COVID-19 cases hit 82, second patient die
- India reported its second COVID-19 death on Friday, with a 68 year old woman from west Delhi succumbing to the infection at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, while the number of positive cases touched 82.
- Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha announced the closure of schools, colleges, malls and theatres and cancellation of public events till March 31, while Haryana ordered a ban on religious gatherings and festivals.
Rupee rebounds after RBI intervenes
- The rupee made a sharp recovery after touching a record low of 74.50 a dollar in early trade following intervention and assurance of liquidity by the Reserve Bank of India.
- The rupee opened weak at 74.39 a dollar compared with the previous close of 74.24 and then touched the day’s low of 74.50. The previous record low was on October 9, 2018 when the rupee closed the day at 74.39 a dollar.
- Latest data released by the RBI showed the country’s foreign exchange surged $5.69 billion to reach an all time high of $487.23 billion in the week to March 6 due to an increase in foreign currency assets.
Virus spreads across globe; toll crosses 5,000
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs and a Chelsea football player are among new cases of the coronavirus that has infected at least 140,000 people and killed more than 5,000 worldwide.