As per the data available on the World Health Organisation website, globally, the virus has infected more than 184,000 people and killed more than 7500, and the numbers are growing day by day.
Positive cases of coronavirus in India rise to 151
The Ministry of Health on Wednesday said that the number of positive cases of coronavirus has climbed to 151, including 25 foreign nationals.
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18:32 IST: Positive cases of coronavirus in India rise to 151
The Ministry of Health on Wednesday said that the number of positive cases of coronavirus has climbed to 151, including 25 foreign nationals.
18:21 IST: Coronavirus: Liquor bars to be closed from tomorrow in Puducherry
In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Wednesday said that all liquor bars in the state will remain closed from tomorrow.
18:01 IST: Nepal expands entry ban to flights from Europe, West Asia, Mid-East
Nepal on Wednesday imposed restriction on the entry of all arrivals and transit flights from Europe, West Asia, and the Middle East in a bid to contain the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
17:12 IST: Nepal shuts cinema halls, cultural centres, other public places till April 30
The Government of Nepal on Wednesday announced the closure of cinema halls, cultural centres, stadium, sports grounds, health clubs, museums, swimming pools and other places of recreational activities, till April 30 in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
The government has also set up a helpline to address queries about coronavirus and share information on the developing situation of the infection in the country. Since March 13, the day the helpline was instituted, the number has received over 22,000 queries regarding the virus, according to the Kathmandu Post.
16:53 IST: UK’s coronavirus advisor self isolates after COVID-19 symptoms
A top advisor on the novel coronavirus to the Government of the United Kingdom said on Wednesday that he might have caught the disease. He has confirmed that he was in meetings with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other government officials before developing the symptoms.
Advisor Neil Ferguson is the head of the modelling program at Imperial College London’s Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis. It was his team’s research that prompted the UK government to impose more restrictive measures to slow the virus’ spread, according to CNN. Ferguson posted on Twitter that he may have been infected with the novel disease, “Sigh. Developed a slight dry but persistent cough yesterday and self-isolated even though I felt fine. Then developed high fever at 4 am today. There is a lot of COVID-19 in Westminster.”
16:22 IST: ISKCON Temple suspends public visits amid coronavirus outbreak
The officials at the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Temple announced that public visits to the temple have been suspended from today till further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The health and safety of the public is of paramount importance. I know this step has disappointed many devotees but I would urge the devotees not to panic as this is just a precautionary measure,” Naveen Neerada Dasa, spokesperson ISKCON Temple told ANI. He further said: “Social distancing is the best way to avoid the spread of Coronavirus–it is just for a few weeks. But at the same time, the daily temple aartis and special sevas will continue to be conducted by the resident devotees of the ISKCON temple.”
These can be viewed live on the official website of the Temple.
15:27 IST: MEA confirms 255 Indians test positive for COVID-19 in Iran
As many as 255 Indians in Iran have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.
“Other than Iran, 12 Indians have also tested positive in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), five in Italy and one each in Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Kuwait and Hong Kong,” V Muraleedharan, Minister of State in the MEA told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. Muraleedharan also noted that India had “Provided 15 tonnes of medical assistance including one lakh masks, one lakh surgical masks, five lakh pairs of surgical gloves, 75 pieces of infusion pumps, 30 pieces of enteral feeding pumps, 21 pieces of Defibrillator, 4, 000 pieces of N-95 masks to China.”
“These supplies were delivered by an Indian Air Force C-17 special flight which landed in Wuhan, China. This assistance was provided as a mark of friendship,” he added
15:26 IST: COVID-19: Restaurant association issues advisory, asks members to shut operations till March 31
In a bid to check the spread of coronavirus, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has issued an advisory to all its members to shut down operations from March 18 to March 31. “In view of the serious health risk to lakhs of employees and millions of patrons in the Food Service Sector amidst ever-worsening situation around COVID-19 in India, NRAI, as a responsible industry body, has sent out an advisory to all its Members to shut down their Restaurant’s operations from March 18 till 31st March 2020 or till such time when there are no new cases reported for a few days,” said an official statement by the NRAI.
