Coronavirus LIVE: 114 confirmed virus cases in India , says Union Health Ministry

Spain has registered nearly 1,000 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of cases to 8,744, the health ministry said on Monday.

Over the same period, the number of deaths rose by nine to 297, the ministry's emergencies coordinator Fernando Simon said.

The figure for new cases was lower than weekend numbers, when 2,000 infections were detected between Saturday and Sunday and the number of deaths rose by around 100.

Of the total number, Madrid remains the worst-affected region, with 4,665 cases.

In order to rein in the virus, Spain has declared a state of alert, shutting all but essential services and ordering its population of 46 million people to stay at home. People are only authorised to go out to buy food or medicine, to go to work or to get medical treatment.

Defence Ministry officials: Of these, 372 evacuees and 17 aircraft crew members have already been discharged after quarantine. The armed forces have prepared quarantine facilities for around 15,000 citizens across the military bases in the country.

Important measures including closing of schools, swimming pools, malls, allow employees to work from home,less use of public transport, 1 meter distance between people should be maintained till 31st March, says Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry on Coronavirus

Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry: Four new cases, one each from Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Kerala have been confirmed since the last update. There are now a total of 114 confirmed cases in India as of today, including 13 cured & two reported deaths.

Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry: Fourth batch of 53 evacuates from Iran have arrived today and are being quarantined at the Army facility in Jaisalmer. All are reported to be asymptomatic as present and are in quarantine as per protocol.

RBI: Public can use these modes of digital payment from the convenience of their homes through online channels like mobile banking, internet banking, cards, etc. and avoid using cash which may require going to crowded places for sending money or paying bills.

The eight Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises have called off their respective pre-tournament camps till further notice, three days after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a suspension of the cash-rich event from March 29 to April 15.

IT Kanpur: All undergraduate, MBA, & first year MTech/MDes/MS students are required to vacate the hostels by 19th March. Only PhD, second year MTech/MDes/MS and fifth year Dual Degree students already on campus are permitted to stay in the hostels after 19th March.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Health Minister: We do not have any confirmed Coronavirus cases as of now. We have started screening domestic passengers also at railway stations along with international passengers at airports. Nobody is quarantined or in isolation wards currently.

Maharashtra: The morning visits to Raj Bhavan Mumbai are being suspended from 17th March to 31st March, 2020.

In the wake Coronavirus outbreak, the Delhi High Court today issued various directions including hearing of only urgent matters and no under-trial prisoner would be produced before the subordinate courts till March 31.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issues helplines for COVID-19 Control Centre - Control Room : 1800118797 (toll free) +91- 11- 23012113 +91- 11- 23014104 +91- 11- 23017905 Fax: +91- 011- 23018158 (fax) Email: covid19@mea.gov.in

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU): Hostel services will be limited to only basic mess facility and will be available in a few hostels for foreign nationals & those students who stay back in hostels for valid reasons.

Global governments must work together to provide massive spending as in the 2008 financial crisis to help the economy withstand the damage from the coronavirus pandemic, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Monday.

And emerging markets are facing a massive outflow of cash, and will need support as well, she said in a blog post.

Beyond individual country actions so far, she said, "as the virus spreads, the case for a coordinated and synchronized global fiscal stimulus is becoming stronger by the hour." Meanwhile, investors have pulled nearly USD 42 billion from emerging markets since the beginning of the crisis, "the largest outflow they have ever recorded," she said, calling on major central banks to provide support to reduce financial stresses.

Vikram Singh, Private Secretary to President of India: I am directed to convey that due to avoidable circumstances, the visit of President Ram Nath Kovind to Madhya Pradesh (Jabalpur) scheduled on March 20 and 21 stands postponed

Iran said on Monday that the novel coronavirus had killed 129 more people, a new record high for a single day in one of the world's worst-hit countries.

"Our plea is that everyone take this virus seriously and in no way attempt to travel to any province," health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in a televised news conference.

The latest deaths bring the overall toll to 853 fatalities since February 19, when the government announced Iran's first two deaths from the COVID-19 disease.

Opposition Congress MLAs staged a walkout in the Gujarat Assembly on Monday after the speaker refused to accept their demand to postpone the ongoing budget session due to the novel coronavirus threat.

The ruling BJP had opposed the demand claiming the Congress was running scared due to five of its MLAs quitting ahead of the March 26 Rajya Sabha polls.

The leader of the IOC's coordination commission for the Tokyo Olympics said there is no May deadline to cancel the games and he remains confident the event will go ahead despite sports coming to a virtual standstill globally amid the coronavirus outbreak.

