The Indian Weekender, Friday 17 April 2020
Indian community newspaper published weekly from Auckland, New Zealand. Available online at www.iwk.co.nz
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17APR2020 | Vol 12 Issue 05
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2 NEW ZELAND
COVID-19 Special Coverage
Friday, April 17, 2020 The Indian Weekender
PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN
announces Alert Level 3 restrictions
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on
Thursday, April 16 announced the
restrictions that will apply in New
Zealand during Alert Level 3 that starts
on Thursday, April 23, next week. The
announcement was made at the media
conference after Director-General of Health
Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced the daily
update on the number of Covid-19 cases in
New Zealand.
As of Thursday, April 16, New Zealand
had a total of 1401 Covid-19 infection, with
15 new cases including six confirmed and
nine probable. Dr Bloomfield announced that
42 new recoveries have taken making total
recovery from Covid-19 in the country to 770.
There were no further deaths reported, and the
death toll from Covid-19 remained to nine as of
Thursday, April 16.
He further added that there are 12 people in
the hospital, three are in ICU. Two are in critical
condition. Four per cent of cases are still under
investigation. 60,160 tests have been carried
out in totalas of Thursday April 16..
Dr Bloomfield also said a post-mortem was
being carried out on the body of a Southland
man whose death at his home had been linked
to Covid-19, and more information would be
provided once the Health Ministry had the
findings from that. Soon after the daily update,
Prime Minister announced the restrictions
to apply during the Alert Level 3 due to start
next week that is the recovery period for New
Zealand affected with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Alert Level 3 will see many significant
restrictions on New Zealanders’ movements
retained, but will permit aspects of the
economy to reopen in a safe way that will allow
the economic recovery to begin, Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern said.
“There are promising signs our go hard and
go early elimination strategy is working, and the
lockdown is breaking the chain of community
transmission. Any move to Level 3 cannot put
those gains at risk.
“By design, Level 3 is a progression, not a
rush to normality. It carries forward many of
the restrictions in place at Level 4, including
the requirement to mainly be at home in your
bubble and to limit contact with others.
PM Ardern described Alert Level
3 as a 'waiting room' or 'recovery
room'
“Protecting the health of New Zealanders is
our primary focus, but we also need to position
the economy for recovery. Importantly the test
for a business opening at Level 3 moves to it
being safe, rather than being essential,” Jacinda
Ardern said.
Cabinet ministers will decide on Monday
whether to ease the tight restrictions when the
initial four-week lockdown period ends on
Wednesday night.
Changes at Level 3 include:
Minor extensions to bubbles.
Sticking to existing bubbles is
recommended, but some expansion is allowed
if, for example, you have a caregiver that
you need, children in shared care, a de facto
partner who is caring for others, or you’re a
single person who wants the company of a
sibling for example. Keep it exclusive and
keep it small.
Some people can return to work and
business reopens if safe
People must work from home if they can.
Where that is not possible businesses may
reopen but must comply with health and safety
requirements around physical distancing
and contactless engagement with customers.
Businesses only accessed by the staff, and
without a customer-facing function, such as
building and construction or forestry can open
under strict health and safety and physical
distancing rules.
Businesses that are accessed by the public
or customers such as retail, hardware stores,
bars, cafés, malls, and restaurants can open
but only for online or phone purchases and
contactless delivery or click and collect.
Partial reopening of education
Early childhood centres and schools will be
available up to Year 10 only, but attendance is
purely voluntary. For children who are able,
distance learning is still the best option. Tertiary
education will mostly be through distance
learning.
Travel restrictions remain but move
from local to regional
This recognises that more people will travel
to work, or to take children to school. But to
avoid taking potential COVID-19 cases to
other parts of the country, restricting movement
to what is necessary remains the goal.
Funerals and weddings
Funerals and weddings will be able to go
ahead but limited to 10 people. But they can
only be services. No meals, food or receptions
can take place.
“We have engaged with sector groups on the
details announced so far. Further details will
continue to be made available over the coming
days,” Jacinda Ardern said.
“The main message remains to stay home to
save lives. It remains the most effective way to
break the chain of transmission.
"At Level 3 there are slightly more
opportunities for you to come into contact with
people outside your bubble. As a general rule
of thumb, the goal of keeping two metres away
from each other still applies.
“To eliminate COVID-19 will continue
to take a team-of-five-million effort. Under
lockdown, we have shown our ability to put in
place a virtual wall that has broken the chain
of transmission. Our new line of defence when
we reach Level 3 is common sense, following
the rules and trust in one another,” Jacinda
Ardern said.
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The Indian Weekender Friday, April 17, 2020 COVID-19 Special Coverage
NEW ZELAND 3
Consulate distributes food
boxes to Indian nationals
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD
The Consulate of India on Wednesday,
April 15, distributed pre-packed boxes
of food and grocery items to more than
500 people - mostly on temporary visas and
struggling financially - during the Alert Level
4 lockdown.
Announced by the High Commission of
India, in Wellington, this initiative was taken
up to help largely Indian nationals who were
on different temporary visas - either students
or workers or stranded tourists – and struggling
financially during the four-week lockdown.
The High Commission of India announced
this initiative via a Facebook post earlier last
week asking Indian temporary visa holders
experiencing financial distress to register
themselves with the office of the Consulate
of India, which further invited them to collect
food in their given time-window.
Hon Consul of India Bhav Dhillon himself
was present on occasion to ensure that strict
adherence was maintained according to the
government’s social distancing rules, and
contactless delivery, at the time of the food
distribution.
“Our staff has contacted those who have preregistered
and pre-qualified and given separate
time to come and pick up food boxes while
adhering strict social distancing rules,” Mr
Dhillon said.
Over 400 people registered for the food relief
package and turned up in different batches as
they were directed over confirmation email
with time to report at the consulate office to
pick up the boxes. The individuals registered
were pre-qualified to ensure that only those
who were unsupported from anywhere else,
such as the government’s schemes were able
to receive help. Several volunteers, mostly
essential service workers, had been working
behind the scene while maintaining strict social
distancing so that maximum help could be
provided to those in desperate situations.
The food boxes included perishable
vegetables, potato, onion, rice, flour, sugar,
salt tea, biscuits, noodles, spices, snack items,
a loaf of bread, milk, pulses, cans of bean,
nuts, banana, apple, pear, cucumber Maggi,
Avocado, Lettuce, Capsicum, Eggplant and a
juice box.
Each box weighed approximately 15 kgs.
“We arranged for most essential and basic
food items that will allow an individual or a
small family to survive for at least a week to
ten days so that they can survive in this hour
of their distress,” Hon Consul of India, Mr
Dhillon said.
“The purpose of this initiative taken by the
High Commission of India is to make sure our
"We
arranged for
most essential and
basic food items that will
allow an individual or a
small family to survive for
at least a week to ten days
so that they can survive
Indian nationals, be it tourists
on visitor visas, students and
temporary visa holders living
here in Auckland who are out
of a job during this nationwide
lockdown, and have no means
to buy their groceries can drive
through this hard times until things
get back to normal,” Mr Dhillon said.
The people who came in batches from 10
a.m. were instructed via email to maintain
social distancing protocol, show their passport
for identification and collect the food bags
from the volunteers stationed at the Consulate
Office.
Earlier in the day, two cops from New
Zealand Police were also present on the site
to ensure all necessary rules and regulations
are being adhered to under COVID19 Alert 4
guidelines issued by Govt.
Later in the day, another distribution point
was also set up on Queen Street in Central
Auckland CBD for all those who were unable
to travel to the Consulate for any reason.
Tomorrow again nearly 100 people are
scheduled to visit for similar food boxes.
in this hour of their
distress"
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4 INDIA COVID-19 Special Coverage
Friday, April 17, 2020 The Indian Weekender
Govt’s decision on charter flights
for Kiwis stranded in India brings
hope for Indians stranded in NZ
SANDEEP SINGH
Government’s decision on
planning charter flights for
Kiwis stranded in India
has brought hope in altogether
unexpected quarters - the Indians
stranded in New Zealand.
The Indian Weekender has spoken
to many such Indians stranded in
NZ who are hoping that charter
flights potentially going to Mumbai
or New Delhi could also ferry them
back home - an overly ambitious
expectation - however not completely
unreasonable though.
To be clear, evacuating stranded
Indian citizens from NZ back to
India is by no means a responsibility,
or a priority, of the Kiwi government,
which is rightly focussed on working
on solutions that can get their own
citizens back home.
The responsibility of evacuating
stranded Indian citizens from NZ lies
explicitly with their government back
in New Delhi, and it’s clear that jaded
travellers are mixing two different
political issues and oversimplifying
things in their imaginations.
To be also clear, there is no
comparison between the complexity
and the scale of challenges facing
India and New Zealand in evacuating
their respective stranded citizens
from different parts of the world
amidst Covid-19 related global
lockdown.
However, that harsh political
reality is not stopping stranded
travellers from being hopeful of an
early return back home.
Evacuation of Kiwis stranded
in India and Indians in NZ are two
different issues
The two governments - NZ &
India - have expectedly different
perspectives and different logistical
challenges to worry about, before
committing to a clearly complex plan
of evacuation of its citizens.
NZ government’s endeavours to
get Kiwis stranded in India back
home was largely operational, with
logistical challenges, which includes
GOVERNMENT TO REPATRIATE NEW ZEALANDERS STRANDED IN INDIA
IWK BUREAU
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston
Peters has announced Monday April
13, that the Government will be
bringing New Zealanders home from India .
“New Zealanders in India have faced
challenging circumstances and the very difficult
task of getting home from a country under full
lockdown,” said Mr Peters.
“The Government is in discussion with
airlines and international partners to help those
New Zealanders stranded in India return home.
"This is a seriously complex endeavour due
to the current lockdown and a large number of
New Zealanders in various locations around
India. However, we are making very good
progress,” said Mr Peters.
“We are asking all New Zealanders in India
to seriously consider taking our governmentassisted
flights home. There are no guarantees
when international commercial flights will
negotiating through different closed
international air-routes, permission
for refuelling facilities, bearing
and distributing the costs of charter
flights, on top of getting permission
from New Delhi for the entry of
aircraft in the Indian ports.
On the other hand, the Indian
government is constrained by a
policy challenge - of enunciating an
evacuation plan for all Indian citizens
stranded in different countries around
the world, which could easily be in
hundreds of thousands posing an
unprecedented logistical challenge
not only in arranging for flights but
more importantly for organising
post-arrival quarantine facilities, and
any lapse there could easily defeat
the entire purpose of the nation-wide
lockdown.
Any one-off concession to allow
stranded Indians from NZ would have
to fit-in their wider policy response to
the crisis affecting Indians stranded
in other countries around the world.
Indeed these are not easy decisions
to make, even without the normal
diplomatic complexities involved.
Why can't Indian govt make
a one-off concession for
travellers from NZ?
Despite the seemingly
return to India and New Zealanders shouldn’t
be relying on that happening in the short-term.”
insurmountable logistical challenges,
there is a clear case for the Indian
government to consider a one-off
concession for its citizens stranded
in NZ.
As of today, NZ, by all means,
is one of the safest places on the
earth to not only have flattened the
curve of the spread of coronavirus
infection, but the rate of infections is
fast dwindling and rate of recovery is
slowly increasing.
Indeed, NZ’s daily statistics of
coronavirus infections is one of the
most soothing, and without any sense
of exaggeration, much assuaging, for
the rest of the world.
So any evacuation of Indian
citizens who were stranded in
New Zealand will give the Indian
authorities much-needed assurance
and the confidence in handling their
on-arrival health check-up and even
self-isolation if needed. This is apart
from the immense goodwill that
the Indian government will earn for
bringing its people back home,
who are not only jaded by
the long, uncertain wait in
a foreign country but also
experiencing pain and anxiety
of being separated from their
near and dear ones who are
India announced a ban on
international flights on 22 March,
negotiating through the lockdown
alone by themselves.
In many cases that the Indian
Weekender has been made aware
about the personal situation of the
stranded Indian travellers in NZ, the
concern for the safety of either minor
children or adult family members
back home during the lockdown is a
paramount concern behind their calls
for early evacuation home.
and the country has been in lockdown since 25
March, leaving New Zealanders with no flight
options. Stranded New Zealanders will need
to contribute to the cost of any governmentfacilitated
flights from India, and the cost will
be comparable to recent government-assisted
departures from other locations, such as Peru.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has seen the
largest consular response ever undertaken by
New Zealand, and finding solutions that will
work is the focus of significant ongoing efforts
and government support.
"There
are no
guarantees when
international commercial
flights will return to India
and New Zealanders shouldn’t
be relying on that happening
in the short-term"
What’s in it for the NZ
government?
