Coronavirus latest updates: Number of confirmed cases rise to 125 in India

NEW DELHI: The number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 125 on Tuesday after fresh cases were reported from several states prompting the government to initiate an order for 10 lakh testing kits to launch community testing.

The confirmed cases include 22 foreign nationals and two persons who died in Delhi and Karnataka. According to the ministry’s data, 13 people have been discharged so far, including the three Kerala patients.

Here is a look at the latest developments on the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID19) from India and around the world —

Govt orders 10L kits, readies to test for community spread

India will take a call on community testing after it gets results on Wednesday from randomly collected samples of people suffering from severely acute respiratory infection (SARI) such as pneumonia but do not have a history of foreign travel or record of coming in contact with such travellers.

The results hold key to the crucial question of whether the virus has been spreading through community transmission. The government, however, has already started ramping up its preparations for the risk of community transmission and the community testing that it might require by ordering one million additional testing kits, besides extending the network of testing laboratories.

Govt expand travel advisory to prohibit travel of passengers from Afghanistan, Philippines, Malaysia to India with immediate effect

“No flight shall take off from these countries to India after 1500 hours Indian Standard Time. The airline shall enforce this at the port of initial departure,” the new advisory says in view of wider global sp