Coronavirus Updates: Infosys vacates building in Bengaluru

19:17 March 14

Shortage of masks, sanitisers in Noida, Ghaziabad

In the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, there is a shortage of branded face masks and hand sanitisers in the Noida and Ghaziabad areas of Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking to ANI, Anup Khanna, President of Noida Medical Association, said: "In the last few days, there has been a sudden rise in the demand for masks and hand sanitizers. However, everything has a limit, so the shortage of these products is bound to happen."

"We are selling the products at the same rates that are applied to us. We have also issued a circular through the chemist association, that every pharmacy should display a list of different masks and their prices outside the shop," said Khanna.

16:42 March 14

Telangana, Goa shuts Theatres, Malls till March 31

Theatres, Malls, schools and other public places to remain shut in Telangana and Goa due to Coronavirus threat.

14:40 March 14

Urban Company to offer Covid-19 health insurance, income protection cover to professionals

Home services marketplace Urban Company said it has rolled out Covid-19 health insurance and income protection cover for 30,000 service professionals active on its platform in India.

This will be in addition to the existing life, accidental and health insurance plans provided by Urban Company to its professionals, it added.

"Under this new insurance cover, service professionals are offered a hospitalisation cover of up to Rs 25,000 and income protection cover of up to Rs 14,000 in the event of hospitalisation due to positive diagnosis of coronavirus," it said in a statement.

14:38 March 14

Apple closing all stores outside China until March 27 due to virus

Apple is closing all of its stores outside China until March 27 in a bid to slow the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak, CEO Tim Cook said.

Cook said the firm had learned from steps taken in China, where the tech giant has just reopened its retail stores.

"One of those lessons is that the most effective way to minimize risk of the virus's transmission is to reduce density and maximize social distance," he said in a statement Friday.

13:56 March 14

Around 20,000 people to lose jobs as Nepal temporarily stops on-arrival visas to tourists

Around 20,000 people are expected to go jobless after Nepal temporarily stopped issuing on-arrival tourist visas to all countries and put an end to all mountaineering expeditions for this season, in efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a media report.

13:20 March 14

Amid coronavirus scare, chicken sales crash in Hyderabad

The poultry industry in Hyderabad is facing losses amid rumours that chicken is infected with coronavirus and the disease is being transmitted to humans.

The prices of chicken have dropped as people are desisting from consuming meat amid the scare of the deadly virus.

Shaikh Munawar, a chicken retailer in Hyderabad told ANI that the retailers are now selling 2.5 kgs of chicken for just Rs 100 due to the rumours.

13:07 March 14

Malls, theaters to remain shut in Bengaluru

Malls in the city have been closed amid COVID19 pandemic. All malls, theaters, night clubs, pubs, and swimming pools will remain closed for the next week in the state. 

12:35 March 14

Google building self-check website for coronavirus

US President Donald Trump announced Friday that internet giant Alphabet is creating a website where people will be able to check whether they have  symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

Verily Life Sciences, once a project in a Google X lab devoted to "moonshot" projects and now its own health business unit, is testing a "tool to help triage individuals for COVID-19 testing," Google confirmed on Twitter.

12:30 March 14

Infosys vacates building in Bengaluru due to COVID-19 scare

Global software major Infosys vacated one of the buildings in the city's southern suburb after a team member was suspected for coronavirus (COVID-19), an official said on Friday.

"To ensure preparedness, we are evacuating only the IIPM building as a precautionary measure on receiving information that a team member from the building may have been in proximity to COVID-19 suspect," said IT major's Bengaluru development centre head Gururaj Deshpande in an e-mail to all Infoscions.

23:20 March 13

DoT relaxes work from home norms for IT-ITeS firms

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has relaxed certain norms for Other Service Providers (OSPs) till April 30 to facilitate work from home (WFH) amid the coronavirus outbreak.

These include exemptions in requirement of security deposit and agreement for WFH facility for OSPs (IT and IT-enabled services companies), as well as the need for prior permission for offering the facility.

Industry body Nasscom and leaders of the IT industry had requested the  government to relax the norms to facilitate business continuity that is posing to be a major challenge for the sector.

