Coronavirus Outbreak Highlights: PM Modi Leads Video Conference Of SAARC Nations

Coronavirus Outbreak: 2,157 people under surveillance in Jammu and Kashmir
he Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday said 2,157 people -- travellers and persons in contact with suspected coronavirus cases -- have been put under surveillance in the union territory.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Noida launches dedicated email id, 24x7 phone line for queries on coronavirus
Individuals and Resident Welfare Associations in Noida and Greater Noida can make use of a dedicated email id and a 24x7 telephonic helpline for their queries related to preventing the spread of coronavirus or to inform the administration about the steps they are taking for the same, officials said on Sunday. The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has launched a dedicated email id - dmgbncorona@gmail.com - a day after opening a similar 24-hour telephonic helpline - 0120 2569 901 - to respond to queries related to the contagious novel virus threat, the officials said.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Advisory issued for pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board on Sunday issued an advisory asking non-resident Indians and foreigners to not visit the temple for 28 days after landing in India in the wake of the coronavirus threat. It also advised domestic pilgrims, having symptoms like cough, heavy fever and breathing problems, to reschedule or postpone their visit to the holy shrine.

Coronavirus Outbreak: CISF sets up open-air security station on Delhi airport tarmac
An open-air security check facility was set up by the CISF on the tarmac of the Delhi airport to screen passengers arriving from coronavirus-affected countries, officials said on Sunday. The security station is equipped with hand-held detectors, baggage screening x-ray machines and door-frame metal detectors to frisk passengers who are being brought to the Indira Gandhi International Airport while on their way to the quarantine centres in other cities.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Congress minister calls for coronavirus test for MLAs day before floor test
A day before the floor trust in Madhya Pradesh Assembly, a senior minister in the Kamal Nath government sought coronavirus tests on his party MLAs who have returned from Jaipur as well as those currently holed up in Haryana and Bengaluru. "The MLAs who have returned from Jaipur and also those who have gone to Haryana and Benguluru should undergo coronavirus tests. It is important as the virus has spread in Jaipur and Haryana," Madhya Pradesh Public Relations Minister PC Sharma said.

Coronavirus Outbreak: 6 cases of COVID-19 in Karnataka so far including one death
Six cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the state, including one death, Karnataka government said. "Till date six COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state including one death. The 5 coronavirus positive cases are in isolation at the designated hospital in Bengaluru," the Karnataka government said on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Health Department of Karnataka on Sunday said that all the family members and other contacts of the 76-year-old man who died of coronavirus in Kalaburagi are being monitored closely.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Bengaluru limits gatherings at marriages to 100 people
Bengaluru's civic body has limited gatherings at marriage functions to 100 people in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.

A circular issued by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) dated March 15 said, "All marriage functions pre-booked in marriage halls, hotels, Party places, etc. prior to the issue of circular dated March 13, shall be allowed to be conducted subject to the condition that the gathering in the function not exceeding 100 persons."

"The above relaxation is an exception in consideration of the difficulties in rescheduling and cancelling the marriage event immediately," the circular said.

It said, "The Owners/Management of such locations where Marriages are to be solemnized due to pre-booking shall maintain high standards of sanitation and hygiene by periodically cleaning by 10 per cent Sodium Hydrochlorite Solution or any other effective disinfectant the surfaces, floors and exposed areas likely to be touched by the attendants."

"Any person attending the function having any such symptoms like Cough, Cold, and Fever etc. shall be requested for immediately leaving the Programmes," it said.

The civic body further said in the circular, "No fresh bookings of any place for Marriage programme are permitted till further orders. Any bookings on future dates by any organizer, event manager, owner of such property or any other person will be at his own risk and action will be taken against the property or any other person for any kind of bookings before an Order allowing such bookings is issued by a Competent Authority."

"The restrictions imposed are in the absolute interest of Public Health for preventing the Community Spread and outbreak of the disease at mass scale. All other restrictions imposed by order dated March 13 shall stand the same," the Circular added.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Samples of Maharashtra man, quarantined over suspected coronavirus infectection, test negative
The samples from a 71-year-old man who died on Saturday while under quarantine in Maharashtra's Buldhana for suspected exposure to novel coronavirus have returned negative, a health official said on Sunday. It was feared earlier that the septuagenarian became the first victim of COVID-19 in the state, which has reported 32 confirmed cases as on Sunday. The man, with a history of diabetes and high blood pressure, had returned from the United Arab Emirates some days ago, an official said. "He was admitted in Buldhana general hospital, where he died on Saturday. His sample, which was sent to Nagpur for testing, has returned negative," Civil Surgeon Premchand Pandit told PTI.

