The Indian Army on Friday said it will set up quarantine facilities for 1,500 personnel at certain locations in the country as the total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 31. The latest patient, in Delhi, is reportedly stable and under surveillance. Fourteen Indians and 16 Italian tourists had contracted the virus till Thursday.
The number of novel coronavirus cases across the globe crossed 1 lakh on Friday. Across the 85 countries with infections so far, 3,345 people have died. This includes the first death in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. UK officials said the victim was an elderly patient with underlying health conditions. The victim in Switzerland was also in their 70s and had suffered a chronic health problem.
Also read: Coronavirus outbreak: How to protect yourself from the virus
Coronavirus daily roundup: Here’s what we know so far
Here are the updates from the day:
10.28 pm: Four people are admitted to hospitals with suspected symptoms in Andhra Pradesh, but are in a stable condition, PTI reports.
8.35 pm: The Asian Development Bank says the global losses due to the coronavirus outbreak could be about $156 billion, of which China may account for $103 billion, PTI reports.
8.27 pm: United States President Donald Trump signs an $8.3-billion legislation to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The law provides public health agencies money for vaccines, tests, and potential treatments, among other benefits.
8.01 pm: Across the world, 3,404 people have died from the virus so far, over half of them in China itself, AFP reports. There have been 99,464 infections in 89 countries and territories, according to the agency’s latest estimates.
7.54 pm: The Telangana government has asked the Centre to supply N-95 masks as part of measures to deal with COVID-19, citing a shortage, PTI reports. The government also wants the Centre to set up a second laboratory to test samples for coronavirus.
7.39 pm: The Jammu and Kashmir administration says no cases of the coronavirus have been detected in the Union Territory so far, ANI reports. It says 258 people were enlisted under a surveillance programme out of which 94 have completed 28 days of mandatory surveillance. Twenty-eight samples have been taken, 21 tested negative & result awaited for remaining 7 people.
7.35 pm: Union minister Sadananda Gowda now warns of stringent action against shopkeepers who hoard masks and hand sanitisers, PTI reports.
7.28 pm: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has said that if any employee of any airline, ground staff or Airport Authority of India has symptoms of fever, cough, cold, running nose and congested eyes, they should be removed from duty and undergo detailed examination, ANI reports.
7.21 pm: A second person has died of the virus in the United Kingdom.
7.15 pm: A total of 29,607 people are under observation under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, for coronavirus, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has told the Lok Sabha on Friday.
7.10 pm: The Thane Municipal Corporation has set up an eight-bed isolation ward at the civic-run Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa area, PTI reports. The ward has been set up after the corporation was informed by the Mumbai airport authorities and Maharashtra government that a dozen travelers from coronavirus-affected countries had visited the city.
6.58 pm: “We are in the midst of a global health emergency,” Sonia Gandhi writes to chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, according to ANI. “There is an urgent need for an effective domestic response. Protocols for contact identification and isolation must be put in place. Quarantine facilities, especially at points of entry must be set up urgently.”
6.49 pm: South Korea says it will suspend a visa-waiver program for Japanese and impose a mandatory two-week quarantine for all foreign visitors from Japan starting next week, The Japan Times reports.
6.44 pm: Congress President Sonia Gandhi has asked chief ministers of Congress-ruled states to use awareness campaigns, helplines and advisories to avoid public gatherings, PTI reports.
6.43 pm: Peru has recorded its first confirmed case of coronavirus, President Martin Vizcarra says according to Reuters. The patient is a 25-year-old man who had traveled to Spain, France and the Czech Republic, the president says.
6.40 pm: The World Cup of Shooting has been postponed amid the coronavirus outbreak. The event was to be held in New Delhi between March 15 and March 25.
6.37 pm: The Border Security Force says the Beating Retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border will be held without public presence, The Indian Express reports.
6.31 pm: The district magistrate of South West Delhi has ordered the government and private hospitals to set aside 10 per cent beds for the COVID-19 patients.
6.10 pm: India has so far identified 31 coronavirus cases, at least 16 of which have been linked to travellers from Italy.
6.03 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announces that anganwadis have been closed in view of the coronavirus scare, reports PTI.
