Coronavirus Outbreak Live Updates: National Capital Locked Down As Positive Cases Soar To 341 In India

The coronavirus pandemic continues to affect everyday life and cripple economies across the world as it records a total of 12,592 deaths, most in Europe (7,199) and Asia (3,459).

With 4,825 deaths, Italy now has a higher toll than even China (3,255) where the outbreak began late last year. A self-imposed 'Janata Curfew' is underway in India on Sunday to prevent the outbreak as the cases from the deadly virus continue to rise.

Catch all the updates here:

7:56 PM: Giving a major relief to workers of private firms during the lockdown in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said both permanent and contractual employees will be considered to be on-duty and their companies will have to provide them with the salary from the period of March 22 to March 31.

7:50 PM: Woman, son test positive for coronavirus in Greater Noida (West), total no. of cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar 8, say officials.

7:26 PM: Grocery stores, bakery, hospital, medical store, petrol pump and other establishments providing essential service will continue to function during the lockdown period in Delhi, says Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

7:15 PM: Bihar has reported its first COVID-19 death as a 38-year-old man with a travel history to Qatar died at AIIMS in Patna, where he was admitted after seeking treatment at PMCH and a hospital in Munger, a government official said. Another woman, who is suspected to have come in contact with one of her Italy-returned relatives, has also tested positive in the city and is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.

6:48 PM: Dairies, grocery shops, chemists and petrol pumps will remain open but persons associated with essential services will be allowed to go to their destinations during the lockdown, Delhi CM said.

6:47PM: During the lockdown, no public transport will operate and Delhi's borders will be sealed but the essential services related to health, food, water and power supply will continue, Kejriwal said.

6:46 PM: Six locally transmitted Coronavirus cases reported in Delhi, says Kejriwal.

6:26 PM: We have decided to impose lockdown in Delhi from 6 AM tomorrow (23rd March) to 12 midnight of 31st March 2020, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

6:04PM: Here's the list of 75 districts in India under lockdown

Coronavirus: Lockdown in 75 Districts in India 

5:58 PM: Following in the footsteps of Punjab and Rajasthan, Telangana will also lockdown till March 31 to combat coronavirus.

5:53 PM: 15 Uttar Pradesh districts, including Lucknow, Varanasi, and Kanpur, will be under lockdown from Monday till Wednesday in the first phase, says CM Yogi Adityanath.

5:00 PM: Following Prime Minister's request, the people across the country came out on their balconies, terraces and roads to thank the doctors, health professionals and everyone else, on the frontlines battling the coronavirus pandemic.

4:54 PM: Spain reports 394 new coronavirus deaths, up 30 per cent in 24 hours, reports AFP.

4:38 PM: Section 144, which restricts assembly of more than four people in an area, will be imposed in the national capital from 9 pm on Sunday till March 31 as a step to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"The order will come into force with effect from 9 PM on 22.03.2020 and remain valid upto 12 midnight of 31.03.2020," said the order by Delhi government.

4:25 PM: Have the capacity to do 10,000 tests per day to detect coronavirus, says Indian Council of Medical Research director-general. It's important to isolate those who have come from abroad to curb the spread of coronavirus, he says. 

4:15 PM: Goa may see more days of lockdown for the novel coronavirus outbreak after Sunday's Janta curfew, a voluntary initiative across the country to break the spread of infection, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said. Speaking to PTI, he said a decision on this would be taken at 5pm.

4:05 PM: One COVID19 positive patient, male 69 years, died today in Surat hospital. He was having co-morbid conditions. One female, 65 years, died in Vadodara hospital but her test report for COVID is awaited. She was also having comorbid conditions, Gujarat's Health and Family Welfare Department said.

3:43PM: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said: "I would like to request everyone to continue 'Janata Curfew' till tomorrow morning. The number of cases has increased considerably. I have no option left but to apply Section 144 in Maharashtra."

"Only the people discharging essential duties will be allowed to use public transport till March 31," he added.

3:30PM: Iran announces 129 new #coronavirus deaths, raising toll to 1,685, according to AFP.

3:10 PM: Central Govt advises States to lockdown 75 Districts affected by Coronavirus Pandemic, barring essential services.

2:40 PM: Inter-state bus services across country suspended till March 31 in view of coronavirus outbreak, says the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

2:30 PM: Four new COVID-19 cases found in Gujarat; total cases go up to 18, says Dy CM Nitin Patel.

2:24 PM: Nearly one billion people around the world are confined to their homes today, as the coronavirus death toll crossed 13,000 and factories were shut in worst-hit Italy after another single-day fatalities record.

2:10 PM: Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday said 90 health counters are operational at the Delhi airport and things are back to normal now.

"We have a backlog of just about 500 passengers whom we should be able to clear in an hour. Passengers arriving on subsequent flights will also be screened within the same timeframe," Puri said on Twitter.

1:45 PM: A group of 19 Indian students has sought refuge within the premises of the Indian High Commission in London overnight on Saturday, demanding that they be put on a flight to India despite the travel restrictions in place following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

1:15PM: All Passenger Trains Cancelled | Indian Railways has cancelled all passenger trains including Express and Suburban trains from March 22 midnight to March 31 midnight.  Only goods trains will run during this period to ensure supply of essential things. Minimum suburban services, Kolkata Metro will continue till March 22 midnight. Thereafter, the services will stop till March 31.