23:03 March 13

Airports body seeks concession fee waiver due to coronavirus impact

Global airports grouping ACI on Friday urged Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri to consider on a case-by-case basis waiver of concession fee that a private airport operator has to share with the government by concession agreement.

In a letter to Puri in the wake of coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent impact on the aviation industry, Airport Council International (ACI) also sought reduction in airport taxes applied on a per passenger basis, which are are not related to the provision of airport services or to the financing of airport infrastructure development.

"COVID-19 has drastically impacted the airport business and is posing a serious threat to the financial sustainability of the airport industry in the most-affected countries of the Asia-Pacific region," the ACI said in a letter to Puri.

We recommend that alternative relief measures should be explored to support both the airlines and the airport industries as primary generator of economic and social value for the country.

21:11 March 13

Traders, MSMEs seek stimulus package, deferral of statutory compliance

Representatives of traders and MSMEs demanded a stimulus package and deferring of all statutory compliance till June 30 in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

At a seminar on 'Corona Virus- Impact on Trade and Small Industries' organised by CAIT, representatives of various trade sectors and MSMEs also appreciated the steps taken by the government to deal with impact of the coronavirus.

The participants were of the opinion that in order to maintain supply chain effectively, the domestic small industries should be encouraged to produce more and use their optimum capacity of production.

20:51 March 13

Vice Prez asks ICMR to allay people's fears on consumption of chicken, eggs

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu asked the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Friday to issue an advisory to allay the concerns of people on consumption of chicken and eggs in the wake of fears about the impact of coronavirus on the poultry industry.

Dissemination of correct information was necessary to assure both consumers and sellers, Naidu said.

A statement from the Vice President's Secretariat said Naidu spoke with the ICMR brass after a delegation of the All India Poultry Breeders' Association apprised him on Friday of the problems being faced by the poultry sector in the wake of fears about the impact of the novel coronavirus on the industry.

The delegation claimed that "false news" on the threat to the poultry industry was triggering panic among people and had resulted in a massive reduction in consumption of poultry products, the statement said.

20:38 March 13

Multiplexes witness up to 20% dip in footfall due to Covid-19

Multiplex operators are witnessing around 15-20 per cent decline in footfall across India due to coronavirus scare and deferral in release of several big-ticket movies, which may impact revenue in the quarter, industry officials said.

Several states and UTs including Delhi, Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir have directed the closure of all movie halls as a precaution against Covid-19.

20:36 March 13

Austria to shut non-essential shops to fight virus

Austria on Friday tightened its coronavirus response by announcing the closure of non-essential retail businesses, locking down two western communities and suspending flights to France, Spain and Switzerland.

20:25 March 13

British Airways to cut jobs over coronavirus: CEO

British Airways will cut jobs after the coronavirus pandemic devastated demand for global air travel, its chief executive Alex Cruz said Friday.

"To be frank, given the changing circumstances, we can no longer sustain our current level of employment and jobs will be lost perhaps for a short period, perhaps longer term," Cruz said in an internal memo confirmed by the group.

20:23 March 13

Malls, theaters to remain shut in Maharastra

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that all malls, theatres, gyms, swimming pools in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Pimpri Chinchwad will be closed till March 30 to help contain the spread of coronavirus.

19:51 March 13

Masks & sanitizers declared Essential Commodities temporarily

Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Public distribution has said in view of Coronavirus, masks (2-ply and 3-ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and sanitizers have been declared Essential Commodities for the next 100 days as it stepped up efforts to boost supply.

The Centre has also invoked Disaster Management Act to ensure price regulation and availability of surgical and protective masks, hand sanitizer and gloves.

"Government has notified an order under the Essential Commodities Act to declare these items as essential commodities up to June 30, 2020, by amending the schedule of the Essential Commodities Act 1955," the Consumer Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The decision would empower the government and States/UTs to regulate production, quality and distribution of masks and hand sanitizers for smooth sale and availability of these items. It also empowers to carry out operations against speculators and those involved in over pricing and black marketing.