6.01 pm: The Border Security Force says the daily retreat ceremony at Attari-Wagah border in Punjab will be conducted without public presence due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, reports PTI. The precautionary measure will be effective from Saturday.
“As per government guidelines, congregations are to be avoided,” says BSF. “Hence visitors and spectators to the ceremony will not be entertained. The ceremony will be conducted without spectators.”
5.55 pm: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut says Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will not participate in the “aarti” programme in Ayodhya on Saturday because of the spread of coronavirus, reports ANI.
5.48 pm: In Uttar Pradesh, Muzaffarnagar District Magistrate Selva Kumari issues order to ban sale of meat, fish, chopped vegetables and fruits in open areas because of the coronavirus outbreak, reports ANI.
5.45 pm: A 12-member team from Telangana meets Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja to study how the state contained the spread of coronavirus, reports ANI. A patient from Telangana has tested positive for COVID-19.
Kerala had reported India’s first three coronavirus cases but all three patients have been discharged after recovery.
5.04 pm: “There is no need to create panic about the need to wear masks,” Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan says. “Strict action should be taken against shopkeepers who are charging more than the fixed price for masks.”
4.58 pm: The Centre asks all ministries to exempt their employees from marking biometric attendance in the Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system till March 31, ANI reports. However, the government says employees should continue to mark their attendance in the register.
4.54 pm: Iran reports 17 new coronavirus deaths, raising the toll in the country to 124, reports AFP.
4.28 pm: Samsung Electronics has suspended operations at its smartphone factory in South Korea’s city of Gumi once again after another worker tested positive for coronavirus, a spokesperson said. The plant will resume production on Saturday, a spokesperson said, according to Reuters. So far, six people who work at the factory have tested positive for COVID-19.
4.23 pm: The novel coronavirus will have a significant impact on developing Asian economies due to declining tourism and “business travel, trade and production linkages, supply disruptions, and health effects”, according to an analysis by the Asian Development Bank.
4.15 pm: Cameroon has confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus after a French citizen who arrived in the central African country’s capital Yaounde in February, reports The Guardian.
4.14 pm: The number of positive coronavirus cases in Germany has tripled since Tuesday – from 180 to 545, reports The Guardian.
4.09 pm: The Vatican reports its first coronavirus case saying it has suspended outpatient services at its health clinic after one of the patients tested positive, reports AFP. The clinic, which will be deep cleaned, is used by priests, employees, and residents as well as their relatives.
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni says authorities are contacting everyone who has passed through the clinic.
4.04 pm: Netherlands reports its first coronavirus death after an 86-year-old man dies, the country’s National Health Institute says, according to Reuters.
3.51 pm: The Indian Army has said it will set up quarantine facilities for 1,500 personnel that will be activated at certain locations as part of the efforts to combat coronavirus, reports ANI.
3.46 pm: The Indian Army issues detailed instructions amid coronavirus outbreak, reports ANI. “Military hospitals to establish isolation wards and have separate OPDs [Outpatient Departments] for screening of symptomatic cases to prevent avoidable transmission,” the statement says. “Service hospitals will work in synergy with local civil medical authorities and designated Indian Council of Medical Research labs.”
3.44 pm: India’s University Grants Commission releases an advisory to universities on coronavirus saying that large gatherings should be avoided on campus. The advisory adds that “any student or staff with travel history to COVID-19-affected countries or in contact with an infected person in last 28 days should be home quarantined for 14 days”, reports ANI.
3.42 pm: Haryana’s Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar says his administration and all hospitals in the state are on alert. “We will avoid or postpone all non-essential mass gatherings till the situation improves,” he tells reporters.
3.37 pm: In Uttar Pradesh, Muzaffarnagar District Magistrate Selva Kumari J has issued an order banning sale of meat, semi-cooked meat, fish, chopped vegetables, and fruit in open areas amid coronavirus scare, reports ANI.
3.07 pm: All Central Armed Police Forces have cancelled their ‘Holi Milan’ programmes as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, ANI reports.
2.55 pm: The Lok Sabha has also decided to restrict the entry of visitors, ANI reports. People visiting MPs will not be allowed inside the Parliament premises from March 11. They will also not be able to take the visitors on a tour of Parliament House.
