Karnataka CM confirms 4 positive cases of coronavirus; 1,048 identified for observation

Three more cases of coronavirus infections have been confirmed in Karnataka, taking the total number of patients testing positive in the State to four. All the four hail from Bengaluru. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday briefed the media about COVID-19 infection in the state and said that 1048 people have been identified for observation.

'While reports of the rest are awaited'

He said, "Up until now, 1048 people have been identified for observation. Out of which 446 samples have been sent for testing. 389 samples have tested negative, 4 positive, while reports of the rest are awaited." 

The state government on Monday announced that a software engineer from Bengaluru who recently returned from the USA has contracted the virus. The 40-year-old man is quarantined and treated at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) in the city is stable, health officials had said.

Along with the techie, his wife, daughter and a colleague too were quarantined in the hospital as they were showing the disease symptoms. Their test reports were expected to arrive on Tuesday. Although the government has confirmed three new positive cases, it is yet to confirm if they are the same quarantined persons in the hospital.

Several Malayalam cinema organisations in Kochi have declared shutting down of cinema theatres till March 31, according to reports. The joint decision comes hours after six more cases of infected persons were confirmed in Kerala by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. 

The number of people infected with the new coronavirus in India crossed 50 on Tuesday as Kerala and Karnataka reported new cases. Nearly 4,000 people have died of the virus across the world, but there have been no deaths in India till now.

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Indian Air Force flies home Indians from Iran

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force brought home 58 Indians from Iran, where authorities are currently battling one of the worst outbreaks outside China. A C-17 Globemaster carrying 25 men, 31 women and two children landed at the Hindon airbase near Ghaziabad on Tuesday morning.

The swab samples of 529 Indians have been brought back for testing. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the government was working on bringing back more Indians from Iran.

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(With agency inputs)