Clearly, there is no additional
responsibility of the NZ govt
towards Indian travellers stranded
here, except what it has already been
kindly extended, in the form of an
assurance of unconditional medical
care in the unfortunate event of being
infected from coronavirus.
However,
if some kind of
quidpro
travel arrangement be
materialised, courtesy to some
diplomatic ingenuity from both New
Delhi and Wellington, the burden of
some of the operational challenges
could be reduced and mutuallyshared,
plus the biggest incentive of
reducing the per-passenger costs of
the otherwise expensive travel for
stranded Kiwis.
The government has suggested
that the charter flights to India will
operate on the model of similar-such
operation to Peru where stranded
Kiwi-travellers will be expected to
bear some or the entire costs.
Expectedly, this news has been
received by many stranded Kiwis in
India with subdued-caution rather
than unbridled-enthusiasm, for the
simple reason that for many working
families the cumulative costs will be
prohibitive.
It was reported in several media
stories that returning Kiwis from
Peru had to bear a whopping cost of
$5,300 per ticket to get on the plane
to home.
A quid-pro travel arrangement
could easily bring down the
prohibitive costs on many stranded
Kiwis in India.
Is some creative diplomacy in
order here?
Against this backdrop, it is for
the diplomats of the two countries
to do some groundwork and present
a workable plan to their respective
governments which can not help get
their respective citizens home but
also generate a never-seen-before
bonhomie for each other countries in
their respective capitals.
It is truly an ambitious project
never ever anticipated before in
the bilateral relations of the two
countries.
But so is the world of complete
lockdown that we all have
suddenly found ourselves
living in recent times.
Unprecedented challenges
often
precipitate
unprecedented solutions.
“We know that New Zealanders
in a range of locations are facing
challenging conditions.
"We continue to monitor
the global situation and
its impacts on New
Zealanders abroad,
wherever they may be,”
Mr Peters said.
The Indian Weekender Friday, April 17, 2020 COVID-19 Special Coverage
INDIA 5
COVID-19: Why temporary
migrant workers stranded overseas
are being discriminated against?
SANDEEP SINGH
A
large
number of temporary workers
who have been caught up on the
wrong side of the New Zealand
border, before the government closed its
borders as a response to deal with Covid-19
global pandemic are complaining against
the discrimination being meted out to them
and appealing for more compassionate and
reasonable support from the government.
The Indian Weekender has been inundated
with requests from many such temporary
workers who have been living and working in
NZ from few years to decade and were visiting
overseas when the covid-19 pandemic hit and
their lives have been hit with tremendous
uncertainty without any support or adequate
information about their immediate and long
term future.
Till recently, all those temporary workers
now stranded overseas had a life in New
Zealand with real jobs, homes, children going
to schools and rents, car loans, bank loans to
worry about like every other New Zealander.
Most of them were working towards getting
permanent residency and negotiating with the
Immigration system while contributing to
live, work and contribute to the NZ economy.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the
NZ government’s seemingly lack of
compassionate and rational response to their
situation is threatening their entire future in
the country after a massive investment of
time, resources and skills to the Kiwi way of
life.
Not immediately allowed back
in the country
The New Zealand border is currently closed
to almost all travellers to help stop the spread
of COVID-19. Only NZ citizens and residents
returning to New Zealand are allowed to travel
to New Zealand unfettered while a very few
will be granted an exception by Immigration
NZ on a case by case basis
This blanket ban has automatically made
the situation of thousands of temporary
workers who were caught outside borders
highly precarious as INZ is being extremely
cautious in allowing anyone else - NZ visa
holders or otherwise - with permission to
enter the country.
Currently, INZ is allowing people with
one of the following critical purposes in New
Zealand - Essential health workers or Other
essential workers who are specifically agreed
to by the New Zealand Government.
The Indian Weekender has already sought
clarification from the Immigration NZ, and
a response is awaited. Read Page 6.
However, according to some rough
estimates going round on social media as of
today, INZ has received 3469 Expressions of
interest (EOI) from people who believe they
meet exceptions to the border closure. Of the
3157 EOIs so far only 639 meet the criteria
and have been invited to apply.
This is leaving a vast number of NZ
temporary workers without support and
certainty for the future.
Filza Romaan, who has been living and
working in Auckland for the last three years
a major telecom provider after completing
education earlier had already applied and
been rejected thrice by INZ for an exception
to travel back to NZ.
Kulvir Kaur, with her five-month-old baby Avereen Kaur and husband Jagdeep
Syed Naseer and his wife Sana Samreen
“I have been living in NZ for almost three
years and had to come to India to attend the
funeral of my brother in law and visit my old
parents. I had arrived on March 9, and my
return flight was scheduled on April 1 which
was cancelled due to border closure.”
“My work is deemed as essential services,
but I am not being allowed as I do not qualify
under strict “critical” guidelines by INZ,” Mr
Romaan said.
A Kiwi-Indian couple Bhautik and Niyanta
Patel told the Indian Weekender how their
bills and rent continue to add-up in NZ while
they are not allowed back in the country.
“We have rented a house in Auckland, and
we are still paying rent of $530 every week,
and on top of that, we have our investments
like cars and savings etc.
“As of now we are really worried and can’t
see any hope. It’s really the worst situation for
us now,” Bhautik Patel said.
An equally exasperated Syed Naseer also
shared his predicament as he travelled to India
Gurpreet Singh
to visit his family and bring his wife along
with him earlier last month but was stranded
as the borders were shut down the same day
he was supposed to fly back to New Zealand.
"I have an open work visa and live in New
Zealand for the last five years working full
time as a 'Checkout Supervisor' at supermarket
Countdown in Grey Lynn, Auckland.
"I got married to my wife Sana Samreen in
August last year, and my wife's partnershipbased
visa was approved on February 27 this
year. I came to visit my family in India and
was scheduled to fly on March 19 when we
got the news that the border was closed," Syed
Naseer told The Indian Weekender.
"I am stuck here paying weekly rent for
my house in Auckland, other related bills
there. My job and visa are both at stake now. I
applied for an exception with INZ was haven't
received a response from there, even two
weeks after emailing them.
No wage subsidy
Most of the stranded temporary workers
Shubham Sharma
with whom the Indian Weekender has spoken
to are also missing out on the government’s
wage subsidy.
Kulvir Kaur, who is stuck in India with her
husband Jagdeep Singh and 5-month-old baby
Avereen Kaur told the Indian Weekender that
they are facing double whammy first losing
money for their cancelled flights and then not
getting any wage subsidy while their cost of
living continues unabated back in NZ.
“We’re facing financial problem as our
annual leaves are complete now and we have
no income source as we are not getting any
wage subsidy,” Mrs Kaur said.
No automatic visa extension for
stranded temporary workers
However, the worst fear that complicates
and enhances the worries of all such stranded
temporary workers is that INZ has not offered
to automatically extend their visas under the
Epidemic notice, unlike for those currently
on-shore in the country.
Notably, the government’s Epidemic
Management Notice relating to immigration
matters came into effect on April 2, 2020, that
automatically extended visas of all temporary
workers in the country till September 25,
2020.
Unfortunately, those out of the country have
not been offered any such assurance.
Shubham Sharma, a stranded temporary
worker, told the Indian Weekender, “My visa
is expiring on May 17, 2020, and I am in
tremendous stress as I am not sure what will
happen if I am not allowed to enter NZ before
my current visa expires.
Gurpreet Singh is one such stranded
temporary worker who has spoken with the
Indian Weekender has been trying to bring
together all such stranded migrants on one
platform so that their concerted voice could
be raised with the Indian Weekender is
requesting an urgent compassionate action
from the government.
The list of the people that the Indian
Weekender has spoken to and their miseries
is long and endless - however - the common
thread of their miseries is that they have been
left out of the country without any support
or assurance that the future they have been
working so hard for a Kiwi way of life is in
complete jeopardy.
6 NEW ZELAND
COVID-19 Special Coverage
Friday, April 17, 2020 The Indian Weekender
Immigration NZ aims to respond to
Expressions of Interests within two working days
SANDEEP SINGH
Immigration New Zealand has told the Indian Weekender that
it will endeavour to respond to Expressions of Interests for
exception to the border closure within two working days,
depending on complexity demand.
Responding to an enquiry sent earlier on Thursday, April 16,
a spokesperson of the Immigration NZ said, “The New Zealand
Government acknowledges that there may be extremely limited
circumstances where it is appropriate for a person who is not a
New Zealand citizen, permanent resident or person returning to
New Zealand as a resident, to travel to New Zealand.”
“If an individual’s circumstances are considered exceptional
and justify travel to New Zealand for a critical purpose, or because
they are the family of and travelling with a New Zealander, they
will be invited to apply for a visitor visa or to vary their existing
visa to allow them to travel.
“INZ will endeavour to respond to Expressions of Interests
within two working days, depending on complexity demand.
“Visa applications from individuals who have been invited to
apply for an exception will be prioritised,” the spokesperson said.
Eligibility for getting an exception to enter NZ
A process has now been put in place by Immigration New
Zealand (INZ) for requests to be made for exceptions to the
border closure for exceptional circumstances, including Health
and other essential workers.
An essential health care worker is defined as a current or new
employee with a signed offer of employment from one of the
listed agencies and who has a commencement date from March
to June 2020. The employee will hold an acceptable key clinical
or non-clinical position working in:
• A District Health Board
• The New Zealand Blood Service
• Hospice or palliative care
• A primary care practice such as urgent care or a medical or
healthcare centre
• Aged residential care, respite or continuing care facility.
This exception applies to people who hold the necessary
qualifications and registration (if required) to work in NZ.
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi
National List MP based
in Manukau East
1/131 Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe, Auckland
09 278 9302
bakshi.mp@parliament.govt.nz
bakshiks
bakshi.co.nz
For JP services please contact
Rahul Chopra on 09 278 9302
Funded by the Parliamentary
Service. Authorised by
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi MP,
1/131 Kolmar Road,
Papatoetoe.
The COVID-19 All of Government Officials group will
specifically identify and consider exceptions for other essential
workers in occupations which are critical to delivering the
response to COVID-19 and/or maintaining critical infrastructure.
However, these essential workers are not the same as the
holders of “Essential Skills work visas, or people seeking to
begin working in essential services. People who are outside New
Zealand and think they may be eligible for an exception can make
a request to INZ by using a request form available on the INZ
website.
Before submitting a request, the availability of flights to New
Zealand and travel restrictions for any country required for transit
should be considered.
List of essential health and disability
services
The Ministry of Health is the lead
agency for Health and is itself an
essential Government service.
• Addiction providers
• Aged care workers
• Ambulance services (including air
ambulances)
• Care facilities (eg, rest homes /
retirement villages)
• Cemeteries and crematoria
• Community care coordinators and
workers
• Community Radiology
• Correctional facilities
• Dentists (emergency and acute care)
• Disability Support Services
• District health boards and all DHB provided and funded
services and support staff
• Doctors
• Funeral homes
• Health equipment producers, personal protective equipment
(PPE)
• Health and Disability Commissioner
• Health Promotion Agency
• Health Quality and Safety Commission
• Home and Community Support Services
• Hospital Health Services (including private, radiology) – refer
to essential hospital health services below
• Kaiawhina workers
• Medical laboratories
• Medical Laboratory Scientists
• Mental Health and Addiction Services
• Mental health providers
• Midwives and maternity providers
• Mortuary services
• National Telehealth services, including Helplines, Healthline,
the 1737 mental health support number, bowel screening line
and others
• Needle exchange
• Needs Assessment Service Coordinators
(NASCs)
• NZ Blood Service (including transportation)
• Nurses and nurse practitioners
• Optometry (emergency and acute care)
• Paramedics
• Pharmac
• Pharmacy services (e.g, pharmacies,
deliveries, etc.)
• Primary care clinics
• Residential care providers
Finance Minister says businesses to shift to
‘safe’ economic activity under alert level 3
RADIO NEW ZEALAND
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson
says the focus for businesses
will move away from “essential”
economic activity to what is “safe” under alert
level three.
Robertson made his comments in a speech to
Business New Zealand this afternoon.
It follows an announcement made earlier
today that small businesses will get a $3 billion
boost through tax breaks to help them ride out
the impending economic crisis.
Robertson broke down the response to the
Covid-19 crisis in three waves; fight the virus
and cushion the blow, kickstart the economy,
and reset and rebuild the economy.
The government’s response was not about
distinct phases that followed one after the other,
he said.
“They are waves that are all under way at
once, lapping over and under each other,” he
said.
“Much of the work we have done and
continue to do on the first phase - cushioning
the blow and fighting the virus - will continue
in the coming months.”
Guidance will be released tomorrow to give
businesses and workers a better idea of what the
more medium-term picture looked like ahead of
coming out of alert level 4, he said.
The government was taking lessons
from the swift move into alert level 4,
and aimed to give as much clarity
in advance as possible, he said.
“What I can say now is that
our emphasis at level 3 moves
from ‘essential’ economic
activity to ‘safe’ economic
activity,” he said.
"Much
of the work
we have done and
continue to do on the
first phase - cushioning the
blow and fighting the virus
- will continue in the
coming months"
Roberston said he was aware of the changes
that businesses were undertaking to operate in
as safe a way as possible and to allow as much
economic activity as possible.
However, he noted the primary factor that
Cabinet would consider when deciding to leave
alert level 4, would be whether the Director-
General of Health was confident that the disease
was under control.
He again emphasised that this year’s budget
on 14 May would be one of recovery to kickstart
the economy.
“It will include funding for the
cost pressures that are a necessary
part of keeping our country
ticking over, but we will devote
much of our resources to
kickstarting this recovery,” he
said.Ale
The Indian Weekender Friday, April 17, 2020 COVID-19 Special Coverage
NEW ZELAND 7
Indian temporary migrant worker dies under
lockdown: Desperate family begs for repatriation
SANDEEP SINGH
A
twenty-eight-year-old Indian national
currently in the country on a work
visa has passed away in Northland on
Friday after suffering a massive cardiac arrest.
The Indian Weekender has reliably learned
that the man had suffered a heart attack around
4 p.m. on Friday, April 10, in Paihia where he
lived and worked, just after returning from
a walk.
The ambulance services responded
immediately and attended him, however, failed
to revive him. The body of the deceased is
currently placed in Whangarei morgue.
This tragic untimely death of the migrant
worker further presents another gut-wrenching
crisis during the covid-19 lockdown period
with unprecedented global travel restrictions
and India’s own ban on operation of any foreign
commercial airlines, about the repatriation of
the man back to his overseas-based family.
The man was the only son of his parents, who
are expectedly desperate to bring him home for
his last remains.
The Indian Weekender has learnt the name
and the identity of the deceased, however,
choosing not to reveal it until all formal
identification process is complete by the New
Zealand Police.
An enquiry has been sent to the New Zealand
Police to get more information.
Indian High Commission & Consulate’s
office providing all support
Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to
New Zealand Muktesh Pardeshi has told the
Indian Weekender that they are aware of the
unfortunate death and constantly in touch with
the family of the deceased back in India.
“It is very unfortunate that a 28 yo person
passed away due to cardiac arrest on Friday.
“Through our Consulate office in Auckland,
we have been able to establish contact with
a cousin of the deceased who lives in
Auckland.
“We have assured him all Consular
help through our consulate office,”
Mr Pardeshi said.
On a further enquiry about the
possibility of the repatriation of the
person back home Mr Pardeshi said, “We
are living in very uncertain and difficult times
due to Covid-19 global pandemic.”
“If it would have been any other
time we would have surely initiated the
repatriation process.
“But right now we will be guided by the NZ
government’s protocols.
“We are in touch with authorities, including
back home in India for clearer guidelines and
updates on the lifting of flight restrictions,” Mr
Pardeshi said.
“Our Consulate in Auckland Mr Bhav
Dhillon is constantly in touch and providing all
"We
are in touch
with authorities,
including back home
in India for clearer
guidelines and updates
on the lifting of flight
restrictions"
support during this tragic period for the family
members of the deceased,” Mr Pardeshi said.
Funerals and burials under the lockdown
Meanwhile, the government has formulated
new rules around funerals and burials during
the lockdown
New rules are in place for taking care of our
deceased loved ones during the lockdown. The
rules apply to everyone, every culture, every
religion, regardless of the cause of death.
Under the new rules, there will be:
• no formal funerals or burials whatsoever
• no funerals at church, the mosque,
synagogues, temples, funeral home or other
venues
• no private funerals at home.
No rule yet around body repatriation
However, there are no specific rules around
body repatriation during the lockdown.
GOVT WORKING ON ‘ADVICE ON
REPATRIATION’ OF DECEASED
MIGRANT WORKER
Ethnic Communities Minister Jenny Salesa
had assured the Indian Weekender to take up
the extremely distressing issue of advice on
body repatriation during the Alert Level 4
lockdown period.
The Minister was responding to a request
for comment around the advice on repatriation
during the lockdown period after the Indian
Weekender earlier reported a tragic death of the
migrant worker in Paihia on Friday, April 10.
The temporary Indian migrant worker whose
identity the Indian Weekender has chosen
to not reveal until all formal procedures are
done was the only child of their parents, who
are expectedly devastated and requesting all
government authorities to take compassionate
action.
“I would like to express my deepest
condolences on behalf of our Government to
the grieving parents for the loss of their only
son as well as to his extended family and loved
ones,” Minister Salesa said.
“I appreciate you writing to raise this
important issue with me. We would need at least
2-3 days especially given its Easter weekend
to finalise the advice about repatriation,” the
Minister said assuringly.
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8 WORLD COVID-19 Special Coverage
Friday, April 17, 2020 The Indian Weekender
IMMIGRATION RULES
during Covid-19 related
border-closure explained
SANDEEP SINGH
New Zealand is under
Covid-19 Alert level
4 lockdown with only
essential services related financial
activities allowed to remain
operational.
The New Zealand border is
also currently closed to almost all
travellers to help stop the spread of
COVID-19. The travel ban applies
to all arrivals into New Zealand
whether it is by air or sea. This
includes superyachts arriving in
New Zealand.
New Zealand citizens and
residents returning to New Zealand
may travel to New Zealand and do
not need any formal exemption.
There are a few exceptions that
INZ might be giving case to case
basis by and large to facilitate all
but critical travel, largely to support
the protection of public health in
New Zealand, or a small number of
additional, limited exceptions.
The Indian Weekender has been
inundated with requests from the
concerned temporary migrant
workers about their visa situation
and what they can do or not do in the
immediate future.
Here are few plausible visarelated
scenarios explained
I am on a temporary visa and it
is expiring soon:
An Epidemic Management Notice
relating to immigration matters came
into effect on 2 April 2020, which
automatically granted an extension
to everyone whose visa was
supposed to expire between April 2
to July 9, 2020.
If you hold a work, student,
visitor, limited or interim visa with
an expiry date of 1 April or earlier,
and you have not applied for another
visa, you are now unlawfully in New
Zealand.
You can either leave the country
immediately, or make a request for
a special temporary or resident visa
under Section 61 of the Immigration
Act. To make a request under
Section 61 of the Immigration Act,
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www.resene.co.nz
you should send an email to INZ
at s61@mbie.govt.nz outlining your
circumstances
I am a temporary worker
stuck outside NZ:
Importantly, Epidemic
Management Notice only applied
to temporary visa holders who were
on-shore in the country, therefore
anyone overseas will not be covered
under this notice.
If you were not onshore, your
visa duration will not have been
extended automatically. Nor can you
apply separately and request a visa
extension as all INZ offices remain
closed in response to Covid-19
pandemic response.
Also, notably any temporary visa
holder chose to leave the country
now (despite all travel restrictions)
you are unlikely to be able to return
because travel to New Zealand is
currently restricted.
I got my residency approved
recently when can I travel:
If you want to travel for the first
time to New Zealand after getting
your residency approved offshore
then you can not enter New Zealand
as of now.
You will have to wait till more
clarity emerges and INZ comes out
with specific rulings for you relaxing
travel restrictions.
I am on a work visa and was
planning to file for residency:
Since all INZ offices are closed
and no routine applications are being
entertained, so you have very limited
options.
All Immigration New Zealand
offices are now closed and the
priority of the department’s reduced
staff in New Zealand is urgent tasks
relating to COVID-19 and other
health matters.
Immigration New Zealand cannot
extend visa durations other than
under the terms of the epidemic
management notice.
You may withdraw any undecided
applications, but fees or levies paid
for completed applications will not
be refunded or deferred for another
visa. NZeTAs are valid for two
years. In the unfortunate situation of
you being on a work visa who was
travelling overseas for a short period
of time before eventually filing
an application for residency and
have been now stranded overseas,
then you cannot do much. Neither
your current visa get automatically
extended nor you can currently
apply for either extension of your
visa or for residency.
Skilled Migrant Category
and Parent Category
decisions on hold
The Government has decided
to suspend a number of visa
programmes, including selections
for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in:
• the Skilled Migrant Category, and
• the Parent Category.
This is a temporary measure.
Immigration New Zealand will
continue to reassess and determine
when EOI selections can take place
as the situation develops.
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Publicly-funded workers
ineligible for subsidy ‘should
continue to be paid’ – PM
RADIO NEW ZEALAND
A
healthcare
worker says she
is shedding tears of relief
after Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern sent a clear message to
district health boards (DHBs) that
‘casual’ staff who have had their
hours slashed should continue to
be paid.
Ardern’s comments are likely to
cause ripples in other parts of the
public sector where thousands of
casual staff have also gone unpaid.
In recent days RNZ has
documented the stories of workers
who were employed as casual staff
by publicly-funded entities.
Covid-19: Health workers left
struggling to pay the rent
Covid-19: Some workers missing
out despite wage subsidy
This has included nurses, health
care assistants, council staff and
those in the cultural sector.
All are excluded from receiving
the wage subsidy because they
are considered to be government
employees.
While they are on casual contracts,
many had been working the same
number of weekly hours for years.
Government departments appear
to have been ignoring State Services
Commission (SSC) guidance about
continuing to pay them.
It said in early April “agencies
should consider paying a typical
average level of pay for the period,
to continue to support an important
employment group and to recognise
that these employees don’t have
access to support through the
government’s wage subsidy scheme”.
Yesterday, the DHBs said they
believed their response to casual
workers was consistent with the
general guidance provided by SSC,
as well as the government’s wage
subsidy rules.
However, today Ardern
told Morning Report the staff
should continue to be paid if their
employment had been impacted by
Covid-19.
“The SSC has been very, very,
clear what departments should be
doing... I can’t be more forthright
than that.”
Ardern said the government
had been “really clear” that when
someone was working in the public
sector they were not eligible for this
wage subsidy. The flip side of this
was publicly-funded entities were
funded to keep paying their staff.
She said the situation was not
a “loophole” but some DHBs had
not been applying the guidelines
correctly.
Director-General of Health Dr
Ashley Bloomfield had reminded
DHBs about their responsibilities,
she said.
Molly*, a health care assistant,
said she was in “tears” with “shaky
hands” at hearing the news.
“It is a relief for us that the PM
heard our concerns.”
Another workmate said she was so
“thankful” someone had spoken up
on their behalf but more questions
remained.
“Some staff members will really
start to struggle once we go through
another payday with no wages and
bills still to pay. So we better ask
when this will happen?”
New Zealand Nurses Organisation
industrial adviser David Wait said it
was “great” to get the clarification
from Ardern.
The union would be writing to the
20 DHBs about them paying the staff
the average of their weekly wage.
Wait said the clarification also
fixed another issue, which related
to if casual staff would be paid if
they became ill with Covid-19 when
working on the frontline.
*Name has been changed
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The Indian Weekender Friday, April 17, 2020 COVID-19 Special Coverage
NEW ZELAND 9
Kiwi Indian nurse
at GP clinic narrates
the new order of duty
during Covid-19 lockdown
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD
Currently, two nurses are present
at the clinic taking telephonic
consultations, providing information
to the patients.
However, for some cases, they
are still seeing patients for their
childhood immunisation, influenza
vaccines and people for wound
dressings.
It is no surprise that the lockdown
at Alert Level 4 in New Zealand
has turned the lives of people
upside down. With minimal to no
contact protocol to save the people
from the dreaded Covid-19, social
distancing has become a new normal,
and this has indeed dramatically
reduced Covid-19 infection and
community transmission in the last
three weeks.
Practising the new normal, Kiwi
Indian nurse Jennifer Karthak
narrates the new order of duty at
her clinic, Dominion Road Surgery,
where she has been working for the
last four years.
Coming from a family of healthcare
workers, her father a doctor and
grandfather a health worker too,
nurse Jennifer explains how she and
her clinic has been performing their
duties on the frontline while being
mindful of the precautions to be
taken during this time.
Jennifer says in her pre-Covid-19
era, up until less than a month before
the lockdown was declared in New
Zealand, her clinic would take
both appointments and walk-ins,
accommodating patients filling the
capacity for any day.
But since the lockdown came
into effect long with stringent
social distancing rules, her clinic
has been taking mostly phone call
appointments and triaging before
seeing the patients face to face, if
necessary.
