Coronavirus Highlights: Gurgaon Paytm employee tests positive

There are 93,042 confirmed Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and 3,201 deaths reported globally in 67 countries

11:11 AM

Fifteen Italian citizens in India have tested positive for coronavirus

Fifteen Italian citizens in India have tested positive for coronavirus, media said on Wednesday.

 

State broadcaster Doordarshan as well as private TV networks NDTV and CNN-News18 all said 21 Italian tourists had been tested in the capital New Delhi, citing unidentified sources.

 

An Italian had tested positive for the virus in the western desert state of Rajasthan, a health offical said on Monday.

9:59 AM

Coronavirus: Adopt ''Namaskar'' greeting style, says BJP leader

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, a BJP leader from Goa has suggested that people should adopt the Indian 'Namaskar' style of greeting each other with folded hands.

 

Former Panaji MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar also said it is high time that people take adequate precautions to check the spread of the potentially deadly virus.

 

"As cases detected for nCovid19 increase, albeit in single digit, it's high time we take adequate precautions and adopt #Indian style of greeting with #Namaskar," Kunkolienkar, who was a close aide of former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, tweeted on Wednesday.

 

Six people in India have so far been confirmed to be infected by coronavirus, including an Italian couple in Rajasthan.

9:44 AM

Samples of all six people in Noida taken on Tuesday for suspected coronavirus test negative: officials

9:42 AM

Hand sanitising points to gloves: DGCA asks airlines, airports to take measures to fight coronavirus

Amid a coronavirus scare, the DGCA on Tuesday asked airlines and airports to take specific measures such as providing protective gears like surgical masks and gloves to crew members and passengers and having multiple hand sanitising points at terminals.

 

The aviation regulator stated that airports and airlines must ensure that each aircraft arriving from South Korea, Japan and Italy is subjected to disinfection process before boarding begins for the next flight on the plane. READ ON...

9:36 AM

One Intel employee potentially exposed to coronavirus, under quarantine

Tech giant Intel has said one of its employees in Bengaluru has "potentially been exposed" to coronavirus and is currently under quarantine.

The company also said it has implemented precautionary measures like travel restrictions, increased frequency of office sanitisation, and work-from-home provisions in India.

 

"An Intel employee in Bangalore has potentially been exposed and is currently under quarantine in accordance with government requirements," Intel said in a late night statement on Tuesday.

 

The company said it is monitoring the coronavirus situation closely and working to ensure that its employees have the information and resources they need to stay safe and informed.

9:35 AM

Coronavirus scare: Yatra.com says airfares to Southeast Asia, Italy dropped by 20-30%

The online travel agency Yatra.com has claimed that airfares to Southeast Asia and Italy have dropped by 20-30 per cent in the backdrop of coronavirus.

 

The travel agency also said that there is a hike in enquires with respect to domestic destinations including Andaman & Nicobar, Goa, and cities in North-East.

 

"Southeast Asia and Italy being one of the most preferred destinations for Indians, we can anticipate a drop of about 20-25 per cent in terms of future bookings, though it is too early to predict any drastic impact. They are wary of making fresh bookings to the affected locations and airfares to these destinations have dropped by 20-30 per cent," Sabina Chopra, Co-Founder, Yatra.com said in a statement.

 

"Travelers are now looking at alternate foreign destinations from India, such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan for summer travel. There is a hike in enquires to domestic destinations such as Andaman & Nicobar, Goa, Ujjain, North-east cities among others," she said.

9:00 AM

Amazon confirms first coronavirus case among US employees

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday an employee in the United States tested positive for the coronavirus.

 

"We're supporting the affected employee who is in quarantine," a company spokeswoman said in an email to Reuters.

 

The spokeswoman confirmed a report by Bloomberg News that all co-workers in contact with the employee, who worked at Amazon's South Lake Union office complex in Seattle, had been informed.

 

The company said on Sunday two employees in Milan, Italy, had been infected with the virus and were under quarantine.

8:58 AM

Singapore minister warns of spike in coronavirus cases

A Singapore Minister has warned of spikes in the novel coronavirus cases in the country as the health ministry reported two new cases of the fast spreading disease.

 

National Development Minister Lawrence Wong asked people and authorities to be prepared for "new spikes" in COVID-19 cases in Singapore.

 

"We will be exposed to new waves of infection and increasingly it will not be possible to stop the virus at our borders. We also cannot isolate Singapore and shut ourselves from the world," the Health Ministry said.

 

"So, despite our best efforts, we have to be prepared for new spikes in COVID-19 cases in Singapore, as has happened elsewhere," it said.

