28 new coronavirus cases in Kerala, spike in other states too

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “Kerala is going for a lockdown from Monday midnight till March 31. State borders would be sealed and there would be no public transport…Private vehicles will be allowed.’’

In Kasaragod, where 39 cases have been reported so far, the government would take more stringent actions, said the Chief Minister. “Nobody would be allowed to come out unnecessarily. If someone ventures out, they would face arrest and a hefty fine would be levied,’’ he added.

He said shops selling essential commodities, medical shops and fuel outlets would function from 7 am to 5 pm and banks till 2 pm. “Entry for public at all places of worship should be stopped. Government offices would be functioning with necessary precautions,’’ he said.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra on Monday reported 23 fresh cases, taking the total number of cases in the state to 97. The wife and father of a 34-year-old security guard at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. It is likely that the guard caught the infection at the airport, said civic officials. The guard had also travelled by a local train, sources said, to the western suburbs to meet his mother.

Meanwhile, an expert committee will decide if the death of a 68-year-old Philippines national late on Sunday, apparently due to renal failure and respiratory issues, was actually caused by complications arising out of a COVID-19 infection. The patient had tested positive for COVID-19 and then tested negative twice.

Karnataka

The Karnataka health department on Monday reported seven COVID-19 cases — the largest single-day hike in cases so far for the state. The new patients include two persons from Kerala who returned recently from Dubai and a 30-year-old woman whose husband tested positive after returning from Amsterdam.

Among the other new cases are a 38-year-old man who returned from Dubai on March 17; a 41-year-old man who returned through London on March 13; a 24-year-old who travelled to the UK and Dubai and returned on March 18 and a 60-year-old man who travelled to Germany.

The health department has also asked people who attended a concert by Rajasthani sufi singer Mir Mukhtiar Ali in Bengaluru on March 12 to voluntarily disclose their health situation after a member in the audience recently tested positive. “Audience who attended Mir Mukhtiar Ali musical concert on 12-03-2020 at 7:30 pm in Chowdaiah Memorial Hall are requested to inform helpline number voluntarily. This advisory is being issued in view of a participant being tested COVID-19 positive,’’ the department said Monday.

Gujarat

Eight new COVID-19 cases were reported from Gujarat on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 30. Among the new cases reported on Monday, the 49-year-old father of a man who travelled from Dubai to Gandhinagar tested positive. This is the third member in the family to test positive.

UTTAR PRADESH

The districts of Pilibhit, Kanpur, and Jaunpur registered their first COVID-19 cases on Monday as the total number of cases in the state rose to 33. Ghaziabad reported its third case on Monday.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told the media that the situation was under control in the state. The government had reserved 2,000 beds in isolation wards, he added. Adityanath said he was continuously supervising the situation.

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