[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

For companies based in SEZ the companies do require permission from the Govt for allowing WFH.
My organisation is based in SEZ and my role is remote, HR had to take permission to allow me to continue working remotely.

Oh, so for SEZs is govt mandated. I guess most offices in India have this special status where they can import machines etc.,

Originally Posted by paragsachania

They do need permission depending on their roles, company policies, nature of the company (Product Vs. Services). It is a known fact in the IT world all over the world.Guess most of us do.

Yes, manager permission is needed for most people if they want to work from home, but my question was about "Government Permission". Well speedmiester answered by question that its probably due to "bonded warehouse" and "SEZ" thingy

[kiku007]

GOLD.


https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/jurgen...after-21628126


"People with no knowledge like me talking about it...people with knowledge should be the ones telling people what to do.

“Not football managers. I don’t understand politics, the coronavirus. Why me? I wear a baseball cap.

“I’m concerned like everyone else. I live on this planet and I want it to be safe and healthy, I wish everybody the best, absolutely. But my opinion on coronavirus is not important."

It'll be good if people keep their opinions and beliefs to themselves. Keep calm and follow the directions from the local health department and from the official WHO website.

Personally I'm banning, unfriending, blocking anyone who spreads stupid rumours in the internet. Should I report such posts in TBHP as well?

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by kiku007

“I’m concerned like everyone else. I live on this planet and I want it to be safe and healthy, I wish everybody the best, absolutely. But my opinion on coronavirus is not important."

True indeed! The best is to follow the instructions/directions by the local administrative bodies or medical experts rather than spreading inaccurate social media forwards or propagating beliefs. It is not a trivial matter but spreading panic won’t help either. Keep calm and wash your hands!

[BoneCollector]

This is the list of Viral Research and Diagnostic Labs in India.

list_of_VRDLs_with_contacts_final_jan_2020.pdf

Another thing to note is that there is lots of coverage given to COVID19 compared to other such pandemics, and mainly can be attributed to the social media. I'm not saying that this image is gospel truth but can relate to it.



WHO and Lancet call this as Infodemic.

Infodemic_WHO_Lancet_PIIS014067362030461X.pdf

[ninjatalli]

So Bhutan too comes under the virus radar thanks to an American tourist. The 76 year old tourist flew in with his partner from Guwahati, India after spending nearly 10 days across India! He declared himself to be fit on arrival, but then the symptoms started appearing by the end of the day and soon he was taken for tests.

I'm hoping both the governments are co-ordinating on this; there were 10 other Indian nationals on the flight; not counting the places he had visited during his stay in India.

Source: Link

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by kiku007

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/jurgen...after-21628126

"People with no knowledge like me talking about it...people with knowledge should be the ones telling people what to do.

“I’m concerned like everyone else. I live on this planet and I want it to be safe and healthy, I wish everybody the best, absolutely. But my opinion on coronavirus is not important." It'll be good if people keep their opinions and beliefs to themselves. Keep calm and follow the directions from the local health department and from the official WHO website.

Personally I'm banning, unfriending, blocking anyone who spreads stupid rumours in the internet. Should I report such posts in TBHP as well?

Originally Posted by vb-san

True indeed! The best is to follow the instructions/directions by the local administrative bodies or medical experts rather than spreading inaccurate social media forwards or propagating beliefs. It is not a trivial matter but spreading panic won’t help either. Keep calm and wash your hands!

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

Another thing to note is that there is lots of coverage given to COVID19 compared to other such pandemics, and mainly can be attributed to the social media. I'm not saying that this image is gospel truth but can relate to it.

Thank you @kiku007, @BoneCollector and @vb-san for these most sensible posts on a world gone nuts thanks to social media and everyone and his pet dog becoming an expert and spreading panic when all you need to spread is common sense and caution.

[ajmat]

My daughter rushed over here from her Hyderabad campus to attend her grandfathers funeral. Normal practice when returning back via the airport is to procure enough Mcdonalds burgers from the airport counter to feed a million. This time, it was not the case, the Vice Chancellor sent a note out discouraging all outside food and requesting students to remain on campus, short of a lockdown. All outstation moots and competitions are cancelled.

Another friend of ours who heads a major fashion school in Delhi has turned paranoid as she is responsible for everyone and regulating and prevention is all she can think of at the moment.

[JithinR]

One concern I have is for the unorganized labour sector and how their sick leave policy (or lack of it) can help this thing spread.

For example, amongst resturants and caterers, I would imagine that employees who don't show up for work don't get paid. Since the symptoms for this damn thing are similar to common cold initially, wouldn't that create a point of concern.

I am not big at ordering from Zomato/Swiggy etc since I have always been concerned about their hygiene standards. But even i eat from my office canteen since I don't always cook on workdays. Now I am thinking I might have to meal prep during the weekends.

Is this concern valid or is it an overreaction?

[ninjatalli]

Interesting update on the virus - the first case of a canine getting the virus has happened in Hong Kong. This is the first recorded case worldwide

Few points
- WHO officials confirmed the dog is infected dog with the coronavirus but isn’t show any symptoms
- Health officials said there’s no evidence that animals can transmit the coronavirus but they will study the case to address further questions
- The dog reportedly belongs to a 60-year-old woman who developed symptoms on Feb. 12 and later tested positive for COVID-19
- Despite the diagnosis, officials re-affirm, there’s no evidence of human-to-dog or dog-to-human transmission
Link


Meanwhile on a different matter, human trials on vaccine are to begin next month in Britain; however the vaccine if successful won't be available till next year. This is just one of many labs working on potential solutions throughout the world
Link

Originally Posted by JithinR

One concern I have is for the unorganized labour sector and how their sick leave policy (or lack of it) can help this thing spread.
...
Is this concern valid or is it an overreaction?

