Coronavirus Highlights: 283 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed In India, Says Health Ministry

Shiv Sena MP Krupal Tumane self-quarantined

Krupal Tumane, Shiv Sena MP from Maharashtra's Ramtek, has self-quarantined himself as he sat beside BJP MP Dushyant Singh in Parliamentary Committee meeting.

On Friday, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje went in self-isolation along with her son Dushyant after singer Kanika Kapoor, whom they had met in Lucknow, was found to be positive for COVID-19.

Two BJP MPs in self-quarantine after attending meet with Dushyant Singh
Two BJP Members of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh went into self-quarantine after party MP Dushyant Singh said he was self-isolating themselves as they had attended a party last week with singer Kanika Kapoor who has tested positive for COVID-19.

BJP MPs Ravindra Shyamnarayan alias Ravi Kishan from Gorakhpur parliamentary constituency and Kamlesh Paswan from Bansgaon constituency who came in contact with Mr Singh, MP from Rajasthan, during a breakfast hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind on March 13 said they have gone into self-isolation.

Rajasthan Shuts Down Transport, Shops Till March 31 Over Coronavirus
 The Rajasthan government has ordered lockdown of the state till March 31 as COVID-19 cases rise across the country. In a statement, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said all public transport has been stopped and malls and shops will remain shut. Essential services will remain operational, he said.

First Coronavirus case confirmed in Assam
Assam government confirms that a four-year-old child has tested Coronavirus positive.

The government has has send the child, its family members for one more confirmation test at a hospital in Dibrugarh.

12 fresh cases in Kerala, total touches 49
For the second consecutive day, Kerala reported 12 more fresh cases of coronavirus taking the tally in the State to 49, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday, even as he ruled out the possibility of community spread.

Coronavirus: Surat diamond hub in Gujarat shut between March 24-31
The world's largest diamond cutting and polishing hub, Surat in Gujarat, will shut down for a week from Tuesday due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council and Surat Diamond Association said in a joint statement on Saturday.

"Stay In Whichever City You Are," Says PM A Day Before Janata Curfew
PM Narendra Modi on Saturday appealed people to avoid unnecessary travels and follow the instructions of the of local authorities to avoid spreading of the coronavirus.

PM Modi, in a series of tweets ahead of the Janata Curfew on Sunday, said crowding of public places like railway station and bus stands will increase the risk of spreading virus.

Kerala CM Writes To S Jaishankar, Urges To Evacuate 250 Indian Students Stranded In Malaysia
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday sought the intervention of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to ensure the safe return of the Indian students stranded in Malaysia, the worst coronavirus-hit the country in South Asia.

In his letter addressed to Mr Jaishanker, CM P Vijayan requested the External Affairs Minister to pay ''immediate attention'' to the plight of about 250 Indian students who are unable to return home from Kuala Lumpur due to the cancellation of international flights to India.

"Dear Dr. Jaishankar ji, I would like to draw your immediate attention to the plight of the Indian students who are stranded in Kuala Lumpur. They are stranded at the airport because of the cancellation of flights to India. It has been reported that about 250 students in Kuala Lumpur are unable to return home," the letter read.

111 Labs For Testing Coronavirus Will Be Functional From Today: Health Ministry
A total of 111 labs for testing coronavirus across the country will be functional from today, said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, on Saturday.

"Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research, has said that 111 labs for COVID19 diagnosis will be functional by today evening," said Mr Aggarwal in Delhi.

''Near-total'' lockdown In 5 Odisha Districts, 8 Towns
A day before the nationwide ''Janata curfew'', the Odisha government announced on Saturday a "near total" shutdown in five districts and eight other prominent towns for a week to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

It will come into effect from Sunday morning, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in a video message.

The districts that will observe near-total lockdown are Khurda, Ganjam, Cuttack, Kendrapara and Angul, while the towns include Puri, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Rourkela, Bhadrak, Jajpur Road and Jajpur, Mr Patnaik said.

Coronavirus Patient In Maharashtra's Aurangabad Recovers, Tests Negative

A woman who had earlier tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district has now tested negative for the infection following treatment, an official said.

The woman, with travel history to Russia and Kazakhstan, had tested positive for the virus on March 13, district health officer Dr Sundar Kulkarni told PTI.

Air India Special Flight To Bring Back Indians From Rome Delayed: Report
An Air India special flight for Rome, to bring back Indian nationals including students stranded in the European country amid the coronavirus outbreak, has been delayed by one and half hours.
The special flight was scheduled to depart at 14:20 hours.

However, the commander of the aircraft detected glitches in power transfer in aircraft on last minute of take-off, sources in the aviation ministry said told news agency Press Trust Of India.