"We have had a few
people from our clinic
with positive results for
Covid-19 cases and are
at home under isolation
at the moment"
“Before everything was face
to face and now, it can be tough
working just over the phone at times,
it is quite mentally draining too,”
Jennifer Karthak told the Indian
Weekender.
Jennifer adds that the number of
consultations at the clinic, face to
face, has decreased significantly
due to more telephonic and video
consultations as they have increased
infection prevention and control for
both patients and staff. They are also
seeing patients or vaccinating them
in the car park so as to minimise
contact at the clinic.
“Everyone is bringing a change
of clothes to work, so we work in
different clothes to the ones we travel
back home in.
"Once home, everything goes in
the wash. So you can imagine the
amount of washing that been done.
Again this to help reduce chances
of us bringing the virus home to
our family.
“We screen people via phone and
ensuring that we are sending people
to their closest COVID-19 testing
centres if warranted. If we do end
up seeing patients who meet the
clinical criteria for Covid-19
we provide them with surgical
masks and isolate them in
one room and provide them
with hand sanitizer and
tissues and thoroughly clean
the room after they have left.
Any nurse or doctors who
will be in contact with the patient
to swab or do a physical exam we
have to wear our PPE, hand hygiene,
gown, mask, eyewear, and gloves.
“We have had a few people from
our clinic with positive results for
Covid-19 cases and are at home
under isolation at the moment,”
Jennifer adds.
Her clinic, Dominion Road
Surgery falls in on of the most
ethnically diverse belt, Mt Roskill
and Mt Eden and the clinic has
attended patients from a wide range
of people, especially Indian, South
East Asian, Pacific Islanders and
refugees.
“Our doctors and nurses can speak
a lot of languages, Hindi, Nepalese,
Bengali, Punjabi, Chinese, Pushto
and many more,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer adds that the new order of
work does add an inevitable mental
toll on her as she has to practice strict
distancing, while geared with PPE
and be vigilant all the time.
Jennifer thanks her family as
she comes from a few generations
of healthcare workers, and they
understand the job and its toll it
might have on a frontline worker.
“Working with this new rule does
take a toll on me mentally, and, being
a frontline worker, it comes with
the job, but I am blessed to live in
a household where four generations
live together, and I come from a
family of health care professionals.
“So, the love and support is
amazing when I go home and at our
clinic all our staff is like family, as
vulnerable as I feel at times, it is nice
to have that support from work and
home,” Jennifer adds.
As a frontline worker, Jennifer
appeals the community that although
the lockdown is near its end, and the
nation will soon stream into Alert
Level 3, people should still take
utmost precaution, stay home, wash
hands, make only essential travels
and help the nation to fight against
this war of Covid-19.
WorldRemit continues to facilitate money transfer to loved ones
during Covid19 pandemic
With the ongoing lockdown in India having severe
personal and economic impacts, for many Indians
in New Zealand it’s more important than ever to be
able to send money back home to support their loved ones.
Indian Weekender spoke with Bryce Currie, Country
Director for New Zealand for WorldRemit, and Ruzan Ahamed,
Country Director for India for WorldRemit, to understand how
remittances are being impacted by Covid 19, and what our
readers can do to help their families at this time.
Bryce, how has your service been impacted by
Covid 19?
We are very focussed on making sure that WorldRemit
continues to operate our service so that New Zealanders can
securely send money home to friends and family in India. Good
news is that here in New Zealand, our business is fully digital,
meaning that Kiwis can send money safely from their home
during the lockdown 24x7, by using our app or website.
Back home in India, we also offer a range of digital options,
meaning that money can make its way straight to friends and
family even during the lockdown.
Ruzan, what is the situation like in India?
With the country in lockdown, we are hearing that many
people are struggling, and are more reliant than ever on inward
remittances from NRIs.
The good news is that our Indian bank partners continue to
operate, meaning that our service is uninterrupted. We have
heard firsthand from many Banks in India that they, like other
companies, have had to transition to working from home for
many of their staff.
Despite this, they are focussed on keeping money flowing for
their customers and their loved ones overseas. Of course, we
are constantly monitoring the situation, and any changes to our
service are kept up to date on our website.
Ruzan, what can our members to do make
sure their remittances arrive safely at this
time?
We suggest that our customers try and use digital receive
methods wherever possible – this means sending directly to
bank accounts, rather than organising for a cash pick up. This
means your recipient will stay safe at home and won’t have to
worry about navigating the lockdown restrictions.
Fortunately, we have seen Indians really embrace these
digital methods over the last few years, which means that India
has not been as severely impacted as other countries which rely
more heavily on cash for inward remittances.
Ruzan, what else are you doing to help?
In addition to making sure that transfers to bank accounts in
India continue to flow smoothly, we have two other services
that are seeing great demand at this time. The first is remote
airtime top-up.
This means that NRIs can top-up their loved one’s prepaid
credit from here in New Zealand, which can be great when
staying in touch is more important than ever. We have also
recently launched a bill payment service, which enables your
readers to pay bills back home.
Before, paying a bill back home was a complex multi-step
process. But using this service, your readers can pay electricity,
telephone, mobile, internet, water and gas bills in India for their
families or themselves in one simple step from our website or
app.
Bryce, anything else our members should
know at this time?
First, let me say it’s our privilege to serve the Indian
community here in New Zealand. We have 10 years of
experience in building out a strong digital network across the
globe, and we know what a lifeline remittances can be right
now.
The best way we can support the Indian community here
in New Zealand is to make sure that our service continues to
run as seamlessly as possible, and that’s our sole focus. Thank
you. To support during these challenging times, WorldRemit is
currently offering 3 fee free transfers to new customers. Simply
use promo code ‘3FREE’. More details and T&Cs are here
Link: https://www.worldremit.com/en/promotions/
three-free?utm_source=IndianWeekender&utm_
medium=referral&utm_campaign=COV19
10 NEW ZELAND
COVID-19 Special Coverage
OPINION:
Migrant
worker
deserves
better
Friday, April 17, 2020
The Indian Weekender
AARON MARTIN,
CONTRIBUTOR
For years ‘low-skilled workers’
(as they are classed by the
immigration system) have
been doing the jobs New Zealanders
don’t want to do.
But as we have all discovered
during the lockdown, ‘low-skilled’
does not mean ‘unimportant’.
Many low-skilled roles are crucial
to the operation of the business in
which they are performed. Imagine
if we had no one to stack shelves;
transport food and grocery items to
the supermarket; or bathe our elderly,
demented, and frail?
This group of hard-working people
are essential to delivering us the very
comfortable living standards we
currently enjoy.
Our demand for this lifestyle has
long outstripped our capacity to
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put local people into the roles that
support our high standards.
We’ve sold our children dreams
of careers in law, finance, IT, and
engineering. This has created a
vacuum of workers in aged care,
hospitality, tourism, farming,
horticulture, the transport sector – to
name a few – and, until recently, the
trades. New Zealanders (like many in
Western, first-world economies) do
not want to do these so called ‘lowskilled’
jobs.
The vacuum is compounded by a
demographic issue: we don’t have
enough children. This is because it’s
damned hard to afford children on the
wages paid in this country, especially
the wages paid in low-skilled roles.
What will happen to
migrants after the
lockdown?
The economic consequences of
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COVID-19 and the lockdown are
likely to be dire, and we will see
a rise in unemployment that will
exacerbate these issues.
When that happens, the hardworking
migrants who helped
us through the crisis will begin
to feel the hard edge of the
immigration process.
Those who are trying to renew
their work visas will come up against
the stand-down period.
This is a rule that says you can
have three, 1-year work visas to work
in ‘low-skilled’ positions, but then
you must leave New Zealand, unless
you can secure a work visa for a midor
high-skilled role.
Or, migrants in the country will
have their work visas declined
because the employer cannot satisfy
a labour market test to prove there are
no New Zealanders available to
perform the work being offered
to the visa applicant. Some of
these migrants will have their
claim to residence undone as a
consequence.
Here is where some Kiwis
wash away any empathy
previously expressed to
this workforce.
They agree it is right for
New Zealanders to be given
the job first. That is what the
labour market test in a work
visa application is intended
to achieve.
That conviction tends to
be stronger in times of high
unemployment – rightly so.
The consequence on the
other side of the equation,
however, is not a scenario you
would wish on your enemy.
The outcome for
migrants
Imagine being in your late
20s or early 30s. You came
here 5 years ago. Studied hard.
Worked part-time in a ‘lowskilled’
job to fund your studies
and living costs.
Your role while ‘low-skilled’
was important for your employer’s
business. You became part of a team
that helped a New Zealand business
survive, employ other Kiwis, and
benefit the economy.
You graduated. You got a work
visa for several years to work in
the same role full-time, or in a
different role for another company,
where you continued to render a
service or produce goods that added
to our collective wellbeing and
comfortable lifestyle.
You got the work visas because
the employer could not find Kiwis
available to perform the work (and
in some cases proved they didn’t
want the work). You built a life
here. You developed a social life,
and a professional network. You
are settled.
Then the New Zealand
Government tells you: GO HOME!
There are people who can do your
job. Not because they want to – they
are forced too. We all know they’ll
leave as soon as a better opportunity
arises, but your life here is over.
How do you reconcile this
conflict? Play the long
game. Deal with the truths
Low-skilled does not mean
unimportant.
We don’t know how many New
Zealanders will actually take up this
work as unemployment rises. We
don’t know how high unemployment
will even get.
If you are an out-of-work
mechanic, will you go and work in
a supermarket or aged-care facility
at less than half the rate of pay you
got as a mechanic? Or will you
hold out for opportunities to arise in
your field?
As our economy gets going again
and skill shortages return in these
‘low-skilled’ roles, do we really
believe those we dumped in the tough
times will come back and embrace us
with open arms? Hardly.
We have increasing numbers of
boomers getting benefits that are
not means tested and we have fewer
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workers to pay for those benefits.
And let’s be blunt: they will keep
demanding that someone keeps
paying.
There will be no calls from them
for voluntary pension reduction or
means testing in the national interest.
Increasing numbers of our
population need aged care and health
services, and there are fewer people
to deliver those services.
Many locals just don’t want to do
that work.
Migrants are not a burden on our
infrastructure; this is an illusion.
Most of these people have been
here for years. They are not adding
weight to systems that cannot cope.
For years, they have been driving
our roads, using our health system,
and placing their children in our
schools. For years, they have been a
valuable part of our community.
Besides, who under-invested in
our infrastructure in the first place?
(The answer begins with a B ... see
above.) It’s also worth noting that
infrastructure has to be built and paid
for by a working population, not a
retired population.
Statistical analysis demonstrates
that migrants cost this country
the least in terms of draw on
Government services.
Migrants have demonstrated
commitment to us. Where is our
commitment to them?
We can all see the benefit right
now of having hard-working people
who want to contribute to our nation
and our economy and are on our
side, regardless of the ‘skill level’ of
their job.
The Prime Minister’s comments
about New Zealanders being told to
leave Australia, equally apply to this
part of our workforce.
The question will be whether
her approach is applied here or
whether we see an element of
hypocrisy in the official approach on
immigration matters.
Aaron Martin is Principal
Immigration Lawyer at New
Zealand Immigration Law.
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The Indian Weekender Friday, April 17, 2020 COVID-19 Special Coverage
NEW ZELAND 11
Trade can help economy
rebound, rebuild and recover
IWK BUREAU
Trade can help New Zealand to rebound,
rebuild and recover from the COVID 19
pandemic, Minister for Trade and Export
Growth David Parker said.
“Trade alone can’t deliver the recovery but it
is crucial to our economy, with one in four New
Zealanders’ jobs dependant on trade.
“We’re taking steps to support the health
response to COVID-19 that support exporters
and that will help New Zealand rebuild and
recover in the medium term.’
They include the recently-announced
commitment, alongside Singapore, G20
members Canada and Australia, and a number
of other nations to keep trade open, especially
in medical supplies and equipment and other
essential services, as some countries implement
protectionist measures, David Parker told the
Epidemic Response Committee today.
New Zealand and Singapore took that a
step further yesterday, with an initiative to
drop tariffs on a range of essential goods and
medical supplies and expedite trade in essential
medicines and other products needed as part of
the COVID-19 response.
Other steps include the rescue of Air NZ with
a loan facility worth $900m, which includes
measures to secure freight links with important
markets, and funding of more than $300m to
support and maintain freight links.
“Right now our focus is on keeping trade
flowing and maintaining critical supply chains
to ensure New Zealanders have access to the
essential goods they need – including medicine
and PPE - and keeping New Zealand goods
flowing to our trading partners,” David Parker
said..
“Global cooperation – not national
protectionism - is the best way to address this
global challenge.
