NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 15
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday said that the total number of positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID19) disease increased to 107 after 12 fresh cases were reported from Maharashtra. The deadly virus has claimed two lives so far. A total of nine persons who tested positive, including three from Kerala, three from Uttar Pradesh, two from Delhi, and one from Telangana, have recovered and been discharged.
Delhi has reported seven cases so far, two of them are dead. Most schools and colleges in the country have shut down, offices are encouraging their employees to work from home, cinema halls are shut and festivals and convocations stand cancelled. Parliament has barred visitors.
The Uttarakhand government has declared novel coronavirus an epidemic and shut all multiplexes, cinema halls, degree colleges and technical institutes across the state till March 31, official sources said. A total of 117 people with novel coronavirus-like symptoms have been put in home isolation in Mizoram, a senior health official said on Sunday. Though Mizoram has not yet reported any positive case of coronavirus, 117 people have been home quarantined as a precautionary measure, Health department principal director F Lallianhlira.
Karnataka Education department on Sunday cancelled the examinations of class 7th, 8th and 9th students in the state till March 31. State education minister S Suresh Kumar confirmed the same. The department added that the tentative dates for the examinations will be announced later. However, the exams of Class 10 and PUC public exams will be held as scheduled.
In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has ordered the suspension of classes for KG to Std V students till March 31. And also shut down of malls, cinema theatres and avoiding mass gatherings like marriages
Meanwhile, a Dubai-bound Emirates flight from Kochi carrying 286 passengers was grounded before take-off and all the passengers were offloaded after one person tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease on Sunday, Kochi airport officials. The passenger, officials said, was a UK tourist who had boarded the flight after he slipped out of quarantine from a hotel in Munnar.
