Coronavirus Highlights: States Shut Educational Institutes, Public Spaces As Cases In India Spike To 137

The number of deaths around the world linked to the new coronavirus has topped 7,000, after Italy announced a new surge in fatalities, according to news agency AFP.  India also reported its third fatality on Tuesday as cases reached 137.

As per Health Ministry figures, the highest number of cases are from Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka.

Notably, several states such as Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Haryana have shut down schools, colleges and public spaces in order to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

A total of 7,007 people have died, with 175,536 infections recorded globally. China has the highest number of fatalities at 3,213, followed by Italy with 2,158 deaths and almost 28,000 cases.

With the cases of the coronavirus swelling in India, the government prohibited entry of passengers from EU countries, Turkey and the UK from March 18 to March 31.

Meanwhile, the first human trial of coronavirus vaccine is underway in the United States.

Catch all the latest updates on Coronavirus here. 

9:20PM: Malls and theatres closed in Chennai, after state govt yesterday ordered closure of all colleges, schools, malls, theatres in the state.

9:15PM: Delhi Police issues 'appeal' asking people to remain indoor as far as possible and not come outside for leisure in view of COVID-19.

9:12PM: At least 300 Keralites, including students, are stranded at the Kuala Lumpur airport following cancellation of flights to India due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Those stranded have come from various countries including Philippines, Cambodia and Malaysia.

9:00 PM: Gurugram district magistrate has directed corporate offices to let their employees work from home till March 31. 

8:24 PM: Air India has announced a temporary suspension of its entire services to Europe and the UK from March 19 to March 31

The airline flies to London and Brimingham in the UK, and Frankfurt, Milan, Rome, Madrid, Vienna, Stockholm and Copenhagen in Europe. Services to Milan, Rome and Madrid was temporarily suspended earlier.

8:15 PM:  Government of Karnataka has banned all official and private tour plans of officials in the wake of the spread of coronavirus.

7:54 PM: MEA says, "Cannot confirm whether more than 250 Indians in Iran have tested positive for COVID-19."

7:50 PM: A 29-year-old woman has tested positive for novel coronavirus in Gurugram. She had returned from Malaysia recently. She is a resident of Sector-9 and has been admitted to the isolation ward of a government hospital in Sector-10.

7:47 PM: Mumbai police order closure of orchestra/dance bars, discotheques, pubs, live bands and DJ performances in city till March 31 in view of coronavirus threat.

7:30 PM: UEFA has proposed postponing the European Championship, due to take place across the continent in June and July this year, until 2021 at crisis meetings on Tuesday, AFP reported.

7:18PM: The 11th patient who tested positive for coronavirus in Karnataka is a 67-year-old female, a resident of Bengaluru who returned from Dubai via Goa on March 9.

The state's Department of Health said, "She is a known case of chronic kidney disease. She was in strict home quarantine since March 9. Yesterday, she was admitted to isolation ward of hospital. 21 high-risk contacts have been identified, including 5 members of her family and they are under strict home quarantine.

7:00 PM: Four people have been admitted in the isolation ward of Goa Medical College and Hospital for suspected exposure to the novel coronavirus, officials said.

Their condition is stable and samples have been sent for testing.

6:50 PM: The Central Railway has announced cancellation of 23 outstation trains saying the step was taken to contain the spread of coronavirus and also due to non-occupancy of trains.

6:46 PM:  Another positive case confirmed in Telangana, taking tally in the state to 5. The new confirmed patient is an Indonesian not an Indian national; he has travel history from Delhi to Telangana.

6:44 PM:  Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Tuesday reviewed the level of preparedness to contain novel coronavirus threat with states bordering Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

6:38 PM: Two people who returned from Italy this week and were staying at an ITBP quarantine facility tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Tuesday.

6:33 PM: "Trains and buses are essential services so we are not stopping them as of now. But if people don't listen to our advice and don't avoid unnecessary travel, then we will think about that too. Next 15-20 days are very crucial for us," says Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.

6:20 PM: Health Ministry says guidelines have been formulated for dead body management, infection prevention, control measures, and environmental disinfection.

It added that tests for coronavirus at private labs should be offered when prescribed by a qualified physician as per ICMR guidelines. The private labs would have to ensure real-time reporting to IDSP and ICMR

6:03 PM: DGCA tells airlines that all aircraft must be deep-cleaned and disinfected at least once in 24 hours. It also directed airlines to equip all aircraft must be equipped with hand sanitizers placed in common areas like lavatories. 

6:01 PM: The Indo Tibetan Border Police has postponed a nationwide written exam to be held on Sunday for recruiting constables. The exam was supposed to be taken by about 50,000 candidates on March 22 at 11 cities in the country.

5:49PM: Deepak Mhaisekar, Divisional Commissioner of Pune, said one more person has been tested positive for coronavirus in Pimpri-Chinchwad on Tuesday. The man has travel history to the USA. With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases rises to 40 in Maharashtra.

5:45PM: Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India rises to 137, Health Ministry said.

5:38 PM:  France moved into a near-total lockdown on Tuesday over the coronavirus, the latest country to impose draconian restrictions.

5:30 PM:  The Union Health Ministry on expanded compulsory quarantine for a minimum of 14 days for passengers coming from or transiting through UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.

5:03 PM:  Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) says it is expanding the number of laboratories and so far, there are 72 functional laboratories for testing coronavirus.

The director-general of ICMR said: "We have also engaged non-ICMR, Ministry of Health, govt laboratories include CSIR, DRDO, DBT, govt medical colleges, we have 49 of those labs which will start testing by the end of this week."

