Coronavirus in India live updates: Total number of cases in Delhi rises to 27

Six more persons have tested positive for Covid-19 in the Rajasthan - five belong to Bhilwara and one more person diagnosed with the infection in Jaipur. The number of persons diagnosed with the disease has increased to 23 (3 cured). All 5 new Bhilwara cases are hospital staff where the doctor who tested positive yesterday, worked. Total cases in Bhilwara increased to 11.

The nationwide increase in the number of patients testing positive for Covid-19, the infection caused by the novel coronavirus, reflected in the Delhi numbers as well. On Friday, the capital reported six new Covid-19 cases, the highest in a single day, taking the total number of patients who have tested positive in Delhi hospitals to 20. Two of the six latest patients are residents of Jahangirpuri and relatives of a person under treatment at Safdarjung hospital for Covid-19.

Scared residents have started asking their maids not to report for work in view of the outbreak of novel coronavirus. People fear that since housemaids visit different houses, the risk of infection is higher. Vishal Aggarwal, a Sector 8 resident, said, "Our household will come to a standstill if maids stop coming, but in this kind of circumstances I have to stop taking their services."

The railways on Friday announced cancellation of 3,700 passenger and long-distance mail/express trains on Sunday to coincide with the ‘janata curfew’, in a step which triggered speculation as to whether the country is being readied for lockdown that may have to be enforced if there is a surge in Covid-19 cases.

If an entire family – which has a member who has returned from a foreign country – volunteers to be home quarantined for a fortnight, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will provide all essential supplies free of cost for duration of the quarantine. From milk and dairy products to groceries and from toiletries to cooked food, all daily requirements of the family will be delivered to their home absolutely free of cost by the civic body.

The Tamil Nadu government has virtually shut its borders in a bid to check Covid-19 as the number of people on home quarantine in the state went up to 4,253 on Friday from 3,481 the day before, a spike of nearly 800 cases. The two confirmed Covid-19 positive cases continued to recover in hospital, while the test results of a 65-year-old patient in a private hospital were awaited. The number of patients in TN hospitals with symptoms of Covid-19 dropped to 32 from 39 on Thursday.

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday announced that state transport corporation fleet and metro rail will not be operated on Sunday between 7am and 9pm -- when 'Janata curfew' is in place.

Friday evening saw several families rushing to stockpile household items that could last weeks, not days, as shops began to close due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ten-day state government shutdown or Sunday's nationwide lockdown does not apply to groceries, milk, newspapers and other essential items, yet the fear of non-availability caused panic buying in many localities. It did not help that policemen and civic staff went around the locality urging shops to roll down shutters before the deadline. Authorities arrived in Lokhandwala Market, Andheri, to force shops to close. Grocery owners were asked to shut as well despite being classified as essential services. They kept open after a bout of defiance but may close over the weekend.

South Western Railway has cancelled following trains in view of poor occupancy due to outbreak of Covid-19.

With the demand from different quarters for masks manufactured at Burail prison increasing day-by-day in view of coronavirus outbreak, the jail administration has started putting extra efforts to meet the expectations. AIG Prisons, Virat, said that the prison has received orders of 10,000 masks from the UT health department, 1,500 masks from UT hospitality department, 10,000 from Sugar Mill in Meham in Haryana and demands of 50 to 100 masks from various other departments of Chandigarh administration.

The Kashi Vishwanath shrine has been closed for devotees till March 24 in view of coronavirus outbreak. District magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said that the decision to close the temple for devotees was taken in a meeting with members of the shrine trust on Friday evening. The decision will be effective from Saturday morning while all routine rituals and aartis will be performed by priests, he added. Earlier, the KVT administration had stopped entry of devotees inside sanctum santorum while washing and sanitising hands before entry had been made mandatory.

Two positive cases of coronavirus at preliminary stage have been detected in Himachal Pradesh and their final confirmation confirmed is awaited from National Institute of Virology-Pune. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said that of the two positive cases reported on Friday includes a 32-year-old youth and a 63-year-old ladyfrom Dharamshala. He said that both samples have been sent to Pune for final confirmation. He said that families of both patients have been home quarantined. Both the positive cases are admitted at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College and Hospital at Tanda in Kangra district.