Coronavirus updates March 13: India records second death, this time a woman in Delhi

Coronavirus LIVE updates

PM Modi suggested that SAARC leadership can discuss via video conferencing ways to keep citizens healthy. “Our planet is battling the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. At various levels, governments and people are trying their best to combat it,” Modi said on Twitter.

Read | How to handle the coronavirus (COVID-19) scare

“I would like to propose that the leadership of SAARC nations chalk out a strong strategy to fight coronavirus. We could discuss, via video conferencing, ways to keep our citizens healthy,” he added.

Coronavirus effect: Visa curbs may hit up to 70% load, force foreign airlines to truncate India services

Responding to his initiative to contain the spread of coronavirus, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli said, “I welcome the idea advanced by PM Modi ji for chalking out a strong strategy by the leadership of the SAARC nations to fight #coronavirus. My government is ready to work closely with SAARC Member States to protect our citizens from this deadly disease.”

A day after an employee of a Noida-based private firm tested positive for Coronavirus, as many as 707 employees, who came in contact with the victim, are now under observation.

Meanwhile, in a major relief for Indians stranded in Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak, Air India will be taking flight to Milan (Italy) to bring them back. “The flight would take off tomorrow afternoon and would be landing on Sunday morning at Delhi Airport,” informed Rubina Ali, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Indian equity markets went on a free-fall on Thursday as investors pressed and held the ‘sell’ button after the World Health Organisation declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a “pandemic” and the United States suspended travel from Europe. Express photo By Pradip Das

Earlier this week, the Indian government took an unprecedented step to suspend all visas, barring select categories, till April 15, effectively closing its borders for a month. It means that no foreign tourists can enter India for over a month now, affecting an already stressed economy.

READ: Entertainment industry has a new villain: Coronavirus and the scare that comes with it

Another major announcement was the World Health Organisation’s declaration of coronavirus as a pandemic. Before this, questions had been raised about why, despite the massive spread of COVID19, the WHO had continued to call it an ‘outbreak’, and not a pandemic.

Masks, hand sanitizers declared ‘essential commodities’

The government on Friday declared masks, including N95, and hand sanitizers as ‘essential commodities’ 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/black marketeers.

The government has notified an order under the Essential Commodities Act to declare masks (2 ply and 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand sanitizers as essential commodities up to June 30, 2020. The decision has empowered the Centre as well states to regulate production, quality, distributions of masks and hand sanitizers, and also to smoothen sale and availability of these items, and carry out operations against speculators.

Out of 81 cases in India, 64 are Indians, 16 Italians, 1 Canadian national

New Delhi: A visitor wears a mask to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, at Red Fort in New Delhi, Thursday, March 12, 2020. (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)

In a press briefing in the national capital today, the health ministry said that out of the 81 confirmed cases in India, 64 are Indians, 16 are Italians, and one is a Canadian national. Addressing the media briefing, Luv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, cautioned that coronavirus outbreak is not a health emergency. When asked about the Epidemic Act, Aggarwal said, “This is definitely not a health emergency, invoking the epidemic act does not mean that. It does not mean there is an epidemic in India.”

Read | Noida company’s 707 workers, who came in contact with Covid-19 victim, put under observation

Aggarwal added that “contact tracing of these cases is being actively pursued”. “So far, this has led to identification of more than 4,000 contacts who have been put under surveillance. Government has brought 42,296 passengers under community surveillance, out of which 2,559 were symptomatic and 522 hospitalised including 17 foreign nationals,” he said.

Air India to fly to Milan to bring back stranded Indians

Air India will leave for Milan in Italy to bring back stranded Indians on Sunday at Delhi airport.

In a major relief for Indians stranded in Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak, Air India will be taking flight to Milan (Italy) to bring them back. “The flight would take off tomorrow afternoon and would be landing on Sunday morning at Delhi Airport,” informed Rubina Ali, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Dammu Ravi from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “Around 220 students are in and around Milan, Italy, our priority is to bring them back. If any other students are left behind they can contact our missions, and we will see what next we can do.”

