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Coronavirus: paramilitaries deployed in India

2020-05-08T20:51:03.847Z



Indian security forces clashed Friday against an angry crowd over the containment in the city of Ahmedabad (west), against the background of the increasingly rapid spread of the new coronavirus in India, authorities announced. Seven hundred paramilitaries patrolled this agglomeration of 5.5 million inhabitants as well as those of Surat and Vadodara, all located in the state of Gujarat, to ensure that the population remained at home and that businesses remained closed.

This state, from which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails, is currently one of the main centers of the pandemic. Some 10% of the officially registered cases of contamination in India and 20% of the deaths caused by this disease were recorded in Ahmedabad. Consequently, the containment measures which entered into force on March 25 in this country of 1.3 billion inhabitants have been strengthened in several of Gujarat's major cities while they have started to be relaxed in many other Indian regions.

Read also: India faces 1.3 billion people in the face of the coronavirus

The clashes erupted late Friday evening in Ahmedabad when hundreds of people decided to take to the streets. "The crowd" threw stones at the police, who responded with tear gas and with a stick, said the police. At least fifteen of the protesters have been arrested, she added. "As many vegetable vendors and shop owners have tested positive in recent days, all stores, except those selling milk and pharmacies, have been ordered to close for at least a week," said Mukesh Kumar, a city official from Ahmedabad.

Experts are concerned about the acceleration of the pandemic in India, brought to a halt by nationally imposed confinement, with dramatic human and economic consequences. As of Friday, the country had a total of 56,342 confirmed cases, of which 1,886 were fatal. These figures are considered undervalued due to the weakness of screening. If the health situation remains better there than in the western countries most affected, India however sees today the number of cases of contamination to double in 10 days, against 12 days a week ago. According to health specialists, it could not know its epidemic peak until June-July.

Read also: LIVE - Coronavirus in France: 243 deaths in 24 hours, continuous decline in cases in intensive care

"India has surprised the world by handling the Covid-19 crisis much more maturely than some of the most developed countries , " said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in an email interview with AFP. "In view of all the constraints, India acted quickly, with ambition, determination and a spirit of decision," he said, citing in particular national confinement - until May 17 - and the ban on international flights, ordered very early. This device has given respite to the Indian authorities to equip themselves to deal with the virus: "I think India is moving at full speed to make sure to face any eventuality," said Harsh Vardhan.

Illustration, more than 5,150 railcars of the railway company were installed in 215 stations to serve as places of isolation for patients of Covid-19. The first patients could board next week.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-05-08

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