Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: Manipur Government Suspends Biometric Attendance For One Month: CM Biren Singh

The number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has risen to 30 with one more case of infection reported in Ghaziabad on Thursday. The patient is a middle-aged man with a recent travel history to Iran, official sources said. Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry on Thursday asked states to form rapid response teams at district, block and village levels, stating cases of community transmission have been observed. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases includes 16 Italian tourists. These case include one patient from Delhi, who had recently returned from Italy, his six relatives from Agra, another person from Telangana, one PayTM employee in Gurugram, 16 Italian tourists in Rajasthan and their Indian driver in Rajasthan. The figure includes the first three cases reported from Kerala last month who have already been discharged following recovery.

Meanwhile, India has imposed additional visa restrictions on people travelling from or having visited Italy and South Korea, making it mandatory for them to submit certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from laboratories authorised by the health authorities of their countries, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. This will come into effect from midnight of March 10 and is a temporary measure till cases of novel coronavirus subside, the ministry said in a travel advisory. The government has already suspended all regular visas/e-visas granted on or before March 3 to nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan who have not yet entered India in view of the emerging global scenarios regarding COVID19 disease. According to the advisory, the government has also suspended visa on arrival (VoA) issued on or before March 3 to Japanese and South Korean nationals who have not yet entered India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said they would not celebrate the festival of colours or hold any Holi Milan gathering. President Ram Nath Kovind's office also said Rashtrapati Bhavan will not hold any Holi gathering. Seventeen Indians abroad have been infected, 16 from a cruise ship in Japan, being treated at onshore medical facilities and one from the United Arab Emirates, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

There are more than 93,000 cases around the world now with number of deaths crossing 3,200. So far 82 countries have been affected by the virus which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan. (With Agency Inputs)

Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus crisis in India and other parts of the world on Thursday: