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

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FIR against coronavirus patient for spreading the disease

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Jharkhand asks railways to stop trains arriving from other states

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Why Italy? The factors behind a coronavirus disaster

Why Italy? Loads of people have been wondering why the beautiful Mediterranean country has become the new epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Experts list a range of reasons -- from Italy's relatively high age to its strained healthcare system to some old fashioned bad luck -- that add up to a disaster not seen in generations.

 

None of the answers alone explain why the nation of 60 million accounts for over a third of the nearly 11,500 deaths officially reported across the 7.7-billion strong world.

 

But other countries will want to examine each of these factors and address them through various preventive measures in their bids to avoid becoming the next Italy.

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9:49 PM

Telangana CM calls for 24-hour shutdown from 6am Sunday

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Janata curfew: Extra police force to ensure strict restrictions in Kashmir

Curfew-like restrictions on the movement and assembly of people will be imposed in Kashmir as part of the Prime Minister's appeal to observe a 'Janata curfew' on Sunday to check the spread of coronavirus, police said.

 

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said extra police force will be deployed in the valley to ensure that strict restrictions are imposed.

 

He appealed to people to cooperate with the police and other security forces.

 

"It may be janta curfew by name, but the history of Kashmir is such that whatever the situation is, the restrictions cannot be imposed without the police or security forces enforcing them," he told reporters at a press conference.

9:46 PM

Bosnia's health authorities report first coronavirus death

A Bosnian man became the first to die of the coronavirus in the Balkan country, the manager of a hospital in the northwestern town of Bihac said on Saturday.

 

Bosnia has declared a nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak.

 

The country has so far reported 90 cases.

9:46 PM

Nigeria to shut Lagos, Abuja international airports from Monday

Nigeria will close its two main international airports in the cities of Lagos and Abuja from Monday night, its civil aviation regulator said on Saturday, as the number of coronavirus cases in the country almost doubled.

 

The airports, which join three others around the country, will be shuttered for one month, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.

 

The closure comes as Nigeria's number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose on Saturday from 12 to 22, three of them in Abuja, the capital's first positive identifications.

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Britain's NHS gets capacity boost from private hospitals to fight coronavirus

Britain's National Health Service (NHS) has struck a deal with the country's independent hospitals that will see more ventilators and thousands of extra beds and healthcare staff made available from next week to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

 

NHS England said on Saturday that nearly 20,000 fully qualified staff will be joining the health service's response to the pandemic, helping manage an expected surge in cases.

 

So far 177 patients have died in the United Kingdom after testing positive for coronavirus, the health ministry said on Friday.

 

The deal includes the provision of 8,000 hospital beds across England, nearly 1,200 more ventilators, more than 10,000 nurses, over 700 doctors and over 8,000 other clinical staff.

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PM asks pharma industry to ensure supply of essential items

In order to ensure production of critical drugs and medical equipment within the country amid the coronavirus threat, the Union government has approved schemes worth Rs 14,000 crore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told leaders of pharma industry on Saturday.

 

He requested the industry leaders to work on manufacture of RNA diagnostic kits for COVID-19 on war footing, an official statement said.

 

In an interaction with them via video conference, Modi said that not only does the industry need to ensure maintenance of supply lines of essential medicines, medical kits and equipment but it should try to come up with new and innovative solutions, according to the statement.

9:41 PM

Punjab records 11 Covid-19 cases in single day, total infected stand at 14

In its highest single-day jump, Punjab on Saturday recorded 11 cases of COVID-19, taking the total number of those infected in the state to 14, official said.

 

In the latest development, six cases were reported from Nawanshahr, three from Mohali and one each from Hoshiarpur and Amritsar, they said.

 

As of now, a total of 181 samples have been tested, out of which, the reports of 141 persons were found negative, a medical bulletin said.

The report of 23 persons is awaited, it said.

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Noida: All biz, restaurants except groceries, medicos will stay shut to observe Janata curfew

All businesses and offices except hospitals, pharmacies, groceries, and dairies across Noida and Greater Noida have been ordered to stay completely shut on Sunday following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janata curfew', officials said.

 

District Magistrate B N Singh issued the order which stated that all restaurants, including those within residential campuses, cafes, food joints, beauty parlours, salons, industries, commercial firms and offices will remain shut from 7 am to 9 pm.

 

"The order exempts essential services like hospitals, pharmacies, groceries, dairies, etc. Violation of the order will invite legal action against the offender," Singh said.

9:39 PM

Bolivia announces total quarantine from Sunday to combat virus

Bolivia's government on Saturday announced a complete quarantine to come into effect from Sunday in a bid to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

 

"It's a tough but necessary decision for the good of everyone," said interim President Jeanine Anez, adding that "we must be at home for 24 hours a day." Bolivia has so far registered 19 cases, far fewer than neighbouring countries such as Brazil, with more than 900, and Chile, with more than 500.

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Dakshina Kannada-Kerala border sealed

All inter-state border points between Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka and neighbouring Kasaragod in Kerala have been sealed with immediate effect as part of preventive measures against coronavirus, DK district-in-charge minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said on Saturday.

 

Addressing a review meeting attended by officials and people's representatives at the deputy commissioner's office here, he said all kinds of preventive measures are being taken to check the spread of the virus.

 

Vehicles to Kerala will be allowed through the Talapady check post only in case of emergency in view of more positive cases detected in Kasaragod, he said.