Anxious during lockdown? Contact these counsellors over phone for free therapy

Coronavirus

Bengaluru-based voluntary group ‘Mitaan’ offers emotional support to anyone affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Image courtesy: Pixabay

With the entire country going into lockdown as a measure against the spread of coronavirus, one might feel pressured and anxious about the situation. Anxiety for people we know, anxiety over supplies, about the scale of the pandemic, worry over contracting the disease, or worry about recovery, and lots more. A Bengaluru-based group of counsellors, Mitaan, who usually provide voluntary counselling at the India Cancer Society, have decided to extend their support to the general public, free of cost. “People might be facing anxiety, anger, panic attacks or just sheer boredom during the pandemic and this lockdown. Which is why we are extending our help to these people in need—so that they can vent out their feelings,” said George Joseph, one of the counsellors. The group has ten counsellors on the team, who can speak various languages. Find their details here: 1) Mili Chakraborty: Hindi, English, Bengali. Time: 11am - 7pm. +91-99450-08020 2) Geeta Murthy: Hindi, English, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu. Time: 11am - 4pm. +91-72598-46562 3) Manjula: Tamil, Kannada. Time: 11am - 4pm. +91-94481-12339 4) Binu Phookan: English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali. Time: 11am - 3pm. +91-80115-87520 5) Uma: English, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil. Time: 10am - 7pm. +91-98457-67085 6) Manisha: English, Hindi, Bengali. Time: 12pm - 4pm. +91-96324-11266 7) Ruchi Bhuwalka: Hindi, English. Time: 11am - 1pm / 7pm - 8pm. +91-98454-24078 8) Uma: Hindi , English, Kannada. Time: 2pm - 5pm. +91-99726-17136 9) George Joseph: English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil. Time: 10 am - 5pm. +91-99002-91660 10) Jyoti Mittal: English, Hindi, Tamil. Time: 6am - 10am / 2pm - 6pm.  +91-98455-16880 However, Mili Chakraborty clarified that they were not qualified to give medical advice. “We are all trained counsellors. We can abate some fears based on the reading of resources which we have done, but anything more than general information, we cannot give. We are basically here for emotional support. We are willing to dedicate half an hour to 45 minutes of our time to help people when they are distressed,” Mili said. If you need medical assistance, or have symptoms of coronavirus, please call your local health department helpline.  Karnataka: 104, 080-46848600, 080-6692000 Tamil Nadu: 104 Kerala: 1056 Andhra Pradesh: 104. 0866-2410978 Telangana: 104 National helpline: 1075  

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Relying on a 123-yr-old law: Why it’s about time India gets a new law to tackle epidemics

Coronavirus

Although state govts have been following the disaster management plan, and have formulated regulations to curb movement, a comprehensive legislation is necessary, experts say.

