Coronavirus LIVE: India stays indoors for Janata Curfew on PM Modi's appeal

Coronavirus latest updates: Globally 300,227 infections reported while death toll rose to 12,948 till Saturday due to Covid-19. Catch Coronavirus LIVE updates here

2:00 AM

Nissan temporarily lays off 3,000 workers at Spanish plants

Nissan motor will temporarily lay off about 3,000 workers at 3 plants in Spain that have halted production due to coronavirus outbreak - Nikkei

1:59 AM

Moscow shuts pools and fitness clubs in coronavirus battle

Moscow has closed all sports facilities including swimming pools and fitness clubs due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Russian capital's health authorities said on Saturday. Russia has reported 306 cases of the virus, most of them in Moscow, and one death. The country has introduced a raft of economic and social measures to limit its spread.

 

Moscow had already suspended most public events and restricted mass gatherings, as well as banning the entry of foreign nationals and closing some schools. MGIMO, one of Russia's main universities and alma mater of most foreign ministry officials, closed down this week as a preventive measure.

1:58 AM

Chile confirms first death due to coronavirus - health minister

Chile's health minister said on Saturday an 83-year woman had died from COVID-19, the country's first death due to coronavirus. Health Minister Jaime Manalich confirmed the death on Twitter. Earlier in the day Manalich said there had been 537 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Chile to date, among the highest tallies in Latin America.

1:56 AM

Ireland reports 102 new cases, total at 785

Ireland reports 102 new cases of coronavirus to bring total to 785 - Health Department

1:55 AM

Lebanon calls in army to enforce coronavirus lockdown

Lebanon Saturday called in the army and security forces to ensure people stay at home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus that has killed four people nationwide.

 

In a televised address, Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the number of cases had risen to 230 in the country despite a call almost a week ago for all to remain at home.

Warning of a further spike to epidemic levels if people continued to flout social distancing rules, he said the government was calling in the army and security forces.

1:54 AM

U.S. FDA approves first rapid coronavirus test with 45 minutes detection time

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first rapid coronavirus diagnostic test, with a detection time of about 45 minutes, the test's developer, California-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid, said on Saturday. Cepheid said in a statement it had received an emergency use authorization from the FDA for the test, which will be used primarily in hospitals and emergency rooms. The company plans to begin shipping it to hospitals next week, it said.

 

Under the current testing regime, samples must be sent to a centralized lab, where results can take days. The diagnostic test for the virus that causes COVID-19 has been designed to operate on any of Cepheid's more than 23,000 automated GeneXpert Systems globally, the company said, without giving details.

1:53 AM

Covid-19: Moradabad jail suspends meeting between inmate and family till Mar 31

Moradabad jail authorities have suspended till March 31 inmate-family meeting at the facility and are distributing ayurvedic and allopathic medicines among the prisoners to protect them from the novel coronavirus, an official said. Jail Superintendent Umesh Singh said, "We are facing challenge to protect the all prisoners in the over-crowded jail from coronavirus. So, we have stopped all public meetings till March 31."

1:51 AM

Africa lockdowns begin as coronavirus cases above 1,000

Lockdowns have begun in Africa as coronavirus cases rise above 1,000, while Nigeria on Saturday announced it is closing airports to all incoming international flights for one month in the continent's most populous country.

 

Rwanda said all unnecessary movements outside the home are banned for two weeks as of midnight except for essential services such as health care and shopping. The East African nation, which has 17 cases, has told all public and private employees to work from home. Tunisia earlier imposed a lockdown as well.

Meanwhile, two African heads of state appeared to defy their own travel restrictions to attend another president's inauguration.

1:49 AM

Major temples in Mathura closed due to coronavirus

Major temples in Mathura have been closed for three to 10 days in view of the coronavirus pandemic, temple authorities said. "On the orders of civil judge, junior division, Mathura, the noted Bankey Behari Temple has been closed till March 31 for public," Munish Sharma, the temple manager, said.

He, however, said that the obeisance to the principal deity would continue as usual within the temple. The 22-kilometer Parikrama of Govardhan has been banned.

The Mukharbind Temple Jatipura has been closed till March 31, SDM Rahul Yadav said.

11:48 PM

Italy sets new daily record with near 800 virus deaths

Italy on Saturday reported 793 new coronavirus deaths, a one-day record that saw its toll shoot up to 4,825 -- 38.3 per cent of the world's total.

 

The number of COVID-19 infections rose by 6,557 to 53,578, another record. The total number of fatalities in the northern Lombardy regions around Milan surpassed 3,000. It accounts for nearly two-thirds of Italy's fatalities.

 

Italy has reported 1,420 deaths since Friday, a grim figure that suggests the pandemic is breaking through the government's various containment and social distancing measures.

11:46 PM

11:40 PM

Govt asks airlines to let 'home quarantine' passengers fly to their home

The central government on Saturday instructed Indian airlines to let the passengers, coming from abroad and instructed to be under home quarantine, take domestic transit flights.

 

As per current instructions, they can fly to their home and then quarantine for 14 days, said A K Gadpayle, principal consultant (DGHS), Control Room Triage, COVID-19 Screening Centre, IGI Airport.

11:29 PM

This Covid-19 remedy by Trump defies science

At a long-winded White House briefing on Friday, President Trump enthusiastically and repeatedly promoted the promise of two long-used malaria drugs that are still unproven against the coronavirus, but being tested in clinical trials.

 

“I’m a smart guy,” he said, while acknowledging he couldn’t predict the drugs would work. “I feel good about it. And we’re going to see. You’re going to see soon enough.” Read on...

 

 

11:24 PM

31-year-old resident of Nodia tests positive

31-year-old resident of Greater Noida has been tested positive for CoronaVirus. He had returned from Dubai 

11:17 PM

GoAir top brass takes 50 per cent pay cut

The top leadership of GoAir is taking a 50 per cent pay cut with immediate effect, the airline's CEO Vinay Dube told its employees in an e-mail on Saturday.

 

As revenues have fallen drastically amid the coronavirus pandemic, the airline has already laid off its expat pilots and announced leave without pay for its employees.