COVID-19 scare: Himachal Pradesh closes all educational institutes, Anganwadis till 31 Mar

In the wake of the novel Coronavirus outbreak across the globe, the Himachal Pradesh state government on Saturday has announced the closing of all educational institutions, Anganwadi centres and play schools till March 31. As per reports, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur made the announcement while addressing the budget session at Vidhan Sabha.

Meanwhile, several states in India including Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, have already shut down schools amid the Coronavirus threat. 

Ministry's school advisory

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had issued a school advisory in which all the schools are advised to prevent from having any large gathering of students in their institutes. Along with it, any person who has travelled from the coronavirus affected countries is advised to be home-quarantined for 14 days. The advisory has also mentioned some respiratory and hand hygiene tips. All schools are advised to keep hand sanitizers in frequented spots.  

Read: IIT Delhi suspends academic, co-curricular activities amid Coronavirus outbreak

Coronavirus in India

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has soared up to over 88 as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Along with it, two deaths have been reported in Kalaburagi and West Delhi respectively. India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15. Moreover, the Centre has “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. The government is also monitoring all suspected cases and issued preventive advisories. 

Read: Coronavirus outbreak: Railways suspends operations of India-Bangladesh trains, buses

The Coronavirus crisis

First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, COVID-19- the novel coronavirus has affected nearly 129 countries in the world. Presently, there are over 142,320 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of 5,388 people. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to treat COVID-19, countries have been grappling with all possible mechanisms to contain its scope. So far, China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran have witnessed the most number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.

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Read: Congress' Nirupam terms CM Uddhav's Coronavirus steps a 'panic move'; argues against it