10.00PM
COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra rise to 97, say reports
According to the latest update, there are 97 coronavirus in Maharashtra, Mumbai Mirror reported. The report also gave a break down of the rise in cases in the last 24 hours, saying that out of 23 new cases, 17 were reported in the Mumbai-MMR region, one in Pune and Satara, and four in Sangli district.
09.45PM
Kerala announces lockdown upto March 31, 28 new cases detected
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan while briefing the media said that the lockdown will be implemented in Kerala up to March 31 following a sharp spike in coronavirus cases on Monday. He announced that 28 new cases had been detected in the State. The total number of cases in Kerala is 92.
09.40PM
Domestic commercial airlines to stop operations from tonight
Operations of domestic schedule commercial airlines shall stop, effective from the mid night that is 23.59 hours ISTon 24/3/2020 till further orders. Airlines have to plan operations so as to land at their destination before 2359 hours on 24/3/2020. The restrictions shall not apply to solely cargo carrying flights.
09.30PM
COVID-19 deaths in India rise to 9
The health ministry on Monday said that deaths due to the novel coronavirus all over the country have risen to nine. This is after a statement by the ministry said that the total number of positive cases in India were 467.
08.00PM
WHO South-East Asia office says COVID-19 not airbone virus
A statement by the WHO’s South-East Asia regional office said, “Airborne spread has not been reported for COVID-19. Based on the information received so far and on our experience with other coronaviruses, COVID-19 appears to spread mostly through respiratory droplets (for instance produced when a sick person coughs) and close contact. This is why WHO recommends maintaining hand and respiratory hygiene.
“The Chinese authorities reported that there could be a possibility of aerosol transmission in a relatively closed environment with prolonged exposure to high concentrations of aerosols, like in ICUs and CCUs in hospitals, but more investigations and analysis of epidemiological data is needed to understand this mode of transmission of the virus.”
07.30PM
Odisha extends lockdown to 21 districts
The Odisha government on Monday extended the statewide lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. The lockdown was also extended to 21 districts and the railways and busstands areas.
“Lockdown extended to full districts of Puri, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur. Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda districts from tomorrow morning. So now the total number of districts under lockdown is 14.
“In addition to this two more major changes are railway station and bus stands are removed form the exempted category for internal transport and eateries located in them. Now railways and bus transport is completely blocked in the entire state,” the advisory said.
07.00PM
Meghalaya announces relief measures for construction workers
The Meghalaya government on Monday announced relief measures for construction workers who have suffered a hit to their livelihood due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, The Indian Express reported. The state government said that such people registered with the labour commissioner are entitled to Rs 1,000 per person, per week.
Reportedly, the order is valid till 29 March, after which it will be reviewed
06.00PM.
Karnataka govt orders shutdown till 1 April
In wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the entire state of Karnataka will be locked down from midnight on 23 March to 1 April, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Monday. “People are requested to strictly follow it,” he added.
05.00PM
Gujarat announces lockdown till 31 March
Gujarat DGP Shivanand Jha said that from 12 am on Monday, the entire state will be under lockdown till 31 March. “State borders have been sealed. Action will be taken against the people who will violate the lockdown,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan chief minister said that all private vehicles will be banned from Tuesday. “To save lives from coronavirus, we have taken the decision to ban all private vehicles on roads from tomorrow. Only vehicles related to essential services and those in exempted services would be allowed. State highway tolls will also be closed from midnight,” he said.
04.00PM
Telangana Police registers case against DSP for violating quaratine guidelines
The Telangana Police registered a case against a Deputy Superintendent of Police and his son who had returned from UK, for not following quarantine protocol. The DSP’s son has been tested positive for COVID-19 now, ANI reported.
03.45PM
Chandigarh under curfew from tomorrow
Administrator of Chandigarh, VP Singh Badnore, said that curfew will be imposed in the union territory from midnight on Monday till further orders, reports said.
The curfew mandates that all residents should stay indoors and the DGP has given “strict directions” to enforce the curfew without any relaxation, The Indian Express reported.
“Manoj Parida, IAS, Adviser, has stated the individuals engaged in Essential Services including Police, Medical etc. will only be allowed curfew passes. Employees of Punjab, Haryana and central government will request for passes through their Chief Secretaries only. The deputy commissioner, Chandigarh will decide about the curfew passes. Moreover, the relaxation in curfew hours will be given for purchase of essential items in due course. The detailed orders are being issued by the deputy commissioner, UT, Chandigarh,” the report said.
03.40PM
At least 34,000 COVID-19 cases reported in US
CNN on Monday reported that at least 34,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the US, while 414 people have died.
“The total includes cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as all repatriated cases,” the report said.