“We’re supporting exporters to meet the new
challenges they are facing and continuing work
on further trade deals. During the lockdown New
Zealand and the EU have held a round of FTA
‘virtual negotiations’ by video conferencing.
“These are challenging times for trade. The
World Trade Organisation’s Forecast, released
on 8 April, predicts world goods trade will fall
by between 13% and 32% in 2020.
But Australia and New Zealand’s exports
are forecast to decrease by between 6.4% and
15.6% in 2020, because of the proportion of
our exports that are agriculture and processed
food, which are expected to decrease by less
than manufactured products and services with
international tourism, transport and education
particularly hard hit.
Our overall goods exports, concentrated in the
primary sector, were in fact 2% higher in March
2020 than in March 2019. Dairy exports were up
7%, meat exports 10% and seafood exports 7%,
though forestry exports were down 36%.
A 2021 recovery in global trade is predicted,
but depends on the duration of the virus outbreak
and the effectiveness of WTO members’ policy
responses.
There is also potential for trade disruption
as a result of global supply chain or shipping
disruption, including increased freight costs,
and from protectionist subsidies by overseas
governments.
“Trade links are central to New Zealand’s
ability to address COVID-19, and for us to
flourish as we recover from its impact on our
people and our economy. Our exports and our
broad trade agenda are central to that recovery,”
David Parker said.
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Editorial
How COVID-19
helped rediscover
hope and goodness
Rising global concerns on the vast implications of the COVID19 outbreak on
our future is obvious with anxieties mounting on economies, jobs and the very
existence of mankind.
However, amidst the gloom, there are several small discoveries that are worth
cherishing.
Who could have thought that MyLab Discovery Solutions, a small startup in Pune
would become the first Indian firm to produce indigenous Coronovirus testing kits?
At a time when India is in dire need of high-quality and cost-effective testing gears, the
kit that takes months to develop was produced in a few weeks.
What is even more inspiring is the story of Minal Dakhave Bhonsale, the virologist
who headed this project.
According to a BBC news report, Bhonsale managed to deliver the project amid an
advanced stage of pregnancy. The project was completed a day before she delivered a
baby girl.
Hundreds of such incredible stories that demonstrate resilience, hope, and power of the
human spirit are unfolding around us every day.
Look at the ports sector, for instance. Everyone understands the critical role played by
ports in anchoring essential supplies in a country, which demands the presence of trained
workforce at sites.
How does one ensure their safety? A team of engineers at the Adani Port in Vizag took
us by surprise.
In just about 4 hours, the team created a sanitized water shower for everyone to use.
Instances like these reinstate what I have always believed. Difficult times bring us closer
and make us stronger to face any eventuality. We must be able to look around ourselves
and find these narratives.
You need not look too far to get inspired. I have come across several inspiring
narratives on my social media timelines or by simply observing people in my immediate
neighbourhood.
Several families from different sections of the society have invested their lockdown
time in aggregating essentials for the underprivileged.
These are common people leading humble lives but what makes them extraordinary is
their intent to care for others.
Domestic helps, daily wage earners and scores of people who earn their living by doing
odd-jobs are being looked after, not just by governments, large corporations or charitable
organisations, but by common people living around them.
There are also virtual groups of animal lovers who are feeding strays and ensuring that
they find safe shelter.
Recently, I read about Naveen MS, a civil service aspirant who took up the responsibility
of creating awareness and dispelling myths on Coronavirus among rural communities in
Karnataka. According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the young man from Chitradurga
district became a part of a social media group that helped people with limited access to
authentic information on the pandemic.
What was most admirable was his vision.
He thought that for the economy to resurrect it was essential that people’s minds stay
healthy. In fact, I feel gratified to see the community outreach work being delivered by
young volunteers at the Adani Foundation.
Over the past three weeks, millions settled in the remote corners of the country have
been touched and empowered to stay safe against the COVID19 outbreak.
I don’t think this collective goodness and love for each other has erupted suddenly. It
was always there within us.
The COVID19 crisis has only presented an opportunity for us to reflect upon this
feeling of compassion and worked as a trigger to unite people.
However alarming the post-Coronavirus world might seem to appear, it does not pull
me down. Instead, by looking around I get great hope and confidence to bounce back.
The Coronavirus can restrict our movement but it cannot contain our urge to fight and
help each other.
It cannot stop us from being positive about the future.
Global economic history is full of major ups and downs. India’s domestic economy has
always stood as a great shield in protecting the country from global economic headwinds.
I have no doubts that the nation will be able to rise above this crisis. It might take time but
there is ample optimism to show that it is possible.
Together, let us stay resilient and hopeful.
Thought of the week
"Good, better, best. Never let it rest.
'Til your good is better and your
better is best." – St. Jerome
17 April – 23 April 2020
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu
On-and-off
rain and
drizzle
21°
14°
Partly
sunny
23°
13°
24°
16°
Indian Weekender : Volume 12 Issue 5
Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited
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the views of the team at the Indian Weekender
Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland.
Printed at Horton Media, Auckland
Parlty
sunny
Clouds and
sun
23°
15°
A touch o
dafr
23°
16°
This week in New Zealand’s history
17 April 1820
General Gates sent to Sydney under guard
Copyright 2017. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Sunshine
and pactcy
clouds
24°
16°
A few
morning
showers
24°
17°
The American sealer General Gates – named for a War of Independence general and
commanded by Captain Abimileck Riggs – had sailed from Boston in October 1818. In July
1819 the General Gates brought the missionaries Samuel Marsden and John Butler from Sydney
to the Bay of Islands after Riggs induced 11 convicts to sign on as crew.
19 April 1884
First royal honour for New Zealand woman
The Royal Red Cross was awarded to Miss Alice Crisp, matron of Auckland Hospital, in a
ceremony at Government House, Auckland.
22 April 1936
Rātana and Labour seal alliance
The alliance between the Rātana Church and the Labour Party was cemented at an historic
meeting between Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana and Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage.
23 April 1979
Blair Peach killed in London
New Zealander Blair Peach died during a clash between police and protesters at an antifascism
rally in Southall, London. The 33-year-old special-needs teacher and member of
the Anti-Nazi League suffered head injuries and died later in hospital.
23 April 1983
Prince William meets
'buzzy bee'
Among the highlights of the April 1983
royal tour were photographs of the
Prince and Princess of Wales’ infant son,
Prince William, playing with New Zealand’s
iconic ‘buzzy bee’ toy. These family
snapshots, taken on the lawn at Government
House in Auckland, made front pages around
the world.
The Indian Weekender Friday, April 17, 2020 COVID-19 Special Coverage
FIJI 13
Fiji PM: Suva lockdown can and will easily be
extended if enough people are not screened
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama
has made it clear that the Suva
lockdown which is scheduled to be
lifted on Friday morning, can and will easily
be extended if the government is not satisfied
with the number of Fijians screened by the
mobile health teams and fever clinics.
Bainimarama says this week, they have
massively stepped up fever screening in the
Suva confined area.
He says the mobile teams have been
equipped with new thermal guns and scanners.
The Prime Minister says by Thursday, they
plan to screen over 150,000 people but to do
so, people’s cooperation is key.
He says it only takes a few moments to have
your temperature checked so please, cooperate
with the medical teams when they visit your
home. Bainimarama says in addition to the
mobile screening teams, the fever clinics
across the country have seen over 5,000 men,
women and children come in to get a checkup.
The medical workers at these clinics will
be able to tell you if you need further testing,
whether that’s for COVID, or other viruses
like the common cold, flu or dengue.
Bainimarama says globally, COVID-19
is one of the most devastating killers in
generations, with deaths rising past 100,000.
He says to some people in Fiji, those
tragedies may seem distant but they are not a
world away.
Right here in the Pacific, COVID-19 has
taken the lives of five people in Guam, nine in
New Zealand, and 61 in Australia.
Bainimarama says if this virus spirals into
an epidemic in Fiji, you or someone you love
could all too easily be counted among the
victims. The Prime Minister says coronavirus
comes with many unknowns but around the
world, it is clear that physical distancing is the
only strategy proven to beat COVID-19.
He says some countries thought they had the
virus under control and went so far as to relax
restrictions. Sadly, they’ve seen case numbers
flare back up.
Bainimarama says Fiji cannot risk those
same mistakes. He says Fiji acted early to
squash the spread of the virus.
Bainimarama says they shut our borders to
high-risk countries, they closed nightclubs,
The Prime Minister has today
confirmed that the quarantine
period for COVID-19 patient
contacts and the people returning from
overseas will now be 28 days.
Voreqe Bainimarama says this follows
the confirmation of the 17th case of
COVID-19 in Fiji who is a relative and
travelling companion of the 54 year old
Soasoa man.
They both travelled together from India
to Singapore and on to Fiji.
Bainimarama says since the 21 year
old man’s return to Fiji, he has not shown
a single symptom of the virus. Upon
returning to the country from overseas,
this man was in self-quarantine for two full
weeks, up until the 5th of April.
He says free of any symptoms throughout
the virus’s known two-week incubation
period, by all appearances, he was in the
clear.
The Prime Minister says from this week,
they have widened the testing to all close
contacts of all confirmed cases, regardless
gyms, swimming pools and banned contact
sports. He says the government has extended
school holidays, a stay-at-home order is in
place unless Fijians have life-sustaining
reasons to travel and the nationwide curfew is
in effect from 8pm to 5am.
He says day by day, these directives are
helping win the war against this virus but any
success in this campaign won’t mean a thing if
the measures lift even one day too early.
Bainimarama says these rules certainly
won’t count for anything if Fijians carelessly
dismiss them.
He says these measures cannot relent and
neither can our willingness to do the right
thing. He stresses to people not to go outside
for no good reason, not to needlessly socialise,
not to meet up for grog sessions and get a
shock when you find yourself behind bars.
Bainimarama says use time at home with
your families to think about what really
matters –– care for our country and love for
each other.
He says let us draw strength from that
of whether they are displaying symptoms.
He says that is how they identified, tested
and confirmed this man as the 17th case.
The 21 year old man was immediately
entered into isolation upon testing positive
today where he is in stable condition.
His close contacts have been entered into
separate isolation facilities. The contact
tracing stemming from this latest case has
revealed the need for additional lockdowns
on Vanua Levu.
The Vunicagi Settlement between
Nabouwalu and Labasa will be locked
down for the next 28 days.
compassion; strength that can sustain us
through the days, weeks and months it will
take to overcome this challenge.
Any civil servant or employee of
statutory bodies of government
companies should be dismissed
if they are convicted of violating
COVID-19 directive - PM
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama
believes that any civil servant or employee of
statutory bodies and government commercial
companies should be dismissed if they are
convicted of violating the government’s
COVID-19 health protection directives.
Bainimarama says he is extremely
disappointed to hear the news that a civil
servant was arrested over the weekend for a
curfew violation.
He says let’s remember, no civil servant
or any employee of statutory bodies and
government-owned commercial companies
has received a pay cut.
The Prime Minister says let’s also remember,
17th COVID-19 patient is a 21-year-old Vanua Levu man
who travelled back from India with the 54 year old Soasoa man
Quarantine Period now extended to 28 days: Bainimarama
The settlement lies along a short stretch
of vital highway which vehicles will still
be allowed to traverse under 24/7 police
monitoring, as no alternate routes into
Labasa exist.
However, no passengers will be allowed
to disembark or embark: No one in and no
one out. Bainimarama says the lockdown
of the Soasoa settlement will be extended
by another 14 days, in line with the 28-day
quarantine policy.
Given the continued risk of transmission
on Vanua Levu, the ban on inter-island
travel by air and sea will remain in effect.
these Fijians are mandated by the Constitution
to adhere to high standards of professionalism
and integrity, and faithfully implement Fiji’s
laws. He says in the COVID-19 Response
Budget, the government recommended that
he, his ministers and assistant ministers and all
members of parliament take a 20% pay cut in
solidarity with the Fijians suffering COVID-
19’s economic ramifications.
Bainimarama says they did so because they
are prepared to lead by example and with
compassion. He says they did so because
when Fijians look to him and other elected
officials, they deserve to see examples worth
striving to follow.
The Prime Minister says that same level of
responsibility applies to any member of any
organisation funded by the taxpayers of Fiji.
6 individuals from Nabua
Settlement will be held
accountable for their
irresponsibility – PM
The Prime Minister says the six individuals
in Nabua who broke compulsory quarantine
over the weekend, have been tracked down
and each will be held accountable for their
irresponsibility.
These six individuals had earlier left the
quarantined area at Nabua Muslim League
Settlement.
