Coronavirus HIGHLIGHTS | India registers first COVID-19 death; Canadian PM's wife tests positive

India's first coronavirus death was confirmed in Karnataka taking the total number of cases to 79. A 76-year-old man from Kalburgi who passed away on Wednesday has been confirmed for COVID-19. .Kerala also saw a spike in cases after two more gulf returnees from Kannur and Thrissur tested positive..One Andhra student who tested positive has been admitted to the Government General Hospital in Nellore and his condition is reported to be stable. .Earlier, Indian markets suffered a bloodbath after the government shut its doors on visa holders and US President Donald Trump banned all travel from Europe, with the exception of the UK. Over eleven lakh crore of investors’ wealth was wiped out in trading on Thursday. .The Sensex crashed by nearly 3000 points, while the Nifty shed over 860 points. These are levels the two indices have not breached on the lower side since late 2017 and early 2018. .The market panic stemmed from the sharp escalation in the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent containment measures announced by the world's major economies, including the United States, India and several European nations. .United States President Donald Trump's decision to announce a 30-day ban on all travel from Europe to the US and India announcing the suspension of all visas until April 15 triggered investor panic as the scale of the disruption seems likely to be a lot larger than earlier expected. .ALSO READ | 'Wasn't afraid after getting symptoms': How India's first coronavirus patient was cured.COVID-19: CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR STATE HERE.In China, new cases keep declining and the overall epidemic situation remains at a low level, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission (NHC), told the media here. Mi's remarks came a day after the World Health Organisation on Wednesday declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a "pandemic."(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).England's football club Chelsea FC has confirmed that its player Callum Hudson-Odoi has tested positive for coronavirus. The club has also said that the personnel who had recent close contact with the player in the men's team building will now self-isolate in line with UK's health guidelines. Full men's team squad, coaching staff and a number of backroom staff are the ones who will remain in self-isolation. (CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was tested positive for COVID-19, the Premier League club confirmed and their London Colney training center has been closed."Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines..US President Donald Trump's coronavirus travel ban on 26 European countries has been met with anger and confusion, with EU leaders accusing him of making the decision "without consultation".The Covid-19 pandemic is a "global crisis", said top European Union officials Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel. It "requires cooperation rather than unilateral action," they said, the BBC reported on Thursday.MORE DETAILS ON THIS HERE.The Finance Commision's meeting with all state Finance Ministers on March 13 has been cancelled.."Where communities are understandably anxious, we should reassure them and encourage the observants of globally recognised precautions & procedures. An excessive sense of alarm would only be to the detriment of those who are really in it," Jaishankar said in Lok Sabha..The disease can cause varying degrees of illness and is especially troublesome for older adults and people with existing health problems, who are at risk of severe effects, including pneumonia. (READ FULL STORY HERE).State Health Minister Anil Vij said that an appeal has also been issued to persons who have travelled abroad in the last 14 days to self-isolate for at least two weeks..Sports Secretary Radhey Shyam Julaniya told PTI that sporting events in the country can continue but without the presence of large number of people. (READ FULL STORY HERE).According to the students, the HNLU in Raipur is first university in the country to have suspended the classrooms and opted for closure of the campus over coronavirus apprehension. The students have been asked to pack up and go. HNLU is a residential university and is sixth in the series of National Law Schools in India. (READ FULL STORY HERE).A spectator who attended the ICC Women's T20 World Cup final between India and Australia here on March 8 has tested positive for novel coronavirus, the Melbourne Cricket Ground said on Wednesday but insisted that the risk of him infecting others was low.(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).Indian stock markets followed their global peers in officially wading into bear market territory on Thursday after the World Health Organisation's (WHO) officially classified the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak as a pandemic. The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty had both crashed a staggering 7 per cent by 11.15 am, with all sector-based indices crashing from between 4-10 per cent.The Sensex had fallen to below 33,200 points, losing a whopping 2,500 points in just two hours of trading, while the broader Nifty hovering at around 9,700 points after having shaved off over 750 points during the day's trade so far.These are levels the two indices have not breached on the lower side since late 2017 and early 2018.The market panic stems from the sharp escalation in the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent containment measures announced by the world's major economies, including the United States, India and several European nations.In fact, United States President Donald Trump's decision to announce a 30-day ban on all travel from Europe to the US and India announcing the suspension of all visas until April 15 triggered investor panic as the scale of the disruption seems likely to be a lot larger than earlier expected..Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife announced they were self-isolating on Thursday as she undergoes tests for the new coronavirus after returning from a speaking engagement with "mild flu-like symptoms".(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).Trump and Vice President Mike Pence "had almost no interactions with the individual" during Bolsonaro's trip to a Trump golf club in Florida last weekend. They "do not require being tested at this time," the White House said..The External Affairs Ministry on Thursday said that an evacuation does not mean bringing back everybody and people who test negative for the infection will be brought back first. It also asked the citizens in other countries to stay put. The comments were made by MEA Additional Secretary Dammu Ravi who has been appointed as the nodal officer to coordinate efforts to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.Addressing a press briefing, Ravi said, "Rome and Milan are two areas where India's medical team is likely to go but I don't have confirmation on it so it will be decided by ambassadors." MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said a medical team will be reaching Italy on Friday morning and they will be looking into issues faced by Indian students in getting negative (coronavirus) certificates..(Photo| EPS).BCCI on Wednesday declared that the remaining two ODIs of the ongoing series between India and South Africa to be played behind closed doors..The infected person, identified as Mohammad Hussain Siddiqui had died on the way to Kalaburagi. Siddiqui was admitted to a private hospital in Kalaburagi a few days ago after he complained of breathing problems and cough. His throat swabs were collected three days ago and sent to the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute for testing.(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).InterGlobe Aviation, the parent of the country's largest airline IndiGo tumbled 10 per cent to Rs 1,039.35 apiece, a day after it said that quarterly earnings would be hit due to fall in daily bookings amid the coronavirus outbreak..The government issued a fresh advisory with a ban on all existing foreign visas, except a few categories like diplomatic and employment, till April 15 in the wake of new positive cases of a novel coronavirus in the country..Amid intensifying rout in global financial markets, the 30-share BSE index plummeted 1,864.02 points or 5.22 per cent to 33,833.38. The carnage on Dalal Street eroded investor wealth worth Rs 8,56,689.62 crore, taking the total m-cap to Rs 1,28,56,869.10 crore on the BSE at 1030 hours..SC refuses to accord urgent hearing on plea seeking deferment of IPL-2020 amid coronavirus scare. SC's vacation bench asks petitioner to mention matter before regular bench on March 16..A 76-year-old man from Kalburgi who passed away on Wednesday has been confirmed for COVID-19. The necessary contact tracing, isolation and other measures as per protocol are being carried out..Petrol now costs Rs 70.14 per litre in Delhi, Rs 75.84 per litre in Mumbai, Rs 72.83 a litre in Kolkata and Rs 72.86 per litre in Chennai after the price cut. Similarly, diesel costs Rs 62.89 a litre in Delhi, Rs 65.84 a litre in Mumbai, Rs 65.22 a litre in Kolkata and 66.35 per litre in Chennai, according to Indian Oil Corporation website..West Texas Intermediate slipped 6.2 per cent to USD 31 a barrel while Brent crude was off 5.8 per cent at under USD 34 a barrel. Both contracts extended heavy losses from a day earlier, which came after Saudi Arabia and Gulf partner the UAE stepped up a price war by vowing to pump millions of more barrels of crude..CPI MP Binoy Viswam, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy have given 'Zero Hour' notices in the upper house over the 'impact of high aviation fuel prices and coronavirus on the domestic air services.' Viswam also demands discussion on demand for free supply of masks and sanitizers..The BSE Sensex plummeted over 1,700 points on Thursday tracking similar cues in the global markets after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus as a global pandemic. All Asian indices also were trading in the red. WHO declared the disease a pandemic on Wednesday following which the Dow Jones Industrial Average also slumped significantly..The 25-year-old "is currently asymptomatic," the Italian champions said, but the Turin-based club are "currently activating all the isolation procedures required by law, including those who have had contact with him.".“In order to ensure reduction of mass gatherings and to avoid the spread of COVID-19 and as a precautionary measure, the Governor of Manipur is pleased to order that all schools, including private ones, located within Manipur shall remain closed with immediate effect till March 31, 2020 in public interest,” a notification issued by Commissioner (Education-Schools) T Ranjit Singh stated..As the deadly coronavirus continues to spread in the country with the case count touching 78 in India on Thursday, companies - big or small - are voluntarily shutting down discretionary economic activity as part of the initial healing process. Notwithstanding the economic consequence, corporate, especially in the services sector are asking employees to work from home and restricting non-essential travel.(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).A 26-year-old man with travel history to Greece has become the fifth positive case in Karnataka. He returned to Mumbai from Greece on March 6 and travelled to Bengaluru on March 8..One more person has tested positive for the coronavirus here, taking the number of confirmed patients of the disease in the city to nine, a senior official said on Thursday..A team of four doctors -- two microbiologists and two public health specialists -- from the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will leave for Rome on Thursday night.The officials said the Indian Embassy in Italy has contacted Indian students in the country and asked them to reach to a designated venue where their samples would be collected. Over 300 Indian students are in Italy at present, according to an official.The health ministry said the Government of India is undertaking measures to ensure safety and security of its citizens in Iran after it became clear that the country was facing a COVID-19 outbreak. Indian nationals in Iran include pilgrims, students and fishermen, it said.On March 7, 108 samples were received from Iran. These samples are being tested at the AIIMS laboratory. Also, six scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have been stationed in Iran and they so far have collected swab samples of over 400 Indians stranded there, an official said.Equipments and reagents have also been dispatched to enable them to setup a lab..Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said the government has two options: either postpone IPL matches or limit them to TV audience only in view of the coronavirus situation in the state. Tope's statement comes on a day when two persons from Mumbai tested positive for coronavirus, taking the number of such cases in Maharashtra to seven.Tope said the government could either postpone the IPL matches or have the fixtures only for the televised audience."One thing is sure that there will be no sale of tickets," sources in the state government said, adding a final decision will be taken soon. Speaking to reporters, Tope said the state cabinet discussed the issue of coronavirus and IPL matches."After discussion we have come to two options: either to postpone matches or to have matches without selling tickets," he said. Tope said these matches will be telecast to avoid large public gathering at a place (stadium).He also said there are no plans of giving holiday to schools in the state as of now in view of the coronavirus situation.The IPL is set to begin on March 29, with the lung opener set to be played at the Wankhede Stadium here, between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.Mumbai is the home venue of four-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians..The Indian Army said 16 children (six female and 10 male) and one infant are among the 83 people. "Seventy-four individuals are Indian nationals and remaining nine are foreigners of Indian origin (six Italians and three US nationals)," the officials said.Italy is one of the nations severely affected by coronavirus, with several parts of the country under lockdown to prevent transmission. The evacuees will be monitored for two weeks by a qualified team of doctors and staff members, to watch for any signs of infection."If any individual is suspected to be infected, he/she will be shifted to an isolation facility," the officials added. Daily medical examination of all 83 people will be done at the facility, they said.After 14 days, persons with no symptoms will be allowed to go home with their detailed documentation sent to the district, state surveillance units for further observation, the officials said.Apart from playing games, watching TV and having meals together within a barrack, no one will be allowed to interact with the members of another barrack and definitely not of another sector, they said..Indore's Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Dr Praveen Jadia, said that the 24-year-old man came to Delhi from Italy on March 7 and reached Indore from there."He is suffering from cold and cough. Due to his suspected exposure to coronavirus infection, he has been kept under medical supervision in an isolated ward of a government hospital," he said. The samples of his blood and swab have been sent to Bhopal's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for examination.Meanwhile, three people admitted to different hospitals in Indore have tested negative for coronavirus infection. Indore CMHO said that these include a 34-year-old woman, who returned to India from the US and a 30-year-old man who landed here from Malaysia along with a 39-year-old man.Jadia said that in the last 40 days, the samples of total 15 people from Indore have been sent for examination to the laboratory. Of these, 14 people tested negative, while the investigation report of one person is awaited.Additional Director of the Health Department, Dr Veena Sinha, said in Bhopal that so far, 664 travellers with their travel history of coronavirus-affected countries have been identified in Madhya Pradesh."Of these, 265 persons are still under the home isolation as precautionary measure while surveillance period of 356 have been completed," she said.The official informed that 27 samples were sent for the examination. Of these, 19 reports tested negative, while eight reports are awaited..InterGlobe Aviation, parent of the country's largest airline IndiGo, on Wednesday said it expects quarterly earnings to be adversely impacted as daily bookings have declined 15-20 per cent in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Besides, the sharp fall in rupee would hit the company's dollar-denominated liabilities, according to a statement."Over the past few days however, week-on-week, we have seen a 15-20 per cent decline in our daily bookings. Please note that the numbers could change from here based on how the situation evolves," it said.Citing the situation, IndiGo said it expects "quarterly earnings to be materially impacted". In addition, the rupee has also depreciated sharply which will have an adverse impact on dollar-denominated liabilities primarily on account of capitalised operating leases, the statement said.Further, it said in January and February, IndiGo experienced modest impact from the coronavirus. "We cancelled our flights to China and Hong Kong and reduced frequency to certain other Southeast Asia markets. This capacity was redeployed in other markets without having a material impact on our revenues," it noted.The airline had a domestic market share of around 48 per cent in January, as per official data. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, many countries, including India, have imposed travel restrictions.There are at least 60 cases of coronavirus infections in India. Shares of InterGlobe Aviation tumbled nearly 5 per cent to close at Rs 1,155. 45 on the BSE.Last week, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) projected that the airline industry could lose up to USD 113 billion in revenue this year due to the coronavirus outbreak.The grouping's previous analysis, issued in February, put the lost revenues at USD 29. 3 billion. This was based on a scenario that would see the impact of Covid-19 largely being confined to markets associated with China..The samples collected from him were sent to Kolkata- based ICMR and the results were negative, the Meghalaya government said in a statement. The man had returned to the state from Delhi on Sunday and was admitted to the isolation ward at North Eastern Indira Gandhi Institute of Health and Medical Sciences as he had fever and cough..The Italian woman who along with her husband was found to be suffering from coronavirus has tested negative for the infection twice in the past 24 hours, a senior official said. Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said on Wednesday that her husband, who was the first patient to be tested positive for coronavirus, has also shown low viral load. "The Italian woman have tested negative for the virus two times in the past 24 hours," Singh added. The couple is admitted to Jaipur Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital..The airline has issued a special advisory on dos and don'ts for all ground personnel, all staff at check-in counters, those handling boarding cards and having direct contact with passengers.They have been advised to regularly use sanitisers.Also, all staff entering an aircraft are provided with Personal Protective Equipment (masks and gloves) to ensure their own personal protective measure against COVID-19 while all international flights are treated with disinfectants post disembarkation of passengers, it said in a statement.During night halt of aircraft, extensive deep cleaning is done.At the dispatch offices, the airline said, placement of hand sanitisers for in-flight crew and other staff have been provided for.At the same time, spraying of disinfectant before boarding is also done while the crew have been encouraged to wear mask (available on the aircraft) in case they come across a suspect case, the airline said in the statement.."In Chhattisgarh, a total of 47 samples have been collected and sent for testing till Wednesday, of which 44 were found negative," a government official said."Besides, the samples of remaining three persons were rejected by the nodal lab as they were not falling under the criteria of suspect as per the guidelines of ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research)," he said.The samples are being tested at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Raipur.So far, a total of 38 persons have been kept in home isolation and under surveillance, while nine others have completed 28 days of observation, he said. Most of these people had either recently travelled to coronavirus-affected countries or had come in contact with persons suspected to have exposed to the infection, he said.Health advisories, alerts and signages have been displayed at the airport and railway stations, the official said.Besides, continuous surveillance is being conducted to identify new passengers who have travel history of China or other affected countries, he said..IPL Governing Council meeting to be held on 14th March over coronavirus situation..The ban will not include travellers from the United Kingdom, which recently left the European Union, Trump said. In a primetime address from the Oval Office to a worried nation, Trump sought to rebuff critics who say his leadership has been lacking during the crisis, insisting that "the virus will not have a chance.""This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history," he said.He announced a series of measures designed to ease the financial burden for people having to take weeks off from work while on quarantine.But his most far-reaching announcement was the halt on European travel. Trump said this would go into effect from "midnight Friday.""I'm confident that by... continuing to take these tough measures we will significantly reduce the threat to our citizens and we'll ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus," he said..Talking to reporters in Panaji on Wednesday evening, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the music festival will have artists from five countries, which are affected by coronavirus outbreak."We have written to the chief minister today to ask the organisers to cancel the music festival and postpone it. We are advising to avoid large gatherings to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus," Rane said. He was referring to upcoming Ketevan Sacred Music Festival scheduled to be held between March 13 and 15 at Old Goa and nearby places..While services to Rome (Italy) are being discontinued from March 15 to March 25, flight operations to Milan (Italy) and Seoul in South Korea will remain suspended between March 14 and March 28, an airline official said.The decision came following the government suspending all visas, except a few categories such as diplomatic and employment, till April 15 to prevent the spread of coronavirus on Wednesday."All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/International organisations, employment and project visas, stand suspended till 15th April 2020.This will come into effect from 1200GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure," an official statement said.Visa-free travel facility granted to Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card holders is also kept in abeyance till April 15, it said.All incoming travellers, including Indian nationals, arriving from or having visited China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain and Germany after February 15 will be quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days, the statement said..A group of residents from a housing society in Pimpri-Chinchwad township has approached the police, asking them to restrict a family, currently on a trip abroad, from entering their premises. Eight positive cases of the deadly infection have been reported in Pune so far. According to police officials, the family from the housing society is currently on a trip to Malaysia and other countries and supposed to return on Sunday..Hanks, 63, said he and Wilson came down with a fever while in Australia, where he is reportedly filming a new movie about the life of Elvis Presley."To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive," he wrote in a statement posted to Instagram..'I wasn't scared': India's first coronavirus patient on the days she spent in isolation. Spoiler alert: Her smartphone proved a big help..Of the two new positive cases in Kerala, one is from Kannur and the other is from Thrissur, from where India's first coronavirus patient too hails..The Kannur native came from Dubai while the Thrissur native came from Qatar..Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said that the 11 coronavirus positive patients in the state were showing only mild symptoms of the viral infection and there was no need to panic. (READ FULL STORY HERE).The management of the Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) in Raipur district has asked its students to vacate by Thursday evening the hostels located in the campus. (READ FULL STORY HERE).There has been a drastic reduction in numbers (visitors to India) of international travellers, I was told that it has come down by 25 to 30 per cent. Because of the quarantine in every country, both (inbound and outbound) have got severe impact, Civil Aviation Joint Secretary Usha Padhee said. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Sources within the BCCI said that they will follow the government advisory for the upcoming second and third ODIs.(READ FULL STORY HERE) .Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex (RBMC) & the Change of Guard ceremony will not be open to public till further notice. Rashtrapati Bhavan will remain closed for exploratory tour visits from March 13, till further notice.Indian Super League 2019-20 final between ATK FC and Chennaiyin FC on March 14, to be played behind closed doors at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda.(READ FULL STORY HERE).The mother of a 46-year-old man, who tested positive for novel coronavirus, has also been detected with the virus, making her the sixth patient in the national capital, officials said on Thursday. (READ FULL STORY HERE).BREAKING | Delhi government declares coronavirus an epidemic.The Kerala Assembly on Thursday passed a unanimous resolution against the Centre's circular barring the return of Indians from coronavirus-hit countries such as Italy unless they produce a certificate that proves they have tested negative for the infection. The resolution said the circular was "inhuman" and was akin to "cruelly abandoning" the expatriate Indians. (READ FULL STORY HERE).At a time when people are advised to take all precautionary measures to keep coronavirus infection at bay, a priest of a temple here has put face masks on deities and appealed the devotees to not touch the idols. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Investor wealth worth over Rs 11 lakh crore was wiped off on Thursday as stocks crashed amid a global equity selloff after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. (READ FULL STORY HERE).France now has 2,281 confirmed coronavirus infection cases -- nearly 500 more than a day before, with 48 deaths and 105 patients hospitalised in intensive care, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday..The BCCI kept mum but the Sports Ministry on Thursday dropped hints that the IPL could be held in empty stadiums due to the COVID-19 pandemic even as foreign players were ruled out of the glitzy event till April 15 following government-imposed travel restrictions. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Both Key indices of the Indian markets, Sensex and Nifty, fell over 8 per cent during the day's trading to close at 32778.14 points and 9590.15 points respectively. This is the biggest single-day sell off for Indian Markets..We have managed to isolate the coronavirus, we have 11 such isolates. Vaccines will take a minimum of 1.5 to 2 years, says Indian Council of Medical Research.Right now, luckily for India we do not have any community transmission. We have only a few cases that have come from outside & they have primarily affected their close family members, says Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry..52 testing facilities are located across the country. There are a total of 56 sample collection centers.1 lakh testing kits available, additional testing kits have been ordered and are also in procurement.Mask is not always necessary, if a person maintains effective social distance, mask is not needed. There is no need to panic..Indian government has evacuated 900 Indian citizens along with 48 belonging to other nations like Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, US, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, and Peru.Out of the 73 positive cases reported in India so far, 56 are Indians and 17 are foreigners..Visa-free travel facility granted to Overseas Citizen Of India (OCI) cardholders are kept in abeyance till 15th April 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure..Police have arrested three Beed residents, who allegedly posed as doctors and healthcare workers, to administer fake coronavirus vaccines to villagers in Maharashtra's Jalna district. (READ FULL STORY HERE).The school has started a ‘corona class’ for students in which they are given information about the virus and the precautionary measures needed to escape being infected. (READ FULL STORY HERE).The bloodbath on Dalal Street continues as the Sensex plunged by over 3000 points after the WHO announced that the coronavirus outbreak is a pandemic. Nifty also continued its downward trend falling by 900 points. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Putting a full stop to rumours, Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board Secretary V Sumangala confirmed that the exam time table scheduled to begin from March 20 has not changed. (READ FULL STORY HERE).The Centre's decision to suspend all visas to India till April 15, barring those given to government officials due to the outbreak of coronavirus is expected to truncate airlines' international operations.According to industry insiders, several airlines have already reduced international operations to China and Southeast Asia, further truncation is expected in the coming days..In an unprecedented lockdown for Covid-19, India on Wednesday notified cancellation of all non-official visas to curb incoming traffic and advised against all non-essential travel abroad which also curbs outgoing travel.The Bureau of Immigration under the Home Ministry notified the new norms hours after a high powered Group of Ministers finalised sweeping travel restrictions in the wake of growing cases of Covid-19.MORE ON THIS HERE.Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in Lok Sabha on Thursday that the count might further come down to around 40,000 following the travel advisory issued on Wednesday.There are 30 international airports in the country and on an average, these aerodromes receive about 70,000 international passengers.Puri, who is the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said every international passenger is screened at airports..Justice Navin Chawla told the Centre that the court will not tolerate non-compliance of its direction to contact the students and said it wants a report on that aspect on March 17, the next date of hearing..Taking cognisance of a complaint from a relative of a Pune-based patient, who tested positive for COVID-19, divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said police have been asked to monitor social media posts and take appropriate action in such matters. (READ FULL STORY HERE).After opening around 1,200 points lower, equities continued their downward spiral, with domestic BSE Sensex plummeting 2,707.39 points to 32,990.01 in the morning session.The 30-share index was trading 2,267.21 points, or 6.35 per cent, lower at 33,430.19 at 1230 hours. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty hit a low of 9,648.65, cracking 809.75 points. It was trading 658.55 points, or 6.30 per cent, down at 9,799.85.."I assured them that the govt would facilitate the earliest possible return of their children and I would like to share with the House that the sampling of these students has begun today. I visited Srinagar recently & took the initiative to meet the parents of some of the students who are in Iran. Their anxiety at this time is completely understandable. I shared with them in details, the ground situation & sought their understanding. Bhagwant Mann ji raised issue of 30 students of Punjab who are stuck at Italy airport. I would like to tell you that there aren't only 30 students, there are many more from different parts of the country. I need to find a way of helping them & bringing them back. We're at it. Please understand that we can only bring them back if they are tested,they've to be tested. To test them,we've started sampling today as we can't bring back untested people in very severe epidemic situation as I have responsibility of this country to worry about," the Foreign Minister said..Two suspected coronavirus patients, who had returned from Indonesia and Malaysia recently, were on Tuesday admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in northeast Kolkata's Beliaghata, hospital sources said..A 27-year-old man from Goa, who travelled to Italy and Finland last month and came in contact with a coronavirus patient, has been kept at an isolation ward of a state-run hospital here after he complained of cough and fever, Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Wednesday.The man, a native of Vasco town in South Goa, was working on a ship and returned to the coastal state two days back, Rane said."He had come in contact with a coronavirus patient mid-February while he was working on a ship," the minister said in a statement issued in Panaji..Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has convened a meeting on Wednesday to review steps to be taken to check the spread of coronavirus in the state.Health Minister Rajesh Tope has submitteda proposal that viewing of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches be restricted to television only, according to sources."There will be a discussion on how to curb gathering of crowds at marriages and social events," a source said. The meeting is scheduled at Vidhan Bhavan later in the afternoon, the sources said..The Delhi High Court Wednesday sought the stand of the Centre and the Delhi government on a PIL seeking proper and adequate measures to combat coronavirus.A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Ministry of Health and the Delhi government seeking their replies on the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an advocate.The petition, by lawyer Triveni Potekar, seeks directions to the Centre and the Delhi government to make available important and relevant information on access to and availability of medical facilities for testing and treatment for the coronavirus disease. According to the Union health ministry, there are 50 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country..All Air India flights to Italy and Korea cancelled till March 28 and March 25 respectively.."They’re suffering but I guarantee you other countries will be in that situation soon," said Michael J Ryan, WHO's Executive director, who also believed there is underdiagnosis of the virus in some countries..According to an official statement, at a review meeting held by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, it was decided that all states/UTs should be advised by the Union Health Ministry to invoke provisions of Section 2 of Epidemic Disease Act so that all advisories being issued from time to time by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare/State/UTs are enforceable. Section 2 of the 1897 Act gives the power to take special measures and prescribe regulations as to dangerous epidemic disease.(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).A 45-year-old man has tested positive for coronavirus in Nagpur. (PTI).All incoming international passengers returning to India should self-monitor their health and follow required Do’s and Dont’s as detailed by Government.Further, all passengers having travel history to China, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Iran, Malaysia, France, Spain and Germany are advised to undergo self-imposed quarantine for a period of 14 days from the date of their arrival.If such passengers are working in some organizations/institutions, their respective employers are advised to facilitate work from home during this period. iWith respect to restrictions on visa, besides the already issued instructions, all regular Visas (including e Visas) which have been granted to nationals of France, Germany and Spain on or before 11.03.2020 and where these foreigners have not yet entered India stands suspended.Regular visas (including e Visas) granted to all foreign nationals who have travel history to these countries on or after 1.2.2020 and who have not yet entered India also stands suspended.Visas of all foreigners already in India remain valid and they may contact the nearest FRRO/FRO through e-FRRO module for extension/conversion etc of their visa or grant of any consular service, if they choose to do so..All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/International Organizations, employment, project visas, stand suspended till 15th April 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure.Visa free travel facility granted to OCI card holders is kept in abeyance till April 15th 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure.Any foreign national who intends to travel to India for compelling reason may contact the nearest Indian Mission.All incoming travelers, including Indians, arriving from or having visited China,Italy,Iran,Republic of Korea, France, Spain & Germany after 15th Feb, 2020 shall be quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days.Incoming travelers, including Indian nationals, are advised to avoid non-essential travel and are informed that they can be quarantined for a minimum of 14 days on their arrival in India.International traffic through land borders will be restricted to Designated check posts with robust screening facilities. These will be notified separately by M/o Home Affairs..With COVID-19 has been raising serious threat over Kerala, the health condition of the coronavirus affected 85 year-old woman, hailing from Pathanamthitta who is under treatment at Government Medical College hospital since March 9, remained critical. According to hospital authorities, the woman is being given maximum medical care and medical persons are closely monitoring her condition. She is the mother of Italy-returned man in Pathanamthitta, who was tested positive for the disease..'All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/International Organizations, employment, project visas, stand suspended till 15th April 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure', the Govt of India said..One person from Jaipur, who has history of travel to Dubai has been tested positive for Coronavirus..Mizoram Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) John Neihlaia said that the 11 persons were arrested on Tuesday evening after police registered a suo motu case against them. All the accused were released on bail on Wednesday, he said. A case under Section 505 (1)(b) (intent to cause fear or alarm to the public) was registered against the 11 accused with Vaivakawn police station, Neihlaia said..When people start taking treatment in private hospitals in future, would their expenses be covered? To address these concerns, the insurance regulator IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority) has issued a set of