03.30PM
Nepal govt announces nationwide lockdown
The Nepal government on Friday announced a nationwide lockdown from 6 am (local time) on 24 March in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. One more positive case was reported in the country on Monday, taking the total number of positive cases to 2.
The nationwide lockdown in Nepal will be in place till 31 March, ANI reported.
03.20PM
Indian Army asks more personnel to work from home
The Indian Army on Monday asked more of its personnel to work from with the aim of taking precautions against the novel coronavirus spread in the country. In a fresh advisory, the defence force said that the measures are to be enforced in all military establishments/cantonments/formations/units in 82 districts under lockdown.
The advisory was quoted by The Indian Express as saying, “All tasks related to response to COVID-19 should continue without hindrance.
“Restricted movements in Cantonments and military stations.
“Personnel engaged in essential services permitted to function (Medical establishments, fire, electricity/ water supply, communication, post offices and sanitation services).
“Home delivery of grocery/ essential items catering to the requirements of the cantonments.
“Social distancing while performing all tasks.
“Additional districts/ extension of lockdown time frame by state governments will be adhered to as when promulgated.
“All station CSDs to be closed forthwith.
“Measures at IHQ of MoD(Army)/ (Army HQ)
“Only bare essential sections/ offices to function on a daily basis. Work from home to be implemented.
“Conferences and seminars postponed. Routine meetings and movements to be restricted.
“Personnel attending office will adhere to staggered timings.”
03.15PM
Rajasthan guv donates one-month salary for COVID-19 efforts
The Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra has donated his one-month salary for the state government’s efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, News18 reported. “The governor also sent an amount of Rs 20 lakh from the Governor’s Relief Fund to COVID-19 Fund of Rajasthan CM Relief Fund,” a Raj Bhawan statement was quoted as saying.
Following the governor’s initiative, the Raj Bhawan employees too decided to donate their one day’s salary to the government, the report said.
03.00PM
Karnataka govt says public, private transport to be shut in 9 districts
The Karnataka government on Monday said, “All public and private passenger transport services including Ola, Uber, taxi and autorickshaws shall be stopped from tomorrow in Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Kalaburagi, Chikkaballapur, Mysuru, Madikeri, Dharwad, Mangaluru and Belagavi where restrictions are in place.”
02.40PM
Hydroxychloroquine is recommended only for medical staff, says ICMR
ICMR director-general Balram Bhargava said, “Hydroxychloroquine is recommended only for a healthcare worker who is treating a coronavirus-infected patient. Secondly, it’s recommended only for persons staying and caring for a household positive patient. They can take that only for prophylaxis, only for prevention.”
02.30PM
Kerala govt announces complete lockdown
The Kerala government on Friday announced a complete lockdown in the state. All borders in the state to remain closed, operations of all public transport to cease. All places of worship to also remain closed reports said.
The number of coronavirus cases in the state rose to 92 on Monday.
ICMR says 12 testing labs functioning, FDA approval not required for kits
ICMR director general Balram Bhargava on Monday said that the process of kit manufacturing has been fast-tracked at the National Institute of Virology in Pune and two kit manufacturers have been already approved.
“I’d like to clarify that FDA/CE approval isn’t mandatory. ICMR-NIV approved tests which will be done there on fast-track basis will also be acceptable for COVID-19 testing,” he said.
“12 laboratory chains have been registered and they have started functioning. These 12 have 15,000 collection centres across the country,” he added.
“415 confirmed cases reported so far, 23 patients discharged, 7 deaths reported – some of them also had co-morbid conditions,” Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry said.
01.15PM
Health ministry says complete lockdown in 19 states, UTs
The health ministry, in its daily press briefing on Monday, said that a complete lockdown has been announced in 19 states and union territories. Some parts of six states and union territories have been kept under lockdown.
Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, said, “States/UTs under complete lockdown are Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Tripura, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh.”
01.10PM
Assam govt cancels leaves of medical staff
The Assam government on Monday said that the leaves of medical professionals were cancelled in the state and that deputy commissioners have been asked to requisition hotels and guest houses to be accomodation for medical staff.
“Eye patients in Gauhati Medical College have been shifted to Sankaradeva Nethralaya. The eye unit will become a COVID-19 hospital. Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital in Guwahati will be converted to a COVID-19 hospital if needed,” the chief minister said.
“A casual approach will not be tolerated at all,” he added.
01.00PM
‘Compelled’ to impose curfew, seal district borders: Maharashtra CM
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that he was “compelled” to announce a statewide curfew because “people were not listening” to quarantine guidelines.
