Category:

Health

Covid passports seen as key to resuming international travel

A test program will begin with British Airways parent IAG SA this year before arriving on Apple Inc. devices in the first quarter of 2021 and Android from April, IATA said. Travelers will be able to share their status with border authorities or present a QR code for scanning.

“We need to have global rules and standards” on measures like rapid testing and vaccination so there can be a “step forward” for the industry, Pieter Elbers, the head of the Dutch arm of Air France-KLM, said in a Bloomberg TV interview Tuesday. The health advances “will definitely help to restore confidence in travel.”

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MHA guidelines: Local restrictions like night curfew allowed; Prior consultation with Centre needed for any lockdown outside containment zones

The state and UT governments will take all necessary measures to promote COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and to ensure strict enforcement of wearing of face masks, hand hygiene and social distancing. In order to enforce the core requirement of wearing of face masks, authorities may consider administrative actions, including the imposition of appropriate fines, on persons not wearing face masks in public and workspaces.

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Making Covid-19 vaccines too expensive to hit poor countries

It should not be surprising then that several developing countries, led by India and South Africa, argued last week at the World Trade Organization’s intellectual property rights council that IPR-related payments should be suspended for the duration of the pandemic for Covid-19 related vaccines, therapeutics and equipment. They worry about “intellectual property rights hindering or potentially hindering timely provisioning of affordable medical products” to their citizens.

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HC asks Centre, Delhi govt to treat as representation PIL for paid menstrual leave

The plea had sought grant of paid leaves for four days a month to all classes of women employees. including daily wage, contractual and outsourced workers and to pay overtime allowance to menstruating women employees if they opt to work during that period.

Besides paid leaves, it also sought facilities for periodic rests, separate and clean toilets and provision of sanitary napkins to women employees during their menstruation period.

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COVID-19 caseload in India climbs to over 91.77 lakh, 37,975 new cases reported

The number of active cases remained below 5 lakh for the fourteenth consecutive day.There are 4,38,667?active cases of coronavirus infection in the country as?on date which comprises 4.78per cent of the total caseload,the data stated.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 86,04,955 pushing the national recovery rate to 93.76 per cent, while the COVID-19 casefatality rate stands at 1.46 per cent

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Serum Institute to focus on supplying COVID-19 vaccine to India first

It’s very important we take care of our country first, then go on to COVAX after that and then other bilateral deals with countries. So I’ve kept it in that priority,” said Poonawalla, referencing the global COVAX facility, which has been set up to provide COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries.

The company remains in discussion with the Indian government about inking a purchase agreement for the vaccine, Poonawalla said , adding that Serum should have quantities of it ready to sell into India’s private market in the first quarter of 2021.

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India plans to put off parliamentary session due to virus surging in Delhi

The government has begun making moves to delay the winter session of parliament, which usually begins in late November, to avoid the risk of the virus spreading between the hundreds of lawmakers, their staff, visitors and security personnel.

“The government will hold consultations with all the political parties and club the winter session with next year’s budget session,” a government official aware of the plans told Reuters. Parliament’s budget session usually opens at the end of January.

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