The Evening Wrap Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying home and staying safe. Here are the big stories that you need to follow today: No stopping HCQ India announced that it has rescinded its earlier ban on the export of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), which is now being used in countries such as the U.S. as a possible line of treatment for COVID-19. There has been a fair bit of intrigue around the issue following two of U.S. President Donald Trump’s daily press conferences. In the first one, he said he had asked Prime Minister Modi to supply the U.S. with an order hydroxychloroquine, and the next day, he appeared to hint at retaliatory action if India withheld supplies. India is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of HCQ and countries such as the U.S. and Brazil had already placed advance orders for the drug before India banned its export. “In view of the humanitarian aspects of the pandemic, it has been decided that India would licence paracetamol and HCQ in appropriate quantities to all our neighbouring countries who are dependent on our capabilities. We will also be supplying these essential drugs to some nations that have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. In a notification on March 25, the government had placed HCQ on a restricted items list, and then put a blanket ban on any export of the drug on April 4 after it was prescribed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as a prophylactic or preventive for healthcare workers and other high risk patients . At today’s health ministry briefing, an official evaded the question of what had led India to lift the ban on HCQ exports. But he added that the pharma ministry is monitoring the production of the drug to ensure that India has sufficient quantities for its needs. A related development: A little over a month after it imposed restrictions on export of 13 specified Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and formulations made from them, the Centre has permitted the export of 12 of the APIs and their formulations with immediate effect. COVID watch - Numbers and Developments The number of coronavirus cases in India has crossed 5,000 with more than 150 deaths. Globally, about 1.35 million people have tested positive for COVID-19, with the death toll now standing at over 75,000. The case count in Maharashtra surged past 1,000 after as many as 150 persons tested positive today. The Delhi government today decided to scale up testing for COVID-19 to at least 1,000 people a day to identify positive cases at the earliest. This would be similar to the rapid testing model implemented by countries such as South Korea. “We are aiming to test at least 1,000 people every day,” Kejriwal said, adding that since April 1, the Delhi government has been testing 500 people daily. An order has been placed for 1 lakh testing kits, which will be available from Friday, and the number of tests per day will be increased further, the Chief Minister said. The health ministry said today that dedicated COVID-19 facilities have been classified into three types: quarantine centres for mild cases with a hospital in the vicinity, dedicated health centres for clinically moderate cases, and dedicated COVID-19 hospitals with comprehensive care for severe and critical cases. The Press Trust of India adds that, as per a study by the ICMR, one COVID-19 patient can infect 406 people in 30 days if he/she doesn’t abide by the lockdown and follow social distancing guidelines. Word of warning Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu said the final week of the ongoing lockdown is “critical” for evolving an exit strategy, as data about the spread of coronavirus will have a bearing on the government’s next move. He appealed to the people to abide by whatever decision is ultimately taken by the government and to cooperate “even if it meant continuing with some degree of hardship still beyond April 14”. “As today marks the completion of two weeks of a nationwide lockdown, in force since March 25, I thought it appropriate to reach out to the people and the leadership of the country with my views and concerns amidst current efforts to tide over the crisis caused by the outbreak of coronavirus,” Naidu said in a statement. Last Chance U.S. citizens needed to make a final decision on whether to stay in place or return to America now as there was no guarantee that evacuation flights would continue indefinitely, Alice Wells, the top U.S. diplomat for South and Central Asia, said at a telephone briefing in Washington D.C. on Monday. “… I want to remind everyone today that if you are an American overseas and you’re still on the fence about whether to come home or not, it’s time to get off that fence. Come home now or be ready to remain where you are,” Wells said. In brief: Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti was on Tuesday shifted from a Srinagar sub-jail to her official residence, but continues to be in detention. Her home has now been declared a sub-jail to put her under house detention. Indian share markets recorded their biggest-ever single-day gains in absolute terms today. The BSE Sensex ended 2,476.26 points (9%) higher at 30,067.21, while the Nifty 50 also rose nearly 9% to end at 8,792.20. Bloomberg is reporting, however, that India’s unemployment rate has shot up to over 23% amid the 21-day lockdown. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was stable overnight in intensive care after his COVID-19 symptoms worsened. He remains in good spirits, his spokesman said today. The spokesman told reporters that the Prime Minister, who was admitted to hospital on Sunday, was receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. | 
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