1:00PM: Odisha government has announced a lockdown till March 29 (9pm) in districts of Khurdha, Cuttak, Ganjam, Kendrapada, Angul, the towns of Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Jajpur town and Bhadrak. 

12:55PM: Fresh Case In Noida | A 31-year-old man in Greater Noida, with travel history to Dubai, has tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases to six in Gautam Buddh Nagar. The man stays in Sector Alpha 1, which has been locked down by the district administration for 48 hours to sanitise the area and all residents have been asked to stay indoors, officials said.

12:50PM: US Logs 3rd Highest Number Of Cases | With a surge in new cases of coronavirus, US records the third-highest number of infection after China and Italy. Currently, the US has 26,892 positive cases.

12:40PM: Another Confirmed Case In Chandigarh | One more person tested positive for coronavirus in Chandigarh, taking the total number of confirmed cases of the deadly infection to six in the city. The young man, a resident of Chandigarh, was the secondary contact of the city's first coronavirus patient.

12:30PM: Karnataka Shuts Borders | The Karnataka government has decided to shut state borders and postpone all exams including SSLC (class 10). The state will now also screen domestic passengers at airports.

12:15PM: Sixth Death In India | A 38-year-old man has passed away in Bihar today due to kidney failure; he has been tested positive for Covid19. He was from Munger. He died yesterday at AIIMS in Patna; had returned from Kolkata two days back, says Dr. Prabhat Kumar Singh, AIIMS Patna. The man had foreign travel history to Qatar.

12:05PM: As many as 341 people have tested positive for coronavirus in India, says Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

11:55AM: Maharashtra Tally Reaches 74 | 10 more people (6-Mumbai & 4-Pune) test positive for Coronavirus in Maharashtra; Total number of positive cases in the state rises to 74: Health Department, Maharashtra.

11:30AM: Punjab Goes Under Lockdown | Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered complete lockdown in the state, in wake of coronavirus: Public Relations (PR) Senior Official, Punjab Government

11:15AM: Advocates/parties can now digitally appear via Skype video conference to represent cases listed before Karnataka High Court. 

11:00AM: Fifth Death In India | A 63-year-old man, who tested positive for coronavirus, died on Saturday night in Mumbai. The man, who had chronic history of diabetes, high blood pressure and ischemic heart disease, has become the fifth fatality in the country due to the virus outbreak. 

10:45AM: Number of COVID-19 cases soar to 324 in India, according to Health Ministry. 

10:40AM: Trump Says China Was Secretive About Virus| US President Donald Trump denied reports that the US intelligence reports in January and February had warned of a coming pandemic, saying America did not know about the outbreak until it started coming out publicly.

"Just so you understand, China is not a beneficiary here. China has thousands and thousands of people. China has gone through hell over this. They've gone through hell. I've had conversations with (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping). I just wish they could have told us earlier. They knew they had a problem earlier. I wish they could have said that," Trump said.

10:25AM: The special Air India flight carrying 263 Indian students that took off from Rome landed at Delhi airport at 9.15 AM today. All 263 evacuees to be taken to ITBP Chhawla Quarantine Facility in Delhi, after thermal screening and immigration procedure at the airport.

10:05AM: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged all citizens to remain at home and make the 'Janata Curfew', which he termed as 'one of the biggest social distancing and mass awareness initiative against a pandemic', a success.

"I am working from home today. I appeal to everyone that except those working in emergencies and critical areas to stay home or work from home and support the Prime Minister's call for Janata Curfew," Singh's tweet read.

9:58AM: A 33-year-old man with recent foreign travel history has tested positive for Coronavirus in Karnataka. The contact tracing of the person is underway. The 3-km area around Hosayellapur where this infected person was living has been quarantined, said Dharwad DC Deepa Cholan.

9:45AM: David Bryan, the rock band Bon Jovi's keyboardist, has tested positive for coronavirus. The 58-year-old musician revealed his condition in an update on Instagram on Sunday.

9:30AM: One person, a secondary contact of Chandigarh's first positive case, has tested positive for Covid-19. With this, the total number of positive cases rises to six in Chandigarh.

9:10AM: Jamia Protest Called Off | The Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) has temporarily called off their strike which had been ongoing for more than three months at gate number 7 of the Jamia Millia Islamia University against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Population Register (NPR) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). 

9:05AM: Pak Suspends International Flights | The Pakistan government has announced that all incoming international flights to the country will remain suspended for the next two weeks in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection via foreign travellers.

9:00AM: Indian Students Seek Refuge In London |  At A group of 19 Indian students have sought refuge within the premises of the Indian High Commission in London overnight on Saturday, demanding to be put on a flight to India despite the travel restrictions in place in view of the novel coronavirus pandemic. They have refused offers of alternate accommodation arranged with the help of Indian diaspora groups as India's ban on travellers from the UK and Europe remains in place until the end of this month.

8:45AM: US Vice President To Get Tested | US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday said he and Second Lady Karen Pence will be tested for the coronavirus.

Pence's comments came a day after his spokesperson said a staff from his team was tested positive for the deadly disease. However, the infected staff was never in direct contact with either Pence or President Donald Trump.