4:47 PM:  To enhance capacity for diagnosis and detection of novel coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry has decided to allow accredited private labs to conduct tests for COVID-19. 

4:36 PM:  The Srinagar district administration announced a slew of additional measures, including plans of televised classes for students, to ensure that there is no outbreak of coronavirus in the city and the Valley.

4:28 PM: Poland government has in quarantine after a minister was diagnosed with Coronavirus.

4:27 PM:  Tourism activities in national parks and tiger reserves in Uttarakhand, including Corbett and Rajaji, prohibited till March 31as a precautionary measure against coronavirus.

4:20 PM: All ministries asked to install thermal scanners at government buildings in wake of COVID-19

4:19 PM: "Routine issue of visitors, temporary passes be suspended with immediate effect in wake of COVID-19," the government order said.

3:58PM: The National Museum in Delhi will remain closed for the public from 17th-31st March.

3:55PM: The Himachal Pradesh government has advised people to shun darshan of deities at temples. There will be no darshans in all the government-controlled temples in Himachal Pradesh in view of the possibility of people getting infected with the coronavirus in gatherings, the state government said.

3:22PM: The Archaeological Survey of India on Tuesday ordered shutting down of all its centrally protected monuments, and cancelled all permissions given for filming, photography and cultural events within its premises till March 31 as a precautionary measure.

2:59PM: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has issued directives to close all tourist places in the state till March 31.  He also directed educational institutions, including schools, to remain closed till April 2. 

2:45PM: Tokyo 2020 cancels some local events along the Olympic torch relay route to avoid forming crowds. Some events will go ahead but will be closed to the public, Reuters reported.

2:15PM: Rajghat memorial of Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi has been closed till March 31 due to the threat posed by the virus. Red Fort and Qutub Minar have also been temporarily closed.

2:10PM: Gulf airline flydubai has temporarily suspended its services to India for a month due to travel and visa restrictions.

2:05PM: Uttar Pradesh has extended the closure of all educational institutions and school till April 2 due to the virus scare. Earlier the schools had been closed till March 22.

2:00PM: In view of multiple cases of coronavirus being reported from Maharashtra, Shirdi Saibaba Temple will be closed for devotees from 3 pm today till further orders.

In Mumbai, Mumbadevi Temple have also been closed for devotees.

1:30PM: Three more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Union Territory of Ladakh, taking the COVID-19 cases in the area to six.

1:15PM: Battling rising number of novel coronavirus cases, the Maharashtra government has suspended the use of breath-analyser for testing drunk driving cases for the time being.

12:13PM: Gurgaon Woman Tests Positive For Coronavirus, First Confirmed Case In Haryana

A 29-year-old woman from Haryana's Gurgaon district has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a health official said.  The woman is an employee of a Gurgaon-based company and had recently travelled to Malaysia and Indonesia, the official said.  "This is the first positive case of the coronavirus in Haryana," state Director General of Health Suraj Bhan Kamboj said. 

12:05PM: All National camps to be postponed except for those where athletes training for Olympics: Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju

11:45AM: 'Game of Thrones' star Kristofer Hivju says he tested positive for Covid-19.  

"Greetings from Norway! Sorry to say that I, today, have tested positive for COVID19, Corona virus. My family and I are self-isolating at home for as long as it takes. We are in good health - I only have mild symptoms of a cold," he wrote on Instagram.

11:39AM: V Muraleedharan, Union Minister of State for External Affairs is under self quarantine at his home in Delhi. He visited Sri Chitra hospital Thiruvananthapuram on March 14 to attend a conference, where one doctor tested positive for Coronavirus.

11:16AM: PM Modi at BJP meeting lauds medical staff for their role in tackling coronavirus; also praises media for spreading awareness

11:12AM: India Bans Entry of Passengers From Afghanistan, Philippines, Malaysia With Immediate Effect

"Travel of passengers from Afghanistan, Philippines and Malaysia to India is prohibited with immediate effect," the travel advisory said. No flight shall take off from these countries to India after 1500 hours Indian Standard Time (IST). The airline shall enforce this at the port of initial departure, according to the advisory.

10:59AM: A 64-year-old COVID-19 patient dies at Mumbai's Kasturba hospital, reports news agency ANI

10:43AM: Coronavirus Cases In India Climb To 125: The number of novel coronavirus cases in the country have risen to 125 after fresh cases were reported from several states. The cases include 22 foreign nationals and two persons who died in Delhi and Karnataka.

10:38AM: Two Test Positive In Noida: Two persons test positive for Coronavirus in Noida; one in Sector 78 and another in Sector 100 with travel history to France. Both are admitted in designated isolation hospital.

10:36AM: In view of the coronavirus situation in India, the government has prohibited entry of passengers from Afghanistan, Philippines, Malaysia into India with immediate effect. 

10:29AM: Tom Hanks Released From Hospital After Virus Quarantine: Hollywood actor Tom Hanks has been released from the Australian hospital where he was in isolation since testing positive for the coronavirus last week, but his wife Rita Wilson remains hospitalised.

9:34AM: Two More Test Positive In Karnataka: Two more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 late last night, taking the number of infected cases to 10 in Karnataka, Health Department officials said.

9:10AM: Italy has once again recorded more than 300 deaths in a single day, with 349 people dying on Monday due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

9:07AM: The global death toll linked to the coronavirus outbreak has now crossed 7,000, with most of the deaths recorded in two countries-- Italy and China. 

9:05AM: The Taj Mahal will be closed for tourists from today onwards amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

9:03AM: The first human trial of coronavirus vaccine is underway in the United States.

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-maharashtra-records-highest-coronavirus-cases-with-41-infected-1-dead/348950