Coronavirus: 45 cases in India, one each in Bengaluru and Punjab test positive

10.42 pm: A fourth person in Britain has died from coronavirus, says Health Minister Matt Hancock, according to Reuters. “Here in the UK, as of this morning, there were 319 confirmed cases, very sadly this now includes four confirmed deaths,” Hancock adds.

10.40 pm: Two people have been arrested in Kerala for spreading rumours about coronavirus, reports ANI. The men, Praveesh Lal and Anas, said that an infected patient has been admitted to Kunnamkulam hospital in Thrissur district.

10.35 pm: German local authorities confirm country’s first two coronavirus deaths, reports Al Jazeera. Both the deaths occurred in the western state of North Rhine Westphalia, which has been the worst hit so far.

10.32 pm: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urges countries take a “comprehensive blended strategy” for controlling the spread of coronavirus. “Countries that continue finding and testing COVID-19 cases and tracing their contacts not only protect their own people, they can also affect what happens in other countries and globally,” he adds.

10.30 pm: The director-general points out that more than 70% of coronavirus patients in China, which is the epicenter of coronavirus outbreak, have recovered and discharged from hospitals.

10.25 pm: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says it is certainly “troubling” that so many people and countries have been affected so quickly by coronavirus.

10.20 pm: The pandemic of coronavirus infection spreading around the world can be controlled, says World Health Organisation.

9.17 pm: One person has tested positive for coronavirus at a hospital in Amritsar, reports The Indian Express, citing Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu. The patient has a travel history to Italy, and is now stable.

9.14 pm: More than 40 residents of Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district who have returned from Iran and China are going to be placed in nine isolation wards, reports PTI, citing an unidentified official.

9.12 pm: The Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to screen all students coming back to the state from Delhi by a special train, reports PTI, citing an official statement.

9.11 pm: A coronavirus patient in Delhi does not have history of travelling abroad, and contracted the virus after coming in contact with the COVID19-infected Paytm employee, PTI reports, citing unidentified health officials.

9.09 pm: Passengers from 15 nations, including the United States, France and Spain, will be segregated at airports, says Airports Authority of India, according to ANI.

9.07 pm: An Indian Air Force flight has left for Iran to bring back Indians stranded in the country. “We plan to depart Hindon Air Force Station [in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh] at 8:30pm and land in Tehran at about 2 am,” Wing Commander Karan Kapoor has told ANI before departing. “We will depart Tehran at about 4.30 am and land back here at about 9.30 am. Facilities to quarantine the passengers have been set up at Hindon.”

8.57 pm: Karnataka’s Woman and Child Welfare Ministry announces a seven-day holiday for anganwadis in the state amid coronavirus scare, reports ANI.

8.53 pm: “The wife and child of [the] Bengaluru coronavirus patient have been quarantined,” Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar tells ANI. “He returned to Bengaluru from the United States on March 1, and developed symptoms on March 5. A colleague who was travelling with him has also been quarantined.”

Sudhakar adds that a total of 2,666 people may have come in contact with the Bengaluru man. He travelled from the United States to India through Dubai. The administration is tracing contact history.

8.51 pm: India’s Congress party has postponed its ‘Gandhi Sandesh Yatra’, scheduled on March 12 amid rising coronavirus cases in the country. The party was scheduled to begin the event on its 90th anniversary on March 12 from Ahmedabad. It was supposed to conclude on April 6.

8.50 pm: A 38-year-old man has been placed in isolation at a Shillong hospital for suspected coronavirus infection, says Meghalaya’s health secretary, according to PTI.

8.47 pm: India’s foreign ministry says it has received notification from Bangladesh, deferring events to celebrate the birth centenary of the country’s first Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman amid coronavirus cases, according to PTI. “Impact of deferment of events applies to large gathering planned for March 17, at which PM Modi was invited,” says MEA.

8.45 pm: India’s Ministry of External Affairs says Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh next week on the invitation of his counterpart Sheikh Hasina is being deferred, reports PTI.

