Coronavirus latest news: India recorded 63 new cases, highest on a single day on Friday, March 20 in the worst day to date in the fight against Coronavirus. The number of active cases has now jumped to 231 as per last data from the health ministry. 22 patients have been cured or discharged and 4 have died. ICMR has counted 271 total cases so far. Central and state governments are fighting to stop community transmission as they are moving to close all the places where possible gathering might take place. PM Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on Thursday had called on the citizens to carry out a self-imposed Janta Curfew to bring a change in attitude towards the Covid-19 pandemic. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has ordered the closure of all shops, malls and other places that are prone to contagion with exceptions given to pharmacies and grocery stores. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray also has called for similar measures and a virtual lockdown in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Pimpri-Chinchwad has been called.
Indian Railways has notified that no passenger train will start from the station of origin from midnight to 10 pm on March 22 during the Janata Curfew. Airline companies as well have announced their reduced or complete disruption in their operations during the Janata Curfew. Indigo has said that it will be operational on only 60 per cent of its routes while Vistara and GoAir have also announced curtailment of their service to help the government in checking the spread of highly infectious Coronavirus.
Financial Express Online brings to you latest news and updates on Coronavirus cases in India, LIVE. Stay Tuned:
Iran has announced another 123 deaths from the new coronavirus, bringing its overall toll to 1,556 amid 20,610 confirmed cases. The Health Ministry announced the latest figures Saturday. Iran is struggling to combat the worst outbreak in the Middle East, and has faced widespread criticism for its slow response. (AP)
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday reviewed the measures taken by the Pune district administration to control the spread of coronavirus in the city. The minister, who hails from Pune, held a video conference with Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaiskar, District Collector Naval Kishor Ram and other officials. ‘The entire world is fighting the menace of coronavirus. Under the Prime Minister’s leadership, we are also involved in this fight with all awareness. The PM is reviewing the measures and all the chief ministers are also reviewing measures,’ he said. -PTI
A chemist was booked for selling N95 masks at over four times higher than the fixed price in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district amid the COVID-19 outbreak, police said on Saturday. A first information report (FIR) was lodged against the owner of a medical store located in Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC), Tanda under Section 3/7 of the Essential Commodities Act at Kangra police station on a complaint by the district food and civil supplies department, they added. Additional SHO of Kangra police station Jasbir Singh told PTI on Saturday that the FIR had been lodged against pharmacy owner Rakesh Vohra. – PTI
The government has capped maximum retail price of hand sanitizer at Rs 100 per 200ml bottle till June 30 this year amid sharp rise in the prices of this product amid the coronavirus oubreak. Similarly, price of a 2 ply (surgical) mask has been capped at Rs 8 and that of 3 ply (surgical) mask at Rs 10 till June 30, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said in a statement. (PT) Read Full Report
West Bengal: State government has postponed the Higher Secondary Examination, in wake of COVID19. All exams are suspended till 27th April. Dates of rescheduling will be fixed after 15th April. (ANI)
PIA has cancelled all its international flights till March 28. This move comes into effect tonight (Sunday) at 8 pm. This does not mean that Pakistani airspace has been closed: Abdullah Khan, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Spokesperson (ANI)
There are 13 Coronavirus positive cases- 3 cases in Vadodara, 3 in Surat, 5 in Ahmedabad, 1 in Gandhinagar and 1 in Rajkot. We are between stages 2 and 3. 1 person tried to run away from the isolation ward against whom we’ve taken police action: Gujarat Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja (ANI)
With Friday recording the highest jump in the positive cases of the Coronavirus by 63, the government has said that it will test all pneumonia patients for covid19, IE reported. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the nodal government agency battling the Coronavirus, had earlier restricted testing only to people having travel history and those who may have come in contact with the confirmed positive cases. Read Full Report Here
8 passengers who had travelled on Andhra Pradesh Sampark Kranti Express from Delhi to Ramagundam on 13th March tested positive for COVID19 yesterday: Ministry of Railways (ANI)
8 passengers who had travelled on Andhra Pradesh Sampark Kranti Express from Delhi to Ramagundam on 13th March tested positive for COVID19 yesterday: Ministry of Railways (ANI)
Indian Railways relaxes refund rules for PRS (passenger reservation system) counter generated tickets. Passengers are advised to avail the facility and avoid coming to Railway Station: Ministry of Railways (ANI)
The examination of Mahrashtra’s Class 10 geography paper, which was scheduled for Monday, has been postponed. The next date of the examination will be decided after March 31: State School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad (ANI)
