MUMBAI: The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) award ceremony, to be held for the first time in Bhopal on March 21 and in Indore on March 27-29, is most likely to be postponed due to Covid-19 scare. The new dates would be announced soon, say state government sources.

Preparations have been going on in Indore and Bhopal. Recently the films to be nominated at IIFA have been announced, and its invitations were also released. The Madhya Pradesh government is fully backing the preparations for the gala event to take the state on the international tourist map. It is only for the second time that the event is to be hosted in India. The previous event was held in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, there is no positive case of coronavirus reported in Madhya Pradesh, according to Additional Director of Health Services Dr Veena Sinha. The Chief Minister and Health Minister held a review meeting on Thursday to monitor the measures being taken to check the occurrence of coronavirus in the state.

Dr Sinha said 484 passengers arriving from the affected countries have been screened for the virus as a precaution. Of these 107 have asked to stay in isolation at their homes. Samples of 15 suspected cases were sent to Pune for examination and all have been reported negative, Dr Sinha said. Airports at Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur have been equipped with screening facilities.

Two new suspected coronavirus patients have been identified -- a 23-year-old youth who has returned from Dubai and a 23-year-old girl from Italy. They have been admitted to a hospital for investigation.

SOURCE: IANS