Bhubaneswar, March 13: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday announced in the state Assembly that all schools and educational institutions shall remain closed till March 31 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, the Odisha Chief Minister said: "All educational institutions shall remain closed till 31st March except for holding examinations. Cinema halls, swimming pools, and gyms are also to be closed till 31st March." Coronavirus Outbreak: Animals Can't Transmit COVID-19, Stop Creating Panic, Says Maneka Gandhi.

On Thursday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that cinema halls, schools and colleges where examinations are not being held are to remain closed till March 31. World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday had declared the coronavirus outbreak a 'pandemic' and expressed deep concern. In India, 75 people have so far tested positive for coronavirus. Recently, a 76-year-old man in Karnataka died due to coronavirus.