Punjab shuts down restaurants, eateries and cinema halls

Bengal shuts down educational institution, seals Bhutan border

Rajasthan shuts schools, cinema halls

Educational institutions, cinema halls shut in Himachal

All educational institutions and cinema halls have been closed in Himachal Pradesh till March 31 as a precautionary measure to check community transmission of novel coronavirus, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said in the state assembly on Saturday. However, examinations will continue as per schedule, he added.

No confirmed case of COVID-19 has been found so far in Himachal Pradesh.

As many as 593 people have been kept under surveillance, he said, adding that information regarding 372 of them was obtained from the Bureau of Immigration with their recent travel history to COVID-19 affected countries. The remaining 221 people have reported to authorities on their own, Thakur said.

The samples of seven of them who had come to IGMC Shimla and RPGMC Tanda hospitals with cough or fever symptoms were found to be negative for COVID-19, he added.

Urging people to cooperate with authorities, the chief minister said, 'There is no need to panic. Take these steps as a positive step to check any possibility of spread of new coronavirus in the state as two persons have died in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.'

After ordering closure of all educational institutions in the state till March 31, the Punjab government is likely to shut down cinema halls, restaurants and clubs till the end of this month amid coronavirus scare.

Mahrashtra confirmed cases rise to 19; people under medical probe flee

The number of coronavirus positive cases in the country has risen to 84 which includes the two deaths in Delhi and Karnataka, the Union Health Ministry said. Seven persons who tested positive, including five from Uttar Pradesh and one each from Rajasthan and Delhi have been discharged after treatment, a senior health ministry official said. Delhi has reported six positive cases and Uttar Pradesh 11 so far. Karnataka has six coronavirus patients, Maharashtra 14 and Ladakh three, while Jammu and Kashmir reported two cases. In addition, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab have reported one case each. Kerala has recorded 19 cases, including three patients who were discharged last month after they recovered from the contagious infection. The total number of 84 confirmed cases includes 17 foreigners -- 16 Italian tourists and a Canadian, the ministry said.

”The number of coronavirus positive cases in India has risen to 84,” Special Secretary in the health ministry, Sanjeeva Kumar, said, adding that more than 4,000 people who had come in contact with those testing positive have been identified through contact tracing and are under surveillance. He further said that there have been cases of people not willing to be quarantined despite coming in contact with people testing positive. He informed that a Mahan Air flight bringing back Indian passengers from Iran will land in Mumbai on Saturday midnight. A special Air India flight is also being sent to Milan in Italy on Saturday to bring back Indian students, he added. Kumar said all essential facilities like community surveillance, quarantine, isolation wards, adequate PPEs, trained manpower, rapid response teams are being strengthened further in all states and UTs. The government on Friday declared masks, including N95, and hand sanitisers as 'essential commodities' under Essential Commodities Act in the wake of the coronavirus scare leading to shortages and black marketing of these items.

These items will remain under essential commodities segment till June-end, a move aimed at ensuring availability at reasonable prices and cracking down on hoarders and black marketeers. Even as the World Health Organisation declared novel coronavirus a pandemic, the health ministry officials on Friday asked people not to panic, saying no community transmission of the virus has been observed and there has only been a few cases of local transmission so far.

Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs, Civil Aviation (Independent Charge) and Commerce & Industry Hardeep Singh Puri being screened by a medic for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), in Hyderabad, Saturday, March 14, 2020. PTI

Municipal Corporation workers wear protective masks amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus, at their office in Solapur, Maharashtra, Thursday, March 12, 2020. PTI

A worker sweeps the lawn of a closed cinema hall in view of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, in Bikaner, Saturday, March 14, 2020. PTI

Punjab police personnel wearing protective masks in the wake of the novel coronavirus scare (COVID-19) guide a commuter in Bathinda, Friday, March 13, 2020. PTI

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has declared that all government and private educational institutions will remain closed from 16 to 31 March. Telegraph file picture

With two more persons testing positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra, the number of infected individuals in the state has gone up to 19, a health department official said on Saturday.

