America sends ventilators 🤝
Lockdown extends, healthcare gets reform, and an Arctic town invites you for summer.
Hi 👋, Tanvi here.
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So let’s go ahead and get started:
Lockdown 4.0🔒
Come on, lock-down extended - Yay or Nay! What type of person are you? 😆😆
Seriously though, we’ve now officially entered the 4th phase of the lock-down which will run for a couple weeks more through Sunday, 31st of May. Below are some activities that will remain strictly prohibited in India:
Movement of individuals between 7PM-7AM
Air and train travel remain banned
Religious congregations, social and political gatherings prohibited
Educational institutions to remain closed
Movie halls, hotels, restaurants shall remain suspended
Movement in red and containment zones will be restricted
Offices are allowed to work if not near containment zones
All employees required to download Arogya Setu app
Upping Our Healthcare Game 💉
Sighting an opportunity in the crisis, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government's plans to aggressively make new investments in the healthcare sector. This comes as a huge step to make the country ready for any future epidemics.
Despite having a strong track record of taking on and successfully resolving massive health challenges like Polio, HIV, and others, India’s healthcare infrastructure leaves a lot of cracks to fill, brunt of which is mostly faced by low income and poor citizens. Especially in rural parts of the nation where the neglect is rife.
The current lab network for example in rural areas is insufficient. According to the newly proposed reforms, all districts will now get an infectious diseases hospital block and integrated public health labs.
India’s 33 year old Epidemic diseases act was also amended to prevent attacks on health workers, as COVID-19 showed us a uniquely weird side of our society. Also, healthcare research across the nation will be encouraged by introducing a National Institutional Platform for One health By ICMR.
The health reforms announcement came when India reported the highest spike in COVID-19 cases at 4,987 in a single day taking the total cases above the 90,000 mark.
Breaking The Silence 🌈
May 17 (Sunday) was the International day against Homophobia, Trans-phobia and Bi-phobia (IDAHOTB).
The theme this year was “BREAKING THE SILENCE” in the honor of those who still cannot live their lives as themselves, aimed at breaking countless social stigmas that limit them from breathing freely.
May 17, was chosen as the annual day for IDAHOTB because it is the anniversary of the WHO’s declassification of same sex attraction as a mental disorder, that happened in 1990.
Despite the Supreme Court having sought to read down section 377 of the IPC that criminalized homosexual sex, little seems to have changed in our society’s portrayal of the LGBTQ community.
We cannot just wake up one day and expect people to treat people of the LGBTQ+ community with equality and respect. It is a gradual process to get there. To achieve equal rights and wipe out stigmas, conversations regarding LGBTQ+ should begin at an early age, and we thought of taking the liberty to highlight that with this post. Read more…
The Americans Will Send Ventilators ✌️
President Trump announced on Sunday that The US will donate ventilators to India to help our country combat COVID-19. This move came a few months after India had approved the export of 50 million Hydroxychloroquine tablets to treat COVID-19 patients in America last month at Trump’s request. Although it might not have seemed like a humble request at that point, we think ChaCha Trump had good intentions.
Mr. Trump also highlighted his good friendship with the Indian Prime Minister and tweeted that the 2 countries are working towards developing a vaccine. Each of these mobile ventilator units is estimated to cost over $13,000 ( or 9.6 Lakhs) each.
An Indian government official said that the consignment is set to arrive by early June. This offer and the public statements are an indicator of deepening ties and close contact between the two countries.
Experts and pundits around the world are sounding extremely optimistic of India and US relations in a post COVID world, as China attracts the wrath of global nations and will likely be subject to continuous rebuttal. Read more…
No Spraying Disinfectants❌
Countries that spray disinfectants on streets have been warned by the World Health Organization (WHO), saying it does not eliminate the virus but poses a serious health risk to humans.
Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces such as marketplaces, streets or public spaces has been deemed ineffective and is not recommended to kill COVID-19 because the disinfectant is inactivated by dirt and debris.
According to the WHO, streets and footpaths are not considered as reservoirs of infections and spraying disinfectants outside can harm humans. Spraying chlorine or other toxic chemicals on people can cause eye and skin irritation as well as gastrointestinal diseases.
If disinfectants are to be applied it should be in the form of Clorox wipes or a cloth dipped in disinfectants. You know that fam! Read more…
What Else Are We Snackin’🍿
👉New York based firm General Atlantic invests $870 Million in Reliance’s Jio Platforms
↗️India sees highest jump in COVID-19 cases, total now crosses 90,000
🚢154 seafarers have arrived in Goa and will be quarantined at state facilities
The Arctic Town Open to Everyone 🏂
If you’ve ever wished you could disappear for a while, get away from city lights and concrete jungles, then we have something for you here. Drum roll……. Svalbard may be the place for you. ☃️
An archipelago between Norway and the North pole, Svalbard is a rugged, remote terrain of glaciers, full with Polar bears, Reindeer, Arctic foxes and of course a few hundred human beings, all coexisting in peace.
Despite sounding awkwardly uncomfortable, the place is kinda beautiful in its own way. See for yourself. Also, the northern lights are visible during the winter from here which dominate the sky both day and night.
Since Svalbard is an archipelago (a group of islands not owned by any nation), it is a visa free zone, which means anyone can live and work here without the need of a legal piece of document allowing you to do so.
Check out this BBC feature from a few months ago that talks about how residents brave extreme conditions and find meaning within each other. Many of whom have chosen to make this place their home, leaving warm and what some might say “better” places behind.
As the pandemic makes remote work mainstream, people have been looking for adventures as part of their routine and Svalbard is gaining attention as a potential candidate. Would you consider it? Checkout here.
Monday motivation☀️
BTW, now that we are officially trapped for a couple more weeks, how about following through on our suggestion of doing something productive? 🎯
As we’ve highlighted in our previous issues, this just might be the best freaking time ever to embark on a new learning journey including taking up a course, or starting a new project, or pursuing a hobby, or even an Instagram page. Anything is fair game.
On those lines, may we suggest an acting class from the legendary Natalie Portman? 😍
Thanks to MasterClass, an amazing platform that lets you learn pretty much anything in the world from the best people in the world in the respective fields, including world famous actors, businessmen, artists, speakers, you name it. 💯
Hope you took a thing or two away from today’s edition. 😀
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