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| REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration |
All the latest news in brief as it happens
The world’s wealthiest nations poured unprecedented aid into the traumatized global economy as coronavirus cases ballooned in the current epicentre Europe even as they waned at the pandemic’s point of origin, China.
As of today Friday, March 20th at 7.20am the virus has infected more than 246,821 people across 180 countries and the death toll now exceeds 10,064. The USA had the biggest number of new cases and deaths, 574 and 10 respectively. However 88,493 people have recovered.
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN NUMBERS (updated continuously)
09.32 Worldwide deaths exceed 10,000
More than 245,000 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus across the world and 10,045 have died, with cases and deaths outside China far exceeding those in the country where the outbreak began
09.20 Heathrow to shrink operations during coronavirus
Britain’s Heathrow Airport said it would shrink its operation as part of a plan to keep open for some cargo and passenger flights during the coronavirus crisis, which has brought most air travel to a standstill.
09.16 French utility EDF has enough power to supply France during crisis
French state-controlled power group EDF has enough capacity to be able to keep the country supplied in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, EDF chairman and CEO Jean-Bernard Levy told Europe 1 radio on Friday.
“We can reassure our staff and the people of France, that we have what is needed to continue to provide electricity to all of France,” said Levy.
09.15 Britain’s M&S warns of “severe impact” from coronavirus
British retailer Marks & Spencer said on Friday trading over the next 9-12 months in its clothing and homewares and international businesses was likely to be “severely impacted” by the coronavirus.
It said it was unable to provide meaningful guidance on future earnings but reassured the post-crisis future of the business was strong.
09.06 Russia starts testing coronavirus vaccine prototypes on animals
Russian scientists have begun testing prototypes of potential vaccines against the new coronavirus on animals in a laboratory in Siberia, Russia’s consumer health regulator said on Friday.
Russia has reported 199 coronavirus cases so far, less than in many other European countries, but the figure has risen sharply in recent days. One person diagnosed with the virus has died.
09.01 YouTube to reduce streaming quality in Europe
Alphabet Inc’s YouTube said on Friday it will reduce its streaming quality in the European Union to avoid straining the internet as thousands of Europeans, constrained by the coronavirus outbreak, switch to teleworking and watch videos at home.
YouTube is the second company after Netflix to act after EU industry chief Thierry Breton urged streaming platforms to cut the quality of their videos to prevent internet gridlock. Videos account for a substantial part of internet traffic data.
08.25 Germany to facilitate retail sector cooperation to fight coronavirus
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier wants to loosen anti-trust laws to allow greater cooperation between retail businesses in the fight against coronavirus, magazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday.
“If the food industry and retail sector cooperate to secure supply for citizens during the crisis then we will take up anti-trust issues with the cartel authority in order to find a solution,” Altmaier told Spiegel.
06.48 Thailand reports 50 new coronavirus infections for total of 322
Thailand reported 50 new coronavirus infections, taking its tally to 322, a health official said on Friday, with the majority located in Bangkok, the capital.
A group of 41 new cases is linked to earlier infections, while another, of nine, centres on overseas arrivals and contact with foreigners, Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the disease control department, told a news conference.
06.45 Malaysia to deploy army amid movement curbs to contain coronavirus
Malaysia will deploy the army from Sunday to assist police in enforcing a restricted movement order aimed at reining in the spread of a coronavirus, the government said.
Friday’s announcement follows curbs imposed on travel and businesses this week, as infections spiked to 900, with two dead. The majority of cases have been linked to a gathering of 16,000 Muslim missionaries late last month.
06.11 Airline HK Express to suspend all flight operations March 23-April 30
Airline HK Express, which Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd bought last year from Chinese conglomerate HNA Group, said on Friday it will suspend all flight operations from March 23 until April 30 because of the coronavirus outbreak.
HK Express, a low cost carrier, has already cancelled about 2,000 flight sectors, covering 23 out of 25 routes across Asia. Some 96% of its staff is participating in a special no-pay leave scheme.
05.19 Saudi Arabia suspends domestic flights and trains for 14 days
Saudi Arabia suspended on Friday all domestic flights, buses, taxis and trains for 14 days starting Saturday, state news agency reported quoting a source in interior ministry.
The source said the move comes as a precautionary measure to limit the spread of coronavirus which has spread panic in global markets and put several countries on virtual lockdowns.
