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Disaster & Management

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Death toll due to COVID-19 touches 414; cases climb to 12,380

Twenty-two deaths were reported since Wednesday evening, the ministry said in its updated data.Nine fatalities were reported from Maharashtra, five from Andhra Pradesh, three from Gujarat, two each from Delhi and Tamil Nadu and one from Karnataka, it added.Of the total 414 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 187 fatalities, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 53, Gujarat at 33, Delhi at 32 and Telengana at 18,Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have reported 14 fatalities each.

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PM Modi reviews impact of COVID-19 on economy; 2nd stimulus in consideration

The pandemic and consequent lockdown have hit various sectors, including MSME, hospitality, civil aviation, agriculture and allied sector.

The government constituted an empowered group – headed by Economic Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty – which is entrusted with the task of suggesting measures that can bring back economy back on track quickly post the lockdown.

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With drones and tests, India battles to keep virus out of Mumbai’s slums

Mumbai’s Dharavi, often considered Asia’s biggest slum with an estimated 1 million residents, has reported 71 cases and experts fear the number could climb quickly.

Authorities stress that part of Mumbai’s high rates stem from more aggressive testing. The city has conducted 2,374 tests per million, versus 448 per million in capital New Delhi, according to a Mumbai government report reviewed by Reuters on Thursday.

Around 82% of coronavirus patients in Mumbai are stable, with just 2% requiring critical care, the data shows.

“If this percentage remains of stable cases, then we are through,” said Praveen Pardeshi, commissiner,Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
Confirmed cases in the city have ticked up above 1,900, including 113 deaths, making up around 15% of India’s more than 12,000 known cases.

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Covid-19: Govt to transfer financial assistance only through DBT mechanism

“India has JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) based DBT mechanism for diff. schemes. Successfully deposited Rs. 28,256 Cr. to 31.77 Cr. beneficiaries bank a/cs under Covid relief. DBT is fulcrum for targeted delivery of such measures. Pls don’t believe any outlandish rumours!,” the Department of Financial Services said in a tweet.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had last month announced that as many of 20.5 crore women Jan Dhan account holders will get Rs 500 per month for the next three months.

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Trump unveils three-stage process for states to end coronavirus shutdown

Case numbers across the region, spanning 53 countries, are continuing to climb. In the past ten days, the number of cases reported in Europe has nearly doubled to close to one million, and over 84,000 people have lost their lives to the virus in the region, Kluge announced. Of the total global burden, 50% of cases are in this region.

“We remain in the eye of the storm… Now more than ever I call for solidarity between countries. It is time to step up and display both responsive and responsible leadership to steer us through this storm,” World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge told a virtual press briefing, adding that the next few weeks will be critical for Europe.

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COVID-19 response ‘could bankrupt the insurance industry’: insurance defense lawyer

The problem for policyholders is that they’re required to show physical loss or damages to make a claim for business interruption. Typically, he said, insurers will pay out business interruption insurance if, for instance, a company has to shut down because of a fire or a natural disaster. Civil authority provisions cover shutdowns mandated by state or local governments in response to nearby disasters, such as a business that’s ordered to close its doors because of a chemical release at a manufacturing plant down the street, Badger said.

COVID-19 shutdowns, he said, don’t fit either of those scenarios. Policyholders whose businesses were closed because COVID-19 molecules were found on their premises may argue that the virus constituted physical damage. That will be a question for courts to decide, Badger said. But widespread shutdowns of uninfected businesses, in order to slow the spread of the virus, cannot trigger business interruption or civil authority coverage.

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