Civic

Omicron cases start to plateau Since the beginning of the Omicron surge in India in late December 2020, the trajectory of this third wave seems to have now begun to recede. Since January 20th, daily cases have shown a declining trend, with the country registering 233,779 new cases on January 28th. One consoling aspect of this third wave has been the reduced need for hospitalisation and the resultant reduced burden on the public health infrastructure. Experts, however, continue to emphasise the need for caution and strict enforcement of COVID appropriate behaviour, especially wearing of masks. Even as many states start…

COVID cases dipping  Bengaluru continues to report a dip in COVID cases. On January 26th, the State Health Department reported 38,083 fresh cases, of which 17,717 were in Bengaluru. The city had 1,89,853 active cases, and test positivity rate of around 22% on the day. Health minister K Sudhakar said 185 new Omicron cases have been confirmed in Bengaluru, taking the tally of the variant in the State to 1,115. BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta directed officials to control the spread of infection in areas with higher numbers of cases. “Case trend over the past week across all the eight…

89% COVID-19 samples from Mumbai show presence of Omicron From 280 samples sequenced at civic-run Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, Mumbai, 89% had the Omicron variant of COVID-19. 8% had Delta derivatives, and the remaining 3% had other subtypes. “This explains the reason behind the spike in cases by the end of December last year. As Omicron doesn’t involve the lungs, we are witnessing very few cases of pulmonary pneumonia, which was high in the second wave when Delta variant was predominant in Mumbai,” said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Source: Indian Express Mumbai's double decker buses to…

Mega sports city to come up on East Coast Road A mega sports city spanning 500 acres is slated to come up on the outskirts of Chennai, along East Coast Road near Thiruvidanthai. The site encompasses 9 villages and will be located on either side of the Buckingham Canal.  The sports city will have facilities such as athletic tracks, indoor cycling velodrome, a hockey stadium, a multipurpose indoor stadium housing a boxing ring, basketball and volleyball courts. Tamil Nadu Sports Minister stated that the project has been planned after observing the construction of Pune’s Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex and…

In the first two waves of COVID-19 in Mumbai, the standard protocol to prevent the spread of the virus was stringent. Strict night curfews were implemented, public spaces were closed and buildings were sealed if five or more positive cases were found. This helped control the spread of what was deemed to be a more lethal variant of Coronavirus, Delta. But, citizens raised an objection to the rule of sealing buildings, claiming that it was impractical, inconvenient and didn’t do much to contain the infection. With the onset of the Omicron variant, the city witnessed a sudden surge in COVID-19…

Delhi and Mumbai see dip in daily cases On January 21st, Delhi and Mumbai logged 10,756 and 5,008 single-day cases respectively, with a reduced positivity rate of 18.04 per cent in Delhi. Mumbai logged a decline in cases for the third day in a row. Delhi recorded 38 deaths in the previous 24 hours, and Mumbai logged 12. In the light of decreasing case numbers, the Delhi government announced lifting of weekend curfew. However, the lieutenant governor vetoed the decision. The Union Health Ministry announced that institutional isolation would not be mandatory for international travellers arriving from at-risk countries starting January…

Weekend curfew lifted On Friday, after a two-hour meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, the government decided to lift the stay-at-home order on weekends. The decision came as the government was under pressure from the public, trade and business establishments. However all other curbs such as night curfew and 50% occupancy in restaurants, have been retained. Schools and colleges in Bengaluru Urban district, where the positivity rate among children is high, will remain closed for Classes 10, 11 and 12 (pre-university). However, if the rate of hospitalisation in the State crosses 5%, the weekend curfew would be reimposed, said…

COVID cases show downward trend Chennai saw 7,038 new cases of COVID-19 as on January 21st. This is the fourth day in a row that the city has registered a decline in the number of cases. A total of 60,698 individuals are under treatment for COVID-19. The test positivity rate stood at 24% for the city.  The civic body had amped up screening following the spread of the omicron variant. A total of 200 teams are currently engaged in assessing the severity of the cases and recommending future course of action. Volunteers are also assisting those under home quarantine for their…

Mumbai schools reopening on January 24th Schools across Maharashtra are reopening on Monday, January 24th, after agreement from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. According to Varsha Gaikwad, Maharashtra School Education Minister, schools have been instructed to follow COVID-19 protocols strictly. "After COVID cases rose, the government decided not to continue with the school (offline) sessions. But after discussion with the experts, it has been decided to start the sessions where the number of cases is low based on the local COVID-19 situation," Ms Gaikwad said. Source: NDTV BMC finalises ward boundaries for 236 seats, elections to be held in March On…

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…