Coronavirus Pandemic | Kolkata Reports First Positive Case, Patient In Quarantine At Hospital: Reports

West Bengal on Tuesday reported first coronavirus case after a man who returned from UK tested positive. The 18-year-old has been quarantined in a city hospital. According to the reports, his parents and driver have also been kept in isolation. Earlier, the Gurugram administration asked private companies including MNC, IT Firms, Industries, BPO and Corporate Offices to allow their employees to work from their home till 31st March. A health official had informed that a 29-year-old woman from Haryana's Gurugram district tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The woman is an employee of a Gurgaon-based company and had recently travelled to Malaysia and Indonesia, the official said.

In Maharashtra, a 64-year old man died from coronavirus. This the third case of death due to the virus. The patient, whose wife is stable, is the first COVID-19 death in Maharashtra. While a 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi who returned from Saudi Arabia had died on Tuesday last, a 68-year-old woman in Delhi who had tested positive had passed away at the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital on Friday night.

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The Pune police has also appealed to owners of shops, eateries and bars in Maharashtra’s second largest city to down shutters as a social distancing measure to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Tuesday. As on Tuesday, Pune and neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad have 16 Covid-19 patients.

While police, in the morning, issued orders to shops and other establishments to down shutters, an official later in the day clarified that it was not a compulsion but an appeal. "We are approaching eateries, restaurants and shops with large footfalls and asking them to remain closed voluntarily. In view of the current situation, social distancing is an essential tool to contain further spread of the virus," said Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Shisve.

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He added that should these establishments remain open, then it was imperative for them to adhere to guidelines and protocol in place to combat the spread of the virus. He admitted that police personnel in some parts of Pune issued notices for closure of establishments earlier on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Pune Restaurant and Hoteliers Association said restaurants and bars in their fold will voluntarily remain closed between March 18 and 20.