03.12 Mexico coronavirus tally rises to 164 from 118 a day earlier
The number of registered coronavirus infections in Mexico rose on Thursday to 164 from 118 a day earlier, a senior health ministry official told a news conference.
03.07 Los Angeles mayor orders residents to stay at home
The mayor of Los Angeles on Thursday ordered all residents of America’s second largest city to stay inside their homes to “immediately limit all non essential movement” in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re taking this urgent action to limit the spread of COVID-19 and save lives,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said at an afternoon news conference.
02.41 Argentina announces mandatory quarantine
Argentina will begin a mandatory quarantine, President Alberto Fernandez announced.
The quarantine, which restricts people to their homes, will be in effect from midnight on Friday morning until March 31, Fernandez said in a televised address.
02.18 New Zealand confirms 11 new cases of COVID-19; total rises to 39
New Zealand on Friday confirmed 11 new cases of the COVID-19 disease, raising the total of cases to 39.
None of the 11 new cases were in hospital but were all at home in self isolation.
“We continue to see an increasing number of cases and we are expecting more given the rapidly evolving situation overseas,” Ministry of Health’s Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said in a news conference.
02.17 China sees zero local coronavirus cases for second day, imported infections surge
Mainland China reported zero locally transmitted cases of the coronavirus for the second straight day, while the daily tally for infections involving travellers arriving in the country surged to a new record.
Mainland China had 39 new confirmed cases on Thursday, the country’s National Health Commission said, all of which were imported cases.
Of the new imported infections, 14 were in Guangdong, eight in Shanghai and six in Beijing, the health authority said on Friday.
02.03 Haiti declares emergency, imposes curfew, shuts border
Haiti’s government on Thursday declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak, saying it would close its borders and impose a curfew after authorities detected the first two cases of infection in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
President Jovenel Moise told a news conference that all ports, airports and borders will be closed from midnight on Thursday, though they would remain open for goods traffic.
Schools, universities and industrial parks would be closed, and a curfew would be in force from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. as of Friday, he added.
1.32 Panama coronavirus cases rise to 137 from 109 – health ministry
Panama on Thursday had registered 137 cases of coronavirus infection in total, up from 109 a day earlier, Panamanian health minister Rosario Turner told a news conference.
01.02 Washington state reports eight new deaths
Washington state on Thursday reported eight more deaths from the COVID-19 outbreak, bringing the death toll there to 74, the most of any U.S. state.
00.50 Bolsonaro says coronavirus to peak in Brazil in 3-4 months
The coronavirus outbreak in Brazil is expected to peak in three or four months, President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday, adding that the country should then return to normality in seven to eight months’ time.
Speaking via a broadcast on his Facebook page on the day Brazil’s death toll from the outbreak rose to seven, Bolsonaro said his government is taking actionable measures to fight it, and that his role is not to cause panic in the country.
00.38 U.N. condemns Libya shelling deaths after coronavirus truce plea
The United Nations Libya mission condemned a shelling attack on Thursday that it said killed four girls and young women hours after international pleas for a humanitarian pause to help with the fight against the coronavirus.
It said in a tweet that the four, aged 14 to 20, as well as five others including an 11-year-old, were hit during “indiscriminate shelling affecting a civilian neighbourhood in Ain Zara, reportedly by LNA forces”.
00.31 Argentina to announce obligatory quarantine
Argentina will announce an obligatory quarantine to curb the spread of coronavirus, provincial government sources said on Thursday.
Argentina has already closed its borders for a total of 15 days and suspended flights from highly-affected countries.
00.10 Trump cancels G7 at Camp David over coronavirus, to hold videoconference instead
President Donald Trump will cancel an in-person meeting of G7 leaders at Camp David in June because of the coronavirus and will hold a videoconference instead, the White House said on Thursday.
The decision comes as nations around the world seal their borders and ban travel to stop the virus’ spread.
00.05 Panama to suspend all international flights from Sunday night
Panama will for 30 days suspend all international passenger flights from 11:59 p.m. on Sunday to contain the spread of coronavirus, President Laurentino Cortizo said on Thursday.
Writing on Twitter, Cortizo said cargo flights, humanitarian flights and domestic flights would continue operating as normal for the time being.
REUTERS