2.52 pm: The Lok Sabha has issued an advisory for MPs and visitors, over the coronavirus scare, ANI reports. It has asked these individuals to take preventive measures such as maintaining hand and respiratory hygiene and avoiding large gatherings.
2.42 pm: The Nepal government has stepped up measures along the border with India to control the possible spread of coronavirus, PTI reports. The government has set up health desks at Nepalgunj and Bhadrapur airports located at Nepal-India border. It has also deployed health teams at 37 border points.
2.24 pm: India’s Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says the administration is in touch with Iranian authorities to bring back the Indian citizens stranded in the country, reports The Indian Express.
2.19 pm: A rabbi in the United States who teaches at Yeshiva University’s Washington Heights campus in Manhattan has tested positive for coronavirus, the institute has said in a statement, according to CNN. The New York State Health Department has 22 confirmed cases of the virus.
2.12 pm: The first flight from Iran with swabs of Indian citizens stranded in the country will come back within 24 hours, says Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, according to The Indian Express.
2.07 pm: Movement of visitors and their entry to India’s Parliament will be limited after the festival of Holi on March 11 amid coronavirus scare, reports ANI. Those who come to meet parliamentarians will reportedly be allowed to stay only for an hour.
“These measures should include hand and respiratory hygiene...,” the statement reads. “Large gathering within the precincts of Parliament House Estate may be avoided. Visitors other than those, which are essential for official/operational reasons, maybe strictly restricted.”
2.02 pm: On reports of a 13-member group of tourists quarantined at a hotel in Amritsar, Punjab, Sub Divisional Magistrate Vikas Heera says: “None of the 13 people have symptoms for coronavirus. They all are healthy. They have been isolated as a precautionary measure.”
2.01 pm: “We are fully geared up to screen passengers and also follow up cases, amid coronavirus outbreak,” says India’s Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, according to PTI.
1.59 pm: Iran’s Mahan Air will carry Iranians back to the country, an unidentified official tells PTI.
1.39 pm: In India, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has asked chemists to sell coronavirus kits only after people furnish doctors’ prescriptions, an unidentified official tells PTI.
1.37 pm: Air India will evacuate Indians stranded in Iran, reports The Indian Express. The flight will bring back Indians who test negative for the novel coronavirus in Tehran and Qom cities.
1.23 pm: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police is spending Rs 3 lakh every day to accommodate people in quarantine facility at Chhawla area of west Delhi, reports The Times of India. At present, there are 112 people who were evacuated from China’s Wuhan on February 27.
Since February 1, after the first group of Indian evacuees reached the facility, Rs 85 lakh has been spent on operations.
1.22 pm: Singapore minister Lawrence Wong says the coronavirus outbreak is “starting to look like a global pandemic”, reports Reuters.
1.14 pm: The International Indian Film Academy Awards has postponed its event due to coronavirus scare. “With due regard to the growing concerns around the spread of the COVID-19 virus and, after consulting the Madhya Pradesh government, it has been decided to postpone the event [originally scheduled at the end of March] to a later date,” the organisers say in a statement, reports ANI.
1.10 pm: United States President Donald Trump is likely to sign $8.3 billion legislation to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The law would provide public health agencies money for vaccines, tests, and potential treatments, among other benefits. The United States Senate passed the measure on Thursday, reports Associated Press.
1.05 pm: Saudi Arabia says five people who tested positive for coronavirus had visited Iran surreptitiously with help from Iranian officials. Saudi Arabia has banned travel to Iran for its citizens.
“This behavior poses a serious public health threat to the international community and undermines international efforts to combat Covid-19, putting many communities around the world at risk,” the Saudi Arabian government says, according to The New York Times.
12.56 pm: A 13-member group of tourists from Iran has been quarantined at a hotel in Amritsar, Punjab. An unidentified health official told PTI they have been asked not to go out till their medical examination is done, adding that they reached Amritsar on Thursday night.
“They have been quarantined in their hotel rooms,” Amritsar Civil Surgeon Prabhdeep Kaur said. “If any of them are found symptomatic [for coronavirus], then samples will be taken.”
12.52 pm: In a briefing after one person tested positive in Delhi, India’s Ministry of Health says: “All international passengers, irrespective of nationality, are mandated to undergo universal medical screening. Adequate screening measures have been set up and nine more airports have been added to the existing 21, bringing the total to 30 airports as of today [Friday].”
