Coronavirus (COVID-19) LIVE updates: China reports no new local cases, PM Modi to address nation today

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Latest News Updates: Coronavirus has killed over 8,800 people globally and has spread to over 140 countries. In India, 3 deaths have been recorded and 151 positive cases have been reported.




Coronavirus (COVID-19) LIVE Updates: For the first time since the coronavirus crisis began, China — the epicenter of the infection — on Thursday reported no new local cases. It, however, registered 34 cases imported from abroad, the biggest daily increase in two weeks, according to the National Health Commission.

With the cases in India rising to 151, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today address the nation to talk about steps being taken against the virus. India is also looking at expanding the pool of random testing samples for COVID-19 to include patients with atypical pneumonia, which presents symptoms slightly different from pneumonia.

In the United States, President Donald Trump said the White House was discussing a “substantial” spending bill with Congress that would include immediate cash payments to Americans. “We’re going big,” Trump told reporters. France has pledged a 45 billion euro ($50 billion) aid package. German Chancellor Angela Merkel meanwhile confirmed the 30-day “entry ban” into the EU. Globally, coronavirus has spread to 140 countries, infecting 2.18 lakh and killing over 8,800 people, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. (Follow our full coverage on coronavirus pandemic here)

The death toll from coronavirus has topped 8,800 globally. In India, 151 positive cases have been reported. China registered no new domestic case today. Follow LIVE updates on COVID-19 pademic

Highlights

With countries sealing their borders partially or fully across the world due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, aviation sector has been hit extremely hard as most airlines globally have drastically curtailed their flight operations. Amid the crisis, IndiGo’s flight operations chief Ashim Mitra has written to the pilots that the economic environment in aviation sector has deteriorated significantly and it has become necessary to initiate some tough decisions over the next few days and weeks. 

The number of commuters on suburban trains of the Western Railway (WR) reduced by over 8 lakh on Tuesday, the day Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray appealed to people to avoid non-essential travel in view of the coronavirus outbreak in the state. According to WR, on Tuesday 32.60 lakh passengers travelled on their suburban trains as against 40.75 lakh on Monday (down 8.15 lakhs). “The number of commuters reduced by around 25 per cent,” said Ravinder Bhakar, chief spokesperson of WR. (PTI)

Indonesia needs to immediately widen its testing for coronavirus to ensure detection of more infections, President Joko Widodo said on Thursday. “I ask that the number of testing kits and the number of test centres are increased and we get more hospitals involved,” he said. On Wednesday, the Southeast Asian nation saw its biggest daily jump of 55 infections, for a total of 227 cases

Businesses across India are slowly beginning to feel the pinch of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, the Traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) had written to India’s trade minister Piyush Goyal, asking him to assess the impact of coronavirus, particularly on small traders and businesses in the country. The Indian Express team, spread across states, bring you stories of how small businesses from all over the country are battling the challenge. Read our report here

The number of coronavirus cases in Telangana reached 13 with a group of seven Indonesians and a youth, who returned from Scotland, testing positive for the virus on Wednesday. However, one of them has become a cause of worry for the state.

The religious preacher from Indonesia, part of a group of 10, was travelling across Karimnagar for at least three days before he tested positive. While seven others in the group have also since tested positive, it is tracing P-5’s direct and secondary contacts that has become a tedious task. It does not help that the state government is not forthcoming about information related to P-5, or for that matter the three other active cases before him.

Two members of the US House of Representatives, Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Ben McAdams of Utah, Wednesday they had tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the first members of Congress known to have contracted the respiratory illness. Diaz-Balart, a Republican, said in a statement he had been self-quarantining in Washington since voting on Friday on the floor of the House of Representatives. He said he had not returned home to South Florida because his wife’s pre-existing conditions put her at exceptionally high risk. McAdams said in a statement from West Jordan, Utah, that he had developed “mild cold-like” symptoms on Saturday evening after returning from Washington and isolated himself at home on Sunday. He and Diaz-Balart participated in House voting on a coronavirus response bill that went until late on Friday.

In Mumbai slums, with population densities among the highest anywhere in the world, social distancing is an impossibility. Though few have a history of foreign travel, the slums are home to drivers, domestic helps, vegetable vendors, and more, making them extremely vulnerable in case the virus spreads beyond local transmission. Currently, the biggest worry for slum-dwellers, who have all watched hand hygiene videos on WhatsApp in the past week, is access to clean water. Read here

In Mumbai slums, with population densities among the highest anywhere in the world, social distancing is an impossibility. Though few have a history of foreign travel, the slums are home to drivers, domestic helps, vegetable vendors, and more, making them extremely vulnerable in case the virus spreads beyond local transmission. Currently, the biggest worry for slum-dwellers, who have all watched hand hygiene videos on WhatsApp in the past week, is access to clean water. Read here

Welcome to The Indian Express live blog on coronavirus. In a major milestone, China has reported no new local case. India, on the other hand, has reported 151 cases till this morning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation today. Follow this space to track the live updates

Volunteers wait to check temperatures at the entrance of a street in Beijing

Even as the governments around the world grapple with how to implement border closures and lockdowns in the wake of novel coronavirus, the number of people infected by the COVID-19 worldwide has surpassed the 200,000 mark, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. While over 8,000 people have died, the number of people considered recovered has reached over 82,000. The countries with the most confirmed cases and deaths were China, Italy, Iran, Spain, France and Germany.

In India, the total number of confirmed cases has climbed to 151, including 14 who have recovered and three deaths, the Health Ministry said in its latest bulletin. In addition, the government informed Parliament that a total of 276 Indians have been infected with the infection abroad, including 255 in Iran.

Karnataka will be under lockdown till March 31. All public places including malls, cinema theatre, schools and colleges, and other places will remain shut. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has formed four task-force teams to contain the spread of COVID-19 and released Rs 200 crore for preventing the epidemic.

While Beijing’s sledgehammer approach — seen by many as a brutal experiment unprecedented in size and scope — worked to quickly lower the number of infections, the price in human trauma and economic loss was severe.

If Thursday’s numbers are more than a statistical blip, it would represent a remarkable turnaround for the Chinese government, which drew widespread public outrage when officials initially concealed and mismanaged the outbreak, even punishing the doctors who sought to raise the alarm.

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