Theja Ram

Representation photo

India is currently tackling the COVID-19 pandemic based on regulations derived from the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 – a legislation that was formulated over a century ago. 123 years ago to be precise. The two-page legislation was hurriedly passed on February 4, 1897 by the British when the bubonic plague struck India and killed thousands.  With astronomical advances in the field of medicine – indeed, in every field, over the last 123 years, the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 is outdated. It’s so outdated, that the act mentions quarantine of persons at ‘ports’ in the country – but makes no mention of buses or trains, and definitely no aircraft or metro. It does not mention anything about the medical facilities that the government needs to set up to tackle epidemics.  Since health is a state subject, respective state governments gazetted a list of regulations to be followed in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. And although state governments have been enforcing stringent regulations to curb the spread of novel coronavirus in the country, experts argue that the country needs a new legislation that fits the modern times as a “lesson from the struggles of the COVID-19 outbreak.” Protocols for quarantine Speaking to TNM, Dr Dileep Malavankar,  Public Health Management expert at the Indian Institute of Public Health, says that one of the things lacking in the current legislation is the lack of clarity on protocols related to movement of persons in the wake of a pandemic.  “State governments have had to issue orders to lockdown public places. If there is a legislation already in place with all these aspects in it, it will automatically come into effect when there is an epidemic outbreak. There needs to be protocols on task forces, transportation of samples, and more testing facilities,” he says, adding that the spread of an epidemic or pandemic can be stopped if local authorities are given powers to monitor who comes in and goes out of the state during a prescribed period, that is necessary to curb the spread.  “In many cases of COVID-19 in India, there is a pattern of people going to different places. When police follow up on addresses, it is the permanent ones on the IDs. Many people have moved cities and their permanent addresses are different. Those people who have to be quarantined must check or report to local health authorities or the police before they leave town during an outbreak. This way, it can be easier to track people. A new legislation should list down methods to trace contacts, and the curbs to be put in place to make it easier,” he explains.  He further says that there have to be protocols about releasing information about people who have been infected keeping in mind the stigma they could suffer.  Read: Karnataka makes addresses of quarantined residents public, raises privacy concerns No movement in forming a comprehensive new legislation In 2008, the government of India brought in the Management of Biological Disaster Guidelines, when the government was looking at a framework to tackle bio-terrorism. These guidelines were framed as the government realised that the Epidemic Diseases Act was inadequate.  During the first term of the UPA, the Public Health Emergencies Bill was drafted. It faced opposition from state governments as the draft bill gave more powers to the Centre in matters of health, which is a state subject. The draft bill was then junked.  In 2017, the Modi government introduced the Public Health (Prevention, Control and Management of Epidemics, Bio-terrorism and Disasters) Bill 2017, and proposed to repeal the 1897 act. This new legislation, too, gave powers to the Centre rather than state governments and was put in cold storage.  Need for a legislation that mandates adequate infrastructure “We have a National Disaster Management Plan that was formed in 2019, which is detailed. This is what governments across states have been following now,” a senior Health Department official in Karnataka says, adding that we need something similar to tackle epidemics and pandemics.  Speaking to TNM, T Sundaraman, former Dean of the School of Health System Studies says that the biggest problem India is currently facing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is the lack of infrastructure to effectively treat and manage epidemics.  “Since independence, our governments have focused on providing primary-level health care. We lack infrastructure to tackle pandemics. If we had a legislation to handle epidemics, it would become mandatory to set up tertiary-level care at hospitals. These would include the manpower to operate medical equipment, training of these people who handle such equipment, and most importantly, the presence of adequate infrastructure. The old act does not list any of these things,” Sudaraman says.   

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Karnataka makes addresses of quarantined residents public, raises privacy concerns

