In Focus by The Hindu

The total number of COVID-19 cases in India on March 28 crossed 900 with over 180 fresh cases as well as 2 deaths being reported during the day, the highest single-day increase so far as per Union Health Ministry data. Meanwhile, on Day 4 of the national lockdown images continue to pour in of thousands of migrant labourers who have lost their daily sustenance and are now trying to walk several hundred kilometres back to their villages.

Guests: Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The Hindu; Suhasini Haidar, National Editor, The Hindu

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The RBI on Friday announced measures to protect the Indian economy from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a huge repo-rate cut and a three-month moratorium on loan payments. We discuss these measures in detail and how they will help. We also discuss some directives that have come from the government today on improving surveillance on travellers who entered the country before the lockdown and on helping migrant workers.

Guests: Raghuvir Srinivasan, Business Editor, The Hindu; Suhasini Haidar, National Editor, The Hindu

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Guest: Adam Kucharski, Associate Professor and Sir Henry Dale Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Kucharski specialises in the mathematical analysis of infectious disease outbreaks.

Host: Narayan Lakshman, Associate Editor, The Hindu

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One of India’s most authoritative voices in the field of epidemiology joins us today to discuss the 21-day lockdown and whether India already has entered the community transmission phase with COVID-19 and the steps that we are to take going forward if we are to achieve a ‘herd immunity’ to the disease that can protect the young and the elderly. Guest: Dr. Jayaprakash Muliyil, Epidemiologist, former Principal, Christian Medical College, Vellore

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The Union government on Thursday announced a ₹1.7 lakh crore package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and countrywide lockdown, providing free food and cash transfers to support the poorest citizens, who are most vulnerable during a crisis such as this.

In this update podcast, we give you a quick rundown of the various benefits announced and share some initial impressions about whether the package is adequate, looking at the sections of people who are left out and how India’s spending on economic support for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic compares with that of other countries.

Guest: Priscilla Jebaraj, Deputy Editor, The Hindu

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In this episode, we hear from a specialist in intensive care medicine in the U.K. on how rapidly the COVID-19 disease has spread and the lessons that India can take from the experience there.

Guests: Hugh Montgomery, professor of medicine and the director of the Centre for Human Health and Performance at University College London Host: Narayan Lakshman, Associate Editor, The Hindu

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In this episode, we deal with the crucial question of what this lockdown will mean for our economy and what measures the government can take to deal with it. Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announced some measures but a full-scale economic stimulus package is still yet to come. Going briefly over the Finance Minister’s announcements today, The Hindu’s business editor Raghuvir Srinivasan goes into what a stimulus package should look like, what the government can do for individuals and companies.

Write to us with comments and feedback at [email protected]

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As Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces an official 21-day lockdown across the country to combat the spread of COVID-19, we talk about the fallout of his address to the nation, and discuss developments on the health and science front.

Guests: Suhasini Haidar, National Editor; & Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The Hindu.

Write to us with comments and feedback at [email protected]

Additional reading: https://www.thehindu.com/news/resources/what-will-be-available-and-what-will-be-closed-during-the-21-day-lockdown/article31156364.ece?homepage=true

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In our fifth episode of the daily COVID-19 update, we start with an update from the United States, where New York has emerged as a new epicentre of the virus, now accounting for a staggering 5% of confirmed cases around the world. We look at how have things escalated to that level over there. We also get updates on a new drug that the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended for use with high-risk novel Coronavirus cases and we give you an update on the evacuation and return of Indian citizens who have been stuck in different parts of the world during this crisis.

Guests: Sriram Lakshman, U.S. Correspondent, The Hindu; Suhasini Haidar, National Editor; & Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The Hindu.

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Just as the country was coming together to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s idea of a ‘Janta Curfew’ came the news in the evening that further curbs and restrictions — in the form of a lockdown in 75 affected districts across the country — would come into place from tonight. Life in India is set to change very drastically from Monday. We look ahead to that and also to some major debates now that are likely to play out about India‘s strategy to deal with the virus, especially with regard to testing.

Recorded on March 22

Guests: Suhasini Haidar, National Editor, The Hindu, & Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The Hindu.

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