Corona claims third life in India

New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday said the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India has jumped to 137, including 24 foreigners. Maharashtra has recorded the most cases, with 36. Kerala follows in second with 24 and Uttar Pradesh is third with 14.

India on Tuesday recorded the third death due to coronavirus as a 64-year-old man passed away in Maharashtra. The man had a travel history from Dubai.

Hours later, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said, "We already know that we are in stage 2. We are in not in stage 3, clearly."

Bhargava said the ICMR will start engaging private laboratories to start testing. "ICMR is also engaging with high-quality private laboratories, that include NABL-accredited laboratories, to understand the modalities to increase access to the tests while ensuring appropriate safeguards," he added.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is in self-quarantine after he visited a Kerala hospital which reportedly hid the travel details of a doctor who later tested positive for coronavirus.

Action is likely against the hospital authorities for hiding the fact that one of their doctors had travelled abroad and later contracted symptoms of the disease.

The information was reportedly withheld in view of the visit by Muraleedharan. The minister's office was in contact with hospital director three times before his visit.

A Maharashtra government official said four patients were detected for the novel coronavirus infection, taking the state tally to 37, as concerns over the pandemic steered decisions across all sectors and states, including in politically volatile Madhya Pradesh.

The Union ministry did not immediately add the Maharashtra cases to its national count, covering 15 states and union territories. Kerala officials also maintained the total tally was 24 as against 23 given by the Union ministry.

With the four new patients, Odisha has a count of one, Ladakh four and Jammu and Kashmir three, according to the ministry.

The Union Health Ministry also said fresh coronavirus cases were also reported from Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Kerala.

With the positive cases of COVID-19 showing an increase, the government after a meeting of a group of ministers (GoM) proposed a set of social distancing measures to be in force till March 31, the Health ministry officials told reporters.

"Travel of passengers from member countries of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, Turkey and United Kingdom to India is prohibited with effect from 18th March 2020," said Lav Aggarwal, the Joint Secretary in the ministry.