Delhi govt declares coronavirus an epidemic DAY’S UPDATES: IPL looking at closed-door matches, Cannes may put off film fest

TT bureau and agencies, 12 March 2020, New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday declared the coronavirus outbreak an epidemic and shut all cinema halls, schools and colleges, except those where exams are on, till March 31.

The government also made it compulsory to disinfect daily all public places, including government and private offices and shopping malls.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting attended by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal and top government officials.

The chief minister said the Delhi government was making arrangements for quarantine facilities at vacant flats owned by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and under-construction hospitals.

"All cinema halls will remain shut till March 31. Also, all schools and colleges, except those where exams are being held, will remain shut till March 31 due to the outbreak. The government has declared it an epidemic," he said.

Kejriwal said his government was fully prepared to deal with the outbreak, asserting that more than 500 beds in hospitals are ready to admit coronavirus patients if needed.

Here are some of the key updates on Thursday:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged people to avoid non-essential travel and large gatherings to break the chain of spread of coronavirus and said his government was fully vigilant about the situation. He asked people to say "no to panic” and “yes to precautions”. In a series of tweets, he also said that no minister of the central government will travel abroad in the upcoming days.

Singapore launches probe to identify 95 citizens who took part in a religious gathering in Malaysia, a top minister says

Scientists in Israel are expected to announce in the coming days that they have completed development of a vaccine for coronavirus, media report says.

Sports ministry hints that IPL could be held in empty stadiums due to coronavirus.                 

Asserting that the team of Cannes Film Festival was “not oblivious” to the coronavirus pandemic, president of festival said the 2020 edition will be cancelled if the outbreak worsens.

US defence secretary Mark Esper's visit to India on March 15-16 has been called off, defence ministry officials say.

The Indian boxing team, returning from the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Jordan, will be “home-quarantined”, the national federation says.

Three women were arrested for allegedly administrating fake coronavirus vaccines to villagers in Maharashtra's Jalna district, police say.

Indian customs bars passengers arriving from 15 nations, including China, the US, Italy and South Korea, from entering duty-free shopping area at the Delhi airport.

Authorities in Pune warn of penal action against those who reveal identity of patients testing positive for coronavirus on social media platforms.

The number of international passengers arriving at India's airports reduces to around 62,000 per day from 70,000, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri says.

Two students from Maharashtra's Amravati district are stranded in Italy, prompting their parents to urge the local MP to facilitate their safe return to India.

Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) decides to put on hold all national and state championships till April 15.

A spectator who attended the ICC Women's T20 World Cup final between India and Australia tested positive for coronavirus infection, the Melbourne Cricket Ground says, but insisted the risk of him infecting others was low.

Coronavirus cases continue to drop sharply in China which has reported 11 new fatalities, taking the death toll to 3,169, while in the worst-hit Wuhan, cases dropped to single digit with eight new infections, amid a surge in “imported COVID-19 cases” in the country.

Investor wealth worth over Rs 8 lakh crore was wiped off as equity markets crashed amid global equity sell-off after WHO termed coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

Indian rupee plunges 82 paise to 74.50 against US dollar in opening trade after the WHO declared coronavirus a pandemic.

Equity benchmark Sensex plummets over 1,800 points and the broader Nifty gave up the 10,000 level in opening session as worsening rout in world markets.

Matches of the Road Safety World Series, featuring greats such as Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, will be held behind closed doors in Maharashtra.

Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks has revealed that he and wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for coronavirus.

US president Donald Trump has announced he is suspending all travel from Europe, excluding the UK, to the US for the next 30 days.