Coronavirus LIVE: I appeal to all that in whichever city you’re in, stay there for few days, says PM Modi

I appeal to all that in whichever city you’re in,stay there for few days. By doing so, we can control spread of Coronavirus. Please think about yourself&your family, says PM Modi.

Coronavirus positive cases in Pakistan are 671 till March 21. 361 in Sindh, 137 in Punjab, 104 in Balochistan, 31 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 27 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10 in Islamabad and 1 in PoK. 3 patients have died and 5 were discharged.

K. Vijay Raghavan,Principal Scientific Adviser to GoI: An empowered committee co-chaired by Dr Vinod Paul,Member NITI-Aayog&Professor K VijayRaghavan,Principal Scientific Advisor to GoI was constituted to co-ordinate, amongst science agencies, scientists&regulatory bodies and take speedy decisions on R&D to implementation related to SARS-Cov-2 & Coronavirus virus.

Committee met today. Researchers are urged to use this, to choose, plan&execute the most important&urgent, research, development & implementation.

Jamia Millia Islamia suspends ongoing 24 hours sit-in protest temporarily at Gate no. 7, JMI and appeal to all protestors to kindly take the situation with utmost seriousness and save themselves and others from this fatal illness.

Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao: Two new positive cases have been reported in the state today taking the total figure to 21. Everyone should participate in the 'Janata Curfew' that has been called by PM Modi on March 22.

Delhi Police: During 'Janata Curfew' all cops, using police vehicles, will blow siren at 5 pm for a minute, tomorrow. Police Control Room (PCR) vans to blow siren in their respective areas except for silent zone.

Budget session of Delhi Assembly has been curtailed to one day (March 23). Budget to be introduced and passed on the same day.

Total number of positive coronavirus cases in the state rises to 13: Department of Health & Family Welfare, Punjab.

Sonia Gandhi, Congress interim President: All businesses, especially the Micro, Small & medium businesses, are under huge stress on account of Coronavirus. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.

India will not bow to this painful crisis. Let us stand united in braving this challenge. Together, we will overcome this, says Congress President Sonia Gandhi

Metro services will remain closed from 10 am to 4 pm on Monday. Metro services will again resume from 4:00 PM from all lines & will continue till 8:00 PM: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

A total of 12 new Coronavirus positive cases have been reported in the state today. Total positive cases in state are now 64, says Public Health Department, Maharashtra.

BJP leader Vasundhara Raje tested negative from coronavirus : After conducting a COVID-19 test, I’m happy to inform you that the results came back negative. However, as a preventive measure, my son and I will continue to be in isolation for 15 days.

Delhi: Parliament premises being cleaned and sanitized, in the wake of Coronavirus.

Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry: As of today, we are contact-tracing around 7,000 cases. Once we get factual information on community transmission cases we will let people know.

Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food&Public Distribution: Retail prices of masks (3ply surgical mask), shall not be more than the prices prevailing on the day a month prior to 13.03 or not over Rs.10/piece whichever is lower&that of mask (2ply) shall not be over Rs.8/piece.

Italy calls in military to enforce lockdown as 627 people die in 24 hours, the largest single-day toll anywhere in the world since the coronavirus outbreak began, according to CNN.

Department of Information and Public Relations, Jammu & Kashmir: Himachal Pradesh restricts the entry of foreign and domestic pilgrims/tourists.

Teachers and non teaching staff of universities, colleges and schools permitted to work from home till 31st March: Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal: Five or more people can not gather at any place in Delhi. If there are five people, they should maintain at least one-metre distance from each other. According to an earlier order, 20 or more people were barred from gathering at a place.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal: I appeal to all of you to discontinue your morning walks for some time and stay at home. We are not doing a lockdown currently but we might in future, if necessary for your betterment and safety.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal: 50 percent buses in the capital will not function tomorrow due to 'Janta Curfew'.

Coronavirus is an assault to our already fragile economy. Small, medium businesses and daily wage workers are the worst affected. Mere clapping won't help them. Today, we need a bigger economic package of help in cash, tax break and stopping the loan repayment is required. Take quick steps, tweeted Rahul Gandhi

Sediq Sediqqi, Spokesperson for President of Afghanistan: Afghan Govt has approved a contribution of 1Million USD to COVID-19 Emergency Fund as per the discussions in SAARC heads of nations VTC, believing in joint collaboration,&strengthening partnership to fight this pandemic.

A PIL has been filed in Supreme Court by a journalist, Prashant Tandon today seeking immediate direction to increase in the number of testing centres keeping in view the health hazards of Coronavirus

Srinagar Administration: 255 more people have returned to the district from Bangladesh&other countries up to 2pm since morning. They have been isolated to undergo quarantine as a preventive measure. 50 well-equipped quarantine facilities have been set up in the district.

Abdullah Khan, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Spokesperson: PIA has cancelled all its international flights till March 28. This move comes into effect tonight (Sunday) at 8 pm. This does not mean that Pakistani airspace has been closed.

West Bengal: State government has postponed the Higher Secondary Examination, in wake of COVID-19. All exams are suspended till 27th April. Dates of rescheduling will be fixed after 15th April.

