A day after Karnataka reported the country’s first fatality due to the novel coronavirus, the state government ordered the shutting down of malls, cinema halls, pubs, schools and colleges, summer camps, exhibitions and all other mass gathering events across the state for one week starting from Saturday.Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa made the announcement on Friday soon after an emergency meeting with his cabinet colleagues and officials to discuss precautionary measures taken to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. The CM said that the government has decided to ban mass gathering and cautioned people to stay at home.He also advised IT&BT companies to allow employees to work from home for one week . This, he said, was to avoid the transmission of virus. It could be noted that of the six virus infected in the state, three are IT employees.The government has also advised people against organising big events including wedding ceremonies that will see heavy footfall. “If you have already planned an event like marriage, restrict the number of attendees to 100,” the CM said.The chief minister said that the government will decide on lifting the ban after evaluating the situation after a week. “Exams will be held as per schedule,” he said. HeThe Delhi government on Thursday had announced the closure of malls and cinema halls till the end of the month.The country’s first death due to coronavirus has been reported from Karnataka after the state confirmed that samples of the deceased 76-year-old man from Kalaburgi were positive. The man had returned from Saudi Arabia on February 29.The government is now planning to equip a hospital in Bengaluru to exclusively treat persons with symptoms of coronavirus infection. “We are thinking of dedicating a 300-400 bed hospital to treat only virus-affected people. A team of doctors will visit various hospitals on Friday and take a call,” Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar told reporters.