🔍Explained: New reasons why masks help
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The Indian Express
Explained: New reasons why masks help against Covid-19
A series of new studies has reinforced the case for wearing masks as a preventive. A look at the findings on their utility in possibly eliminating Covid, reducing lockdown periods and blocking out droplets
🔍Covid & summer: Still an unsettled question
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The Indian Express
Covid & summer: Still an unsettled question
Despite initial suggestions that seasonality would strongly control Covid-19, the researchers said weather only explains 17% of the variation in Covid-19 growth rates.
🔍Why men more vulnerable to coronavirus: now, a link with key enzyme
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The Indian Express
Why men more vulnerable to coronavirus: now, a link with key enzyme
The researchers measured ACE2 concentrations in blood samples from several thousand heart failure patients from 11 European countries.
🔍Explained: How will the pandemic play out? Some possible scenarios, from research
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The Indian Express
Explained: How will the coronavirus pandemic play out? Some possible scenarios, from research
A study suggests prolonged or intermittent social distancing may be necessary into 2022 to prevent the case load from exceeding critical care capacities.
Dear Readers,
The fifth virtual meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss with chief ministers the broad contours of exiting the nationwide lockdown in a calibrated manner was, as expected, a marathon. The meeting lasted for six hours, much to the chagrin (more on that here -- https://www.inexp.in/5lHy00) of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who also seemed upset that he wasn't consulted about partial resumption of passenger train services as he had held the Railways portfolio in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Here is a glimpse of what the states wanted
# Maharashtra, Punjab, Telangana and West Bengal were among the states who wanted the lockdown extended further.
# Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra, Bihar and Tamil Nadu had reservations on allowing inter-state movement -- be it rail or air.
# States including Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan wanted to have the authority to decide which districts fall under red, orange and green zones.
The common consensus among states, however, was further easing of lockdown restrictions to resume economic activities. As a minsiter who was present at the meeting has put it, the tone and tenor was akin to a “cat and mouse game” on the issue of lockdown extension and the way forward. There were no concrete suggestions, the minister said.
https://www.inexp.in/UsIrAA
* And West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was in a combative mood right from the outset as she accused the Centre of playing politics and taking unilateral decisions. In her primary line her of attack were PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. “Don’t do politics, Amit Shah saheb,” she said in the meeting. She also accused Central officials of holding video-conferences with state officials without keeping her government in the loop.
https://www.inexp.in/B-O-9k
* After uproar over the Aarogya Setu app infringing privacy, the government issued a new set of guidelines to be followed for processing data of the app users. The new rules prohibit the storage of data beyond 180 days and enable individuals to seek deletion of their data from the government’s Aarogya Setu related records within 30 days of raising the request. Previously, the app was allowed to retain the data for 60 days after a Covid-19 patient is cured, and for other users, the personal information is removed from the server after 45 days.
https://www.inexp.in/GSyrOJ
Meanwhile, former Supreme Court Judge B N Srikrishna, who chaired the committee that came out with the first draft of the Personal Data Protection Bill, termed the government’s push mandating the use of Aarogya Setu app “utterly illegal”. “Under what law do you mandate it on anyone? So far it is not backed by any law,” the former judge told The Indian Express.
https://www.inexp.in/9IjQPE
Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda also has these seven "burning questions" for the government on the transparency of the contact tracing app.
https://www.inexp.in/cTkbWz
Even in the scenario of lockdown restrictions being completely lifted, masks and social distancing are here to stay until a time the coronvirus is fully eliminated. If you are among those who don't feel comfortable wearing them and are sticklers for WHO guidelines on who should wear them, then think again. Multiple studies have pointed out that masks are very useful, including the home-made ones, as they offer a greater degree of protection against the infection. Read about their impact and all the added advantages here
https://www.inexp.in/2ERoSb
"Whatever life throws at you, put it on the bar and press it." The memory of this poster that adorned the walls of my old gym has stayed with me all these years. As I read about the fitness industry bleeding dry in the current economic crisis, it makes me wonder whether gyms across the country can sweat this one out. Though some chains have begun online coaching, there are just a patch on their actual sales.
https://www.inexp.in/-5WytM
Until tomorrow,
Leela Prasad G
The fifth virtual meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss with chief ministers the broad contours of exiting the nationwide lockdown in a calibrated manner was, as expected, a marathon. The meeting lasted for six hours, much to the chagrin (more on that here -- https://www.inexp.in/5lHy00) of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who also seemed upset that he wasn't consulted about partial resumption of passenger train services as he had held the Railways portfolio in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Here is a glimpse of what the states wanted
# Maharashtra, Punjab, Telangana and West Bengal were among the states who wanted the lockdown extended further.
# Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra, Bihar and Tamil Nadu had reservations on allowing inter-state movement -- be it rail or air.
