Breaking news: Uttar Pradesh declares coronavirus 'contagious epidemic', all school, colleges shut till March 22

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New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday (March 13) declared the COVID-19 a 'contagious epidemic' and directed all educational institutions in the state to remain closed till March 22 to deal with the lethal infection. 

Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, " all schools, colleges, technical and vocational education institutes will remain closed till March 22. We will review the situation on March 22 and will take a decision whether to extend it or not." The Chief Minister further announced that while exams which are going on in school and colleges will continue but the ones which are set to start will be postponed. 

He added that the state had issued an advisory in this regard in the past. 

The Chief Minister assured that the state government had been taking all necessary precautionary measures to deal with the crisis and informed that every district in the state has an isolation ward with 820 beds. 

He said that so far, at least 11 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, out of which 10 are being treated in Delhi while one is in Lucknow's King George's Medical University (KGMU).