Coronavirus LIVE: Iran announces 63 new virus deaths, taking total to 354

Iran announces 63 new Coronavirus deaths, taking total to 354, reports AFP

Jammu and Kashmir administration has ordered closure of all educational institutes across the union territory till March 31 as a precautionary measure amid the coronavirus scare.

Cinema halls in all the 10 districts of Jammu division will also remain closed till March 31, officials said.

While only one person has tested positive for the contagious coronavirus in the union territory, one man with high viral-load has been reported and his samples have been sent to the National Centre for Disease Control in New Delhi, they said.

"All schools, colleges and universities of Jammu and Kashmir to suspend teaching and class work till March 31," Director National Health Mission (NHM), Bhupinder Kumar, told reporters here.

However, board and competitive examinations will be conducted as per schedule, he added.

According to the regulation, no person/institution shall use print or electronic media to spread mis-information on COVID_19 without prior permission of the Department of Health & Family Welfare. If a person is found indulging in any such activity, they will be punished.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee: 3 suspected Coronavirus cases are under observation in a hospital. Their test results are awaited.

Junaid Azim Mattu, Srinagar Mayor: Srinagar Municipal Corporation has unanimously passed resolution to restrict public gatherings in Srinagar, and close schools & coaching centres in view of Coronavirus transmission threat.

Jammu: Cinema halls in the 5 districts- Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur closed till March 31.

Government of Karnataka: Four COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Karnataka till date. All 4 cases are stable and recovering in isolation facility; Till now, 98,401 passengers have been screened in Karnataka

The government is focusing on bringing back Indians stranded in coronavirus-hit Italy and Iran after screening them, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

He said a medical team will leave for Italy tomorrow for screening Indians.

Making a suo moto statement on the Indians stranded in Iran due to coronavirus, Jaishankar said the situation in Italy and Iran is "a cause of great concern" and the government is making all efforts to bring back Indians after appropriate testing and screening.

The minister said Iran and Italy have an extreme situation and the government is "focusing on those countries where coronavirus is strong".

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Indian cricketer: We have a team of doctors with us who are advising us on dos and don'ts on Coronavirus and today we have a meeting with them, if they will advise us to not use saliva on the ball then we will follow it.

Amid rising cases of novel coronavirus in the country, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has said sharing data of infected people on a daily basis with the public has created panic across the country.

It also appealed to the government to "classify the data" of the pandemic and take appropriate action with "clinical precision".

"Doctors and hospitals remain a silver lining in otherwise clueless situation for the common man," the doctors' body said while appealing to every doctor to function as a source of credible information in their locality and instil confidence and trust in the public.

"It cannot be denied that the high handed top down response in China is part of the reason for this global panic. The nuanced and balanced approach of the Indian government is certainly better suited to handle the crisis in a country of 1.3 billion people," the IMA said.

Delhi: 14 days of quarantine of 112 Wuhan (China) evacuees including 36 foreign nationals, has completed at ITBP Quarantine Facility in Chhawla. Sampling being done for their final test by doctors. Reports awaited.

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India: 10 new cases of Coronavirus confirmed. 8 cases are from Kerala and 1 each from Rajasthan and Delhi. Total cases rise to 60 across the country.

Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr. K. Sudhakar: A Bengaluru resident tests positive for Coronavirus. The person has travel history to the USA

Delhi: Buses of Delhi Transport Corporation being sanitised at Rajghat depot

Government sources: To deal with all kinds of situations, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to build isolation wards for over 120 people & quarantine facility for 5440 persons in 37 cities. ITBP to give training to CAPFs after getting direction from Central Government.

Govt sources: Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft to leave for Iran today to bring back Indians citizens stuck there amid.

The number of cases of novel coronavirus worldwide has crossed 110,000 people in 100 countries and territories with more than 3,800 dead, according to an AFP tally on Monday.

The landmark figure came after Iran reported almost 600 new cases on Monday morning, taking its total number of infections past 7,000.

