. | . |
Social distancing ditched as Cyclone Amphal batters India, Bangladesh By Dibyangshu Sarkar with Sam Jahan in Khulna, Bangladesh Midnapore, India (AFP) May 20, 2020 Social distancing was futile for one frightened group of people fleeing Cyclone Amphan, who herded cows and chickens to a packed Indian evacuation bunker on Wednesday despite fears of coronavirus infection. The shelter, west of Kolkata in Midnapore district, opened just before the strongest storm in decades collided into the nearby coast packing winds of up to 190 kilometres per hour (118 mph). Twenty people were cramped in one small room and only two were wearing facemasks, even though authorities had pledged to reduce crowding in shelters and make the wearing of protective gear compulsory. "I don't think I have a mask," said Kavita Lahiri, who brought her three children to the concrete building but had to leave her two cows tethered outside. Amphan is set to cut a devastating path through eastern India and neighbouring Bangladesh at a time when both countries are struggling to contain coronavirus outbreaks. At least 650,000 people fled to evacuation shelters in India's West Bengal and Odisha states and an estimated 2.4 million were relocated on other side of the border ahead of the cyclone's landfall. Authorities fear that migrant workers who recently returned from major cities could be carrying the virus to impoverished rural districts around the Bay of Bengal that now lie in the storm's path. "Cyclone Amphan is the perfect example of how interconnected our crises are -- with the poor having to cram into crowded cyclone shelters and put themselves at risk of catching the virus," said leading Bangladesh social activist Risalat Khan. The West Bengal government said it had sent masks and sanitiser to evacuation centres, but at most shelters there was little sign of protective equipment. - 'Only Allah can save us' - Across the border in Bangladesh's Khulna district, more than 200 anxious villagers packed the Momtaj Begum school. "We are worried because of the cyclone and the coronavirus," said 25-year-old Rumki Khatun as she cradled her infant son. "The room is already packed and maintaining social distancing is impossible here. Only Allah can save us." Bangladesh's junior disaster management minister Enamur Rahman told AFP that Bangladesh had tripled its number of evacuation shelters to nearly 15,000 to help social distancing. "People have been asked to wear masks. We have also made provision for soap and sanitiser," he added. But many others in the storm's path said they would not leave their homes out of fear of catching the virus. "We heard that the cyclone shelter near the police station is crammed with people," said Sulata Munda, a mother of four in nearby Shyamnagar district. Her family and neighbours had all stayed behind as well. "The village guard told us to leave. We fear the cyclone, but we also fear the coronavirus. Many of us did not go," she said. The virus has claimed more than 3,000 lives in India and nearly 400 others in Bangladesh, according to official figures. Experts say the low level of testing in both countries means the true toll is likely higher.
Federal Resources Supply Co. awarded $134M for nursing homes' PPE Washington DC (UPI) May 14, 2020 The federal government has given a $134 million contract to the Federal Resources Supply Co. to provide personal protective equipment kits for medical personnel at more than 15,000 nursing home locations. The contract was awarded by the Pentagon's Defense Logistics Agency, in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. According to the Pentagon, deliveries of the equipment - which includes 1.2 million goggles, 64.4 millio ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |