Coronavirus outbreak: India prohibits entry of passengers from Europe, UK and Turkey; Global death toll rises 7000

The number of coronavirus cases touched 114 in the country on Monday after fresh cases were reported from Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Kerala. The tally of 114 includes 17 foreigners.

ANI photo

New Delhi: Indian government on Monday (March 16) decided to restrict all airlines from flying India-bound passengers from European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association, Turkey and United Kingdom (UK) with effect from March 18, 2020, to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

The government also issued an order for compulsory quarantine of minimum 14 days for travellers coming from or transiting to UAE, Qatar, Oman or Kuwait. Both the orders will be applicable till March 31 and after that, and the administration will review the situation and take further decisions, according to the government order.

The Ministry of Health has also issued a detailed advisory on social distancing asking people to avoid all kinds of non-essential travels. The government has already issued an advisory for the closure of all educational establishments, gyms, museums, social centres and movie theatres to avoid any kind of public gathering during the emergency situation.

#COVID19 #SocialDistancing Advisory

Closure of all educational establishments (schools, universities etc), gyms, museums, cultural & social centres, swimming pools & theatres. @PMOIndia @drharshvardhan @AshwiniKChoubey @PIB_India @DDNewslive @airnewsalerts @MIB_India — Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) March 16, 2020

The government is also encouraging private sector organizations and employers to opt for the system of work from home wherever feasible.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also urged people to share technology-driven solutions for COVID-19 on @mygovindia and declared prize money of 1 lakh rupee for the winner.

Harnessing innovation for a healthier planet.

A lot of people have been sharing technology-driven solutions for COVID-19.

I would urge them to share them on @mygovindia. These efforts can help many. #IndiaFightsCorona https://t.co/qw79Kjtkv2

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 16, 2020

The state governments are also taking all possible steps to stop the spread of the virus. The Assam government ordered all tiger reserves, sanctuaries and national parks in the state from March 17 to 29 to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar declared that the state government will bear the entire expenses of corona positive patients under Mukhyamantri Chikitsa Sahayata Kosh Yojana and will provide ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh to the kin of people who die due to coronavirus. He further urged the people of Bihar to take necessary precautions as coronavirus cases have already reached Nepal and Uttar Pradesh which share a border with the state.

The West Bengal's State Election Commission, however, deferred the Municipal body elections in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak. The Bengal government has created Rs 200 crore emergency fund and set up 200 beds quarantine ward in Kolkata to deal with coronavirus emergency.  

As the number of coronavirus positive cases rose to 38 in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said that the next 15 to 20 days important for the state asking people to be extra careful and avoid crowds at temples, mosques, and churches.

Religious places like Mumbai's Siddhivinayak Temple, Baba Mahakal temple have also closed for devotees till further notice. Vaishno Devi Temple and Delhi Gurdwara have put a restriction on foreigners.

All ASI-protected monuments like Taj Mahal, India Gate and central museums across India will remain shut till March 31 in view of coronavirus, said Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel.

The Supreme court of India took a suo moto cognisance of conditions in remand homes where juveniles in conflict with the law are lodged, saying that mass gathering is a big problem and it can become center for the spread of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases touched 114 in the country on Monday after fresh cases were reported from Odisha, Jammu&Kashmir, Ladakh, and Kerala. The tally of 114 includes 17 foreigners.

The government has issued a 24x7 toll-free national helpline number 1075 to help people with any health-related queries on COVID19.

The death toll due to coronavirus crossed 7000 mark globally on Monday with countries like Iran, Spain, and Italy witnessing a massive outbreak of the disease. The total number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 178,883 and 77,868 have been recovered.

Italy reported 349 new virus deaths, taking its total from last month to 2,158, the most after China, while Iran reported 129 new deaths, with toll rising to 853 amid 14,991 confirmed cases. Iraq has also suspended flights at its domestic airports from March 17 to March 24.

On Sunday, mainland China, however, reported a drop in new coronavirus infections but some of the major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai continued to fight with cases of infected travellers arriving from abroad. The total positive cases in China now stands at 80,880.