PTI is recommending to its subscribers the following exclusive and special stories on April 3, Friday 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 3, Friday as part of our continuing coverage of the COVID-19 crisis: 1. VIRUS-DRUG-DEMAND -- DEL59 New Delhi: With US President Donald Trump describing hydroxychloroquine as a "game changer" in the fight against COVID-19 and several countries, including India, approving it for emergencies, pharmacies are reporting a surge in demand for the drug yet to be proven as a cure against the disease. . 2. BIZ-VIRUS-LD DOCTOR-VOLUNTEER -- DEL95 New Delhi: More than 31,000 doctors, including retired government and Armed Forces Medical Services, and private physicians have volunteered to help the government fight against COVID-19 pandemic, a senior government official said on Friday. .

3. VIRUS-IIT-DRONES -- DEL30 New Delhi: Three alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have developed a drone equipped with infrared camera which can help in thermal screening of groups without human intervention and identify suspected COVID-19 cases at an early stage once the lockdown is lifted. . 4. VIRUS-LD TOEFL-GRE -- DEL73 New Delhi: Global exams like TOEFL and GRE will be taken at home except in mainland China and Iran in view of the COVID-19 situation across the world, according to the Educational Testing Service. .

5. LOCKDOWN-WILDLIFE -- DES6 New Delhi: The air is cleaner, the roads quiet, birdsong can be heard again and animals, from leopards and elephants to deer and even a civet cat, have been spotted in multiple places across urban India. . 6. DL-LOCKDOWN-LABOURERS-NIZAMUDDIN -- DES19 New Delhi: Daily labourers and migrant workers living in and around Nizamuddin in the national capital complained of overpriced essentials and vegetables as the police beefed up security in the area after it emerged the biggest hotspot for the spread of coronavirus in India. .

7. GJ-VIRUS-CHILDREN -- BOM15 Ahmedabad: In a heart-warming gesture, children in Gujarat are emptying their humble piggy banks and donating their little savings to help fight the coronavirus crisis and provide relief to poor people affected by the ongoing lockdown. . 8. CG-VIRUS-TWINS-NAME -- BOM1 Raipur: While the coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to its knees, a couple in Chhattisgarh has decided to name their newborn twins as 'Corona' and 'Covid'. .

9. GA-VIRUS-STRAYS-- BES8 Panaji: The COVID-19 lockdown may have forced many to stay indoors, but some compassionate Goans are making an effort to take care for stray dogs. . 10. MH-VIRUS-SHELTERS -- BES4 Mumbai: The coronavirus outbreak has not only created a health emergency in Maharashtra, but it has also rendered thousands of daily wagers and migrant labourers jobless, triggering a mass exodus that cost some of them their lives. .

11. WB-VIRUS-TECHNICIANS-- CES16 Kolkata: As shootings of serials, films and web series are suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, technicians of the industry, who get their wages daily, are finding it difficult to make both ends meet. . 12. BH--LOCKDOWN-WORKER -- CES5 Patna: Long after the governments of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh were done with ferrying Bihari migrants to their homes, a young daily wage labourer found himself at the Anand Vihar bus terminus in the national capital, grieving for his mother. .

13. TL-VIRUS-POULTRY-- MDS4 Hyderabad: The coronavirus outbreak and the consequent lockdown have pushed the poultry sector in the country into a crisis with losses projected at Rs 22,500 crore beginning February this year, prompting the apex body of poultry breeders to seek Centre's intervention to bail it out 14. KA-VIRUS-MENTAL HEALTH -- MES4 Bengaluru: A top mental health expert has given tips on how to spend the Coronavirus lockdown period productively at home and to keep concerns, tension and stress at bay. . 15. VIRUS-AUS-STUDENTS -- FGN45 Melbourne:Australia, one of the most preferred destinations for Indian students, on Friday refused to offer any economic support to international students who were unable to support themselves in the ongoing coronavirus crisis with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying the country must focus at present on its citizens and residents. .

16. VIRUS-UK-INDIAN DOCTOR -- FGN39 London: An Indian-origin doctor campaigning for better access to the personal protection equipment (PPE) for medics across hospitals, dealing with the rapidly rising cases of the novel coronavirus, on Friday welcomed the UK government's updated guidance to make surgical masks essential. . 17 VIRUS-CHINA-WUHAN -- FGN31 Beijing: The authorities in China's Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus, on Friday asked its residents to stay at home and avoid non-essential outings amid fears of a possible rebound of the disease due to the steady rise in the asymptomatic cases, days after the nine-week lockdown was relaxed in the city. .

18. VIRUS-CHINA-LD DAY -- FGN28 Beijing: China will observe a national day of mourning on Saturday for "martyrs", including the 'whistleblower' Dr Li Wenliang, who sacrificed their lives in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak and the over 3,300 people who died of the infection in the country. PTI RT RT. .