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

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11:49 PM

US lawmakers agree to $8.3 bn emergency bill to fight Coronavirus

Lawmakers reached bipartisan agreement on an $8.3 billion emergency bill to help fund efforts to contain the virus in the United States

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Italy coronavirus death toll passes 100: official

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All landports have fully equipped medical teams present to screen all incoming passengers from neighbouring countries: MHA

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Netanyahu encourages Israelis to adopt 'Namaste' to greet amid Coronavirus scare

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday encouraged his countrymen to adopt 'Namaste' - the Indian way of greeting - instead of the normal handshakeas one of the measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

 

At a press conference following a review meeting to contain the Coronavirus here, Netanyahu said that several measures will be announced to prevent the spread of Coronavirus but some simple measures like avoiding the normal handshake while greeting people may possibly be replaced with other forms of greetings like the Indian 'Namaste'.

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Regulator Irdai asks insurance companies to come out with policies that cover coronavirus treatment costs

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Paytm employee in Gurgaon tests positive for coronavirus: Company statement

A Paytm employee in Gurgaon has tested positive for novel coronavirus, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. It said the employee had recently returned from a vacation in Italy, one of the worst-hit countries from coronavirus.

 

Paytm has advised all its employees to work from home for the next couple of days while the Gurgaon unit gets sanitised, according to the statement.

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Global growth to 'dip below' last year's rate: IMF chief

The new coronavirus epidemic poses a "serious threat" to people and the world economy, and will slow growth below the 2.9 per cent posted last year, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday.

 

The COVID-19 outbreak "is no longer regional issue, it is a global problem (that) calls for global response," Georgieva said.

The epidemic's impact on confidence and steps to contain it are impacting economic activity, with the result that "global growth in 2020 will dip below last year's levels," she said.

 

The IMF in January forecast growth this year of 3.3 per cent, which means at least a half point will be lost to the virus.

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IMF's Georgieva says China production restored to 60%, hopes to move to 90% in coming weeks

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9 Italian tourists, Indian guide quarantined in MP Chhatarpur

Nine Italian tourists and their Indian guide were sent to a quarantine facility here on Wednesday for suspected exposure to the novel coronavirus, an official said.

 

The Italian tourists and their Indian guide reached here in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday evening by road after travelling by a train to Jhansi from Agra, he said.

 

They were taken to a quarantine facility at Naugaon near here, district collector Sheelendra Singh told PTI.

 

"Two of them are suffering form cough and cold. They have been quarantined as a precaution," he said.

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Coronavirus cases in UK jump by 34 in a day, taking total to 85: Reuters quoting BBC

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IMF's Georgieva says adequate financial liquidity is necessary to deal with outbreak crisis