The government has decided to treat coronavirus in India as a notified disaster for the purpose of providing assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), the Centre said on Friday. The government will provide monetary assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the victims, "including those involved in relief operations or associated in response activities, subject to certification regarding the cause of death from the appropriate authority".

There have been 83 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in India, which include 66 Indian citizens and 17 foreign nationals. The country has seen the first two COVID-19 deaths in the past two days. Globally, the total number of COVID-19 cases has touched 145,857, of which 5,436 people have died while 72,532 have recovered.

Check out all the latest updates on coronavirus outbreak on BusinessToday.In live blog

4.00 PM: Rs 4 lakh to victims of coronavirus

The government has decided to treat coronavirus in India as a notified disaster for the purpose of providing assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), the Centre said on Friday. The government will provide monetary assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the victims, "including those involved in relief operations or associated in response activities, subject to certification regarding the cause of death from the appropriate authority".

Government decides to treat #CoronavirusinIndia as a notified disaster for the purpose of providing assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).#CoronavirusPandemic#COVID19pic.twitter.com/A0x0BnlQ12 â€” PIB India (@PIB_India) March 14, 2020

3.44 PM: Stop panic over epidemic: IMA

Indian Medical Association has appealed to stop panic over coronavirus epidemic. "This epidemic by no means is a situation which has not been faced earlier. SARS 1, Swine flu, Nipah, etc, were on the same scale and considerable experience tells us that awareness, self-precautions, contact tracing and self-isolation are the public health measures required. Hand washing has emerged as the simple tool to fight the community spread. Masks for symptomless common people is not warranted. Healthcare workers and people with symptoms and possiblity of droplet infection need to wear masks," says the body

2.44 PM: Pakistan bans visits to Kartarpur Gurdwara

As part of precautionary measures over the novel coronavirus spread, Pakistan has banned its nationals from going to the Kartarpur Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. The Corridor, however, will stay operational and will be open for Indian nationals.

2.15 PM: BCCI discusses COVID-19 outbreak

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday met the Indian Premier League franchises owners at the Board headquarters here in Mumbai to discuss the Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) outbreak and its impact on the upcoming season. "The BCCI along with all the IPL franchises have reiterated BCCI's stand of putting safety and well-being of fans, athletes and employees as a priority. The board will continue to monitor and work closely with Government of India, state governments and other state regulatory bodies to decide on the future course of action in the best interest of public health," a BCCI statement said.

2.00 PM: West Bengal shuts down schools

The West Bengal has ordered closure of all schools, institutions and madarsas till March 31. The measure has been taken to contain the CVID-19 spread, which has claimed two lives in India.

1.51 PM: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on N95 masks

Jain says N95 masks should only be used by healthcare workers or those who are displaying symptoms, not healthy people. "We have also constituted teams to take action against hoarding & over charging (for masks and sanitisers)," he adds. - ANI

1.43 PM: Fresh case in Telangana

Another case of coronavirus was confirmed in Telangana on Saturday taking the total number of those infected to two, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said here. The patient with travel history to Italy has been admitted to the state-run Gandhi hospital in the city for quarantine purpose, Rao told the assembly. The samples of two others with suspected symptoms of the virus have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, he said. -- PTI

1.36 PM: Infosys vacates Bengaluru office building

Global IT services giant Infosys Limited has vacated one of its buildings in Bengaluru where a team member was suspect of coronavirus. In an email, Infosys' Bengaluru development centre head Gururaj Deshpande said the company evacuated only the IIPM building as a safety measure after a team member was suspected to have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus. Deshpande, in an email accessed by IANS, said: "Please note this is only to ensure the safety of our employees and we will sanitise the place for our safety." He also requested the employees to stay calm and ensure they are cautious and well-prepared. He also urged the employees to avoid all sorts of "information that is hearsay/rumours via any of the social media channels."

1.34 PM: CVID-19 infected woman escapes quarantine, takes Bengaluru-Delhi flight, train

A woman, whose husband was tested positive for COVID-19 virus, escaped the quarantine even though she was also infected with the deadly virus. The woman, who's the wife of a Google employee who was tested positive for coronavirus, managed to escape the quarantine in Bengaluru on March 8, suggest reports. She then also took a flight to New Delhi and travelled to her parent's place in Agra. The couple had visited Italy recently, one of the worst-hit countries with the deadly novel coronaviru for their honeymoon.

1.00 PM: US High Commission in Delhi cancels all visa appointment starting 16th March

The US High Commision in Delhi on its website said, "U.S. Mission India posts, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, are cancelling immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments from March 16, 2020, onward. Your visa appointment stands as cancelled. Once Mission India resumes regular consular operations, appointments will be made available and you will be able to reschedule."

12.52 PM: N95 masks, hand sanitizers declared essential commodities

A government notification by Consumer, Food and Public Distribution Ministry declared N95 masks and hand sanitizers as essential commodities under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The order is valid till June 30, 2020.

12.47 PM: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gahlot ordered shut down of public spaces till March 30





As a precautionary measure against spread of #CoronaVirus, State govt has decided that all schools, colleges, coaching centres, gymnasium, movie theatres & theatre halls will remain closed till 30th March. The move will not impact ongoing examinations in schools and colleges. â€” Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) March 14, 2020

12.42 PM: The Delhi Police Cybercrime branch cautioned people on handling mails links about coronavirus

Apply caution while handling mails/links about #CoronavirusPandemic



Cyber Security Firms have reported that cyber criminals are using COVID-19 pandemic to:

ðŸ‘‰ spread malware

ðŸ‘‰ launch spearphishing campaigns

ðŸ‘‰ launch Business Email Compromise attacks.https://t.co/eKbcJmmYVu â€” DCP Cybercrime (@DCP_CCC_Delhi) March 13, 2020

12.40 PM: Indo-Bangla passenger trains to remain suspended from March 15 to April 15, 2020

Indo-Bangladesh cross-border passenger trains(Maitree Express and Bandhan Express) shall remain suspended during the period March 15 to April 15, 2020, or till further orders, whichever is earlier according to an MHA advisory. Goods train will continue to run normally.

12.30 PM: NZ, Australia tighten border controls

New Zealand on Saturday announced the world's tightest border controls to combat the spread of coronavirus, requiring all incoming travellers, including its own citizens, to self-isolate for two weeks starting midnight Sunday. -- Reuters

12.20 PM: Death toll recedes in China

China reported 13 new coronavirus deaths, taking the toll due to the disease to 3,189, while the confirmed cases climbed to 80,824 with 11 more infections, as the country witnessed a rise in imported cases, health officials said on Saturday. Eleven new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection and 13 deaths were reported on the Chinese mainland on Friday, NHC said, adding all of the deaths were in the Hubei Province, the epicentre of the disease. The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,824 by the end of Friday. - PTI

12.15 PM: Coronavirus cases rise to 19 in Maharashtra

With two more persons testing positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra, the number of infected individuals in the state has gone up to 19, a health department official said on Saturday. One of the two new patients is from Ahmednagar city, the official said. However, he did not specify the location of the other patient. "Till Friday evening, the number of persons who tested positive for coronavirus was 17. The test reports of two more persons came late at night. As they were found positive, the count of infected persons in the state now stands at 19," the official told PTI.

12.10 PM: Notification on closure due to coronavirus fake: Maharashtra govt

The Maharashtra Government on Friday lodged a complaint with Cyber Police about a fake central government 'notification' about closure of colleges, schools and offices in view of coronavirus. The so-called notification, doing rounds on social media, claimed that it was issued by the Union Health and Family Welfare ministry. It purportedly declared holiday for educational institutions and other organizations which have more than ten employees from March 14 to 21, and said a fine of Rs 5,000 per day will be imposed if the order was violated. It claimed to be applicable to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim. This notification was completely fake, and a police complaint has been registered, the Chief Minister's Office said. - PTI

12.00 PM: US declares state of emergency

The United States declared a state of emergency Friday as many European countries went on a war footing amid mounting deaths as the world mobilized to fight the widening coronavirus pandemic. At the White House, where President Donald Trump made the emergency decree, drug company executives vowed to work together and with the government to quickly expand the country's coronavirus testing capabilities, which are far behind those in many countries. "We will defeat this threat," Trump told a news conference. "When America is tested, America rises to the occasion." - PTI