China, where the virus first emerged late last year, remains the most affected country with more than 80,000 cases, but experts have expressed hope that the Chinese outbreak has peaked.

Governments are scrambling to respond to the outbreak with countries across Europe cancelling public gatherings, restricting attendances at sporting events and closing schools -- following similar measures in China and other Asian nations.

Italy is battling the deadliest outbreak outside of China with 366 people having died from 7,375 cases, much more deadly than in South Korea, which has seen a similar number of infections but just 51 deaths.

The Rome government is attempting to seal off roughly 15 million people in its hard-hit northern regions, forbidding travel around a vast area including the cities of Venice and Milan.

The Karnataka government on Monday said it has strengthened surveillance and containment measures against the possible spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state and there was no dearth of funds for it.

Medical education minister K Sudhakar said not even a single case of coronavirus infection has been reported in the state and soon more testing labs will be set up zone-wise.

"Till now not even a single case of coronavirus infection has been reported and precautionary measures taken by us (state government) is the main reason for it.

There is no reason for anyone to panic, but there is a need to take precautions," Sudhakar said in the assembly during zero hour.

The chief minister had instructed health and medical education department to take all precautionary measures, he said.

"There is blanket permission on this issue and there is no dearth of funds...CM has told us to use funds and take measures so that the virus do not spread in the state at any cost."

With India fighting hard to prevent spread of Coronavirus, the Delhi High Court has asked lawyers and litigants to avoid "unnecessary overcrowding" of the court premises.

A circular issued recently by high court registrar (general administration) Ramesh Chand said as per an advisory by the Delhi government, people should avoid going to crowded places and requested the advocates and general public to adhere to the guidelines.

"As per the recent advisory issued by the Delhi government, Coronavirus is a contagious virus which causes respiratory infection and can be transferred from human to human through air by coughing, sneezing, personal contact such as touching or shaking hand, touching an object or surface with the virus on it and then touching mouth, nose or eyes with unwashed hands," the circular said.

It added, "As per the said advisory, one should avoid going to crowded places. Therefore, advocates, general public and litigants are requested to adhere to the guidelines/ advisory issued by the Delhi government and avoid unnecessary overcrowding in the court premises." In India, the number of coronavirus cases rose to 43 on Monday with four people, including a three-year-old child in Kerala who had returned from Italy, testing positive for the disease.

The Health Ministry officials said Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu reported one case each and no deaths have been reported from anywhere in the country.

Federal and state officials in California were preparing Monday to receive thousands of people from a cruise ship that has been idling off the coast of San Francisco with at least 21 people aboard infected with the coronavirus.

Fences were being installed at an 11-acre site at the Port of Oakland, as authorities readied flights and buses to whisk the more than 2,000 passengers aboard the Grand Princess to military bases or their home countries for a 14-day quarantine. More than 3,500 on the ship hail from 54 countries.

The government has directed the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to prepare quarantine facilities with a bed capacity to admit over 5,400 people to deal with cases of coronavirus across the country, officials said on Monday.

These forces, comprising the Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Force, the Central Industrial Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Sashastra Seema Bal and the National Security Guard, have also been asked to create 75 isolation wards as part of preparations to combat possible large-scale outbreak of the virus.

Officials told PTI that the Union home ministry has asked these forces to create a total of 5,440-bed capacity at 37 locations in the country.

75 isolation wards are also to be created at these locations by these forces, they said.

Iran announces 43 new coronavirus deaths, raising toll to 237, reports AFP

A three-year old child who returned here from Italy tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Monday, taking the number of those afflicted by the infection in Kerala to six, officials said.

While the child is being treated at the isolation ward of the Kalamassery Medical College hospital here, five others, who tested positive on Saturday, are undergoing treatment in similar facility in Pathanamthitta.

The condition of the child was stable, they added.

