Coronavirus Live Updates: Cases Reach 81; India-South Africa ODIs Called Off

The coronavirus pandemic is keeping the Indian government on its toes as cases in the country rose to 81 on Friday, a day after confirmation of the first fatality in the outbreak wherein a 76-year-old man died in Karnataka.

The Delhi government has declared COVID-19 an epidemic and announced shutting down of schools, colleges and cinema halls till March 31.

Schools, colleges and public spaces have been shut in several states including Delhi, Bihar, Punjab, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Maharashtra (Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and other places). 

In the backdrop of several Indians stranded in the coronavirus-hit Italy, India will send a flight to Milan on Saturday in order to evacuate its nationals. The government will also arrange evacuation of Indians from Iran, officials said. 

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has tested positive for the novel coronovirus. The prime minister doesn't have any symptoms. Justin Trudeau's wife will be in isolation for the moment, while the prime minister will be in self-isolation for 14 days, according to the statement.

With several players tested positive and multiple events cancelled, sports is another area which has been severely affected by the coronavirus outbreak. English football club Chelsea’s Callum Hudson Odoi has become the first Premier League player to be tested for Coronavirus. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has also tested positive.

The three-match ODI series between India and South Africa has been called off. The first match in Dharamsala on Thursday was washed out and the second and third, slated to be held in Lucknow and Kolkata respectively, were to be played in empty stadiums.

Get all updates here:

7:19PM: Coronavirus is at the containment stage. Centre, Delhi govt working together, people supporting us to deal with it, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

6:53PM: IIT-Delhi Asks Students To Leave Hostel | IIT-Delhi directs students to leave hostels by Sunday in view of coronavirus threat. However, the institute said that foreign students and PhD scholars whose research is at a crucial stage may stay in hostels.

6:45PM: Schools To Be Closed In Punjab | Punjab Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla on Friday announced the closing of all schools in the state till March 31 as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus. He, however, said exams would be continued to be conducted according to schedule.

6:15PM: The two remaining ODIs between India and South Africa have been called off due to coronavirus threat.

6:08PM: Public Places Closed in Mumbai, Other Cities | The Maharashtra government has ordered closure of cinema halls, gyms, swimming pools and malls in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nagpur cities from Friday midnight.

Making the announcement in the state Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the government was invoking the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 from midnight.

5:49PM: Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche announced it had received emergency approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) s for a new and much faster test for diagnosing Covid19.

The test can be run in high volumes on fully automated equipment, Roche said, suggesting it could provide more results far faster than other tests available.

5:43PM: The External Affairs Ministry says, "Around 220 students are in and around Milan, Italy, our priority is to bring them back. If any other students are left behind they can contact our missions, and we will see what next we can do." 

5:40PM: Referring to the invocation of Epidemic Act by the Centre, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary of Health Ministry, says: "It is important to understand that it is not a health emergency. We are trying to support initiative taken by the state in terms of managing the situation."

5:37PM: Health Ministry says, "If masks are sold at exorbitant prices then States can take action as per law. If need be we will take drastic action on an abnormal increase in the price of masks."

5:35PM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Gujarat from March 21 has been put off due to the coronavirus outbreak. New dates will be finalised later.

5:30PM: India To Evacuate Nationals From Iran, Italy | Air India will be sending a flight to Milan (Italy) to bring back Indians stranded there. The flight would take off tomorrow afternoon and would be landing on Sunday morning at Delhi Airport, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

5:25PM: The Health Ministry says the government has brought 42,296 passengers under community surveillance, out of which 2,559 were symptomatic and 522 hospitalized including 17 foreign nationals. 

"Contact tracing of these cases is being actively pursued. So far, this has led to identification of more than 4000 contacts who have been put under surveillance," said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry.

5:20PM: 81 Confirmed Cases In India | Till now, there are 81 confirmed cases in India, out of which 64 are Indians, 16 Italians and 1 Canadian national, according to the Health Ministry.

5:06PM: Delhi High Court has decided to postpone the Delhi Higher Judicial Service (Mains) Examination-2019 to prevent and control coronavirus. The examinations were scheduled to be held on March 14 and March 15.

5:03PM: Bihar Closes Educational Institutes, Public Spaces | The Bihar government has also announced closure of all schools, colleges, coaching institutes, zoos and public parks till March 31 as a precautionary measure. 

4:40PM:  One more person with travel history to the US tested positive for coronavirus in Pune. With this, the number of cases in the city reached ten and Maharashtra 17. 

