An employee of a private firm in Noida near Delhi has tested positive for coronavirus disease Covid-19, news agency ANI reported.

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

 

The number of coronavirus patients in the country has risen to 75, including a foreign national. The national capital region (NCR) has so far recorded 19 cases of coronavirus.

A Delhi resident, who had a travel history to Italy was the first one to test positive from the region. The largest chunk of those who tested positive for the virus in Delhi-NCR comes from a group of Italian nationals who were confirmed for the virus at ITBP’s quarantine facility in Chhawla, Delhi.

As many as 14 Italian tourists, along with an Indian national, had confirmed positive for the virus. The group had travelled to Rajasthan wherein two other Italian tourists tested positive for coronavirus in Jaipur.

A Paytm employee from Gurugram, a person in Ghaziabad and a man from Uttam Nagar also tested positive for coronavirus last week from the NCR region.

The global death toll from the virus has crossed 4,000 with over 1,00,000 infected with the virus in more than 100 countries.

Delhi government declared Covid-19 an epidemic on Thursday and ordered all cinema halls shut. “The Delhi government has declared coronavirus an epidemic. We need to exercise abundant caution to contain the disease. All cinema halls, schools, colleges in Delhi will be shut until March 31, but exams will continue as scheduled. People are advised to stay away from public gatherings,” said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after a crucial meeting to discuss the issue on Thursday.

The Delhi administration also directed made it mandatory for all offices, shopping malls and other public spaces to be disinfected on a daily basis.