Coronavirus In India: Bengaluru, Pune Coronavirus Cases Take Total To 47: 10 Points

Coronavirus: The family underwent screening at the Kochi airport soon after they landed.

Highlights

Kerala family underwent thermal screening at Kochi airport
Family in quarantine at a hospital, child undergoing treatment
India among 14 nations on Qatar's travel ban list over coronavirus fears

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: A Bengaluru resident, who had recently visited the United States, has been tested positive for coronavirus, which has infected 47 people in India so far. Other fresh cases reported today include one each in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Punjab and two in Pune. A man and woman from Pune tested positive for the virus after returning from Dubai. The two are said to be related to each other. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan held a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to take stock of the situation. Qatar, meanwhile, has temporarily barred travellers from 14 countries including India from today as a precaution against coronavirus.

Here are the top 10 updates on coronavirus in India:

Mizoram will seal its borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh and ban the entry of foreigners to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus in the state, a top official said on Monday. Mizoram shares a 510-km border with Myanmar and a 318-km border with Bangladesh. However, senior officials will be allowed entry from Myanmar at Zokhawthar, a village on the Indo-Burma border, and a medical team will be deployed there round the clock for emergency response. All inter-state borders of Mizoram, except four entry points, will be closed and Inner Line Permits will not be issued to new entrants, PTI reported quoting an official.
A 63-year-old Jammu woman, who had travelled to Iran, was among two patients who were declared "high viral load cases" by the administration during the weekend. They are undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital and are in a stable condition, officials said.
Dr Harsh Vardhan said over 8.74 lakh passengers coming from foreign countries have been screened. "We have asked states to strengthen laboratories and manpower to effectively deal with coronavirus. States have been asked to form early rapid action team to deal with coronavirus," he said at a press briefing.
Kindergarten classes in Bengaluru have been closed as a precautionary measure because of the coronavirus cases in the neighbouring states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
In Tamil Nadu, a 45-year-old man tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday. Authorities called it a challenging case as the test reports from Chennai were unclear and confirmation only came from the second test at the National Institute of Virology in Pune where the virus was confirmed. In Amritsar, a resident of Italy has tested positive for the virus. He was tracked at Amritsar airport and is now admitted to a hospital.
Five of a family in Kerala tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday. The state health minister said three of the affected persons returned from Italy and did not declare it at the airport, which is why they were not screened. A couple and their 26-year-old son, who had visited Italy, visited their relatives on return, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja said. All five are in hospital under observation. The parents of the couple, who are in their 90s and lived with them, have been hospitalised as preventive measure, sources said.
The government has decided not to let any foreign cruise ship to dock at Indian ports, news agency ANI reported.The government had suspended visas and e-visas granted on or before March 3 to people travelling from Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan, effective immediately, after a surge in cases of coronavirus or COVID-19 in these countries.
"Delhi Metro coaches and DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) buses are being sanitised. Those who are healthy are not required to wear face-masks," Arvind Kejriwal said after a meeting with Dr Harsh Vardhan. Last week, 16 Italian tourists - part of a group of 23 - were tested positive for the virus and are being treated in Jaipur and Delhi.
As many as 52 laboratories are now operational across the country for testing COVID-19 virus, the health ministry said. An additional 57 laboratories have been provided with Viral Transport Media and swabs for sample collection, it added.
The novel coronavirus spreads through contact with respiratory droplets spread during coughing and sneezing, doctors say. Besides keeping contact to a minimum with an infected person, the preventive measures include frequent washing of hands and use of hand sanitisers. Fresh tissues should be used while sneezing and coughing and then discarded, to ensure the virus does not spread.