Novel coronavirus: India reports 23 new cases, will now screen everyone arriving from abroad

10.42 pm: The Ministry of Health advises schools to avoid large gatherings of students and to provide alcohol-based hand sanitisers at frequented spots.

10.25 pm: A Health Ministry official confirms that a Paytm employee has tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the number of cases to 29, PTI reports.

10.10 pm: Lufthansa will ground 150 out of nearly 770 aircraft due to the coronavirus, Reuters reports.

9.56 pm: The pet dog of a coronavirus patient in Hong Kong has been confirmed to be infected too, AFP reports.

9.54 pm: A second patient has tested positive for COVID-19 at the European Union offices in Brussels, AFP reported.

9.51 pm: The Ministry of Home Affairs says all landports have fully equipped medical teams across states to screen incoming people from neighbouring countries.

9.36 pm: International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva says the COVID-19 epidemic poses a “serious threat” to the global economy and will slow its growth down to below last year’s 2.9%, AFP reports.

9.23 pm: The number of beds at the isolation ward of the civic body-run Naidu Hospital in Pune has been increased from six to 100, PTI reports.

9.19 pm: Eight persons have been placed under observation for a possible infection in Andhra Pradesh, PTI reports. Three of them returned from Singapore, two from Bahrain, and one each from South Korea, Germany and Oman.

9.11 pm: Paytm shuts its Gurugram and Noida offices for two days after an employee who recently travelled to Italy tests positive for COVID-19, IANS reports.

9.05 pm: Dr Nagaraj, the director of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bengaluru, says all reports of patients had tested negative for novel coronavirus, and they will be discharged, ANI reports.

9.04 pm: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India asks insurance companies to come up with policies that cover coronavirus treatment costs, PTI reports.

8.41 pm: In India’s national Capital, New Delhi Municipal Council has formed two rapid response teams to check residents who have visited nations battling the virus after January 15. “Two rapid response teams consisting of doctor, paramedical staff and public health specialist have been formed for awareness generation and screening of persons who visited coronavirus-affected countries after January 15 belonging to NDMC area,” an unidentified senior official of the civic body’s health department was quoted as saying by News18.

8.39 pm: An image of soldiers in South Korea wearing protective gear spray disinfectant to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

8.39 pm: Israel orders quarantine for people arriving from France, Germany, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland, reports AFP.

8.34 pm: Telangana’s Health Minister Etela Rajendra says only 20 suspected cases have been reported in hospitals. “There is no need to panic,” he says, according to ANI. “Committees have been set up by the government and isolation wards set up during swine flu breakout have been designated to treat cases of coronavirus.”

8.30 pm: E-commerce payment system and financial technology company Paytm has confirmed that one of its employees based out of the Gurugram office tested positive for coronavirus. “One of our colleagues based out of Gurgaon office who recently returned from Italy has sadly been tested positive for Coronavirus,” the company says, according to ANI. “He is receiving appropriate treatment. As a precautionary measure, we have suggested his team members to get health tests done immediately.”

8.28 pm: Members of the International Monetary have pledged to help all the nations battling coronavirus, reports AFP.

8.23 pm: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has refused help from the United States to combat the coronavirus, reports AFP. “Those who have deprived the people of even medicine and food through sanctions, who have done the most vicious things...they appear with a mask of sympathy and say that we want to help the nation of Iran,” Rouhani said in an indirect reference to the Donald Trump-led administration.

Earlier in the day, Iran reported 15 new coronavirus deaths, which took the toll to 92.

8.18 pm: The number of people who have tested positive for the coronavirus in the United Kingdom has gone up to 85, reports BBC. Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty has said 32 new cases reported in England.

8.16 pm: Singapore’s Ministry of Health has confirmed two new cases of the novel coronavirus. The tally in the country stands at 112 – out of which seven are in critical condition, 26 are in a stable state, and 79 have completely recovered and discharged, reports CNN.

Also read:

Coronavirus daily roundup: Here’s what we know so far

8.07 pm: Uttar Pradesh’s Directorate of Health Services says two symptomatic contacts from Agra have been hospitalised at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, reports ANI. “15 asymptomatic contacts are hospitalised – four from Agra at Safdarjung Hospital, six from Noida at Gautam Buddh Nagar hospital, five at a district hospital in Bulandshahr.

