Coronavirus Updates: 'Do namaste, instead of handshake', advises Israeli PM

The makers of the new James Bond movie due for global release next month said on Wednesday it would be delayed until November amid fears over the coronavirus outbreak, reports AFP.

"MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of NO TIME TO DIE will be postponed until November 2020," said a tweet from the official 007 Twitter account.

Italy's death toll from the new coronavirus passed 100 on Wednesday and the number of cases went over 3,000, the government said, reports AFP.

Twenty-eight more people died in the past 24 hours, bringing the toll to 107 -- the highest number of fatalities outside China -- while the number of cases reached 3,089, official figures showed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday encouraged his countrymen to adopt 'Namaste' - the Indian way of greeting - instead of the normal handshake as one of the measures to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, reports PTI.

Saudi Arabia, which has already suspended pilgrimages to the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina for foreigners due to coronavirus concerns, extended the ban on Wednesday to Saudi citizens and residents, state news agency SPA reported.

The US Chamber of Commerce and travel industry leaders urged businesses and consumers not to overreact to the spread of coronavirus and to take precautions while going about business as usual. Leaders of retail, airline, and hotel industries projected confidence in business activity, saying they expect minimal impact as the virus spreads.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority on Wednesday asked insurance companies to come out with policies to cover treatment costs for coronavirus infection, reports PTI.

"For the purpose of meeting health insurance requirements of various sections, insurers are advised to design products covering the costs of treatment for coronavirus," the regulator said in a circular.

Five people admitted at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bengaluru have tested negative for coronavirus, the hospital's director Dr. Nagaraj said on Wednesday evening. "We will start the process of discharging them as per protocol," he was quoted by ANI as saying.

The samples of the five were sent for testing earlier in the day.

German airline giant Lufthansa said Wednesday it would ground 150 of its more than 750 planes worldwide, days after announcing a slimmed-down timetable over the effects of the novel coronavirus.

"25 long-haul aircraft and 125 short- and medium-haul aircraft" will no longer fly, a spokesman for the group also including carriers Eurowings, Austrian and Swiss told AFP.

India's leading digital payment platform Paytm on Wednesday announced shutting down its offices in Gurugram and Noida for at least two days after one of its employees who had recently travelled to Italy tested positive for COVID-19.

In an official statement, the company said that it has suggested team members of the COVID-19 patient to get their health tests done immediately, while all their offices will remain shut for sanitising purposes.

New York's Yeshiva University said on Wednesday one of their students had tested positive for COVID-19, marking the third case in the US state, reports Reuters. The school said it was cancelling all classes on Wednesday at one of its four New York City campuses as a "precautionary step" while it worked with authorities on how to best prepare and keep its students safe.

Students appearing for class 10 and 12 board examination will be allowed to carry masks and hand sanitiser in the exam centre in view of coronavirus scare, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced on Wednesday, reports PTI.

"Face masks and sanitisers may be carried by students in the examination centre," CBSE Secretary Anurag Tripathi said. Class 10 and 12 board examinations began on February 15.

The directorate of health services, Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday said two symptomatic contacts from Agra are hospitalised at Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi, reports ANI. It added that15 asymptomatic contacts are also hospitalised- 4 from Agra at Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi; 6 from Noida at GB Nagar, 5 at district hospital,Bulandshahar.

All 24 members comprising 21 Italians and 3 Indians brought to ITBP's quarantine facility in Chhawla, Delhi yesterday, left this evening, reports ANI. Positive cases to be treated at designated hospitals and others to be kept under preventive isolation at a different location.

ITBP: All 24 members comprising 21 Italians & 3 Indians brought to the quarantine facility in Chhawla, Delhi yesterday, left this evening. Positive cases to be treated at designated hospitals and others to be kept under preventive isolation at a different location. pic.twitter.com/7VoePuhlFU

— ANI (@ANI) March 4, 2020

The International Monetary Fund pledged on Wednesday to bring all available resources to bear to help countries combat the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic.

Following an unusual conference call of the IMF's governing body, the 189 members said they were united in addressing the challenges posed by COVID-19.

"We have called upon the IMF to use all its available financing instruments to help member countries in need," the statement said.

"We are determined to provide the necessary support to mitigate the impact, especially on the most vulnerable people and countries."

The Bharatiya Janata Party top brass including party president JP Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah have decided not to celebrate Holi to avoid the spread of coronavirus. Holi is on March 10.