Let us not mask the real problem

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March 17, 2020

Coronavirus, corona, coronavirus outbreaks, coronaoutbreaks, Coronavirus has certainly had a far greater negative impact not only on health of humans but on their wallets too. The whole globe is reeling under fear and a trade halt is setting in. At this pace the consequence on human lives would be far greater than actually getting affected by the virus itself, with price rise, job loss, etc. Information is power and sadly, despite being educated many fall prey to social media posts which have to be restricted. Let’s fight misinformation first and Corona would be dead by itself.

India seems quite blase about Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), even it spreads alarmingly throughout the world with more than a lakh people being infected and the number of fatalities climbing upwards. The World Health Organisation has declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International concern. Better council prevailed and preventive measures are in full swing. We should be careful for the next 15 days to get rid of the Coronavirus from the grassroot levels and feel safe from further concerns.

To make the Coronavirus drive more meaningful, both domestic and foreign group tours are banned for the time being. It is indeed a right step in the right direction at the present juncture. Even though face masks and sanitisers are coming handy at this hour, it is not the be all and end all as a remedy. Drones may fly around to disinfect the city from the virus. Death of birds cause cripple in the minds and the fear of Coronavirus grows more than expectations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken an initiative by arranging video conferencing with SAARC and thereby trying to reduce the tension in the sub continent. It is a novel initiative to make the world leaders take note of the pressing problems faced by all. It is not just a laughing matter and serious thinking will give better results in the days to come. Death toll is increasing and the suspected cases need to be quarantined to save further disaster.

Navi Mumbai is better off than Mumbai. The satellite city is taking all measures to maintain cleanliness and the same was vindicated when it became number one cleanest city in the rating and that is a tribute to the Municipal Corporation and its workers doing relentless work during day and night. As an individual I take up the responsibility of educating the people through television talk and writing through the newspaper pages. We all know that cleanliness is next to Godliness and so we should have a holistic approach to the problem. There is no need of creating fear among people. But definitely prevention is better than cure.

The big concern is the rising numbers of the positive cases of COVID-19 day by day. We have to follow the guidelines from the government and further tighten the preventive measures. Prevention is better than cure. Our medical expertise and infrastructure are going to be tested largely from now on, as it enters the third stage of community spread and so we have to be very careful. The virus will run its course and all will end well and forgotten. Government is afraid the virus might infect a significant part of the population and taking all the preventive measures and it is up to the public to co-operate with the administration.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

BMC orders private firms in Mumbai to function with 50 pc capacity

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Web Team

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March 17, 2020

Mumbai BMC headquarters edit1 BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi on March 17 has, by way of an order, asked all private firms in the city to function only with 50 per cent capacity adding that people refraining the order will face action under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), this could lead to imprisonment of six months or fine or both. He said, “Only 50 per cent of the staff will report to the office while the rest can work from home.”

The Ward officers of BMC, by visiting companies randomly will ensure the enforcement by visiting companies under their respective jurisdiction to supervise whether the order is being implemented or not. Meanwhile, BMC has also prohibited vehicular traffic movement near the quarantine wards or centres for Corona patients like Seven Hills hospital and Kasturba hospital in Mumbai.

The order comes in the wake of rising positive cases of Coronavirus in the State. Moreover, a 64-year-old man died due to Coronavirus in Mumbai today. The person was hospitalised in Mumbai’s Kasturba hospital. In India, three deaths have been reported so far.

However, the BMC has issued an order under Rule 10 of the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 to exempt certain services such as internet services, banking services, transportation services, hospitals, medical centres and stores.

For the time being, the Maharashtra government has decided to grant Rs. 45 crore each to districts in the wake of the pandemic. Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray has allotted Rs. 15 crore to Konkan region, 10 crore to Pune and Rs. 5 crore to Nagpur, Amravati, Nashik and Aurangbad, respectively.

Earlier, Thackeray had issued an advisory notice to all schools, colleges; cinema halls to remain shut till 31 March and postponed all the elections of local bodies for the next three months. Moreover, the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association on Sunday decided to impose a temporary ban on all shootings of films, TV serials and web series from March 19 to March 31.

Letters to the Editor: 17 March, 2020

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Web Team

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March 17, 2020

No action against police atrocities

There is no doubt that police have played a crucial role in Delhi riots as it was exposed through the videos went on viral. But it is regretful that not a single FIR has been filed against the alleged police atrocities in any of the stations in northeast Delhi. I want to say that the first step to bring back normalcy in the area is to ensure the credibility of police to act in an impartial manner because police were either absent during the riots or were mute spectators to the violence.

M Hasan

Right decision by BCCI to cancel ODI series against SA

The recent decision to cancel the two remaining ODIs against South Africa by BCCI and postponement of IPL matches against the backdrop of COVID-19 outbreak is welcome. The move comes at a right time when even other sporting events are cancelled while taking due consideration for public health and safety.

As cricket matches involve large gatherings of people to witness the events, BCCI’s decision to cancel the matches should have been taken much earlier. It is high time now to give ample rest to all the players and advise necessary precautions against the spread of the disease. BCCI should also be at the forefront to advise best practises in health and safety to its players who are extensively exposed to open air while playing live matches and whilst practising in the nets and thus may be vulnerable to the pandemic spread through air moisture.

BCCI should also invoke complete travel ban temporarily including to conduct meetings but unless required in exceptional circumstances. It should extensively communicate precautions to the players at all levels through various channels such as internal communication, websites and social media.

Varun Dambal

India taking steps to prevent spread of Coronavirus

The Coronavirus has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization, as the outbreak continues to spread outside China. It is to be appreciated that in India, we have implemented measures such as travel and event restrictions, shutting down schools, visitor screenings at all offices, increased frequency of office sanitization, and work-from-home provisions. Medical experts are still unclear about the source of this deadly virus but believe that it can be transmitted from human to human as well. In the efforts to control the epidemic, transparency is a key principle to let citizens know how to protect themselves and to let medical and public health personnel know which effective and appropriate interventions should be taken. There is no vaccine for Coronavirus but combating it requires getting basics right, creating awareness and investing in public health infrastructure. Further, controlling the spread of the virus requires both public health and medical measures—and for that we need a clear clinical profile. Anti-viral herbs such as oregano, tulsi are great for immunity, and can be used in tea or curries for respiratory health including mucous problems which can become a “breeding ground for bacteria and pathogens”.

Vinod C. Dixit

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Coronavirus: A new business tool for many

By

Suraj Chandran

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March 16, 2020

At a time when pandemic Coronavirus is spreading across the world, some sellers and distributors are trying to cash in on the disease. They are taking advantage of the situation by selling fake masks and sanitisers which are not medically tested. Citizens have been visiting medical shops to buy masks and sanitisers. Yesterday Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration officials raided a firm in Aurangabad and caught staff changing expiry date labels on hand sanitiser bottles to profit from the novel Coronavirus outbreak in the state. Beside this, the FDA had raided companies manufacturing fake sanitisers which offered no real germ killing properties. The FDA team had later seized a stock of sanitisers worth over Rs 2 lakh from a Kandivali-based distributor. After conducting a probe, FDA learnt that these products were manufactured by a Bhiwandi based company which had surrendered its licence two years ago. The FDA team also came across another firm in Vakola which was selling bogus products under the name of Safe hands. The anti-bacterial and sanitiser bottles had customer care number printed on it which was not working.

Some companies are selling air purifiers and asking customers to buy these products to combat Coronavirus. Babas are selling gau mutras and saying that it will heal Coronavirus. Some of them are selling naturopathic sterilisers and Ayurveda homemade masks. People are performing rituals and chanting mantras to get rid of Coronavirus. The demand for masks and sanitisers have increased due to fear of Coronavirus. People have started stocking up sanitisers and masks. Currently, many medical shops are running out of stocks of sanitisers and masks. Demand for handkerchiefs too have increased as people are wrapping them round their nose and mouth to control the spread of Coronavirus. Netizens too are circulating false and misleading tips on social media about how to control Coronavirus.

Coronavirus that has spread in more than 100 countries created a panic situation around the globe. On Sunday last, Italy reported 368 new deaths from the Coronavirus outbreak as the country’s death toll hit 1,809 while the number of positive cases rose to 24,747 from 21,157 on Saturday, the country’s civil protection authority said.

The number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in India increased to 114 till March 16 with Uttarakhand reporting its first case. The number of people infected with novel Coronavirus climbed to 39 on Monday with a 59 year old woman and man becoming the latest COVID-19 cases in the state. According to the health department, 95 new cases of suspected Coronavirus were quarantined at various hospitals in the state. Italy recorded its biggest daily death toll from novel Coronavirus which has claimed 6,000 lives worldwide.

On one hand some are making money in the name of Coronavirus, on the other there are some business or industry incurring huge losses due to the dreaded virus. Amid the Coronavirus outbreak many business events, sports programmers have also been postponed or cancelled.

Coronavirus takes social media by storm

By

Vaidehi Taman

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March 16, 2020

As the news of Coronavirus epidemic struck the globe and people were given horrific stories, many took to their social media to get more insight of the same. Some randomly went on rendering tips and tricks to avoid getting infected. To my surprise, there are random posts showing some worms coming out of lips and ears as Coronavirus. Their Indian Babas who over night became Corona babas is not only selling remedies but also assuring the elimination of the virus. Some are selling naturopathic sterilisers and sanitisers while some are selling Ayurveda home-made masks. The panic news telecast gave big market to people. From performing some rituals to chanting some mantras, Corona has given everyone a business. People are using the internet to share information, air their anxieties and bide time while in quarantine. The moments when those online conversations light up also tell us a lot about how our feelings around the pandemic are surfacing. Posts are circulating false and misleading tips on social media, in some cases wrongly attributed to various organisations about how people can monitor and avoid the Coronavirus.

Mentions of ‘Coronavirus’ across social platforms and news media really started to take off in early February. That was after the first Coronavirus case of unknown origin also known as community spread, emerged in the United States. That case involved a patient in California who contracted Coronavirus but had neither travelled somewhere where the virus was present nor was he knowingly exposed to someone who had contracted the virus. At around the same time, South Korean pop band and social media sensation BTS announced that it was cancelling its tour stops due to the Coronavirus and urged their fans to donate to relief efforts. After that, videos got circulated about people selling or eating bats. On social media, there were many videos in circulation since news broke of the Coronavirus outbreak in China with claims that bats are a possible origin of the new virus. None of the videos had any documented link to the outbreak.

Some of the videos show people having soup made from bat meat while others claimed to show the mammal for sale in the seafood market in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province which scientists have suggested as a possible source of the virus. People took to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and much common on WhatsApp to express their disgust at the idea of eating bats. Some claimed that certain Chinese people eat raw bat and rat meat. Some videos did also show where snake and dog meat was sold. The videos were awful and horrific but the circulation was in billions. The typical market in China has butchered beef, pork and lamb, whole plucked chickens with heads and beaks attached and live crabs and fish spewing water out of churning tanks. Some sell more unusual fare including live snakes, turtles and cicadas, guinea pigs, bamboo rats, badgers, hedgehogs, otters, palm civets and even wolf cubs.

The markets are fixtures in scores of Chinese cities and now, for at least the second time in two decades, they are the source of an epidemic that has spread fear.

With 19 million mentions across social media and news sites related to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours alone around the world, it’s clear that Coronavirus is the first global pandemic that is unfolding on social media with unprecedented volumes of conversations happening every second, so wrote Sprinklr. If you look at the Indian media, there is hardly any news on sports, political events because they have not had the same global impact as Coronavirus did on individuals, businesses and governments. Brandwatch, another social media analytics company, found that sentiment surrounding Coronavirus posts are unsurprisingly, mostly negative. The most prevalent emotion has been disgust with many of those mentions centering on hand washing and racism towards Chinese people. The second-most common emotion in these posts was fear. In many cases, these mentions centered on specific locations like Italy and Iran where the ravages of Coronavirus have been most acutely felt.