The child and its parents who had reached the Cochin International Airport from Italy on March 7 at 6 a.m were subjected to thermal screening at the universal surveillance system established there.

As the child had symptoms of coronavirus, all the three were immediately referred to the isolation ward of the hospital in Kalamassery, officials said.

The samples of the child sent for examination at the National Institute of Virology lab have tested positive for coronavirus, they said.

South Korea, which has one of the world's largest coronavirus totals outside China, on Monday reported its smallest daily rise in cases for two weeks.

A total of 248 cases were confirmed on Sunday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.

The increase took its total to 7,382. Each morning, the South announces how many cases were diagnosed the previous day, and gives an update every afternoon with the current day's figures so far.

Sunday's figure fell for the third day in a row and was the lowest since late February.

The South was the first country to report significant coronavirus numbers outside China, where the disease first emerged.

But in recent days the focus of global concern has been moving towards Italy and Iran.

A quarter of Italy's population was locked down Sunday as Rome announced infections soaring past 7,000 and deaths spiking to 366.

The South has had 51 deaths, according to KCDC. Specialists say a key factor behind the South's much lower fatality rate from the virus relates to the profile of people being infected.

The number of coronavirus cases in Germany has passed 1,000, official data from the Robert Koch Institute disease control centre showed on Monday.

There are now a total of 1,112 confirmed cases in Europe's biggest economy, with the region of North Rhine-Westphalia reporting 484 infections -- the highest number among Germany's 16 states.

Albania reported its first confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, a man who returned from Italy late last month and his father, the health ministry said.

"A 54-year-old man and his 28-year-old son who returned by car from Florence tested positive for COVID-19," a ministry statement said.

The two are hospitalised in the capital Tirana and their health condition is stable, it said.

Albania is the fifth western Balkans country where the virus has spread after Croatia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Serbia where 19 people have been infected.

More than half are in Croatia.

Roughly 110,00 people have been infected worldwide and nearly 3,800 have died from the virus, the vast majority in China where it first emerged late last year.

Italy is now the second-worst affected country in the world with more than 7,300 infected people and 366 deaths.

The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 43 on Monday with four people, including a three-year-old child in Kerala who had returned from Italy, testing positive for the disease, Health Ministry officials said on Monday.

Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu reported one case each, officials said.

They added that no deaths have been reported from anywhere in the country.

Giving details, officials said the patient in Jammu, the first case in Jammu and Kashmir, had a travel history to Iran. The one in Delhi had travelled to Italy. And the third patient, from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut town, had come in contact with the six people from Agra who had tested positive for coronavirus.

An estimated 110,041 people from more than 90 countries have tested positive for the disease that has killed 3,825 people.

In the Kerala town of Kochi, officials said the three-year-old child who tested positive for coronavirus and its parents landed at the Cochin International Airport Limited at 6 am on March 7 from Italy.

They underwent thermal screening and the child was detected with symptoms of the disease. The family was immediately referred to the isolation ward of the Kalamassery Medical College Hospital, they said.

Samples of the parents have also been sent for lab tests, the officials added.

Up north, in Jammu, a 63-year-old woman who declared positive was among the two patients declared "high viral load cases" by the administration on the weekend.

They are undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital and are in a stable condition, officials in Jammu said.

"The test report of the woman patient is positive, while the report of the other patient is still awaited," a Health Department official said.

The two with a travel history to Italy, South Korea and Iran had fled the hospital's isolation ward on Wednesday shortly after being admitted there but were brought back within hours of the incident, the official said.

Jammu and Kashmir administration spokesperson Rohit Kansal said they are watching the situation and have put 400 people under surveillance in Satawari and Sarwal areas of Jammu.

The number of COVID-19 cases in India, which was just six till last Tuesday, includes 16 Italians as well as three Kerala patients who were discharged last month following their recovery.

The coronavirus scare cast a shadow over Holi on Tuesday in large parts of north India with many people cancelling their celebrations.

