Chandigarh, March 20: With the total toll of positive coronavirus cases mounting to over 200 in India and four confirmed deaths, reports arrived that the fourth COVID-19 casualty hailing from Punjab -- 70-year-old Baldev Singh -- did not stay in isolation or home quarantine after returning from his two-week tour to Germany and Italy. A Times of India report claims that instead, Baldev Singh exposed himself to hundreds of people in his locality and around.

According to a report, published in the Times of India, Baldev Singh was accompanied by his fellow village friends Sant Gurbachan Singh and Daljinder Singh during his four-day trip to Germany, followed by a 10-day trip to Italy. Baldev, along with his friends, landed at Delhi's IGI Airport on March 6 and then travelled to Nawanshahr district in Punjab in a private car. Delhi's IGI Airport Announces Suspension of All International Flights Temporarily From March 22 As Per Government Advisory.

The TOI report further states that Baldev interacted with his fellow villagers, which has a population of more than 2,200. He also attended one religious function and participated in Hola Mohalla 2020 functions at Anandpur Sahib, where he spent three days before returning in a bus along with others.

With the death of Baldev, the Nawanshahr district administration on Thursday has blocked access to his village and ordered Sujjon primary health centre and Banga community health centre that both Gurbachan and Daljinder should be home quarantined. District civil surgeon Dr Rajinder Bhatia issued a letter to senior medical officers that their health should be monitored on a daily basis. Until the reports of Baldev's death, even Gurbachan Singh and Daljinder Singh were roaming freely in the village and were interacting with the locals.

Meanwhile, the Delhi International Airport Limited has announced that all flight operations will be temporarily suspended from March 22. According to an ANI tweet, flights will remain suspended from March 22, 0001 hrs GMT at the port of origin to March 29, 0001 GMT as per the advisory issued by the Government of India. Coronavirus Outbreak in India: COVID-19 Count Climbs to 195, PM Narendra Modi Calls For 'Janata Curfew' as Death Toll Rises to 4.

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Friday said that a total of 206 individuals have been confirmed positive with coronavirus, among suspected cases and contacts of known positive cases. Adding in, the ICMR stated that they have tested 14,376 samples from 13,486 individuals for COVID-19 as on 20th March 10 am. With this the total number of positive coronavirus affected people has reached to 206. The country has reported four deaths due to coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, so far - one each from Karnataka, Punjab, Delhi and Maharashtra.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 20, 2020 12:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).