# States including Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan wanted to have the authority to decide which districts fall under red, orange and green zones.
The common consensus among states, however, was further easing of lockdown restrictions to resume economic activities. As a minsiter who was present at the meeting has put it, the tone and tenor was akin to a “cat and mouse game” on the issue of lockdown extension and the way forward. There were no concrete suggestions, the minister said.
https://www.inexp.in/UsIrAA
* And West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was in a combative mood right from the outset as she accused the Centre of playing politics and taking unilateral decisions. In her primary line her of attack were PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. “Don’t do politics, Amit Shah saheb,” she said in the meeting. She also accused Central officials of holding video-conferences with state officials without keeping her government in the loop.
https://www.inexp.in/B-O-9k
* After uproar over the Aarogya Setu app infringing privacy, the government issued a new set of guidelines to be followed for processing data of the app users. The new rules prohibit the storage of data beyond 180 days and enable individuals to seek deletion of their data from the government’s Aarogya Setu related records within 30 days of raising the request. Previously, the app was allowed to retain the data for 60 days after a Covid-19 patient is cured, and for other users, the personal information is removed from the server after 45 days.
https://www.inexp.in/GSyrOJ
Meanwhile, former Supreme Court Judge B N Srikrishna, who chaired the committee that came out with the first draft of the Personal Data Protection Bill, termed the government’s push mandating the use of Aarogya Setu app “utterly illegal”. “Under what law do you mandate it on anyone? So far it is not backed by any law,” the former judge told The Indian Express.
https://www.inexp.in/9IjQPE
Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda also has these seven "burning questions" for the government on the transparency of the contact tracing app.
https://www.inexp.in/cTkbWz
Even in the scenario of lockdown restrictions being completely lifted, masks and social distancing are here to stay until a time the coronvirus is fully eliminated. If you are among those who don't feel comfortable wearing them and are sticklers for WHO guidelines on who should wear them, then think again. Multiple studies have pointed out that masks are very useful, including the home-made ones, as they offer a greater degree of protection against the infection. Read about their impact and all the added advantages here
https://www.inexp.in/2ERoSb
"Whatever life throws at you, put it on the bar and press it." The memory of this poster that adorned the walls of my old gym has stayed with me all these years. As I read about the fitness industry bleeding dry in the current economic crisis, it makes me wonder whether gyms across the country can sweat this one out. Though some chains have begun online coaching, there are just a patch on their actual sales.
https://www.inexp.in/-5WytM
Until tomorrow,
Leela Prasad G
The Indian Express
Delhi Confidential: Extra Time
At PM Narendra Modi's video-conference with chief ministers, the biggest challenge seemed to be time management.
🔍Coronavirus numbers explained: Tamil Nadu heads north
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The Indian Express
Coronavirus numbers explained: Tamil Nadu heads north
Only Maharashtra and Gujarat now have more confirmed cases than Tamil Nadu, which has seen its numbers rise rapidly in the last few days, especially after the discovery of the Koyambedu market cluster in Chennai which has so far contributed more than 2,000…
🔍Explained: Why is RIL racing ahead on Dalal Street?
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The Indian Express
Explained: Why is RIL racing ahead on Dalal Street?
Reliance Industries (RIL) Share Price: The sharp rise of 46 per cent in the share prices of RIL over the last one-month comes amidst a volatile market condition that led to a Sensex crash of 26.7 per cent since January this year.
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WEBINAR: Uncertain times. Uncertain financial markets
We will be in conversation with Nilesh Shah, part-time member of PM's Economic Advisory Council, talking about impact of pandemic on businesses & markets.
7 PM, Thursday, May 14, 2020
Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3NNwPdxYTZib5EJvJpUc_A
We will be in conversation with Nilesh Shah, part-time member of PM's Economic Advisory Council, talking about impact of pandemic on businesses & markets.
7 PM, Thursday, May 14, 2020
Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3NNwPdxYTZib5EJvJpUc_A
🔍Explained: When should schools reopen amid the Covid-19 pandemic?
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The Indian Express
Explained: When should schools reopen amid the Covid-19 pandemic?
Factors to be considered, along with the infection risk, are what harm might occur due to school closure, such as risk of non-return to school, widening disparity in educational attainment and limited access to meals.
Forwarded from The Indian Express
🔍Explained: How is the lockdown being lifted across Europe?
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The Indian Express
Explained: How is the lockdown being lifted across Europe?
Here’s a look at some European countries which have the highest cases of Covid-19 in the world and their exit strategies.
🔍PM Modi’s self-reliant India Mission economic package: Here’s the fine print
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The Indian Express
PM Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan economic package: Here is the fine print
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Atma-nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (or Self-reliant India Mission) and said that in the days to come his government would unveil the details of an economic package — worth Rs 20 lakh crore or 10% of India’s GDP in 2019…
🔍New Research: Are doctors, nurses getting infected without knowing it?
