Articles by News Desk

Bengaluru is a finalist in a nationwide competition to implement and scale kid-friendly neighbourhood design over the next two years. Pilot projects formulated and implemented by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) and Bengaluru Smart City Ltd (BenSCL) aim to enhance access to transit, open spaces, maternity hospitals and anganwadis. There are ten winning cities in the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge, a national initiative to shape neighbourhoods across India that support healthy early childhood development. The challenge was launched in November 2020 by the Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in collaboration with the Bernard van…

New ICMR guidelines says no test needed for asymptomatic contacts According to new protocols announced on January 14th, the health ministry has said that asymptomatic contacts of those who test positive for COVID-19 need not get tested unless identified as “high-risk individuals” based on age or co-morbidities. Additionally, those who complete seven days of home isolation need not get re-tested if the fever does not persist beyond three days. Earlier this month, the Centre had reduced home isolation from 14 to 7 days for those categorised as 'mild' or 'asymptomatic' patients. However, for those above the age of 60 and/or…

Daily COVID cases cross 20,000 Health Minister K Sudhakar on Friday said COVID cases have doubled in the state every three days during the third wave, much faster than the first two waves. The test positivity rate in Bengaluru has hit 20%. On Friday, the city recorded 20,121 cases and seven deaths. In the last 15 days alone, cases have increased by 32.65% in BBMP limits.  About one lakh tests are conducted every day in the city now. Experts and clinicians put forth the possibility of both Delta and Omicron co-circulating, which would mean that not all infections would be mild.…

Report pins household transmission as key spreader of COVID-19 In a report by the Greater Chennai Corporation done via contact tracing, it is shown that as of January 8th,  30% of the new COVID-19 cases in Chennai have been household contacts. According to Doctor C. Jagdeesh, while the spread of the disease inside households was observed in previous waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of the spread is much faster this time around.  In North Chennai, nearly half of the new cases were family contacts. Areas such as Thiruvika Nagar, Tondiarpet and Madhavaram showed especially high percentages of family…

Daily COVID-19 cases drop in Mumbai After January 12th, the city has seen a 17% drop in in its daily COVID-19 cases. The daily numbers in Mumbai have been a subject of debate, since doctors believe that the curve is flattening but authorities insist that the city is yet to experience the worst. Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, said that the next three-to-four days will decide whether the third wave is indeed declining in Mumbai. Source: The Times of India Reporting home-test results for COVID-19 now mandatory Given the rise in home-testing in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has…

Over 1.40 lakh COVID-19 cases of reported in the last 24 hours On January 8th, the country reported 1,41,986 new COVID-19 cases and 285 deaths. The Omicron tally currently stands at 3,071. Maharashtra being the worst hit with 876 Omicron cases, followed by Delhi with 513 cases. Total number of positive cases in the country have risen by 21% since January 7th, with 40,895 recoveries in the last 24 hours. The daily positivity rate is at 9.28% and rising, with wide variations among states. Experts have repeatedly emphasised that vaccinating more people with two doses and ensuring COVID appropriate behaviour…

COVID restrictions The third wave of COVID has begun in the State, and Bengaluru is the epicentre because of the international airport, said Health Minister K Sudhakar. Due to rising COVID cases, weekend curfew has been imposed for two weeks; the curfew is effective from 10 pm on Fridays to 5 am on Mondays. All flyovers will be closed during these hours. However concessions were later made to allow law firms to operate on weekends. Night curfew has been extended for two weeks, starting January 7th. However, all essential services will continue. The government also decided to shut schools and…

COVID treatment measures in place With the number of COVID-19 cases on a sharp rise, the city is now bracing for a third wave. Chennai registered 4531 fresh cases on January 7th. The state government and civic body have increased measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. Fresh restrictions such as night curfew and Sunday lockdown have been put in place. In addition to this, 42 special ambulances have been launched to ferry COVID patients to hospitals.  The civic body has hired 1000 volunteers who will assist those who are under quarantine. Screening for COVID-19 will also be increased in…

Mumbai reports 20,181 new COVID-19 cases, positivity rate at 31.7% As of January 7th, Mumbai crossed the 20,000 cases of COVID-19 mark, which was the threshold for lockdown measures, as announced by Mayor Kishori Pednekar. Health Minister Rajesh Tope said a decision on lockdown in Mumbai will be taken by the Chief Minister. The total number of fresh cases, 20,181, is a 33 per cent spike over the previous day’s figures. Although 85% of the new cases show no symptoms, 1,170 patients have been hospitalised and 106 are on oxygen support. Four deaths were also recorded. BMC has issued home…

COVID-19 cases on the uptick in Chennai COVID cases in the city doubled  between the 29th and 30th of December. Chennai saw 397 new cases on the 30th. The Union government has urged the State government to amp up the number of daily tests and ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols.  Clusters of cases have emerged across the city, with two active clusters - at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and on Ashok Nagar 19th Street. Containment measures have been initiated with the street cordoned off after many positive tests. The civic body has set up three COVID care…