Coronavirus highlights: Number of cases in India rises to 471 as states impose curfew, lockdown

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Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | 30 states/UTs announce complete lockdown in the entire state/union territory covering 548 dist to prevent the spread of Coronavirus pandemic. 3 states (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha) announce closure of certain areas. Lakshadweep announces lockdown on certain activities.

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | The total number of positive cases in India rises to 471, says Indian Council of Meeical Research (ICMR). 

Coronavirus in Bihar LIVE Updates | Health Department Official: 24-year-old man, who returned from Scotland last Thursday, tests positive for COVID-19 in Patna; total novel Coronavirus cases in Bihar rises to 3.

Coronavirus in South Africa LIVE Updates | Meanwhile, South Africa's confirmed cases jumped from 128 to 402, reports news agency Reuters. 

Coronavirus in Karnataka LIVE Updates | Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa​: In wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, entire state will be locked down from 00:00 hours of March 23 to April 1. People are requested to strictly follow it.

Coronavirus in Gujarat LIVE Updates | Gujarat DGP Shivanand Jha: From 12 AM tonight, the entire state will be under lockdown till 31st March. State borders have been sealed. Action will be taken against the people who will violate the lockdown. 

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Meanwhile, tune in to the Coronavirus Essential podcast where Moneycontrol's Shraddha Sharma takes you through the COVID-19 updates of the day.

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Union Health Ministry: Death toll due to COVID-19 rises to 9; number of cases climbs to 468, including 424 active cases.

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Uber statement: Uber Pool and Uber Intercity services have been suspended across the country, until further notice. Our priority remains keeping drivers, riders and our communities safe. Kindly continue to follow the instructions of public health authorities and use Uber only if essential.

 

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | Statement from Uber: In compliance with Government directives to limit movement for reducing the spread of COVID-19, Uber services across India have been affected. This means that, while we will continue to offer services to meet the essential and urgent travel needs of many communities we serve, some or all of Uber’s rides services will not be available till further notice in the following cities:

>> Andhra Pradesh: Tirupati, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam

>> Delhi NCR

>> Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot

>> Jharkhand: Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Ranchi  

>> Maharashtra: Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune 

>> Punjab: Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana

>> Rajasthan: Ajmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur 

>> Telangana: Hyderabad

>> Uttar Pradesh: Agra, Bareilly, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi

>> West Bengal: Asansol, Durgapur, Siliguri

 

Coronavirus in India LIVE Updates | SBI commits 0.25% of annual profit to help fight COVID-19: State Bank of India has announced to commit 0.25 percent of its annual profit (FY 2020-21) to fight COVID-19 outbreak situation in India. The fund used to fight COVID-19 pandemic will be spent from CSR funds. This is in line with Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ notification of spending CSR funds for COVID-19 as an eligible CSR activity. The bank will use this fund for various activities related to COVID-19 mainly to support health care for underprivileged people in cooperation with health care professionals and industry. Some of the initiatives will centre around promotion of healthcare, including preventive health care and sanitation and disaster management.