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The Indian Express
New Research: Are doctors, nurses getting infected without knowing it?
Of the more than 1,000 staff members reporting fit for duty during the study period, 3% nevertheless tested positive for the coronavirus.
🔍Smoking and Covid: recent claims, and new findings
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The Indian Express
Smoking and Covid-19: recent claims, and new findings
The widespread view in the scientific community is that smoking is harmful for Covid-19 patients. A few recent studies have suggested various reasons why.
🔍Experts Explain: How households are coping under coronavirus lockdown
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The Indian Express
Experts Explain: How households are coping under coronavirus lockdown
Three scholars assess lockdown’s impact on Indian households, who are hit hardest, and how long they expect to be able to manage with their current resources.
🔍Aarogya Setu: Who all can access your data, and when?
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The Indian Express
Aarogya Setu: Who can access your data, and when?
Aarogya Setu India Covid-19 Tracker App: Reading the newly released protocol, which lays down guidelines for sharing of data collected by the Aarogya Setu app with government agencies as well as third parties.
🔍Explained: How Indian courts have seen mental cruelty as grounds for divorce
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The Indian Express
Explained: How Indian courts have seen mental cruelty as grounds for divorce
When it was first passed, the Hindu Marriage Act did not have ‘cruelty’ as a ground for divorce. It was after an amendment in 1976 that this basis became available for seeking both divorce and judicial separation.
Dear readers,
On the face of it, Rs 20 lakh crore is a big number. The economic package will be 10 per cent of India's GDP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address last night. To give you a context of how big it is, look no further than the government's budget outlay for the Financial Year 2020-21. It proposed to spend Rs 30,42,230 crore -- 12.7 per cent higher than the revised estimate of the previous financial year.
However, how big that number really is lies in the fine print. A large part of the Rs 20 lakh-crore package, or as much as Rs 8.04 lakh crore, is additional liquidity injected into the system by the Reserve Bank of India through various measures in February, March and April. Add to this the Rs 1.7 lakh-crore fiscal package announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 27. The balance of the economic package, details of which are not yet known, then stands at Rs 10.26 lakh crore. P Vaidyanathan Iyer breaks down the math behind it.
https://www.inexp.in/4G9duv
Who will benefit from this economic package? We will get to know in the next few days with Finance Ministe Nirmala Sitharaman expected to announce the allocations. The Prime Minister has, however, given a hint of what to expect. In his own words, the key themes of the package are -- "land, labour, liquidity and laws." Our business bureau analyses what this would translate into.
https://www.inexp.in/yiXwFw
Staying on course with the numbers, albeit smaller in size, a study done by the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai has found that the Covid-19 transmission rate between April 13 and May 10 has remained steady at 1.23, even after some lockdown restrictions were eased earlier in May. So is the virus spread slowing down? Yes, this is a strong indication that it is as the figure means that a Covid-19 patient is only infecting 1.23 other people on an average. Find out what the transmission rate for your state is
https://www.inexp.in/nZ1DY7
But that is not going to stop an extended lockdown. The only bright spot is that it will be new in form, according to PM Modi. So expect restrictions to be eased at many places as it's likely that entire districts will no longer be classified under green, orange, red zones but only smaller units. Abantika Ghosh has more details
https://www.inexp.in/vlTcp4
The partial resumption of passenger train services is perhaps another reason to be happy. Over 4,000 passengers boarded the first three special ‘Rajdhani trains’ from New Delhi on Tuesday. What many would have missed is how did they reach the railway station with no public or private transport available. A student began to walk from his hostel at 8.30 in the morning to catch a 9 pm train. A woman shelled out Rs 8,000, nearly three times her train ticket fare, to hire a cab from Uttar Pradesh's Farrukhabad district to reach Delhi. And there were also several migrant workers who tried to find cheap tickets but ended up disappointed.
https://www.inexp.in/pw0KOg
A Uttar Pradesh migrant's auto-rickshaw was hit by a truck while on his way from Mumbai with his wife, two children and a nephew. The family had already covered 1,500 km and were just 200 km away from home when the truck collided with the three-wheeler, killing his wife and six-year-old daughter.
https://www.inexp.in/qxVOrH
Meanwhile, a third of Indian households reported not having enough resources to go on for more than a week before facing distress and 84 per cent of them reported decrease in income since the lockdown, according to this nationally representative survey of Indian households conducted by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) between April 18 and April 30, 2020. Find out how households are coping under coronavirus lockdown.
https://www.inexp.in/swmbiq
Amid the Covid-19 deaths and its damaging impact on world economies, the Chinese army has resorted to aggressive posturing at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
On the face of it, Rs 20 lakh crore is a big number. The economic package will be 10 per cent of India's GDP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address last night. To give you a context of how big it is, look no further than the government's budget outlay for the Financial Year 2020-21. It proposed to spend Rs 30,42,230 crore -- 12.7 per cent higher than the revised estimate of the previous financial year.
