India’s coronavirus count rises to 114 as shutdown continues in several states

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, March 17

India’s coronavirus cases rose to 114 on Monday, health ministry website said on Monday.

The highest number of cases came from Maharashtra, where some 32 cases have been reported so far. Maharashtra is followed by Kerala at 23, and Uttar Pradesh at 13, including one foreign national.

Ladakh, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, and Kerala reported one new case each, Health Ministry officials said.

The number includes 13 people who have been discharged after they recovered and two fatalities, they said.

The eastern state of Odisha has reported its first case. Till morning, the number of coronavirus cases in the country was 110, the officials said.

Several states have gone in a state of lockdown, closing down malls, gyms, swimming pools, and cinema halls. The latest to join this list are Chandigarh and Delhi.

The pandemic caused bloodshed in the markets. Sensex plunged over 2,713 points on Monday.

West Bengal government announced a Rs 200 crore fund for the state to tackle the crisis.  

“Over 3.24 lakh people screened in Bengal for coronavirus; 5,000 of them under watch,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

The Chandigarh administration on Monday ordered the closure of all malls, cinemas, night clubs, pubs, gyms, and coaching centres till March 31. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal banned religious, social, cultural and political gatherings as well as protests comprising more than 50 people in the national capital till March 31.

Delhi has been witnessing sit-in protests at Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia Islamia against the new citizenship law for over 90 days. The women of Shaheen Bagh had said the protesters were being provided with masks and hand sanitisers and there was no need to be scared of coronavirus.

The Reserve Bank of India said that the pandemic, which had already wreaked havoc on the world economy, could cause economic slowdown. The RBI said in a notification addressed to banks, urban cooperative banks, NBFCs, payment, and small finance banks.

The federal bank has asked financial entities to encourage their customers to use digital banking facilities as far as possible.

“Besides taking steps…for ensuring business process resilience, supervised entities should also assess the impact on their balance sheet, asset quality, liquidity, etc. arising out of potential scenarios such as further spread of COVID-19 in India and its effect on the economy, contagion from wider disruption in the global economy and the global financial system, etc,” RBI said in a notification.

The count includes the two people who died, one in Delhi and another in Karnataka.  

Highlights:

8:10 pm: All ASI-protected monuments, central museums across India to be shut till Mar 31 in view of coronavirus: Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel

7:58 pm: Three more people test positive for coronavirus in Kerala on Monday, taking the total number of cases to 24, says Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

7:15 pm:  District court bar body asks lawyers to attend to only urgent matters

6:30 pm: Bengal Assembly budget session cut short over COVID-19

6:30 pm: Health Ministry says non-essential travel should be avoided

6:30 pm: Health Ministry tightens travel restrictions, expands compulsory quarantine for at least 14 days for passengers coming from or transiting UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait.

5:30 pm: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday asked district collectors to ensure there is no crowding at religious sites.

4:55 pm: Schools, colleges in rural Maharashtra also closed till March-end due to coronavirus: Tope.

4:54 pm: A Rs 200 crore fund to be created in West Bengal to tackle coronavirus: CM Mamata Banerjee.

4:45 pm: Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple closed for devotees till further notice: Temple authority.

4:40 pm: Number of coronavirus cases in India rises to 114, one new case each in Ladakh, Odisha, J-K and Kerala: Health Ministry officials.

2:17 pm: Delhi govt bans gatherings of more than 50; shuts gyms, clubs, spas till March 31

Three more fresh cases in Kerala, number goes up to 24   

Three more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala on Monday, taking the number of cases to 24, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

While two people tested positive in Malappuram, one positive case was from Kasaragod district, Vijiyan told reporters after presiding over a meeting to review the virus situation and an all party meeting here.

“The total number of people under surveillance is 12,450, of whom 270 are in hospitals and the rest under home quarantine,” he said.

At least 72 people were admitted to various hospitals on Monday.

All political parties extended their cooperation and willingness to work together to combat the coronavirus threat, the chief minister added.

Coronavirus: Maharashtra shuts down Ajanta-Ellora, other sites

Ajanta and Ellora Caves in Aurangabad in Maharashtra will be shut from Thursday till April 7 as a precautionary move in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak, a senior official said.

The other sites that have been put under lockdown are the Bibi-ka-Maqbara, Aurangabad Caves, Daulatabad (Devgiri) Fort, all of which attract robust tourist footfalls, including foreign nationals.

“All monuments in Aurangabad under the Archeological Survey of India and Maharashtra government will remain closed from March 19 to April 7. Tourists who have been allowed to visit these sites over the next two days have already been screened by the ASI,” Collector Uday Choudhari said.

The Siddhivinayak  Temple, one of the most visited shrines in Mumbai, will remain closed for devotees till further notice in view of the coronavirus outbreak in Maharashtra, it was announced on Monday.

The Tuljabhavani Temple, another popular shrine in Maharashtra located in Osmanabad district, will remain shut for devotees from March 17 to 31, an official told.

The decision comes in the backdrop of the Maharashtra government appealing to people to avoid crowding and mass gatherings as part of measures to prevent spread of the viral infection.

The Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi, dedicated to Lord Ganesh, attracts hundreds of devotees everyday and is especially crowded on Tuesdays.

Siddhivinayak Temple trust chairman Adesh Bandekar said the number of coronaviruscases is increasing rapidly worldwide.

“Thousands and lakhs of people come to the Siddhivinayak Temple to pay respect. In the current situation, it is our responsibility to deal with the crisis (coronavirus outbreak).

“Hence, the trust has decided that the temple will be closed for worship till further notice,” said Bandekar.

In spite of the coronavirus outbreak, 13,000 devotees visited the Tuljabhavani Temple on Sunday, the shrine’s Assistant Public Relations Officer, Nagesh Shitole, told PTI.

READ: Why coronavirus patients are fleeing isolation facilities in India?

“Hence, a meeting of the managing committee was held today and it was decided to shut the temple for devotees from Tuesday (March 17) to March 31,” he said. With agencies