7.56 pm: In India, the Central Board of Secondary Education has issued an advisory for students to carry face masks and sanitizers to the examination centres, reports ANI.

7.54 pm: The first season of the Basketball Africa League has been postponed amid coronavirus scare. It was scheduled for March 13 in Senegalese capital Dakar. “Following the recommendation of the Senegalese government regarding the escalating health concerns related to the coronavirus, the BAL’s inaugural season will be postponed,” said league president Amadou Gallo Fall, according to BBC.

7.52 pm: Italy’s Education Minister Lucia Azzolina clarifies that the decision to shut educational institutes across the country has not been finalised yet, adding it will be decided “in the next few hours”, reports BBC.

7.48 pm: Israel has asked dozens of people who attended a football match last week in Tel Aviv to self-quarantine, reports BBC. A teenager who went to the match has contracted the virus, the country’s health ministry has confirmed.

“He is currently in isolation in his room and has not been in contact with the rest of the household [since testing positive],” the boy’s mother said.

7.45 pm: A university in New York, United States, confirms that one of its students has tested positive for coronavirus. This is the third case in New York, reports CNN. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as well as to all those affected,” the university says in a statement.

7.27 pm: Czech Republic has banned the sale of FFP3 medical face masks to everyone except healthcare or social care facilities, public health organisations, emergency rescue services, and other state administrative bodies, according to CNN. The Czech administration has claimed the FFP3 type masks are the most effective against the virus.

The decision to ban the sale of the masks to the general population is an attempt to stop people from buying them in panic and leaving medical professionals at risk. Five people have tested positive for the virus in the country.

7.20 pm: The Ministry of Railways in India has released an advisory on coronavirus, according to The Indian Express. The notification has suggested that Information, Education and Communication or IEC material on the virus should be prominently displayed for general awareness, adding that there is a need for signages and that separate counters are being set up for fever cases.

Railway doctors and para medical staff will be trained on containing the spread of the virus. The statement added that any suspicious case should be reported to the railway hospital.

7.15 pm: Iraq’s health ministry says one person reported to have died due to the virus “was not confirmed to have had the coronavirus”, reports BBC, citing a local news report. Earlier in the day, Iran’s media outlets had reported that a 70-year-old man was the first fatality of the virus.

7.08 pm: France has closed around 120 schools in areas with the highest number of coronavirus infections. Primary and secondary schools in an area in northern Paris has been shut. The decision will affect around 35,000 students, says the country’s Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer, according to BBC.

7.05 pm: “We are planning to have the Games as planned. We are doing our utmost to make it happen,” announces Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games organizing committee Chief Executive Officer Toshiro Muto, according to CNN. Earlier, Japan’s minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Seiko Hashimoto had claimed that the Olympic Games “could be postponed until later this year.” The event is due to officially begin on July 24.

6.53 pm: Louvre Museum in Paris has reopened after it was closed due to fears over spread of coronavirus. The museum has made the announcement in a Facebook post.

6.47 pm: Italy is set to close all schools and universities till mid-March amid coronavirus outbreak, reports BBC, citing local Ansa news agency. The virus has claimed at least 79 lives and over 2,500 people have been infected in the country.

6.40 pm: India’s Ministry of Human Resource and Development has directed chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, and the Central Board of Secondary Education chairperson to spread awareness among students on basic protective measures against the coronavirus, reports PTI.

6.32 pm: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s standing committee has urged the civic administration to check travellers at railway stations and toll plazas for the novel coronavirus. The BMC has informed the committee that so far 62 people have been quarantined at an isolation facility at Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai and 400 people are under surveillance, reports News18.

6.27 pm: One patient is suspected to have contracted the virus in Chandigarh, Punjab, reports News18. On Tuesday, two patients were admitted to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh after they came back from a trip to Indonesia.

“We have 14 beds in isolation ward and are going to add seven more beds,” says PGI Chandigarh Director Jagat Ram. “We are holding meetings with all medical officers of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh and have issued advisory to all asking them to quarantine suspected cases instead of referring them to PGI.”

6.25 pm: Saudi Arabia has suspended the “umrah” pilgrimage amid coronavirus scare, reports AFP.