However, how big that number really is lies in the fine print. A large part of the Rs 20 lakh-crore package, or as much as Rs 8.04 lakh crore, is additional liquidity injected into the system by the Reserve Bank of India through various measures in February, March and April. Add to this the Rs 1.7 lakh-crore fiscal package announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 27. The balance of the economic package, details of which are not yet known, then stands at Rs 10.26 lakh crore. P Vaidyanathan Iyer breaks down the math behind it.
https://www.inexp.in/4G9duv
Who will benefit from this economic package? We will get to know in the next few days with Finance Ministe Nirmala Sitharaman expected to announce the allocations. The Prime Minister has, however, given a hint of what to expect. In his own words, the key themes of the package are -- "land, labour, liquidity and laws." Our business bureau analyses what this would translate into.
https://www.inexp.in/yiXwFw
Staying on course with the numbers, albeit smaller in size, a study done by the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai has found that the Covid-19 transmission rate between April 13 and May 10 has remained steady at 1.23, even after some lockdown restrictions were eased earlier in May. So is the virus spread slowing down? Yes, this is a strong indication that it is as the figure means that a Covid-19 patient is only infecting 1.23 other people on an average. Find out what the transmission rate for your state is
https://www.inexp.in/nZ1DY7
But that is not going to stop an extended lockdown. The only bright spot is that it will be new in form, according to PM Modi. So expect restrictions to be eased at many places as it's likely that entire districts will no longer be classified under green, orange, red zones but only smaller units. Abantika Ghosh has more details
https://www.inexp.in/vlTcp4
The partial resumption of passenger train services is perhaps another reason to be happy. Over 4,000 passengers boarded the first three special ‘Rajdhani trains’ from New Delhi on Tuesday. What many would have missed is how did they reach the railway station with no public or private transport available. A student began to walk from his hostel at 8.30 in the morning to catch a 9 pm train. A woman shelled out Rs 8,000, nearly three times her train ticket fare, to hire a cab from Uttar Pradesh's Farrukhabad district to reach Delhi. And there were also several migrant workers who tried to find cheap tickets but ended up disappointed.
https://www.inexp.in/pw0KOg
A Uttar Pradesh migrant's auto-rickshaw was hit by a truck while on his way from Mumbai with his wife, two children and a nephew. The family had already covered 1,500 km and were just 200 km away from home when the truck collided with the three-wheeler, killing his wife and six-year-old daughter.
https://www.inexp.in/qxVOrH
Meanwhile, a third of Indian households reported not having enough resources to go on for more than a week before facing distress and 84 per cent of them reported decrease in income since the lockdown, according to this nationally representative survey of Indian households conducted by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) between April 18 and April 30, 2020. Find out how households are coping under coronavirus lockdown.
https://www.inexp.in/swmbiq
Amid the Covid-19 deaths and its damaging impact on world economies, the Chinese army has resorted to aggressive posturing at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The Indian Express
Math behind Rs 20-lakh crore economic package: It is 10% of GDP but about half is already factored in
Message still hunker down and tide over, additional fiscal outgo this year may not be more than Rs 4.2 lakh crore.
Tensions remain high in this region even a week after Indian and Chinese troops came to blows in a disputed area near Pangong Tso, a lake in eastern Ladakh, and IAF fighters took to the air. Sushant Singh and Man Aman Singh Chinna have the details on what the dispute is all about.
https://www.inexp.in/HQTd0F
Until tomorrow, Leela Prasad G
https://www.inexp.in/HQTd0F
Until tomorrow, Leela Prasad G
The Indian Express
Amid tension on Ladakh LAC, IAF sent Su-30s, Army says no build-up
The situation on the ground in the Pangong Tso area, sources said, had been brewing for over two months when the PLA started objecting to movement of Indian patrols up to Finger 8.
🔍The math: It’s 10% of GDP, but less than 5% cash outgo
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The Indian Express
Match behind Rs 20-lakh crore economic package: It’s 10% of GDP but about half is already factored in
Message still hunker down and tide over, additional fiscal outgo this year may not be more than Rs 4.2 lakh crore.
🔍Coronavirus numbers explained: Most TN cases are from Chennai
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The Indian Express
Coronavirus numbers explained: Most TN cases are from Chennai
Chennai is not alone in this. In several states, more than 50 per cent, are concentrated in just one or two cities. Mumbai accounts for over 60 per cent of all cases in Maharashtra while Ahmedabad has over 70 per cent of all cases in Gujarat.