Voreqe Bainimarama says the government’s
present COVID-19 response is heavily
targeted at three areas at high-risk of local
transmission: the Nabua Settlement in Suva,
the Soasoa settlement in the North, and Fijians
under supervised quarantine in Nadi after
returning from overseas.
He says in total, 252 Fijians who returned
home from overseas are in government-funded
facilities for 14 days of supervised quarantine.
They are being closely monitored for flulike
symptoms and tested if necessary.
Bainimarama says any Fijian who returns
home goes straight to one of these facilities,
no exceptions.
Of the 649 COVID-19 tests to date, Fiji’s
total confirmed cases continue to stand 16, and
all of these patients are in stable condition.
However, none have been cleared of the
virus as yet.
121,304 people in greater Suva
area screened by Ministry of Health
mobile fever clinic teams
121,304 people in Suva and the greater Suva area have
been screened by the Ministry of Health mobile fever
clinic teams.
This is in line with the Ministry’s strategy to identify
the early symptoms, contain and prevent the spread of
COVID-19.
180 personnel from the Health Ministry, the Fiji Police
Force and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces are doing
house to house visitations to conduct the screenings in
the Suva-Nausori corridor every day. People are urged to
provide accurate information to the fever clinic teams.
Meanwhile, 5,958 screenings have been done at the
37 fever clinics throughout the country since this service
began on 5th April.
Fever clinics provide an alternate solution for those
who might have missed seeing the visiting mobile fever
clinic teams. Please present yourself early at a fever clinic
when showing symptoms such as a dry cough, fever,
sore throat and shortness of breath or if
you have been in contact with
a
person who has tested positive
for COVID-19.
Fijians who may have been showing
symptoms of the deadly virus should call
the COVID-19 toll-free Helpline 158 for
any further information.
14 INDIA COVID-19 Special Coverage
Friday, April 17, 2020 The Indian Weekender
FROM RED ZONE TO GREEN:
Why PM Modi waited for April 20 to ease Covid-19 lockdown 2.0
The first hint that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi favoured early
resumption of economic activity in the
country had come a few days before his address
to the nation. He had, while speaking with chief
ministers over the weekend, told them that it
is imperative to focus on lives and livelihoods
for India’s bright future, a clear shift from
his assertion three weeks earlier that health
is wealth.
In line with this sentiment, he extended the
national lockdown till 3 May but provisioned
for easing restrictions in areas that do not
have Covid-19 cases from 20 April. These areas
are being classified as green zones and would be
the first to see resumption of economic activity.
The 6-day gap, a top government official
said, was designed to ensure that everyone is
able to understand how to take the first steps out
of the lockdown and prepare well for it. “Right
from businesses and state governments to the
district administration,” the official said.
It gives everyone time to smooth off the
rough edges in the plan, a second senior official,
who heads one of the empowered committees
on Covid-19 at the Centre, explained.
The government, he said, didn’t have this
luxury when PM Modi announced the lockdown
on March 24 evening. Giving people advance
notice when imposing the lockdown could have
defeated its purpose. Movement of people,
including those who could be symptomatic
or asymptomatic, could have defeated the
objective of
a lockdown
right at the
beginning.
Besides, it is
easier to get people to
stay indoors than to ensure that only some of
them step out.
Still there had been communication gaps,
evidenced by the repeated instructions sent
out by the Centre that asked police not to
stop truckers from ferrying essential and nonessential
goods.
A plan where some people and industrial
units outside containment zones could operate
requires a more nuanced approach by the
district administration, the second official said.
It also gives private companies permitted to
operate in the green zones to make logistical
arrangements for resuming operations;
workforce, raw materials etc. Or to seek
clarifications from the government. Like the
transporters who have asked the government
to explain if their vehicles could pass through
20 DAYS, 20 STEPS: A look at government’s
measures against Covid-19 amid lockdown
India entered the 20th day of the nationwide
lockdown announced by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on March 25. The 21-day
lockdown was put in place to contain the spread
of novel coronavirus in the country.
The 3-week lockdown was introduced to break
the chain of Covid-19 infection across the country
and ‘flatten the curve’.
The lockdown will come to an end on April 14,
if not extended further.
In the past three weeks, the government has taken
a slew of measures to ensure that the lockdown
remains in place and is followed by all citizens.
Many steps have been taken to make sure that
people from different walks of society don’t feel
the pinch of the lockdown.
On day 20 of the lockdown, here’s taking a
look at 20 steps taken by the government amid the
coronavirus crisis:
1. The government recently introduced
the Aarogya Setu mobile application to educate
citizens about novel coronavirus and help them
make informed decisions amid the crisis.
2. On Sunday, an oil ministry spokesperson said
that poor households using 5kg cooking gas
cylinders will be entitled to eight free refills in
three months as a relief from the disruptions due
to the Covid-19 outbreak. The number of free
refills will be limited to three for beneficiaries
using 14.2kg cylinders.
3. The government said it plans to set up a chain
of 20 lakh retail shops called ‘Suraksha Stores’
across India which will provide daily essentials
to citizens while maintaining stringent safety
norms, news agency PTI reported.
4. Union Human Resource Development Minister
Ramesh Pokhriyal on Sunday launched a web
portal to monitor and record the initiative by the
ministry to combat Covid-19 with Knowledge,
Technology and Innovation (YUKTI).
5. Under its Ujjawala scheme, the government
is providing free LPG refills for the next three
months to over 8.3 crore poor women.
6. Earlier this week, the finance ministry
announced that it will make an immediate
release of Rs 18,000 crore in tax refunds to
"We
also hope
that the district
administrations would also
use this time to reinforce the
message that communities in
neighbourhoods that have had
Covid-19 cases should play
a greater role to enforce
the lockdown in those
areas."
individuals and businesses.
7. The government decided to double the
collateral-free loan amount for women in selfhelp
groups to Rs 20 lakh.
8. Under the PM-KISAN scheme, the finance
ministry said that over 6 crore farmers have
been benefited amid the lockdown. Rs 13,855
crore have gone towards payment of the first
instalment of PM-KISAN.
9. Wages under MGNREGA to be hiked to Rs
202 from Rs 182. The move would bring in Rs
2,000 in addition to workers.
10. 10. Last month, Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman announced a relief package worth
Rs 1.70 lakh crore in the wake of the Covid-19
outbreak.
11. Under a special provision, the government had
announced that individuals could now withdraw
three months salary from Employees’ Provident
Fund (EPF) account amid the coronavirus
crisis. The EPF withdrawals have been exempt
from service charge.
12. Under the National Social Assistance
Programme, Rs 1,400 crore has been disbursed
to about 2.82 crore old age people, widows and
disabled people.
13. The last date for filing income tax returns for
the financial year 2018-19 has been extended
to June 30, 2020. The interest rate on delayed
income tax payment has been decreased to 9%
from 12%.
14. Over 2 crore construction workers received
financial support worth Rs 3,066 crore under
the Building and Construction Workers’ FThe
deadline for filing GST returns for March,
April, May has been extended to June 30, 2020.
There will be no interest or penalty on late fee
for delayed returns for companies with turnover
up to Rs 5 crore.
15. Nearly 20 crore women Jan Dhan account
holders received Rs 500 each in their account.
The total disbursement under the head was
9,930 crore, the finance ministry said.
16. Deadline for linking Aadhaar with PAN card
has also been extended from March 31 to June
30, 2020.
17. The government has also released around Rs
30,000 crore in assistance to various sections of
the society.
18. The government said it will release 12 million
MT of food grain during the April-June quarter
under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana
amid the Covid-19 crisis.
19. The government is also providing medical
insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh per person
to health workers fighting the coronavirus
pandemic.
20. On Monday, the total number of coronavirus
tally in the country crossed the 9,000-mark
with 9,152 cases. According to the Ministry of
Health, India now has 7,987 active Covid-19
cases while as many as 856 patients have
recovered or discharged. The coronavirus death
toll in the country stands at 308.
districts which have Covid-19 clusters or large
outbreaks.
“We also hope that the district administrations
would also use this time to reinforce the
message that communities in neighbourhoods
that have had Covid-19 cases should play a
greater role to enforce the lockdown in those
areas,” a third official said.
Because the only way the lockdown is going
to be lifted is if there are no cases. This is the
incentive for community participation that PM
Modi had also alluded to in his address to the
nation. That the lockdown could be back if
there is a Covid-19 outbreak in a Covid-free
zone. “We must make sure we don’t become
careless, nor allow anyone else to be careless,”
PM Modi had said.
That it was in their interest to stay on the
right side of the zoning plan, in which every
area would be marked green, orange or red.
“Hotspots (designated red zones) will
be assumed to be undertaking effective
containment activities, if no case is reported in
the next 14 days (designated orange zones) and
will be deemed successful in containment, if no
case is reported for 28 days (designated green
zones),” Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan
explained in her communication to the states.
The top health ministry official identified 170
districts as Covid-19 hotspots and explained
that such areas would be treated as green zones
only if they do not report a single coronavirus
case in 28 days.
Coronavirus lockdown:
7m jobs are on the
line, losses piling up,
restaurants stare into
lockdown abyss
Coronavirus (COVID-19): An
estimated 7.3 million jobs are
on the line as the restaurant
industry braces to be battered by
the second phase of the national
lockdown, set to now span at least
40 days. Counting its losses each
hour, its challenges are sweeping:
from supplies to labour, skilled and
semi-skilled, real estate to credit,
overheads and utilities, delivery
commissions and rental contracts.
More so, when urban centres that
fuelled this sector’s rapid growth are
the worst hit. In fact, just six cities
— Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Indore,
Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad —
together account for over 65 per cent
of all COVID-19 deaths. Also, Delhi
has 33 containment zones, Mumbai
more than 300 — most unlikely to
reopen anytime soon.
Some half-a-million restaurants
across the country are hoping the
Centre and the state governments
announce quick relief measures —
otherwise, many fear they could be
forced out of business altogether.
From chefs to captains, servers to
utility staff including cleaners, the
restaurant industry draws workers
from across the country. This distress
is, therefore, amplified across
households back in their homes
as well. Salaries in this business
segment vary between 15 per cent
and 25 per cent of total costs, and
most restaurants had paid employees
in full for March. With zero revenue
in the lockdown, most restaurateurs
aren’t sure if they can afford to pay
April wages.
This distress cuts across the value
chain — from suppliers and vendors
to farmers.
The Indian Weekender Friday, April 17, 2020 COVID-19 Special Coverage
WORLD 15
Trump says COVID-19 peak passed
in US, country to reopen soon
US President Donald Trump
has said that America has
"passed the peak" of new
COVID-19 cases and predicted some
states would reopen this month, even
as the country currently accounted
for the highest number of coronavirus
deaths and infections in the world, it
was reported on Thursday.
At a daily White House
press briefing on Wednesday,
Trump said: "While we must
remain vigilant, it is clear
that our aggressive strategy is
working.
"The battle continues, but the
data suggests that nationwide we
have passed the peak on new cases.
Hopefully that will continue, and we
will continue to make great progress.
We'll be the comeback kids, all of
us," the President said. We want to
get our country back."
The President's remarks come at
the US has reported a total of 639,628
coronavirus cases, while the death
toll stands at 30,925, according to
the latest update by the Washingtonbased
Johns Hopkins University.
In the
briefing,
of us" Trump also
said that he will
discuss guidelines for
reopening the country on Thursday,
reports CNBC News.
The governors of seven states on
the East Coast and three states on the
West Coast have announced regional
working groups to coordinate the
reopening of the regions.
"My administration is using every
available authority to accelerate the
development, study and delivery of
therapies," he said, adding that at least
35 clinical trials of treatments were
underway. The Trump administration
had previously signalled in May 2 as
a possible date to reopen the nation,
but the President said some states
may be able to return to normalcy
earlier than that, the BBC reported.
When questioned about the
dangers of reopening the nation too
soon, Trump said: "There's also death
involved in keeping it closed."
He cited mental health issues,
saying suicide hotlines were
"exploding" as the economy freezes.
Millions of Americans have
lost their jobs due to lockdown
measures across the country, and
unemployment numbers are at
record levels. Retail sales dropped
by 8.7 per cent in March, the biggest
decline since tracking began in
1992, according to government data
released on Wednesday.
In Wednesday's briefing when
asked why the US accounted for such
a significant proportion of the global
death toll of 137,078, Trump accused
other countries of lying about their
mortality rate, the BBC reported.
"Does anybody really believe the
numbers of some of these countries?"
he asked, naming China.
The President also said the US
was looking into unverified reports
that the coronavirus emerged from a
laboratory in Wuhan rather than in a
market.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo said that China
must show "full transparency" on
coronavirus, during a call with his
Beijing counterpart, Yang Jiechi, the
Department of State said.