4:15PM: Air India has decided to cancel flights to Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Israel, South Korea and Sri Lanka till April 30, an airline official said a day after the national carrier announced suspension of services to Kuwait till April 30.

3:34PM: Schools Shut In MP | In Madhya Pradesh, government and private schools will remain shut till further orders due to coronavirus threat.

3:27PM: Directorate General of Civil Aviation says, "In view of coronavirus, (aviation) industry is facing serious challenges. Flights are being curtailed,cancelled and disrupted. It would be appropriate if airlines support passengers by waiving off cancellation/reschedule charges or providing incentives."

2:53PM: Schools, Colleges Closed In UP | "All schools and colleges associated with the basic, secondary, higher education and vocational colleges, where examination process is not on, have been closed till March 22," said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

2:30PM: As a precaution amid the coronavirus outbreak, singer Billie Eilish has postponed her 'Where Do We Go?' world tour until further notice.

In a series of tweets, Billie said: "It is with great sadness to announce the following Billie Eilish 'WHERE DO WE GO' North American tour dates have been postponed until further notice. Details on postponed dates to be announced soon. All tickets will be honored for the new dates."

2:14PM: As a preventive measure to counter coronavirus, Heritage Museum at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus will remain closed for public viewing for the month of March 2020.

2:00PM: Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council: All sports/coaching activities in all the sports centers of Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council of Jammu province will remain off with effect from March 13 till further order. 

1:23PM: Noida Employee Tests Positive | An employee of a private firm in Noida, with a travel history to France and China, has tested positive for coronavirus. Accoridng to offcials, the person, a resident of Delhi, is currently undergoing treatment in the national capital. The state health department has also kept the company under watch.

1:17PM: Odisha Declares Coronavirus A 'Disaster'| Odisha has declared coronavirus as a ‘disaster’ for the state under the provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005 to adequately empower public officials to combat the spread of COVID-19. 

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik said in state assembly, "All educational institutions shall remain closed till March 31 except for holding examinations. Cinema halls, swimming pools, and gyms are also to be closed till March 31."

12:46PM: The Jawaharlal Nehru University has ordered suspension of classes with immediate effect till March 31 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

12:41PM: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has announced that all sports activities, including the IPL, will be banned from the national capital in wake of coronavirus threat. 

11:41AM: A group of 44 Indians evacuated from Iran will arrive today at the Army camp in Jaisalmer, accoridng to officials. All the evacuees have tested negative for coronavirus. As per protocol, they will be kept in isolation at the Army Hospital for 14 days.

11:38AM: China has reported seven more deaths due to the novel coronavirus infection, taking the death toll to 3,176, while the new confirmed cases were just eight. The disease continued to abate across the country, including in its epicentre Wuhan. 

11.27AM: Five With Coronavirus Symptoms In Kolkata | An Italian couple and a Thai national have been admitted to an isolation ward of a government hospital in Kolkata with symptoms of novel coronavirus, an official of the health department said on Friday.

Two more people are also under observation at the isolation ward of the Beliaghata ID Hospital, taking the total number of patients admitted with symptoms of novel coronavirus at the facility to five, he said.

11:15AM: Rahul Gandhi Slams Centre Over Virus Outbreak | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says, "Indian economy will be destroyed if strong action is not taken; the government is in stupor." He also added that  ignoring the problem is a "non- solution".

10:51AM:  Google Employee In Bengaluru Tests Positive | Google has said that an employee at its Bengaluru office has tested positive for the coronavirus and the firm has directed all its employees in that office to work from home today as a precautionary measure.

10:49AM: Nepal Shuts Down Mt Everest | Nepal has suspended permits to climb Everest because of the coronavirus pandemic, closing off the world's biggest mountain a day after China halted access from its side.

8:59AM: The Delhi government on Thursday had declared coronavirus an epidemic and announced shutting down of schools, colleges and cinema halls till March 31.

8:14AM: Chelsea football club’s Callum Hudson Odoi becomes the first English Premier League player to be infected with the coronavirus.

8:12AM: A 76-year-old man who died two days ago has now been confirmed as the first fatality of coronavirus in India after his samples, taken few days ago, tested positive.

8:10AM: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, has tested positive for coronavirus. Trudeau is in good health and has not shown any symptoms of coronavirus, a spokesman for the prime minister said.

8:08AM: A Brazilian official who met US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, just days ago, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus