Studnets of Srinivas Colg invent communication device for speech impaired

Bengaluru, Jul 1: Karnataka government has announced a complete lockdown on Sundays till August 2. "There shall be complete lockdown on Sundays from July 5 and followed by next four Sundays till August 2," stated the government. 

"However, essential activities allowed during night curfew will be permitted during Sunday lockdown too. Marriages already fixed on Sundays will be permitted as per norms," also said.

The government further ordered, "All government offices, Boards and Corporations, except those operating and maintaining essential services, shall remain closed on all Saturdays till the second week of August."

Employers should ensure that the Aarogya Setu app is downloaded and used by the employees. The app enables the identification of potential risk of infection,

Regarding Sunday Lockdown, it said, there shall be complete lockdown on Sundays with effect from 5th July, 2020, and followed by next 4 Sundays till 2nd August, 2020.

However, the essential activities as above permitted during Night Curfew shall be permitted during the Sunday lockdown also.

Lockdown in Containment Zones in Karnataka

Lockdown will continue to remain in force in the Containment zones. In the Containment Zones, only essential activities shall be allowed. There shall be strict perimeter control to ensure that there is no movement of people in or out of these zones, except for medical emergencies and for facilitating supply of essential goods and services. In the Containment Zones, there shall be intensive contact tracing, house-to-house surveillance, and other clinical interventions, as required.

All vulnerable persons, individuals above 65, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home, except for health and essential purposes.

Karnataka saw 947 new coronavirus cases, including 503 cases from Bengaluru Urban, taking the total number of cases to 15,242. Death toll has jumped to 246 after 20 deaths were reported on Tuesday, according to the data released by Union Health Ministry. 

Newsroom, Apr 22: Dozens of Tablighi Jamaat members from across the country who have been successfully recovered and have now tested negative for the novel coronavirus have come forward and donate their plasma for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

The Tablighis from Tamil Nadu were the first to take this decision. According to them, apart from helping the critically ill patients to recover from COVID-19, was to counter the ‘baseless accusations’ that Tablighis were responsible for the spread of the virus following the religious congregation of the sect held at Delhi’s Nizamuddin area last month.

Mohammad Abbas, a thirty-eight year old businessman from Tiruppur was on Sunday discharged from Coimbatore’s ESI hospital. “As soon as I got discharged, I met the district administration officials and the dean of the hospital and told them that they may contact me anytime if they needed me to donate my plasma,” Abbas was quoted as saying by an English daily.

“It has only been one day since I was discharged but I’ve already spoken to others (from the Jamaat) who have recovered and they were all ready to donate,” he added. 

Leader's call

Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, a prominent leader of Tablighi Jamaat, who has been booked by the Delhi Police for holding a religious congregation, too has appealed to coronavirus survivors to donate blood plasma for infected people.

In a letter issued on Tuesday, Saad said most of the members who were quarantined did not have any infection and they tested negative for COVID-19.

"Even from amongst the ones who tested positive for the disease, a majority of them have now undergone treatment and are now cured while I and a few others are still under quarantine.

"It is required that such people who are now cured of this disease should donate blood plasma to others who are still fighting the disease and are under treatment," he said.

He also has urged the followers of the organisation to pray at home in the month of Ramadan instead of going to mosques. 

Plasma therapy

Convalescent Plasma Therapy is an experimental procedure for COVID-19 patients.

In this therapy, the antibodies of a person who has recovered from the virus are taken and transfused into a sick person (having the virus) to help boost the person’s immune system.

The recovered COVID-19 patient’s blood develops antibodies to battle against COVID-19.

Once the blood of the first patient is infused to the second patient, those antibodies will start fighting against the coronavirus in the second person.

The process for donating plasma is similar to donating blood and takes about an hour.

Several countries around the world including the United Kingdom and the United States have also started plasma therapy trials.

In India, several states like Kerala, Gujarat and Punjab have already started using Plasma Therapy for the corona-infected patients.

New Delhi, Mar 30: A Muslim woman from Jammu and Kashmir has donated her savings of Rs 5 lakh, meant for the Hajj pilgrimage, to the RSS-affiliated 'Sewa Bharati' after apparently being "impressed with the welfare work" done by the outfit amid the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Khalida Begum, 87, who saved Rs 5 lakh for Hajj, was forced to defer her plans for the pilgrimage due to the lockdown.

Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the holiest city of Muslims.

"Khalida Begum ji was impressed with the welfare work done by the Sewa Bharati in Jammu and Kashmir during the tough time the country is passing through due to sudden outbreak of COVID-19 and decided to donate Rs 5 lakh to the organisation," Arun Anand, head of RSS media wing Indraprastha Vishwa Samvad Kendra (IVSK), said.

The woman wants that this money should be used by the community service organisation Sewa Bharati for the poor and the needy in Jammu and Kashmir. She had saved this amount for performing Hajj, plans for which she deferred due to the present situation, Anand said.

"Khalida Begum ji was among the first few women in Jammu and Kashmir who got educated in a convent. She is the daughter-in-law of Colonel Peer Mohd Khan, who was president of the Jana Sangh," he said.

Jana Sangh was also an associate of RSS and later became the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Anand said despite her age, she had been very active in welfare works for the women and the downtrodden in Jammu and Kashmir. Her son, Farooq Khan, a retired IPS officer, is presently serving as an adviser to the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor.

Meanwhile, since the lockdown was announced, Sewa Bharati volunteers across the country have been providing food and other essential items to the needy. The Sangh-affiliate's volunteers were seen on Saturday managing crowd and providing food to them at the Anand Vihar bus terminal in Delhi.