guidelines. (READ FULL STORY HERE).After the three-member family who returned from Italy and a few of their relatives were tested positive, the town in Pathanamthitta district is moving closer to a shutdown. (READ FULL STORY HERE).With the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announcing the closure of theatres in the backdrop of new cases of coronavirus being reported from the state, Mollywood is looking at a loss to the tune of hundreds of crores. However, the movies that will be feeling the heat immediately are the ones running in the theatres. (READ FULL STORY HERE).The state administration has directed the hotels in Iduki and Munnar not to take bookings and close this month. The state adminstration has suspended all eco-tourism activity in Idukki. A circular, issued by Deputy Director Periyar Tiger Reserve, Shilpa V Kumar, said that the "state government has given strict instruction due to fear of the spread of Covid-19". (READ FULL STORY HERE).According to an official release, seven locations — three of them under Bengaluru Division — have been identified to be converted as quarantine wards. These are the wards created: Multi Discipline Training Centre at Ashokapuram in Mysuru, Diesel Training Centre at Hubballi, Women Barrakcs of Railway Protection Force in Hubballi, Supervisors Training Centre in Bengaluru, Divisional PWay Training Centre near Bengaluru Cantonment and Indian Railway Institute for Disaster Management, Hejjala, at Ramanagara. (READ FULL STORY HERE).As many as 75 tourists who returned to the State from Italy since February 29 in four phases have been told to quarantine themselves for 14 days as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Health, Medical and Family Welfare department said on Tuesday. (READ FULL STORY HERE).The German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Wednesday that the coronavirus could infect almost 58 million people which is up to 70 per cent of the country's population. Citing the lack of vaccines or therapies to fight the virus, she said at a news conference in Berlin, that there is a necessity of measures to slow its spread. (CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).As the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 60 on Wednesday after fresh cases were reported in India, the Health Ministry mandated 14 days of self-imposed quarantine for passengers with travel history to China, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Iran, Malaysia, France, Spain and Germany. The Ministry directed such passengers' employers to facilitate work-from-home from the date of their arrival in India..A 30-year-old Coimbatorean in Rome, however, yearns to get away from the lockdown faced by residents of the city and return home. But there is a hitch.Srinithin Jayabal, a software developer from Peelamedu in Coimbatore, has been stuck in Rome for the last 10 days amidst the coronavirus scare that has sent ripples across the globe. The lack of a COVID-19 negative certificate has left him stranded, he said. The businessman reached Rome on February 26 and had a return ticket to India on March 14.(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE)."According to Public Health Act, people who are supporting or hiding anything that leads to spreading of the disease is a crime. Those who are not revealing their travel history of coming back from affected areas and countries will be considered a crime. If they become positive, they will spread the disease. So we are asking them to reveal their identity and contact health department.Chief Minister has announced that hiding travel history is a crime&proper action will be taken," KK Shailaja said..The players have been given a list of Dos and Don'ts on personal hygiene and the list includes but is not limited to telling them to "avoid eating out at restaurants where hygiene standards are unknown or compromised."(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).Two more persons were on Tuesday admitted to an isolation ward in a state-run hospital in Kolkata with fever and cough -- symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus -- a senior health department official said. Both have travel histories to coronavirus-hit countries -- Indonesia and Malaysia -- and were admitted to Beliaghata ID Hospital, he said.Blood samples and throat swabs of the latest suspects have been collected and test reports are expected by evening, the official said.He said three out of four other patients admitted at the isolation ward of the hospital tested negative for the novel coronavirus, while a re-examination would be conducted on the fourth patient, he said.Another person, who had returned from Saudia Arabia on Saturday and admitted at the Beliaghata ID hospital on Sunday, "tested positive for swine flu". "He has been kept under observation," he said..An 85-year-old Jaipur native, who returned from Dubai on February 28, has been found "presumptive positive" for coronavirus in the first test here, an official said on Tuesday."His first test is positive. But his subsequent confirmatory test has remained inconclusive, so we are repeating the confirmatory test with a fresh sample here," said Additional Chief Secretary (Medical & Health) Rohit Kumar Singh. He has been kept in isolation at the SMS Hospital in Jaipur."The man came to the hospital on Monday with symptoms of the virus. After the first test, his wife and son too have been kept in isolation at the hospital.The two, however do not have coronavirus affliction symptoms," he said. Singh said 235 persons, who came in contact with octogenarian and his family, too have been traced and are being watched.An Italian couple, who was found corona-positive last week, are also admitted in the hospital but their condition is improving, he said.While the Italian man is still positive, his wife was tested negative on Monday, he said.A repeat test, however, was done on Tuesday on the Italian woman for confirmation and the report is awaited, said the official. If both tests are negative, she would be declared negative for coronavirus, he said..With Mumbai recording its first cases, the number of persons in Maharashtra who have tested positive for coronavirus has gone up to seven, the health official said..Above: Tourists wearing masks at Kovalam beach in the wake of coronavirus spread. (Photo | Vincent Pulickal, EPS) Bottom left: Doctors deployed at Puducherry Airport to guide and counsel incoming foreigners. (Photo | G Pattabi Raman, EPS)Bottom right: A family of three wear masks on their outing. The government has imposed restriction in tourists spots till March 31. (Photo | G Vincent Pulickal, EPS).The Aurangabad district administration has suspended the annual 'Nath Shashti Yatra' in Paithan town this year in view of the coronavirus scare, PTI reported. Paithan in Maharashtra was the home town of noted Marathi saint Eknath. Every year, people flock his shrine during the time of the Paithan Yatra, also commonly known as the Nath Shashti Yatra.The pilgrimage was supposed to take place between March 14 and 18 this year. Nearly five lakh pilgrims visit Paithan during the annual Nath Shashti Yatra every year.The Aurangabad collector, by using powers under provisions of the Bombay Police Act, has suspended the pilgrimage this year in view of the coronavirus outbreak, as per a release issued by the district information office. .Stepping up efforts to check the spread of coronavirus in Kerala, the state government has put at least 45 people who returned here from COVID-19 hit Italy under observation, official sources said on Wednesday.Officials had referred 35 people, including two children and two pregnant women, to a government district hospital in Aluva on their arrival from Italy on Tuesday.Ten suffering from fever and breathing problems were admitted to the Kalamassery Medical College Hospital and they will continue to remain under observation, officials said.The 35 people were later allowed to go home. .Railway hospitals have been provided with over 1,000 isolation beds for treating suspected coronavirus cases and more than 12,000 beds for quarantining them at different locations, an official statement said on Wednesday.Control rooms and telephone helplines have been set up at all railway hospitals, it said.According to the statement, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has directed the Railway Board to ensure that adequate preventive measures are put in place across the Indian Railway system, as reported by PTI. .Goa Health minister Vishwajit Rane on Wednesday said government employees and staff of state-run hospitals will be equipped with masks as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus, PTI reported.Talking to reporters here, Rane also said the use of hand sanitizers is important and should be encouraged in schools and colleges. "Masks will be provided to government employees and hospital staff. Every department is advised to make use of masks and sterillium," he said. People who visit hospitals need to take extra precautions, he added. .The coronavirus outbreak could cost the global economy up to USD 2 trillion this year, the UN's trade and development agency said, warning that shock from the epidemic will cause a recession in some countries and depress global annual growth to below 2 trillion..There is no positive case of Coronavirus in Telangana now. The person who came from Dubai and had tested positive, tested negative on Tuesday. As per the protocol, we have done the second test and the results have come back negative. The patient might be discharged in the next two to three days, says Telangana health minister Etela Rajender .Government has decided that all public and private educational institutions will suspend their teaching and class work till March 31. However, board & competitive examinations will take place as per schedule: Bhupinder Kumar, director of National Health Mission in Jammu and Kashmir .Yeddyurappa government issues temporary regulation 'Karnataka Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020' which aims to prevent spread of the disease. According to the regulation, no person/institution/organisation shall use print or electronic media to spread misinformation on COVID19. If a person is found indulging in any such activity, they will be punished. .Indian Open golf tournament postponed due to global novel coronavirus outbreak. Organisers to reschedule the event at "some point" later this year. .An Air India pilots' grouping has urged civil aviation regulator DGCA to exempt pilots from the mandatory pre and post-flight alcohol tests, amid the coronavirus scare.In a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation chief Arun Kumar, the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) said the virus is "highly dangerous" for the airline's crew involved in international flight operations as it poses an "elevated risk" of exposure to the cockpit crew.READ FULL REPORT HERE.The government is focusing on bringing back Indians stranded in coronavirus-hit Italy and Iran after screening them, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. He said a medical team will leave for Italy tomorrow for screening Indians. Making a suo moto statement on the Indians stranded in Iran due to coronavirus, Jaishankar said the situation in Italy and Iran is "a cause of great concern" and the government is making all efforts to bring back Indians after appropriate testing and screening.READ FULL STORY HERE.A prison superintendent in Kasargod believes there was a possible breach of COVID-19 protocol when police brought a child-abuse accused who returned from Malaysia to Kasargod from Chennai. The police first took a flight to Mangaluru and then brought the accused back by road.READ FULL STORY HERE .States/UTs asked to ensure sanitation of public transport vehicles as part of coronavirus control and containment measures, as well as asked to step up hygiene and sanitation at all bus terminals and stops: Govt .Eighty-four individuals, who arrived from Italy on Air India flight on March 11, have been quarantined at Army facility at Manesar. Out of 84 people, 74 are Indian, six are Italian and rest three are from the United States: Indian Army .The shutdown of factories in China due to the coronavirus outbreak may affect Indian industries like pharmaceutical, electronics and automobile which import components and raw materials from the neighbouring country, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.READ FULL REPORT HERE.The Dell employee had returned from the US, including a visit to Texas while the Mindtree employee also had a travel history abroad, the two companies said in separate statements.READ FULL REPORT HERE . India Open badminton to go as per schedule but without fans at stadium due to coronavirus outbreak..We have a team of doctors with us who are advising us on dos and don'ts on Coronavirus and today we have a meeting with them, if they will advise us to not use saliva on the ball then we will follow it: India cricketer Bhuvneshwar KumarREAD FULL REPORT HERE .A Jaipur-based 85-year-old man, who returned from Dubai on February 28 and showed symptoms of coronavirus on Monday, has tested positive for the dreaded disease on Tuesday, Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said."We have got the details of the Spicejet flight he took from Dubai to Jaipur and are doing due diligence on that," Singh said..The Indian government has announced strict guidelines for international cruise ships to call on a port in the country to curb the Covid-19 outbreak.The advisory follows the case of several cruise ships like Diamond Princess which became infestations of the virus and are stuck at the ports..An official note of the department in the Kalaburagi district headquarters town identified him as Mohammed Hussain Siddiqui, who died in a government hospital on Tuesday. "His swab samples have been sent for a lab in Bengaluru. The report is awaited," Department officials said. Siddiqui had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, where he had gone on a pilgrimage, they said..Health Minister KK Shailaja told the Assembly that she can't assure that no death due to Covid-19 might take place in the state.The minister said no lapse occurred from the part of the heath department in the incident in which three air passengers with a travel history of Italy arrived at the Cochin International Airport and skipped the screening process.According to her, the family might have produced wrong details in their self declaration forms and getaway from the screening process.A student who recently arrived at her home in Kollam from Italy has been kept under the supervision of the Health Department. After arriving in Delhi by flight she has taken the train route to reach Kollam. Her swab samples has been sent for testing.Depending on the result, the health officials will track down the fellow passengers who travelled in the same train. With COVID outbreak, notices have been served to temples in Malabar region to stop all mass gathering functions..A 76-year-old man suspected to be infected with coronavirus dies in Karnataka's Kalaburagi: Government.Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Monday, epidemiologists from Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University said the failings had contributed to the virus taking root in communities across the country. More than 800 cases and 28 deaths have been detected in the US, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).While results of 12 samples tested for COVID-19 from National Institute of Virology are expected to arrive on Wednesday, a case has been registered for spreading fake news on coronavirus infection in Palakad.."In Karnataka, four positive cases have been confirmed.Their family members have been isolated separately and we are monitoring them. I urge citizens to take precautionary measures and cooperate in preventing the spread of infection," said Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu. The first case had been announced on Monday. Three more new cases were confirmed on Tuesday..There would be no change in the examinations scheduled for the students in the Classes of VIII, IX and X. The Cabinet has also decided to cancel all the public programmes of the state government in the month of March in its fight against coronavirus..Italy's civil protection agency reported 97 new deaths, bringing the country's toll to 463, as the country takes a series of stringent measures to battle the spread of the virus.The number of Europeans killed by the virus now stands at 511, including 21 in France, 16 in Spain, four in Britain, three in the Netherlands, two in Switzerland and two in Germany, AFP figures show. The number of people infected in Italy rose to 9,172 -- an increase of 1,797 on Sunday's figures..Vendors of the many pharmaceutical companies said that the demand for masks spiked by five-times in the past few days. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Italy reports 977 new cases of coronavirus and 168 new deaths, raising total to 10,149 cases and 631 dead..Three schools in Pune's Sinhgad area to remain closed for next two-three days. (PTI).(Photo| EPS/ P Jawahar).“Yes, ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) has taken approval for use of second line HIV drugs on COVID patients, but this Lopinavir/Ritonavir combination therapy has been approved for emergency use among COVID-19 patients with moderate degree of severity with laid down protocols. Till now, this combination therapy has been given to two Italian patients hospitalised in Jaipur,” Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan told The Indian Express..Over 300 passengers, majority of them from Kerala, stuck at Milan International Airport on Tuesday after the Italian officials denied them boarding the flights to India citing health ministry's advisory to furnish a certificate from authorized laboratories that they are COVID-19 negative.Despite the panic calls to the Indian Embassy, the Indian officials are yet to respond, they told TNIE over the phone. “Since the virus is rapidly spreading across Italy, it is not safe to be here. The basic needs like food and travel are getting limited and hence we are returning home," said Muhammed Ashiq T, a Ph.D. student in Italy. He said he booked a ticket for a Tuesday night flight to Delhi..The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a weather advisory on the outbreak of malaria and dengue in parts of Karnataka, Goa, Telangana, Kerala, Bihar, Gujarat and other north Indian states from March 6-19 based on weather and health department data. But, the weatherman is unable to issue advisories on cholera or other vector or non-vector borne diseases, because of paucity of information given from state health departments. The IMD is also unable to issue an advisory on COVID-19, as it is a relatively new disease. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Health Minister C Vijayabaskar also said that labs would be set up in Tirunelveli, Maduari and Coimbatore as well, while the Theni facility will start receiving samples from Tuesday..Many of the producers and distributors in the tinsel town have been banking heavily on their Vishu releases, which are now facing an uncertain fate due to the outbreak scare. If things do not go as planned and the spread is not contained, many releases planned for the vacation season — including Mohanlal-Priyadarshan team’s big budget film ‘Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham’ — will have to be rescheduled. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Roopesh after holding a high-level meeting with health officials and airport officials said that the samples of the passenger have been collected and sent for examination. (READ FULL STORY HERE)."Thanks to the efforts of our Embassy in Iran and Indian medical team there, operating under challenging conditions. Thank you Indian Air Force. We appreciate cooperation of Iranian authorities. We are working on the return of other Indians stranded there," the Foreign Minister said in a statement..The Telangana health department has been permitted to set up a second coronavirus testing lab at Osmania General Hospital. Two extra standing thermal screeners and 200 extra personnel to screen all passengers at the Hyderabad airport..Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Monday said his government has intensified their screening at all entry points of the UT. He also said his government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to ensure that Puducherry yields no space to coronavirus, spreading across the country as well now.The chief minister earlier chaired a Health Department meeting to review the measures taken to insulate Puducherry against the deadly virus. After the meeting, he told reporters that various health agencies including the Health Department, the centrally-administered JIPMER, besides the government and private medical colleges and hospitals are working under a common action plan to prevent the spread of the disease.He said that Puducherry, being a former French colony, receives a large number of foreign tourists, besides domestic ones, and steps were being taken to screen them all."Foreigners account for 70 percent of the total tourists visiting Puducherry and we are taking specific care to screen them at the airport, railway stations and bus terminals," said Narayanasamy, adding those coming in private vehicles too are being screened.The chief minister said 14 of the 16 persons examined so far for suspected coronavirus affliction have tested negative while the test results for other four persons were awaited. He said the centrally-administered JIPMER had a testing lab and blood samples are regularly being sent to the lab. Both the Puducherry government's general hospital and JIPMER have set up separate isolation wards, the former with ten beds, which would be used in case any patient testing positive for the disease needed to be quarantined, he said."There were reports on paucity of masks. We would procure them immediately to meet the shortfall," he said. "Nothing would be left to chance. Awareness drive through TV, AIR, special campaigns and distribution of pamphlets on do's and don'ts would be launched on a war footing to ensure that people protect themselves against the onslaught of the disease," the chief minister said.Workers attached to the ASHA programme, health staff and volunteers too have been pressed into service for intensive checking of people at vulnerable places, he said, adding that awareness drives are being taken to apprise people in villages as well of various preventive measures.The meeting was attended among others by Puducherry Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar and health secretary besides the officials of the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare service and JIPMER..Global virus toll tops 4,000 with 17 more deaths in China: AFP.A state health department officail also said there was no confirmed case of coronavirus in the state, adding that a slew of measures are being taken to tackle the virus threat."In Chhattisgarh, 42 samples were sent for coronavirus testing till Monday. Of these 37 were found to be negative, while reports of five people are awaited. The samples are being tested at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Raipur," the official said.Of the 42 whose samples were sent for testing, 33 people have been kept under home observation, while nine others have completed their 28-day observation period, the official informed.An appeal has been made to people to report to authorities in case they had visited China, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, or any other affected nations after February 1, he said.Continuous surveillance is being maintained to identify new passengers who have travelled to China or other affected countries, namely Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran and Italy after February 1 this year, he said..Speaking on the ban on entry of cruise vessels into Mormugao Port till March 31, MPT Deputy Chairperson GP Rai said, "In view of the coronavirus threat, the Union government has decided that no cruise ship from foreign destinations will be allowed to call on Indian ports with immediate effect till March 31, 2020.".The foreigners, who were kept under observation at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), were discharged from the facility. No positive case of novel coronavirus infection has been reported in Goa so far, according to a statement issued by the Directorate of Health Services (DHS)."Both the patients who were admitted in the isolation ward (of the GMCH) were discharged after they tested negative to novel coronavirus," an official said, adding that no patient is currently quarantined at any of the state-run facilities.The Health department has kept 19 patients under home observation..The fourth patient had apparently come in touch with the Paytm employee at a public gathering, Delhi Health Department officials added.The fourth patient is currently at the isolation ward in Safdarjung Hospital.According to the health department officials, the woman had no travel history and contracted the virus since she came in contact with a patient at a public gathering.The patient had tested positive for the virus in the initial reports and had been admitted to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday.Her final reports confirmed that she was affected by the novel coronavirus..District Development Commissioner (DDC), Budgam, Tariq Hussain Ganai, said 41 residents of Budgam, in central Kashmir, who arrived from Iran and China will be quarantined at 76-bed facilities established at nine isolation wards in the district. The DDC said this while chairing a meeting to review preparedness for coronavirus threat.Ganai said while 31 residents have returned from Iran, 10 have come from China."They will be admitted to isolation wards for their quarantine to ensure proper care and treatment to infected, if any, to control the spread of the disease to others," he said.The DDC instructed Budgam chief medical officer to establish a control room with a landline phone facility at his office immediately and ensure all quarantine facilities are available and ready for suspected persons. During the meeting, the DDC was informed that all those who were admitted to quarantine isolation wards in the district have tested negative.Five groups comprising 160 pilgrims from the district are expected to return from various countries in a few days and would also be quarantined.Students who are returning from Iran and China would also be taken to isolation wards for proper check-up, he was informed..The budget carrier's statement comes after Qatar temporarily banned entry of people coming from India and 13 other countries in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, which