In Kerala, notwithstanding the scare and strict government guidelines, lakhs of women took part in the famous "Attukal Pongala" festival.

Preparing 'pongala' (sweet offering) is part of the all-women ritual of the annual festival of the Attukal Bhahavathy Temple here, popularly known as the "Women's Sabarimala." Unlike previous years, women devotees, including children and elders, could be seen wearing face masks while preparing the offering, as a precautionary measure in the wake of the virus outbreak.

As of today, there are 43 total cases of Coronavirus out of which 40 are active cases of COVID-19 in the country. 3 positive cases from Kerala are now discharged.

Qatar has temporarily banned entry of people coming from India and 13 other countries in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

The temporary ban would also be applicable on people coming from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand.

"This decision comes as a preventive measure due to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) worldwide," Qatar government said in a statement dated March 8.

Flagship carrier Qatar Airways has also stopped flights from India, sources said.

Qatar Airways operates 102 weekly flights from Doha to 13 Indian cities, including New Delhi.

According to the statement, the temporary suspension of entry would affect all individuals intending to enter from these countries, including visas upon arrival, those with residence or work permit, and temporary visitors.

Earlier, Qatar Airways announced temporary suspension of flights to and from Italy, one of the countries worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Other airlines that fly to Qatar, include IndiGo, GoAir and Air India.

There was no immediate statement from the three airlines about the status of their flights.

Meanwhile, Kuwait on Saturday had suspended operations of all flights to and from India and six other countries in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

With a three-year-old child testing positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kerala's Kochi on Monday, the authorities have put the state on high alert as they suspect a few more cases might turn positive

Bangladesh has confirmed the first coronavirus cases in the country, but the government has urged people not to panic and to consult physicians if they showed any symptoms of the disease, it was reported.

Pakistan has reported the country's seventh coronavirus case which was detected in Karachi.

Hindu temples in Dubai have cancelled the upcoming Holi celebrations and advised against playing with colours to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, it was reported.

Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary (Health), Union Health Ministry said, Total 42 positive cases for Corona Virus have been reported till now.

The opposition Pattali Makkal Katchi on Monday urged the Centre to ensure evacuation of 17 Tamil Nadu residents holed up on a cruise ship anchored in Egypt following a coronavirus outbreak on board.

A teenaged boy who had arrived here from the US has tested negative for coronavirus infection, a senior Tamil Nadu Health Department official said on Monday.

Elderly Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Monday announced to postpone all his engagements indefinitely as a precautionary measure in view of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Schools and colleges in the New York state have announced that they are suspending classes, as the number of coronavirus cases jumped to more than 100 and a a state of emergency has been declared over the novel Coronavirus outbreak.

The number of coronavirus cases in the New York state jumped on Sunday to 106, forcing the closure of classes at the Columbia University and other schools across the state.

As the Coronavirus cases continue to multiply across the US, institutions were forced to take unprecedented steps to contain the spread of the virus that has infected more than 100,000 people across the world and claimed over 3,000 lives.

These numbers were increasing manifold with each passing day.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday declared a state of emergency to help New York more quickly and effectively contain the spread of the virus.

A 63-year-old woman tested positive for coronavirus, making her the first confirmed case in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Monday.

The woman, who had a travel history to Iran, was among two patients who were declared "high viral load cases" by the administration on the weekend.

They are undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital and are in a stable condition, the officials said.

"The test report of the woman patient is positive, while the report of the other patient is still awaited," a Health Department official said.

A three-year-old child has tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Kerala's Kochi, confirmed the health officials here on Monday, taking the total number to six in the state.

The child had travelled to Italy along with his parents and had returned on March 7.

The family was kept in quarantine in a hospital where the child developed the symptoms.

This is the sixth positive case in the state.

On Sunday, five were confirmed positive by the State Health Minister. Three of these had travelled to Italy and had come in contact with two in the Pathanamthitta district.

The three had not declared their travel destination at the airport.

