Hong Kong: Hong Kong has temporarily banned flights from India due to the spread of Covid – 19. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced that all flights from India will be banned from Tuesday to May 3.
Apart from India, Hong Kong has also banned flights from Pakistan and the Philippines, which have the highest number of Covid cases. Officials said those arriving from other countries should undergo an RT PCR test 72 hours before departure and possess a Covid negative certificate.
Two more RSS workers were arrested in SFI activist Abhimanyu’s stabbing case Vallikunnam Prasad Veetil Pranav (Appu-23) and Ilipikulam Aishwarya Veetil Akash (Poppy-20) were arrested by the SIT on Sunday. With this, the number of those arrested has increased to four.
Police said Pranav and Aakash were directly involved in the murder. They were caught with the help of a cyber cell. Both were taken to the temple premises and evidence was taken.
Kayamkulam court remanded the accused. Police said they would take them into custody for detailed questioning. Akash is accused of attempted murder and theft.
The main accused Vallikunnam Kondotimukal Sajayjith (21) of Puthenpuram and Jishnuthambi (24) of Jyothish Bhavan in Kavullathil were arrested earlier.
Thiruvananthapuram: In the wake of the second wave of Covid, the Maharashtra government has made the Covid negative RTPCR certificate mandatory for train passengers from six states, including Kerala. Restrictions apply to persons from Kerala, Gujarat, Goa, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand. Those from these states have to produce the RTPCR Negative Certificate received within 48 hours if they want to travel by train to Maharashtra. Unreserved tickets to Maharashtra from these states will not be issued.
The other day, the health department had made RTPCR mandatory for those coming to Kerala from other states. Everyone coming to Kerala from other states should register on the e-Jagratha portal. Those who have been vaccinated must have undergone an RTPCR test within 48 hours before arriving in the state. Those who have not undergone RTPCR examination should stay in room isolation for 14 days from the date of arrival in Kerala and monitor the symptoms.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the second wave of Covid, Kerala has tightened checks on the Tamil Nadu border. The Tamil Nadu border will be closed from 10 pm to 4 am following the announcement of the night curfew. At this time, only essential services are allowed to cross the border and night curfews are waived. No other vehicle will cross the border. Tamil Nadu’s move is to deploy more police personnel along the Kerala border. E-pass will be mandatory to enter Tamil Nadu. Only those with an e-pass or going to an emergency, including a hospital case, will be deported.
Thiruvananthapuram: The SSLC, Plus Two examinations will be held as scheduled, the education department said. The exams are progressing according to the Covid standards. The Director of Public Instruction said that no one has put before the education department the need to change the exam.
Universities had postponed the exam due to the severe spread of Covid. Examinations at Kerala University, Malayalam University, Health University, Mahatma Gandhi University, and Sanskrit University have been rescheduled. The decision was made on the instructions of the governor. The renewal date will be announced later.
The JEE Main exam has also been changed. The examination which was scheduled to be held on 27,28,30 has been postponed. The renewal date will be announced later. The National Testing Agency said the date would be announced 15 days before the exam.
Thrissur: There is a plan to hold Thrissur Pooram by completely excluding the public. Only a few organizers, elephants, and fairgoers will attend. Pooram will be available live through visual and social media. Government officials are in talks with Devaswom. The final decision will be taken at a meeting attended by the Chief Secretary in the evening. No change in rituals.
Meanwhile, the entry passes have been extended due to disagreement over the Pooram regulations. The new decision is to start the distribution of passes after a meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary at 4 pm.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health Sciences, Dr. K.S. Mohanan appointed a committee of medical experts to chair the committee. Thrissur Govt. Medical College Department of Surgery Additional Professor Dr. Raveendran, Additional Professor of Community Medicine Binu Arikal is a member of the committee. The expert committee will submit its recommendation on the 19th itself.
The meeting to be held in the evening under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary will consider these recommendations and decide on holding Thrissur Pooram. Only after this will the entry pass be issued.
It was announced yesterday that the entrance pass to the festival will be available for download from the covid vigilance portal from 10 a.m. on Monday.
Raipur: Five people have been killed in a fire at a private hospital in the Chhattisgarh capital Raipur. The fire broke out at Rajdhani Hospital yesterday evening. The fire was reported in the ICU of a hospital treating Covid patients.
The fire first broke out on the top floor of a two-story hospital. The hospital had 34 patients at the time.Of these, 9 were in the ICU. The supervisor who saw the fire spreading from the ICU informed the authorities. Patients who were hospitalized following the accident were transferred to other hospitals. Five of the dead were Covid patients and 29 Covid patients were shifted to other hospitals.
Additional SP Tarkeshwar Patel said an inquiry would be held into the blaze. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bagal expressed condolences over the incident. Financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each has been announced for the relatives of the deceased.
New Delhi: Delhi govt orders compulsory surveillance of Delhi residents attending Kumbh Mela. Participants in the Kumbh Mela were ordered to go on a 14-day compulsory observation. The order says that strict action will be taken against those who violate the directive.
Fourteen lakh people attended the second Shahis baptism of the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. The Delhi government has directed participants in the Kumbh Mela to go under mandatory surveillance as the number of Covid cases in Delhi has skyrocketed.
The country is stunned by the increase in the number of patients in the second wave of Covid. The Prime Minister had also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold the Kumbh Mela as a symbolic ceremony only in the event of Covid’s surge. India has become the fastest-growing country in the world. Covid has confirmed 2.61 lakh people in the country in the last 24 hours. For the first time, more than 2.5 lakh cases are reported daily in the country.
Kavaratti: A night curfew has been imposed in Lakshadweep following the spread of Covid. The curfew is from 10 pm to 7 am. Essential services, those who come to get the Covid vaccine, and those who come for testing are excluded from this.
Quarantine was made compulsory at home for seven days for those coming from outside. The Only holders of the Covid Negative Certificate will be allowed to enter Lakshadweep. Currently, 280 people have been diagnosed with the disease in Lakshadweep. Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of positives. 159 people. 48 cases have been confirmed in Kavaratti and 42 in Kalpeni.
Thrissur: The entrance pass for Thrissur Pooram will be available from Monday. The pass can be downloaded from the Covid Jagratha portal from 10 am.
Information such as mobile number and name should be entered in the festival entry registration link of Thrissur district. The OTP will then be sent to the registered phone number. To get the pass, one has to undergo an RTPCR test for Covid determination and upload a negative certificate or a certificate of two-dose vaccination (anyone). Then you can download the entry pass from the link available on your mobile.
NewDelhi: Medical oxygen shortage in the country is acute following the outbreak of Covid. In states where the spread of the disease is severe, the price of oxygen cylinders has tripled. Medical oxygen consumption has more than doubled in the past week. Consumption of medical oxygen has increased from 750 tons per day to 2700 tons per day. States like Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh are facing a severe shortage of medical oxygen.
In Mumbai, the price of jumbo oxygen cylinders has gone up from Rs 250 to Rs 900. Similarly, there has been a sharp rise in prices in other states as well. The central government has taken steps to import 50,000 metric tonnes of medical oxygen to address the oxygen shortage.
The moves are being made jointly by the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs. At the request of the Government of Maharashtra, it was decided to carry liquid medical oxygen cryogenic tankers on trains. Remdecivir and covid vaccine are also in short supply.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to make Covid vaccines available to the public. Naveen Patnaik said in the letter that not getting the required number of vaccines was a serious challenge.
