The number of coronavirus cases in India on Friday rose to 31, after a person from Delhi with a history of travel from Thailand and Malaysia tested positive, the Union Health Ministry said.

There are now over 98,000 coronaviruses cases globally and more than 3,300 people have died so far. With the current rate of increase, the cases are likely to touch the 100,000 mark sometime later in the day.

Authorities in Delhi have already closed primary schools till March 31 and the government has made universal screening mandatory for all international passengers arriving in India to prevent transmission in the country.

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Here’s what we know so far about the spread of the virus:

  • There are 31 positive cases of the virus in India so far – 17 people, including 14 Italians, tested positive in Delhi, two Italian tourists in Jaipur, six Indians in Agra, and one each in Hyderabad, Ghaziabad and Gurugram. This also includes three patients who have recovered in Kerala.
  • The Border Security Force said the daily retreat ceremony at Attari-Wagah border in Punjab will be conducted without public presence due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The precautionary measure will be effective from Saturday. Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the anganwadis, or the government child-care centres, will be closed.
  • The first flight from Iran will carry around swabs of 300 Indians suspected of having coronavirus and is likely to land tonight. The toll from coronavirus jumped to 124 in Iran on Friday, as 17 died over the past 24 hours and more than 1,000 were freshly diagnosed with the disease, a health ministry spokesman said in Tehran.   
Map showing confirmed coronavirus cases in India on March 6.
  • There are 3,385 virus-linked deaths globally, including over 3,000 in China, 148 in Italy and 107 in Iran. Almost 85 countries outside China have reported infections, with Peru, Cameroon, Bhutan, Vatican and Netherlands confirming their first cases.
  • Meanwhile, China’s central province of Hubei, excluding the provincial capital Wuhan, reported no new coronavirus cases over 24 hours for the first time since the outbreak.
  • The World Health Organization called on all nations to “pull out all the stops” to combat the spread of the coronavirus. “This epidemic can be pushed back but only with a coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages the entire machinery of government,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Geneva. “We’re calling on every country to act with speed, scale and clear-minded determination”.
  • In United States, the Congress approved more than $8 billion bill to fight the outbreak. The bill will be sent to President Donald Trump’s office for approval later in the day. The toll rose to 12 in the country, with the latest fatality recorded in King County, Washington, where six people had died due to the virus at a nursing facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland.
  • South Korea’s government suspended all visas as well as the visa waiver program for Japanese visitors, in a direct response to quarantine measures imposed by Japan on travelers from South Korea. Fears over the spreading coronavirus rekindled a row between the neighbours dating back to before World War II.

Also read:

Explainer: There is no need to panic about Coronavirus, but don’t forget to wash your hands

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