Gurgaon Closes All Malls, Cinemas Till March 31 Over Coronavirus Outbreak

The Gurgaon administration has asked all malls, theatres, night clubs and gyms to remain closed till the end of the month over the coronavirus outbreak that has affected over 150 people in India and killed three. The notification also ordered the closure of weekly markets, spas, lounges and bars in the city and elsewhere in the district. Pharmacies, grocery stores and supermarkets, however, can stay open.

All dine-in restaurants have been restricted to the capacity of 50 seats. Similarly, all gatherings including social, cultural, political and religious ones too have been restricted to a maximum of 50 people.

Owners of salons, beauty parlours and grooming centres have been asked to sanitise their premises and ensure availability of sanitisers.

Private cab operators have also been asked to decontaminate their vehicles frequently.

The administration on Tuesday had advised firms to let their employees work from home.

The sprawling city neighbouring Delhi reported the second positive case of coronavirus in the upscale Sector-50 area on Wednesday, news agency IANS reported.

The patient is a 42-year-old businessman who recently travelled to London and returned on March 7. He was quarantined on March 9. He is currently admitted in an isolation ward of Delhi's Safdarjung hospital.

Gurgaon Civil Surgeon Dr JS Punia confirmed it after the test report was received from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune.

Besides him, eight people who came in contact with him are also under isolation in quarantine wards in different hospitals.

"We have taken blood samples of all eight persons. The reports of three of his family members came negative," Dr Punia said.

Earlier, a 29-year-old woman from Gurgaon was also found infected with coronavirus and admitted in Delhi's RML Hospital. Apart from this, 14 Italian tourists are also admitted in Medanta Hospital with symptoms of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the district administration has clarified that door-step blood collection service for coronavirus testing is not being offered as yet.

"It is a moral and social responsibility of each and every citizen to go at designated health centers to give blood samples. 17 hospitals of the district have such facilities to receive blood samples which will be sent to PGI Rohtak for testing," said Amit Khatri, Gurgaon district magistrate said.