8.44 pm: Coronavirus patient’s wife and 15-year-old son who arrived from the United States have tested negative in Tamil Nadu, says the state’s health minister, reports PTI.

8.43 pm: Kochi airport to begin screening of domestic passengers, reports PTI.

8.42 pm: Entry of foreign tourists to Lakshadweep has been stopped as a precautionary step to contain the outbreak of coronavirus, says MP Mohammed Faizal, according to PTI.

8.36 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says everyone who came in contact with those who tested positive for coronavirus have been identified and quarantined, reports PTI.

7.34 pm: One person in Bengaluru has tested positive for coronavirus. The patient has recently returned from the United States, says Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar, according to ANI.

The patient and family have been isolated and are being treated, reports News18

6.28 pm: Vietnam has decided to temporarily suspend visa-free travel for citizens from eight countries – Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain, reports Reuters, citing a government notification. The country has 30 confirmed cases of the coronavirus so far.

6.23 pm: Saudi Arabia will impose a fine of up to half a million Riyals on people who do not divulge correct information about their health amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, reported Al Arabiya, citing state TV. There are 15 confirmed cases in the country.

6.20 pm: India’s Central Armed Police Forces is likely to build isolation wards for more than 120 people and quarantine facilities to accommodate 5,440 persons in 37 cities. The Indo Tibetan Border Police is expected to train the CAPFs under directions from the central government, ANI reports, citing sources.

6.17 pm: In India, visuals of Delhi Transport Corporation buses being sanitised at Rajghat depot in the national Capital.

6.16 pm: The Delhi High Court asks lawyers and litigants to avoid “unnecessary overcrowding” of court premises amid coronavirus scare, reports PTI, citing a circular.

6.14 pm: In India, the Haryana government exempts employees from marking attendance through biometric till March 31 as a precautionary step to contain outbreak of coronavirus, reports PTI.

6.10 pm: India’s Union minister Sadananda Gowda says there is sufficient stock of active pharmaceutical ingredients for the next three months, reports PTI.

6.04 pm: The International Energy Agency has said the world is set for its first annual decline in oil consumption in over a decade due to the effect of the coronavirus outbreak, reports AFP.

5.56 pm: Iran has released nearly 70,000 prisoners as the country battles coronavirus, Iranian judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi has confirmed, reported Reuters, citing the news site of the judiciary. “The release of the prisoners, to the point where it doesn’t create insecurity in society ... will continue,” Raisi said.

5.53 pm: A maintenance worker at Disneyland Paris has tested positive for coronavirus over the weekend, a spokesperson for the theme park tells Reuters. The employee has not come in contact with visitors and the park will remain open, the official added.

5.49 pm: The Italian government says it will add to its spending to offset the economic impact of the novel coronavirus’ outbreak. “We will not stop here,” says Giuseppe Conte in an interview to a local daily, reports Reuters. “We will use a massive shock therapy. To come out of this emergency we will use all human and economic resources.”

5.46 pm: Six prisoners have died in a prison in Italy’s Modena city after riots began in many Italian jails amid suspension of visits to contain the outbreak coronavirus, reports CNN. The country has 7,375 confirmed cases of the virus so far.

5.45 pm: Egypt’s national airliner suspends flights to Saudi Arabia. “Flights to Saudi Arabia cities are currently suspended including Dammam, Qassim, Abha, Jeddah and Medina cities starting from today 9th of March until further notice,” the airline’s statement says, reports CNN.

5.10 pm: The global number of confirmed coronavirus cases stands at 1,09,343, and 3,809 people have been killed due to the virus, according to the last update by the World Health Organization.

According to Johns Hopkins university’s coronavirus dashboard, the number stands at 1,11,317, and 3,892 people have died.

5.05 pm: Germany and France have temporarily closed their missions and withdrawn their envoys from North Korea, the British envoy to the country Colin Crooks said in a Twitter post.

“Sad to say farewell this morning to colleagues from German Embassy and French Office [in] NorthKorea which are closing temporarily. British Embassy remains open,” he has tweeted.

