Tag: coronavirus

  • Spit, sweat and shaking on it: How coronavirus can change three sports habits

    Spit, sweat and shaking on it: How coronavirus can change three sports habits

    As the coronavirus brings the international sports calendar to a grinding halt, AFP Sport highlighted three long-standing habits which could change forever once competition resumes.

    Saliva to take shine off swing bowling

    It’s been a tried and trusted friend to fast bowlers throughout the history of cricket but the days of applying saliva to one side of the ball to encourage swing could be over in the aftermath of COVID-19.

    “As a bowler I think it would be pretty tough going if we couldn’t shine the ball in a Test match,” said Australia quick Pat Cummins.

    “If it’s at that stage and we’re that worried about the spread, I’m not sure we’d be playing sport.”

    Towels in tennis – no touching

    Tennis players throwing towels, dripping with sweat and blood and probably a tear or two, at ball boys and girls, has often left fans sympathising for the youngsters. Moves by officials to tackle the issue took on greater urgency in March when the coronavirus was taking a global grip.

    Behind closed doors in Miki, ball boys and girls on duty at the Davis Cup tie between Japan and Ecuador wore gloves.

    Baskets, meanwhile, were made available for players to deposit their towels.

    Back in 2018, the ATP introduced towel racks at some events on a trial basis, but not everyone was overjoyed.

    “I think having the towel whenever you need it, it’s very helpful. It’s one thing less that you have to think about,” said Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas when he was playing at the NextGen Finals in Milan.

    “I think it’s the job of the ball kids to provide towels and balls for the players.”

    Let’s not shake on it

    Pre-match handshakes were abandoned in top football leagues just before the sports shutdown. Premier League leaders Liverpool also banned the used of mascots while Southampton warned against players signing autographs and stopped them posing for selfies.

    Away from football, the NBA urged players to opt for the fist bump rather than the long-standing high-five.

    “I ain’t high-fiving nobody for the rest of my life after this,” NBA superstar LeBron James said in an interview, adding “No more high-fiving. After this corona shit? Wait ’til you see me and my teammates’ handshakes after this shit.”

    Basketball stars were also told not to take items such as balls or teams shirts to autograph.

    US women’s football star Megan Rapinoe says edicts to ban handshakes or even high-fives may be counter-productive anyway.

    “We’re going to be sweating all over each other all game, so it sort of defeats the purpose of not doing a handshake,” she told the New York Times in March.

  • Maya Ali is taking a break from social media

    Maya Ali is taking a break from social media

    The coronavirus lockdown is affecting us all in different ways. While some of us are increasing our social media activity in a bid to remain connected, others are using this time to disconnect from the world and isolate themselves in the truest sense.

    Read more – Maya Ali opens up about being tested for COVID-19

    Maya Ali, who has always maintained an active social media profile, has shared with her fans that she is taking a break from social media “to detox, to find inner peace and reset my whole system.”

    “Sometimes we need time to think and count our blessings,” she wrote.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-o1XMonUhe/

    Maya added that her team will keep her fans updated about the ration bags that she and her friend Faiza Saqlain are distributing among the needy people in the society. In an interview, Maya had revealed that she had raised almost four million rupees in donations for these ration bags.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KGnBYHihv/

    Maya’s last appearance was in the film Parey Hut Love alongside Sheheryar Munawar. The actor has hinted that she will be seen in another film very soon.

  • Meera Jee shares the ‘one lesson corona has taught’ her

    Meera Jee shares the ‘one lesson corona has taught’ her

    Life under lockdown has forced us all to take a step back from hustling bustling lives and reflect upon the little things that often go unnoticed. Meera Jee, who is currently self-isolating in New York, recently shared a video of herself jumping on a trampoline with a little girl Aliya and the one lesson the coronavirus induced lockdown has taught her.

    Sharing the video, Meera wrote, “Who says we can’t learn from our children? One lesson corona has taught me…children are the leaders of the future. We have so much to learn from them. Enjoyed getting beat by six-year-old Aliya.”

    Meera also shared that she currently spending quality time at home with her family. She added that she is also “cleaning, trimming, organising and living it up.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-m38UQj9tm/

    Meanwhile, Meera has been actively encouraging people to practise social distancing and wash their hands.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ONNsfDLIX/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-AZn-0n6oW/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-d28kHJW0X/
  • Young doctors boycott treatment of coronavirus patients to protest police brutality

    Young doctors boycott treatment of coronavirus patients to protest police brutality

    Young doctors in Quetta have announced boycotting all services, including the treatment of coronavirus patients, after their colleagues were assaulted and arrested by police for protesting against the lack of medical equipment being provided to them.

    Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) President Dr Yasir Khan announced the boycott after police resorted to baton charging and arresting several doctors for staging a sit-in in the red zone near the Balochistan chief minister’s official residence.