12.48 pm: Visuals from the cruise ship Grand Princess that has 3,500 passengers aboard. The ship has been denied docking until everyone onboard with flu-like symptoms are tested.
12.39 pm: Several patients are being discharged after treatment at temporary hospitals in China’s Wuhan city, leaving some beds empty. On Friday, the country reported 30 new deaths.
12.36 pm: China vows to continue sending medical aid and experts to Iran, reports CNN.
12.35 pm: At least 13 people have died due to coronavirus in United States’ Washington, according to CNN.
12.29 pm: Reserve Bank governor Shaktikanta Das has assured that the central bank will take every measure required to protect the economy against the hurdles arising from the coronavirus epidemic, reports PTI.
12.26 pm: The Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed seven coronavirus cases, says WHO. The authorities in Palestine has claimed that suspected cases may rise after a group of Greek tourists tested positive after going back to their country, according to The Guardian.
12.23 pm: Psychologists caution that the coronavirus outbreak has the potential to trigger high levels of panic and anxiety among people unless carefully handled. “If you look at the historical record you will find that when outbreaks of novel disease emerge they do trigger high levels of anxiety and uncertainty and dread,” Monica Schoch-Spana, a senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security tells The Guardian.
12.19 pm: China’s central Hubei province, except the city of Wuhan – the epicentre of the outbreak – has not reported any new coronavirus cases in more than 24 hours for the first time, reports Reuters.
12.17 pm: The person who tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday is stable and under surveillance, reports The Indian Express.
12.15 pm: India’s ministry of health has issued an advisory to avoid huge gatherings in light of the coronavirus outbreak. “It is advised that mass gatherings may be avoided or possibly be postponed till the disease spread is contained,” says the statement, according to ANI. “In the case of any such gatherings, states may take necessary action to guide organizers on precautions to be taken.”
12 pm: Sanjeeva Kumar, the special secretary (Health) of India’s Union Health Ministry tells ANI: “One more COVID-19 case in Delhi has been confirmed, taking the total number of positive cases in the country to 31. The patient has a travel history from Thailand and Malaysia.” The person who tested positive is a resident of Uttam Nagar in west Delhi.
11.53 am: The coronavirus outbreak has the potential to erase $211 billion off the combined economies of the Asia-Pacific region as Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia are among the most-exposed countries, says S&P Global Rating, according to Reuters.
11.45 am: Authorities in the United States say they are preparing for the “second wave” of coronavirus cases. “This is a respiratory virus and they always give us trouble during cold weather, for obvious reasons,” says Nelson Michael, the director for infectious disease research at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, according to CNN. “This is why it’s really important to understand that a lot of what we’re doing now is getting ourselves ready for what we’re calling the second wave of this. We hope it doesn’t happen.”
11.40 am: In India’s Uttar Pradesh, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness or ISKCON’s temple management in Vrindavan city decides to bar the entry of foreigners. “Due to the rapid spread of the virus across the globe, the temple management has decided not to allow foreigners inside the premises as a precautionary measure,” ISKCON Mathura spokesperson Rajiv Lochan tells The Times of India. Holi celebrations on Saturday by the widows in Vrindavan also stands cancelled.
11.30 am: Researchers have identified a protein in the human body that they say is important for the entry of the novel coronavirus into lung cells. This is an advance that could lead to a novel drug target for preventing the disease. The research, published in the journal Cell, says: “This study provided key insights into the first step of SARS-CoV-2 infection, viral entry into cells, and defined potential targets for antiviral intervention.”
11.27 am: In India, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has urged people not to panic, reports The Indian Express. “No confirmed case of coronavirus infection has been found in Maharashtra so far,” Thackeray said in a statement on Thursday. “There is no need to panic or wear masks.”
11.25 am: South Korea protests against Japan’s decision to quarantine the country’s visitors for two weeks. Japan along with nearly 100 other nations have imposed restrictions on South Korean travellers, reports Reuters.
11.21 am: As China tackles coronavirus outbreak, pregnant women and new mothers are giving birth by themselves, keeping their babies indoors, and opting for more expensive private hospitals to stave off infection, reports AFP.