5 pm: Air India Express declares that passengers may reschedule tickets free of cost for all bookings between March 12 and March 31, reports PTI.

4.58 pm: The Indian government directs paramilitary personnel to prepare quarantine facilities with bed capacity to admit more than 5,400 people amid rising coronavirus cases in the country, reports PTI, citing unidentified officials.

4.54 pm: Indian budget carrier IndiGo cancels flights to Doha till March 17 after travel ban imposed by Qatar on India amid coronavirus scare, reports PTI.

4.50 pm: A staff member working at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Brussels headquarters has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

“The staff member had come back from a holiday in northern Italy, felt unwell at the end of last week, and was tested due to the onset of fever-like symptoms,” according to a statement from the alliance. “The staff member is currently at home in self-isolation. Within minutes of receiving the result, all the immediate work colleagues were informed.”

4.40 pm: The Japanese government will boost its special financing for small and mid-sized companies affected by the coronavirus to 1.6 trillion yen, Reuters reports, citing a government document.

4.37 pm: The Grand Princess cruise ship that is currently stranded off the California coast in the United States due to a coronavirus outbreak is expected to dock at a port in Oakland, reports Reuters.

4.24 pm: Indian markets have ended the day over 4% lower. The BSE Sensex closed 1,941.67 points down, or 5.17% lower, at 35,634.95. The National Stock Exchange Nifty settled at 10,451.45, under 538 points, or 4.90%.

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Sensex, Nifty fall over 4% in morning trade over coronavirus fears, falling oil prices

4.22 pm: Iran reports 43 new coronavirus deaths. Toll in the country rises to 237, reports AFP.

4.16 pm: India’s Foreign Minister Minister S Jaishankar interacts with parents of students stranded in Iran in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar, reports ANI. He assures them that the Indian Embassy in Iran is keeping an eye on the situation. “We’re committed to facilitating their early return to India,” Jaishankar says.

3.34 pm: Pope Francis celebrates morning mass alone in the chapel of the Vatican hotel. He offers prayers for coronavirus patients.

3.32 pm: South Korea reports its lowest daily rise in cases for two weeks, reports AFP. A total of 248 cases were confirmed on Sunday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

3.30 pm: A healthcare professional at University Hospital Southampton in United Kingdom has tested positive for coronavirus, reports BBC.

3.24 pm: Harsh Vardhan says the government has sent scientists to Iran who will start working once they get custom clearance. “Right now we are bringing samples from there and when the report of that sample will come negative, we will bring them back,” he adds, according to ANI.

3.11 pm: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan outlines the various measures that are being taken by the states and Centre to prevent the spread of the disease. “We took preventive measures on time, which is why the disease is contained compared to other countries,” he says. He adds that over 3,000 people have been placed on surveillance for risk of the disease.

3.09 pm: Nigeria reports second confirmed coronavirus case, reports Reuters. The country’s health minister says the infected person is in isolation in southwestern state of Ogun.

3.04 pm: Uganda has sent back 22 foreigners who refused to self-quarantine on arrival for a business forum, says Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng, according to BBC. The ministry has categorised Italy, Iran, South Korea, France, China, Germany and Spain as countries whose citizens have to undergo self-quarantine for 14 days even if they do not have coronavirus symptoms.

3.03 pm: “On 18 January we started universal screening on 7 airports and now 30 airports have been put under screening,” says Vardhan. So far, 8,74,708 passengers have been screened, he adds, according to ANI.

3.02 pm: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan says the the central government is sending detailed guidelines to all states on ways to contain coronavirus, reports PTI.

3.01 pm: Albania reports its first confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, reports AFP. “A 54-year-old man and his 28-year-old son who returned by car from Florence tested positive for COVID-19,” says the ministry. The two are hospitalised.

2.40 pm: The coronavirus outbreak is likely to cause first annual decline in oil use since 2009, says: International Energy Agency, according to AFP.

2.15 pm: NASA asks its employees at Ames Research Center in California to work from home after a worker tests positive for COVID-19. “We believe the exposure at the center has been limited, but out of an abundance of caution... Ames Research Center will temporarily go to a mandatory telework status until further notice,” says the agency, according to Reuters.