15:19 IST: Sixth positive coronavirus case from Telangana confirmed
The sixth positive case of coronavirus in Telangana was confirmed by the Health Ministry on Wednesday. The patient has travel history to the United Kingdom and his samples were collected yesterday and sent to the laboratory for results. The sample was tested positive for coronavirus today. He is now admitted to an isolation ward in a state-run hospital.
Two more positive cases of COVID-19 in Karnataka, tally now 13
Two more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Karnataka, taking the tally of infected persons in the state to 13, Health Minister B Sriramulu said on Wednesday. A 56-year-old man, a resident of Bengaluru had returned to India from the US on March 6 while the second person is a 25-yr-old woman with a travel history to Spain. “2 more COVID-19 cases have been registered in Bengaluru today, taking the total infected cases to 13. 56-year-old male, resident of Bengaluru returned from the USA on 6th March. Another 25-yr-old female has returned from Spain,” Sriramulu said in a post on his Twitter account.
15:13 IST: No COVID-19 case in Goa: Health Minister
Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Wednesday said that there was no COVID-19 case in the state and people should not panic.
“It is wrong news. There is absolutely no reason to panic. The final report hasn’t yet come, we’re waiting. All future information will be given only by Dr Utkarsh (state epidemiologist) as per protocol,” he said. The reaction of the minister came after an alleged hoax call to the health department which claimed that one person had tested positive for COVID-19.
Confirmed coronavirus cases in India rises to 153
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has reached 153. According to the reports, 12 fresh cases reported from various parts of the country on Wednesday.
Maharashtra is the worst-hit state followed by Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. One person has died in Karnataka, while one more died in Maharashtra with the coronavirus. The Union Territory of Ladakh reported eight cases while Jammu and Kashmir reported three. Odisha reported its first case on Monday.
15:09 IST: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra suspended amid coronavirus concerns
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra has been suspended as a precautionary measure over coronavirus scare, announced Jammy and Kashmir administration on Tuesday.
14:56 IST: Goa State Election Commission issues advisory to prevent COVID-19 spread during Zila Panchayat polls
The Goa State Election Commission on Wednesday issued a notification pertaining to precautionary measures to be taken to combat coronavirus during Zila Panchayat polls. The electoral body directed all the Review Officers and Assistant Review Officers to ensure that all polling stations are sanitised and mopping is done with the help of disinfectants such as Dettol and Lyzol. It also instructed the officials to provide adequate provisions of washing hands at all the polling booths.
14:36 IST: Odisha govt asks religious institutions to adhere to COVID-19 prevention norms
The Odisha government on Wednesday asked all religious institutions in the state to “strictly adhere to the coronavirus prevention norms issued by the state government”. “In view of coronavirus situation, Odisha Government gives an advisory to all religious institutions within the state to strictly adhere to the coronavirus prevention norms, given by state government, including social distancing and other measures,” an advisory issued by the Chief Minister’s office read. It further adds that in case any religious institution is not able to maintain the precautions for preventing the virus, they are hereby advised to immediately restrict the entry of pilgrims while continuing with the rituals.
14:25 IST: One more COVID-19 case in Noida, count climbs to four
A person with travel history to Indonesia has tested positive for coronavirus, Gautam Buddh Nagar Chief Medical Officer Anurag Bhargav said on Tuesday.
“A person, with a travel history to Indonesia, has tested positive for coronavirus. This is the fourth case of COVID-19 in Gautam Buddh Nagar,” Bhargav said. Yesterday, two persons had tested positive in the city. Both had a travel history to France.
There have been 17 coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh, including a foreigner, according to official data.
14:25 IST: Pakistan: Sindh reports 9 more cases of coronavirus; national tally at 246
Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh reported nine more cases of the novel coronavirus, surging the tally to 181, provincial spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said on Wednesday. A total of 246 people have been infected from COVID-19, including 143 pilgrims who returned to Sukkur from the Iran-Pakistan border at Taftan, as per a report by Dawn. The eastern province of Punjab has reported 26 cases, Balochistan 16, capital Islamabad 2, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 16.
