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

10:00 AM

Delhi to Mumbai: Janata Curfew against coronavirus empties out cities

India launched a 14-hour long curfew on Sunday to limit the fast-spreading coronavirus epidemic in the country, where 315 people have so far been found to have contracted the disease.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an address to the nation last week urged citizens to stay indoors from 7am to 9am--a move that he said would be a crucial test for a country to assess its abilities to fight the pandemic.

Read the latest updates on COVID-19 here

8:25 AM

NEWSALERT

One person, a secondary contact of Chandigarh's first positive case, has tested positive for COVID-19. Total number of positive cases rises to 6 in Chandigarh. Health condition of all the 6 positive cases is stable, says Department of Public Relations, Chandigarh.

8:24 AM

Rwanda imposes shutdown, suspends 'unnecessary movements': govt

Rwanda has suspended all "unnecessary movements" outside the home and clamped down on travel across its borders, in one of the toughest measures yet imposed in sub-Saharan Africa to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

 

"Unnecessary movements and visits outside the home are not permitted," the government announced in a statement late Saturday, excusing trips for healthcare, food, or banking.

 

All borders are closed except for the passage of goods and cargo and returning Rwandan citizens, read the statement, which also announced the closure of all but the most essential markets and restrictions on travel between cities and districts.

8:24 AM

Pak's Punjab reports 15 more cases, national tally at 645

 

Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab has reported 15 new cases of the novel coronavirus, taking the tally in the state to 152, while the national tally has surged to 645.

 

The southern province of Sindh remains the worst-hit, having had reported 292 cases, while Balochistan has reported 104, as reported by Dawn. Late on Saturday, the Sindh government had revised the COVID-19 cases figure to 292 from the previously mentioned 396, citing "counting error".

 

The northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported 31 cases, while capital Islamabad has reported 10.

 

The country on Saturday had suspended all international flights till March 28 as part of the precautionary measure amid the surging tally.

8:23 AM

Amazon.com to stop shipping non-essentials to consumers in Italy and France

 

Amazon.com will stop shipping non-essential products to consumers in Italy and France, the company said on Saturday, representing an escalation in the e-commerce giant's response in regions hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

 

An Amazon spokesman said the company made the decision due to a spike in orders and the need to respect anti-coronavirus safety measures in the workplaces.

 

"We will temporarily stop taking orders on some non-essential products on Amazon.it and Amazon.fr," Amazon.com said in a statement. "This lets fulfillment center associates focus on receiving and shipping the products customers need most at this time."

 

Amazon considers baby products; health and household items; beauty and personal care; groceries; and industrial, scientific, and pet supplies as essential products.

8:23 AM

Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

 

Amazon.com Inc said on Saturday it is raising overtime pay for associates working in its US warehouses as the world's largest online retailer tries to meet the rapidly growing demand for online shopping from consumers stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak.

 

Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, the world's richest person, also said on Saturday, "My own time and thinking is now wholly focused on COVID-19 and on how Amazon can best play its role," according to a message posted on a company website.

 

Hourly workers at Amazon's US warehouses will receive double pay after 40 hours for overtime, up from the 1.5-times rate, from March 15 through May 9, the rate increase announcement said.

 

This is the second time the e-commerce giant announced an increase in pay for its workers in a week. On Monday, Amazon hiked the minimum hourly rate for associates to $17 from $15 and announced plans to hire 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers in the United States as the virus outbreak boosts online orders.

8:22 AM

Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara under lockdown till March 25

 

In a high-level meeting held on Saturday, it was decided that Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara will remain under lockdown till March 25, said Gujarat Chief Minister's Office.

 

However, shops selling daily necessities and essentials things like vegetables, dairy products, and medical items will remain open.

 

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday said that there are total 13 positive cases of coronavirus in the State.

 

Rupani also appealed to the people to take precautionary measures and follow government guidelines to contain the spread of coronavirus.

8:07 AM

NEWSALERT

Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Minister: The 4-year-old child who was suspected of COVID-19 and tested in Jorhat Medical College and Regional Medical Research Center, Dibrugarh has been found negative. There is no COVID-19 positive case in Assam so far.

8:03 AM

US FDA approves point-of-care test for coronavirus

The US Food and Drug Administration on Saturday approved a coronavirus diagnostic test that can be conducted entirely at the point-of-care and can deliver results in 45 minutes.

The approval of such a diagnostics test developed by California-based Cephid would help in fast identification of infected people and quickly start treating them and their quarantine. The test will begin shipping next week.

"The test we're authorising today will be able to provide Americans with results within hours, rather than days like the existing tests, and the company plans to roll it out by March 30, which is an incredibly rapid timeline for such an effort," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.

8:01 AM

Stay home for three months, UK tells 1.5m most at risk

Up to 1.5 million vulnerable people in Britain, identified as being most at risk from the coronavirus epidemic, should stay at home for at least 12 weeks, the government said Sunday.

Those with underlying health conditions such as bone or blood cancers, cystic fibrosis, or who have had an organ transplant have been advised by health officials to do all they can to shield themselves from the virus, including confining themselves at home for a long period.

8:01 AM

Mumbaikars stay indoors as 'Janata curfew' commences Covid-19: Mumbaikars stay indoors as 'Janata curfew' commences

The city that never sleeps on Sunday woke up to empty roads and deserted public places as the 'Janata curfew' proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to counter the coronavirus spread began.

Modi has proposed the day-long curfew between 7 am and 9 pm as part of social distancing to check the spread of the deadly virus.

The usually bustling western and eastern express highways and other arterial roads looked empty as people stayed in their homes to support the curfew.

Same was the situation at the suburban train stations which normally see thousands of commuters jostling to get inside the overcrowded trains.

State government authorities had on Saturday informed people that only those engaged in essential services would be allowed to travel in local trains, that too after checking their identity papers.

Public transport is being curtailed in the city on Sunday. Local trains on the Central line will see 60 per cent services as against the normal 70 per cent on Sundays. The Western Railway has cancelled four services, two from Virar to Dahanu Road, and two from Dahanu Road to Dadar and Churchgate.

The Central Railway has cancelled 60 long distance trains across Mumbai division, while the Western Railway has cancelled 40 mail express and 26 passenger trains from Mumbai.

It has also cancelled 477 suburban locals on Sunday.

The Mumbai Metro and Mumbai Monorail will remain suspended for the day, while BEST buses will run according to their holiday schedule, officials said.

Late on Saturday evening, the Divisional Commissioner of Konkan Region declared that the police and State government staff will be present at all stations to ensure that people do not travel unnecessarily and only those engaged in essential services will allowed on local trains.

7:46 AM

7:45 AM

2:04 AM

US VP Pence, wife to be tested for coronavirus after staffer infected

US Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday that he and his wife would be tested for coronavirus after one of his office staffers contracted the illness. Pence said that there was little reason to believe he had been exposed to the employee, who has not been to the White House since Monday.

 

However, he said, "Given the unique position that I have as vice president and as the leader of the White House coronavirus task force, both I and my wife will be tested for the coronavirus later this afternoon."

2:01 AM

Over 195,000 people in U.S. have been tested for coronavirus, received results -official

More than 195,000 people in the United States have been tested for coronavirus and received results, Assistant U.S. Secretary for Health Brett Giroir said on Saturday. Giroir said that tally does not include data from hospital-based laboratories, for which the government will receive data this week. "There are priorities for testing," Giroir said, noting healthcare workers, symptomatic individuals and the elderly.