Avoid Knee-Jerk Reactions: Prime Minister Narendra Modi On Coronavirus Call With SAARC Leaders
India has made special efforts to reach out to groups vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus and worked to quickly ramp up capacity in the system including through training of medical staff, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today during his telephonic conversation with members of the SAARC nations.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Kerala resort shut after British national, residing there, tested positive
Kerala government's plush Tea County resort at Munnar on Sunday was ordered to be closed down by district authorities after a British tourist who stayed there tested positive for coronavirus.

The decision to close down the resort was taken soon after the state Electricity Minister MM Mani, who hails from the district, held a high level meeting.

A group of foreign tourists including the coronavirus positive British national was stopped from flying to Dubai at Cochin airport on Sunday.

Following this the flight was kept at the runway and after the health authorities conducted a complete health check up of the other passengers, it left for Dubai at 12.50 pm, but the entire 19 member foreign tour party was deboarded.

"The British national test results came last night and it was positive. Soon after this when the health authorities arrived to take the British national to the hospital, they found out, he along with the others had left. They were later traced to the Cochin airport," said State Health Minister KK Shailaja.

The British national who turned positive and his wife are now lodged at the state owned Medical College hospital at Kochi, while the others in the group are put up in isolation at a different place.

Meanwhile, the staff at the resort that has been now closed expressed their displeasure that they were not advised properly. Following the closure of the resort, all of them have been kept under medical observation.

The authorities are mulling to take legal action against the British national for violating the Public Health Act and also against the manager of the hotel and the travel agent who coordinated the tour programme and allegedly took the tourists to the airport.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Delhi orders all mini buses to be disinfected daily
The Delhi government has ordered all mini buses to be disinfected daily in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the city, reported PTI. The government had recently also ordered concerned agencies to disinfect all DTC and cluster buses in the wake of the outbreak of the virus. The transport department has issued an order directing the owners of mini buses plying in the national capital to wash and disinfect their vehicles every day. "In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, all the permit holders and owners of mini buses plying in Delhi on STA (State Transport Authority) permit are directed to wash and disinfect their buses on daily basis," the order stated. It added that cleaning and disinfection on daily basis are in the interest of passengers and staff deployed in these mini buses.

Coronavirus Outbreak: 218 Italy Evacuees Sent To Delhi Quarantine Facility Today
A total of 218 Indians, mostly students, brought here from Italy today have been taken to an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) quarantine facility in south-west Delhi's Chhawla area, officials said.

The Air India flight from Milan landed around 9.45 am at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).

Out of the total Indian nationals in this group, 211 are students.
"All the 218 evacuees from Milan are being taken to our quarantine facility in south west Delhi's Chhawla area. They will be there for over a fortnight as per quarantine procedures," an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) spokesperson said.

The facility has earlier catered to two such batches of Indians and foreigners, evacuated from Wuhan in China, totalling 518 people.

The ITBP centre, like in the past, will have a dedicated team of doctors, para-medics and other staff apart from providing food, medical testing and indoor entertainment facility to the inmates, the spokesperson said.

The coronavirus outbreak, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, has led to more than 5,000 deaths globally.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Demand For Masks Rise Amid Coronavirus Outbreak In Ahmedabad
Amid coronavirus outbreak, the demand for face masks and sanitisers has increased in Ahmedabad. However, manufacturers and distributors have stated that the supply of these essential commodities is enough to meet the present demand.

A mask manufacturer Chirag Kabra said, "There is a sudden surge in demand for masks and thankfully the supply is enough to meet the customers' demands. We are right now making enough and so are other units."

"Though we have reduced the discount percentage as the raw material is a bit costly now," he added.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Kerala Intensifies Screening In Border Areas Amid Coronavirus
With increase in number of coronavirus cases, the Kerala government today launched intensified medical check up at border areas for people entering the state by rail and road.

The government has identified 24 spots in border areas that Kerala share with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and multiple teams each headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police began the checking of vehicles coming into the state.

