COVID- 19 SITUATION WORLDWIDE
The spread of the global pandemic, COVID- 19 has caused a situation of alarm in all parts of the world. The disease has infected more than 1.8 million people globally, with more than 114,000 deaths. The United States of America is the worst-hit country with more than 22,000 deaths.
COVID- 19 is being seen as a significant threat to the economy as well. Experts have suggested that the entire world is headed towards a severe economic recession. Production has stopped, people have lost their jobs, companies have shut down, etc. because of the lockdown that has been implemented to curb the spread of this disease.
Governments of different countries have announced their relief packages in the perspective of the situation. Aid is provided to the daily- wage workers and poor people, as their source of income has stalled due to the lockdown. Currently, this lockdown is necessary as the virus is contagious and is spreading at a rapid rate. If no quarantine is implemented, the majority of people are susceptible to catch the disease. The hospitals and doctors are not enough to contain and cure a large population of people, and if the situation goes out of hand, the death toll will become incomprehensible.
SITUATION IN INDIA
In India, the situation is somewhat in control. Presently, there are approximately 9000 cases reported in India. The government of India took the decision early and implemented a 21-day lockdown to eliminate the spread of disease in India. This decision has dramatically helped the nation in keeping control of the situation.
Few incidents from some irresponsible citizens have contributed to a rise in the number of cases in India. But other than that, the situation is in control. The 21-day lockdown in India was also extended for two more weeks, in the perspective of the current situation.
The government has also announced several measures to keep the people disciplined and make them stay inside their homes. A package was announced to look after the poor people and daily-wage workers and provide them food and shelter for lockdown. All the institutes, offices, public places, etc. have been shut down. Only the essential workers and the medical staff are exempted from the lockdown.
In this stride, the government also formed a relief authority named “PM Cares” to collect the donations from the people to help fight the pandemic. Another significant step taken by the government was the launching of the Aarogya Setu App.
HERE ARE SOME DETAILS ON THE AAROGYA SETU APP
On the formation anniversary of one of the biggest and leading political parties in India, BJP, PM Narendra Modi urged the people of the country to download the “AAROGYA SETU APP.” This application helps people to get all the essential details about the COVID-19 situation. This app has been developed for the aid of the ordinary citizens of the country. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, and through this, a person can track the presence of the nearby infected people. The app also provides self-check-up assistance.
The application has been launched in about 11 languages that cater to a large number of people around the country. Aarogya Setu App can be downloaded on both android and iOS platforms.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The app alerts the user if he/she comes in contact with an infected person. The application utilizes the Bluetooth connectivity or mobile number of the user for the tracking process.
HOW TO DOWNLOAD AND USE THE APP?
Aarogya Setu App is available for download on Google Play Store for Android users and Apple Store for the iOS users. Make sure that you download the authentic application, published by the NIC.
To use this app, you can follow the below-mentioned steps:-
- First, you will have to register your phone number on the application.
- After entering and submitting your phone number, you will receive an OTP. Enter the OTP, and you will be registered on the app.
- You will be asked for a few app permissions. Your GPS location access permission is a crucial one among these.
- After this, you will be asked to enter your personal details like name, age, gender, profession, and your last 30 days travel history.
- You can choose your preferred language.
- You will be asked a few questions to make sure that you have not been infected or come in contact with the infected individual. Also, you will be alerted if a suspected case is present near you.
- The app also contains all the essential helpline numbers. The self- assessment process is also available in this application.