John Coates, who will have to go into government-mandated self-isolation when he returns to Australia this week from Olympic business in Europe, told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper: "It's all proceeding to start on the 24th of July." Dick Pound, a former IOC vice president, said in an interview with The Associated Press last month that the end of May loomed as a possible deadline for the IOC to make a call on the Tokyo Olympics.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar: People with symptoms of Coronavirus should reach the hospital in time so that they can be treated in time. There is no need to be scared. Isolation facility is being developed in medical colleges. We should stay cautious and prepared.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee: All schools, colleges, universities will remain closed till April 15 in the state. However, the board examinations will take place as per the schedule.

Odisha Government instructs all foreigners to register their arrival into state and home quarantine for 14 days. Incentive of Rs 15,000 per foreigner after registration announced, failure to do so will be considered a crime.

Siddhiviyanak temple to close entry for devotees from today in the wake of Coronavirus, reported NDTV

India is not immune to this pandemic, already more than 100 cases have been reported. Effort are being mounted by the govt on war-footing. COVID19 could impact India directly through trade channels, in which exposure to China is relatively high, said RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.

Second round of effects of the pandemic could operate through a slowdown in the domestic economic growth & it would obviously be a result of synchronised slowdown in global growth and as a part of that, the growth momentum in India would also be impacted somewhat, said Das.

The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus rises to 114 in India

An unidentified person was booked on Monday by the Pune Police under various sections of the IPC and the Disaster Management Act for allegedly spreading false information regarding novel coronavirus infection.

Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad township have reported 16 cases as on Sunday, the highest in Maharashtra.

The unidentified person had sent messages to Pune Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar claiming that a person tested positive for COVID-19 is staying in a hotel in Koregaon Park area of the city.

"Upon verifying the claims, no such patient was found at the hotel," said a police officer.

Subsequently, a case was registered under sections 182 (false information) and 188 (disobedience to the order duly promulgated by public servant of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act, he said.

The district administration has already warned of action against anybody found spreading rumours, false information and revealing the identity of COVID-19 patients.

Sweden unveiled on Monday a series of economic measures worth up to 28 billion euros to protect companies and workers from the fallout of the new coronavirus.

"This is a completely unique situation for Sweden's economy," Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson told a press conference.

"We want today's announcement to enable as many companies as possible to make it through this crisis," she added.

The measures presented included amended rules for temporary layoffs, under which the government would shoulder a bigger share of the pay for staff made temporarily redundant.

Also, employers in Sweden normally pay for the first two weeks of sick leave but during April and May the state would now instead pay from day one.

At least 25 doctors are among 75 employees of a premier health insitute here who have been kept under isolation in the wake of a Spain returned doctor testing positive for coronavirus.

Though there is no shut down, only emergency surgeries are being held at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology institute, sources told PTI.

The Radiology department has been disinfected according to state protocol.

"We have identified 75 employees, including at least 25 doctors who have come under the primary contact list and they have been placed under isolation", the sources said.

Their family members have been asked to continue in home isolation.

The doctor, who returned from Spain on March 1, came to the hospital the next day wearing gloves and a mask.

He reported to the institute's infection control team, who in turn informed DISHA, comprising trained social workers and counsellors, who answer questions about COVID-19, was informed, the sources said.

Since Spain had not then been broght under the high risk category and the doctor did not have any symptoms,he was asked by DISHA to wait for five more days and come to the institute.

The doctor came to the hospital on March 10 and there was indirect contact with two patients at the Radiology department, the sources said.

A Bahraini woman has died from the novel coronavirus, the health ministry announced on Monday, marking the first death from the disease among Gulf Co-operation Council states.

The 65-year-old woman had pre-existing medical conditions, the ministry said on Twitter.

Nearly 1,000 cases of the virus have been recorded so far across the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Most of those infected have been people returning from Iran, where more than 700 people had died in the outbreak by Sunday.

Facing a mounting public health threat, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman have taken drastic measures to combat the pandemic.

The Gulf countries have shut down cinemas and other entertainment centres -- some even closing gyms and spas.

Kuwait has taken the strictest measures in the GCC by largely locking down the country over the weekend.

A 19-year-old man, who returned from Thailand on Monday, was admitted to the isolation ward of a government hospital here with novel coronavirus-like symptoms, a senior official of the state health department said.

With this, the total number of patients admitted at the isolation ward of the Beliaghata ID and BG Hospital, rose to 12, he said.

The man exhibited coronavirus-like symptoms during thermal scanning at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Monday.

Swabs of all those admitted at the isolation ward of the hospital have been collected and sent for examination, he said.

The Aligarh Muslim University, in a fresh advisory pertaining to COVID-19 outbreak, has directed all teachers and students who have travelled abroad recently to undergo screening and evaluation at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital here.

AMU spokesman Omar Peerzada said all members of the university community, who have recently returned to India after a foreign visit, and are suffering from symptoms such as headache, sore throat, fever, cough and respiratory difficulty, should immediately report to the chief medical superintendent of JN Medical College.

