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Coronavirus outbreak updates: In its daily press briefing, the World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concern over the rapid depletion of protective gear needed to fight the coronavirus arising due to ‘rising demand, hoarding and misuse’. An Army officer was admitted to the isolation ward of a military hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow for suspected exposure to the coronavirus, PTI quoted a health official as saying. The 32-year-old officer returned on 25 February from Tehran, Iran’s capital, and was admitted to hospital after he complained of sore throat. The DGCA, issuing instructions to airlines regarding precautions against coronavirus on Tuesday, also said that hand sanitising facilities should be available in multiple locations on airports for staff and passengers, News18 reported. The report further quoted DGCA as asking airlines to ensure that protective gear is provided for passengers in flights. The wife of the Italian tourist found to have been infected with coronavirus also tested positive for the virus, PTI quoted an official of the Rajasthan Health Department as saying. He added that her samples are being sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for another test. Chinese smartphone companies Xiaomi and realme have canceled their launch events scheduled for the next two weeks in the wake of coronavirus fears in the country, reported PTI. While realme was scheduled to unveil its realme 6 series on 5 March, Xiaomi was slated to launch Redmi Note series on 12 March. Addressing a press briefing along with health minister Satyender Jain, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that apart from the case reported yesterday, no new cases of coronavirus have been reported in the National Capital. He also outlined the measures taken by the state government. “In 25 hospitals (19 government and 6 private), the process of setting up of isolation wards is underway. 3.5 lakh masks, 8000 separation kits have been made available,” he said, adding that twelve testing facilities were operational in the National Capital. The Italian tourist placed in an isolation ward at Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Hospital has tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the total number of confirmed cases in India to 6, PTI quoted health ministry sources as saying. The Hyatt Regency Hotel has asked its staff present at the La Piazza Restaurant on 28 February to stay in quarantine for 14 days as part of its elevated precautionary measures, reported News18. The coronavirus patient from Delhi had held a birthday party at the restaurant on Friday. The Reserve Bank said it is closely monitoring global as well as domestic situation regarding the impact of deadly coronavirus and ready to take necessary action to ensure the orderly functioning of financial markets. Globally, financial markets have been experiencing considerable volatility, with the spread of coronavirus, triggering risk-off sentiments and flights to safe haven, it said in a statement Even as suspected coronavirus cases were being reported in some parts of the country, the government on Tuesday restrained the exports of certain active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulations. In a notification, the government put curbs on the exports of certain active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations, including Paracetamol, Vitamin B1 and B12 amid the coronavirus outbreak claimed over 3,000 lives across the world, reported PTI. Accordingly, the exports of 26 APIs and formulations require licence from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Two private schools in Noida cancelled classes on Tuesday for the next few days as a precautionary measure over the father of a student testing positive for coronavirus, officials said. The two schools announced their closure in messages sent to the parents. One of the schools, where a student’s father tested positive, said it will remain shut from 4 to 6 March. Narendra Modi took to Twitter to discuss the preventive measures taken by the government to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus. He said that he had an extensive review regarding preparedness on the COVID-19. Meanwhile, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal calls an urgent meeting with Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday to discuss government’s preparations to deal with coronavirus. India on Tuesday, has suspended all regular,e-visas issued to nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan issued on or before 3 March 2020, and who have not yet entered India, stand suspended with immediate effect, according to report. According to Press Information Bureau, cases with high viral load have been detected during sample testing in Agra. These cases are the ones who had come in contact with the COVID-19 patient from New Delhi on Monday. Hotels and tourists sites in Agra have been instructed to inform the office of the Chief Medical Officer as soon as visitors from Italy, Iran or China arrive, so that they can be screened for coronavirus infection, an official said on Tuesday. The coronavirus outbreak is spreading to ever more countries and world capitals on Tuesday, and the US death toll climbed to six, even as new cases in China dropped to their lowest level in over a month. A Noida school has been closed amid concerns that a Delhi