. The movement of public for availing these services would be allowed from 8 am to 11 am and only one person of a family would go out. Under no circumstances, four or more persons would be allowed to assemble, m.tribuneindia.com Apr 21 cited Prajapati as saying.
