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Punjab extends curfew by two weeks after May 3

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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced extension of curfew in the state by two weeks after May 3, while unveiling steps for limited lifting of the lockdown restrictions from Thursday in the non-containment and non-red zones with strict adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols.

Based on the report of the expert committee set up to formulate the state”s exit strategy, and the inputs received from various sections of society, the Chief Minister said it was necessary to continue with the lockdown restrictions for some more time.

The curfew or lockdown in the state will now remain in force in Punjab will May 17, though limited easing of restrictions will be in place from Thursday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. every day.

The containment and red zones will, however, continue to remain under total and strict lockdown.

In an address to the people of the state, the Chief Minister said the situation will be reviewed after two weeks and further relaxations will be announced thereafter if the pandemic remains in control.

As per the limited relief announced by the Chief Minister, certain shops will be allowed to remain open in certain areas by rotation, for four hours every morning, with 50 per cent staff strength.

The Deputy Commissioner (DCs) have been directed to work out the rotational schedule for the shops that are allowed to be opened in line with the Chief Minister”s directives, which have come four days after the new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs came into effect.

The curfew will remain in place after 11 a.m., as usual, said the Chief Minister, appealing to people to be back in their homes by that time, and continue to maintain social distancing.

All those stepping out during the relaxation period would have to wear masks and maintain a two metres distance from others, he said, adding the relief has been provided only for the convenience of the people and should not be used for interactions with friends, etc.

“If the situation improves after two weeks, we can take more steps,” said Amarinder Singh.

The limited relaxations announced by the Chief Minister from Thursday include permission for opening of all registered shops, except those in multi-brand and single-brand malls, with 50 per cent strength of workers from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

In urban areas, all stand-alone shops, neighbourhood shops and shops in residential complexes are allowed to open during this period, as per the new directives, which make it clear, however, that establishments dealing in services like saloons, barber shops, etc., would continue to remain closed.

Further, e-commerce companies will continue to be permitted to deal in essential goods only during this period.

Expressing his government”s keenness to open up the industry, the Chief Minister urged all those who could accommodate the workers or had workers staying in the vicinity to start opening up in order to help revive the state”s battered economy.

Referring to the large number of Punjabis stranded in other states due to the lockdown, the Chief Minister said it was his government”s duty to bring them back but they would have to be quarantined for 21 days.

The state had made arrangements for their quarantine in all district, he said, adding the problem had aggravated in Punjab due to the large number of NRIs who came home, followed by the attendees of the Nizamuddin event.

The state, he said, could not afford to let those coming from outside again let things spiral out of control. The quarantine for those coming home from other states was essential for the protection of the people, he said.

Earlier, the Chief Minister said the relief announced was for the benefit of the people who had been under severe curfew restrictions for the past 38 days.

Describing it as a difficult time for the people, who had sacrificed a lot for themselves, their families and the state at large, Amarinder Singh said it had been necessary to control the pandemic, which had so far infected 330 people in the state.

While various experts were coming out with different opinions, there seemed to be an indication that the coronavirus crisis could continue till July-August, or even September, said Amarinder Singh, terming it a long-drawn battle.

Pointing out that no country had escaped the coronavirus, he observed the disease had claimed lots of lives across the world, with nearly 50,000 people dying in the US, which had reported 10 lakh cases so far.

He cited the examples of the UK, Germany and Canada to underscore the need for continued caution.

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Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones

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CasinoDays India

International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.

Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.

The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.

Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile

The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.

CasinoDays India

The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.

“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.

Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings

Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.

 

CasinoDays India

Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).

Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.

The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.

Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.

Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities

The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.

On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.

Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.

“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.

The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.

 

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