One of the two new patients is from Ahmednagar city, the official said. However, he did not specify the location of the other patient. 'Till Friday evening, the number of persons who tested positive for coronavirus was 17. The test reports of two more persons came late at night. As they were found positive, the count of infected persons in the state now stands at 19,' the official told PTI. 'One of them is from Ahmednagar city. He had recently returned from Dubai and shown symptoms similar to coronavirus infection. His blood sample was sent for testing, which confirmed the infection late last night,' he added.

Ten of the coronavirus positive cases in the state are in Pune, three each in Mumbai and Nagpur, and one in Thane.

Four people admitted to a government-run hospital in Nagpur for suspected coronavirus infection, returned home without informing the authorities, police said on Saturday. The incident occurred late Friday night, they said.

According to police, the four were later traced and asked to return to the hospital. Their test results are awaited. 'Four persons, including two women, had come to the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH) on Friday morning to give their blood samples for suspected coronavirus infection. They were kept in the isolation ward. However, at night they left the hospital without informing the authorities,' a police official said. 'We later traced them and contacted them on phone. They have been asked to return to the hospital. They told us that they were annoyed over the delay in getting the test results and also over sharing the toilet with coronavirus positive patients admitted to the hospital,' he added.

Four new patients of coronavirus were confirmed in Mumbai on Saturday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

It took the number of confirmed cases in Maharashtra to 26 and those in Mumbai to eight.

Of the new patients confirmed in Mumbai, one is resident of the city while others are from Kamothe, Vashi and Kalyan, all peripheral towns.

All are admitted to Kasturba Hospital here and their condition is stable, BMC deputy director, health, Daksha Shah said.

Earlier in the day, two persons who had recently returned from Dubai were confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus in Maharashtra's Yavatmal city.

Thus, so far across the state, ten coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Pune, eight in Mumbai, four in Nagpur, two in Yavatmal and one each in Thane and Ahmednagar.

A day after closure of all educational institutions in the state till March 31, the Punjab government on Saturday ordered a shut down of cinema halls and banned public gatherings including cultural events till further notice to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu told reporters here: 'All cinema halls, gyms, swimming pools in Punjab shall remain closed till further orders after midnight of March 14. All public gatherings including sports events, conferences, cultural events, fairs and exhibitions shall also not be held till further orders'.

He said the step has been taken 'to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19'.

When asked if shopping malls too would be shut, Sidhu said there was no such plan as of now.

In the wake of the coronavirus scare, the Punjab government on Friday ordered closure of all universities, colleges and schools till March 31 as a precautionary measure against the contagious disease.

Sidhu, accompanied by Principal Secretary (Health) Anurag Aggarwal, said out of 96 samples only one tested positive for COVID-19. The condition of the Italy-returned man, who is currently admitted to a government hospital in Amritsar, was stable, he said.

Referring to reports of 335 passengers who recently returned from abroad and were untraceable, Sidhu clarified that all of them had been screened upon their arrival and were found to be asymptomatic.

However, a state government press note later said the contact details of 335 passengers 'are incomplete and lists have been shared with district administration to contact them to know about their health status'.

It said the Centre daily shares a list of passengers who travel to the state after returning from different foreign countries.

Earlier, a seven-member Group of Ministers (GoM) formed by the Punjab government to review the situation on a daily basis in view of the spread of coronavirus, had on Friday asked deputy commissioners not to grant permission for mass gatherings.

