Indian Coronavirus cases rise to 468, after nine dead and 34 cured

• The government of India on Sunday decided to lockdown 75 districts across India after the seven deaths in the country.
• Services of Ola and Uber will not be available in Delhi till March 31 amid the lockdown announced by the state government.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) is considering “airborne precautions” for medical staffers after a Coronavirus study showed that the virus could survive in the air.

The number of Coronavirus infected people in India is heralding the onset of the third and critical phase of the pandemic. The Indian Council for Medical Research data showed that India now has 415 infected people; out of which 23 recovered and seven died.

Karnataka bars non-essential services in 9 districts

The Karnataka government on Monday barred non-essential services in nine districts with certain exceptions to ensure social distancing and isolation to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The restrictions will apply to revenue districts of Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Kalaburagi, Chikballapur, Mysuru, Madhugiri, Dharwad, Mangaluru and Belagavi from 12 am on Monday to 12 am on April 1.

"To adopt strict social distancing and isolation measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, the government of Karnataka in exercise of the powers conferred under The Karnataka Epidemic Diseases COVID-19 Regulations 2020 has imposed the following restrictions," said an official statement.

TN allocates ₹500 cr for prevention

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K.Palaniswami on Monday said an additional sum of ₹500 crore will be allocated for preventive measures against the spread of Coronavirus in the state.

Announcing this in the state Palaniswami said a sum of Rs.60 crore was earlier allocated for preventing the spread of Coronavirus in the state and now an additional sum of Rs.500 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose.

Maha toll rises to 3 after a Filipino dies

A 68-year old Filipino national succumbed to the coronavirus, taking the state total to three dead and 89 infected, officials said on Monday.

The foreigner had initially tested positive and was admitted to the Kasturba Hospital. Later he recovered and tested negative after which he was shifted to a private hospital where he succumbed late on Sunday.

The patient suffered from diabetes mellitus and asthma, and subsequently developed acute kidney failure and severe breathing problems to which he succumbed.

Lockdown in 75 districts: Indian government

The government of India on Sunday decided to lockdown 75 districts across India after the seven deaths were reported. The list of districts including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are going on lockdown starting Monday. All public transports including metros, trains and other facilities will be suspended till March 31 across several states while the lockdown will allow only essential services like food supply, dairy and pharma to function.

Uber, Ola to suspend services in Delhi till March 31

Services of Ola and Uber will not be available in Delhi till March 31 amid the lockdown announced by the state government.

The Delhi government on Sunday announced lockdown from March 23 to 31, under which no public transport, including private buses, taxis and autorickshaws will be allowed.

“Uber is complying with all Central and State Government directives related to its services for containing the spread of Coronavirus,” an Uber spokesperson said in response to a query.

An Ola spokesperson said the company “will enable a minimal network of vehicles to support essential services in cities, wherever applicable, as part of this national effort to reduce the contagion of COVID-19”.

KLM flight with Indian nationals stranded in Amsterdam lands in Delhi

A day after being denied permission to land in India, a KLM flight with 113 Indians who were stranded in Amsterdam landed in New Delhi on Sunday evening.

Government sources had on Sunday indicated that a special KLM flight would be allowed to enter India on Sunday as a special case.

The Indians, returning from the US, had been stranded in Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport for four days without food or water or place to sleep after their flight was turned back mid-air two hours away from Delhi airport.

MP cases rise to 6, after two more tests positive

With another man from Jabalpur testing positive on Sunday, the number of Coronavirus cases rose to six in Madhya Pradesh.

Till Friday, there were only four positive cases— three who returned from Dubai and one from Germany— had tested positive in Jabalpur.

A sixth victim is a man in his early 40s who works at a shop in Dubai. He was hospitalised for Covid-19 in Jabalpur, health officials said.

Hours before him, a 26-year-old woman studying law, who returned from London tested positive for COVID-19, an official said. She is the first COVID-19 case in the state capital.

Andhra reports the first case of local Covid-19 transmission

Andhra Pradesh on Sunday reported the first case of local transmission of Covid-19 as a woman, close contact of a man tested positive earlier, was found infected.

With this, the total number of Covid-19 cases rose to six in the state.

The 49-year-old was a close contact of a 65-year-old male patient, who had returned from Saudi Arabia. The man had reached Hyderabad Airport from Saudi Arabia and then travelled to Visakhapatnam on March 12. He was admitted to Government Chest Hospital Visakhapatnam on March 17 and tested positive.

Study shows Coronavirus can survive in the air

The World Health Organization is considering “airborne precautions” for medical staffers after a Coronavirus study showed that the virus could survive in the air.

Coronavirus was said to be transmitted through droplets of saliva, and mostly through sneezing or coughing.

In a virtual news conference on Monday Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s emerging diseases unit, said, “When you do an aerosol-generating procedure like in a medical care facility, you have the possibility to what we call aerosolize these particles, which means they can stay in the air a little bit longer.”

Vehicle production to be largely impacted

Following the lockdown, Toyota’s India joint venture halted production of cars at its Bidadi plant. Followed by two-wheeler major Honda Motorcycle India and Hyundai Motor India will also suspend vehicle production at its Chennai facility from Monday till further notice as a measure to stop the spread of Coronavirus, the company has said.

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