resident who contracted coronavirus in Italy attended a birthday party last week in which his children, as well as their schoolmates, were present. UP medical authorities are on their way to school, which has reportedly cancelled exams that were scheduled from today Earlier on Monday, the Union health ministry confirmed two new cases of infection by Novel Coronavirus, officially called COVID-19, in India. The first patient is in New Delhi and recently travelled back from Italy - the worst affected European nation where nearly 1,700 people have contracted the infection and 34 have died. The second infection is in Telangana, and the patient has a history of travel to Dubai. A shift in the crisis appeared to be taking shape: Hundreds of patients were released from hospitals at the epicentre of the outbreak in China, while the World Health Organization reported that nine times as many new infections were recorded outside the country as inside it over the past 24 hours. Alarming clusters of the disease continued to swell in South Korea, Italy and Iran, and the virus turned up for the first time in New York, Moscow and Berlin, as well as Latvia, Indonesia, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Jordan and Portugal. The worldwide death toll topped 3,000, and the number of those infected rose to about 89,000 in 70 countries on every continent but Antarctica. Global health officials sought to reassure the public that the virus remains a manageable threat. “Containment is feasible and must remain the top priority for all countries,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. China reported 125 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, marking the lowest number of new daily infections in six weeks. There were also 31 more deaths, all in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, raising the nationwide toll to 2,943. Over 100 cases have been confirmed in the US, with more almost certainly in the coming weeks. Thousands of test kits were on their way to state and local labs, and new guidelines intended to expand screening were put in place. “In this situation, the facts defeat fear. Because the reality is reassuring. It is deep-breath time," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. The message was echoed by global health officials, who said they were encouraged that even in some countries that had taken far less aggressive measures than China’s, the virus remains largely in check. Because the virus is not transmitted as easily as the flu, “it offers us a glimmer … that this virus can be suppressed and contained,” said Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies chief. Dr Zhang Junjian, who leads a temporary hospital in Wuhan with a staff of 1,260, said optimism is high that the facility will no longer be needed in the coming weeks. But in other places, problems continued to multiply. South Korea, with the worst outbreak outside China, reported 599 new cases, bringing its total to 4,335. The death toll rose to 26. In Iran, a confidant of Iran’s supreme leader died from the virus. The Islamic Republic confirmed 1,501 cases and 66 deaths, but many believe the true number is larger. Its reported caseload surged more than 250% in just 24 hours. Italy’s caseload rose to 2,036, including 52 deaths. Officials said it could take up to two weeks before they know whether measures including quarantining 11 towns in northern Italy are slowing the spread of the virus. In the US, meanwhile, four Americans exposed to the virus aboard a Japanese cruise ship were released from quarantine in Nebraska after testing negative.
Coronavirus outbreak updates: WHO chief warns of global shortage of protective gear, says COVID-19 can't be stopped without safeguarding health workers
Coronavirus outbreak updates: In its daily press briefing, the World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concern over the rapid depletion of protective gear needed to fight the coronavirus arising due to ‘rising demand, hoarding and misuse’.
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11 quarantined at Jaipur hospital, samples sent for testing coronavirus infection: Officials
Eleven people including four foreigners were quarantined at a hospital in Jaipur and their samples sent for testing possible exposure to coronavirus after they self-reported for screening, officials said. “They have been quarantined at the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS) hospital. Their test report will come on Wednesday,” SMS Hospital Superintendent Dr DS Meena told PTI.
Of the 11 who have been quarantined, two are Italians, one Japanese, one from Hong Kong and seven are Indians. The four foreigners have travel history to Japan and countries in southeast Asia that have reported coronavirus cases, the officials said. They, however, did not give details about the travel history of the seven Indians who have been quarantined. Principal of SMS medical college Dr Sudhir Bhandari said the 11 do not have coronavirus symptoms but they were screened and quarantined because of their travel history.
Passengers being screened at all northeastern airports, says AAI official
Airports Authority of India’s regional executive director Sanjeev Jindal told ANI that all passengers (domestic and international) were being screened at the 12 airports in northeastern India. He also said that isolation wards were being set up in district hospitals for people displaying symptons similar to that of COVID-19.