Coronavirus

Within minutes of the Karnataka govt’s tweet, excel and pdf files containing details of over 14,000 residents from Bengaluru alone were circulated widely on WhatsApp groups.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government's move to make addresses of those under home quarantine public on Tuesday evening has raised concerns among citizens, who say this is a serious breach of privacy that could have serious social implications. This move comes at a time when videos are being shared of airline crew being ostracised by their housing societies for flying in COVID-19 affected zones in their line of duty.   Within minutes of the Karnataka government's tweet, excel and pdf files containing details of home addresses, date of arrival, transit of over 14,000 residents from Bengaluru alone who had returned from abroad in recent weeks, was downloaded and circulated widely on WhatsApp groups. The state government has still kept these details active on the web, suggesting that the move to share personal details was a deliberate one.   A few building societies said the list was already causing chaos, with residents seeking details of who is in home quarantine. But some believe this was a necessary move, as many people who had returned from abroad were found to be violating home quarantine or failed to disclose their travel history.   Those who are walking around when they should be quarantining are criminals. It's because of them that everyone is under lockdown. — Simply Me (@Simblee) March 25, 2020 To be sure, the Karnataka government has already hand-stamped and served notices to every resident under quarantine. Was it necessary then to publish sensitive information in the public domain, ask critics. More importantly, does it have legal ground?  Justice Srikrishna, who helped draft India's data protection Bill, told Chandra R Srikanth of ET NOW that this was a fallout of India not having a data protection law in place. But, even under the privacy law, there are exemptions for extraordinary circumstances, where the government can invoke public safety and order to make these details public.  Just spoke to Justice Srikrishna, who drafted the data protection bill. His view: 1. Fallout of not having privacy law. 2. Even under privacy law, there are exemptions for extraordinary circumstances like these. Govt can invoke public safety/health/order to get away with this. https://t.co/s9WStIfis6 — Chandra R. Srikanth (@chandrarsrikant) March 25, 2020 The data protection Bill, which has a framework for personal data protection, was introduced in Parliament in December 2019. While the Bill gives citizens control over their personal data, the government can invoke provisions such as national security and other emergencies to exempt agencies from the Bill's purview . Some legal experts however disagreed with the Karnataka government's move. “At a bare minimum, the state should tell us under what statute they have this power. Even if there is a statutory sanction to it, the exercise now is to be justified on the anvil of necessity. The state ought to show how quarantine stickers or locality level lists are not sufficient to achieve the same objectives, and why it is necessary to publish a state-wide list," said Prasanna S, a practising lawyer based in New Delhi. Suhrith Parthasarathy, an advocate practicing at the Madras High Court said, "When you disclose the personal information of any person, on the face of it, it is a violation of privacy. Perhaps this might be defensible under the Epidemic Act, but the government will have to tailor such disclosures narrowly. Or it will have to at least pass a specific Ordinance for this purpose. Whatever the legal regime though, the disclosure needs to meet the proportionality test."  Legal remedies for affected residents appear limited at this juncture. "They can go to the High Court to file a writ petition once this crisis is over, or file a police complaint. A data protection law would have also helped streamline the whole process, from securing consent to publish information to the extent of time they can maintain all of this in the public domain,” Suhrith said.  While the government may be within its rights to publish details, this may defeat the purpose of keeping names of COVID-19 patients anonymous to protect their privacy, and might endanger those following a quarantine, especially at a time when there is panic and fear of the unknown. It also raises questions on empathy, as this might lead to more social stigma, at a time when the nation is under lockdown and procuring essentials is becoming difficult. Kerala, that has more than 100 cases, has been firm about protecting the details of those in quarantine. PB Nooh, the District Collector of Pathanamthitta, tweeted recently about the need to safeguard the privacy of patients undergoing treatment as well as those under self- quarantine. Meanwhile, Pathanamthitta Collector says.... pic.twitter.com/qCSH3rC4SW — Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) March 25, 2020  

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Health workers fear U.S. hospitals will become coronavirus hot spots

Inadequate protective gear could turn workers into disease vectors. It happened in Italy.

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Karnataka BJP MP’s daughter tests positive for COVID-19

Coronavirus

The test results of her two children are awaited.

TNM Staff

Representational image/PTI

A daughter of a BJP MP in Karnataka with has tested positive for COVID-19. Ashwini, the daughter of Davangere MP and former Union Minister GM Siddeshwara, returned from Guyana via New York and Delhi and landed in Bengaluru on March 20, reported News18. The Davagere MP had earlier issued a declaration that stated his daughter Ashwini has returned from the United States.  The News18 report said that Chitradurga Deputy Commissioner Vinothpriya R confirmed that Ashwini has tested positive and the results of her two children, who also came to India with her, are awaited. Davangere MP Siddeshwara had already tested negative, according to the official.  Ashwini will be treated at the designated Davanagere hospital for COVID-19.  TNM has also reported how prohibitory orders under section 144(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were imposed in Davangere on March 18 before the state and national lockdown was announced. Read: Section 144 imposed in Davangere as precaution against coronavirus spread According to the latest bulletin released on Wednesday evening, till date, the state has 41 positive cases, including the 76-year-old in Kalaburagi who succumbed to co-morbidities.  A total of eight new patients had tested positive in the state on Wednesday. Another three patients who had tested positive have been sent back home after they recovered. All the rest of the 37 COVID-19 positive persons remain in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable.  Till date, a total of 1,637 people have been tested and 1,196 persons have tested negative. The same bulletin said a total of 12,406 persons who had returned from foreign countries or got in touch with such returnees have been kept under observation. Among them, a total of 197 persons have been admitted in isolation facilities at designated district hospitals across the state. 