"Air India Boeing, B-777 was scheduled to depart for Rome to bring back Indians today on 14:20 hours and now the special flight was rescheduled for 16:00 hours. Air India engineering team is underway to replace the equipment at Delhi airport," the sources added.

Two having quarantine mark detained in Mumbai
Two Passengers Returning From Dubai and Having Mark Of Quarantine Detrained From 12935 (Bandra Terminus -Surat) Intercity Express at Virar on 21st March, 2020,vas under -

1) Ms Hiral Patel, resident of Bhavnagar , having UTS Ticket Travelling between Borivali-Vadodara.

2)Mr Mohammad Shami Resident of Pratapgarh (UP), travelling between Borivali to Surat.
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Two more passengers who came from Dubai and whose hands were stamped with the quarantine mark were offloaded from a train in Mumbai. They were found travelling in the Bandra Terminus-Surat Intercity Express.

West Bengal Restaurants, Pubs, Museums To Be Shut Till March 31 Amid Coronavirus
The West Bengal government has ordered all restaurants, bars, pubs, nightclubs, amusement parks, museums and zoos to remain shut till March 31 as a precautionary measure in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a senior official said.

The directive also applies to massage parlours and hookah bars, the official said, adding that strict action would be taken in case of any violation.

"In order to further check non-essential social gatherings which lead to spread of the virus from infected persons to healthy persons we have ordered the shutdown," the official said.

215 Italy Evacuees Test Negative
A total of 215 evacuees who were brought to New Delhi's ITBP Chhawla Quarantine Facility from Italy on March 15, have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, an official said on Saturday.

The group comprises 151 males and 64 females and most of them are students studying in Italy.

The evacuees did not show any COVID-19 symptoms for seven days.

The expected quarantine period is of 14 days.

"The second and final sampling will be done on the 14th day of the quarantine period and if that also results as negative, then all these 215 persons will be released from the Centre," said the official of the facilty.

If Needed, Will Lockdown Delhi, Says Arvind Kejriwal

Coronavirus: DMK's MK Stalin Distributes Hand Sanitizers, Face Masks
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin today distributed soaps, hand sanitizers and face masks kits to the media personnel and staff at the State Assembly in Chennai.

Mr Stalin had on Tuesday urged anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters in Chennai to withdraw their protest in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

At least three cases have been reported so far in the state of Tamil Nadu.

The Coimbatore district collector on March 20 had announced that the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border in Coimbatore will be closed until further orders in the wake of the coronavirus scare. (ANI)

Coronavirus: Indian Embassies Worldwide Issues Advisories For Its Nationals
The Indian embassy in France has issued an advisory for its nationals who wish to travel back home before India's week-long ban, imposed to contain the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus, on international commercial flights comes into force on March 22.

The Indian embassies in several other countries also issued advisories and started emergency helplines for the distressed Indians, assuring them all possible help.

The embassies among others included from Canada, Greece, Finland and Estonia, Israel, Japan, Vietnam, Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Russia, Cuba, Brazil and Switzerland.

The Indian embassies in several countries, including Russia, Brazil, Cuba, Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Finland and Estonia, Japan, Vietnam and Mongolia started emergency helplines for distressed Indians.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, India on Thursday announced it will not allow any international commercial passenger aircraft to land from March 22 to March 29.

The novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 258 today after 35 fresh infections were reported from various parts of the country.

According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, the death count from the virus globally has risen to 11,397 with more than 275,427 cases reported in over 160 countries and territories.

Coronavirus Outbreak: 6 New Coronavirus Positive Cases In Gujarat, Count Reaches To 13
With six new coronavirus positive cases being reported in Gujarat today, the number of infected persons in the state has gone up to 13,
Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said.

These patients are being treated in hospitals at Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot, Mr Patel said.

"Thirteen positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in Gujarat so far. Of them, twelve have history of travel abroad," he said.

A man from Gandhinagar, who had recently visited a foreign country, tested positive for coronavirus, and is beingtreated at an isolation ward in a hospital in Ahmedabad, he said.

A 52-year-old man with travel history to Sri Lanka had tested positive in Vadodara earlier in the day.

Coronavirus: Rajasthan Reports 6 Fresh Coronavirus Cases, Total Count Reaches To 23
Six fresh cases of the coronavirus have surfaced in Rajasthan, taking the total in the state to 23 so far, officials said today.

Reports of 42 suspected cases are awaited, they said.

Among the six, five are staff members of a private hospital, where a doctor tested positive for COVID-19, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said.

He said that another positive case is from Jaipur, thus taking the total number of positive cases to 23 in the state. Out of the 23, three patients, including an Italian tourist couple, have recovered.