Coronavirus: Latest updates on coronavirus crisis around the world

Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus crisis in India and other parts of the world on Wednesday. 08.24 p.m.

All government departments will consult the health ministry before organising conferences and international meets in the country in the coming days, it was decided on Wednesday at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by the principal secretary to the prime minister. 08.17 p.m.

A Paytm employee in Gurgaon has tested positive for novel coronavirus, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. 08.13 p.m. A second case of novel coronavirus has been confirmed among the staff at European Union institutions in Brussels, a European official says, just hours after the first.

08.02 p.m. The new coronavirus epidemic poses a "serious threat" to people and the world economy, and will slow growth below the 2.9 per cent posted last year, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva has said.

07.56 p.m. Students appearing for class 10 and 12 board examination will be allowed to carry masks and hand sanitiser in the exam centre in view of coronavirus scare, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announces. 07.40 p.m.

The 189 members of the International Monetary Fund pledge to bring all available resources to bear to help countries combat the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic. 07.36 p.m.

As many as 70,000 people have been screened for the deadly coronavirus in Punjab so far and their test reports have been found to be negative, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu informs the state assembly on Wednesday. 07.21 p.m.

Italy has not yet decided whether to close schools and universities over the novel coronavirus, Education Minister Lucia Azzolina said on Tuesday, after ANSA and other Italian agencies said they will be shut until mid-March. 5: 51 p.m.

Three schools in national capital and adjoining areas announce holidays for students and staff as precautionary measure to prevent spread of coronavirus, while two schools advance spring break. 5:46 p.m Officials say 373 people who travelled abroad since January 15 have been kept under surveillance in Gautam Buddh Nagar for coronavirus.

5:45 p.m. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) postpones its annual congress in Budapest by three months to June, citing coronavirus outbreak.

5:43 p.m. Two passengers with travel history to Italy and South Korea have been shifted to quarantine ward at a government hospital in Jammu, officials say.

5:36 p.m WHO asks countries in its South-East Asia region to strengthen preparedness for all possible scenarios and ensure early containment measures for coronavirus. 5:16 p.m West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has alleged that "some people and channels" were trying to create panic over coronovirus in the country to divert attention from Delhi communal riots.

5:04 p.m. Telangana health authorities say samples of two persons from the state have been sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation of coronavirus.

3:35 p.m. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan says India intends to set up a laboratory in Iran so that Indians there can be tested for a possible exposure to coronavirus before being brought back.

3:34 p.m. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) says seventeen Indians have been infected with coronavirus abroad.

3:31p.m. Union minister Prakash Javadekar says the government is proactively engaged in dealing with coronavirus, and the PM is monitoring the situation everyday.

Javadekar says over 6 lakh people have been screened at 21 airports for coronavirus. 2:53 p.m.

A report by IDFC Mutual Fund says the RBI needs to find room for more rate cuts to deal with the impact of coronavirus on the economy. 2:38 p.m.

Chinese officials say a total of 75 inbound passengers in China have tested positive for coronavirus out of the 6,700 travellers who showed possible symptoms of the disease. 2: 36 p.m.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says efforts are on to check and screen 88 people who came in contact with the Delhi man who tested positive for coronavirus. Kejriwal says a taskforce headed by him has been formed to tackle the situation emerging from the coronavirus infection and there is no need to panic.

1:41 p.m. Gujarat Health Department says none of the 1,582 people kept under observation after returning from coronavirus-hit countries has so far been found to be infected by the potentially deadly virus.

1:34 p.m. Home Minister Amit Shah says the country is well prepared to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Shah says he will not participate in 'Holi Milan' function in the wake of the reports of outbreak of the virus in different places. 1:26 p.m.

Rajasthan government directs officials to take public health measures in the places visited by the group of Italian tourists who have tested positive for coronavirus. 12.40 p.m. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan says there are a total of 28 coronavirus cases in India; 1 in Delhi, 6 in Agra, 16 Italian tourists and their Indian driver, 1 in Telangana and 3 in Kerala.

Vardhan says he met with Delhi's health minister, corporation officials and urged them to augment facilities of isolation wards in hospitals: Health Min on COVID-19. The minister says the 6 novel coronavirus cases in Agra are relatives of Delhi-based man who tested positive earlier.

Vardhan says all international passengers are to be screened for novel Coronavirus symptoms. 12.36 p.m The Telangana government says it has decided to undertake various measures, including a campaign to promote cleanliness in public transport, to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

12.28 p.m. Odisha government issues dos and don'ts asking people to avoid hugging, shaking hands while greeting and keeping their workplace clean to ward off novel coronavirus infection.

12.25 pm. Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's example, BJP president J P Nadda said he will not celebrate Holi or hold any Holi Milan function in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

11.50 a.m. Tech giant Intel says one of its employees in Bengaluru "potentially been exposed" to coronavirus and is currently under quarantine.

11.40 a.m. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he has decided not to participate in any 'Holi milan' programme as experts have advised that mass gatherings be reduced to avoid spread of the disease. 11.01 a.m. Amazon confirms that an employee who works in the internet giant's home city of Seattle in the United States has been quarantined after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

10.00 a.m. Karnataka Health Minister B Srirumulu appeals to people not to pay heed to rumours about novel coronavirus.

9.30 a.m. World Bank unveils USD 12 billion aid package to provide fast-track funds to help countries combat novel coronavirus outbreak.

9.12 a.m. Coronavirus infections show signs of receding in China with 38 new fatalities, taking total number of deaths to 2,981, say Chinese officials.

7.40 a.m. Singapore minister warns of spikes in novel coronavirus cases in his country with two new cases of the fast spreading disease..