From Delhi schools to IPL: 10 key updates on Coronavirus you need to know

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that all cinema halls to remain shut in Delhi till 31st March. Schools and colleges where exams are not being held will also remain closed

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Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says cinema halls will shut in Delhi till March 31. Schools and colleges where exams are not being held will also closed. The Rashtrapati Bhavan has closed all public tour visits from Friday as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus, official spokesman said on Thursday.

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The Health Ministry on Thursday allayed fears of the Coronavirus as number of cases topped 73 in the country. Mask is not always needed and there is no need to panic, said Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry. The ministry during its press briefing also clarified that there is no community transmission in India as of now and vaccines will at least take 2 years to be developed. Also, there are 52 testing facilities and a total of 56 sample collection centers across the country. Meanwhile, Maharashtra has curtailed its Budget session in the wake of rising number of Coronavirus cases in the state while Punjab has declared it as an epidemic in the state.

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In the US, the coronavirus death toll increased to 38, while the infected cases surged past 1,000 prompting the President to impose travel ban for most of the Europe. But WHO emphasized the vast majority are in just four countries: China and South Korea — where new cases are declining — and Iran and Italy, where they are not. Separately, double Oscar winner Tom Hanks said he and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive. Australian officials say the couple are in a Queensland hospital and their close contacts would have to self-quarantine.

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The External Affairs Ministry on Thursday advised against holding this year's IPL edition in wake of the coronavirus scare, but left it to the organisers to take a final call on it.This was stated by MEA Additional Secretary Dammu Ravi who has been appointed as the nodal officer to coordinate efforts to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

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1.5 million people screened so far at 30 designated airports in India, says Health ministry. The ministry added, though flu is not common in summer, no study or evidence that suggest high temperature kills coronavirus.

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Indian equity markets went on a free-fall on Thursday as investors pressed and held the 'sell' button after the World Health Organisation declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a "pandemic" and the United States suspended travel from Europe. The carnage on the Dalal Street today eroded investor wealth worth Rs 10.9 trillion. Overall, the Indian headline indices Sensex and Nifty both slipped over 9 per cent each in intra-day and posted their biggest one-day fall in absolute terms.

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Trading on Wall Street's three main indexes was halted moments after the opening bell on Thursday as the S&P 500 slipped 7%, setting off an automatic 15-minute cutout, for the second time this week. At 9:35 a.m. ET the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1,696.31 points, or 7.20%, at 21,856.91, the S&P 500 was down 192.33 points, or 7.02%, at 2,549.05 and the Nasdaq Composite was down 558.80 points, or 7.03%, at 7,393.25

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European officials reacted with surprise and anger on Thursday after US President Donald Trump imposed a trans-Atlantic travel ban they fear will wound economies already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. Trump closed US arrivals to travellers from the Schengen border-free zone -- which does not include Britain and Ireland -- in what he said was an "aggressive" effort to contain the spread of the often deadly disease.

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The coronavirus pandemic could bring Indian travel, tourism and aviation industries to a halt within next ten days, especially with the government suspending visas for a month, a move that could cause an immediate economic impact of at least Rs 85 billion, according to industry players.

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India is witnessing a 25 per cent to 30 per cent drop in inbound international visitors to the country in recent months in the backdrop of novel coronavirus fears, Civil Aviation Joint Secretary Usha Padhee said on Thursday. There has been a drastic reduction in numbers (visitors to India) of international travellers, I was told that it has come down by 25 to 30 per cent. Because of the quarantine by every country, both (inbound and outbound) have got severe impact, she told reporters here.