“All district borders sealed, no inter-district transportation allowed as Maharashtra government announces a statewide curfew. All essential services to function and their transportation also allowed but with restrictions,” he said.
He added, “Yesterday we sealed the state borders and today we are sealing district borders. We will not allow it to spread to the districts which are unaffected as of now.”
12.00PM
India total Covid19 cases raised to 421.
The government on Sunday announced lockdown in 75 districts. With multiple new positive cases reported from various parts of the country, India’s tally stands currently at 421 as on March 23 with 11 new cases in Gujarat. Meanwhile, India’s death toll is at 7. The Indian Railways suspended all passenger services, effective March 22 midnight. Delhi CM said that the capital may face lockdown if the situation worsens. As Maharashtra remains the worst-affected in India, section 144 has been imposed in the state from Monday.
11.56AM
Eleven new coronavirus cases have been reported in Gujarat
Taking the total number of those infected by the deadly virus in the state to 29, the state health department said on Monday.
Among the new patients, five are males and six females. Of these, five cases are of localtransmission and six patients have history of recent visits to countries like Saudi Arabia, France, Sri Lankaand the UK, it said.
With this, Ahmedabad now has total 13 cases, Vadodara-six, Surat and Gandhinagar-four each, and Kutch and Rajkot-one each, the health department said.
So far, one coronavirus patient has died in the state.
11.53AM
89 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra
Another 15 coronavirus cases were reported in Maharashtra since Sunday evening, taking the state’s tally to 89, according to new agency ANI.
As Maharashtra continued to lead in the number of active cases, Health Minister Rajesh Tope again appealed to people to refrain from stepping out of their homes as ‘isolation’ is the key to battling the COVID-19 virus.
11.50AM
Delhi HC suspends breath analyzer test till 27 March
The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered the concerned authorities to suspend the Breath Analyser Test (BAT) through tube process for air traffic controllers till 27 March in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The high court directed the authorities to hold an urgent meeting on Tuesday to explore alternate methods for the test.
11.45AM
Modi praises Air India crew members for performing duty to fight COVID-19
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the crew of Air India which has been evacuating stranded people from coronavirus-hit countries, a day after the airline complained that some “vigilante” resident welfare associations and neighbours were ostracising its crew members who went abroad as part of their duty.
The airline in a press release on Sunday said it was alarming that in many localities Air India crew members were facing ostracisation because they travelled abroad to evacuate Indians.
“Extremely proud of this team of @airindiain, which has shown utmost courage and risen to the call of humanity. Their outstanding efforts are admired by several people across India. #IndiaFightsCorona,” the prime minister tweeted.
11.40AM
Centre asks states to strictly enforce lockdown in COVID-hit areas
The Centre has issued an order on Monday asking state governments to strictly enforce lockdown in coronavirus-affected areas as it was announced on Sunday. The government has also warned of legal actiona gainst violators.
In an attempt to contain the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak in India, several states announced they will be imposing lockdown till 31 March. In some of these states the lockdown is state-wide while in others only the districts that have reported novel coronavirus cases have been put under lockdown. So far, 80 districts across the country have reported Covid-19 cases.
11.35AM
Narendra Modi says many still not taking lockdown seriously
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday appealed to state governments to ensure that rules and regulations of the coronavirus lockdown are enforced as he noted that many people are not taking the measure seriously.
“Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. Please save yourself, save your family, follow the instructions seriously. I request state governments to ensure rules and laws are followed,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.
The Centre and state governments have decided to completely lock down 80 districts across the country where coronavirus cases have been reported.
11.30AM
68-yr-old COVID-19 patient passes away in Mumbai after recovery
A 68-year-old man from Philippines, who tested positive for coronavirus infection and later recovered, has died at a hospital in Mumbai, the city civic body said on Monday.
This is the third death reported from Mumbai in connection with COVID-19.
The man had initially tested positive for coronavirus and was under treatment at the civic-run Kasturba Hospital. He was later shifted to a private hospital after his test report came out negative, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a statement.
He died at the private hospital late Sunday night, it said.
11.20AM
China sends medical team to Cambodia
China has sent a medical team of 13 doctors, nurses and other health specialists to Cambodia to serve the country’s rural communities.
The members of the medical team are from seven hospitals in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, including specialists in cardiology, ophthalmology and infectious diseases.
They will visit three Cambodian provinces for about 20 days, said Ma Linkun, deputy dean of the Yunnan Fuwai Cardiovascular Diseases Hospital and head of the medical team.
11.15AM
Uber suspends pool services across nation
Complying with the Central and the Delhi government directives, Uber is likely to suspend its services in the National Capital till 31 March to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Speaking about its pool services, an Uber Spokesperson said, “We are determined to help reduce the spread of coronavirus in the cities we serve. With that in mind, we are suspending the Uber Pool service across India. In line with the Government advisory, we urge people to stay safe and discourage non-essential travel.”
