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Chandy, Sushma worked in tandem

July 6, 2014

Oommen ChandyNew Delhi, Jul 6: Hours before the media got a hint of the imminent evacuation of the Kerala nurses from strife-torn Iraq, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday night walked into Kerala House here with a smile that no one could decipher.

Though he betrayed no strain, mediapersons gathered there speculated about the possible fallout on his political career if things went wrong.

But Chandy was a relieved man. He did not tell the waiting media why he was tension-free in that hour of crisis. By then, he had a definite word from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj about the “good news” that the modalities of evacuation had been worked out in coordination with the contacts in the Middle East.

Chandy had already struck a chord with Swaraj in his first meeting and their concerted efforts had ensured victory. Swaraj was facing her first crisis as External Affairs Minister, and with the approaching Budget Session of Parliament, it would have been difficult for her and the government to tackle criticism in case of a slip-up.

The chief minister flew to Delhi on Wednesday night and held a series of discussions with Swaraj in two days, exerting pressure for the early evacuation of the nurses. Chandy was regularly updated on developments by the minister and senior officials. Chandy also knew that a prolonged crisis and some harm to the nurses would have put him in a spot. His detractors inside and outside the Congress would bay for his blood.

Moreover, adding to his stress was the fact that out of 46 nurses, 17 were from his home district and he personally knew many of their families. It was not just the nurses who rang him up from Iraq or their parents, but their relatives too who made calls. Everyone looked up to him for an early resolution.

With assurances from the negotiators in the Middle East and External Affairs Ministry officials, a tired Chandy caught up with sleep a bit early at 10 pm on Thursday, only to be woken up around midnight with calls from the nurses and their families. The calls ended around 5 am with Chandy patiently giving his assurance without letting out many details.

“How can I avoid these calls at midnight? They had their worries though I knew there was nothing to worry,” Chandy told an aide on Friday morning as news trickled in that the nurses would be freed.

As he walked into the conference hall of Kerala House to address the media for a second time on Friday afternoon, Chandy was all smiles and confident, accepting sweets from leaders of the Nurses’ Association.

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News Network
April 16,2020

Kochi, Apr 16: A middle-aged man carrying his ailing father on his shoulders walked close to one-kilometre in Kerala’s Punalur when the autorickshaw he was driving was allegedly stopped by the police over the ongoing lockdown. He was bringing back his father from the hospital after he was discharged on Wednesday.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, the man can be seen carrying his bare-bodied father on the shoulders and struggling to handle the weight while a woman carrying the hospital documents, prescriptions and other items, is running along with him.

The incident took place in Punalur town of Kollam district.

The 65-year-old man, a native of Kulathupuzha, was released from the Punalur Taluk Hospital and his son was taking him home when he was stopped on the road. The man has alleged that even after he produced hospital documents, the police refused to let him pass with the autorickshaw.

The vehicle was stopped about a kilometre from their house in the middle of a traffic jam and the family had to walk the rest of the path. He said even after he told the police and showed papers from hospital he was not allowed to go.

After the video went viral in Kerala, the state human rights commission took suo motu cognizance of the incident.

The nationwide lockdown has prevented all non-essential movement in the public space while medical emergencies have been allowed. The extended lockdown will now continue till May 3.

According to the police, the vehicle did not have the patient when it was stopped. The driver was asked to show a declaration document.

He stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the hospital which was 200 metres from the checkpoint and returned carrying his father on the back, said the police.

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Agencies
July 29,2020

New Delhi, Jul 29: Coronavirus infections in India continue to mount as the country's total case tally crossed the 15-lakh mark.

India added 48,513 fresh cases in 24 hours, taking the total tally to over 15.3 lakh, according to the Health Ministry’s 8 a.m. update on July 29.

Key Figures

Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases: 15,31,669
Active cases: 5,09,447
Cured/discharged/migrated: 9,88,029
Deaths: 34,193
Number of fresh cases in 24 hours: 48,513
One-day recoveries: 35,175
One-day deaths: 768
India’s coronavirus epidemic is growing at the fastest pace in the world, increasing 20% over the last week, according to Bloomberg’s Coronavirus Tracker. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are among the states where the maximum number of daily cares are being reported.

Fresh cases continued to come in at a heightened pace, hovering just below 50,000 for the last six days.

Moderna Inc.’s vaccine candidate against Covid-19 protected against the virus in a trial that inoculated 16 monkeys, an encouraging step on the path to a defense for humans against the pandemic. Pfizer Inc., however, is preparing for the novel coronavirus to endure, leading to long-term demand for a seasonal shot to protect against Covid-19.

“There is a likely scenario that either the vaccine’s immunity will not be lasting forever,” said Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla in an interview Tuesday, “or that the virus will mutate, or that the virus will find ways to come back again and again.”

Even as the transmission rate of Covid-19 remains high in India, the pace of recovery has risen too. On Wednesday, India reported its third day of over 35,000 recoveries.

Global Update

Flare-ups in virus cases from Hong Kong to Europe are proving difficult for policy makers to wrangle. The U.S. neared 150,000 deaths from Covid-19, even as daily infections slowed in some hard-hit states. China reported 101 new cases, up from 68 a day earlier, with 98 of the total from local infections, mostly in Xinjiang.

Philippine health authorities warned that hospitals and infirmaries risk getting overwhelmed.

Globally, confirmed Covid-19 cases have topped 16.6 million with over 658,000 dead.

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News Network
March 23,2020

New Delhi, Mar 23: The total number of novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 415 on Monday including seven deaths.

"A total of 18,383 samples from 17,493 individuals have been tested for SARS-CoV2 as on March 23 at 10 am IST. A total of 415 individuals have been confirmed positive among suspected cases and contacts of known positive cases," ICMR said in a release.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra is the worst affected state with 67 confirmed cases, including 64 Indian nationals.

Kerala also has 67 confirmed cases with 60 Indian nationals.

Next on the list with most coronavirus-affected patients is Delhi with 29 confirmed cases.

Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have 28 and 27 confirmed cases respectively. Telangana and Karnataka have reported 26 cases each. In Punjab, the number of COVID-19 affected patients stands at 21.

A total of 24 patients have been cured and discharged.

The Centre on Monday asked state governments to strictly enforce the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus and directed legal action against violators.

"States have been asked to strictly enforce the lockdown in the areas where it has been announced. Legal action will be taken against violators," a tweet by Principal Director General of PIB, KS Dhatwalia read.

A 'Janata curfew' was observed yesterday to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed and over 13,000 lives worldwide.

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