The Evening Wrap Welcome to The Evening Wrap, your guide to the day’s major news developments with concise analysis from The Hindu. Here are the major stories you need to know about today: COVID Watch: States in lockdown As another week begins, there is more worrying news about the spread of COVID-19 in India, with the number of positive cases reported crossing triple figures over the weekend. Reports from States today put the total figure as of today at 119. Globally, more than 162,000 are infected and over 6,000 have died. In a measure announced late today, the government said it would stop entry of passengers from EU, Turkey and the UK from March 18. Affected states across the country have swung into action to contain the spread of the virus and those measures continued today. We can report that Tripura, Bihar and West Bengal have closed all education institutions till March 31. Bihar and Bengal have also truncated their assembly sessions and the government of Delhi passed an order today banning gatherings of over 50 people. Maharashtra, which is now reporting the most number of cases in the country, has restricted large gatherings at shrines and religious sites, including temples, mosques and churches till March-end. Late this evening, the State government also passed an order mandating that all private offices should not work beyond 50% attendance, the first state to make working from home mandatory. As we keep saying, this is a story where major developments break by the hour and we try to sum up the most notable. For the full list of updates, follow our live page here. And we also have some resources to help you understand what’s going on better. Here are answers from experts on your queries about the virus, a list of State Helpline numbers, and a map of confirmed cases in India. Carnage on Wall Street In another coronavirus-related development, trading on Wall Street was halted for about 15 minutes today, when stocks began to plunge sharply after the opening bell. The S&P 500 had fallen by 8% when trading was stopped. And when it resumed, the crash continued, with the fall touching 11%. A similar scenario unfolded in the Brazilian exchange as well, with trading halted after stocks plunged 12%. Investors apparently were responding to reports from China, the U.S., and Europe suggesting a major global slowdown in the aftermath of coronavirus-induced restraints on business activity. These have already taken a toll on travel, hospitality, manufacturing and retail industries, and there is expected to be a domino effect on most other sectors. Motion Floored, for now.. Another State assembly adjourned due to the coronavirus scare is the Madhya Pradesh one, where the embattled Congress government is facing a floor test. The postponement by the Assembly Speaker would give the Kamal Nath government some respite, as it struggles to recover its rebel MLAs from a Bengaluru resort. But former MP Chief Minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan swiftly approached the Supreme Court over the decision to postpone the floor test. The court is likely to list the petition for urgent hearing on March 17. Separately, Madhya Pradesh governor Lalji Tandon has written to chief minister Kamal Nath, asking him to face the floor test tomorrow. He wrote, “Otherwise, it will be considered that at present you don’t have a majority in the Vidhan Sabha.” Joining the list Telangana has become the seventh state to oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR), and National Register of Citizens (NRC) by passing a resolution in the assembly. The resolution said that all three formed part of concerted attempts to tinker with the inclusive and non-religious nature of citizenship. “Moreover, there are serious questions as to the legality and constitutionality of the CAA, NPR and NRC,” it said. Bail Rejected The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of civil rights activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence case. It asked them both to surrender within three weeks, and also surrender their passports forthwith. The court had on March 6 extended the interim protection from arrest granted to both the activists. Navlakha, Teltumbde, and several other activists have been booked by the Pune Police for their alleged Maoist links, and on several other charges following the violence at Koregaon Bhima village in Pune district on January 1, 2018. In Brief: Describing the reconstruction scheme for Yes Bank as credible and sustainable, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has sought to assure the private bank’s depositors that their money is safe. He also said that the central bank will infuse additional liquidity into Yes Bank if required and asked depositors not to carry out panic withdrawals. The moratorium on Yes Bank ends on Wednesday (March 18). Vodafone Idea paid ₹3,354 crore to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The telecom major said that this was the balance part of the principal amount towards adjusted gross revenue (AGR) liability, according to its self-assessment of the dues. The Delhi Police on Monday arrested suspended Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain from a court here in connection with the alleged killing of Intelligence Bureau official Ankit Sharma during the recent communal violence in northeast Delhi. Parliament on Monday passed a Bill to upgrade three deemed Sanskrit universities into central universities. The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 was passed by voice vote in Rajya Sabha. | 
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