64-Yr-Old Woman Dies from Coronavirus in Mumbai, Death Toll in India Rises to 3

Mumbai, March 17, 2020:

The novel coronavirus, that great international threat, has now claimed yet another life in India. The latest victim, the third in the country overall, was a 64-year old woman who was admitted at the Kasturba Hospital. Meanwhile, the Indian Union has confirmed that there are at least 125 cases of the COVID-19 in the country.

The first death due to a coronavirus infection was reported in Karnataka. The second patient was a 68-year-old woman in New Delhi who succumbed to the virus at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital last week.

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Meanwhile, in a desperate attempt to curb the outbreak amid a skyrocketing number of cases, the Government of India has placed further restrictions on travel. A communique issued by the Indian Union earlier today, reads: "Travel of passengers from Afghanistan, Philippines and Malaysia to India is prohibited with immediate effect." The restriction shall remain in place till March 31.

Meanwhile, panic prevails in Magarashtra, which has emerged as a hotbed of the outbreak in the country. In a bid to control the outbreak, the Government has dissuaded large gatherings. In the market towns of Nagpur and Nashik, the State Government has imposed Section 144 of the CrPc.

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Meanwhile, a national daily has reported that the Maharashtra Government has placed stamps on people who have been sent to home quarantine. Moreover, the Government is treating the breaking of home quarantine as a punishable offense.

At the same time, the State Government has issued an order directing all schools, colleges, cinema halls and malls to remain shut till 31 March. Maharashtra Legislature's Budget Session was also curtailed by a week. In addition, all local elections are to be postponed by 3 months.

To deal with the outbreak, the Government of Maharashtra has also announced financial incentives to the Governments. ₹45 crore has been assigned to the districts in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has allocated ₹15 crore to the Konkan region, ₹10 crore to Pune and ₹5 crore each to Amravati, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Nashik.

India has recorded a total of 125 confirmed cases of coronavirus according to https://www.worldometers.info/ On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did a video call with leaders of SAARC nations to discuss the Coronavirus outbreak and steps to control the spread of the deadly disease.

Internationally, there have been 7,174 deaths due to the coronavirus, with cases being reported from as many as 125 countries. In Italy, the virus has taken on catastrophic proportions with as many as 2,158 people having died due to the infection. China, the epicentre of the disease, still reports the highest number of deaths at 3,226. Iran is the third-worst hit country and 853 Iranians have died to to a coronavirus infection. The casualty also continues to mount in the United States of America, that has seen as many as 93 people die in the wake of the outbreak of the life-threatening virus.

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