PTI is recommending to its subscribers the following exclusive and special stories on April 1, Wednesday as part of our continuing coverage of the COVID-19 crisis:

PTI is recommending to its subscribers the following exclusive and special stories on April 1, Wednesday as part of our continuing coverage of the COVID-19 crisis: 1.VIRUS-LD HOTSPOTS -- DEL84 New Delhi: The government is focusing its attention on 10 ‘hotspots’ across the country in its effort to control the spread of COVID-19, which has infected more than 1,200 people and claimed at least 35 lives. There are two hotspots each in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala and Maharashtra and one each in Gujarat and Rajasthan: 2.LOCKDOWN-BOLLYWOOD-DESPAIR -- 51 Mumbai: Pushed to the edge of penury in the twilight of her life, 72-year-old Tarabai Mandre is one of the thousands of people who form the backbone of Bollywood and are struggling to survive the three-week lockdown that has brought the industry to a grinding halt. . 3.VIRUS-BCG-STUDY -- DEL75 New Delhi:The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, administered to millions of Indian children soon after birth to protect against tuberculosis, could be a “game-changer” in the fight against the deadly coronavirus, say US scientists. .

4.VIRUS-CLUSTERS-EXPERTS -- DEL74 New Delhi: The identification of cluster infections can act as a speed breaker in the rising curve of COVID-19 cases if vigorous tracing and isolation of people in these hotspots is carried out, according to some experts, while others see it as indicative of start of community transmission in the country. . 5.BIZ-VIRUS-BANKS-EMI -- DEL27 New Delhi: The three-month suspension of EMI payments may not result in a significant gains for borrowers as they will charge interest for the moratorium period, according to the moratorium scheme announced by state-owned banks. .

6.VIRUS-IIT-ROBOTS -- DEL8 New Delhi: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) are developing two robots which can be deployed in isolation wards for COVID-19 infected cases for delivery of food and medicine to patients and collection of contagious waste. . 7.JK-VIRUS-MASKS -- DES14 Srinagar: A PhD student, a fashion designer and a 10-year-old girl have come forward to produce enough masks for the residents of Kashmir Valley after they found that the city lacked adequate quantity of protective gear to tackle the deadly coronavirus. .

8.MP-VIRUS-NEWSPAPERS --BOM15 Bhopal: The coronavirus outbreak and lockdown has severely affected the print media in Madhya Pradesh as over 300 newspapers have been forced to suspend publications due to issues like lack of transport facilities and rumours that newspapers could be carriers of the virus. . 9.GJ-LOCKDOWN-POLICE BAND --BOM12 Ahmedabad: Gujarat Police are using their band to lift the spirits of people amid the coronavirus crisis and to send across a message to stay strong and fight the challenging times with patience. 10.VIRUS-SAFRICA-INDIAN -- FGN2 Johannesburg: World-renowned virologist Gita Ramjee has become the first Indian-origin South African to have died after contracting the novel coronavirus that has killed five people in the country. .

11.VIRUS-UK-VISAS -- FGN25 London: In a relief to foreign doctors, including from India, whose visas were set to expire in October this year, the UK government has extended the deadline by one year amid the country's fight against the coronavirus pandemic. . 12.VIRUS-UK-APP -- FES37 London: The UK's government-funded National Health Service (NHS) is looking into the feasibility of deploying a mobile phone application that could be used as a contact-tracing tool, which alerts users to their exposure to coronavirus carriers. .

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