    The young doctors were protesting against the lack of safety kits for doctors and paramedical staff treating COVID-19 patients at Quetta’s Sheikh Zayed Hospital.

    The action from police reportedly came following the failure of negotiations between the protesters and the government to end the sit-in.

    Addressing a press conference after the police action, YDA office bearers announced a province-wide suspension of duties and demanded that the government released the arrested doctors immediately.

    They had on Sunday announced to continue protesting against the lack of safety kits for medical staffers after at least 11 doctors had tested positive for the deadly pandemic in Balochistan.

    At least 44 doctors on Saturday were suspended for allegedly refusing to perform duties at Pakistan-Iran border town of Taftan amid a health emergency in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

  • Buzdar govt tells schools to slash fees by 20pc, pay staff on time, not fire anyone

    Buzdar govt tells schools to slash fees by 20pc, pay staff on time, not fire anyone

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar has announced his administration’s decision to slash school fees across the province by 20% during the ongoing holidays to safeguard the masses from the global coronavirus pandemic that also continues to take a toll on Pakistan, especially Punjab.

    “All schools have also been instructed to collect fees on a monthly basis,” he tweeted adding that the schools had also been directed to pay the salary of all its staff and teachers on time, and barred from firing anyone.

    The provincial chief executive has reportedly made the announcement as part of government measures to shield the public from the economic impact of the lockdown enforced to contain the spread of COVID-19.

    Earlier in the day, it was reported that the Punjab government was extending the existing restrictions in the province till April 14.

    “Public is requested to follow the guidelines issued by the government and ensure that they don’t leave home unless necessary,” a government spokesperson said.

    https://twitter.com/MusarratCheema/status/1247038746937171968

    According to a notification, the lockdown is being extended due to a rise in the number of cases in the province, which is alarming and highly dangerous for the health of the people.

    “It is mandatory to take all pragmatic and possible measures to contain and counter the further spread of coronavirus on war footings,” the notification said.

    It further said that there were sufficient grounds to proceed under section 144 of “The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898”, as an immediate preventive and speedy remedy to ensure public safety, conserve lives and maintain peace and tranquillity in the province.

    Punjab has reported the highest number of confirmed cases in the country, 1,493 and 15 deaths.

    On March 23, CM Buzdar had announced a 14-day partial lockdown in the province to curb the spread of the virus.

    Following the announcement, parks and public places were ordered to remain close and pillion riding in the province was banned.

  • Italy gave China protective equipment to help with coronavirus, then China made them buy it back: report

    Italy gave China protective equipment to help with coronavirus, then China made them buy it back: report

    At the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, Italy had donated personal protection equipment (PPE) to Beijing and now when Rome is in dire need of the same, China is making them buy it back, a report in The Spectator has claimed.

    According to reports, after the new coronavirus made its way to Italy, decimating the country’s significant elderly population, China told the world it would donate PPE to help Italy stop its spread.

    Reports later indicated that China had actually sold, not donated, the PPE to Italy. A senior Trump administration official told The Spectator that it was much worse than that as “Beijing forced Italy to buy back the supply that it gave to China during the initial outbreak”.

    “Before the virus hit Europe, Italy sent tons of PPE to China to help China protect its own population,” the administration official explained.

    “China then has sent Italian PPE back to Italy — some of it, not even all of it… and charged them for it,” he added.

    Unfortunately, China’s diplomacy in the wake of the pandemic outbreak has been slippery.

    Much of the supplies and testing kits that China sold to other countries have turned out to be defective.

    Spain had to return 50,000 quick-testing kits to China after discovering that they were faulty.

    In some cases, instead of apologising or fixing the issue, China has blamed others for the defective equipment. It reportedly told the Netherlands to “double-check the instructions” on its masks, after the country had complained that half of the masks did not meet safety standards.

    “China has a special responsibility to help because they are the ones who began the spread of the coronavirus and did not give the information required to the rest of the world to plan accordingly,” the official said, adding that China’s “disinformation campaign” of lying to the world about the seriousness of its COVID-19 outbreak further delayed the response by other countries.

  • VIDEO: Pakistan opens up first coronavirus drive-thru screening, testing facility

    VIDEO: Pakistan opens up first coronavirus drive-thru screening, testing facility

    The Sindh government has opened up Pakistan’s first drive-through coronavirus screening and testing facility in Karachi, as part of its attempts to stem the spread of the pandemic in the province, where the toll is rising, AFP reported.

    Established in the Jahangir Kothari Parade area of Clifton, the testing centre will enable suspected patients to get themselves tested without having to wait in long hospital queues.

    The doctors, paramedical staff and other personnel deployed at the facility have been provided with all the necessary protective equipment and gear to safeguard against the virus, a press release said.