Coronavirus cases, deaths surge in Italy
According to AP, Italian officials said the number of deaths of coronavirus patients in Italy has more than doubled in a 24-hour period to 79 overall, the most so far outside of China. According to the national Civil Protection Agency, since a briefing onMonday, 45 additional deaths were reported. Officials say nearly all the deaths have occurred in elderly people or patients with serious chronic health problems such as kidney failure, heart disease or cancer.
Officials said Tuesday that the number of virus cases in Italy, the epicenter of Europe’s COVID-19 outbreak, rose by nearly 500 to 2,502 cases. Most of the cases and deaths have occurred in Italy’s northern region of Lombardy, which the U.S. government has advised Americans to avoid. Authorities say 229 patients, or roughly 10percent of Italy’s positive cases, are in intensive care.
US Federal Reserve slashes interest rates
The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates in an emergency move designed to shield the world’s largest economy from the impact of the coronavirus, reports Reuters.
In a statement, the central bank said it was cutting rates by a half percentage point to a target range of 1.00 percent to 1.25 percent. “The fundamentals of the US economy remain strong. However, the coronavirus poses evolving risks to economic activity. In light of these risks and in support of achieving its maximum employment and price stability goals, the Federal Open Market Committee decided today to lower the target range for the federal funds rate,” the statement further said.
Indian Army major kept in quarantine
ANI quoted Indian Army sources as saying that an Indian Army Major, who returned from Iran, has been asked to remain in isolation at his official residence in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow, as precautionary measure. He is not admitted to any military hospital and voluntarily offered himself for medical investigation, the report said.
21 Italians brought to ITBP quarantine facility
Twenty-one Italian nationals were brought from a hotel in South Delhi to Indo-Tibetan Border Police’s (ITBP) quarantine facility in Chhawla for preventive isolation today. Their samples have been taken for testing and results are awaited.
Haryana govt makes arrangements to curb spread of novel virus
Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij informed the state assembly on Tuesday that authorities have made adequate arrangements to deal with any emergent situation in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
The issue cropped up during Zero Hour in the assembly when Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal sought to know if it was safe to use the tablets given to all legislators by the government last week. The tablets had been imported from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the outbreak.
Suspected coronavirus patient admitted to hospital in Shimla
A suspected coronavirus patient has been admitted to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla, a health official said on Tuesday. The 32-year-old man from Bilaspur is currently suffering from sore throat, IGMC senior medical superintendent Janak Raj said.
He arrived here from South Korea on 29 February, he added. “He only has a sore throat and is stable. No symptoms suggestive of coronavirus have been found yet. We have received the patient in IGMC for diagnostic and prevention only,” Raj said.
WHO chief demands end to hoarding masks, gloves
In its daily press briefing, the World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concern over the rapid depletion of protective gear needed to fight the coronavirus. “We are concerned that countries’ abilities to respond are being compromised by the severe and increasing disruption to the global supply of personal protective equipment … caused by rising demand, hoarding and misuse,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva, adding that shortages were leaving doctors, nurses and other frontline health workers “dangerously ill-equipped” to care for COVID-19 patients.
“We have called on governments to develop incentives for manufacturers to ramp up production. This includes easing restrictions on the export and distribution of personal protective equipment and other medical supplies,” he said.
Demand for masks, sanitisers shoot up, shortage at stores
Amid a coronavirus scare in Delhi-NCR, the demand for surgical and N95 masks increased manifold in Noida, reports PTI. People claimed surgical masks which usually sell for Rs 10, were being sold for Rs 40 or higher, and N95 masks which sell for around Rs 150 were being sold for up to Rs 500 “They had run out of the recommended N95 masks so I had to buy the surgical mask,” Prince Tyagi, a senior manager at a private firm in Sector 62 told PTI. People also complained about shortage of hand sanitising gel in the market.
65,621 travellers screened at Mumbai airport
65,621 travellers from 551 flights have been screened at Mumbai Airport till date, ANI quoted Maharashtra’s public health department as saying. The state has 401 travellers coming from coronavirus affected areas, it said.
87 Iran returnees under home quarantine in Gujarat
The Gujarat government has decided to open isolation ward in each of the 33 districts for treatment of any suspected novel coronavirus case, while 87 people, who recently returned from the virus-hit Iran, have been kept under home-quarantine, PTI reported state health officials as saying. Passengers arriving at the Ahemdabad airport are being screened, the official added.
