Daily Briefing / May 11, 2020

India to assist five countries under ‘Mission Sagar’

India has sent medical assistance to the Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles by a naval ship following separate requests from these countries for help in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The ministry of external affairs said INS Kesari is carrying medical teams, essential medicines and food items to the five countries in line with India’s “time-tested” role as the first responder to any crisis in the region. The ship has been sent under India’s ‘Mission Sagar’ launched to help the friendly countries deal with the pandemic. The ministry said the medical assistance teams will be deployed in Mauritius and Comoros to help their governments deal with COVID-19. The team for Comoros will also help the country in tackling dengue fever. In addition, a special consignment of Ayurvedic medicines is also being sent to Mauritius.

Railways to restart passenger services from May 12

The Indian Railways will gradually resume passenger train services from May 12 and will ask passengers to arrive at the station at least an hour before departure, the national transporter said. Initially, the all air-conditioned services will begin on 15 Rajdhani routes and the fare would be equivalent to that of the super-fast train, it said. Officials said unlike Shramik Specials, in which only 54 passengers were allowed in every coach instead of the regular 72, these trains will run on full capacity, but no concession in fare is likely to be allowed. After the resumption of these 15 services, railways will start more trains on new routes, based on availability after reserving 20,000 coaches for COVID-19 care centres and an adequate number for running up to 300 Shramik Specials every day. The ministry of home affairs issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the movement of people by trains and made it clear that only asymptomatic and confirmed ticket holders will be allowed to travel. In an order, the ministry said all passengers will have to wear face masks and observe social distancing norms while entering a station and during travel. 

First ship brings back 700 stranded Indians from Maldives

The first naval ship carrying nearly 700 Indian evacuees from Maldives arrived at Cochin Port on May 10 as another vessel reached Male under the exercise christened Operation Samudra Setu. A Port Trust statement said that 698 people evacuated from the Maldives arrived at 9.30 am by  INS Jalashwa of the Indian Navy. Among the passengers were 14 children below 10 years of age and 19 pregnant women. While 440 people were from Kerala, 187 were from Tamil Nadu and four from Delhi. The rest are from 17 other states and Union Territories. Concurrently, INS Magar reached Male to bring nearly 200 more stranded Indian nationals from the Maldives, the Indian Navy said. Passengers showing COVID-19 symptoms were disembarked first from INS Jalashwa, followed by others in small groups, district-wise, a Port Trust official said, adding the baggage was also disinfected.

In a record jump, COVID-19 cases rise to 67,152 in India

India registered a record jump of 4,213 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, pushing the country’s tally to 67,152 on May 11 and the death toll due to the disease rose to 2,206 with 97 fresh fatalities, according to the Union health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 44,029 in the country. While 20,916 people have recovered, one patient has  migrated, it said. “Thus, around 31.15 per cent patients have recovered so far,” a senior health ministry official said. Globally, a total of 279,311 people have died and more than four million people have been infected by the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. 

Russia overtakes Italy, UK after record rise in virus cases

Russia’s coronavirus cases overtook Italian and British infections to become the third highest in the world after a record daily rise hours before President Vladimir Putin was due to review the country’s lockdown regime. The official tally surged to 221,344, meaning Russia now has more registered cases than Italy or Britain and only trails Spain and the US, as the number of new cases of the novel coronavirus jumped by 11,656 in the past 24 hours. More than half of all cases and deaths are in Moscow, the epicentre of Russia’s outbreak. On May 11, it reported an overnight increase of 6,169 new cases, bringing its official total to 115,909. The country’s coronavirus response centre also reported 94 new deaths, taking the overall death toll to 2,009 people. 

South Korea faces second wave of COVID-19

South Korean officials scrambled to contain a new coronavirus outbreak, searching for thousands of people who may have been infected in a cluster of cases linked to nightclubs and bars in the capital Seoul. South Korea has been lauded for its quick, effective action on its epidemic, significantly reducing the rate of new infections in recent weeks, but the resurgence of cases has raised worries about a second wave of infections. Officials reported 35 new cases as of midnight on May 10, the second consecutive day of new cases of that magnitude and the highest numbers in more than a month. Twenty-nine of the new cases were linked to several Seoul nightclubs and bars. South Korea’s president is urging citizens not to lower their guard down, but said there is no reason to be panicked amid worries about a new surge in the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The spike in cases comes just as the government was easing restrictions and reopening schools and businesses. Official data showed exports and imports suffered a precipitous decline in the first 10 days of May, underlining a bleak outlook for Asia’s fourth largest economy.

19 Iranian sailors killed in missile accident

One Iranian warship accidentally struck another with a missile during an exercise, killing 19 sailors and wounding 15 others, Iran’s navy said on May 11. The incident took place during training in the Gulf of Oman, a sensitive waterway that connects to the Strait of Hormuz through which about a fifth of the world's oil passes. Iran regularly conducts exercises in the area. The frigate Jamaran fired at a training target released by a support ship, the Konarak. However, the support ship stayed too close to the target and was hit, state broadcaster IRIB said. “The incident took place in the perimeter of Iran's southern Bandar-e Jask port on the Gulf of Oman during Iranian Navy drills, in which 19 sailors were killed and 15 others were injured,” state TV said. IRIB said the Dutch-made Konarak vessel, which was purchased before Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, had been overhauled in 2018, and is equipped with four cruise missiles. The incident took place at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the US since 2018. 

NDMA issues guidelines for restarting industrial activities

In the wake of the gas leak at a factory in Visakhapatnam, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued detailed guidelines for restarting industries after the lockdown and the precautions to be taken for the safety of the plants as well as the workers. In a communication to all states and Union Territories, the NDMA said due to several weeks of lockdown and the closure of industrial units, it is possible that some of the operators might not have followed the established standard operating procedures. As a result, some of the manufacturing facilities, pipelines, valves may have residual chemicals, which may pose risk. The same is true for the storage facilities with hazardous chemicals and flammable material, it said. The NDMA guidelines said while restarting a unit, the first week should be considered as the trial or test run period after ensuring all safety protocols. Companies should not try to achieve high production targets. There should be 24-hour sanitisation of the factory premises, it said.

Newsmakers

Little Richard, the self-proclaimed “architect of rock ‘n’ roll” who built his ground-breaking sound with a boiling blend of boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues, died at the age of 87. Richard is a Grammy Award winner and inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, whose electrifying 1950s hits such as ‘Tutti Frutti’ and ‘Long Tall Sally’ and flamboyant stage presence influenced legions of performers.

Eminent historian Hari Shankar Vasudevan died in Kolkata after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 68. He was considered one the foremost names in Russian and Central Asian history. 

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