The Indian Weekender, Friday 17 April 2020

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


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.


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



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


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


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,

0800 RESENE (737 363)

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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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


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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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

Content Editor: Sandeep Singh | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz

Chief Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | rizwan@indianweekender.co.nz

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Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent

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.


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


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.


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


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


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


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


• 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 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

Protect yourself from the spread of COVID-19

The Indian Weekender, Friday 17 April 2020

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