The woman who discovered the first coronavirus
The woman who discovered
the first human coronavirus
was the daughter of a Scottish
bus driver, who left school at 16.
June Almeida went on to become
a pioneer of virus imaging, whose
work has come roaring back into
focus during the present pandemic.
Covid-19 is a new illness but it is
caused by a coronavirus of the type
first identified by Dr Almeida in
1964 at her laboratory in St Thomas's
Hospital in London.
The virologist was born June Hart
in 1930 and grew up in a tenement
near Alexandra Park in the north
east of Glasgow. She left school
with little formal education but got
a job as a laboratory technician in
histopathology at Glasgow Royal
Infirmary. Later she moved to
London to further her career and in
1954 married Enriques Almeida, a
Venezuelan artist.
Common cold research
The couple and their young
daughter moved to Toronto in
Canada and, according to medical
writer George Winter, it was at the
Ontario Cancer Institute that Dr
Almeida developed her outstanding
skills with an electron microscope.
She pioneered a method which
better visualised viruses by using
antibodies to aggregate them.
Mr Winter told Drivetime on
BBC Radio Scotland her talents
were recognised in the UK and she
was lured back in 1964 to work
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that have a halo or crown-like (corona)
appearance when viewed under a microscope
at St Thomas's Hospital Medical
School in London, the same hospital
that treated Prime Minister Boris
Johnson when he was suffering from
the Covid-19 virus. On her return,
she began to collaborate with Dr
David Tyrrell, who was running
research at the common cold unit
in Salisbury in Wiltshire. Mr Winter
says Dr Tyrrell had been studying
nasal washings from volunteers and
his team had found that they were
able to grow quite a few common
cold-associated viruses but not all
of them. One sample in particular,
which became known as B814, was
from the nasal washings of a pupil at
a boarding school in Surrey in 1960.
They found that they were able to
transmit common cold symptoms to
volunteers but they were unable to
grow it in routine cell culture.
However, volunteer studies
demonstrated its growth in organ
cultures and Dr Tyrrell wondered
if it could be seen by an electron
microscope. They sent samples to
June Almeida who saw the virus
particles in the specimens, which
she described as like influenza
viruses but not exactly the same. She
identified what became known as the
first human coronavirus.
Mr Winter says that Dr Almeida
had actually seen particles like this
before while investigating mouse
hepatitis and infectious bronchitis
of chickens. However, he says her
paper to a peer-reviewed journal
was rejected "because the referees
said the images she produced were
just bad pictures of influenza virus
particles".
The new discovery from strain
B814 was written up in the British
Medical Journal in 1965 and the first
photographs of what she had seen
were published in the Journal of
General Virology two years later.
According to Mr Winter, it was
Dr Tyrrell and Dr Almeida, along
with Prof Tony Waterson, the man in
charge at St Thomas's, who named
it coronavirus because of the crown
or halo surrounding it on the viral
image.
Dr Almeida later worked at the
Postgraduate Medical School in
London, where she was awarded a
doctorate. She finished her career at
the Wellcome Institute, where she
was named on several patents in the
field of imaging viruses.
After leaving Wellcome, Dr
Almeida become a yoga teacher
but went back into virology in an
advisory role in the late 1980s when
she helped take novel pictures of
the HIV virus. June Almeida died in
2007, at the age of 77.
Now 13 years after her death she
is finally getting recognition she
deserves as a pioneer whose work
speeded up understanding of the
virus that is currently spreading
throughout the world.
Aus company
to begin 1st
human trial
of COVID-19
vaccine
An Australian company has
called out for volunteers in
the country's first human trial
of a COVID-19 vaccine, expected to
take place in coming weeks.
Clinical research company Nucleus
Network revealed on Wednesday
it would test the effectiveness and
safety of a Recombinant Spike
Protein Nanoparticle vaccine, NVX-
CoV2373, developed by US based
biotechnology company Novavax,
reports Xinhua news agency.
Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases
physician and microbiologist from
Nucleus Network told local media
on Thursday that the human trial
procedures would involve four
phases, following strict protocols to
make sure it was safe and effective
before being released to the public.
"We still have to progress through
all the stages of clinical trials and
we have to make sure it is safe and
effective before we proceed," Griffin
said.
According to the Nucleus
Network, phase one of the trial was
expected to begin in mid-May with
preliminary results of effectiveness
and safety available in July.
Griffin said it would take roughly
12-18 months from now before the
vaccine could be released to the
public.
A small group of healthy volunteers
would be recruited for the trial to
test the effectiveness of this vaccine
and according to Griffin, there was
absolutely no chance that they could
be infected with the disease by taking
part.
The World Health Organization
estimated at least 20 other
COVID-19 candidate vaccines are in
development around the world.
Europe coronavirus cases reach almost 1m, coming weeks 'critical': WHO
Europe is in eye of the storm of the
COVID-19 pandemic, with the number
of cases nearing a million, and should
move with extreme caution when considering
easing lockdowns, the World Health
Organization’s regional director said.
“Case numbers across the region continue to
climb. In the past 10 days, the number of cases
reported in Europe has nearly doubled to close
to 1 million,” the WHO’s European director,
Hans Kluge, told reporters in an online briefing.
"The
battle
continues, but the data
suggests that nationwide
we have passed the peak on
new cases. Hopefully that
will continue, and we will
continue to make great
progress. We'll be the
comeback kids, all
This meant that about 50% of the global
burden of COVID-19 was in Europe, Kluge
said. More than 84,000 people in Europe have
died in the epidemic, he said.
“The storm clouds of this pandemic still hang
heavily over the European region,” Kluge said.
As some countries start to consider whether
restrictions may be eased and whether schools
and some workplaces might start to reopen, he
said it was critical to understand the complexity
and uncertainty of such transitioning.
Companies and politicians across the world
are worried about the economic impact of a
long shutdown, and some countries in Europe
- such as Germany, Denmark, Spain and others
- are beginning to think about how to ease some
societal restrictions.
Kluge said the WHO recognised that social
distancing policies designed to slow the spread
of the virus “are affecting lives and livelihoods”.
“People are rightly asking: How much do we
have to endure? And for how long? In response,
we, governments, and health authorities must
come up with answers to identify when, under
what conditions and how we can consider a safe
transition.”
16 FEATURES COVID-19 Special Coverage
Friday, April 17, 2020 The Indian Weekender
There are THREE distinct strains
world and while China's epidemic w
quickly spread in the UK, the US is s
Three types of the deadly coronavirus are spreading around the world -
and the US is being rocked by the original strain from China.
Cambridge University researchers mapped the genetic history of the
infection from December to March and found three distinct, but closely related,
variants. Analysis of the strains showed type A - the original virus that jumped
to humans from bats via pangolins - was not China's most common. Instead, the
pandemic's ground-zero was mainly hit by type B, which was in circulation as
far back as Christmas Eve.
Results showed type A was the most prevalent in Australia and the US, which
has recorded more than 400,000 COVID-19 cases. Two-thirds of American
samples were type A - but infected patients mostly came from the West Coast,
and not New York. Another distinct variation, type C, descended from type B
and spread to Europe via Singapore.
Scientists believe the virus - officially called SARS-CoV-2 - is constantly
mutating to overcome immune system resistance in different populations.
Dr Peter Forster and team found the UK was mostly being bombarded with
type B cases, with three quarters of samples testing as that strain. Switzerland,
Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands were also dominated by type B
Dr Peter Forster and team found the UK was mostly being bombarded with
type B cases, with three quarters of samples testing as that strain. Switzerland,
Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands were also dominated by type B
The study has thrown up an oddity that the original A strain spread through
West Coast USA despite not being being the most prevalent in China, the B
strain.
However because both strains were in existence by January, when US got
its first case, it does not mean it arrived any earlier and was not detected. The
researchers said the study was too small to draw any firm conclusions.
The genetic history of the coronavirus was mapped from December 24 to March 4,
revealing three distinct, but closely related, variants. Scientists believe the virus may
be constantly mutating to overcome differing levels of immune system resistance in
different populations
The academics' published work - which has been scrutinised by fellow
scientists - only traced the samples of 160 patients across the world, including
many of the first cases in Europe and the US.
The team have now updated their analysis to include more than 1,000
COVID-19 cases up to the end of March to provide a clearer snapshot. It has not
yet been peer-reviewed.
The smaller snapshot, published in the journal PNAS, initially suggested that
type C was the most common in Europe.
But the data now shows type B is spreading more rampantly - all but one
of 31 SARS-CoV-2 samples taken from patients in Switzerland were of the
second cluster.
It comes after two separate genetic studies found most of New York's outbreak
came from Europe, and revealed the infection was being spread in mid-February
- weeks before the city's first confirmed case.
Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NYU scientists
studied DNA from thousands of samples of coronavirus patients to conclude
travellers from Europe brought the virus to the Big Apple.
But they also found that the strand of the virus that arrived in Washington
state came from China, echoing the finding of Dr Forster and team.
HOW DOES CORONAVIRUS HIDE IN THE BODY?
T
he SARS-CoV-2 virus has a large number of spikes sticking out of its
surface which it uses to attach to and enter cells in the human body.
These spikes are coated in sugars, known as glycans, which disguise their
viral proteins and help them evade the body's immune system.
'By coating themselves in sugars, viruses are like a wolf in sheep's clothing,'
explained Professor Crispin.
The coronavirus has a relatively low level of sugar shielding.
The lower glycan density means there are fewer obstacles for the immune
system to neutralise the virus with antibodies.
The Cambridge scientists found that two thirds of the 310 virus samples
sequenced in the US were type A.
And all of the American cases linked to cruise ships had type B strains. It
is not clear what ships they caught the virus on - but the Diamond Princess,
quarantined off the coast of Japan for weeks, recorded
more than 700 infections.
Data showed England's first two cases -
thought to be a University of York student
and his mother at the end of January - had
type A, suggesting they caught it in
China.
No other samples from England,
Scotland or Wales were type A, with
almost 30 of the 40 viruses shown to
be type B.
Dr Forster told MailOnline it was
possible the UK's outbreak could be traced
back to Italy but that the data was too limited to
make any conclusion.
The
other cases recorded across Britain were type C, which is
also likely to be traced back to East Asia.
The UK's first 'super-spreader' - father-of-two Steve Walsh - was known to
have went to a business conference in Singapore and infected scores of patients
in Sussex.
Dr Forster told MailOnline that type A originally mutated into type B within
China - but type C, the 'daughter' of B, evolved outside of the nation.
He admitted scientists are clueless as to how type B 'pushed aside' its
predecessor to become more common in China - but the question will be
answered 'one day'.
Type B was found to be comfortable in the immune systems of people in
Wuhan and did not need to mutate to adapt.
However, outside of Wuhan and in the bodies of people from different
locations, the variation mutated much more rapidly. This indicated it was
adapting to try and survive and overcome resistance among other populations,
such as Westerners. Data analysis suggests the original strain of the virus could
have been circulating in China as far back as September.
And Dr Forster said the type B strain was 'alive and kicking' by Christmas
Eve, their analysis revealed.
Travel data shows 3.4 million travelers from countries that would end up hardest-hit
by the coronavirus outbreak entered the US as the pandemic was starting
Pictured, a breakdown of the different coron
major group they belong to. The lines indica
larger the circle, the higher the amount of ca
It means the virus had already m
COVID-19 cases - Wuhan first describe
December 31.
He told MailOnline: 'The majority o
derived C type later emerged and spread
And he suggested type C was not mu
finding, saying the sample was very sma
Methods used to trace the prehistoric migra
track the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, w
Dr Forster added that the data used w
tens of thousands of confirmed cases rec
For example, China's outbreak may m
Type A is the closest to the one found
Type A has two sub-clusters and t
substantial links to East Asia as it was fo
However, the second A type sub-c
In the study, the scientists said: 'Nea
however, are found outside East Asia, m
The original study had access to 93
A
analysed suggests that is not the case.
to be the 'root' of the outbreak.
different due to a string of mutations.
Wuhan (22), other part
Asian
cou
The Indian Weekender Friday, April 17, 2020 COVID-19 Special Coverage
FEATURES 17
of the novel coronavirus in the
as driven by an early mutation that
uffering from an original variation
avirus genomes and to which of the three
te a rough split between the type. The
ses
utated before China recorded any
d an outbreak of a mysterious virus on
f cases in Wuhan are B type while a
initially via Singapore.'
tating - but called for caution over his
ll.
tion of ancient humans was adapted to
hich causes COVID-19
as just a snapshot and did not include
orded in each country.
ainly consist of type A - but the data
in bats and pangolins and is considered
he first, labelled as the T-allele, has
und in Americans that lived in Wuhan.
luster, called the C-allele, is slightly
rly half of the types in this subcluster,
ainly in the US and Australia.'
type B genomes and 74 were in either
s of eastern China (31) or neighbouring
ntries (21).
smattering were identified
elsewhere, but type B had a
strong affinity for Wuhan and
i s derived from type A via
two mutations, at
T8782C and C28144T.