14:22 IST: Odisha govt seeks foreign travel details of IT sector employees
Electronics and Information Technology Department of Odisha government has asked the Software Technology Park and all IT/ITES companies to provide the history of foreign visits of their employees. The department has also directed that employees with a history of recent foreign visits should register with Odisha’s COVID-19 online portal immediately. The non-declaration by any employee is a punishable offence under the regulation for prevention and containment of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), said the department on Tuesday.
14:14 IST: SSB batches commencing from March 20 postponed due to COVID-19: Indian Army
The Indian Army said that it has postponed all Services Selection Board (SSB) batches commencing from March 20 due to COVID-19 crisis.
Amid the threat of coronavirus outbreak, the Indian Army on Tuesday decided to immediately postpone 90 different courses involving officers and jawans across the country.
13:40 IST: Evacuate Indian students stuck abroad due to coronavirus: RSP member in Lok Sabha
Revolutionary Socialist Party member NK Premachandran on Wednesday demanded that the government take immediate steps for the evacuation of Indian students stranded in Italy, Iran, Malaysia, and the Philippines amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Raising the issue during zero hour in the Lok Sabha, Premachandran noted that thousands of students have been stranded in the aforementioned countries due to the cancellation of flights. “They should be evacuated by sending special flights. Kindly respond. The External Affairs Ministry has to respond,” he said.
13:24 IST: Sydney Film Festival 2020 cancelled due to coronavirus concerns
Joining the growing list of the cancelled events due to the concerns of the spread of novel coronavirus, the organizers of the Sydney Film festival has decided to not hold the already scheduled event.
The festival was earlier scheduled to take place in June in Australia’s city and festival organizers called the move a “responsible decision – albeit a devastating one,” cited Variety. The state of New South Wales issued an order banning large gatherings until mid-June, as a response to the coronavirus outbreak.
12:45 IST: Two more coronavirus cases in Ladakh, tally rises to 8
Two more people on Wednesday were tested positive for coronavirus in Ladakh, taking the cases of the deadly virus in the Union Territory to eight. Both the COVID-19 positive patients are the relatives of people who were previously tested positive for the disease. Speaking to reporters, Rigzin Sampheal, Commissioner Secretary of Ladakh said, “We have received the result of 34 reports of which two people have tested positive for COVID-19. These persons are the relatives of people who were previously reported positive and were kept under quarantine in heart foundation.”
12:22 IST: Kyrgyzstan reports first 3 cases of coronavirus
Kyrgyzstan Health Ministry on Wednesday reported the first three cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, involving people with travel history to Saudi Arabia.
12:12 IST: Centre warns masks, hand sanitizers and gloves manufacturers for non-compliance of order
The Department of Pharmaceuticals, under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, has warned the manufacturers and importers of masks, gloves and hand sanitisers of penal action for non-compliance of the orders issued on March 13 regarding submission of information pertaining to these items.
12:05 IST: 167 coronavirus suspected patients go missing in Ludhiana
At least 167 people suspected of having coronavirus have been missing in Ludhiana while only 29 have been traced, said Dr Rajesh Bagga, the city’s civil surgeon.
Medical officials in Punjab had received a list of people who have recently returned to India and have been tracking down people on the list in a bid to ascertain infections if any. “Two teams have been tasked to find people coming from abroad, in which police have been given responsibility for finding 119 people. They have found 12 people so far and the other team is from the health department, in which they were given the responsibility to find 77 people,” he told ANI.
12:01 IST: Parks, gardens in Nagpur’s NMRDA to be shut till March 31
In a bid to contain coronavirus spread, authorities here on Tuesday shut down all parks and gardens of Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority (NMRDA) till March 31.
11:52 IST: Turkey reports first death from coronavirus
Turkish Health Ministry on Tuesday reported the first death from novel coronavirus in the country, while 51 additional cases were diagnosed, raising the tally to 98.
11:11 IST: New Zealand cancels all community cricket programmes
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Wednesday cancelled all community cricket programmes, including clubs and schools, for the rest of the season in a bid to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
10:45 IST: Thermal scanning of visitors at Parliament premises
Thermal scanning of visitors is being conducted at all gates of Parliament premises as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of coronavirus.
10:38 IST: Students till class 8 to be promoted to next class without exams in UP
In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to promote students till class 8th to the next class without examination. Their assessment will be done on the basis of performance throughout the academic session.
