India on Saturday reported 258 confirmed cases (including 39 foreigners) of COVID-19 coronavirus, a massive surge from the past few days. With the rise in the number of positive cases, India is moving towards a partial shutdown. The country has reported four deaths, one each in Punjab, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Karnataka.
A fifth death has also been reported from Rajasthan’s Jaipur where an Italian tourist, who had been reportedly cured of COVID-19 infection, passed away earlier today. However, the Health Ministry has not confirmed the same yet.
Meanwhile, the Government has maintained that there is no evidence of community transmission in the country so far.
On Friday, a high profile case of Coronavirus emerged as Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor, who had attended several gatherings in Lucknow, tested positive for the virus.
It is alleged that Kanika Kapoor, who recently tested positive for the novel Coronavirus after returning from the UK, had violated the mandatory home quarantine.
As per reports, BJP MP Dushyant Singh and his mother and former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje had attended a party in which the singer was also present. Two days later, Dushyant Singh met President Ram Nath Kovind and 100-odd parliamentarians on 18 March.
Nearly 100 MPs, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, Skill Development Minister Mahender Nath Pandey, Water Resources Minister Gajender Singh Shekhawat and Minister of State for Road Transport V.K. Singh, were at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 18 March to attend a breakfast meeting hosted by the President.
Dushyant had also been going to Parliament since attending the party in Lucknow.
Following the reports, a few of the parliamentarians have gone into self-quarantine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Thursday night asking the citizens to follow the advisories issued by the Government. “The world is passing through a huge crisis. This crisis has engulfed the entire human race. For the past two months, we have been watching with concern the news about coronavirus spreading across the world,” PM Modi said in his televised address.
PM Modi has also urged the citizens to observe a ‘Janata Curfew’ on March 22 from 7 am to 9 pm – a step to avoid public gatherings and to prevent the spread of the deadly novel Coronavirus.
The Government on Friday said the one-day cooperation through the ‘Janata Curfew’ declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will help break the chain of Coronavirus transmission in the country.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has informed that it will keep its services closed on March 22.
Meanwhile, in the light of the looming high risks posed by the Coronavirus Pandemic, the Government of India (GoI) declared Restricted Movement Order from 18 to 31 March 2020.
Globally, Italy has no respite from the deadly Coronavirus as the European nation reported 632 deaths on Saturday.
Meanwhile, China reported no domestically transmitted coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day even as seven more fatalities have been confirmed, taking the death toll in the country to 3255, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said on Saturday.
The death toll from the new Coronavirus has surpassed 5,000 in Europe, the new epicentre of the pandemic, with Italy, Spain and Germany reporting a steep rise in infections, and as worldwide fatalities surged past 11,000 on Saturday.
However, an estimated 2,35,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus globally and close to 10,000 have been confirmed dead, according to the World Health Organization.