FoR TEST by Shivam FoR TEST Bes ez ows The Postal Service cannot be allowed to crumble in the midst of a national emergency. Though organized as a self-sustaining quasi- governmental enterprise, run without taxpayer funding, it is not just another business. Even in an increasingly wired world, the agency's mandate of “universal service” provides a lifeline to remote areas. As this pandemic rages, its 600,000-plus employees are working to ensure that Americans receive their prescriptions and protective equipment and other essential items, no matter where they live. Nearly 500 postal workers have tested positive for the virus, with hundreds more suspected of having it, according to The Washington Post. Part of the problem is longstanding disagreement over the agency’s structure and mission. For years, conservatives have been pushing to privatize the service. A more recent threat arises from President Trump’s personal hostility toward the agency, stemming in part from his contention that it gives sweetheart delivery rates to Amazon, the e- commerce giant led by Jeff Bezos, whom Mr. Trump considers a political enemy. The president has accused Amazon of fleecing the Postal Service and argued that if the agency is having money troubles it should simply raise the rates it charges companies like Amazon and — poof — problem solved. “Should be charging MUCH MORE!” he was tweeting in 2017. This year, the Postal Service is also playing an expanded role in sustaining democracy. In the new world of social distancing, mail-in and absentee voting are crucial to ensuring that Americans do not have to risk their lives to cast their votes. If the Postal Service collapses, it will take with it the infrastructure needed for millions of Americans to participate in the most fundamental act of self-government. Words» 229 (400 / seat? wy Ko f me Fypingmaterialode ‘Telearam |) ‘Scanned with ComScannerFoR DEO. FORuTEsT: by Shivam The mail service’s troubles did not begin with the coronavirus. For decades, the agency has suffered a decline in its core business. The volume of first-class mail has dropped from a peak of 103.6 billion pieces in 2001 to 54.9 last year. To help make up the gap, the agency has shifted aggressively into the package delivery business, contracting with private companies, including FedEx, UPS and, yes, Amazon. In its most recent update on the agency, the Government Accountability Office painted a bleak picture: "U.S.P.S.’s overall financial condition is deteriorating and unsustainable. U.S.P.S. has lost $69 billion over the past 11 fiscal years — including $3.9 billion in fiscal year 2018. U.S.P.S.s total unfunded liabilities and debt ($143 billion at the end of fiscal year 2018) have grown to double its annual revenue.” Compounding its current problems, the service is saddled with financial obligations not imposed on other enterprises, private or public. In 2006, Congress passed a bill requiring the agency to set aside around $5.5 billion per year to prepay health care benefits for future retirees. This has put the Postal Service at a competitive disadvantage, Absent this burden, the agency would have turned a profit in each of the past six years, according to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies. There have been multiple attempts by Congress to repeal this mandate. America’s favourite government agency is on the brink of collapse, and Washington policymakers appear too mired in politics to save it. Like so many businesses, the United States Postal Service has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Mail volume is down nearly a third over this time last year and continues to fall. The Postal Service is predicting $13 billion in lost revenue this fiscal year as a direct result of the pandemic. In an April 9 talk briefing to the House Oversight and Reform Committee, the postmaster general, Megan Brennan, warned that without financial assistance the agency could run out of money by the end of September. wordn-» 333 (62/65) 32] 102) ‘Scanned wih CamScannerSEo Dink For Practicé by Shivam Limiting transmission in hotspots depends on a wider tracing and testing strategy. Even after the Health Ministry on March 28 acknowledged on its website that there was “limited community transmission”, India’s national taskforce for COVID-19 continues to deny it. Now, a paper in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, by ICMR and Health Ministry researchers, provides evidence of community transmission in 36 districts in 15 States. The study is based on sentinel surveillance undertaken by the task force among severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) patients who have been hospitalised in public sector institutions to identify the spread and the extent of transmission of COVID-19 disease in the community. If there were 1.9% (two of 106) SARI cases positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus by the end of March third week, the number increased to 104 by April 2. Of the 102 coronavirus positive SARI cases tested between March 22 and April 2, 40 (39%) had no travel history or contact with a positive case; data on exposure were not available for 59 (58%) cases. If more than 1% of SARI patients tested positive for the virus in 15 States, at 21 (3.8%), Maharashtra had the most number of coronavirus positive SARI cases in eight districts followed by Delhi (14 cases; 5.1%), Gujarat (13 cases; 1.6%), and West Bengal (9 cases; 3.5%). Kerala had just one SARI patient testing positive. The authors point out that antibody-based testing carried out in those testing negative for molecular test could have helped identify more positive cases. With community transmission, or the third stage, now being confirmed in 36 districts, an expansion and change in testing strategy has become imperative in the high focus areas for the lockdown to be more meaningful. Though the taskforce has not openly declared community transmission, it is reassuring to note that the ICMR has already initiated changes in the testing strategy in response to the change in the pattern of community spread. On April 9, the ICMR revised the testing strategy for hotspots/clusters and large migration gatherings/evacuees centres. While the criteria for testing across India remain the same, the testing norms for the high focus areas will now include people with influenza-like illness (IL!) with certain symptoms. Antibody testing should be carried out whenever molecular tests on these patients turn out negative. It is important to include antibody testing along with molecular testing when necessary in the high focus areas. Together with containment measures, this approach will help in snapping the transmission chain. Syndromic surveillance of all SARI and ILI patients along with quick and effective tracing, quarantining and testing of their contacts should be the way forward now. How well India responds now will determine whether the spread is contained quickly or leads to more cases and deaths. _[' #mefHninpmateritedt Words-5302 bese ‘Scanned wih CamScanner