The scientists
argue that these methods
could help predict
future global hot
spots of disease
transmission and
surge.
Coronavirus
mostly spread
NEW YORK'S OUTBREAK CAME MOSTLY FROM
EUROPE - NOT CHINA
The first cases of coronavirus in New York spread mostly from Europe,
according to two scientific studies.
Researchers believe the virus was being spread around the city by mid-
February - weeks before New York's first confirmed case.
The scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai N.Y.U.
and Grossman School of Medicine studied DNA from thousands of samples of
coronavirus patients and concluded the first travelers to bring the virus to the
city came from Europe, not Asia.
But they also found that the strand of the virus that arrived in Washington
state came from China.
Both research teams analyzed genomes from coronaviruses taken from New
Yorkers starting in mid-March.
One of the studies detected seven separate strains of viruses that arrived in
the New York City area and researchers expect to find more.
Despite examining different examples of the outbreak, researchers from
both teams reached largely the same conclusions about its origins, according
to specialists.
Dr Harm van Bakel, a geneticist and co-author of the Icahn School's study,
told the New York Times: 'The majority is clearly European.'
to New York from Europe and was sweeping through the city by mid-
February, study of genomes reveals
The first cases of coronavirus that arrived in New
York spread mostly from Europe, according to two
scientific studies.
Researchers believe the virus was being
spread around the city by mid-February - weeks
before New York's first confirmed case.
The scientists from the Icahn School
of Medicine at Mount Sinai N.Y.U. and
Grossman School of Medicine studied
DNA from thousands of samples of
coronavirus patients and concluded that
the first travelers to bring the virus to the
city came from Europe, not Asia, according
to The New York Times.
But they also found that the strand
of the virus that arrived in Washington
state came from China.
President Trump banned entry to the
US by foreign nationals who had visited China
within the past two weeks on 31 January. He
banned travel from Europe on 11 March.
In mid-March travellers coming to New York
from Europe, where outbreaks in Italy and Spain
were already spiking, were being asked at John F. Kennedy
International Airport only if they had been to China or Iran, not if
they had visited the hardest-hit nations in Europe, the Times reports.
Both research teams analyzed genomes from coronaviruses taken from New
Yorkers starting in mid-March.
One of the studies detected seven separate strains of viruses that arrived in the
New York City area and researchers expect to find more.
Despite examining different examples of the outbreak, researchers from
both teams reached largely the same conclusions about its origins, according
to specialists.
Dr Harm van Bakel, a geneticist and co-author of the Icahn School's study,
DNA Researchers believe the virus was being spread around the city by mid-February
- weeks before New York's first confirmed case. This map is based on an earlier based
on an earlier genome study and shows eight different strains of coronavirus identified
by scientists and how they have spread around the world
told the Times: 'The majority is clearly European.'
 It was not until late February that Italy would begin locking down towns
and cities as well as imposing restrictions on mass gatherings.
Although the New York outbreak appeared to originate in Europe, the
Washington state cases appear to have come from China.
Researchers found viruses in Washington, which was the first major outbreak
in the US, shared mutations in common with ones isolated in Wuhan by Chinese
medics. The first confirmed case in New York came on March 1 and
around two weeks later new infections began to soar.
Previously researchers have said that coronavirus mutates
very slowly with only tiny differences between the
different strains.
But a new study by Cambridge scientists found
there are three main types of the novel infecting
people, and the strains may be mutating to conquer
the immune systems of populations around the
world. Last week travel data emerged showing
3.4 million travelers from countries that
would end up as the hardest-hit by the
outbreak entered the US as the pandemic
was starting.
Figures from the US Commerce
Department from December, January and
February, which were the critical early
months in the outbreak, reveal how hundreds
of thousands or even millions of undetected
coronavirus cases could have entered the country
while medical experts remained unaware of the
seriousness of the illness.
The world first heard about the virus in December,
when it remained confined to China and mostly in the epicenter
of Wuhan.
Beijing was accused of covering up the spread of the virus, which
may have left China's borders through asymptomatic patients well before new
cases were picked up around the world.
Isolated cases started showing up in Europe in late January, before the
pandemic took off in Europe in February.
The travel data shows 759,493 people entered the US from China before
President Trump's travel ban on 31 January.
Another 343,402 arrived from Italy, 418,848 from Spain and about 1.9 million
more came from Britain.
Medical experts say it cannot be known how many travelers may have been
infected, but it's highly likely some were not exhibiting symptoms.
And as air travel has surged in recent years, enabling the pandemic to spread
as it has, some officials suspect the virus' true impact was happening sooner than
they realized.
Trump has been criticized for not rolling out a widespread testing program
when cases began spiking in the US.
At least eight strains of the virus are being tracked by researchers around the
world, using genetic detective work to show how the virus spreads.
The virus appears to mutate very slowly, with only tiny differences between
the different strains and that none of the strains of the virus are more deadly than
another, experts say.
They also added it does not appear the strains will grow more lethal as they
evolve. Scientists also said that despite conspiracy theories falsely claiming the
virus was made in a lab, the virus's genome shows it began in bats.
According to figures updated last night, coronavirus had infected 1.5 million
people worldwide and killed nearly 88,000 people.
The US has seen more than 435,000 people infected and over 14,800 fatalities.
New York has suffered more than 150,000 cases with over 6,200 deaths.
18 FEATURES COVID-19 Special Coverage
Friday, April 17, 2020 The Indian Weekender
Pan-Seared Salmon with
Summer Succotash
Ingredients
Sauce:
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche
• 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest (1 large lemon)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Salmon:
• Four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets, wild preferred
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Succotash:
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced (3/4 cup)
• 1 large shallot, diced (1/4 cup)
• 1 cup corn kernels, cut from 2 cobs, or 1 cup thawed
frozen corn
• 3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup baby kale, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Directions
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Ingredients
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil,
plus more for brushing
• 2 to 4 anchovy fillets, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Kosher salt and freshly
ground pepper
• 1 pound skin-on, boneless chicken breasts
• 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices focaccia or whole-wheat Italian bread
• 4 romaine lettuce hearts, halved lengthwise
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Directions
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Make the dressing: Chop 2 garlic
cloves and puree with 1/2 cup olive oil, the anchovies and lemon juice in a blender
until smooth; season with salt and pepper.
• Pound the chicken with a mallet or heavy skillet until about 1/8 inch thick. Season
with salt and pepper and toss with 1 tablespoon of the Caesar dressing. Grill the
chicken until golden and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Brush the bread with olive oil on both sides and grill, turning, until toasted, about
2 minutes. Rub with the remaining garlic clove. Brush the romaine with 1 to 2
tablespoons of the dressing and grill until marked, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Chop the lettuce and transfer to a bowl. Cut the bread and chicken into bite-size
pieces and add to the bowl. Toss with the remaining dressing, the parmesan, and
pepper to taste. Garnish with more parmesan.
• For the sauce: In a medium bowl whisk together the
creme fraiche, mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice and
salt. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• For the salmon: Sprinkle the salmon fillets on all
sides with the salt.
• Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet
over medium-high heat. With tongs, gently place
the salmon, flesh-side down, in the pan. Allow the
salmon to cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes to form
a golden crust. Using a spatula, gently flip each
fillet. Transfer the pan to the oven for an additional
5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with
foil to keep warm.
• For the succotash: Heat the olive oil in a medium
skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red peppers
and shallots and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often
with a wooden spoon. Add the corn, edamame and
salt and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the pan
from the heat and stir in the kale, basil and lemon
juice.
• To serve: Spread 2 tablespoons of the sauce in a
circle on each serving plate. Top with 1/2 cup of the
succotash, and a salmon fillet. Serve with sauce on
the side if desired.
Ingredients
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2
breasts)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into thin
matchsticks
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 3/4 cup chicken broth, low-sodium canned, or
homemade or water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 bunches medium asparagus (about 2 pounds),
woody stems trimmed, sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 bunch scallions (white and green parts), thinly
sliced
• Serving suggestion: Brown or white rice
Directions
• Freeze the chicken breasts for 20 to 30 minutes and
then thinly slice the chicken against the grain into
strips. Toss the strips with about half the garlic
and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the
cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the sherry in a
Chicken and
Asparagus Crepes
Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
• 2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, dill, chives or mint)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 8 store-bought crepes (about 9 inches each)
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Directions
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a large baking dish. Combine the
chicken, ricotta, 1/2 cup parmesan, 3 tablespoons herbs, 3/4 teaspoon salt
and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Spoon about 1/4 cup filling
across the lower half of each crepe; roll up to enclose the filling. Place the
crepes, seam-side down, in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake until
the filling is hot, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the shallot and cook until it softens, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus
and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, lemon
zest and the remaining 1 tablespoon herbs and simmer until the sauce is
slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan
and season with salt and pepper.
• Divide the crepes among plates, top with the asparagus and sauce, and
sprinkle with parmesan.
Asparagus and Chicken Stir-fry
bowl. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Mix the remaining cornstarch with the broth.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil a large nonstick skillet
over high heat. Add the asparagus, scallions,
remaining garlic, ginger, 1/4 cup of water, and season
with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir-fry until the asparagus is
bright green but still crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer
to a bowl. Heat the same skillet until very hot, then
add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chicken and
stir-fry until it loses its raw color and gets a little
brown, about 3 minutes. Return the asparagus to the
pan and toss to heat through.
• Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to
a full boil to thicken. Mound the stir-fry on a serving
platter or divide among 4 plates; serve with rice.
Inviting nominations for
The Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame 2020
The guidelines, which need to be adhered to, for
nominations, are as follows:
1. The nominee needs to have an undisputable
2. Should be nominated by a person of repute. Further,
the nominee.
3. The nominator has to provide their full contact
details. No anonymous applications will
be accepted.
4.
business, sports, art, culture, or any other
profession).
5.
‘The Indian Weekender Honours’ recognises individuals who have built a road to
glory for themselves and left a path for the coming generations to tread on; who
have touched the lives of thousands and enriched the society with their being;
who have brought fame and respect to New Zealand and the Kiwi-Indian community.
The Indian Weekender invites nominations for such personalities from the
community for getting inducted into the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame 2020.
We also invite nominations for Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the Year
and Kiwi Indian Community Service Exellence Award 2020.
Nominate Online: visit www.halloffame.co.nz
Post your nominations: Fill this form and post it to the address given below.
Indian origin, from any part of the world, who has
settled here in New Zealand. To be of Indian origin,
at least one of the parents of the nominee have to
be Indian, by blood, thereby making the nominee
of Indian lineage.
6. The nominee must have either a Permanent
Residency (PR), or Citizenship of New Zealand to
be eligible for consideration.
7. The nominee should have no prior convictions.
8. For minors, under the age of 18, parental consent
will be required.
9. The successful candidate will be required to attend
the ceremony in person. In case a person is not able
to attend, due to any unforeseen circumstances, the
jury will use its discretion.
10.
cannot be challenged.
ENTRY FORM: Nomination form for The Indian Weekender Honour s 2020 | Pleas e fill and pos t it to the addres s below
Nominator Details
Nominee Details
About the Nominee
Name of the nominator
Name of the nominee
For how long have you known the nominee?
Professional details of the nominator
Age of nominee
Please state your reasons for nominating the above person. You may mention the
achievements of the nominee in his/her profession.
Gender M F
Address & Contact number of nominator
Address & Contact number of nominee
Category
Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame
Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the year (16 to 35 years only)
Kiwi Indian Community Service Excellence Award
How according to you has the Nominee brought fame and respect to the Kiwi-Indian
community? (Add extra sheets to this form, if required)
Declaration by Nominator
the nominee for this application.
Yes
No
Nominee has accepted to appear in person
for the ceremony, if he/she gets chosen
for the nominated category for Kiwi Indian
Honours 2020.
Yes
No
I hereby declare that the above information is true to the best of my knowledge. I also
allow The Indian Weekender and the Jury to use the information provided for background
checks and to contact either me or the nominee for the purpose of getting any
more information.
Signed:
Date:
What to do next?
Please take a print out of this form, sign
and send / or email at:
Jury Panel, Kiwi Indian Honours 2019
Level1,133A Onehunga Mall,
Auckland 1061
(Add extra pages to this form if required.)
For details contact Indian Weekender on
09-217 3623 or go to:
www.indianweekender.co.nz
halloffame@indianweekender.co.nz
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