WB: Rabindra Bhavan museum, Bangladesh Bhavan closed amid Coronavirus concerns

West Bengal administration has announced the closure of Rabindra Bhavan Museum, Santiniketan House and Bangladesh Bhavan for general public till further notice amid Coronavirus fears. However, the libraries of Rabindra Bhavan and Bangladesh Bhavan will continue to be open, the notification issued on March 10 said.

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Precautionary measures

Founded in July 1942, just a year after Rabindranath Tagore's death, the Rabindra Bhavan is the focal point of the Visva-Bharati University. The museum attracts thousands of visitors including foreign nationals throughout the year. It has a number of Tagore's manuscripts, correspondences, paintings, and sketches.

Like West Bengal, multiple states have taken precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Staring at a public health crisis, many states have closed down schools and colleges. Among them is Kerala, where classes and exams until Class 7 have been canceled till March 31, so are all vacation classes, tuition classes, 'anganwadis' and 'madrasas'.

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Coronavirus in India

Till now, 56 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in India after Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan announced that six more cases were confirmed in the state.

The Chief Minister instructed classes and examinations for students till Class 7 in schools in the State to be cancelled. He added that the surveillance system will be strengthened across the State and said that the number of sample testing labs will also be increased.

"Exams for classes 8th, 9th, and 10th standard will, however, continue as per schedule. Legal steps will be initiated against those hiding their travel history. All people returning from COVID-19 countries should report to health authorities. Screening facilities at airports will be strengthened", said Vijayan.

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Novel Coronavirus outbreak

Globally, around 4,031 people have died due to Coronavirus, with the epicenter being in China. The virus has infected around 114,814 people globally and has now spread to North America, South America, Europe, New Zealand, and to more than 80 other countries. First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across 20 countries since December 2019. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dubbed the virus as COVID-19. 

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