A valid concern IMO.

But availability of the correct and required information and basic safety etiquette (like washing hands regularly) will go a long way in prevention than anything else. A side-impact of the panic is that importance is being given to this pandemic.

However the key concerns are

1. The mis-information that also spreads (like thinking drinking boiling water kills the virus)

2. Downplaying this virus as just one-more-incident that will eventually pass (that was the tone initially on this thread too!)

So as long as importance is given to this and we don't treat it like a regular/known attack of malaria or tuberculosis (or dissuade the risk stating unnecessary facts like road accidents kill far more in a year than this virus would do in a decade).

Currently the government and the larger public is (by sheer luck or chance) is giving it importance and eventually/hopefully this should work for all strata of people.

[dragracer567]

While our first priority should be to keep ourselves and our family safe, another inevitable point we have to think about is the effect of COVID-19 on the economy. Here in Dubai, multiple trade shows and exhibitions are being canceled while there is a talk that Expo 2020 (on which Dubai poured billions of dollars into) might be canceled as well. One of my friend's businesses has become one of the first victims as his seafood business was dependent on fresh seafood imports from Iran which has been stopped completely.

Also, Dr. Manmohan Singh wrote in a recent article that China might even experience negative growth for the first time since the cultural revolution. For now, the effect on the Indian economy is just around $348 million (a tiny fraction in a $3 trillion economy) since India isn't too dependent on trade but this is unchartered territory and lot of our raw materials are dependent on imports. For now EU, US, Japan and S. Korea (i.e China's largest trading partners) are projected to be the most affected with the EU losing $15.6 billion.

Offcourse, my intention is not to spread panic but just to give a heads up that while most of us are still safe from the virus (the situation might offcourse change), it's effect on the global economy is very real and could directly affect our lives.

[Oxy]

Yes this has a potential to trigger a massive recession.

[mvadg]

The government should make available cheap hand sanitizers, gloves and masks.

Ideally the sanitizers should be provided free at all public places. In reality the chemicals used for disinfection are dirt cheap. They don't need to be perfumed or colored.

And here is a source for authentic information:
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: Myth busters

[Su-47]

Originally Posted by vivek95

The well known Antiviral drugs used for HIV viz .Lopinavir and Ritonavir have been approved for the treatment for COVID-19 cases in India. This is not a latest development but atleast a month old. Please note, these drugs are not specific antivirals for nCoronavirus-19. This combo is being used in couple of countries to treat Coronavirus cases as some patients have shown good response and recovery.

Doc, I have some questions -- you must be busy, but if you can respond to these, it would be great:

1. Can this regimen be used only on hospitalized cases? I mean, do they require close monitoring of vital parameters or do you think these will be available to confirmed cases on an outpatient basis as well?

2. When my wife got chickenpox, she was given Acyclovir but the doctor mentioned that it has to be started within 48 Hrs of onset to be effective. Had heard similar things in context of Tamiflu and H1N1 as well - do most antiviral drugs require early administration to be effective?


3. Finally, is there a likelihood of antibody testing become available soon? I saw news that it was used in Singapore in contact tracking (https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020...rus-infections). Wouldn't it be a faster/cheaper option than the PCR tests which are available in only a few places?

Thank you!

Originally Posted by mvadg

In reality the chemicals used for disinfection are dirt cheap. They don't need to be perfumed or colored.

I'm sure most people would have seen this, but posting here just in case some haven't. WHO guideline to make your own sanitizer:
https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Guide_...Production.pdf

Originally Posted by JithinR

One concern I have is for the unorganized labour sector and how their sick leave policy (or lack of it) can help this thing spread.

Absolutely. Losing 2-weeks of pay for suspected flu is not going to be viable for a lot of people. If ever there was something that needed govt support - this is. Maybe put those Jan-Dhan accounts to good use in providing some support funds for the unorganized sector - there could be misuse, but I hope some solution can be found.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by kiku007

GOLD.


https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/jurgen...after-21628126


"People with no knowledge like me talking about it...people with knowledge should be the ones telling people what to do.

“Not football managers. I don’t understand politics, the coronavirus. Why me? I wear a baseball cap.

“I’m concerned like everyone else. I live on this planet and I want it to be safe and healthy, I wish everybody the best, absolutely. But my opinion on coronavirus is not important."

It'll be good if people keep their opinions and beliefs to themselves. Keep calm and follow the directions from the local health department and from the official WHO website.

Personally I'm banning, unfriending, blocking anyone who spreads stupid rumours in the internet. Should I report such posts in TBHP as well?

Hats (and baseball caps) off to that man! Love it

It reminds me of the time that I saw the Dali Lama taking questions. One of them concerned success in marriage. He shot back, "Why ask me: I'm a monk!"

I usually squirm when I see links to the British tabloid press (The Daily Mirror) but this one is first-class reporting. It is just sad that it is necessary.

[BoneCollector]

The current advisory by the government for people coming from abroad.