The Central government on Wednesday announced the suspension of all visas to India till April 15, as part of the measures to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.The suspension, which will come into effect on March 13 at the port of departure, excludes diplomatic, official, United Nations or international organisations, employment, and project visas, as per an official release.The discussion in this regard was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan with several Union Ministers at Nirmal Bhawan in the national capital on Wednesday."All existing visas

The NBA has suspended its season ``until further notice'' after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas. Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was centre Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the presumptive positive test.

Tom Hanks and his actress-singer wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the coronavirus, the actor said in a statement Wednesday. Hanks said the couple were in Australia and felt tired, with colds, body aches and slight fevers. ``To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus and were found to be positive,'' Hanks said. The 63-year-old actor said they will be ``tested, observed and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires.'' ``Not much more to it than a one-day-a-time approach, no?'' added Hanks. Hanks, who also posted his mes

The number of cases of the novel coronavirus continues to climb, as New Brunswick reports its first presumptive case. Canada's total now stands at 117. Meantime, a second federal cabinet minister has been tested for COVID-19 and is self-isolating as she waits for results. Minister of small business and international trade Mary Ng says she thinks she's suffering from asthma and a cold, but has been tested as a precaution. Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan is also staying home while he waits for COVID-19 test results.

British Columbia now has 46 cases of COVID-19, including its first one on Vancouver Island. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says seven of the newly diagnosed people include two workers at a long term care home where four other employees have been infected. The North Vancouver facility is also where a man in his 80s died earlier this week. Henry says three of the new cases are linked to Egypt and include a visitor in his 70s whose relatives in the Fraser Valley are now also in isolation. She says the province will put more focus on enhancing prevention of the novel coronavirus at lo

Italy's premier says all stores except pharmacies and grocery stores are being closed nationwide in response to the country's coronavirus outbreak. Premier Giuseppe Conte thanked the public for co-operating with the already unprecedented travel and social restrictions that took effect Tuesday. But he said Wednesday night on Facebook Live that Italy must `` go another step'' by closing all shops and businesses except for food stores, pharmacies and other shops selling ''essential'' items. The tighter restrictions on daily life are the government's latest effort to respond to the fast moving cri

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says politicians need to follow the same advice as anybody else to stop the spread of the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness. Handshakes are out, handwashing is in, and avoiding needless contact with others is key. Champagne was supposed to travel to Pittsburgh for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers later this month, but the U.S. State Department says today that the gathering will be held by video conference instead. Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan is awaiting the results of a test for COVID-19 after going to a doctor with what

The world figure skating championships in Montreal have been cancelled because of the spread of COVID-19. The championships were scheduled to run March 18 to 22 at the Bell Centre. It is the latest sporting event that has been wiped out by the novel coronavirus. The world women's hockey championship, which was scheduled to start later this month in Nova Scotia, was cancelled on Saturday. The other major winter world championship event in Canada remains on schedule. The women's world curling championship is to start Saturday in Prince George, B.C.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu says the Liberals one billion dollar package to mitigate impacts of the spread of COVID-19 is aimed at finding the balance between keeping the country ready, and also functioning. She says a decision to make it easier for people forced to stay home due to the illness to collect unemployment insurance was rolled out for that reason. The money announced by the Liberals will also be spent on purchasing medical supplies for front line workers, research towards a vaccine for the virus and bolstering provincial and territorial health care responses. The Liberals' package