Coronavirus Outbreak Updates: Two Foreign Nationals Quarantined In Goa

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged all countries to fight the Novel Coronavirus as figures show about 17 times as many new infections outside China as in it. The virus has infected nearly 101,988 people and killed over 3,400.

India is on high alert for Coronavirus outbreak after the country reported 33 positive cases of the virus, including 16 Italian tourists. The latest case was of a Delhi man, third from the national capital, who has travel history to Malaysia and Thailand.

In view of the outbreak, all primary schools in Delhi -- both government and private --were ordered to remain shut from March 6 to March 31.

According to the latest advisory, all international passengers irrespective of their nationality are mandated to undergo a universal medical screening.

The number of novel coronavirus cases in the world rose to 101,988, including 3,491 deaths, across 94 countries and territories by Saturday, according to a report compiled by AFP.

New infections and deaths have been declining in recent weeks in China due to draconian quarantine measures. The virus has spread to at least 70 countries including Italy, Iran, US, Saudi Arabia, claiming hundreds of lives.

Catch The Latest Updates Here:

March 7, 2020

7:59 PM: Two foreign nationals were quarantined in Goa Medical College and Hospital for suspected exposure to the novel coronavirus, a senior state health department official said on Saturday.

6:40 PM: Three more cases have been found positive taking the total number of Coronavirus cases in India to 34. Two cases are from Ladakh with travel history from Iran and one from Tamil Nadu with travel history from Oman. All the patients are stable, said Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary (Health), Union Health Ministry.

5:59 PM: PM Narendra Modi reviews coronavirus situation in the country at a meeting with officials and directs them to identify locations for sufficient quarantine facilities, and make provisions for critical care in case the disease spreads further.

5:31 PM: The Department of Telecom (DoT) asks telecom operators to put coronavirus awareness messages in place of ringing tones.

5:03 PM: District Magistrate Srinagar, Shahid Choudhary, has ordered the closure of all primary-level schools in the district till further orders.

4:43 PM: Iran reports 21 new coronavirus deaths, raising total to 145.

4:20 PM: In view of coronavirus, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has cancelled the March 9 'Holi Milan' programme as a preventive measure, the Raj Bhawan said on Saturday. Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had decided to stay away from 'Holi Milan' programmes and had appealed to people to refrain from attending social functions in view of coronavirus.

4:01 PM: The number of novel coronavirus cases in the world rose to 101,988, including 3,491 deaths, across 94 countries and territories by Saturday, according to a report compiled by AFP from official sources.

3:50 PM:  Two persons from Hoshiarpur tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus at the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in Amritsar on Saturday.

3:08 PM: The Union health ministry has made functional 52 laboratories across India for testing samples while 57 labs have been designated for helping in sample collection for COVID-19.

3:00 PM: Cases Rise In UAE, One Indian Infected | The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported 15 new cases of the deadly coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 45. Among the new cases, one Indian has also been affected.

2:30PM: First Confirmed Case In J&K | Jammu and Kashmir has reported its first case of coronavirus, ANI reported quoting sources. With the new confirmed case, the number of people infected with coronavirus in the country has reached 32.

1:55PM: Caller Tune Against Coronavirus | In a bid to raise awareness about preventing the spread of coronavirus, the Central government is reaching out to the people with caller tunes on BSNL and Jio networks. The caller tunes urge the people to wash their hands at regular intervals and maintain at-least a metres distance from a person who has a cold or a cough.

1:30PM: Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu has called for cancellation of Khelo India's first winter games chapter, which starts in Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg town on Saturday. 

1:15PM: Primary Schools To Be Closed In Jammu | The J&K Administration has ordered all primary schools in Jammu and Samba districts to be closed till March 31. Biometric attendance has also been suspended for the time being.

12:20PM: PM Modi Urges People To Avoid Coronavirus Rumours | "I appeal to my fellow countrymen to stay away from rumours regarding coronavirus," PM Narendra Modi said.

12:00PM: Barring those of an Italian couple, all the samples collected from suspected coronavirus cases in Rajasthan have tested negative, an official said.

"The total number of samples tested so far is 282. Of those, 280 have tested negative and two positive (the Italian couple)," Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health, Rohit Kumar Singh said on Friday.

10:30AM: Two Suspected For Infection In Jammu | Test reports of the 2 suspected patients from Jammu show high probability of testing positive. Both kept in isolation and are stable. The two had left the hospital against medical advice and had to be brought back. 

10:00AM: China has reported 28 new fatalities from the deadly coronavirus outbreak, taking the death toll in the country to 3,070, Chinese health officials said on Saturday.

