New Delhi:
India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday reported a second death in the country in New Delhi, its capital, due to coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases jumped to 82.
A Delhi woman, who had got the viral infection from her son, has succumbed to her illness. Another Delhi resident working in Noida has tested positive for coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases soared to 82 on Friday.
First Covid-19 fatality was reported on Thursday after a 76-year-old man who died two days ago was tested positive
The woman was the sixth case of coronavirus to be reported from the capital and had other conditions including high blood pressure and diabetes.
So far, a total of 82 positive cases of Coronavirus have been traced in the country, according to the data provided by the Union health ministry. Among the 82, there are 17 foreign nationals and 65 Indians who have tested positive for coronavirus. Five people have been cured so far, and two people have succumbed to it. A maximum of 19 positive cases have been reported from the state of Kerala including the three cured patients who had returned from China’s Hubei province.
After Kerala, 14 cases have been reported in Maharashtra and 10 Indians and one foreigner have been tested positive in Uttar Pradesh. A Google employee in Bangalore has also been tested positive. There are reports of an Australian cricketer also getting infected by the COVID-19 virus..
Around 4,000 people who had come in contact with the infected people have been identified and were being tracked while 42,000 people across the country are under community surveillance, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Aggarwal said at a news conference.
Officials from multiple central ministries, including Home, Civil Aviation and Health, addressed reporters in the national capital and cautioned against panicking, saying the outbreak was "not a health emergency".
Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar, the Director of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), who was also at the press briefing, said that overall 6,700 samples had been tested for COVID-19 across 52 centres in the country; this is set to increase to 65 centres soon.
Masks, including N95, and hand sanitisers as ''essential commodities'
Meanwhile, the government on Friday declared masks, including N95, and hand sanitisers as ''essential commodities'' in the wake of the coronavirus scare leading to shortages and black marketing of these items.
These items will remain under essential commodities segment till June-end, a move aimed at ensuring availability at reasonable prices and cracking down on hoarders/black marketeers.
Maharashtra
With 17 confirmed coronavirus patients found in Maharashtra, the state government on Friday ordered closure of cinema theatres, gymnasiums and swimming pools in cities of Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad till March30.The closure order will come into effect from Friday midnight, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said, announcing that the government has invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 to tackle the virus outbreak.
Orissa
Coronavirus has been declared as a state disaster in Odisha today.The state government has published new guidelines to fight against the outbreak.The chief minister Naveen Patnaik has sanctioned Rs. 200 crores to fight against coronavirus outbreak.Patnaik says it is the biggest disaster and challenge of the century.
The announcement has been made in accordance with the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
SC restricts hearing
The Supreme Court on Friday took note of global pandemic Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and decided that only urgent matters shall be taken up for hearing and no persons except concerned lawyers will be allowed inside its courtrooms.
The decision was taken in a meeting presided over by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde after taking note of the Centre's March 5 advisory cautioning against mass gatherings.
"On reviewing the advisory issued by the Government of India and in view of the opinion of public health experts including medical professionals and also considering the safety and welfare of all the visitors, litigants, lawyers, court staff, security, maintenance and support staff, student interns and media professionals, the Competent Authority has been pleased to direct that the functioning of the Courts shall be restricted to urgent matters with such number of Benches as may be found appropriate," the Supreme Court said in a notification.