11.19 am: A video of California’s National Guard delivering coronavirus test kits to a cruise ship off the coast. The Grand Princess, with 3,500 passengers aboard, has been denied docking until everyone on the ship with flu-like symptoms are tested.
11.18 am: Nurses in the United States say not enough is being done to protect healthcare professional exposed to coronavirus patients, reports AFP.
11.10 am: Saudi Arabia reopens two holy sites – Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and Al-Masjid al Nabawy in Medina – after they were shut amid coronavirus scare, reports Reuters, citing state media.
11.07 am: Bhutan reports its first coronavirus case after a tourist from the United States tests positive. “We would like to inform the general public that one positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed at 11 pm on March 5,” Prime Minister Lotay Tshering announces. “The result was validated at 12.30 am today [Friday].”
11.06 am: Visuals from an isolation set up in Srinagar for coronavirus patients, reports ANI.
11 am: Japan has issued a demarche to India asking it to review its decision to cancel all e-visas to Japanese citizens, reports The Times of India. Japan has warned that India’s step will affect economic engagement, including projects such as the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project.
India has cancelled all e-visas for citizens of Japan, Italy, South Korea, and Iran due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
10.58 am: At least 14 passengers from coronavirus-hit countries and exhibiting symptoms are in hospitals, data collected by the Delhi government’s health department says, according to The Indian Express.
“Till date, 1,30,332 travellers from coronavirus-affected countries have been screened at the Delhi airport and placed under surveillance,” Delhi’s health ministry says in a statement. “Out of this, 6,094 passengers stayed in Delhi; 5,994 passengers were approached by the state and put on surveillance; and 4,602 passengers were found asymptomatic and advised home isolation (self-quarantine). Symptomatic patients – 29 of them, including two positive cases in the capital and the 14 hospitalised today – were admitted to designated hospitals.”
10.40 am: Japan cancels an annual ceremony to mark the anniversary of the deadly tsunami and nuclear disaster that left over 18,500 people dead in 2011, PTI reports. “We had been exploring ways to hold the commemoration ceremony up to the last minute, for example by downsizing the event,” top government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga says. “However, given the current situation, now is the time that we should do everything we can to prevent the spread of the infection, and we genuinely regret to report that today’s cabinet meeting decided to give up on holding the commemoration ceremony.”
10.12 am: Indian stock markets plunge amid coronavirus fears and the Yes Bank crisis. Sensex nosedived 1,459.52 points to 37,011.09 in the opening session, while the Nifty tanked 362.30 points to 10,906.70. The Sensex was 1,222 points down at 37,248.90 and the Nifty was 369.50 points lower at 10,899.35.
10.11 am: HSBC Holdings has sent home over 100 employees after a worker tested positive for the infection, Reuters reports.
10.08 am: Coronavirus test kits delivered to a cruise ship off the Californian coast. The ship won’t get permission to dock till its sick passengers have been tested. There are nearly 3,500 on board the ship.
9.50 am: Indian Council of Medical Research Director General Balram Bhargava says changes in weather will not affect the spread of the infection, PTI reports. His statement comes amid a dip in temperature in the Delhi-NCR region after rain.
9.43 am: The United States passes a $8.3-billion emergency bill to combat the novel coronavirus infection. “The American people are looking for leadership, they want assurance their government is up to the task of protecting the health and safety,” Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy says, according to AFP.
9.37 am: International airlines’ grouping IATA says Air India’s disinvestment process might be “quite difficult at this moment” amid the coronavirus outbreak, PTI reports.
“I think it is going to be very difficult times for the [Indian] airlines,” IATA Chief Economist Brian Pearce says. “Clearly, the international market for Indian carriers is going to be a lot weaker and inbound tourist traffic is going to be hit very hard by the effect of the coronavirus crisis.”
9.35 am: Former Iran ambassador to Syria, Hossein Sheikholeslam, dies of COVID-19, IANS reports. The toll in Iran is currently 107, with 3,513 infections.
9.30 am: The city of Bethlehem in Palestine has initiated a lockdown after some suspected cases were detected at a hotel, AFP reports.