IATO calls for screening of all passengers coming to India
The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) asked the government to screen all travellers coming to India, irrespective of which country they are coming from. In a statement, the IATO said that it has learnt from its members and travellers that there is weak or no screening being done at Indian airports other than for travellers arriving from affected countries.
The statement said that at some of the international airports in other countries, thermal screening is being done for everyone in the flight starting from cockpit crew, cabin crew and all the passengers before de-planing. Keeping in view the sensitivity of the matter and risk involved, IATO said, “All the international travellers, including aircraft crew members, should be screened upon arrival from all the countries in similar way to avoid outbreak or spreading of coronavirus in our country.”
OPEC+ mull significant oil output cuts as virus hits demand
OPEC and its allies will consider making substantial oil production cuts to lift prices that have been battered by the coronavirus outbreak, Algeria’s oil minister said, as ministers began arriving for talks in Vienna this week. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, a group known as OPEC+, have an existing deal in place to cut output from 1 Jan by 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd), a figure that includes additional voluntary cuts by Saudi Arabia.But this has not been enough to counter the impact of the virus outbreak on China, the world’s biggest oil importer, and around the world, as factories are disrupted, fewer people travel and other business slows, curbing demand for oil, said a Reuters report.
Woman student returned from Italy tests negative in Indore
A 27-year-old woman, who was studying in Italy and admitted to Indore’s state-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital for the past two days for suspected exposure to
COVID-19 virus tested negative, PTI quoted an official as saying. “She had attended a party in Italy a few days ago and a person who was present there later tested positive for the virus. It scared her and she returned to Indore on Saturday,” the official said.
Iran-returned Army officer kept under quarantine at Madhya Pradesh hospital
An Army officer was admitted to the isolation ward of a military hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow for suspected exposure to the coronavirus, PTI quoted a health official as saying. The 32-year-old officer returned on 25 February from Tehran, Iran’s capital, and was admitted to hospital after he complained of sore throat, said Dr Santosh Sisodia, district in-charge of Integrated Disease Surveillance Program. “His condition is fine. He has been kept under medical observation in an isolation ward. His blood and swab samples are being sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing,” Sisodia added.
23 Iranian MPs infected with coronavirus: report
An Iranian lawmaker reportedly has told colleagues to stop their contact with public as there are 23 cases of the new coronavirus among parliament members. That’s according to lawmaker Abdolreza Mesri, who was quoted by Iranian state television’s Young Journalists Club program.
Iran stands alone in how the virus has affected its government, even compared to hard-hit China, the epicenter of the outbreak.The death of Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi on Monday makes him the highest-ranking official within Iran’s leadership to be killed by the virus. The virus earlier killed Hadi Khosroshahi, Iran’s former ambassador to the Vatican, as well as a recently elected member of parliament.
Cabinet secretary holds review meeting
A day after three fresh cases of novel coronavirus were reported in India, the cabinet secretary held a meeting to review and assess actions being taken for containing COVID-19.The cabinet secretary met the secretaries of concerned ministries and chief secretaries and health secretaries of states through video conference, the Union Health Ministry said in a press release.
During the meeting, states were informed about the travel restrictions imposed yesterday and were asked to monitor airport management in coordination with the concerned Airport Public Health Officers and airport managers for effective screening of passengers, reported ANI.
Suspected coronavirus patient goes missing for a short while from Kerala hospital
A 25-year-old man running a fever created a flutter as he went missing briefly from a hospital in Kochi. He was sent on arrival to the hospital for coronavirus screening after he arrivd from from Malaysia. However, he returned after some time on his own accord and was tested for the virus, hospital authorities told PTI. His samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology lab in Alappuzha for tests, doctors said. He is currently under observation in the isolation ward for Covid 19 patients, district health authorities said.
