Coronavirus outbreak in India: Total positive cases rise to 50
NEW DELHI : The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) on Tuesday asked its devotees in the aftermath of about 12 people turning coronavirus positive in Kerala to avoid coming to the famed Sabarimala temple when it opens for its monthly schedules in March.
TDB president N Vasu said now that the Kerala government has announced closing down all educational institutions for March, he wanted no gala festivities associated with religious establishments also.
“So what we have decided is in the present scenario, we wish to request all our devotees that they should best avoid coming to the Sabarimala temple when it opens for its monthly pujas. But if anyone comes without knowing, we have not decided if they would be stopped from going to the temple,” said Vasu.
The total number of coronavirus positive cases has gone up to 50, said Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary (Health), on Tuesday (March 10, 2020). Out of the 50 affected, 34 are Indian citizens while 16 are citizens of Italy.The places which reported coronavirus positive cases in India include – Kerala, Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Noida, Jammu, Pune, Punjab, Karnataka and Telangana.
India’s tally of coronavirus cases rose to 46 today as a couple from Pune tested positive, making it the first instance of the disease in Maharashtra. Both have a travel history to Dubai and have now been kept at an isolation ward.
Kerala reported two new cases on Tuesday, informed Health Minister KK Shailaja in a press conference. The two cases are of the parents of a 3-year-old child who was tested positive in Kerala on Monday (March 9, 2020). Earlier today, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed about six new cases taking the total number of positive cases in the state at 10.
Tamil Nadu, State Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar said that till date, 1,31,791 people were screened and 1,137 people who had come to Tamil Nadu from virus-hit countries were under home surveillance, the minister said.
In Jammu and Kashmir, 705 people are registered for observation and 491 put in house quarantine whereas 9 are in hospital quarantine and 53 are in Home Surveillance. 56 samples were sent for testing on Tuesday in which 26 reported as negative while one came as positive.
In order to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, various states including Delhi, Kerala and Jammu have shut their schools. Kerala CM Vijayan said that classes up to the seventh standard in the state will remain suspended till March 31. He, however, added that exams of Class 8, 9 & 10 will be conducted as per schedule.
A Bengaluru based software engineer, who returned home from the US recently, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first COVID-19 patient in Karnataka, said the state Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar.
In a related development, an Indian Air Force (IAF) military aircraft – C-17 Globemaster – carrying the first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims being brought back from coronavirus-hit Iran landed at Ghaziabad’s Hindon Air Force station on Tuesday.
The plane with 14 Air Force officials and 4 medical staff was being led by Wing Commander Karan Kapoor and it landed in Tehran at 2 am IST. This is the second time C17 is being sent to evacuate Indians this year. In February, India had sent C17 to evacuate Indians from Wuhan, China.(With Agency Inputs ).
