Punjab records its first coronavirus death; taking the toll to 4 in India

• A 70-year-old man died due to coronavirus in Punjab, he had returned from Germany via Italy to Delhi earlier this month.
  
• Telangana on Wednesday reported eight coronavirus positive cases, taking the total number of cases in the state to 13.
  
• The Central Board of Secondary Education postponed all board examinations for Class 10 and 12 scheduled between March 19 and March 31.
  
• A suspected coronavirus patient admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital committed suicide on Wednesday by jumping from the hospital building.
  
• In Kerala, the total number of people under observation went up to 25,603, which includes 237 people in hospitals.
  

India saw a steep rise in the number of infected cases after 28 new cases were reported from 10 states on Wednesday (March 18), taking the total number of infected people to 184.

Eight people from Telangana alone, three each from Rajasthan and Karnataka, two from Delhi, UP and Maharashtra each and one each from Gurgaon, Ladakh, Tamil Nadu and J&K reported the infection.

Punjab records first death due to coronavirus

Punjab reported its first death in the state due to coronavirus. The current number of active patients in Punjab stands at 2 and 167 in the country, according to the latest data available on the Ministry of Health and Welfare website.

The patient was a 70-year-old man, who had returned from Germany via Italy to Delhi earlier this month.

Noida HCL employee tests positive

IT major HCL Technologies said one of its employees at one of its Noida offices who was in self-isolation following an international travel has been tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The employee is currently in an isolation ward and "all measures are being taken to provide best medical care to him and support to his family", HCL Technologies said, adding that all other employees are in good health and are being monitored continuously.

"All prescribed protocols of sanitisation and contact tracing have been done," it added.

Seven more Indonesians test positive in Telangana

Telangana on Wednesday (March18) reported eight coronavirus positive cases, including seven Indonesians, taking the total number of cases in the state to 13.

An Indonesian had tested positive on Tuesday, and the other seven were the part of a 10-member group which had come to Telangana's Karimanagar town earlier this week for a religious meeting.

Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar will chair an emergency meeting on today (March 19).

Indian Umrah pilgrims flown back from Saudi

The last batch of Indian Umrah pilgrims was flown back to India on Wednesday, completing the total evacuation of over 3,000 pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia following the suspension of all flights due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

"With the departure of 185 Indian Umrah pilgrims from Jeddah to Mumbai through a special Indigo aircraft at 1435 hrs today, the final phase of the evacuation of 3,035 Indian Umrah pilgrims culminated today," the India-Saudi consulate general said in a post on its Facebook page.

Kerala continues on high alert, 25,603 people under observation

For the second day in succession, no fresh case of coronavirus has been reported in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday (March 18) night.

Vijayan, however, said that one has to be extremely cautious to continue the good work that all have been doing to prevent the spread. He also said that even though no fresh cases were registered, the total number of people under observation went up to 25,603, which includes 237 people in hospitals.

'State vs virus', Maha cases rise to 45 cases

The number of cases shot up from 41 to 45 with new cases testing positive from Mumbai, Pune and Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.

The government has come up with more testing and quarantine facilities. This is besides the all-out efforts implemented to avoid crowds in public areas and workplaces.

CM Uddhav Thackeray reviewed the situation on Wednesday (March 18) with all the concerned departments and said that a limit of 50% staff would be implemented in all government departments.

He said the number of suburban trains and buses would be reduced, standees won't be permitted and those seating would be kept at a safe distance as precautionary measures.

Suspected Covid-19 patient commits suicide in Delhi

A suspected novel coronavirus patient admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital committed suicide on Wednesday (March 18) by jumping off the hospital building.

According to the police, the deceased was a 35-year old man from Punjab with a travel history to Sydney. The man was admitted to the hospital from the Delhi Airport on Wednesday at about 9 p.m. only as a suspected Covid-19 case.

Speaking to IANS, Safdarjung Hospital spokesperson Dinesh Narayan said, "Yes, a person has committed suicide by jumping from the hospital building. However, we are yet to ascertain if he was Covid-19 positive."

3 in a family test positive in Rajasthan

Three people from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan have tested positive for Coronavirus on Wednesday (March 18), state Health Minister Raghu Sharma said.

All three - a couple and their two-year-old daughter - returned from Italy on March 8. Soon after their return, their samples were collected and sent to SMS Hospital in Jaipur, which came back positive. Now, all three of them are being shifted to Jaipur for treatment. Movement restrictions have been enforced within a radius of 1 kilometre of their residence.

Tihar Jail bars families till March 31

"In view of the prevailing threat of coronavirus, the family/visitor mulaqat of prisoners (normally twice in a week) shall remain suspended from March 19 to March 31," said Sandeep Goyal, Director General, Tihar Central Jail.

Meetings of the prisoners with their advocates and legal aides would go on. However, the said changes won't affect the system of calls between the inmates and their families.

Section 144 imposed in Noida

Amid the novel Coronavirus outbreak in the country, the Noida Police Commissionerate on Wednesday (March 18) ordered the imposition of Section 144 in Gautam Buddha Nagar to restrict gathering of people.

The Noida Police Commissionerate said in a tweet, "In view of the emergency situation arising out of threat of coronaVirus, and following Section 144 of CrPC, it is announced that no social, political, cultural, religious, sports and business gatherings shall be allowed in Gautam Budh Nagar district till April 5, 2020."

CBSE postpones Class 10, 12 board exams till March 31

In the wake of coronavirus breakout, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday postponed all board examinations for Class 10 and 12 scheduled between March 19 and March 31.

The decision comes in compliance with the instruction received by the CBSE from Secretary of Department of Higher Education.

"All ongoing examinations of the board for classes 10 and 12, being held in examination centres in India and abroad, and scheduled between March 19 to March 31, shall be rescheduled after March 31, 2020," a statement by CBSE read.

J&K to send foreign tourists back

Four foreign tourists who arrived in J&K on Wednesday would be sent back on Thursday (March 19), said deputy commissioner Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Choudhary.

He said the tourists were not aware of the ban on entry of foreign visitors, ordered by the J&K government late Tuesday night in the wake of Coronavirus.

Source: Ministry of Health and family Welfare, as of 10:10am.

SEE ALSO: coronavirus: Latest News, Articles on coronavirus | Business Insider India