India has reported two deaths due to COVID-19 while the number of those infected by the virus has risen to 84. More than 4000 people who had come in contact with 84 positive cases are under surveillance, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.
Civic officials confirmed that four others -- one from Mumbai and three from adjoining areas -- tested positive for the deadly virus that has claimed thousands of lives worldwide.
The virus, which first surfaced in China in December last year, has now killed more than 5,000 people, with cases around the world topping 134,000.
In India, the authorities and government have stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the virus. Educational institutes in the national capital and several states have been shut and the government has discouraged large gatherings.
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The government has also decided to treat Covid19 as a notified disaster in "special one-time dispensation" for the purpose of providing assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that the Padma awards ceremony, which was scheduled for April 3, has now been postponed. The decision has been taken in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
The Ministry said the new date and time of the ceremony will be announced later.
The government has also announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the family of those losing lives to coronavirus.
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Meanwhile, all 16 jails in Delhi, including Tihar, have been put on alert. An isolation ward has also been set up in every jail.
An Indian national in Rwanda has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the East African country. The country's health ministry said that the Indian citizen arrived there from Mumbai on March 8.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump, too, said that he will take the test for the novel coronavirus but did not reveal when or commit to making it public.
The World Health Organization declared Europe as the new "epicentre" for the global coronavirus pandemic and warned it was impossible to know when the outbreak would peak. After China, countries like Italy, France, Iran and the US have been worst-hit by the virus, claiming hundreds of lives.