"It will enhance the availability of both the items to the general people at reasonable prices or underP (maximum retail price)," the ministry said. 

19:50 March 13

Malls, theatres, pubs closed in Karnataka due to coronavirus outbreak

Malls, theatres, pubs closed in Karnataka due to coronavirus outbreak

In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddiyurappa on Friday announced that all malls, theatres, night clubs, pubs and swimming pools will remain closed from Saturday till Mar 21 in the State.

He also announced that wedding functions and summer camps will not be allowed to take place during this period.

Yeddiyurappa also stated that the leaves of all government doctors and health officials have been cancelled and they have been ordered to be present on duty, in order to provide uninterrupted service in case of an emergency. 

19:49 March 13

Over half of flights cancelled in Asia Pacific due to Coronavirus scare: Boeing official

Air traffic in China and other Asia Pacific countries has plummeted by more than half due to coronavirus scare, Darren Hulst, Vice president and global head of marketing,Boeing Commercial Airplanes said.

19:49 March 13

COVID-19: IATA, APAO lock horns over proposed levy on air tickets

The lobby groups representing domestic private airport operators and global airlines have come face to face over the former's suggestion to levy a fee on air tickets to cover expenses made to contain the spread of coronavirus from international passengers.

Amitabh Khosla, Country Director, International Air Transport Association (IATA), said India's private airports need to do a reality check on their suggestion to impose a new levy at a time when passenger demand is plummeting on account of the COVID-19 outbreak.

"What is needed now are relief measures to help the aviation industry, and eventually when the situation is resolved to look at ways to grow demand, instead of a self-serving interest in protecting profits without recognizing what is happening in the world around us," he said in a statement.

Facing pressure on their cash flows in the wake of flight cancellations by airlines, private airport operators under the banner of the Association of Private Airports Operators (APAO) this week suggested that the government allow levying a fee on flight tickets for recovering the money spent on deploying resources to beef up measures for screening air travellers for coronavirus symptoms.

They also pitched for putting a moratorium on the revenue share by Delhi and Mumbai airport operators with state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) for at least three months to tide over the crisis.

19:48 March 13

Amazon asks employees to work from home if they can

Amazon has now joined a growing number of companies around the world in recommending their staff to work from home if their roles allow in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a guidance issued by the online retail giant on Thursday, all employees of the company, irrespective of their location, can work from home if they can through to the end of this month.

19:48 March 13

Coronavirus will bring down global economic growth to just 1.4%

The global economic growth will be merely 1.4 per cent this year, compared to 2.9 per cent in 2019, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic worldwide, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has predicted.

In its March report, the 36-member intergovernmental global economic body's best case scenario projection was that the coronavirus outbreak will impact the world economy with a drop in growth by 0.5 per cent this year followed by a modest recovery in India, China and other emerging markets.

The prediction of reduction in global growth to 2.4 per cent in 2020 from already weak 2.9 per cent in 2019, was made on the assumption that the epidemic peaked in China in the first quarter of 2020 and outbreaks in other countries prove mild and contained.

17:58 March 13

Deserted Chennai Airport

Deserted Chennai Airport: 10 International and 2 Domestic flight services cancelled

10 International and 2 Domestic flight services have been cancelled at Chennai Airport due to low passenger traffic.

17:05 March 13

AI cancels flights to Italy, France, Germany, 3 other countries till April 30

National carrier Air India has cancelled flights to Italy, France, Germany, Spain, South Korea and Sri Lanka till April 30, an airline official said.

The decision has been taken in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.    

17:05 March 13

RBI says 'closely monitoring' situation, will take measures for market stability

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it is closely monitoring the current global situation and assured that it will take all steps to keep markets adequately liquid and stable.

The statement comes at a day when trading on the Indian stock exchanges hit a "circuit breaker" -- first time since 2008 -- as soon as markets opened on Friday.

"The RBI is closely and continuously monitoring the rapidly evolving global situation and will take all necessary measures to ensure that money, debt and forex markets remain adequately liquid and stable, and continue to function normally," the RBI said in a statement.