Indian couple aboard ship from China hospitalised in Odisha
An Indian couple, working in a Singaporean cargo ship, was admitted to a hospital in Odisha after the man developed mild fever on its arrival at Paradip port from infectin-hit China, reported PTI. The authorities of the Paradip port referred the couple hailing from Uttar Pradesh to the SCB Medical College Hospital (SCBMCH) in Cuttack after their screening. The cargo ship with 23 crew members, including the couple, started their voyage from China on 15 February and arrived at Paradip Port on 1 March. The ship also travelled to South Korea and Singapore en route.
Here are the symptoms to watch out for:
No positive cases in Assam, says health minister
A total of 55 persons coming from China were kept under surveillance in Assam for 28 days Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Pijush Hazarika told the Assam Assembly.He said that two persons are admitted in a hospital in the state since January 15, howevere their test results have come back negative. Replying to a query by BJP MLA Numal Momin, he said no person has been found infected with novel Coronavirus in Assam till now.
“The Assam government is undertaking all necessary precautions to prevent outbreak of Coronavirus in the state We are prepared to restrict the epidemic if there is any positive case,” Hazarika said.
Spain keeps 100 health workers under isolation as number of cases rises to 149
About 100 health workers are under isolation in northern Spain and at least 120 others are being closely watched by authorities after at least five doctors and nurses were infected with the new virus in hospitals, reported AP. The Basque region health minister, Nekane Murga, says authorities in the northern region are also speeding up procedures to hire new doctors amid concerns over possible shortages of health professionals in coming months.
Authorities said Tuesday that Spain has 149 virus cases, 35 more than the previous day.
21 suspected patients tested in Jammu and Kashmir, none positive, says official
Jammu and Kashmir principal secretary Rohit Kansal said that in wake of the coronavirus scare in the country, the state administration was fully alert. “22 suspected cases have been tested and no positive case has been reported so far,” ANI quoted him as saying.
Kolkata holds prayer meeting for China as coronavirus deaths increase
A prayer meet was held in Kolkata on Tuesday for the people of China where the toll in the deadly coronavirus disease has reached 2,943, PTI reported. Chinese Consulate General in Kolkata Zha Liyou joined the prayer meet as did the spiritual leaders from all religions.
An overwhelmed Liyou said he had prayed that the disease be defeated soon. The prayer meet was organised by the Rakshak Foundation.
TV, radio channels must publicise travel advisory, awareness messages: I&B ministry
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Tuesday urged all private radio and TV channels to give “adequate publicity” to the travel advisory issued by the Health Ministry in the wake of coronavirus outbreak in China and its spread in some other countries. The Health Ministry issued the travel advisory on Tuesday, a day after two fresh cases of coronavirus were reported in India, suspending all regular visas/e-visas granted on or before 3 March to nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan, who have not yet entered India.
In its advisory, the IB Ministry has asked all the private satellite news channels and private FM radio channels to publicise the travel advisory. The channels can also run tickers on coronavirus, it said.
“Electronic media has always been in the forefront to carry such message as it is a powerful tool to reach out to the people in the country. In order to make this effort successful, it has been felt that support, assistance and contribution of private TV channels and FM radio channels will be of immense use,” the advisory said.
(PTI)
DGCA says aircraft from South Korea, Japan, Italy to be disinfected
The DGCA has instructed all airlines to ensure that aircraft arriving in India from South Korea, Japan, and Italy go through the disinfection process as the government made efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus after at least six fresh cases were reported in India since Monday.
Airlines must provide hand santising facilities for passengers: DGCA
The DGCA, issuing instructions to airlines regarding precautions against coronavirus on Tuesday, also said that hand sanitising facilities should be available in multiple locations on airports for staff and passengers, News18 reported. The report further quoted DGCA as asking airlines to ensure that protective gear is provided for passengers in flights.
DGCA directs ground staff to have protective gear
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday directed airlines to provide ground staff who are entering aircraft that are flying internationally, with disposable protective gear like surgical masks and gloves, News18 reported.
Italian tourist’s wife tests positive, sample sent for confirmation
The wife of the Italian tourist found to have been infected with coronavirus also tested positive for the virus, PTI quoted an official of the Rajasthan Health Department as saying. He added that her samples are being sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for another test. “The wife of the Italian tourist also developed symptoms and samples were collected. The report indicates positive signs of the virus in her. For further confirmation, we are sending her sample to the NIV, Pune,” the official said.