215 evacuees from Milan (Italy) at ITBP Chhawla Quarantine Facility, Delhi have tested negative for Coronavirus after 7 days stay at the facility. Group includes 151 males & 64 females. Most of these evacuees are students studying in Italy. The second and final sampling will be done on 14th day of the quarantine period and if that also results as negative, then all these 215 persons will be released from the facility: Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ANI)
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has temporarily withdrawn the 25% concession given to senior citizens on bus tickets, to minimise their travel by KSRTC buses. (ANI)
Central Railway will run approximately 60% suburban services on 22 March. The Sunday mega block schedule on the Main and HB line has been cancelled for 22nd March. There will be no mega block tomorrow: Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Central Railway (ANI)
3 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the state taking the total positive cases to 18. 48 government hospitals and 35 private hospitals have been identified as first respondent hospitals for the case management of COVID-19 cases: Government of Karnataka (ANI)
A Dubai-based Indian teen, who was stranded at Frankfurt Airport in Germany for over 24 hours, is finally returning to her parents here with the help of Indian and UAE authorities, according to a media report. Indian expats and long-time Dubai residents Arshad and Urvi Zaheer said their daughter Miha Zaheer, 18, a first-year student at University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, will board the next flight from Frankfurt to Dubai,Gulf News reported. Miha was stranded at Frankfurt Airport after she was not allowed to take the connecting flight to Dubai due to entry restrictions in the UAE. – PTI
Rajdhani coach in which Delhi couple with home quarantine seal travelled sanitised; both passengers hospitalised; train detained: Railways – PTI
Six coronavirus positive cases reported in Gujarat on Saturday, number of patients rises to 13: Minister. PTI
Commercial establishments, corporate firms and manufacturing units in neighbouring Navi Mumbai will remain closed till further orders to promote social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, an official said. Data centres, IT service providers will operate with only 10 per cent staff, while banks, insurance companies and internet service providers will function with essential staff only, he said. The order, issued by the Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner, will cause the city to shut down partially. – PTI
The authorities of two famous jyotirlinga temples in Madhya Pradesh Omkareshwar and Mahalakeshwar – have banned the entry of devotees till March 31 in view of the coronavirus outbreak. Mahakaleshwar temple of Ujjain and Omkareshwar in Khandwa district are two jyotirlinga shrines in the state that attract thousands of devotees every day. – PTI
Retail and wholesale potato prices in parts of West Bengal have seen a jump of at least 20 per cent amid panic buying, fearing a shutdown in wake of the coronavirus outbreak, according to market sources. The jyoti variety of the staple which was selling for Rs 15-17 per kg a week back has touched Rs 20-22 a kg in some retail markets, traders said, adding that in certain online marketplaces it was selling at Rs 25 a kg. Wholesale prices of potato have jumped to Rs 13 per kg from Rs 10-11 a kg a week back in wake of high demand from other states, they said. – PTI
The Indian embassy in France has issued an advisory for its nationals who wish to travel back home before India’s week-long ban, imposed to contain the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus, on international commercial flights comes into force on March 22. The Indian embassies in several other countries also issued advisories and started emergency helplines for the distressed Indians, assuring them all possible help. The embassies among others included from Canada, Greece, Finland and Estonia, Israel, Japan, Vietnam, Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Russia, Cuba, Brazil and Switzerland. The Indian embassy in France in a tweet on Friday provided details of the Qatar Airways flight that will operate from Paris before the Indian travel deadline sets in. – PTI
Kasaragod district, which has reported eight positive cases of Covid-19, was on Saturday put under total lock-down, while cases were registered against 10 traders who opened their shops despite warning. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Friday described as “worrisome” the situation in Kasaragod district where one of the affected persons had moved around “disregarding” the health department’s directions and had met scores of people at public events, weddings and a football match. – PTI
Singer Sonu Nigam has decided to extend his stay in Dubai as he believes travelling amid the coronavirus outbreak can put people around him at risk. The singer was in the Himalayas earlier and wanted to come to Mumbai for a concert scheduled for March 6 but it got postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic. He then decided to head to Dubai to be with his wife and son and has been there since a few weeks. “I am fortunate that my wife and my son are in Dubai. My son studies here and I keep travelling here a lot, Dubai is like my second base. But my father, sister are alone in India. I wanted to come back to India and be at my father’s side but I realised that if I do that, I’ll be exposing him to the risk of me carrying this virus, who knows the extent of the danger,” Sonu told PTI.