People’s concerns about Coronavirus have also been evident in their search history. Google searches of Coronavirus in the US saw their first major rise relative to all search traffic toward the end of January after the first person in the US was diagnosed with Coronavirus after travelling abroad. In recent days, Coronavirus has seen its highest level of search traffic-that level is indicated by a score of 100 on Google Trends. This is a huge search volume by any measure. Here’s that same trend indexed against perennially popular Google searches of “Trump,” “music,” and “video” for the last two months. Meanwhile, Google and other online platforms have been actively trying to root out misinformation about Coronavirus. YouTube has been particularly hard hit with hoaxes suggesting ways to prevent the virus and ads seeking to capitalise on it, both of which the company has been working to block.

The conversation is also in flux. Here’s a comparison of Google’s search traffic in the first week of March versus the first week of February. In February, accelerating search terms related to Coronavirus included a couple of misspellings of the virus which is what you’d expect when a keyword or topic is newly popular as well as mentions of Coronavirus in relation to SARS as people were initially trying to put the outbreak into historical context.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

BMC asks hoarding owners to display Coronavirus messages

By

Web Team

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March 16, 2020

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has asked all licenced hoarding owners in Mumbai to display messages till March 25, starting from Monday, on fighting the novel Coronavirus outbreak.

The directive was issued by BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

Those disobeying the directive will have their hoarding licences cancelled, the directive warned.

Mumbai has around 1,200 licences.

“COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation. Against this backdrop, it is need of the hour that an intense awareness campaign be undertaken to minimise the spread of the Coronavirus,” read the BMC’s letter.

It said messages on such hoardings will strengthen efforts of the BMC and state government to fight the outbreak.

As on Monday, there are 39 COVID-19 patients in Maharashtra.

Siddhivinayak, Tuljabhavani temples shut for devotees till March 31

By

Web Team

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March 16, 2020

One of the most visited shrines in Mumbai the Siddhivinayak Temple, will remain closed for devotees till further notice in view of the Coronavirus outbreak in Maharashtra, it was announced on Monday.

Beside Siddhivinayak, Tuljabhavani Temple, another popular shrine in Maharashtra located in Osmanabad district, will remain shut for devotees from March 17 to 31.

The decision comes in the backdrop of the Maharashtra government appealing to people to avoid crowding and mass gatherings as part of measures to prevent spread of the viral infection.

The Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi, dedicated to Lord Ganesh, attracts hundreds of devotees everyday and is especially crowded on Tuesdays.

Siddhivinayak Temple trust chairman Adesh Bandekar said the number of Coronavirus cases is increasing rapidly worldwide.

“Thousands and lakhs of people come to the Siddhivinayak Temple to pay respect. In the current situation, it is our responsibility to deal with the crisis (Coronavirus outbreak).Hence, the trust has decided that the temple will be closed for worship till further notice,” said Bandekar.

Maharashtra has till now reported 37 positive cases of the novel Coronavirus. According to the report by the shrine’s Assistant Public Relations Officer, Nagesh Shitole- In spite of the Coronavirus outbreak, 13,000 devotees visited the Tuljabhavani Temple on Sunday. Hence, a meeting of the managing committee was held today and it was decided to shut the temple for devotees from Tuesday (March 17) to March 31.

Bombay High court to function only for 2 hours from today

By

Web Team

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March 16, 2020

The Bombay High Court and its benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad and Goa shall function for only two hours in a day from March 17 until further orders in view of the novel Coronavirus outbreak.

The High Court on Monday issued a circular after a meeting held by acting Chief Justice B P Dharmadhikari and other senior judges.

The functioning of the high court at its principal bench, in Mumbai, and other benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad and Goa shall be from noon to 2 pm from March 17 till further orders, the circular issued by HC Registrar S B Agarwal said.

It added that all district courts and magistrates shall also endeavor that their working time not exceed three hours a day, and that they take up for hearing only urgent matters.

On March 14, HC had said its functioning shall be restricted to urgent matters for a week from March 16 in view of the virus threat. On Monday, the HC wore a deserted look with most benches hearing only urgent matters.

Relief for depositors: Yes Bank to resume full service from March 18

By

Hema Singh

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March 16, 2020

Yes Bank was recently in the headlines when a moratorium was imposed on it by the RBI on March 5. However on Monday, the bank informed that the bank will resume complete banking services from the evening of March 18.

