Haryana govt shuts schools, malls till Mar 31; bans mass gathering amid Coronavirus scare

In view of the rapid spread of the novel Coronavirus, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Monday announced that the cinema halls, gyms, swimming pools, schools and nightclubs across the state will remain closed till month-end. He also mentioned that examination in the schools will take place as scheduled.

Anil Vij further said a ban has also been imposed on holding political, cultural and social gatherings or sports events that attract a crowd of more than 200 people with immediate effect.

In his tweet, Vij said, "Cinema halls, schools (excluding examinations), gyms, swimming pools, nightclubs will remain closed till March 31. Apart from this, the gathering of more than 200 people in social, political, cultural, educational, sports competitions and family events has been banned."

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Haryana declares state 'epidemic'

On Friday, the Department of School Education had ordered the closure of all government and private schools in five districts of the state including Gurugram, Sonepat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, and Faridabad till March 31. The State has so far reported 14 cases of the virus which are all Italian Nationals that were moved to a hospital in Gurugram. So far, no Indian national has tested positive for the virus in Haryana. 

On Thursday, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij declared Coronavirus as an 'epidemic' in the state amidst the soaring number of  Coronavirus cases in the country. A few days ago, the Haryana government had issued directions to exempt all its employees from marking their attendance through biometric machines till March 31, 2020. 

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Coronavirus in India

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has soared up to around 110 as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Along with it, two deaths have been reported in Kalaburagi and West Delhi respectively. India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15.

Moreover, the Centre has “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. The government is also monitoring all suspected cases and has issued preventive advisories. Earlier on Saturday, the Central Government decided to treat the deadly virus as a "notified disaster".

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The Coronavirus crisis

First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, COVID-19- the novel coronavirus has affected nearly 146 countries in the world. Presently, there are over 153,648 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of 5,746 people. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to treat COVID-19, countries have been grappling with all possible mechanisms to contain its scope. So far, China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran have witnessed the most number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.

READ | Coronavirus: Haryana Govt Shuts All Schools Till Mar 31