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Deputy CM says Karnataka should brace itself for 1 lakh COVID-19 cases

Coronavirus

Ashwath Narayan said that Karnataka is taking all precautionary measures to make the state prepared for increased number of cases due to coronavirus

TNM Staff

Ashwath Narayan

Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for IT and Biotechnology CN Ashwath Narayan has said that the state should brace itself for around one lakh cases of the novel coronavirus in the near future. Answering queries about the spread of COVID-19 in the Karnataka Legislative Council, DCM Ashwath Narayan said that the state is in the process of setting up 20,000 beds across various districts. The government is also procuring 2,000 ventilators, he said. “Isolation hospitals will be set up in all districts and they have been set up in nine districts already. About 20,000 hotel rooms will be taken to establish quarantine facilities,” he said. Narayan said that 1000 ventilators have already been ordered in addition to the 300 ventilators that the government presently has. Further, private hospitals have assured that they will give 100 ventilators to the government, along with Infosys Limited promising to buy 100 more.  As for masks, the state government has ordered 10 lakh three-layered ones, five lakh N95 masks and 10 lakh personal protection kits, DCM Ashwath Narayan informed.  Earlier on Monday, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar had said that the government was in the process of procuring 1000 ventilators and 5 lakh PPE kits. Deputy CM Ashwath Narayan on Tuesday said that the state would procure double the amount. There is also the anxiety that the state does not have enough medication to treat the patients who come in with COVID-19. Ashwath Narayan further said in the Assembly that there was not enough hydroxychloroquin, an anti-malarial drug, which the Indian Council of Medical Research has said can be used to treat patients of COVID-19, and that they are trying to procure it. The Deputy Chief Minister added that the treatment for the Novel Coronavirus would be provided in isolation facilities so as to prevent transmission and spread of the disease. Doctors will be mobilized for examinations and for manning the tents that will be set up for this purpose, he added. He also announced the setting up of fever clinics aimed at preventing crowding at hospitals, and facilitating hospitalization based on referrals. These will be at the many hotel rooms that the state has procured specifically for the isolation of COVID-19 cases.  Further, the corona task force in Karnataka has also estimated worrying numbers of COVID-19 positive cases in the state for the coming days, The New Indian Express reported on Wednesday. The task force estimates that the state will see around 80,000 CIVD-19 patients, of whom 12,000 will need hospitalisation; 9,600 will need to be in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and 4,800 will need respiratory support on ventilators. For the city of Bengaluru alone, the task force is expecting 16,000 patients. Of these, 2400, 2000 and 1000 will need hospitalisation, ICU care and ventilators respectively, the task force said.

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Bengaluru student arrested for holding ‘liberation’ placard gets bail after a month

Protest

Ardra had carried the placard amidst a gathering of Sri Rama Sene, Hindu Jagarana Vedike and Hindu Janajagruthi Samiti activists at the city’s Town Hall.

Soumya Chatterjee

Ardra Narayanan, a student-activist in Bengaluru who was arrested by Bengaluru police for holding a “Muslim, Kashmiri, Bahujan, Adivasi, Trans liberation now” placard a month ago, was released on bail on Tuesday after a month.    The 55th Additional City Civil and Sessions judge K Narayana Prasad gave the bail order after Ardra was arrested by SJ (SIlver Jubilee) Park Police Station under sections 153a (Promoting enmity between different groups either spoken or written, or by signs) and 153b (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) of the Indian Penal Code on February 21.  Ardra had carried the placard amidst a gathering of Sri Rama Sene, Hindu Jagarana Vedike and Hindu Janajagruthi Samiti activists at the city’s Town Hall. After being spotted by those activists, Ardra was heckled and had to be rescued by the police before they took her into custody. Later, the police also stated that during interrogation, Ardra had said that her act of protest was carried out to extend support to Amulya. The members of the right-wing Hindu organisations had gathered on February 21 to protest against Amulya Leona. Later, it was found that Ardra had gone to the Town Hall protest to express solidarity for Amulya who was already in custody by then. Amulya, another student activist, had courted controversy and was arrested by Bengaluru police for sedition for saying “Pakistan Zindabad'' at an event held on the previous day as part of the anti-CAA-NRC (Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens) drive. Incidentally, at that  event, Assadudin Owaisi, Hyderabad MP and AIMIM President, was the chief guest. As part of her speech, Amulya had said Hindustan Zindabad and was continuing to say, “The difference between Pakistan Zindabad and Hindustan Zindabad…” before she was escorted off the stage by the organisers and police. The bail application for Amulya Leona is still pending.

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