9.25 am: Iran is expected to send an empty flight to New Delhi on Friday to take back its citizens to Tehran and another flight will come to India on Saturday to carry Indian equipment to Iran for stranded Indian nationals. “From tomorrow [Friday], special flights will start between Iran and India for the stranded passengers,” an official says. “Over 2,000 Indians are stranded in Iran. We can send them back to India only after proper approval of Indian authority.”
9.20 am: Italy comes up with a 7.5-billion-euro plan to rescue the economy, according to AFP.
9.15 am: As of Thursday, the number of novel coronavirus cases in the world rose to 97,510, including 3,345 deaths, across 85 countries and territories. China continued to remain severely affected, with 80,409 cases. Other than China, the most affected countries are South Korea, with 6,088 cases and 35 deaths; Italy (3,513 cases, 148 deaths), Iran (3,513 cases, 107 deaths) and France (377 cases, 6 deaths).
Asia has recorded 87,961 cases and 3,064 deaths, while Europe has 5,533 cases and 158 deaths, Middle East 3,741 cases and 110 deaths, US and Canada have 162 cases and 11 deaths, Oceania has 58 cases and two deaths, Africa has 29 cases, and Latin America and the Caribbean have 26 cases, according to AFP.
Slovenia, Bosnia, Hungary and South Africa confirmed their first cases on Thursday.
9.10 am: China reports 30 new cases, AFP reports. There are a total of 3,042 deaths in China, where the virus originated, so far.
9 am: Bhutan reports a positive case of the infection. It was confirmed on Thursday, ANI reports, citing Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering.
8.37 am: US Vice President Mike Pence admits the country does not have enough testing kits, CNN reports. “We don’t have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward,” Pence tell reporters in Minnesota.
Delays have been reports in confirming coronavirus cases in the US, with conflicting statements coming from leaders including Donald Trump.
8.31 am: The European Parliament cancels its periodic migration to Strasbourg. Its plenary session next week will be held in Brussels instead.
8.28 am: South Korea has 518 new cases of the virus, reports Yonhap News Agency. The country’s total number of the novel coronavirus infections is 6,284. It remains the worst affected country outside of China.
8.20 am: The World Health Organisation urges countries to do everything possible to halt the spread of the virus, AFP reports.
“This is not a drill,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says. “This is not the time for giving up. This is not a time for excuses. This is a time for pulling out all the stops. Countries have been planning for scenarios like this for decades. Now is the time to act on those plans.”
Tedros appears concerned that “some countries have either not taken this seriously enough, or have decided there is nothing they can do”, The Guardian reports. “We are calling on every country to act with speed, scale and clear-minded determination,” he says.
8.05 am: The number of deaths due to the virus is up to 11 in the United States now. President Donald Trump tweets that officials are “working hard” to keep infections low. “We are working very hard to keep these numbers as low as possible!” he says.
8.02 am: The United Kingdom records its first death due to coronavirus, AFP quotes the country’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty as saying. Whitty says the patient was elderly and had an underlying health problem. The total number of confirmed cases in the country rises to 115.
8 am: Here are the major updates from Thursday:
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India went up to 30, with a person in Ghaziabad testing positive.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has postponed his visit to Belgium for the India-European Union Summit, which was scheduled to be held later this month. Several events across the states have also been cancelled or postponed, such as a wellness summit by the Uttarakhand government. The Rashtrapathi Bhavan’s Mughal Gardens will also be closed from Saturday – the garden is a major attraction in the Capital in spring.
- India has upped screening across airports, with Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visiting the Delhi airport to check screening facilities there. The government also increased travel restrictions – the visas of people travelling from China, South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan issued after March 3, and February 5 in the case of China, were suspended.
- Multiple chief ministers including Punjab CM Amarinder Singh have warned members of the public to avoid large gatherings, while some have urged people not to panic as well.
- Internationally, the virus has spread to South Africa, Bosnia, and Tennessee in the US. The Netherlands has reported a rise in cases, while the toll in France went up to six. Iran has closed all schools till early April, and Palestinians shut West Bank to tourists for two weeks. As of Thursday night, the toll in Iran due to the virus was 107, while Switzerland reported it first death – a 74-year-old who had suffered a chronic illness.
- The International Air Transport Association warns that airlines could lose $63 billion to $113 billion in revenue for passenger traffic globally this year because of the spread of coronavirus.