“We will resume full banking services from Wed, Mar 18, 2020, 18:00 hrs. Visit any of our 1,132 branches from Mar 19, 2020, post commencement of banking hrs to experience our suite of services. You will also be able to access all our digital services & platforms,” tweeted the Bank.

We will resume full banking services from Wed, Mar 18, 2020, 18:00 hrs. Visit any of our 1,132 branches from Mar 19, 2020, post commencement of banking hrs to experience our suite of services. You will also be able to access all our digital services & platforms@RBI @FinMinIndia

— YES BANK (@YESBANK) March 16, 2020

In its moratorium, the RBI had restricted the withdrawals to Rs 50,000 per depositor. The RBI also superseded the Board and placed it under an administrator Prashant Kumar, former deputy managing director and CFO of State Bank of India (SBI).

On the other hand, Yes Bank NSE 45.21 percent will be dropped from benchmark index Nifty 50, banking index Nifty bank and other Nifty indices from March 19, NSE Indices said on Monday. However, earlier a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), said in a statement that the changes wa scheduled to happen on March 27.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed that the Union cabinet has approved the reconstruction scheme for Yes Bank that was suggested by the Reserve Bank. Talking about the scheme, Sitharaman said besides SBI, ICICI Bank, Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC), Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bandhan Bank, Federal Bank and IDFC First have also joined the SBI-led consortium and invest in Yes Bank.

Bangles signify that a woman is married

By

Hema Singh

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March 16, 2020

Didn’t we like the late Sri Devi dancing to the tunes of “Mere Hathon mein nau nau choodiyan hai….” from Chandni or Asha Parekh shaking a leg in the song “Chhodiyan Khankegi from Do Raaste? Though the songs sounded pleasing then, I couldn’t understand the cause why women wore bangles and the importance of them. Now, that I have grown up I have come to know the importance of bangles.

Bangles are counted among one of the most important accessories of Indian brides especially for married women, they are very auspicious as they are the sign of them being a suhagan. Young and old women with auspicious Indian bangles are a proud beacon of Indian culture. Bangles have its own significance in Indian culture especially in weddings. Bangles have always been an inseparable part of Indian culture.

The word bangle has been derived from the Hindi word ‘bangdi’ which in Sanskrit means the ornament which adorns the arm.

Over the time, bangles have become much trendier to suit a more contemporary look, but they are still as significant as they were a long time ago. Bangles with geometric designs give them a funky look. However, for traditional ceremonies, only circular glass or metal bangles are preferred by women. People in different states of the country call them by different names. But, they have equal importance in Indian wedding tradition, notwithstanding the geographical boundaries.

Over the ages, the tradition of wearing bangles in India is obsolete, might be because the Hindu religion had come into existence much before. Since India has diverse culture with its different states, the wedding customs and rituals are also diverse to be obvious. Other classic examples of bangles in India are the copper bangles excavated from Mahurjhari; the ornate bangles dating back to Mauryan Empire and the gold bangles from the historic site of Taxila.

Even every goddess idol that has been discovered so far is seen wearing bangles. Research on ancient fragments show that bangles were used to be made from copper, bronze, shell, terra cotta, silver, gold, lac, glass and anything that could be used in craftsmanship.

Bangles, especially made of lac, glass and shell are a must for a married woman. The accessories which symbolise a marriage are the most powerful expressions in Indian Hindu culture. The symbols like shankha, pola, sindoor and toe rings imbibe age-old traditions of those regions. Although culture is never stagnant, such traditions can never fade as long as Hindu religion is prevalent. The dreams and desires of an Indian contemporary woman may vary, but it always adheres something special to define her persona and reflect the woman that she is. Following the dictates of a poignant past and these tiny symbols of marriage can indeed make her feel so married and so much like a woman.

In present times, women, in spite of their marital status adorn their arms with bangles that are available in various types and styles as they believe that wearing of jewelry after marriage or before marriage has no relation to their husband’s age. Hence, these days, bangle or bracelets are worn by fashion conscious girls with as much style as their mothers and grandmothers wore as part of tradition.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)