    According to the Sindh government, people who visit the testing station will be registered and given a number, but for the test to be conducted, they should possess a travel history or certain symptoms of the virus.

  • Tiger at New York’s Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus

    A tiger at New York’s Bronx Zoo has tested positive for COVID-19.

    According to the zoo management, it is believed that the four-year-old Malayan tiger Nadia may have contracted the virus from a caretaker who was asymptomatic at the time.

    Nadia along with her sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions all developed dry coughs but are expected to fully recover, the Wildlife Conservation Society that runs the city’s zoos said in a statement.

    “We tested the cat out of an abundance of caution and will ensure any knowledge we gain about COVID-19 will contribute to the world’s continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus,” the statement read, adding “Though they have experienced some decrease in appetite, the cats at the Bronx Zoo are otherwise doing well under veterinary care and are bright, alert, and interactive with their keepers.”

    “It is not known how this disease will develop in big cats since different species can react differently to novel infections, but we will continue to monitor them closely and anticipate full recoveries.”

    All four of the zoos and the aquarium in New York — whose virus death toll has topped 4,000 — have been closed since March 16.

    The zoo emphasized that there is “no evidence that animals play a role in the transmission of COVID-19 to people other than the initial event in the Wuhan market, and no evidence that any person has been infected with COVID-19 in the US by animals, including by pet dogs or cats.”

    Chinese disease control officials had identified wild animals sold in a Wuhan market as the source of the coronavirus pandemic that has infected well over one million people worldwide.

    According to the US Department of Agriculture website, there had “not been reports of pets or other animals” in the United States falling ill with coronavirus prior to news of the tiger Nadia.

    “It is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus,” the department’s website says.

    In late March a pet cat was discovered infected with the novel coronavirus in Belgium, following similar cases in Hong Kong where two dogs tested positive for COVID-19.

    All of those animals are believed to have contracted the virus from the people they live with.

    The Bronx zoo said preventative measures were in place for caretakers as well as all cats in the city’s zoos.

  • Deepika Padukone’s quarantine playlist features a Pakistani song

    Deepika Padukone’s quarantine playlist features a Pakistani song

    As we all self-isolate, everyone is taking to social media to share their favourites including recipes, seasons, movies and songs. Deepika Padukone also shared a list of songs which are currently on her quarantine playlist and we were surprised to see a Pakistani song on it.

    Turns out Abida Parveen and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s Chaap Tilaak is on her list. Have to say Deepika has got a great taste in music.

    Chaap Tilak featured in Season 7 of Coke Studio. It was produced by Strings.

    Other songs on her playlist included Arjit Singh’s Tujhe Kitna Chahanay Laga Hoon (Kabir Singh), Kabira (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani), Laal Ishq (Ram Leela), Channa Mereya (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil) and Agar Tum Saath Ho (Tamasha) among others.

  • Time for kindness

    Time for kindness

    With at least 1.2 million confirmed cases and 64,000 deaths across the globe, the new coronavirus aka COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to take a toll on the world. The economic impact is so huge that it is being compared to the Great Depression.

    Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva says this is an economic crisis like no other. “Never in the history of the IMF have we witnessed the global economy coming to a standstill. It is way worse than the global financial crisis.”

    Countries are fast realising that the impact of this virus is so huge — and unpredictable at the same time — that whatever they do may not be enough.

    First, it was about creating and spreading awareness as not many were taking it seriously. Then came the lockdowns, partial or complete, in many countries. Now there are some other stark realities that people are facing; financial woes being one of them. Social-distancing is a privilege. Not everyone can afford it. Lockdowns have helped contain the spread to a certain extent but the economic impact on daily wagers, the lower middle class and many others will be quite harsh. Thus, governments and private citizens must step in to help. 

    A Facebook post doing the rounds about a university van driver in Pakistan is heartbreaking. According to the post, the driver has been calling up students asking for his monthly charges but not many are responding to his calls/texts. We need to understand that in these tough times, we must help those who are less privileged than us. Those who have given leave to their domestic staff must pay their salaries — and if possible, an advance salary as well. Help those around you who you think need it. Buy rations or donate to charities and organisations like the Edhi Foundation that are doing credible work and helping people in these troubling times. 

    Another tragic aspect is that those who fall victim to corona have to deal with the illness alone — away from family and friends — in order to keep others safe from the virus. Burying those who die of coronavirus has also become an ordeal. Family members and friends can only say goodbye from a distance. Funerals in the time of coronavirus are quite different. Coronavirus has changed the world so drastically that people cannot even grieve together anymore. These are the new realities until a cure is found. 

    We will keep learning new things with each passing day. We will see the world change. People will be hungry, frustrated, desperate, scared, depressed, angry and much more. But we must be kind and understanding for this is what humanitarianism is all about. Be human! Be safe.

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