The university has also advised all people offering congregational prayers in different mosques "to skip one row" during such prayers to prevent cross infection inside mosques.

All persons having symptoms of cough and cold should avoid visiting mosques and offer prayers at home to reduce the chance of spreading infection, it said.

There are about 15,000 students residing in different hostels including schools at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

During the past three days, the university has launched a massive awareness campaign on the deadly disease, he said.

Earlier, the university had suspended all classes till March 23.

Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration officials raided a firm in Aurangabad and caught staff changing expiry date labels on hand sanitiser bottles to profit from the novel coronavirus outbreak in the state, a senior official said on Monday.

The staff of Eurolife Healthcare in Aurangabad's Waluj industrial area were replacing '2020' on the expiry date label with '2021', FDA Joint Commissioner Sanjay Kale told PTI.

"Prices were also being changed. The raid started on Sunday evening and went on till midnight. Sanitiser stock worth Rs 50 lakh has been seized. They were manufactured in a factory in Gujarat and were being marketed by Eurolife Healthcare in Aurangabad," Kale said.

With Kerala on high alert for coronavirus, foreign tourists visiting God's Own Country are finding it difficult to get accommodation and move around, prompting the government to disapprove of such acts and ask people not to see every foreigner as a COVID-19 carrier.

With two people, including a UK national, testing positive for coronavirus on Sunday, the number of those affected in the state has risen to 21 as the government began a "break the chain" initiative to prevent spread of the virus.

It has also launched intensified medical check up at border areas for people entering the state by rail and road.

Amid the stepped up preventive measures, several cases of foreigners being 'denied' travel in public transport systems and stay in hotels have been reported in the past few days from various parts of the state, a major attraction for travellers with its picturesque locales and enchanting backwaters.

The Meghalaya government has ordered shutdown of schools and colleges and cancellation or postponement of major sports events till March 31 to avoid mass gatherings in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak, a senior minister said.

The order will be effective from Tuesday, he said.

Health Minister A L Hek made the announcement in a suo-motu statement in the Assembly during the Budget Session on Monday.

"All educational institutions within the state are to remain closed except for holding of examinations," Hek said.

Mentioning that the decision was taken considering the confirmed infection cases gradually rising in the country, the health minister said, enforcing social distancing was a must to reduce virus transmission.

The number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 110 on Sunday, the Union Health Ministry had said.

People have been asked not to visit places with high footfall such as cinemas, gymnasiums, swimming pools and avoid non-essential travel during the period, he said.

Organisers of fairs and festivals have been advised to postpone or cancel the events, the minister said.

Companies or offices with work from home option may permit employees to do so, he said.

The state government has also asked people to not visit tourist spots, and maintain hand hygiene in places of work and worship.

Germany on Monday introduced border controls with Austria, Denmark, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland in a bid to stem the coronavirus outbreak.

Only those with a valid reason for travel, like cross-border commuters and delivery drivers, are allowed through, officials said. The measures started at 0700 GMT, AFP reporters said.

At the border between Germany's Kiefersfelden and Austria's Kufstein, police let trucks through but stopped all passenger cars to question drivers, AFP photographers saw. By 0730 GMT, some 10 cars had been turned back.

A Rajya Sabha MP on Monday asked the government to instruct airlines and Indian Railways not to levy cancellation charges on tickets as people alter travel plans due to spread of coronavirus.

During Zero Hour, several MPs also suggested people should follow simple preventive measures like washing of hands to check the spread of the virus.

AIADMK MP S SR Balasubramaniam also suggested that the ongoing Budget session of Parliament could be curtailed.

Raising the issue in the Upper House, Elamaram Kareem (CPI-M) said several states have closed educational institutions and other places to check the spread of coronavirus.

Besides, public gatherings have been cancelled.

Amid scare over the coronavirus or COVID-19, Supreme Court judge DY Chandrachud on Monday said, "soon, there will be virtual courts".

Bihar Assembly's Budget session truncated in view of coronavirus pandemic. No sittings after today: Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary

Amid the novel coronavirus scare (Covid-19), the railways has started screening passengers on running trains with the help of the Kerala government.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to cancel all public meetings to raise awareness on the importance of minimising gatherings in the wake of the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic which has infected 18 people in the island nation.

Against the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation chief Praveen Pardeshi on Monday issued a veiled warning to all companies to initiate 'work-from-home' wherever possible.

A health worker posted in Rajasthan's Dausa district was arrested and his services were terminated for allegedly spreading fake news about the coronavirus, police said on Monday.

Anil Tank, a contractual employee who worked as a senior treatment supervisor in Mahuwa, was found circulating fake news related to positive number of COVID-19 cases being found in the state and isolation wards being set up to treat the patients, they said.

