Coronavirus LIVE Updates:Trump To Temporarily Suspend Immigration To US To Protect American Jobs Amid Covid-19 Concerns
Coronavirus LIVE Updates:The Union Health Ministry on Friday said that before implementation of the nationwide lockdown, Coronavirus cases in the country were doubling in 3 days but over last 7 days, data shows that it had declined to 6.2 days now and in 19 states and Union Territories (UTs), Covid-19 doubling rate is less than the country's average.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he will be signing an executive order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States.
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Background
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: On the 24th day of India's nationwide lockdown, 1007 fresh Covid-19 cases were reported across the country, taking the total tally to 13,835, while the death toll rose to 452. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today reduced the reverse repo rate by 25 basis points from four per cent to 3.75 per cent in a bid to inject liquidity in financial markets. However, the repo rate remains unchanged. This comes amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent countrywide lockdown. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the liquidity injection has been 3.2 per cent of GDP since February 6 to March 27.
It has been decided to provide special refinance facilities for an amount of Rs 50,000 crores to National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development, Small Industries Development Bank of India, and National Housing Bank to enable them to meet sectoral credit need, RBI Governor said.
The nationwide lockdown has now been extended till May 3, in an announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The PM had said that every district, town, city, and state will be closely monitored till April 20 to assess how the lockdown is being adhered to. Those places that pass the litmus test and are successful in preventing changes in and development of new hotspots may get a conditional reprieve by 20th April and important activities will be allowed.
To ensure maximum containment of coronavirus during the lockdown period, the Union Health Ministry has asked states to classify districts into hotspots, non-hotspots and green zones.
The Centre has declared 170 hotspots - 123 hotspot districts with large outbreaks and 47 hotspot districts with clusters -- in 25 states and Union territories.
Besides, it has identified 207 non-hotspot districts with clusters in 27 states.
Districts witnessing high number of cases or high growth rate of infections are being marked as hotspots; districts where some cases have been found as non-hotspots; and those which have reported no cases as green zones. The Central government on Wednesday issued a detailed set of revised guidelines on the countrywide lockdown on Wednesday.
Health Ministry on Friday said that before implementation of nationwide lockdown, Coronavirus cases were doubling in 3 days, but the last 7 days' data reveals that it is 6.2 days now and in 19 states and Union Territories, the case doubling rate is less than the country's average.
Ministry also said that Indian scientists and researchers are working on vaccine development and that by next month, 10 lakh indigenously developed RT-PCR kits would be manufactured.
The former Congress chief has been lauding Congress-ruled states for their efforts in fighting the pandemic and has urged the central government to empower them more, as the real fight was at the ground level done by states
Rajasthan on Friday became the first state in the country to conduct rapid tests for COVID-19 with the arrival of 10,000 testing kits. 50,000 more kits will come by Friday night and the state will get 2 lakh rapid testing kits in the next three days.
We have received 10,000 kits and started conducting rapid testing. In addition to this, PCR-based testing will continue to be done like before and there will be no compromise: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot said
The rapid testing began in the evening and all 52 people who were checked were tested negative for COVID-19, an official said.
With two more coronavirus positive cases reported in Meghalaya, taking the number of such cases in the northeastern region (excluding Sikkim) to 48, with 34 from Assam, where so far nine people have been discharged from hospitals, ministers said on Friday.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma tweeted that two more cases tested positive late on Thursday night and both are family members of the first patient, a senior 69-year-old doctor, who died on Wednesday, two days after he was tested positive.
With the latest two positive cases, the total number of active cases in Meghalaya rose to eight after one death.