The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has postponed all examinations of the distant learning courses for students in Aligarh, Kerala, Murshidabad (West Bengal), Kishangarh (Bihar) and Delhi due to fears of the novel coronavirus, that has so far infected 39 people in the country.

The examinations were slated to begin from March 15.

Professor Nafees Ansari, Director of the Distant Learning Centre, AMU, said that 6,000 students, who are enrolled in four degree courses -- B.Com, M.Com, Bachelor of Library Science, BSc Computer Application -- will now appear for the exams from April 1.

He said the decision was taken in view of fear of spread of the coronavirus and the University Grants Commission (UGC) had also issued a circular directing the varsities to avoid mass gatherings

Professor Ansari said that other examinations related to PG Diploma courses will be held as per schedule from April 1 as the number of students in these courses were comparatively less.

In a communique to to Vice Chancellors of all universities, UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain said: "Avoid large gatherings on campus. Any student or staff with travel history to any COVID-19 affected country or in contact with such persons in last 28 days should be monitored and home quarantined for 14 days."

Meanwhile, the administrative officials said that the varsity has also postponed all annual hall functions and cultural programs. No permissions will be granted for organizing functions at Kennedy auditorium.

Vice Chancellor Professor Tariq Mansoor also said that if possible, the national and international conferences might also be postponed and people should restrain from unnecessary travel.

Professor Mansoor also directed that J.N. Medical College to be ready with an isolation ward for patients of COVID-19.

The Iraqi Health Ministry has announced two more deaths and six new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of the confirmed cases to 60 in the country, of whom up to six have died.

The six new detected cases were one case in each of the provinces of Muthanna, Anbar, Dhi Qar, Najaf, Maysan and the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the ministry said on Sunday in a statement, Xinhua reported.

It also said that the two new deaths were registered in the two provinces of Maysan and Babil.

So far, Iraq has reported a total of 60 COVID-19 cases, with 27 in the capital Baghdad, seven in the province of Kirkuk, seven in Sulaimaniyah, six in Najaf, three in Wasit, two each in Diyala, Karbala and Maysan and one in Babil, Muthanna, Anbar and Dhi Qar.

The Iraqi authorities have been taking a series of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after cases were confirmed in the country.

The number of people to have died from the coronavirus in Italy has shot up by 133 in a day to 366, officials said.

The total number of infections leapt 25 per cent to 7,375 from 5,883, according to the Civil Protection agency, the BBC reported on Sunday.

The jump in figures comes as millions adapt to radical measures introduced on Sunday in an attempt to contain the outbreak.

Up to 16 million people in Lombardy and 14 provinces need special permission to travel under new quarantine rules.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the whole country.

The restrictions will last until April 3.

As the US death toll from the new coronavirus reached at least 21, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the mayor of Oakland sought Sunday to reassure the public that none of the passengers from a ship carrying people with the virus will be released into the public before undergoing a 14-day quarantine.

The Grand Princess carrying more than 3,500 people from 54 countries is expected to dock Monday in Oakland, in the east San Francisco Bay, and was idling off the coast Sunday as officials prepared a port site. Those needing acute medical care will come off first.

“This is a time that we must be guided by facts and not fears, and our public deserves to know what's going on," Mayor Libby Schaaf said.

On Sunday, the U.S. State Department issued an advisory against travel on cruise ships. “U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship," the department said in a statement on its website.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “notes increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment." Meanwhile, the number of infections in the United States climbed above 500 as testing for the virus increased.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institutes of Health's allergy and infectious diseases chief, said Sunday that widespread closure of a city or region, as Italy has done, is “possible.” “You don't want to alarm people, but given the spread we see, you know anything is possible and that's the reason why we've got to be prepared to take whatever action is appropriate to contain and mitigate the outbreak,” Fauci said on “Fox News Sunday." US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said communities will need to start thinking about canceling large gatherings, closing schools and letting more employees work from home, as many companies have done in the Seattle, Washington, area amid an outbreak at a care home that has killed 18.