17:04 March 13

NPPA asks state regulators to ensure masks, sanitisers not sold above MRP

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority(NPPA) on Friday asked states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure that masks and sanitisers are not sold above their maximum retail price.

"The state drug controllers (SDCs) and food and drugs administrators (FDAs) of all the states and union territories have been requested to have a close vigilance in the market to check the sale of masks and sanitizers at the rates higher than the MRP," the drug pricing authority said in a tweet.

17:04 March 13

China to cut banks' reserve requirement to combat virus fallout

China's central bank said Friday it would cut the reserve requirements for banks, releasing some 550 billion yuan (USD 79 billion) in liquidity as the country fights to control the economic fallout of the deadly coronavirus.

The People's Bank of China (PBoC) said in a statement that it would cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) on March 16 by 50 to 100 basis points for banks that meet its assessment criteria, reducing the amount of cash they must hold.

There will be an additional 100 basis point reduction for eligible joint-stock commercial banks, to support the issuance of loans, said the PBOC.

17:03 March 13

BYD Company opens largest face mask plant

China-headquartered BYD Company said it uas unveiled the largest face masks plant aimed at serving the demand in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

BYD is proud to announce that it has created the world's largest mass produced face mask plant. The plant is now running at full capacity and is able to produce 50 lakh masks and three lakh bottles of disinfectants per day, a company said in a statement here.

15:49 March 13

TN CM holds meeting with ministers; no major order as of now 

Vehicles coming from Kerala is being cleaned with disinfectant as huge number of coronavirus cases reported there. Malls, public places remain opened. There is a shortage of masks and hand sanitizer in the state. State's Health Mininster Dr.Vijayabaskar says mask is not necessary for everybody. Only medical professionals and corona virus affected patients family members need to wear mask.

15:00 March 13

Malls, theatres, pubs shut in K'taka from Saturday

Malls, cinema halls, marriage, conferences, public functions, pubs, summer camps will be shut for 1 week  in Karnataka said Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa. Post 1 week after examining situation we will decide what to do next, he added.

14:32 March 13

DGCA asks int'l airlines to consider waiving ticket cancellation fees

Aviation watchdog DGCA has asked international airlines to consider waiving ticket cancellation and reschedule charges or look at providing any other incentive, amid coronavirus outbreak.

"In light of hardship faced by passengers, airlines may like to consider and take an appropriate call, accordingly," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a circular.

14:10 March 13

Modi proposes SAARC strategy to combat COVID-19

Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis across the globe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged the SAARC nations to chalk out strategy to fight it and set an example to the world.

In a series of tweets, Modi said, "Our planet is battling COVID-19. At various levels, governments and people are trying their best to combat it. South Asia, which is home to a significant number of the global population, should leave no stone unturned to ensure our people are healthy.

13:34 March 13

Air India EoI extended to April 30 amid COVID-19 crisis

With COVID-19 crisis escalating by the day impacting market and business sentiments, the government has extended the date for submitting the bids for buying 100 per cent stake in national carrier Air India by almost a month and half to April 30.

As per the preliminary information memorandum (PIM) issues in January, the date for submitting the bid was march 17, 2020.

The deadlines for response to bidder queries and announcing the name of those short-listed have also been extended. Accordingly, the new date for response to bidder queries on PIM is March 20 and for announcement of short-listed bidders is May 14.

"Further changes with respect to the important dates, if any, will be communicated to the interested bidders subsequently," Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) said in its third corrigendum related to Air India disinvestment.

DIPAM said that the dates have been extended as interested bidders had demanded the same in the wake of Coronavirus spread.

13:33 March 13

Employee of private firm in Noida tests positive

An employee of a private firm in Noida, with a travel history to France and China, tested positive for coronavirus on Friday.  

"One employee of a private firm in Noida has tested positive for coronavirus. He has a travel history to France and China. He is a resident of Delhi," said Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Anurag Bhargav.

The CMO said the person is currently undergoing treatment in Delhi. The state health department has also kept the company under watch.

13:33 March 13

Pvt airports for moratorium on revenue share, levying fee on air tickets

Facing pressure on their cash flows in the wake of flight cancellations by airlines due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, private airport operators have pitched for putting a moratorium on revenue share for at least three months and levy a fee on air tickets to cover the expenses made towards deploying additional resources for screening international travellers.

