India has gone into a near-complete lockdown with 30 states and union territories having announced shut down by Monday to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, which continues to claim lives world over. There is a complete lockdown in as many as 548 districts of the country affecting several hundred million people.
Three states -- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha -- have announced lockdown in select districts with the governments continuously monitoring the situation and ready to extend the restrictions to other districts as well. The Union Territory of Lakshadweep has announced restrictions on certain activities.
Catch all the highlights here:
9:06PM: With coronavirus cases rapidly increasing in the southern state, Kerala crossed the 100-mark with 14 new cases being reported today, taking the total number of people undergoing treatment to 105.
7:39PM: Eight more coronavirus cases confirmed in Karnataka, tally goes up to 41: state health department.
7:03PM: Coronavirus Cases In India Rise To 519 | The number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 519, according to Health Ministry data. According to the figures updated at 5.45 pm, the number of active COVID-19 cases are 470 while 40 people have been cured, discharged or migrated.
6:14PM: Japan has asked for a one-year postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games over the global coronavirus pandemic, and the International Olympic Committee has agreed, the country's prime minister said today.
5:27PM: We have set up 5-member doctor team to suggest plan to deal with situation if Delhi reaches stage 3 of coronavirus pandemic, says Arvind Kejriwal.
5:22PM: Construction workers to be given Rs 5,000 by Delhi govt as their livelihood has been affected due to coronavirus outbreak, says CM Arvind Kejriwal.
5:14PM: No case of coronavirus reported in last 40 hours in Delhi, says CM Arvind Kejriwal.
4:34PM: Six more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra. 107 people are now affected with coronavirus in the state.
4:18 PM: A 47-year-old woman with no recent history of foreign travel tests positive for COVID-19 in Noida, Officials said.
3:48 PM: Five more people, including a woman from Bengaluru tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday morning, raising the total cases to 38 in Karnataka, an official said.
3:46 PM: Two more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Srinagar, taking the total number of cases in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to six, a senior official said on Tuesday.
3:44 PM: Iran reports 122 new coronavirus deaths, raising toll to 1,934
3:11PM: Economic package is being worked out and will be announced sooner, says FM
3:05PM: Debit card holders who withdraw cash from any bank's ATM can do it free of charge for the next 3 months. There will be no minimum balance requirement fee imposed by banks: FM Sitharaman
3:00PM: May consider suspending Section 7, 9 and 10 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code at a later stage, if the existing situation continues beyond six months, announces FM Sitharaman
2:58PM: As FM Sitharaman announces relief measures amid coronavirus crisis, Sensex jumps 1183.74 points at 27,164.98; Nifty climbs 314.55 at 7,924.80
2:54PM: Threshold limit for default raised to Rs. 1 crore from Rs. 1 lakh to prevent triggering of insolvency proceedings against MSMEs, says FM
2:52PM: There was a requirement to invest 15% of debentures maturing during a particular year in specified instruments before April 30, 2020. Now, that can be done by June 30, 2020, says FM
2:50PM: For newly incorporated companies, there is a requirement to file declaration within 6 months of incorporation, we are giving them another 6-month extension, says FM
2:46PM: Mandatory requirement of holding board meetings is being relaxed by a period of 60 days, this relaxation is for the next two quarters.
2:42PM: During this period, although there is lockdown, we dont want to put exporters and importers in difficulty as many raw material is coming and going. Therefore, customs clearance till June 30, 2020 will operate 24x7 as an essential service, says FM
2:41PM: Date for opting for composition scheme is also extended to June 30, 2020
2:40PM: For companies which have less than Rs 5 crore turnover, no interest, no late fee & no penalty will be charged. For companies with turnover over & above Rs 5 crore, no late fee & penalty but interest will be charged at a reduced rate of 9%
2:39PM: Last date for filing March, April & May 2020 GST returns & also composition returns extended to June 30, 2020, says FM
2:30PM: Aadhaar-PAN linking date extended to June 30, 2020. Vivad se Vishwas scheme has also been extended to June 30, 2020. And from now on to June 30, there is no 10% additional charge, says FM Sitharaman
2:27PM: Last date for income tax returns for financial year 2018-19 will now be extended to June 30, 2020. For delayed payments, interest rate has been reduced to 9%
2:22PM: Work is going on and we are very close to coming up with an economic package that will be announced sooner rather than later, says FM
2:19PM: FM Sitharaman addresses media via video conference
2:08PM: US President Donald Trump indicates that he is unlikely to follow the suggestion of his medical advisors on a complete shutdown to tackle the coronavirus outbreak as he says such a move would have tremendous repercussions on the country's economy.
2:03PM: UP govt decides to extend lockdown to entire state to check spread of coronavirus, duration to be announced shortly, reports PTI quoting officials
1:58PM: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to adrress media shortly
1:54 PM: Tamil Nadu reports three fresh positve cases of coronavirus, taking the total number of cases to 15. All three had travelled abroad, says the government.
1:30 PM: In a bid to prevent shortage of essential commodities in the locked down districts of the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued directives on not stopping the vehicles carrying these items.