9:30AM: US Vice President Mike Pence has announced that 21 people on the Grand Princess cruise ship, which has been held off the California coast, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. A total of 46 people aboard the Grand Princess had been swabbed for a coronavirus test with 24 of them showing "negative" and one "inconclusive",

                                                                                 March 6, 2020

8:27PM: Govt Warns Of Stringent Action Against Hoarding Of Masks, Hand Sanitisers | The Centre has warned of stringent action against hoarding and black-marketing of face masks and hand sanitisers amid rising demand due to the coronavirus outbreak.

5:22PM: Seven family members of a man who tested positive for coronavirus after his visit to Thailand have been quarantined at their residence in west Delhi, a health official has said. The 25-year-old man, who also travelled to Malaysia, has tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Delhi to three.

4:42PM: Iran Reports 17 New Coronavirus Deaths, 124 In Total | Iran has announced 17 more deaths from the novel coronavirus, raising the total number of people killed to 124, as the overall number of cases soared.

4:49PPM: First Case Of Coronavirus Confirmed In Bhutan | Bhutan’s first COVID-19 case in the form a 76-year-old male US tourist has been confirmed. He spent a few days in Mumbai, Kolkata and Assam where he undertook a 7-day Brahmaputra river cruise before coming to Bhutan and testing positive.

3:19PM: Adviser to Iran's Foreign Minister Dies Of Coronavirus | An adviser to Iran's foreign minister who took part in the 1979 US embassy hostage crisis has died from coronavirus, the official IRNA news agency reported. Six of those who died from coronavirus in Iran are politicians or government officials.

2:38PM: 13 Italians Isolated At Amritsar Hotel | At least 13 Italian nationals have been kept in isolation at a hotel in Amritsar, as a precautionary measure in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

2:20PM: Steps are being taken to prevent the spread of infection among MPs at the Parliament. The Parliament has sent directions on visitors to the offices of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and every political party having its office inside the premises. There would be colour-coded passes for specific categories of visitors and a time-limit on their visit.

"These measures should include hand and respiratory hygiene must be practised. Large gathering within the precincts of Parliament House Estate may be avoided. Visitors other than those, which are essential for official/operational reasons, maybe strictly restricted," stated the directions.

1:42PM: The first flight from Iran will carry around 300 swabs (samples) of Indians suspected of having coronavirus; the flight is likely to land tonight, said a government official.

12:40PM: A 13-member group of tourists from Iran have been quarantined at a hotel in Amritsar and have been asked to not go out till their medical examination is completed. They reached Amritsar on Thursday night, an official said.

12:15PM: A Delhi man with a travel history to Thailand and Malaysia has tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of confirmed cases in India to 31, health ministry officials said. This is the third confirmed case in the national capital.

11:25AM: Isolation wards have been set up in Srinagar in view of Coronavirus outbreak.

11:20AM: Union Minister of State for Shipping, and Chemical and Fertilizers, Mansukh Mandaviya said that the government has imposed short term restrictions on some active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) with regards to coronavirus preparedness.

Mandaviya said, "To avoid shortage of medicines in the country, suggestions have been made by a Task Force. A permanent group of ministers keeps reviewing that. We export as well as import APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) and intermediates. In the case of some APIs, a crisis may occur in the country in the future, if they are exported. We have imposed short-term restrictions on such APIs with regard to coronavirus."

11:00AM: Bhutan has reported its first case of the coronavirus after a US tourist tested positive, the country's prime minister said.

10:30AM: Japan is cancelling an annual ceremony marking the anniversary of a deadly tsunami and nuclear disaster as the country steps up efforts to curb the new coronavirus, officials said Friday.

For the past eight years, the prime minister, lawmakers, and family members who lost loved ones in the disaster have attended the nationally televised ceremony.

9:05 AM: Pakistan's sixth coronavirus case was reported in Karachi. In a statement on Thursday, the Sindh health department said the 69-year-old patient has a travel historyto Iran and had returned to Pakistan on February 25, reports Dawn news.

9:00AM: The World Health Organization (WHO) said that it had registered 2,241 new confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide within the past 24 hours, with 84 people having died, which brought the total death toll to 3,282.

The whole number of people, who were diagnosed with COVID-19, has reached 95,333, including 80,565 people in China.

8:30AM: Hossein Sheikholeslam, Iran's former ambassador to Syria, died of COVID-19 on Thursday.

8:00AM: Iran will operate special flights between Tehran and New Delhi for evacuating the nationals of both countries stranded due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Iran will also send an empty flight to New Delhi on Friday to take back the Iranian nationals from India.

Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education announced on Thursday that the death toll from the novel coronavirus rose to 107, up from 92 on Wednesday