has infected thousands of people.In a statement, the airline said it would be cancelling flights to Doha till March 17."We will be monitoring the situation closely and will share further updates once the ban is lifted," it said."Owing to the travel ban for people of multiple nationalities, including Indian nationals, IndiGo will be cancelling its flights to Doha till March 17, 2020," the Gurugram-based airline said in the statement..A 23-year-old woman and her 54- year-old mother were admitted in an isolation ward in the district civil hospital in Nashik in Maharashtra on Tuesday for suspected exposure to novel coronavirus, health officials said. The woman had gone to Dubai on February 27 and returned to Nashik on March 3 and was quarantined after she complained of throat pain, cold and cough, while her mother was admitted as the two were together at home over the past one week, PTI reported.READ FULL REPORT HERE.Three test positive for coronavirus in Pune on Tuesday, total number of confirmed cases in Maharashtra five..All airlines operating on international sector are advised again to ensure availability of sufficient number of self-declaration form(s) and get them filled in duplicate before disembarkation. Also to have in-flight announcements in flights coming to India: DGCA . Manipur has shut its border with Myanmar indefinitely amid the novel coronavirus scare, officials said on Tuesday. Neighbouring Mizoram had on Monday also sealed its borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, and banned the entry of foreigners to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus.READ FULL REPORT HERE.Large scale cancellation of flight ticket were witnessed from Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts following Coronavirus scare, an official said on Tuesday. According to statistics, about 40 lakh Keralites are residing in foreign countries, of which 1.5 lakh people hail from Pathanamthitta and two lakh from Kottayam. New flight bookings have also dropped immensely according to travel agencies..Fifty-four people died from coronavirus in Iran in the past 24 hours, surging the death toll from the infection to 291 -- the highest in Asia outside of China, while a total of 7,161 people have been infected with the disease. Tuesday's figure recorded the highest surge in fatalities..Up until now, 1048 people have been identified for observation. Out of which 446 samples have been sent for testing. 389 samples have tested negative, 4 positive, while reports of the rest are awaited: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa .I appeal to all devotees to avoid visiting the Sabarimala temple. Also, I request all the temples to cancel festivals that involve public gatherings: Travancore Devaswom Board President N Vasu.Malayalam cinema organisations have decided to shut down movie theatres in Kerala from tomorrow till March 31 due to coronavirus outbreak..The Karnataka government is mulling providing additional health insurance coverage to doctors and paramedics treating the COVID-19 cases and working in the laboratories besides existing schemes, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Tuesday.READ FULL REPORT HERE .Plus two students of Govt High School Parambil in Kozhikode doing their last-minute revision before appearing for their exam in Kerala. (Photo | Manu R Mavelil, EPS).READ FULL STORY HERE.A day after two patients tested positive for novel coronavirus in Pune, district authorities on Tuesday said their family members have been admitted in Naidu Hospital here and their samples sent for testing to the National Institute of Virology.READ FULL STORY HERE .The samples belong to those who travelled with the affected man, currently undergoing treatment at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and his family members. READ FULL STORY HERE.The man was among those who had interacted with the three-member family who returned from Italy and have tested positive for the virus. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Six new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported from Kerala on Tuesday, taking the total number of people presently infected with the virus to 12, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said..Of the six new cases, four are from Kottayam and two are from Pathanamthitta. On Monday, six people were confirmed to have been infected with the virus..As per latest figures,1,116 people with COVID -19 symptoms are in observation in various hospitals across Kerala. While 967 people are in quarantine in their homes, 149 are in hospitals..A total of 807 samples have been sent for tests of which 717 results have been negative..Earlier, three people who were infected with the virus were cured, the CM told reporters after chairing a special meeting of the state cabinet..Dr Shinu, who has a huge number of followers on social media, said she never revealed either the name of the patient or the clinic in her Facebook post. (READ FULL STORY HERE).The Department of Public Instruction has ordered all pre-KG, LKG and UKG classes in Bengaluru South, Bengaluru North and Bengaluru Rural to remain closed until further notice. Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Suresh Kumar confirmed this in a tweet on Sunday night. This order is a precautionary measure owing to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID 2019) outbreak and applies to all government, aided and private schools..As of Monday, there are 43 total cases of Coronavirus out of which 40 are active cases of COVID-19 in the country. Three positive cases from Kerala are now discharged, said the statement..Flagship carrier Qatar Airways has also stopped flights from India, sources said. Qatar Airways operates 102 weekly flights from Doha to 13 Indian cities, including New Delhi.According to the statement, the temporary suspension of entry would affect all individuals intending to enter from these countries, including visas upon arrival, those with residence or work permit, and temporary visitors.Earlier, Qatar Airways announced temporary suspension of flights to and from Italy, one of the countries worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak.Other airlines that fly to Qatar, include IndiGo, GoAir and Air India. There was no immediate statement from the three airlines about the status of their flights.Meanwhile, Kuwait on Saturday had suspended operations of all flights to and from India and six other countries in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.."There's still time for IPL. As of now, no decision has been taken. We are monitoring the situation; we will take all the precautions," said BCCI sources..Dakshina Kannada District Health Officer Sikander Pasha said that the passenger was shifted to district Wenlock hospital as a precautionary measure and was kept in a quarantine facility..In the Northeast, including Assam, pharmaceutical companies reported a whopping 1000% increase in the sale for such items in the last two weeks. (READ FULL STORY HERE).While one case each reported from Delhi, UP and J&K, National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notification regarding stopping the marking of attendance on biometric machines at its Principal Bench in Delhi with immediate effect till 31st March, 2020..Two people from Pune test positive for novel coronavirus infection, according to a health official, taking the number of total cases up to 47 now. A new case each has been reported from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Ernakulam in Kerala, Jammu, Bengaluru in Karnataka, and Punjab, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday, adding that no deaths due to the coronavirus had been reported yet in the country.(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).While Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary (Health), Union Health Ministry gave the latest figures, The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notification regarding stopping the marking of attendance on biometric machines at its Principal Bench in Delhi with immediate effect till 31st March, 2020..15 people are still under observation, 258 people have been discharged. Not a single person has been found positive for Coronavirus infection in the state, as of now..Panic over spread of coronavirus means Holi, on March 10, is a subdued affair this year. North India, which celebrates the festival with vigour, is showing low energy. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Market capitalisation (m-cap) of BSE-listed companies saw a massive decline after the 30-share index plunged 1515.01 points, or 4.03 per cent, to 36,061.61. The NSE Nifty too cracked 417.05 points, or 3.80 per cent, to 10,572.40. The carnage in the equity market wiped out investor wealth worth Rs 4,79,820.87 crore, taking the total m-cap to Rs 1,39,39,640.96 crore on the BSE..he World Health Organization warned Monday there was now a "very real" threat that the global outbreak of the new deadly coronavirus will become a pandemic, but stressed the virus could still be controlled. "The threat of a pandemic has become very real," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, while stressing that "it would be the first pandemic in history that can be controlled... we are not at the mercy of the virus"..Equity benchmark Sensex plummeted over 1,500 points in opening session on Monday led by deepening rout in global markets amid rapidly-spreading coronavirus and sinking crude prices.Continuing its downward spiral, the 30-share index was plunged 1515.01 points, or 4.03 per cent, to 36,061.61. The NSE Nifty too cracked 417.05 points, or 3.80 per cent, to 10,572.40.In the previous session, the 30-share BSE barometer settled 893.99 points or 2.32 per cent lower at 37,576.62. Likewise, the Nifty tanked 279.55 points or 2.48 per cent to close at 10,989.45.The rupee opened weak at 73.99 at the interbank forex market and then fell further to 74.03, down 16 paise over its last close..The woman, who had a travel history to Iran, was among two patients who were declared 'high viral load cases' by the administration on the weekend..The details of the co-passengers traveled in the flight and those who have closely interacted with the baby are being tracked by the health department."Those who have been in close contact with the child are being observed. Once the full details of co-passengers collected from CIAL authorities, it will be handed over to other districts as well. We are closely monitoring the situation," Kuttapan said.According to health department officials, 12 persons are put up at the isolation ward in MCH, Kalamassery for further observation.People are requested to contact in the helpline 0471 2552056, 0484- 2368802 for any queries related to COVID-19. The district collector assured that the administration is taking measures to contain the spread of the virus.Earlier, Kerala reported three confirmed cases of COVID-19 detected in the state, who were later discharged from the hospital after they tested negative for the deadly virus during the quarantine period.On Sunday, five people were confirmed for COVID 19 in Pathanamthitta and are being put up at the isolation ward. With the confirmation of coronavirus on the 3-year-old, Kerala currently has a total of six confirmed cases..The impact of coronavirus hit the Chennai airport severely with international passenger arrivals dropping by 22 to 26 per cent as flights are being cancelled, according to officials. The international terminal of the airport wore a deserted look as many flights have been cancelled due to stringent visa restrictions. The international sector took a hit as the demand for flights have fallen drastically due to government curbs on travel. Airport sources said that the domestic sector is also not doing well with three to four per cent reduction in passenger arrivals..The decision will affect individuals intending to enter from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand, including visas upon arrival, along with those with residence/work permit and temporary visitors..Despite an outbreak of COVID-19 in Pathanamthitta district, the state government had said the annual ritual would go ahead. However, authorities advised devotees with cold and flu symptoms to avoid the ritual this time. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Class 10 exams will be held as per schedule. Five new positive cases of Coronavirus were admitted in the isolation wards in Pathanamthitta yesterday..A total of 12 persons in the isolation ward of Ernakulam medical college.One 3-year-old child who recently travelled to Italy has been tested positive for Coronavirus. The child has been kept in isolation ward at Ernakulam Medical College. The three-year-old had arrived on March 7 at 6:30 am on the Dubai-Kochi flight. Doctors say the kid is stable. The sample of the child's parents has been sent for testing and other fellow passengers are being traced too .The Mormugao Port Trust in Goa has banned entry of cruise vessels till March 31 amid coronavirus outbreak..The minister for primary and secondary school education S Suresh Kumar tweeted late Sunday night, "Further to the advice received from the health commissioner, holidays have been declared for KJG/UKG classes in Bengaluru North, South & Rural Districts.".By mid-morning, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index had dropped 5.10 per cent or 1,058.06 points to 19,691.69, while the broader Topix index was off 5.01 per cent or 73.69 points to 1,397.77. (READ FULL STORY HERE).The authorities have put the blame squarely on the Ranni family for concealing vital information including the fact they arrived from Italy, which now has the second-largest COVID-19 infected cases after China, when they landed at the Kochi airport. (READ FULL STORY HERE).As coronavirus has become a global epidemic spreading rapidly, so has the misinformation spreading across social media platforms claiming to provide health advises like do's and don'ts, home remedies, and even a cure for the virus, when no known medication has been found. Many of these messages are unscientific, while some less harmful and some, very dangerous.