India records 170 COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths
New Delhi, Mar 19: The total number of coronavirus cases across the country has risen to 170 with Maharashtra topping with the highest 47 cases. Besides, two new cases, one from Kashmir and another from Chandigarh were also reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the nation tonight at 8 pm on the coronavirus situation and the efforts to combat it, Prime Ministers’ Office said. “PM Shri @narendramodi will address the nation on 19th March 2020 at 8 PM, during which he will talk about issues relating to COVID-19 and the efforts to combat it,” the PMO tweeted.
The World Health Organization has confirmed that there were 207,860 coronavirus cases all over the world and 8657 deaths were reported from166 countries due to this virus as of March 18. India accounted for 3 deaths and 170 plus patients of COVID-19.
The administration in Srinagar has imposed restrictions on the movement of people and stopped the public transport after a 65-year-old woman tested positive for coronavirus in Kashmir.
The southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka reported one new case each. A patient in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh has tested positive for COVID-19 while in Karnataka the new case is found in Kodagu taking the total count in the state to 15.
Chandigarh too reported the first case of COVID-19. The condition of this patient is said to be stable, a senior official said.
155 trains canceled: The railways canceled 84 more trains taking the total number to 155 between March 20 and 31 in view of the coronavirus and a smaller number of passengers. The railways had canceled 99 trains earlier.
“All passengers having tickets in these trains are being informed about it individually,” the official said.
JEE for IIT deferred: The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for IIT and Engineering colleges conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) of the HRD Ministry has also been deferred due to coronavirus outbreak. The exams were scheduled from April 5 to 11. The new date will be decided in accordance with the board exams schedule and other such competitive examinations to ensure there is no clash, a senior official said.
In view of the outbreak, the CBSE, ISC and ICSE boards have postponed the board examinations. Most universities too have followed the suit.
Temple festivals in Kerala are also affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The temple authorities have put up display board warning the devotees against crowding the annual festival at Palkulangara Sree Bhagavathy temple in Thiruvananthapuram that began from today.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages about 1,200 temples, has taken the lead in observing the protocol set by the government. The board has issued a circular to the temple advisory committees comprising mostly residents in each locale to suspend all cultural programs and mass feasts held as part of the festivals till normalcy returns.