Pak health minister to take part in SAARC members video conference on COVID-19

Delhi govt on Friday announced a few more preventive steps to curb the spread of COVID-19.

IPL matches scheduled in Delhi won’t be held. No sports event will be allowed. No seminars, conferences or any big event will be allowed in Delhi, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University has suspended all lectures, class presentations and examinations till 31st March.

"In view of the situation arising out of coronavirus (Covid-19), it is hereby notified that all lectures, class presentations and examinations at JNU are suspended till March 31, 2020, with immediate effect," read a statement by the university registrar.

The Asian Chess Federation has decided to postpone all its scheduled events until the end of June amid the coronavirus outbreak, reports news agency ANI.

"Asian Chess Federation has decided as a precautionary measure to postpone all events until the end of June. In line with this decision, the Asian Amateur Chess Championship originally scheduled for April in Muscat, Oman is postponed by force majeure until further notice after the end of June," the federation said in an official statement on Friday.

A Manchester City footballer has self-isolated himself after a relative complained of respiratory illness. AFP reported that the player is Benjamin Mendy, French fullback, whom the club hasn't named. Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had earlier tested positive for covid-19 on Friday.

After halting events of more than 500 people at one event, Australia has asked its nationals to avoid unnecessary travel.

CRPF has cancelled its anniversary celebrations which was due to be held in Gurugram on March 19 due to coronavirus outbreak.

Indonesia has decided to exempt workers in the manufacturing from paying income tax and has given manufacturing companies a 30% discount on corporate tax payments for the next six months. Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said introduced the stimulus which is 0.8% of the Indonesian GDP, according to Reuters.

Nepal halts climbing on Mt. Everest due to the coronavirus epidemic. Minister for Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation, Yogesh Bhattarai, told AFP that Nepal has decided 'to suspend

BSE Sensex and Nifty halted trading for the day after both the NSE Nifty 50 index and S&P BSE Sensex crash about 10% each

A senior spokesman Mi Feng of the Chinese National Health Commission said that the peak of the epidemic has passed for China. Zhong Nanshan, the Chinese government's senior medical adviser outlined the role for countries and said everyone needs to be on the same page regarding how to tackle the pandemic. He said with coordinated efforts the pandemic can be over by June.

News agency ANI reported that Google has issued a statement asking employees to work from home as a covid-19 case has been reported from its Bengaluru office.

Iran reported 75 new deaths from the coronavirus. A total of 10,075 people have been infected by the coronavirus disease in the nation, according to a statement released by the nation's health ministry. Meanwhile, China reported a sharp drop in new cases as it reported 5 new cases of coronavirus on Friday.

Religious gatherings in Italy were halted as churches were closed for Sunday mass in Rome. In Hong Kong priests held mass over video to avoid further coronavirus contamination.

Callum Hudson-Odoi is the first english premier league player who has tested positive for coronavirus. Earlier on Friday, Mikel Arteta, Arsenal head coach tested positive for coronavirus.

Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that it has released 177 fully cured patients the same day it reported 110 new cases of people infected by novel coronavirus.