Two suspected coronavirus patients undergoing treatment at a hospital here were "high viral-load cases", the Jammu and Kashmir administration said on Saturday, while announcing an immediate suspension of all biometric attendance in the Union territory. The administration also announced the closure of all primary schools in Jammu and Samba districts till March 31, an official spokesperson said. "The test reports of the two suspected coronavirus patients were received, which spoke of them being high viral-load cases. There is a high probability of their testing positive for the infection," the spokesperson said.

He added that both the patients were kept in isolation at the Government Medical College, Jammu. "They are stable and all protocols are being followed," the spokesperson said. The two patients with a travel history to coronavirus-hit Italy and South Korea had fled the hospital's isolation ward on Wednesday shortly after their admission, but were brought back within hours. Their samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.