The number of novel coronavirus infections is increasing rapidly on a daily basis in India with confirmed cases rising to 170 and three reported deaths. Board exams have been called off in the wake of the health crisis while Section 144 has been imposed in some states including Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Italy saw 475 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, the highest one-day official toll of any nation since the first case was detected in China late last year. In USA, two US lawmakers have been confirmed positive of the coronavirus as the number of deaths due to the deadly virus crossed 150 in America, while about 10,000 people have been infected. The epicentre of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan, reported no new infections for the first time, while imported cases surged by a record, led by new infections in Beijing.
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9:42 am IST: Nagpur: As gyms shut, people exercise on streets
People in Nagpur gathered on the streets to exercise after all the gyms in Maharashtra have been shut due to coronavirus.
9:19 am IST: Canada border closed as US congressman diagnosed with coronavirus
The United States and Canada closed their shared border to “non-essential traffic” on Wednesday to curb transmission of the coronavirus as US President Donald Trump moved to bolster medical equipment supplies and the outbreak struck Capitol Hill.
Two members of the US House representatives – Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Ben McAdams of Utah – said on Wednesday they had each tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first lawmakers in Congress known to have become infected.
8:47 am IST: Beijing hit by record imported coronavirus cases
Beijing is hit by a record number of imported cases of the coronavirus as new local transmissions in China fell to zero, putting more pressure on the Chinese capital to screen out infected passengers and isolate suspected cases. It is the first time since the virus took hold late last year in Hubei province – including the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak – that China has recorded no locally transmitted cases.
In recent days, China has increasingly focused its counter-epidemic efforts on inbound travellers as the coronavirus rapidly expanded its global footprint, raising the prospect of a second wave of infections arriving from abroad. “A single spark can start a prairie fire,” the official China Daily wrote in an editorial on Thursday.
Beijing reported 21 new cases of infections from abroad on Wednesday, mostly people travelling from Spain and Britain. The Beijing infections accounted for the bulk of the 34 new imported cases seen in mainland China.
8:08 am IST: Chandigarh reports first case: 23-year-old tests positive
A 23-year-old woman, who recently returned from England, has tested positive for novel coronavirus. A resident of Sector 21 of Chandigarh, the woman was found symptomatic on March 15. She is currently in quarantine at Govt Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh.
8:00 am IST: Italy reports 475 new coronavirus deaths, lifting total death toll to 2,978
The death toll from coronavirus in Italy has surged in the last 24 hours by 475 to 2,978, an increase of 19%, the biggest jump in numerical terms since the contagion came to light last month, officials said on Wednesday.
The total number of cases in Italy, the European country hardest hit by the virus, rose to 35,713 from a previous 31,506, up 13.35%, the Civil Protection Agency said. Of those originally infected, 4,025 had fully recovered compared to 2,941 the day before. Some 2,257 people were in intensive care against a previous 2,060.
7:55 am IST: In India, cases climb to 169
The total number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India reached 169 on Wednesday with seven new cases from Telangana — all Indonesian nationals. As a precautionary measure, Section 144 has been imposed in Davangere in Karnataka, Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Indian Army reported its first case of coronavirus after a 34-year-old soldier of Ladakh Scout regiment tested positive, prompting the force to strengthen its check and prevention mechanism and suspend war games and training activities.
The Swiss firm Roche Diagnostics India, meanwhile, received the licence for conducting coronavirus tests after approval from drug regulator DCGI, making it the first private firm to get such permission after the government decided to allow accredited private labs to test for Covid-19, a senior health ministry official said. The threat of coronavirus also continued to impact the road and air traffic as senior railway officials informed a parliamentary panel that more than 60 per cent tickets were cancelled in March so far due to the outbreak while GoAir said it has terminated contracts of expat pilots amid curtailed operations due to the coronavirus pandemic. As per the Union Health Ministry, over 5,700 people, who had come in contact with these positive cases, are under rigorous surveillance.
Meanwhile, several opted for self-quarantine as a matter of precaution, including former Union minister and BJP MP Suresh Prabhu, who quarantined himself at his residence for the next 14 days after he returned from Saudi Arabia despite testing negative for the infection. In a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the National Restaurant Association of India asks all members to shut down restaurants till March 31 or till such time when no new cases are reported. The Home Ministry on Wednesday said India has temporarily banned entry of passengers from 36 countries while people travelling from 11 countries will be mandatorily quarantined in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