"Some restrictions have been imposed because of the lockdown in some districts on movement of vehicles and trucks carrying goods have been stopped. This could lead to shortage of essential commodities,” the directives issued by Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Kumar Awasthi said.
1:20 PM: Expressing concern over the plight of construction workers after the country-wide lockdown over coronavirus, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce emergency measures, including wage support to those in distress.
1:07 PM: Two patients who tested positive for Coronavirus in Ladakh have been completely cured. Total positive cases in Ladakh as of now are 11.
12:29 PM: A 65-year-old Coronavirus patient from UAE passed away in Mumbai on Monday. He was admitted to Kasturba Hospital, officials said.
12:08 PM: China says it lifts the travel curbs over coronavirus epicenter Hubei province and end the three-month lockdown of its capital Wuhan.
11:49 AM: The tally of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra reached 101 on Tuesday with three new cases in Pune and one in Satara, the state's health department said.
11:47 AM: In the last 24 hours, no new case of Coronavirus has been reported in Delhi. Five people have been discharged after treatment, says Arvind Kejriwal.
"The biggest challenge right now is that we don't have to let the situation turn uncontrollable, under any circumstance. Contribution of all is needed in achieving this," he said.
11:37 AM: Free supplies of ration, cash assistance of Rs 1,000 are some of the measures that have been announced by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Tuesday for the benefit of poor to tide over their livelihood problems owing to the lockdown of the state till March 31 to contain the spread of Coronavirus.
11:27 AM: Election Commission defers Rajya Sabha election scheduled for March 26 in view of coronavirus outbreak, said Official sources.
11:26 AM: The total number of active COVID-19 cases reported so far in the country stands at 446 while the number of people who have been cured or discharged stands at 36, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
11:11 AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8 PM today on vital aspects relating to the Coronavirus.
11:03 AM: 32 states and UTs announce complete lockdown covering 560 districts say Officials.
11:00 AM: Two more people test positive for coronavirus in West Bengal; number of afflicted goes up to eight, say officials.
10:49 AM: A 23-year-old woman in #Manipur tests positive. She has recent travel history to the UK.
10:38 AM: Nearly 500 coronavirus cases have been reported in India so far, according to Health Ministry data on Tuesday.
10:34 AM: China reported 78 new confirmed cases, including 74 imported infections, while the death toll from the novel coronavirus increased to 3,277 after seven more fatalities were confirmed from the COVID-19, health officials said on Tuesday.
10:33 AM: Total number of positive Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra rises to 101 including 3 new cases in Pune and 1 in Satara, says Health Department, Maharashtra.
10:31 AM: Two new positive cases of Coronavirus have been identified in Gujarat. Total number of Coronavirus patients in the state has risen to 33, says Gujarat Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi.
10:24 AM: Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die, nearly two weeks before schedule, as the Budget Session was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has said.
The productivity of Lok Sabha was about 90 per cent and that of Rajya Sabha was 74 per cent in this session, he said.
9:46 AM: Four new coronavirus positive cases have been reported in Uttar Pradesh taking the tally to 33 in the state.
One patient each was reported till Monday night from Pilibhit, Ghaziabad, Kanpur and Jaunpur.
9:15 AM: Gujarat's Vadodara has been placed under complete lockdown as the state has reported 30 positive cases of Coronavirus; shutdown to continue till March 31.
8:51 AM: The executive director of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Michael J Ryan, on Tuesday said India had a tremendous capacity to deal with the coronavirus outbreak as it has the experience of eradicating two pandemics -- small-pox and polio.
"There is a need in the number of labs where a surge is seen. India is a very populous country and the future of this virus will be considered in a very highly and densely populated country. India led the world in eradicating two pandemics, small-pox and polio so India has a tremendous capacity," J Ryan said during a daily press brief on COVID-19 pandemic.
7:57 AM: US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to prevent hoarding of vital medical supplies and personal protective equipment as the country for the first time registered over 130 deaths in a day due to coronavirus.
7:52 AM: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday ordered a 21-day lockdown to stem the tide of deadly coronavirus that has so far claimed over 14,000 lives across the globe. "Those countries that have acted swiftly and dramatically have been far more effective in controlling the spread of the disease. As a consequence, the national coronavirus command council has decided to enforce a nationwide lockdown for 21 days with effect from midnight on Thursday from the 26th of March," informed Ramaphosa in a video posted on his Twitter account.
7:46 AM: A total of 63,927 coronavirus cases have been assessed in Italy since the pandemic broke out in its northern regions on February 21, the Civil Protection Department managing the COVID-19 emergency has said, adding that 601 fatalities were also registered on Monday, with the death toll reaching 6,077.
7:40 AM: Cuba will quarantine foreign tourists from Tuesday when it seals its borders to guard against the spread of the new coronavirus, the prime minister has said, in a move cutting one of the communist country's few revenue sources.
7:35 AM: Delhi Police has registered 1,012 cases in different areas of the national capital on the first day of the lockdown implemented to prevent the spread of coronavirus epidemic that has claimed at least nine lives in India so far.
A police officer said on Monday that most of these cases were registered under Section 188 of the IPC and Delhi Police Act.
