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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.
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.
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.
Indian banks issue gag orders to employees over branch overcrowding – documents, sources
“So far we’re neither getting help to manage the crowds, nor are we being allowed to voice complaints… about the critical lapses and failures of social distancing at banks,” said another bank employee who also requested anonymity.
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.
Bermuda’s “resilient” re/insurance market continues to meet global clients’ needs amid COVID-19
“The re/insurance industry excels in time of disruption and catastrophes—managing risk during natural and man-made disasters is our strength,” said John M. Huff, President & CEO of Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR), noting the Bermuda market is well capitalized and works closely with regulators and policy makers globally on the economic potential of any significant events. “The industry has a proven track record of responding successfully during critical moments in history and we will continue to do so as the world faces and recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Most small UK companies have no pandemic insurance – watchdog
The FCA said most insurance policies for small and medium sized companies (SMEs) only gave basic cover, with no obligation to pay out in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While this may be disappointing for the policyholder we see no reasonable grounds to intervene in such circumstances,” FCA interim chief executive Christopher Woolard said in a letter to heads of insurers.
“In contrast, there are policies where it is clear that the firm has an obligation to pay out on a policy. For these policies, it is important that claims are assessed and settled quickly.”
US may need to extend social distancing for virus until 2022: Study
“Intermittent distancing may be required into 2022 unless critical care capacity is increased substantially or a treatment or vaccine becomes available”, the Harvard researchers said in findings published Tuesday in the journal Science.
Health Ministry identifies 170 districts in India as hotspots, 207 as potential hotspots
“Special teams have been formed which will work in containment zone and do contact tracing and house-to-house surveys. Cases of fever, cough and breathlessness will be identified in the survey and requisite action will be taken as per protocol,” Agarwal said, adding that there has been no community transmissions so far but some local outbreaks
India needs to test coronavirus cases more rigorously: Experts
India is doing lot of tests, but it is not enough compared to what the US and Singapore and other countries are doing, he said, adding, “much more testing needs to be done”.