With a UK national testing positive on Sunday, the number of COVID-19 cases in the state has risen to 20 and as many as 302 people are in isolation wards of various hospitals across the state.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had yesterday said a set of volunteers will be enrolled to assist the health department and they would be given special training by the officials for screening people in the border areas.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Philippines Closes Off Capital To Fight Coronavirus
Police began closing off access to the Philippines' sprawling and densely populated capital Manila on Sunday, imposing a quarantine that officials hope will curb the nation's rising number of coronavirus cases.

Officers in military fatigues and armed with rifles blocked off main roads into the city of some 12 million as domestic flights to and from Manila were halted early Sunday for a month-long isolation of the capital.

Mass gatherings and school at all levels have also been called off, but delays and exceptions have led public health experts to question how effective President Rodrigo Duterte's measures will be.

Striking steps were also being taken elsewhere in the county, with one church in the central Philippines deciding to hold its Sunday service with worshippers separated by yellow barricade tape.

The tape crisscrossed the pews so that no two worshippers could sit next to each other.

Though the Philippines has detected a fraction of the infections seen in hot spots such as China and Italy, its confirmed cases nearly doubled in recent days to 111, with eight deaths.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience, but we have orders to follow," said police corporal Meljayric Sajonia at a checkpoint on the southern edge of the capital.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Uttarakhand Bans Mass Gatherings Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Uttarakhand government has banned mass gatherings, including seminars and protests, in the state amid coronavirus outbreak, informed state minister Madan Kaushik today.

All government and private programmes have been banned for a month and the district magistrates have been authorised to take action if anyone is caught violating the orders.

The state government has already declared coronavirus an epidemic and has passed an order that all cinema halls and colleges will remain closed in the state till March 31. Medical colleges, however, will remain open.

The number of COVID-19 positive cases has gone up to 107 in the country.

Coronavirus, which originated in China's Wuhan city in December last year, has so far spread to more than 100 countries, infecting over 1,30,000 people. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared coronavirus a pandemic

Coronavirus Outbreak: Alternate Working Days For Bihar Government Employees Amid Coronavirus
In the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, the general administration department has issued the order for assigning duties to both class C and D employees of the state government on alternate days.

Except for the state health department, all department heads have been directed to form rosters and assign alternative working shifts to the employees of the Bihar government.

"All department heads to ensure that large gatherings of employees are avoided. Class C and D employees of the state government are to be assigned alternate working shifts," read the order from Patna District Magistrate citing the general administration department order.

The number of coronavirus cases in India has crossed 100, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today.

So far, two deaths due to the lethal infection have been reported in the country.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Railways Start Disinfecting Mumbai Train Coaches To Combat Coronavirus
As the battle against coronavirus intensifies, the railway authorities in Mumbai have started disinfecting local trains, which carry around 80 lakh suburban commuters everyday, as well as long distance trains.

According to the Central Railway (CR), all the coach fittings, including grab handles, door handles, door latches, entry doors, window grills, electric switches and other parts inside local trains as well as outstation trains are being cleaned using disinfectants.

"In order to ensure cleanliness and hygiene, especially in view of the Covid-19 advisory, special efforts are being put in during primary maintenance of coaches at the coaching depots of CR," an official statement said.

The CR officials said that they were also focusing on cleanliness of outstation trains. An intensive cleaning and disinfection of toilets is also being ensured, they said.

The railway authorities said that on board cleaning staff has been counselled for frequent en-route cleaning in coaches. Topping up of liquid handwash soap on board is also being ensured in outstation trains.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Educational Institutes To Remain Shut Till March 29 In Assam Amid Coronavirus
Assam Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna, addressing a press conference here said, "Even though no positive case has been detected in the state so far, we are taking all precautionary measures."
He said barring board examinations, all exams scheduled till the specified date have been cancelled.

"All programmes scheduled at government auditoriums have also been cancelled. We hope those owned by private firms will also follow," he said.

The chief secretary said all the deputy commissioners have been asked to discourage any public gathering in their districts.

He said the state government is fully equipped to handle any crisis arising out of the pandemic.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Indian National Tests Positive For COVID-19 In UAE: Report
An Indian national, who returned to the UAE after a holiday abroad, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to media reports. The country so far has 85 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHaP) on Saturday confirmed that the Indian national has tested positive for the disease, the Khaleej Times reported.