Face of Nation International : Thousands of daily wage workers and other migrant labourers thronged the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border on Saturday in the hope of reaching their homes in far-flung areas on Day 4 of the 21-day lockdown announced by the government to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected almost 1,000 people in India.
Thousands of people — men, women and children — were seen waiting in long queues to board buses at the Anand Vihar Interstate Bus Terminal in Delhi. The Central government on Saturday night once again urged state governments to take immediate steps to set up temporary accommodation for stranded migrants across the country.
Meanwhile, the government also reiterated that India has not yet entered the stage of community transmission. The term community transmission means that the source of infection for the spread of an illness is unknown or a link in terms of contacts between patients and other people is missing. It refers to the difficulty in grasping the epidemiological link in the community beyond confirmed cases.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), for now, has maintained that there is no reason to panic at the moment as far as community transmission of the novel coronavirus is concerned.
On Saturday, the ICMR announced that the medical body was changing the criteria for testing of novel coronavirus. India will now be switching from random sample testing to testing of all patients with severe acute respiratory infections (Sari). (Source: IndiaToday News – India)