While GMR group-led Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) is required to share 45.99 per cent of its gross revenue with state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI), the concession agreement with Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) requires the firm to part with 38.7 per cent of its revenue with the government agency.

The airports body representing seven private operators has in a letter to Civil Aviation Secretary PS Kharola has said that both aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenues have been affected due to flight cancellations by domestic and international airlines in the past few weeks. Further, many of their concessionaires such as food and beverage (F&B) service providers could default in the event of crisis continuing.

"Reduced passengers at airports have adversely impacted the non-aero revenues due to less sales at F&B and retail outlets. Non-aero concessionaires have already started asking for reduced revenue share or MMG which in turn will impact airport operatorsa revenues," Association of Private Airports Operators (APAO) has said in its communication to the nodal Civil Aviation Ministry.

12:41 March 13

Goa government to issue circular to hotels, industries

Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the government will issue a circular asking hotels and industries to take preventive measures in the wake of the coronavirus scare.

No positive case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been reported so far in Goa, which receives a large number of tourists, including those from abroad, every year.

Speaking to reporters here, Rane said the circular to be issued to hotels and industries will be on the lines of the directives given by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to prevent spread of the viral infection.

12:41 March 13

COVID-19 outbreak credit neutral for pharma companies for now: Ind-Ra

Ind-Ra has said that the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is unlikely to impact the rating agency's credit profile of pharma companies in the near term despite the sector's heavy reliance on Chinese API and intermediates.

Nonetheless, in case the supply disruption continues over the next three to nine months, the pressures on credit buffers could intensify and rating transitions would be imminent, especially in case of the entities rated 'IND A' and below, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) said in a statement.

12:40 March 13

India part of US-led initiative to share info on integrating science into coronavirus response

India is part of a US-led global initiative to share information on integrating science into coronavirus response, according to a White House statement.

Besides the US and India, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea are part of the initiative.

The second conference call by the science ministers and chief advisors of these countries was held on Wednesday and it was convened by the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Dr Kelvin Droegemeier.

"Following the first (conference) call last week, we'll continue ongoing frequent scientific diplomacy,” the White House said in the statement.

During the second conference call, participants supported efforts to make available COVID-19 (coronavirus diseases) relevant peer-reviewed publications, data, and related research in PubMed Central and other publicly accessible repositories immediately.

12:40 March 13

Google employee in Bengaluru diagnosed with coronavirus

Google confirmed on Friday that an employee of its Bengaluru office has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

"The employee has been on quarantine since then, and we have asked colleagues who were in close contact with the employee to quarantine themselves and monitor their health," the company said in a statement.

12:39 March 13

IATA urges 'emergency measures' for airlines after US travel ban

The global aviation association warned Thursday a US-imposed trans-Atlantic travel ban would further hurt an industry already hard-hit by the coronavirus crisis, insisting airlines needed "emergency measures" to get through.

US President Donald Trump has announced a shock 30-day ban on travel from mainland Europe over the coronavirus pandemic.

The move, which sent airline stocks into free fall Thursday, "will create enormous cash-flow pressures for airlines," Alexandre de Juniac, head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), warned in a statement.

"Airlines will need emergency measures to get through this crisis," he insisted.

12:33 March 13

New York Fed says to offer USD 1.5 trillion in cash this week

Washington:The US central bank announced on Thursday a massive increase to its cash injections into American financial markets to quell the growing uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The New York Fed, which has ramped up short-term funding to markets in recent days, said it will offer USD 500 billion in three-month funds called repurchase agreements or "repos" on Thursday and Friday, and $500 billion in one-month repos on Friday.

Over the coming month, it will provide $500 billion a week of one- and three-month repos.

That is on top of the at least USD 175 billion daily in overnight funding, and twice-weekly offers of at least USD 45 billion in two-week repos.

"These changes are being made to address highly unusual disruptions in Treasury financing markets associated with the coronavirus outbreak," the New York Fed said in a statement.

(Inputs from agencies)