Ministry of Railways: 8 passengers who had travelled on Andhra Pradesh Sampark Kranti Express from Delhi to Ramagundam on 13th March tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.

Ministry of Railways: Indian Railways relaxes refund rules for PRS (passenger reservation system) counter generated tickets. Passengers are advised to avail the facility and avoid coming to Railway Station.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police: 215 evacuees from Milan (Italy) at ITBP Chhawla Quarantine Facility, Delhi have tested negative for Coronavirus after 7 days stay at the facility. Group includes 151 males & 64 females. Most of these evacuees are students studying in Italy.

The examination of Mahrashtra's Class 10 geography paper, which was scheduled for Monday, has been postponed. The next date of the examination will be decided after March 31: State School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad

Rajasthan on Saturday witnessed six new positive cases of coronavirus out of which five belonged to Bhilwara and one was from Jaipur. These fresh cases took the total tally to 23 in the state from 17 registered on Friday, confirmed health officials

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has temporarily withdrawn the 25% concession given to senior citizens on bus tickets, to minimise their travel by KSRTC buses.

Mumbai Metro: Mumbai Metro One suspends operations on 22 March (Sunday) to encourage people to stay at home and make 'Janta Curfew' an unprecedented success.

Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Central Railway: Central Railway will run approximately 60% suburban services on 22 March. The Sunday mega block schedule on the Main and HB line has been cancelled for 22nd March. There will be no mega block tomorrow.

Government of Karnataka: 3 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the state taking the total positive cases to 18. 48 government hospitals and 35 private hospitals have been identified as first respondent hospitals for the case management of COVID-19 cases.

Dr. DK Sharma, Medical, Superintendent, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi: It has been decided to temporarily close down routine walk-in OPD's patients' registrations including Specialty Clinics at AIIMS Hospital & all Centres from 23rd March.

Delhi: Autorickshaws being disinfected at East Vinod Nagar Bus Depot as part of the state government's initiative to disinfect private passenger vehicles free of cost

Ministry of Railways: Railways has found that 4 passengers who travelled on Godan Express (Train 11055) from Mumbai to Jabalpur on March 16 have been tested positive for COVID-19. They came to India from Dubai last week. All concerned have been alerted to take necessary action.

Dr Jasjeet Kaur, Civil Surgeon, Panchkula: A woman who came in contact with the Chandigarh Coronavirus patient has tested positive for virus today. She had given beauty services to the Chandigarh patient. She has been admitted to an isolation ward here.

12 airports in Northeast region fall under essential services category, so will be functional tomorrow during Janta Curfew. No plans to close them until now. Domestic flights will keep operating: Sanjeev Jindal, Regional Executive Director, Airport Authority of India

Ladakh Administration: Three more people have been tested positive for COVID -19 in Leh (two persons) and Kargil (one person), taking the total number of cases to 13 in the Union Territory. The condition of all the infected people is stable.

Sources tell ANI that limited local transmission ofCOVID-109 as been seen in some pockets of Nagpur. Testing strategies being strengthened.

Sources added that this cannot be classified as community transmission as that would mean a bigger area of transmission

A couple in Maharashtra had lied about their travel history to Thailand said they had "only been to Pune," have been tracked down and put into quarantine , Reported News18

Dhruv Kumar, Station Manager, Ranchi Railway Station: There is a significant fall in the number of travellers. We have been sanitizing the railway station 24*7 and have kept hand sanitizers in the premises. Train services will be suspended from tonight.

A 52-year-old man with travel history to Sri Lanka tested positive of coronavirus in Gujarat on Saturday, taking the number of such cases in the state to eight, officials said.

West Bengal: Tourism industry badly affected in Siliguri, a major tourist destination due to Coronavirus Pandemic. A taxi operator says, "Tourists are not coming these days. Before Covid-19 outbreak, I used to get booking for 20-25 taxis daily which has come down to 2-3 now."

Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane: We have launched a self-assessment interactive app on Coronavirus. This is the first in the country. We're taking all precautions and discouraging gathering of even 5 people. We don't want tourists coming to Goa till the situation settles.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR): A total of 271 individuals have been confirmed positive among suspected cases and contacts of known positive cases

A woman in her early 40s has tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra's Pune city, a senior official confirmed on Saturday

The woman, who is currently on ventilator support at Bharti Hospital, tested positive for the infection after her throat swabs were sent to National Institute of Virology to check for possibility of swine flu (H1N1), he said. The woman does not have travel history to a foreign country, but had travelled to Vashi in Navi Mumbai to attend a wedding on March 3, he said.

"We are investigating the case. Although she tested positive for Covid-19, she does not have a history of travel abroad. She must have come in contact with someone who had foreign travelhistory," district collector Naval Kishore Ram said.

Details of her cab journey to Mumbai are being probed, he said. "There are separate guidelines to deal with such cases," he added.

The woman's case has been referred to higher authorities for further probe, he said.

Meanwhile, a 25-year-old man who tested positive in Pune on Friday, had recently travelled to Ireland, an official said.