Mahuwa circle Deputy Superintendent of Police Shankar Lal said Tank was arrested for his "statement conducing to public mischief".

Dausa Chief Medical and Health Officer Pooranmal Meena said, "The employee was terminated from the service for spreading rumour on social media."

One more person has been tested positive for coronavirus in Pimpri-Chinchwad, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 33 in the state.

All Tiger reserves, sanctuaries & national parks in the State to remain closed between March 17 to 29, to avoid the spread of Coronavirus

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, most airlines in the world will be bankrupt by the end of May and only a coordinated government and industry action right now can avoid the catastrophe, said global aviation consultancy firm CAPA in a note on Monday.

"As the impact of the coronavirus and multiple government travel reactions sweep through our world, many airlines have probably already been driven into technical bankruptcy, or are at least substantially in breach of debt covenants," it stated.

Across the world, airlines have announced drastic reduction in their operations in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. For example, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines stated on Sunday that it would be grounding 300 aircraft in its fleet and reduce flights by 40 per cent.

The US has suspended all tourist visas for people belonging to the European Union, the UK and Ireland. Similarly, the Indian government has suspended all tourist visas and e-visas granted on or before March 11.

CAPA, in its note on Monday, said, "By the end of May-2020, most airlines in the world will be bankrupt. Coordinated government and industry action is needed - now - if catastrophe is to be avoided." Cash reserves are running down quickly as fleets are grounded and "what flights there are operate much less than half full", it added.

"Forward bookings are far outweighed by cancellations and each time there is a new government recommendation it is to discourage flying. Demand is drying up in ways that are completely unprecedented. Normality is not yet on the horizon," it said.

India's largest airline IndiGo -- which has around 260 planes in its fleet -- said on Thursday that it has seen a decline of 15-20 per cent in daily bookings in the last few days.

The low-cost carrier had stated that it expects its quarterly earnings to be materially impacted due to such decline.

CAPA said the failure to coordinate the future will result in protectionism and much less competition.

"The alternative does not bear thinking about. An unstructured and nationalistic outcome will not be survival of the fittest.

"It will mostly consist of airlines that are the biggest and the best-supported by their governments. The system will reek of nationalism. And it will not serve the needs of the 21st century world. That is not a prospect that any responsible government should be prepared to contemplate," the consultancy firm said.

With three patients from Rajasthan cured, the total number of patients freed from the Coronavirus has reached 13 in India.

The Union Health Ministry said till Sunday night, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across India were 110, including the foreign nationals.

"A total of 12,76,046 passengers were screened at the airports as on 11.30 p.m. on March 15," the Ministry said in a statement.

In a tweet, it says: "Three from Rajasthan are now nCoronavirus-free. The total number of patients now free of COVID-19 is 13."

The coronavirus death toll in China rose to 3,213 with 14 new fatalities, while the imported cases climbed to 123 after 12 new infections were reported, prompting Beijing to make 14-day quarantine in special facilities compulsory for foreigners returning to the country.

As of Sunday, 14 new deaths were reported, taking the death toll due to the deadly virus to 3,213, China's National Health Commission (NHC) said on Monday.

While Google is still working on a coronavirus screening and tracking website, Microsoft Bing team has already launched a web portal for tracking COVID-19 infections worldwide.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the US has recommended to postpone or cancel events having a gathering of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks amid stepped up efforts to contain the rapid spread of the coronavirus that has claimed 69 lives in the country.

According to the World Health Organisation data, the COVID-19 pandemic has infected 3,777 people, including 69 deaths, in the US as the authorities placed travel restrictions, closed schools, restaurants and bars and cancelled entertainment events across the country to contain the deadly virus.

The CDC, in a statement on Sunday, said that large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the US through travellers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities.

Automobile major Tata Motors has asked its staff in office based roles at headquarters and regional offices including third party staff to work from home with effect from Monday as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus infection.

According to Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra has 32 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the highest in the country.

U.S. stock futures fell sharply after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates and more companies and governments took action over the weekend to shut down European and American society in the face of the growing virus outbreak.

Futures for the S&P 500 fell 5% Sunday night and triggered a halt in trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1,040 points, or 4.6%. The price of oil fell more than around 2% while gold gained about 1.2%.

Stocks are set for more turbulence following a dizzying week that saw the Dow twice fall by more than 2,000 points and also record it's biggest point gain ever — 1,985 points on Friday. The bull market that began in 2009 in the depths of the financial crisis came to an end. Europe markets saw similar volatility.

Asia markets were mostly lower. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index declined about 2% while shares in South Korea and China slipped less than 1%. Shares in Australia dropped 4.3%.

53 Indians, evacuated from Tehran and Shiraz cities of Iran, arrived at Jaisalmer airport today. They were later moved to the Army Wellness Centre in the city, following preliminary screening