READ | Separate wards, isolation rooms: Delhi hospitals brace for COVID-19

Of 37 land check posts, traffic to be allowed through the 19

Along the Indo-Nepal border, four check posts will remain operational. For Bhutan and Nepal nationals visa-free entry to continue. (representative photo)

In the same press briefing, Home Ministry official Anil Malik said that out of the 37 land check posts, traffic to be allowed through the 19 and visa-free entry for Bhutanese and Nepalese nationals will continue. Additionally, “Indo-Bangladesh passenger buses/trains to remain suspended till 15th April. Along the Indo-Nepal border, four check posts will remain operational. For Bhutan and Nepal nationals visa-free entry to continue,” he added.

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Kerala: Number of Covid-19 infected persons rises to 19

At present, 5468 people are under observation in the state out of which 5291 people are in home quarantine and the remaining 277 persons in hospitals.

The state of high alert over the coronavirus scare in Kerala continued Friday with the number of infected persons rising to 19. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram that two more patients, both of them being treated in isolation at hospitals in the state capital, have been detected with the virus. Among the new cases is an Italian tourist who was staying at a resort in Varkala and a Malayali with travel history from UK. A native of Vellanad, with a history of travel from UAE and suspected to have the virus, also tested positive Friday, taking the number of infected persons in Thiruvananthapuram to three.

READ | Covid-19: How a Kerala district brought nearly 900 people within surveillance net

So far, the number of coronavirus positive patients under treatment in hospitals across districts are Thiruvananthapuram (3), Pathanamthitta (9), Kottayam (2), Ernakulam (3), Thrissur (1) and Kannur (1). This excludes the three medical students from Wuhan who had tested positive earlier and were discharged following their recovery from the illness.

At present, 5468 people are under observation in the state out of which 5291 people are in home quarantine and the remaining 277 persons in hospitals. On Friday, 69 people were admitted to hospitals after they exhibited symptoms.

With the number of infected persons rising in the state and all of them with recent travel histories from the affected countries, the government may move toward isolating everyone arriving in the state from foreign countries. They will be tested on arrival too. Tourists currently staying at resorts, luxury hotels and homestays in the state will be rigorously monitored.

TN declares holiday for students from KG to class 5 from March 16-31

As a precautionary measure, TN govt declares holiday for all school students from KG to class 5 from March 16 till 31. This includes districts like Kanyakumari, Thirunelveli, Theni, Thenkasi, Coimbatore, Thiruppur and Nilgris which are close to Kerala border.

Assam CM to avoid public programmes till March 31

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has decided not to take part in any public programme till March 31. In a statement, he appealed to the people to remain alert and aware and keep themselves safe from the infection. He also tweeted saying that the public should not pay attention to rumours and in case of any doubt or query, please call the Helpline number – 0361-6913347770. Assam has quarantined 741 people who came into contact with the infected US national during his time in Assam. To date, 17 tests have been carried out – all have been negative.

Supreme Court to scale down working

The Supreme Court on Friday said it will scale down working and will only take up urgent matters. (File)

The Supreme Court Friday announced that it will scale down working and will take up only urgent matters after reopening on March 16. It also said that it will only have such number of benches as may be found appropriate.

It also placed entry restrictions and said that “no persons, except the lawyers who are going to act in the matter…along with one litigant only, shall be permitted inside the court room. Mentioning of matters will be made before Mentioning Officer only”.

“On reviewing the advisory issued by the Government of India and in view of the opinion of public health experts including medical professionals and also considering the safety and welfare of all the visitors, litigants, lawyers, court staff, security, maintenance and support staff, student interns and media professionals, the Competent Authority has been pleased to direct that the functioning of the courts shall be restricted to urgent matters with such number of benches as may be found appropriate,” the notification said.

READ | Coronavirus scare: Spread awareness among students, says HRD

Indian Cricket team captain Virat Kohli wears a mask to protect himself at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow. Express photo by Vishal Srivastav

Maharashtra govt orders closure of theatres, gyms

Following Delhi government’s footsteps, Thackeray made the announcement in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, adding that wherever possible, companies should allow employees to work from home in view of threat of the virus.  (Source: Twitter/OfficeofUT)

Even as active coronavirus cases in Maharashtra rose to 17, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Friday invoked the Epidemic Act 1897 which will come into effect from midnight.

In a drastic step to curb the spread of the pandemic, Thackeray said, “Gyms, movie halls, swimming pools, theatres in Mumbai, Navi, Mumbai, Thane, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nagpur will remain closed till March 30 until further orders.”

Following in the footsteps of the Delhi government, Thackeray made the announcement in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Karnataka closes down schools, colleges, malls, theatres and more;

With five active cases of COVID-19 in Bengaluru and one death due to the same in Kalaburagi, the Karnataka government on Friday decided to close down all schools, colleges, coaching classes, malls, cinema theatres, pubs and night clubs, exhibitions, swimming pools, play arenas, multi-sports facilities, music fests/club events summer camps, and sports events for one week beginning Saturday (March 14).

In addition to this, the government has cancelled conferences, workshops, marriages, fairs and parties that involve big gatherings, CM B S Yediyurappa said in a press meet after meeting top officers of several departments in Bengaluru on Friday.

“All IT/BT companies have been advised to allow their employees to work from home and to avoid any kind of international travel,” Yediyurappa said, adding that it was decided to make it compulsory for all international passengers to be in home quarantine for 14 days beginning from their day of arrival in Karnataka, even if they are asymptomatic.

Nagaland: Compulsory use of hand sanitizers, masks in public places

The Home Department of Nagaland has directed compulsory use of hand sanitizers and masks in all public areas in the state. All Deputy Commissioners, in a notice signed by Dr Zasekuolie Chusi, have been direct to ask people to compulsorily use hand sanitizers and masks in public areas. Salesmen and shopkeepers, who usually come in contact with large crowds, have been asked to wear masks.

The directive also states that all establishments must keep sanitizers handy for personal and public use. Each district commissioner has been asked to set up phone lines so the public can report instances of hoarding or selling of masks/sanitizers at a higher price. Additionally State helicopters, buses and taxis in all districts have been sprayed with disinfectant.

In Nagaland, 2008 passengers have been screened at the airport, 110 people are under surveillance, two people are under home quarantine, informed Health and Family Welfare Department Deputy Director.

All classes, exams at IIT-Kanpur suspended till March 29

With the outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur has decided to suspend all classes and exams as a precautionary measure till March 29, its director Abhay Karandikar said here on Friday. The mid-semester recess will be extended till March 29, Karandikar added.

Classes were scheduled to begin from March 16. All the students who have gone home and are planning to return to the campus in the next few days are advised not to return to the campus till March 29, the director said, adding that the situation will be reviewed periodically and necessary updates will be provided to all.

J&K reports second confirmed case

With Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir reporting one more coronavirus positive case, the administration on Friday ordered the closure of all shopping malls, gyms, swimming pools and recreational clubs across Jammu district with immediate effect.

Pointing out that the order will remain effective till March 31, an order issued by Jammu District Magistrate Sushma Chauhan said that “it has been felt that large gatherings in shopping malls, gyms, swimming pools, recreational clubs may cause spread of COVID-19 from affected to non-affected”. “Any violation of this order shall invite action under Indian Penal Code,” it added.

Meanwhile, daily media bulletin on COVID-19 issued by UT government said that 1,743 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance, while 1485 people are under home quarantine and 18 in hospital quarantine. It said that 85 samples have been sent for testing and of them, 77 tested as negative and only two cases tested positive so far. Reports with respect to six cases are awaited.