2.14 pm: A map showing the confirmed cases in India so far.

2.11 pm: The latest global figures.

2.04 pm: During the meeting with Anil Baijal and Arvind Kejriwal, the union health minister stressed on the need for contact tracing and community surveillance.

2.01 pm: There are now 1,112 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Germany, according to government disease prevention and control agency the Robert Koch Insitute.

1.33 pm: Japan announces 15th death. One person in Kanagawa prefecture, which borders Tokyo, has died from the coronavirus, reports BBC.

1.30 pm: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visits Srinagar. He speaks with families of students whose children are stranded in Iran amid coronavirus outbreak, reports PTI. New Delhi has sent a team of doctors to Iran for screening and establishing a clinic at Qom, where 40 Indians are stranded.

1.27 pm: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan holds a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal over coronavirus, reports ANI.

1.24 pm: Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma asks people to avoid using Chinese products on Holi, reports PTI. “People should try avoiding the use of Chinese products and chemical-based colours on Holi,” he says in a video message. “Natural colour or gulal should be used.”

1.20 pm: Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar says the one person who tested positive for coronavirus in the state is now stable. “He is being monitored at an isolated ward,” he adds.

1.03 pm: The West Bengal government has set up a temporary medical camp at Fulbari Integrated Check Post to scan those entering India from Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.

12.41 pm: At least 8,74,708 international passengers from 8,255 flights have been screened at airports, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. As many as 1,921 passengers have been identified as symptomatic.

12.37 pm: A total of 3,003 samples have been tested so far for COVID-19, says the ministry.

12.35 pm: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare revises the confirmed cases figure to 43. Of these, 40 are active cases while three patients in Kerala have been discharged.

Also read

Coronavirus: Four new cases reported from Kerala, J&K, Delhi and UP; India now has 43 patients

12.32 pm: At least 11 of the 16 makeshift hospitals in Wuhan have shut down, reports Xinhua.

12.31 pm: The Karnataka government is looking for a passenger who arrived in Mangaluru from Dubai on Sunday evening. He reportedly showed symptoms linked to coronavirus but did not visit the hospital for tests. “He will be brought back and admitted to hospital,” an unidentified official tells NDTV.

12.27 pm: Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Uttar Pradesh is also battling swine flu, reports IANS. As of March 2, the toll in the state was nine, six of which were from Meerut alone.

12.13 pm: Women devotees wear face masks while celebrating Attukal Pongala in Kerala, reports PTI.

12.05 pm: Union Health Ministry officials say the total number of confirmed cases is now 42 after one new case each has been reported from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, reports PTI. However, the ministry is yet to confirm the case of the three-year-old child in Kerala.

11.47 am: The National Green Tribunal stops marking attendance on biometric machines, reports ANI. The rule will be in place till March 31.

11.44 am: Walt Disney Co’s Shanghai Disneyland will resume a limited number of operations on Monday at its resort as part of the first step of a phased reopening. However, the main theme park will remain shut. The Shanghai Disneyland had been shut from January 25.

11.31 am: The ocean liner barred from returning to port in San Francisco due to a coronavirus outbreak on board will dock briefly at a nearby terminal in Oakland, says California Governor Gavin Newsom. Passengers will be unloaded and sent on to medical and quarantine sites elsewhere.

11.29 am: US Senator Ted Cruz self quarantines after contact with coronavirus carrier, reports CNBC.

11.26 am: Seventh person in Pakistan tests positive for coronavirus. This time its is a 50-year-old man in Karachi.

11.25 am: Maharashtra Health Ministry says 15 people are still under observation while 258 have been discharged, reports ANI.

11.23 am: A view of Rome.

11.10 am: Indian markets trading over 4% lower in early morning as the coronavirus epidemic continued to spread around the world. The BSE Sensex was trading 1,609.79 points down, or 4.28% lower, at 35,966.83 at 10.48 am. The National Stock Exchange Nifty crashed 449.55 points, or 4.09%, to trade at 10,539.90.