In a meeting held here under the chairmanship of local bodies minister Brahm Mohindra, the GoM also urged religious leaders and heads of Deras (sects) to postpone their scheduled religious congregations.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has declared that all government and private educational institutions will remain closed from 16 to 31 March. The internal examinations at all such places are also to be suspended. However, board examinations will be conducted per schedule. A press release from the chief minister's ofice read, 'In view of the evolving situation of the spread of the Novel Corona virus (Covid-19), the advisories issued by WHO, UN and Central Government and as a matter of abundant precaution to check its spread in the state of West Bengal, it has been decided that all Government, Government-aided, private educational institutions – Schools, Colleges, Universitiesm Madrasahs, SSK/MSK will remain closed from 16 March, 2020 to 31 March, 2020 in public interest. The internal examinations of these institutions will also remain suspended during the said duration. However, the Board Examinations would be held as per schedule.'

The West Bengal government has sealed the state's border with Bhutan, a senior official said on Saturday.

The West Bengal Police, which mans the border gate on the Indian side in Jaigaon in Alipurduar district, stopped the movement of goods and travellers from India to Bhutan on Friday evening.

The move comes after Bhutan recently issued a notification to the Alipurduar district administration informing it about a halt in tourist and business activities in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The Himalayan kingdom had earlier this month banned the entry of foreigners after an American tourist tested positive for the coronavirus.

West Bengal speaker Biman Banerjee said on Friday that entry of journalists and visitors to the Assembly would be restricted to specific numbers due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Banerjee said the number of media persons would be regulated as per the circulation figures of the media houses.

'Please bear with us for the time being, it's not that any right of journalists are being restricted,' the Speaker told the media at the Assembly, citing central government advisory on reducing mass gatherings to avoid the spread of the deadly COVID-19.

The Speaker said major media outlets would be allowed two representatives each at the House for the time being to ensure the safety and security of everyone.

He said notice would also be given to restrict the number of accompanying persons of each MLA to only one to restrict the number of people present at the Assembly at any given time.

The Speaker said entry of students of schools and colleges would also be barred for the time being to ensure their safety. 'I will recall the passes given to the students who sit in the galleries to witness Assembly proceedings,' Banerjee said.

The second part of the extended budget session of the assembly commenced on Friday and voting for Rajya Sabha election is scheduled for March 26.

Schools, colleges, cinema halls, coaching centres, gymnasiums etc. will be closed in Rajasthan till March 30, officials said on Friday. However, the ongoing school and college examinations will continue, and the functioning of medical and nursing colleges will also remain unaffected.

The decision was taken at a high-level review meeting called by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Musical events and other such programmes will also be postponed, the officials said. Gehlot appealed to people to invite a limited number of guests to marriage and other functions. He said precautionary measures were being taken in accordance with the advisory issued by the Centre.

State Health Minister Raghu Sharma, Chief Secretary DB Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health, Rohit Kumar Singh and other officers were present at the meeting, according to a release.

The Centre as part of its measures to contain the spread of the disease on Friday announced that people will be allowed to travel through 19 of 37 land border checkposts from Saturday midnight and services of Indo-Bangladesh cross border passenger trains and buses will continue to remain suspended till April 15. Only four Indo-Nepal border checkposts will remain operational, and for citizens of Bhutan and Nepal visa-free entry to the country will continue, Home Ministry Additional Secretary Anil Malik had said. He said the decision on closing the Kartarpur corridor is under consideration The government on Wednesday suspended all visas, barring a few categories like diplomatic and employment. It also asked Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. All incoming international passengers returning to India should self-monitor their health and follow the required do's and dont's as detailed by the government.

China reports 13 new coronavirus deaths, taking the toll to 3,189, while the confirmed cases climbed to 80,824 with 11 more infections, as the country witnesses a rise in imported cases, health officials notified. Researchers, studying the virus, report that the time between cases in a chain of transmission is less than a week, and over 10 per cent of patients are infected by someone who has the virus, but does not show symptoms yet.

The US Embassy and Consulates in India have cancelled all visa appointments from March 16 due to the outbreak. The RSS has also suspended the three-day annual meeting of its highest decision-making body scheduled to begin on Saturday, general secretary Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi informed.

A large number of Indian states have declared or are headed towards lockdowns, with people being tested, admitted, and kept under isolation.