 

Singapore is blocking the entry and transit for new visitors who travelled to Iran, northern Italy or South Korea within the last 14 days, Wong said on Tuesday.

 

8:50 AM

South Korea adds 142 more coronavirus cases

South Korea reported 142 more novel coronavirus cases Wednesday, a significantly lower increase than the day before, taking its total to 5,328 -- the largest in the world outside China.

 

Seoul had reported 851 new cases on Tuesday, its biggest daily case increase to date, with South Korean President Moon Jae-in declaring "war" against the deadly virus.

Four more people had died, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday, taking the toll to 32.

 

South Korea has seen a rapid rise in infections in recent days as authorities carry out checks on more than 260,000 people associated with the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious sect often condemned as a cult that is now linked to more than half the cases.

 

More than 4,000 cases have now been confirmed in southern city of Daegu -- where the outbreak among Shincheonji members began with a 61-year-old woman, who developed symptoms on February 10 but attended at least four worship services in the city.

7:05 AM

Unfazed by coronavirus fears, Kerala beckons tourists

Allaying fears of Coronavirus impacting visitors, Kerala is beckoning domestic and overseas tourists to discover 'God's own country' in the southern coastal state, a state tourism official said on Tuesday.

 

"No fears of coronavirus affecting tourists, as all precautionary and preventive measures are being taken to ensure their health and welfare remains safe across the state," Kerala Tourism officer Pradeep Chandran told IANS here.

 

Though three persons were affected by the disease in the state recently, they were treated and discharged from hospitals after recovering fully.

 

"As of now, there is no impact on tourists visiting the state from other parts of the country or abroad. Kerala is safe like any other state. Foreign visitors coming from affected countries are screened at all the four airports in the state and quarantined if they have symptoms of the virus," Chandran said.

6:56 AM

World Bank doles out $12 bn in emergency aid to combat coronavirus

The World Bank unveiled a $12 billion aid package on Tuesday that will provide fast-track funds to help countries combat the coronavirus outbreak.

 

"The goal is to provide fast, effective action that responds to country needs," World Bank President David Malpass told reporters.

 

He said it is critical to "recognize the extra burden on poor countries" least equipped in the struggle to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

 

The funds, some of which are targeted to the world's poorest nations, can be used for medical equipment or health services and will include expertise and policy advice, the bank said in a statement.

6:55 AM

Coronavirus sends Hong Kong Feb business activity plunging to record low

The coronavirus epidemic dealt a severe blow to businesses in Hong Kong in February with activity plummeting to the lowest on record, a private survey showed on Wednesday, in a sign of a sharp economic downturn in the first quarter.

 

The adjusted IHS Markit headline Hong Kong Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) dived to 33.1 in February, from 46.8 in January and marked the steepest downturn since at least 1998, when the survey began. The previous record low, at 38.1, was posted during a 2003 epidemic of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, another coronavirus.

 

The 50-mark separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis.

 

The fast-spreading virus has killed nearly 3,000 people and infected over 80,000 in China, a vital source of trade for the city which has so far reported two deaths and around 100 cases.

6:54 AM

Australian economic growth picks up but outlook cloudy on virus fears

Australia's economy expanded by more than expected last quarter, erasing the risk of a recession even as as raging bushfires and the coronavirus crisis wreaked havoc with tourism and travel at the start of the new year.

 

Wednesday's data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed the A$2 trillion ($1.3 trillion) economy accelerated by 0.5% last quarter. Encouragingly, the previous quarter was revised upwards to show 0.6% increase from 0.4% earlier.

 

That took the annual pace to 2.3%, still well below the 2.75% that policy makers consider "trend".

6:53 AM

Coronavirus: Panic buying prompts toilet roll rationing

Australia's biggest supermarket on Wednesday announced a limit on toilet paper purchases after the global spread of coronavirus sparked a spate of panic buying Down Under.

 

Woolworths said the restriction of four packs of toilet paper per person would apply "to ensure more customers have access to the products".

 

"It will help shore up stock levels as suppliers ramp up local production and deliveries in response to higher-than-usual demand," the company said in a statement.

Despite government assurances, there has been a run on some items at Australian supermarkets in recent days, with images on social media purportedly showing shelves stripped of goods such as toilet paper, pasta and canned food.

 

Retailers have also experienced shortages of masks and hand sanitisers amid fears over the deadly coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 90,000 people and killed 3,100.

3:14 AM

Intel employee quarantined

The Karnataka government is on alert and has started isolating people who came in direct contact with the software engineer who travelled from Bengaluru to Hyderabad in February and was later tested positive for coronavirus in Telangana. An Intel employee, who was the patient's roommate, has been quarantined.