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Sensex, Nifty fall over 4% in morning trade over coronavirus fears, falling oil prices

10.45 am: Here’s a list of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in India

March 9: One case of toddler in Kerala, another in J&K

March 8: Five new patients in Kerala

March 7: Two cases confirmed in Ladakh and one in Tamil Nadu

March 6: 31 positive cases of the virus in India – 17 people, including 14 Italians, tested positive in Delhi, two Italian tourists in Jaipur, six Indians in Agra, and one each in Hyderabad, Ghaziabad and Gurugram. This also includes three patients who have recovered in Kerala.

10.14 am: Crude oil prices fall heavily, the highest since 1991, as Saudi Arabia start a price war with Russia, Reuters reports. Saudi Arabia slashes its prices and says it would release its hoarded supply into a market affected by falling demand because of the coronavirus epidemic.

10.06 am: In Kerala, the Pathanamthitta district collector has declared three-day holiday for all educational institutions in the district, reports ANI. However, Class 10 board exams will be held as per schedule.

9.58 am: At least 400 people are under surveillance in Satwari and Sarwal areas of Jammu, says Rohit Kansal, the principal secretary (planning). “Anganwadi centers in these areas have been closed till March 31,” he adds.

9.52 am: Three people have been quarantined for suspected exposure to coronavirus in Indore, reports PTI. They had a travel history to the United States and Malaysia, says Indore District Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Praveen Jadia. Meanwhile, 19 people kept in isolation wards have tests negative for the virus.

9.33 am: France has banned all gatherings of more than 1,000 people, reports AFP citing Health Minister Olivier Veran. The toll in the country is now 19.

9.30 am: China reports 22 new deaths as of Monday. The new fatalities, which were all in Hubei except one, take the country’s toll to 3,119.

9.25 am: A man has been booked in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Siang district for allegedly posting misleading information on social media, reports Hindustan Times. Subu Kena Tsering allegedly posted in a Facebook group that coronavirus infection has reached Pasighat and two patients have been referred to Dibrugarh in upper Assam.

9.18 am: Organisers of the BNP Paribas Open cancel this year’s tournament at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California. “As a result, the 2020 BNP Paribas Open will not take place at this time due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus and the safety of the participants and attendees at the event,” the organisers said in a statement. “This is following the guidance of medical professionals, the Centers for Disease Control, and State of California.”

9.16 am: The child arrived in Kochi on March 7 from Italy with his parents, Ernakulam District Medical Officer tells ANI. “He was transferred to the medical college after screening at the airport. His father and mother are under observation at isolation ward of the medical college.”

9.12 am: A three-year-old child who returned from Italy and a man from Jammu and Kashmir who travelled to Iran have tested positive for coronavirus, reports Hindustan Times. The number of confirmed cases in India is now 41.

9.05 am: Several embassies in North Korea shut down as diplomats fly out following weeks of tight quarantine restrictions, reports AFP.

9.02 am: Bangladesh says it is scaling down and postponing several events related to the celebration of the birth centenary of freedom fighter and first Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation, the Hindustan Times reports. The announcement came the same day as Bangladeshi authorities confirmed three cases of the novel coronavirus in the country.

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Coronavirus: Bangladesh postpones birth centenary celebrations of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

8.43 am: The Karnataka government orders holidays for children in lower and upper kindergarten classes in Bengaluru.

8.38 am: Italy now has the second-highest toll in the world after China, reports AFP. On Sunday, the number of fatalities rose from 133 to 366. The number of cases also jumped from 1,492 to 7,375 in a single day.

8.14 am: Assam has quarantined at least 400 people after they came in contact with an American tourist who tested positive for the new coronavirus, says state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

7.27 am: A 76-year-old man has died in Ladakh after showing symptoms associated with the coronavirus outbreak, reports NDTV. The former policeman had recently been to Iran.

7.20 am: Qatar bans the entry of people from India, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand, reports Gulf Times. The temporary ban is a preventive measure to curb the spread of coronavirus.