6.15 pm: Principal Secretary to the prime minister PK Mishra has chaired an inter-ministerial meeting to review preparedness and response for the coronavirus. “Today’s meeting was the latest in a series of stock-taking meetings at the PMO, with first held on 25th January,” tweets PMO.

6.12 pm: President Ram Nath Kovind tweets about the novel coronavirus. “With alertness and safeguards, we all can help contain the outbreak of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus,” he writes. “In a precautionary measure, the Rashtrapati Bhavan will not hold the traditional Holi gatherings.”

6.07 pm: Gautam Buddh Nagar’s Chief Medical Officer Anurag Bhargava says 373 people who travelled out of the country after January 15 are being monitored, reports PTI. “Till Tuesday evening, 373 people who have travelled abroad after January 15 have been put on surveillance,” he says. “Of them, 55 people have been tested for the virus. 49 of them, including the six from yesterday [Tuesday], have tested negative. Results of remaining six are awaited.”

6.04 pm: Three schools in Delhi-NCR have been closed, two have advanced spring break as a precautionary measure, reports PTI.

5.55 pm: Many chemist shops in Delhi have run out of hand sanitisers and face masks due to the coronavirus outbreak, reports PTI.

5.45 pm: The World Health Organization asks countries in South East Asia to strengthen preparedness for all possible scenarios and ensure early containment measures to tackle coronavirus, reports PTI.

5.40 pm: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani dismisses a United States’ offer to help the Islamic republic fight its coronavirus outbreak, saying that “vicious” American sanctions are depriving the country of medicine, reports AFP. “Those who have deprived the people of even medicine and food through sanctions, who have done the most vicious things... they appear with a mask of sympathy and say that we want to help the nation of Iran,” Rouhani adds.

5.35 pm: Hospitals in the UK are being asked to carry out consultations by video link to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection, reports BBC.

Also read: There is no need to panic about Coronavirus, but don’t forget to wash your hands

5.28 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleges that “some people and channels” are trying to create panic over coronavirus to divert attention from last week’s communal violence in Delhi, reports PTI. She adds that “happy and healthy” people were killed in Delhi because of violence and not a virus.

“Today some people are shouting corona, corona [coronavirus] a bit too much,” Banerjee says at a Trinamool Congress meeting in South Dinajpur. “Yes, it’s a dreaded disease but don’t create panic. Some channels are creating hype over it to suppress Delhi violence. Do report when it occurs. We don’t want the disease to spread, but don’t create panic.”

5.22 pm: A local resident in Punjab’s Moga district is suspected to have coronavirus, reports Hindustan Times. The patient returned from Dubai on Tuesday.

“Initially, he refused to get himself admitted in the isolation ward, but now he has agreed to stay under observation at the ward and a team is on its way to bring him back to the hospital,” says Health Inspector Mohinderpal Lumba. “Initial tests show he has symptoms of pneumonia, but we will send his blood samples for coronavirus testing to Pune. He will be kept under observation.”

5.20 pm: Madhya Pradesh Health Department advises people to shun large social gatherings and exercise caution while playing Holi. The department says there has no been confirmed coronavirus case in the state so far.

5.15 pm: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation says staff has been sensitised and guidelines have been circulated to prevent the spread of coronavirus, ANI reports. Instructions have also been issued to increase the frequency of cleaning within the metro premises.

5.08 pm: Two samples from Telangana have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation of coronavirus, reports PTI.

5.02 pm: France Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says the country will regulate the price of antibacterial gels after prices were reported to have increased heavily since the coronavirus outbreak began, reports Reuters.

4.49 pm: New Zealand’s health ministry confirms that a woman in her early 30s who recently returned to Auckland from northern Italy has the coronavirus – the country’s second case, reports The Guardian. “The woman is in self-isolation in her home with appropriate clinical support from public health and district health board staff,” the ministry adds.

4.45 pm: Germany bans export of medical protection gear to avoid supply shortages of masks, gloves and suits to contain the spread of coronavirus, AFP reports.

4.42 pm: Iran reports 15 new coronavirus deaths, toll touches 92.

4.39 pm: Officials say first coronavirus case reported in European Union’s office in Brussels, according to AFP.

4.34 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s public rally in Hyderabad has been postponed because of coronavirus outbreak, reports The Indian Express. State party chief Krishna Saagar Rao said the decision was taken to reduce the physical contact between people during the rally.

4.25 pm: Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister B Sriramulu urges people to not to pay heed to rumours about novel coronavirus, reports PTI.

4.15 pm: Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga asks police to suspend breath analyser tests to prevent further spread of coronavirus, reports PTI.

4.04 pm: Chinese custom officials say that 75 passengers who arrived from other countries have tested positive for coronavirus, reports PTI.

4.01 pm: Muraleedharan says the government has evacuated a total of 766 persons – 723 Indian nationals and 43 foreigners from China. He adds that 119 Indians have been brought back to India from the cruise ship in Japan.

3.56 pm: The Ministry of External Affairs says 17 Indians have been infected with coronavirus abroad, reports PTI.

Responding to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan informs that 16 cases were reported from the Diamond Princess cruise in Japan and one from United Arab Emirates.

3.47 pm: Prakash Javadekar says Prime Minister Narendra Modi is monitoring the situation everyday and government is proactively engaged in dealing with coronavirus.

Also read: India’s health infrastructure is not ready to face coronavirus spread, says leading virologist

3.45 pm: Union minister Prakash Javadekar says over 6 lakh people have been screened at 21 airports for coronavirus, reports PTI.

3.38 pm: List of five countries worst-affected by coronavirus, according to CNN.

• China – 80,270 cases, 2,981 deaths
• South Korea  – 5,612 cases, 32 deaths
• Italy  – 2,502 cases, 79 deaths
• Iran – 2,359 cases, 92 deaths
• Japan – 991 cases, 12 deaths 

3.35 pm: Russia bans export of masks, respirators and hazmat suits to ensure access to the items for medics treating coronavirus patients and the public, reports The Moscow Times.

3.28 pm: Maharashtra Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope says prime-time television shows and cinema halls will be used to spread awareness about the novel coronavirus, reports PTI. “Jingles and video messages will also be put out soon,” he adds.

3.23 pm: Greece’s Health Ministry confirms one new case of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the country to eight, according to CNN.

3.18 pm: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa says all necessary arrangements have been made to deal with coronavirus outbreak and urges people in the state to not worry, reports ANI.

3.15 pm: Germany reports 44 new confirmed coronavirus cases.

3.10 pm: Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma informs the House that at least 215 people came in contact with the 23 Italian tourists, who tested positive for coronavirus, reports PTI. A total of 51 suspected patients have tested negative whereas reports of 41 others are still pending, he adds.

3.07 pm: India’s Ministry of Health has confirmed that only one person is an Indian out of the 14 people quarantined at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police facility. They have all tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Another case in Jaipur, wife of the already confirmed Italian patient, has been confirmed for COVID-19,” the ministry’s statement said. “14 Italians and one Indian, who were part of the team of the Jaipur COVID-19 confirmed case, are also initially confirmed positive for COVID-19.”

2.58 pm: Two passengers in Jammu and Kashmir with travel history to Italy and South Korea have been shifted for quarantine sample testing, ANI reports.

2.47 pm: Offices in Hyderabad’s Raheja Mindspace have been evacuated after an employee was suspected of having coronavirus, reports The NewsMinute. The state government has sent samples to National Institute of Virology in Pune.

2.42 pm: Map showing 28 confirmed coronavirus cases in India.

2.40 pm: Poland confirms its first coronavirus infection, reports Reuters. Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski says the patient is in hospital in Zielona Gora, western Poland, and that his condition is good.

2.35 pm: Five people have been admitted in the isolation wards of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bengaluru, reports ANI. Their samples have been collected and reports will come later in the day.

2.32 pm: Iraq confirms first coronavirus death, reports AFP.

2.26 pm: The chief minister urges people to wash their hands regularly and avoid large gatherings because of the coronavirus outbreak.

2.25 pm: Kejriwal says he will also not celebrate Holi because of the communal violence in Delhi last week.

2.22 pm: The Aam Aadmi Party chief says there is no shortage of masks with the government. He adds that he will check if there is any shortage of masks in the market.

2.18 pm: He adds that a coronavirus testing lab will be set up at Lady Hardinge Hospital and also in Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi if necessary.

2.15 pm: Arvind Kejriwal says the task force has been asked to treat the coronavirus as an emergency to contain its spread.