The couple has been kept in isolation at the Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Hospital
Government likely to cancel navy’s Milan multilateral exercise
The government is likely to cancel Indian Navy’s Milan multilateral naval exercise planned to be held from 18 March in Vishakhapatnam. Sources told ANI that new dates are being worked out for the exercise in which around 40 countries were supposed to participate.
In view of the spread of the virus, the government has also asked the defence and paramilitary forces to prepare more quarantine facilities to look after around 2,500 more suspected affected people across the country.
Rs 100 crore alloacted to fight virus, says Telangana health minister
Telangana health minister Eatela Rajendra on Tuesday said a budget of Rs 100 crore has been allocated to fight the virus in the state and urged the people to not panic. “Rs 100 crore has been allocated for combating coronavirus. The man who had come from Dubai and tested positive for COVID-19 is recovering. This virus is not deadlier than swine flu. The death toll is not more than 2-3 percent. Few basic measures can prevent this virus from taking effect,” ANI quoted him as saying.
He also announced that the government was planning to set up a special hospital for Coronavirus treatment.
G-7 economies pledge cooperation to deal with virus
Seven major economies — United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada — pledged to use “all appropriate tools" to deal with the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak but announced no immediate actions, reported AP. “Given the potential impacts of COVID-19 on global growth, we reaffirm our commitment to use all appropriate policy tools to achieve strong, sustainable growth and safeguard against downside risks,” the G-7 said.
The joint statement from the seven countries was issued after a conference call among the finance ministers and central bank presidents, led by US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
Xiaomi, realme cancel launch events
Chinese smartphone companies Xiaomi and realme have canceled their launch events scheduled for the next two weeks in the wake of coronavirus fears in the country, reported PTI. While realme was scheduled to unveil its realme 6 series on 5 March, Xiaomi was slated to launch Redmi Note series on 12 March.
“We won’t be holding any launch events on-ground through March. While we have been planning for this launch for months, we believe this is an unprecedented yet extremely important step,” Xiaomi vice president and India managing director Manu Jain said in a statement. The company has taken this decision with “the objective of reducing exposure risk to COVID-19 for our Mi fans, media friends, partners and Xiaomi employees”, the statement said.
Twenty-four shifted to ITBP facility
Twenty-four people, including 3 Indians and 21 Italian nationals staying at a hotel of South Delhi have been shifted to Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) quarantine facility for testing, ANI quoted government sources as saying. Their test results are expected to come in tomorrow.
Haryana Police issues directives to protect personnel from infection
The Haryana Police directed its field units to take immediate action to safeguard on-duty personnel from potential coronavirus infection by providing them masks, gloves and hand sanitisers, reported PTI. In an official communication, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said all police personnel who come in close contact with other persons during frisking, interacting, crowd control, access control, traffic duties are at risk of exposure andneed to be protected by equipping them appropriately with masks, gloves and hand sanitisers.
IndiGo places cabin crew of 20 Feb Dubai-Hyderabad flight on home observation
The coronavirus affected passenger in Hyderabad traveled on IndiGo flight 6E 96 (Dubai-Bangalore) on 20 February, ANI quoted the airline as saying in a statement. It further stated that all 4 four cabin crew members who operated the flight have been placed on home observation.
Six suspected cases found in Uttar Pradesh
Six suspected cases of COVID-19 have been found in Uttar Pradesh. All of them have been admitted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi and their have been sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune for testing, ANI quoted state government sources as saying.
Pope Francis tests negative for coronavirus: report
Pope Francis, who canceled a Lent retreat for the first time in his papacy because he is suffering from a cold, has tested negative for coronavirus, an Italian newspaper reported.The 83-year-old Roman Catholic leader, who had part of one lung removed because of an illness decades ago, also canceled most audiences last week.
No need to create panic, says Manish Sisodia
Manish Sisodia also asked people not to panic and urged them to take precautions like not touching face without washing hands and exercising good hygiene.Health minister Satyender Jain said,“People need to be aware that it is a flu-like disease.” He advised people to use disposable napkins for sneezes or coughs and urged heart disease patients, or diabetic patients to take special care.