(CLICK HERE TO READ).North Korea has not confirmed a single infection but has imposed strict rules, including closing its borders and putting thousands of its own people into isolation. (READ FULL STORY HERE).A 40-year-old techie has tested positive for coronavirus and has been admitted in Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases. His wife and daughter have also been admitted as they are symptomatic, Minister of Medical Education, Sudhakar, revealed at a press conference on Monday.His driver, driver’s wife and two kids are asymptomatic and have been home quarantined. 266 primary and secondary contacts of the people he worked with, interacted and travelled with are being traced. 60 of them travelled with him on the flight.(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).There were 40 new cases nationwide, the National Health Commission said, with most in Hubei, the central province at the epicentre of the outbreak. The 22 new deaths -- which were all in Hubei except one -- bring the country's toll to 3,119. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Woman and Child Welfare Ministry announces 7-days holiday for Anganwadis in Karnataka. (ANI).(Photo| EPS/ D Hemanth).Man who returned from Italy confirmed positive for coronavirus in Punjab, first case in state, according to an official statement. .We plan to depart Hindon Air Force Station at 8:30pm and land in Tehran at about 2 am.We will depart Tehran at about 4:30 am and land back here at about 09:30 am. Facilities to quarantine the passengers have been set up at Hindon, says Wing Commander Karan Kapoor, Captain of C-17 Globemaster. .A Bengaluru resident tests positive for Coronavirus. The person has travel history to the USA. All primary schools in Bengaluru to remain closed from tomorrow till further orders: Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar .Italy took a page from China’s playbook Sunday, attempting to lock down 16 million people — more than a quarter of its population — for nearly a month to halt the relentless march of the new coronavirus across Europe.(READ FULL REPORT).There are scrolls on channels that a flight from Kochi bound to Saudi had to land at Bahrain and the passengers were stranded at Manama airport. It is totally false. There was a Gulf air flight from Kochi to Baharain. It completed its journey as scheduled. There were some passengers in that flight who were suppossed to go to Saudi from Bahrain. They missed the connection flight. And they are stranded at Bahrain (Manama) airport: Kochi Airport . Union minister Sadananda Gowda says there is sufficient stock of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for next 3 months. Haryana govt exempts employees from marking attendance through biometric system till March 31 as precautionary measure. No coronavirus case reported in Karnataka, precautionary measures taken by govt is main reason for it. No reason for anyone to panic, but there's a need to take precautions: State medical education minister COVID19-infected man claims informing Kochi airport about travel from Italy and no screening directive was given; Kerala govt reiterates that trio didn't follow protocol. .Unlike previous audio release events for Vijay's films, where huge stadiums were booked to accommodate fans, the makers have decided to hold the audio launch of Master at a plush hotel in Chennai..READ FULL REPORT HERE.Following the Centre’s advisory, a Panama-flagged cruise ship was turned back from New Mangalore port amid coronavirus scare in the country with 39 confirmed cases.Meanwhile in Mysuru, Ganapathi Sachidananda Ashram has closed the popular Bonsai garden, Shukavana and Vishwavastra museum to visitors.(FULL REPORT HERE).President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa recently received a group of students from a school which has since been closed following the detection of a student with COVID-19. His office said that the president had no symptoms.(READ FULL STORY HERE).The tourist, who arrived from Germany a week ago, was staying in a Sinai resort of eastern Egypt. He died after refusing to be transferred to an isolation ward until 7 March once his breathing had been affected by "acute pneumonia".(FULL STORY HERE).Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft to leave for Iran today to bring back Indians citizens stuck there amid coronavirus outbreak, reports ANI. .Eighteen people, including six women, from Tamil Nadu have been quarantined on a Nile cruise ship near Luxor in Egypt after at least 33 people on board tested positive for novel coronavirus. Passengers from Tamil Nadu told Express they were in isolation on the ship for at least two days..(FULL STORY HERE).A circular issued recently by high court registrar (general administration) Ramesh Chand said as per an advisory by the Delhi government, people should avoid going to crowded places and requested the advocates and general public to adhere to the guidelines, PTI reported."As per the recent advisory issued by the Delhi government, Coronavirus is a contagious virus which causes respiratory infection and can be transferred from human to human through air by coughing, sneezing, personal contact such as touching or shaking hand, touching an object or surface with the virus on it and then touching mouth, nose or eyes with unwashed hands," the circular said..Samples of eight close contacts of the 45-year-old coronavirus patient from Kanchipuram, who is currently under treatment in Chennai, was sent to testing.The contacts include family members and a taxi driver. Meanwhile, two air passengers, a 15-year-old boy with travel history to the US and a 59-year-old man from Nepal, were admitted for having flu-like symptoms to two different hospitals in Chennai.(READ MORE HERE).With a nod from the Centre, Tamil Nadu health department will set up a testing lab for coronavirus in Theni district.Over 52 labs across the country have been made functional for coronavirus testing across the country.(READ FULL STORY HERE).Number of Coronavirus cases worldwide crosses 110,000, reports news agency AFP. .Cab drivers say they have seen a drop in rides, especially to and from the tech corridors such as Electronics City, Whitefield, Marathahalli and also from Kempegowda International Airport.READ FULL REPORT HERE .Air India Express on Monday said passengers can reschedule their tickets free of cost for all bookings made between March 12-31, in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.READ FULL REPORT HERE .The government has directed the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to prepare quarantine facilities with a bed capacity to admit over 5,400 people to deal with cases of coronavirus across the country.READ FULL STORY HERE .On the outset of new incidents regarding COVID-19, Cochin International Airport has decided to expand universal screening to domestic arrival passengers too. Universal screening had started for international passengers on 03 rd March. New health counters were added to both international and domestic arrival areas. On an average the airport handles 15000 arrival passengers. .The six new cases of covid-19 in Kerala has led to Cthe ochin International Airport (CIAL) expanding universal screening and including domestic passengers arriving at the airport too. Universal screening had started for international passengers on March 3. New health counters were added to both the international and domestic arrival areas. On an average the airport handles 15000 arrivals daily, a press release from CIAL said..Amid the coronavirus scare, a man has been booked for allegedly dumping used face masks at an open space in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Monday. The matter came to light after some television channels showed clippings of used masks stored at a godown in Bhiwandi township on Saturday.READ FULL REPORT HERE .The Special Secretary (Health) has clarified that the patient from Murshidabad, West Bengal, was tested negative for COVID-19. Hence, no death has been reported due to COVID-19 in the country so far: Centre .Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday said the government is prepared to deal with novel coronavirus and his ministry is sending directives, including guidelines, to states in all the languages on ways to contain it.READ FULL REPORT HERE .A 68-year-old man with symptoms of coronavirus infection has been admitted to Nashik district civil hospital in Maharashtra, doctors said on Monday. The person, who hails from Vashi in neighbouring Navi Mumbai township, went to New Zealand on December 29 last year and returned to Mumbai on February 29.Thereafter, he came to his sister's home at Daraswadi in Chandwad taluka here on March 4. During stay at his sister's place, he complained of restlessness and breathlessness.READ FULL REPORT HERE .Kerala's health department, which has swung into action to avoid any chances of community transmission, is also probing the reasons behind the local transmission of coronavirus cases.Further, Kerala's health minister KK Shailaja also said that it took some coercive measures on the department's part to persuade the trio that landed from Italy to shift to isolation wards.(READ MORE HERE).We have discussed with Delhi Government to prepare for isolation wards, quarantine facilities, availability of doctors, contact tracing and other precautions, if the cases increase. On 18 January we started universal screening on 7 airports and now 30 airports have been put under screening. All passengers coming from other countries are being screened on the airports. So far, 8,74,708 passengers screened: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan .Delhi Metro coaches and DTC buses are being sanitised; Those who are healthy are not required to wear face-masks. .With three passengers who had arrived at the Cochin International Airport Limited from Italy testing positive for COVID-19, airport authorities have decided to step up precautionary measures by asking their staff who came in direct contact with them to quarantine themselves.Till now, the CIAL authorities have identified six staff members who will be put in home quarantine for two weeks under the precautionary protocol.(READ FULL REPORT)."One person who tested positive for Coronavirus in the state is stable and without any fever. He is being monitored in an isolation ward (at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai as we had reported earlier)," said Dr C Vijayabaskar..Three people who returned from coronavirus-affected regions in the past nine day were quarantined for suspected exposure in Indore in Madhya Pradesh, a senior health official said..Indore District Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Praveen Jadia said the three, including a 34-year-old woman, had returned from the United States and Malaysia..The samples of 19 people kept in isolation wards for suspected exposure to the virus returned negative, while reports of two others are awaited..France bans gatherings of more than 1,000 over virus fears, reports AFP..Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that strict action will be taken against the resort authorities for defying the government order. (READ FULL STORY HERE). It is disheartening that despite several requests from the department some people continue to behave irresponsibly In this case, a family of three arrived at the Cochin International Airport and hired a car from the airport to Pathanamthitta Upon arriving here they mingled with other family members. The department noticed this when two of their relatives arrived at a nearby healthcentre with fever, cough and other symptoms Upon inquiry, it was revealed that they came into contact with persons who came from Italy When health department staff tried to shift the returnees to the hospital they vehemently opposed and it took some force to shift them to the isolation ward Later all the five samples tested positive The family first took a Qatar Airways' QR 126 flight from Venice to Doha At Doha airport, they had to spend around one and a half hours before boarding a connecting flight to Kochi The connecting flight has been identified as Qatar Airways' QR 514 flight Efforts are on to locate the co-passengers of these two flights ."It is disheartening that despite several requests from the department some people continue to behave irresponsibly. In this case, a family of three arrived at the Cochin International Airport and hired a car from the airport to Pathanamthitta. Upon arriving here they mingled with other family members. This came to the notice of the department when two of their relatives arrived at a nearby healthcentre with fever, cough and other symptoms. Upon inquiry, it was revealed that they came into contact with persons who came from Italy. When health staffs tried to shift the returnees to the hospital they vehemently opposed and it took some force to shift them to the isolation ward. Later all the five samples tested positive. The family first took a Qatar Airways' QR 126 flight from Venice to Doha. At Doha airport, they had to spend around one and a half hours before boarding a connecting flight to Kochi. The connection flight has been identified as Qatar Airways' QR 514 flight. Efforts are on to locate the co-passengers of these two flights," said Shailaja..With panicked Indians rushing to medical shops to buy masks and hand sanitizers over fears of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country, several unverified and fake cures have emerged on social media platforms.In view of such fake information, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an advisory that busts several of these myths. Before you press that forward message on any viral coronavirus message from your family WhatsApp group, read this first!CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE.A leading virologist Dr T Jacob John from the Christian Medical College, Vellore said that there is no point in worrying because it won’t help anyone and create unnecessary panic.The point is that this virus came, like many others, from animals to humans and seems a good fit for human transmission —as the global trend shows.We will need to accept the fact that this is an uninvited but most likely a permanent guest. What governments can do and are doing is to fund preventive and curative options but obviously that will take time.READ FULL REPORT HERE."The Health Department has suggested that schools in the state be closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The directive for the same is expected to be issued after the Holi festival," sources added. Moreover, the use of biometric attendance in offices has been stopped immediately in the state, sources added.."A person has been identified positive with Coronavirus and is under surveillance here at a hospital. We are tracing contact history. Further, we are screening every person coming from outside," said Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Beela Rajesh..Five new positive cases of coronavirus have been admitted in the isolation wards. Three people recently returned from Italy due to which two more got the disease here in Pathanamthitta district, said state Health Minister KK Shailaja..Italy on Saturday saw its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases since the outbreak began in the north of the country on February 21. In its daily update on Saturday, Italy's civil protection agency said the number of people with the coronavirus rose by 1,247 in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 5,883.(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).Around 71 people were trapped in the hotel that collapsed on Saturday in Quanzhou city of the province..The Health Department received a new set of instructions regarding inclusion criteria for testing COVID-19 and its laboratory preparedness. It’s the ICMR that notified the three centres for testing and the one for sample collection. It also mentioned about three categories for testing and samples to be collected, said a Health Department official. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Official sources said that both persons arrived in Vellore on March 2, and since then, they have been placed under house quarantine in Pernambut..A 28-year-old software engineer, employed in Paris, was admitted in a Vijayapura hospital with symptoms of the disease on Friday. The techie, a native of Hungund, was working in Paris for the last eight months and returned on February 5. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Around 70 people were trapped in the hotel that collapsed on Saturday in Quanzhou city of the province. State-run CGTN said two of the 50 people pulled from under the debris died. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Airlines have cut back on flights to the country, meaning millions of fewer travellers are expected - causing billions in losses for hotels, restaurants, tourist sites and many others. (READ FULL STORY HERE).As many as 245 people were admitted to isolation wards in hospitals in Maharashtra since January for possible exposure to the coronavirus and 229 of them tested negative for the infection, the state health department said on Saturday..ACU chairman Matt Schlapp, however, told The Washington Post that he interacted with the infected person at the event -- and while the timeline is unclear, Schlapp shook Trump's hand on the stage on the last day of the conference. (READ FULL STORY HERE).(Photo| EPS/ BP Deepu).The youth fell sick while returning home by train on Saturday after flying to the NSCBI Airport here earlier in the day from Saudi Arabia, where he works as a cleaner..Do not touch hand railings as far as possibleWash your hands after touching common places like railingUse handkerchief while coughing/ sneezingDon't rush for darshan, go in the queue by keeping at least one arm distance from the person behind and in frontAvoid social greetings by touching. Avoid hugs and handshakesDon't touch your face, nose and eyes with unwashed handsPersons with cough, fever, breathing difficulty or any chronic disease like chronic kidney or liver disease, diabetes, heart disease etc must avoid the temple visit or pongala. They should take rest at home.For more information, contact DISHA over 0471255 2056.In order to spread awareness, a special COVID-19 mobile phone caller tune was launched by all telecom operators with basic infection prevention messages played when a caller dials-out, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday.(CLICK HERE TO READ MORE).(Photo| EPS/ BP Deepu).High alert sounded in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district from where fresh cases of coronavirus were reported and officials intensified measures to track those with whom three infected people came into contact while arriving to state from Italy, reports PTI. .In view of Coronavirus, all schools within Leh district will remain closed till 31st March, as precautionary measure, District Magistrate has announced. .Two people in Florida who tested positive for the coronavirus died, health officials said. According to the authorities, the cases mark the first US coronavirus deaths outside California and Washington, reported CNN."Both of the deceased in Florida, including one patient in their 70s, had recently returned from international trips. Their destinations were not publicly disclosed," officials said..The condition of a coronavirus-hit Italian couple admitted at Jaipur's SMS Hospital for treatment is improving, a senior official said on Sunday. The Italian man has no fever now and his condition is constantly improving. The Italian man was tested positive in tests for coronavirus afflictions on March 2, while his wife too was tested positive a day later, PTI reports. ."I like cleanliness. I don't like dirt. You may have seen today that I greet with a namaste if someone comes to shake hands. One may think I am not shaking hands now that I have become deputy chief minister. But it is not so," Maharashtra's deputy CM Ajit Pawar said, further adding that precaution needs to be taken in view of the coronavirus outbreak. .Taking serious view of three new coronavirus patients not disclosing their Italy visit, Kerala govt warned of strict action, including prosecution, against those hiding info about travel to affected nations and symptoms of infection. .The 33rd Guwahati Bookfair, scheduled to be held later this month, has been put on hold indefinitely in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, organisers said on Sunday. The decision to postpone the event was taken in view of the Central government's advisory to avoid organising any event where a large number of people would be present, state- run Publication Board Assam said in a statement. The bookfair was to take place between March 14 and 25 and preparations were almost complete, PTI reports. .At least 43 people have been rescued after a hotel used for coronavirus quarantine collapsed in east China's Fujian Province, said local authorities on Saturday evening (local time).The Ministry of Emergency Management has sent a work team to the Quanzhou area to help with rescue and investigate the cause of the accident, Xinhua reported.READ MORE ABOUT THIS HERE.In the backdrop of novel coronavirus outbreak, as many as 4,656 passengers were screened at the Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Airport here on Saturday out of which 19 were found suspected and have been kept in isolation, said Dr G Srinivasa Rao, Director, Public Health, Telangana government.. NIV scientists working 'round-the-clock' to ensure smooth coronavirus testing across country. AIIMS asked to designate part of new emergency wing for setting up isolation beds, PTI reports. .Dial any number and chances are high that you might get to hear awareness messages on coronavirus, instead of ringing tones. The move follows an order in this regard from the government which has shared the audio clip of the message with telecom operators.READ FULL STORY .Man booked in Arunachal Pradesh's East Siang district for allegedly posting misleading information about coronavirus on social media: Officials .Two more people from TN showing symptoms of coronavirus, who returned from Texas and Nepal, have been shifted to the isolation ward of Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, reports TNIE's health correspondent..Qatar Airways in a statement issued on Sunday said it is working closely with Indian health authorities after some people who had travelled on one of its flights to Kochi tested positive for coronavirus, PTI reported.Five more people from Kerala, including three with recent travel history to Italy, have been tested positive for coronavirus infection. Three of them, a couple and their son, had evaded health screening at the airport on their return about a week ago."In relation to reports that passengers with suspected coronavirus were on Qatar Airways flight QR514 Doha to Kochi on February 29, we can confirm that Qatar Airways is working closely with Indian health authorities," the airline said in a statement. .A total of 21,114 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported by 93 countries and regions outside China as of Saturday, an increase of 3,633 infections from the previous day, according to the daily situation report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) Saturday evening..Governor of the US state of New York declared a State of Emergency on Saturday as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the northeastern state rose to 76..Governor of the US state of New York declared a State of Emergency on Saturday as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the northeastern state rose to 76..At a press conference, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that New York City, the most populous metropolis in the country, has seen 11 cases, and Westchester County now has 57, an increase of 23 overnight, the Xinhua news agency reported..Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said 168 isolation beds had been set up at 25 hospitals for coronavirus patients. .As people rush to keep themselves protected, Ayurveda experts have stressed that medicinal herbs such as amla, giloy, shilajit and neem are helpful in strengthening the immune system which is key to fighting the deadly virus. (READ FULL STORY HERE).Another five people have died from the coronavirus in France bringing the total to 16, the health ministry announced Saturday.There were 45 people in intensive care, six more than when the last summary was issued on Friday, said the director general of health, Jerome Salomon.The latest deaths were recorded in eastern parts of the country, Salomon added..Around 70 people were trapped after the collapse of a hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in eastern China on Saturday evening, officials said.At least 38 people have so far been rescued from the rubble of the 80-room Xinjia hotel in coastal Quanzhou city, said the local government.Footage circulating on microblogging platform Weibo showed rescue workers combing through the building's wreckage in the dark and reassuring a woman trapped under heavy debris as other wounded victims were carried into ambulances..Italy's death toll from the novel coronavirus rose by 36 to 233 on Saturday while the number of infections shot up by a single-day record of 1,247 to hit 5,883. Italy has recorded the most deaths of any country outside China and the third-most COVID-19 infections after China and South Korea. A man wearing a protective mask walks past the Church of St. Louis of the French in Rome. (Photo | AFP).In view of a coronavirus scare, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday constituted a seven-member Group of Ministers (GoM) to monitor the state's preparedness to tackle the disease, an official statement said.The chief minister will hold a meeting every Monday to review and deliberate on the recommendations of the GoM, which will be led by Local Government Minister Brahm Mohindra, it stated..Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp Download the TNIE app to stay with us and follow the latest