Celebrity television host Andy Cohen has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The host of “Watch What Happens Live” (WWHL) talk show shared the news on Instagram. “After a few days of self-quarantine, and not feeling great, I have tested positive for Coronavirus. As much as I felt like I could push through whatever I was feeling to do #WWHL from home, we’re putting a pin in that for now so I can focus on getting better. “I want to thank all the medical professionals who are working tirelessly for all of us, and urge everybody to stay home and take care of themselves,” Cohen wrote. Like most of the TV shows, WWHL shut down production, with its last episode airing out of the New York City studio March 12, to control the spread of the pandemic. – PTI
It has been decided to temporarily close down routine walk-in OPD’s patients’ registrations including Specialty Clinics at AIIMS Hospital & all Centres from 23rd March: Dr. DK Sharma, Medical, Superintendent, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi
(ANI)
Delhi: Autorickshaws being disinfected at East Vinod Nagar Bus Depot as part of the state government’s initiative to disinfect private passenger vehicles free of cost. (ANI)
Railways has found that 4 passengers who travelled on Godan Express (Train 11055) from Mumbai to Jabalpur on March 16 have been tested positive for COVID19. They came to India from Dubai last week. All concerned have been alerted to take necessary action: Ministry of Railways (ANI)
he Goa government on Saturday imposed section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) across the state to prohibit large gatherings in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Speaking to reporters here, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said section 144 was imposed in the morning. The state government has also issued an order banning inter-state transport, except for the supply of essential commodities, from Saturday night onwards, he said. Private vehicles may be allowed to enter the state only after the passengers are thoroughly screened, he added. – PTI
he Goa government on Saturday imposed section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) across the state to prohibit large gatherings in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Speaking to reporters here, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said section 144 was imposed in the morning. The state government has also issued an order banning inter-state transport, except for the supply of essential commodities, from Saturday night onwards, he said. Private vehicles may be allowed to enter the state only after the passengers are thoroughly screened, he added. – PTI
Delhi couple with home quarantine seal found aboard Bangalore-Delhi Rajdhani, deboarded at Kazipet in Telangana: Railways. PTI
A woman who came in contact with the Chandigarh Coronavirus patient has tested positive for virus today. She had given beauty services to the Chandigarh patient. She has been admitted to an isolation ward here: Dr Jasjeet Kaur, Civil Surgeon, Panchkula (ANI)
UP Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh has been tested negative for Covid19, says Dr Sudhir Singh, incharge of isolation ward at Lucknow’s King George’s Medical University (ANI)
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar holds a review meeting with the Divisional Commissioner, Municipal Commissioner, District Collector of Pune, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner and other officials via video conference on coronavirus. (ANI)
12 airports in Northeast region fall under essential services category, so will be functional tomorrow during Janta Curfew. No plans to close them until now. Domestic flights will keep operating: Sanjeev Jindal, Regional Executive Director, Airport Authority of India (ANI)
A woman in her early 40s has tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra’s Pune city, a senior official confirmed on Saturday. The woman, who is currently on ventilator support at Bharti Hospital, tested positive for the infection after her throat swabs were sent to National Institute of Virology to check for possibility of swine flu (H1N1), he said. – Read Full Report Here
In an extraordinary exchange, President Donald Trump and the government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, publicly sparred Friday on whether a malaria drug would work to treat people with coronavirus disease. The scene played out on national television during the daily White House briefing on the outbreak. Anxious for answers, Americans heard conflicting ones from a just-the-facts scientist and a president who operates on gut instinct. Reporters asked both men first Fauci then Trump if a malaria drug called hydroxychloroquine could be used to prevent COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. A day earlier, when Fauci wasn’t with him at that briefing, Trump had called attention to the drug. On Friday, Fauci took the reporter’s question and got right to the point. No, he said. The answer … is no. The information that you’re referring to specifically is anecdotal,� Fauci added firmly. It was not done in a controlled clinical trial, so you really can’t make any definitive statement about it. – AP
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday said the state has witnessed a “big rise” in the number of coronavirus positive patients with the addition of 11 such cases, and appealed to the people to avoid using public transport to contain the spread. Talking to reporters, Tope said the number of coronavirus positive patients in the state has increased to 63 with 11 new cases. “Of the 11, eight have travel history abroad and three came in contact with the affected persons,” he said, adding that 10 cases are in Mumbai, while one is in Pune. “A rise from 52 to 63 is big,” he said. Of the total number of patients, 13 to 14 patients are those who came in contact with the positive patients. “Rest all are import cases,” he said. “The spread has been largely because of people who came from outside,’ he said. “I appeal to the people not to venture out. They should exercise self discipline by maintaining social distancing and hygiene,” he said. “Ifthere is no reductionin crowd in public transport, a shutdown will have to be put in place. There is also an option of allowing people in public transport after checking their I-cards,” he said. The suburban trains in Mumbai will function for essential activities, he added. – PTI
As cities shutdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has initiated a rare protocol to safeguard its workforce while at the same time ensuring that plants operate uninterruptedly so as to keep the nation’s fuel supplies running. “We are in a business where we need to ensure not just consumers get uninterrupted supplies of petrol, diesel and cooking gas (LPG), but also airlines get jet fuel on demand and supply lines for nation’s defence forces are unhindered,” IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh said. The company has implemented work from home at non-critical locations and implemented staggered work hours and working on alternate days at others with all precautions. Its consumer facing points such as petrol pumps and LPG delivery services have initiated safeguard protocol with face masks and sanitisers. -PTI