2.13 pm: The chief minister says a state-level task force has been constituted to fight the fast-spreading coronavirus. “It will be chaired by me,” he adds. “It includes members from several agencies, departments and corporations. Each member has been assigned a role.”

2.12 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses a press conference on preparations to tackle coronavirus.

2.08 pm: South Korea reports 293 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total infected cases in the country to 5,621.

2.02 pm: Gujarat Health Department says 1,582 people kept under observation after returning from coronavirus-hit countries have not tested positive so far, reports PTI. “A total of 1,582 people, who came from countries which are having the outbreak of coronavirus, have been kept under house observation in Gujarat but so far we do not have any positive case in the state,” Health Commissioner Jai Prakash Shivhare says.

1.55 pm: The home minister says India is well prepared and has taken all precautionary steps to contain the spread of coronavirus. “I request everyone to take all important measures to prevent this,” he tweets. “Some basic self-preventive measures are as simple as washing your hands and practising good hygiene.”

1.50 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah also urges people to desist from celebrating Holi. “Holi is a very important festival for we Indians but in the wake of coronavirus, I have decided not to participate in any Holi Milan celebration this year,” the BJP leader tweets. “I also appeal everyone to avoid public gatherings and take a good care of yourself and your family.”

1.45 pm: Hong Kong’s first evacuation flight for residents stuck in Hubei has taken off, The Guardian reports.

1.37 pm: BJP National President JP Nadda seconds Modi, says he will also not participate or hold any Holi Milan function, PTI reports.

1.33 pm: The total number of cases in Japan have crossed 1,000 on Wednesday, after the Yamaguchi Prefecture government announced that a company worker in his 40s was confirmed to have the virus, The Japan Times reports.

1.24 pm: Poland Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski says the country has its first case of infection. Szumowski says the sick man is in hospital in Zielona Gora, western Poland, and that his condition is stable.

1.20 pm: Odisha government asks people to avoid hugging and shaking hands while greeting, PTI reports. It says people should keep their workplaces clean.

1.17 pm: The government in Telangana says it has decided to undertake various measures, including a campaign to promote cleanliness in public transport, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, PTI reports.

1.10 pm: Two new suspected coronavirus cases have been reported in Hyderabad, The Indian Express reports. Both tested positive in the first round of testing at Gandhi Hospital. Their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for a second round of testing. If coronavirus is confirmed, the number of cases could increase to 30.

1 pm: “We had screened about 5,89,000 people at our airports, over 15,000 at minor and major seaports and over 10 lakh at the border of Nepal, till yesterday [Tuesday],” Vardhan adds.

12.52 pm: Vardhan says that as of now, only symptomatic treatment is available for COVID-19, News18 reports. He says children should go to schools, but everyone should avoid big gatherings.

12.43 pm: The Union health minister asks people to take precautions such as using tissue papers while sneezing and not shaking hands with others, instead opting for the “namaste”.

12.38 pm: All flights from abroad will now be screened, says Harsh Vardhan.

12.30 pm: Six more cases, relatives of the Delhi resident, have tested positive for the coronavirus, the minister adds. This brings the total number of cases in India to 28. Vardhan says 68 people were in contact with the Delhi resident. The family members are in Agra.

12.22 pm: “We have asked the Delhi government to ensure that all hospitals must provide high-quality isolation facilities for suspected coronavirus cases,” Harsh Vardhan says.

12.17 pm: Harsh Vardhan says at a press conference that a high-level government meeting on the coronavirus will be held at 3 pm.

12.10 pm: World Health Organisation asks governments to increase the manufacturing of personal protective equipment by 40% in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. “Without secure supply chains, the risk to healthcare workers around the world is real,” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says. “Industry and governments must act quickly to boost supply, ease export restrictions and put measures in place to stop speculation and hoarding. We can’t stop COVID-19 without protecting health workers first.”

12.03 pm: In Kochi, 459 passengers of an Italian cruise ship are being screened for fever symptoms, ANI reports.

12.01 pm: A crew member of a cargo ship has been shifted to a hospital in Cuttack after he developed symptoms of fever and sore threat, Paradip Port Trust chairperson Rinkesh Roy tells ANI.