The man was admitted to Naidu Hospital on Friday and his swab samples came out positive later in the evening, he said.

Goa: Staff check passengers temperatures and disinfect the premises of Goa International Airport as preventive measures against

Three out of four Ph.D. scholars who had escaped during quarantine from Aligarh Muslim University were traced to Kashmir on Saturday.

Four Ph.D. scholars of Aligarh Muslim University, who belong to the Valley, had escaped from the quarantine ward in that Uttar Pradesh city on March 18.

Two of them have been traced by the authorities in Baramulla district while the third one was traced in Anantnag district, District Magistrates of the two districts told media.

The fourth Kashmiri scholar who escaped from the quarantine ward in Aligarh is still untraced. They have been shifted to Health Centres for examination.

Maharashtra: Nagpur Municipal Corporation orders restricting vehicular movement in the areas of isolation centres and quarantine centres declared by the Corporation.

Maharashtra: Students arriving at St Michael High School to appear for Senior Secondary Certificate examinations being made to sanitise their hands before entering the examination hall.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope: We have more than 250 beds for isolation and more than 7000 ordinary beds at hospitals in the state.

Minister B Sriramulu: A 32-year-old man with travel history to Mecca has tested positive for Coronavirus. He has been placed under isolation and is receiving treatment.

Jagdish Chander Sharma, Superintendent of Police in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu: Restrictions under Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed in in the district in view of the spread of Coronavirus.

Gautam Budh Nagar: One person tests positive for Coronavirus in Supertech Capetown Society located in sector 74. Gautam Budh Nagar DM BN Singh orders sealing of the society premises from today till March 23. Residents of the society ordered to remain at their residence.

The administration has taken a big step after a Corona positive case came to light in a society in Noida. The society has been lockdown for two days, now neither one will be able to come here nor can anyone go out. This case is of the Cape Town Society of Noida Sector 74.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope: Positive cases of Coronavirus in Maharashtra rise to 63

Pakistan reported its third death from the Coronavirus as total number of confirmed cases crossed 500 yesterday, Pakistani media report.

Air India to mount a 787-Dreamliner to Rome today to evacuate students, other travellers or any Indians stranded there. The flight will return to Delhi tomorrow morning.

Three more people in Punjab have tested positive for the new coronavirus, taking the total in the state to six, an official said on Saturday.

2 more people have been tested positive for COVID-19 in Pune, taking the total tally of positive cases in Pune to 23. One positive case has travel history to Ireland and the other does not have any recent travel history, says Naval K Ram, Dist Magistrate,Pune, Maharashtra:

A woman with a recent travel history to Scotland has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, making it the third confirmed case in West Bengal, a state health department official said on Saturday.

The woman, in her early 20s, returned from Scotland on March 16 and was subsequently admitted to the Beliaghata ID Hospital in the city with symptoms of COVID-19, the official said.

The woman is a resident of Habra in North 24 Parganas district.

The official, however, could not confirm whether she was on home quarantine as per the protocol after returning from abroad.

Before this, two persons with travel history to abroad have been reported positive for the virus in West Bengal.

The total number of positive cases of Coronavirus in India now stands at 258 (including 39 foreigners), 4 deaths (1 each) in Delhi, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra, says Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday that the country has implemented a new alert system corresponding to the coronavirus pandemic

USA Swimming has urged the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee to back the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games amid the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Italy, which saw its Covid-19 death toll on Thursday overtake that of China, from where the disease was first reported, has reported another huge spike in fatalities which have now crossed 4,000.

In the last 24 hours, the country recorded 627 deaths - the largest number so far - taking its total to 4,032, as per officials, the BBC reported.

It has been the worst week so far for Italy, which recorded 300 plus deaths for three days running since Sunday, 400 plus for the next two days and now, crossed 600.

In a move to combat coronavirus threat, the Jammu & Kashmir government on Friday passed an order asking government employees in the Union Territory to attend their offices on alternate weeks barring those associated with the coronavirus control efforts and essential services.

District Magistrate Shahid Iqbal Choudhary has ordered imposition of strict restrictions across Srinagar district on Saturday, in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

Five fresh cases of coronavirus were reported from the state, taking the total number of infected patients to 17, a Rajasthan official said on Friday.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh, however, said these cases included the three patients who have recovered from the infection.

Among the three is the 69-year-old Italian tourist who had recovered from the disease but died of heart attack at a private hospital on Thursday night.

The sexagenarian was a heart and lungs patient, and had recovered from COVID-19 at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Hospital.

The official said the report of 37 people tested for the virus is awaited. Among the 14 people currently being treated, five are in Jaipur, three in Jhunjhunu and six in Bhilwara.

Reacting to a doctor at a private hospital in Bhilwara testing positive for coronavirus, Rajathan Health Minister Raghu Sharma said it was a "serious issue".

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed in the district from Friday onwards.

The curfew in Bhilwara is necessary as the infected doctor would have come in contact with several people, Sharma said, adding that there are 253 people in the private hospital and it needs to be checked who all might be infected.

Directions have been issued asking people of the district not to leave their homes while outsiders will not be allowed to enter, he said.