West Bengal Assembly adjourned to combat spread of coronavirus

West Bengal State Assembly has been adjourned due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The decision was taken after an urgent all-party meeting held on Monday. Tuesday will be the last day of the Assembly and a few urgent Bills will be taken up.

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WB Assembly adjourned due to coronavirus

Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien posted a picture on Instagram asking whether the Budget session of the Parliament should be suspended in order to combat the spread of the virus. 

118 confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in India till Sunday evening with two reported deaths. 

Multiple states across the country have taken up measures to contain the spread of the virus, including shutting down schools, universities, malls and other places where a large number of people can gather. Multiple firms have also implemented work from home so as to not expose the employees to the virus.

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The Union government announced a travel ban on and suspended all visas and stated that all existing visas, barring diplomatic, UN/International Organisations, employment and project visas, will stand suspended till April 15, 2020. 

This advisory also applies for people with visa-free travel, and to OCI cardholders, whose visa-free access will be temporarily suspended with effect from March 13, 2020. However, the statement mentioned that any foreign national who intends to travel to India for any compelling reason may contact the nearest Indian Embassy for further clarity or guidance.

The Ministry of External Affairs has also appointed an additional secretary level rank official as nodal officer to coordinate efforts at the global level regarding the spread of COVID-19. 

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World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, outbreak as a pandemic.

Globally, around 6,000 people have died due to Coronavirus, with the epicentre being China. The virus has infected around 1,69,000 people globally and has now spread to North America, South America, Europe, New Zealand, and more than 100 other countries.

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