11.44 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he will not participate in Holi events this year due to coronavirus outbreak. “Experts across the world have advised to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus,” he tweets. “Hence, this year I have decided not to participate in any Holi Milan programme.”

11.35 am: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope says there is no positive coronavirus case in the state so far, ANI reports. “People are advised not to spread or believe in rumours,” he adds. “As of now, no antiviral drug is available. Isolation wards set up in every district and 10 extra beds in every hospital.”

11.25 am: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan meets senior officials from Delhi government to discuss management and preparedness to combat the coronavirus outbreak, reports ANI.

11.20 am: The World Bank unveils a $12 billion aid package to assist with the health and economic impacts of the global coronavirus outbreak, reports AFP. “The goal is to provide fast, effective action that responds to country needs,” World Bank President David Malpass tells reporters.

11.11 am: Online retailer Amazon says an employee in the United States tested positive for the coronavirus, reports Reuters. “We’re supporting the affected employee who is in quarantine,” a company spokesperson adds.

10.58 am: The samples of 15 of 21 Italian tourists, who have been quarantined in Delhi, have been sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation, reports News18.

10.55 am: Gujarat government opens isolation ward in each of the 33 districts for treatment for coronavirus. Meanwhile, 87 people who returned from Iran have been kept under observation, officials tell PTI.

Iran has had the highest number of deaths from coronavirus outside China, where it originated, and several officials have also been infected.

10.47 am: Rajya Sabha MP KJ Alphons says people should take coronavirus seriously and avoid unnecessary physical contact, News18 reports. “Say namaste instead of a handshake and use sanitisers,” he adds.

10.40 am: United States President Donald Trump says he may further tighten limits on international travel due to the coronavirus outbreak, reports The New York Times. He rules out any restrictions on domestic travel within the country for now.

10.33 am: The Rajasthan Health Department has issued directives to the districts where the Italian tourists who tested positive has travelled – Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaipur-I and II, News18 reports. These include the disinfection of the buses and hotels.

10.24 am: Fifteen out of 21 tourists taken to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police quarantine facility have tested positive for the coronavirus, Times Now reports. At least three of them are Indians.

10.17 am: As much as 8% of the Iranian Parliament has tested positive for the coronavirus, CNN reports. Iran’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Abdul Reza Misri has said that 23 members have been infected.

10.12 am: “A crew member of a cargo ship suspected of suffering from coronavirus was shifted to a hospital in Cuttack,” Paradip Port Trust Chairperson Rinkesh Roy says according to ANI. “He had symptoms of fever and sore throat.”

10.05 am: Four people have quarantined in Bengaluru, News 18 reports. One patient is from Saudi Arabia, one from Japan, one roommate and a colleague of the Telangana patient who tested positive for coronavirus.

9.53 am: Washington state has reported its 7th death from the coronavirus, AFP reports. The patient died on February 26. All of the COVID-19 deaths in the United States so far have been in the Seattle area.

9.50 am: Iran has temporarily freed 54,000 prisoners in an effort to combat the spread of the new coronavirus disease in crowded jails, BBC reports. “Security prisoners” sentenced to more than five years will not be let out. The released prisoners have all been tested negative for COVID-19. The virus has killed at least 77 people in Iran so far.

9.45 am: An Army officer who returned from Iran last month has been isolated in Madhya Pradesh for suspected exposure to the coronavirus, the Hindustan Times reports.

9.40 am: There are seven new cases of novel coronavirus confirmed in Malaysia, bringing the country’s total to 36, CNN reports quoting Malaysia Director General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah says.

9.37 am: The district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar says that six people who came in contact with the Delhi resident have tested negative for the virus, ANI reports.

9.33 am: Technology giant Intel has said one of its employees in Bengaluru has “potentially been exposed” to coronavirus and is currently under quarantine, PTI reports. The company also says it has implemented precautionary measures like travel restrictions, increased frequency of office sanitisation, and work-from-home provisions in India.

9.27 am: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan is set to hold a meeting with officials of the Delhi government to tackle the coronavirus situation, ANI reports.

9.22 am: Argentina says it has confirmed its first case of new coronavirus in a 43-year-old man who had returned from Italy, AFP reports.

9.18 am: Mainland China has reported 38 more deaths by Wednesday morning, whereas the number of cases has surged to 80,270. In South Korea, 5,238 people are infected.