However, there have been no official statement from Uber about shutting services in Delhi. but off the record, it said, “as of now services suspended in Delhi.”
11.10AM
Rupee tanks 95 paise, falls below 76 level against US dollar amid virus scare
The Indian rupee slipped further by 95 paise to 76.15 against the US dollar in opening trade on Monday amid sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the country and heavy selling in domestic equities. Forex traders said market participants are concerned that the sharp rise in coronavirus cases, with nearly 400 cases in the country, could weigh on the economy. The rupee which opened on a weak note at 75.90 at the interbank forex market, lost further ground and touched a low of 76.15 against the US dollar, registering a decline of over 95 paise over its last close. The local unit had settled at 75.20 against the US dollar on Friday. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country climbed to 359, according to the Health Ministry.
11.10AM
Centre launches WhatsApp chatbot to answer queries on COVID-19
With myths and misinformation spreading as fast as COVID-19 itself, the Centre has launched an official chatbot on WhatsApp to resolve any queries related to COVID-19. The chatbot has been named MyGov Corona Helpdesk and is a bid to make citizens aware of the pandemic.
To use the MyGov Corona Helpdesk, save the number 9013151515 in your phone’s contact list and send a query related to COVID-19 to get an answer. The helpdesk is free for all.
11.00AM
Ola suspends services in Delhi till 31 March
Services of Ola will not be available in Delhi till 31 March as the state government announced complete lockdown to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus infection.
The Delhi government on Sunday said the city will be in lockdown from 23 to 31 March, under which no public transport, including private buses, taxis and autorickshaws will be allowed.
Ola is operating with few vehicles to support essential services in the city. An Ola spokesperson said the company “will enable a minimal network of vehicles to support essential services in cities, wherever applicable, as part of this national effort to reduce the contagion of COVID-19”.
10.50AM
Meghalaya postpones Class 12 exams in view of COVID-19
The ongoing Class 12 state board examinations in Meghalaya have been postponed for an indefinite period as a preventive measure in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said on Monday.
The state government has directed the Meghalaya Board of School Education to postpone remaining examinations until further notice, the official said.
The decision was taken in view of safety and security of students, the board’s controller of examination TR Laloo said.
The exams were scheduled on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Laloo said, adding that spot evaluations have also been postponed.
10.40AM
Lockdown enforced in Kashmir
Authorities in Kashmir on Monday started enforcing a lockdown to help check the spread of the novel coronavirus in the Valley.
Police vehicles fitted with public address systems went around residential areas in the city and elsewhere in the Valley early in the morning to announce that restrictions under CrPC Section 144, barring assembly of people, had been imposed.
People were requested to stay indoors and not venture out unnecessarily.
The union territory administration in Sunday announced a lockdown across Jammu and Kashmir till 31 March as part of its efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus. People associated with 16 essential services, including healthcare, have been exempted from the restrictions.
10.38AM
Lockdowns not enough to defeat COVID-19, isolate those infected: WHO
Countries can’t simply lock down their societies to defeat coronavirus, the World Health Organization’s top emergency expert said on Sunday, adding that public health measures are needed to avoid a resurgence of the virus later on.
“What we really need to focus on is finding those who are sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their contacts and isolate them,” Mike Ryan said in an interview on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
“The danger right now with the lockdowns, if we don’t put in place the strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is the disease will jump back up,” said Ryan.
10.35AM
Infected patients to mandatorily stay at hospital’s isolation facility
The Delhi government ordered that 35000 foreign-returned persons staying in the city since 1 March and their contacts shall comply with directions of 14-day home quarantine. Any person found disobeying directions shall be prosecuted and punished with imprisonment or fine or both.
Additionally, persons who have been diagnosed as infected with COVID-19 shall mandatorily remain in an isolation facility of a hospital and shall leave the premises only after being discharged by the treating doctor.
10.30AM
29 people coming from foreign countries, who skipped medical teams, tracked
Medical, IT and surveillance teams tracked 29 people coming from foreign countries on Sunday who skipped medical teams by changing routes or avoiding the reporting of travel history. Shahid Choudhary, Srinagar District Magistrate, said that they were tracked due to the calls and messages sent by locals to control rooms.
10.00AM
Curfew in Mumbai, Pune till 31 March
Curfew will remain imposed in Pune, Maharashtra till 31 March. All establishments, excluding emergency services and essentials will remain closed during this period. Any offender shall be punished under section 188 of Indian Penal Code, Pune Police told ANI.