Bangladesh has decided to postpone the birth centenary celebrations of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hours after three coronavirus cases were detected in the country, according to media reports on Monday.

The year-long celebrations were scheduled to open amid massive festivities at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka on March 17 and was expected to be attended by several foreign dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, the inauguration programme will be held in a scaled-down manner, and foreign guests may not be in attendance, The Daily Star reported.

The grand inaugural ceremony of the “Mujib Borsho,” or Mujib Year, which was scheduled to be held at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka on March 17 — and kickoff the year-long celebrations — will now be held at a later date, Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury was quoted as saying by the the Dhaka Tribune.

Kamal, chief coordinator of the national committee to implement Mujib Year celebrations, said on Sunday that all other programmes will be organised avoiding massive public gatherings.

"The re-scheduled programmes will be declared tomorrow (Monday) after a meeting of the committee," Kamal, a former principal secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was quoted as saying by the Daily Star.

Bangladesh on Sunday reported three cases of coronavirus. Two persons brought the disease from Italy, infecting the third one on their return home, officials said.

The infections, the first reported cases in the country, have come four days after Dhaka restricted entry of the people from major coronavirus-prone countries without a virus-free medical certificate.

Several embassies in North Korea closed Monday as many diplomats were flown out following weeks of tight quarantine restrictions imposed by Pyongyang over the spread of the novel coronavirus.

North Korea has not confirmed a single infection but has imposed strict rules, including closing its borders and putting thousands of its own people into isolation.

It has also subjected hundreds of foreigners -- including diplomats -- to a virtual lockdown in their own premises.

Russian ambassador Alexander Matsegora described the conditions as "morally crushing".

Those restrictions were finally eased last week after more than a month, when more than 200 foreigners were allowed to leave their compounds.

Swedish ambassador Joachim Bergstrom tweeted a selfie from the city centre with the caption: "I have never been happier standing on Kim Il Sung Square." Monday's evacuation comes after reports that a special flight was being arranged to fly diplomats and other foreigners from Pyongyang to the Russian city of Vladivostok.

"Sad to say farewell this morning to colleagues from German Embassy and French Office #NorthKorea which are closing temporarily," tweeted Colin Crooks, the British ambassador to Pyongyang, adding that his embassy would remain open.

The Vladivostok airport website showed an Air Koryo flight JS 271 had arrived from Pyongyang at 10:49 am local time (0049 GMT).

It was not immediately clear how many diplomats were on board, but previous reports said around 60 people would be evacuated.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned last month of "serious consequences" if the virus reaches his country, which has banned tourists and suspended international trains and flights.

Pyongyang, subject to multiple international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, has a weak medical infrastructure and analysts say prevention is its only option.

The number of coronavirus cases has risen worldwide to more than 100,000 across 100 nations and territories, with around 3,800 dead.

China reported 22 new deaths on Monday from the new coronavirus epidemic, and the lowest number of fresh cases since it started reporting the data in January.

There were 40 new cases nationwide, the National Health Commission said, with most in Hubei, the central province at the epicentre of the outbreak.

The 22 new deaths -- which were all in Hubei except one -- bring the country's toll to 3,119.

More than 80,700 people have been infected in total in mainland China.

New infections reported from Hubei have been on a downward trend for several weeks.

On Monday all the new cases in the province were in the capital city Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December.

The numbers in China have been generally declining in recent weeks as the country's draconian measures appear to be working.

A senior government official hinted last week that China could soon lift the lockdown on the province imposed in late January, which has effectively restricted the movement of some 56 million people in Hubei.

However, there have now been 67 cases of imported infections brought into the country, the health commission said, with four new cases confirmed Monday.

The rise in imported cases is raising fears that the country's progress in bringing infections down could be undone, and several local authorities are imposing quarantines on those arriving from hard-hit areas.