AI cancels flights to Italy, France, Germany, 4 other countries till April 30

Air India has decided to cancel flights to Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Israel, South Korea, and Sri Lanka till April 30, an airline official said on Friday, amid mounting concerns over coronavirus epidemic. The move comes a day after the national carrier announced suspension of services to Kuwait till April 30. Earlier, the airline curtailed services on most European routes, including Italy and France.

“It has been decided to temporarily suspend services to Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Israel, South Korea, and Sri Lanka due to the coronavirus outbreak,” the official said on Friday. On Wednesday, the government decided to suspend all visas, except a few categories such as diplomatic and employment, from March 13 to April 15.

Annual health check ups for govt officials suspended till June 30

The government has suspended till June 30 the mandatory annual health checkup of all its officials in the wake of coronavirus outbreak to avoid unnecessary strain on hospitals and ward off chances of them getting infected in health facilities, officials said Friday. Annual health checkup is a mandatory requirement for the appraisal of all central government officials above the age of 40 years and it is to be done by March 31 every year, they said.

‘Vaccines will take 1.5 to 2 years to develop’

In a media briefing, the Union Health Ministry’s joint secretary Luv Aggarwal debunked several myths, while allaying fears and relayed precautionary measures to be undertaken while asserting that there was no instance of any community transmission. “We have managed to isolate the coronavirus, we have 11 such isolates. Vaccines will take a minimum of 1.5 to 2 years,” PTI quoted the Health Ministry as saying.

Read | WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic. What does this mean?

GoM constituted on directions of PMO to monitor, evaluate preparedness

A Group of Ministers was constituted on the directions of the Prime Minister’s Office to continuously monitor and evaluate preparedness.

In a media briefing today, the health ministry also said that the government of India has evacuated 900 citizens along with 48 belonging to other nationalities like Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, US, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, and Peru. In addition, 83 evacuees from Italy who arrived yesterday have been housed at Manesar facility for quarantine, the ministry added.

“On the directions of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), a GoM was constituted to continuously monitor the situation and evaluate preparedness and formulate measures regarding the management of coronavirus in the country. The GoM has met 6 times so far, guiding, reviewing and monitoring the situation,” said Luv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry.

Mask not always necessary, if a person maintains effective social distance

Foreign tourists being scanned at Junagarh fort in Bikaner on Wednesday. (PTI)

Reassuring that there’s no need to panic, the health ministry said mask is not always necessary if a person maintains effective social distance. The ministry also said that they have around 1 lakh testing kits available, additional testing kits have already been ordered and they are also in procurement. “Right now, luckily for India we do not have any community transmission. We have only a few cases that have come from outside & they have primarily affected their close family members. 52 testing facilities are located across the country. There are a total of 56 sample collection centers,” said Aggarwal.

Read | Collateral as India quarantines itself: Almost 1 million tourists a month; aviation, hotel slowdown

No evidence to believe that heat kills coronavirus

Busting a rumour that has been doing the rounds among the public at large, Dr R R Gangakhetkar from the Indian Council of Medical Research said, “Intuitive thinking tells you flu is not common in summer season; but we have no evidence that heat kills COVID2019, so we should be cautious.”

Close to 2500 tests can be undertaken at NIV every day; so far we have done only about 6000 tests across the country.

Delhi govt declares COVID-19 an epidemic, orders shutdown of schools, cinema halls

Delhi government today declared coronavirus an epidemic and ordered the shutdown of schools, colleges, and cinema halls. “Disinfecting all public places, including govt, pvt offices and shopping malls, has been made compulsory, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. “Vacant flats owned by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board to be used for quarantine,” he added.

“We all should work towards getting the virus out of our city,” said Kejriwal. The decision was taken after a meeting was held with the LG and senior Delhi government officials.

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Meanwhile, another person has been tested positive for coronavirus in the national capital, taking the total number of confirmed cases to six.