Covid-19 highlights: 5,00,000 people affected by coronavirus globally

The United Arab Emirates, where expatriates make up about 85% of the population, eased rules for renewing worker visas and will shut public transportation for two days as it steps up its fight against the spread of the coronavirus, reports Bloomberg.

Satyendar Jain, the health minister of Delhi said that a total of 800 people who came in contact with the 49 year old Mohalla clinic doctor have been quarantined for a period of 14 days, reports ANI.

Thailand reported 111 new coronavirus infections, taking its tally to 1,045, the government said on Twitter on Thursday. A state of emergency took effect. Authorities in Thailand, which has suffered four deaths in the pandemic, set up checkpoints on major roads linking provinces so as to increase screening in a bid to limit spread of the virus., reports Reuters.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that a total of 13 people have died and 649 cases have been confirmed due to the novel coronavirus.

Maharashtra's health ministry confirmed 2 new cases of coronavirus,taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 124, reports ANI.

New Zealand started a one-month compulsory lockdown on Thursday to slow the spread of the coronavirus, with warnings from authorities to stay at home or face big fines and even jail. Motorways, train stations and streets in downtown Auckland and Wellington were eerily silent in the morning as people stayed indoors. Office towers and shopping arcades were shuttered, reports Reuters.

Jammu and Kashmir has reported its first death from the novel coronavirus. The deceased was a 65 year old man who was a religious preacher. He had travelled to Delhi, UP, Jammu and Srinagar. Officials confirmed that the man was tested positive two days ago and had concealed his travel history.

Thailand's central bank is ready to provide liquidity support to money market and daily fixed income funds affected by cash shortage in the markets, it said in a statement. The central bank has recently set up a mutual fund liquidity facility to support the market through commercial banks as the coronavirus pandemic led to widespread disruptions in the global financial system, reports Reuters.

More than 1,000 people have died and 70,000 have been infected due to the novel coronavirus in United States, reports AFP.

A 66 year old man in Nayabad, Kolkata, West Bengal tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 10 in the state, reports ANI.

United States crude oil stockpiles rose last week, but one-week demand for fuels showed its biggest drop since December in the first inkling that the coronavirus pandemic is denting the country's energy demand, reports Reuters.

Leaders of the G20 major economies will hold an online summit Thursday in a bid to fend off a coronavirus-triggered recession, after criticism the group has been slow to address the crisis. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will join the emergency videoconference chaired by Saudi Arabia's King Salman, who is also under pressure to end an oil price war with Moscow that has roiled energy markets, reports AFP.

Indian American hoteliers have come forward to the rescue of Indian students stranded in the US following implementation of lockdown measures in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, by offering free accommodation and in some cases food, reports PTI.

A total of 3 billion people have been asked to stay home as the death tolls have rised in United States and Europe, reports AFP.

Spain’s Parliament has voted in favor of the government’s request to extend the state of emergency by two weeks that has allowed it to apply a national lockdown in hopes of stemming its coronavirus outbreak, reports AP.