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| REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration |
More countries imposed lockdown measures as coronavirus cases across the globe ballooned, led by a sharp rise in infections in Europe. Italy banned travel within the country, nearly one in three Americans were ordered to stay home and New Zealand said it will move to its highest alert level imposing self-isolation.
More than 349,980 people have been infected across the world and over 15,306 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN NUMBERS (updated continuously)
All the latest news in brief as it happens
10.57 UK considering closing non-essential retail -BBC political editor
Britain is considering closing all non-essential retail shops as it tightens measures to keep people at home over coronavirus, the BBC’s political editor reported on Monday.
“Government considering next steps like closing non-essential retail or whether to start treating people flouting the stay at home advice as acting against the law – all being discussed – huge decisions, nothing final,” Laura Kuenssberg said on Twitter.
10.31 Vietnam PM says risk of coronavirus community infection ‘very high’
Vietnam needs to strictly enforce restrictions on all air, sea and land movements within the country to curb the spread of coronavirus as the risk of community infection is “very high,” the Southeast Asian country’s prime minister said on Monday.
Vietnam will continue its measures to quarantine people “however much it costs”, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in a statement on the government website.
10.13 Ireland likely to give further recommendations on public spaces
Ireland’s national public health emergency team is likely to recommend measures to government on Tuesday on how to implement social distancing in public spaces to battle the spread of coronavirus, Health Minister Simon Harris said.
“We won’t be making decisions based on Twitter trends, we’ll follow the public health advice and I quite frankly expect that it’s likely we’re going to be receiving further recommendations from them,” Harris told national broadcaster RTE on Monday after crowds gathered in some parks and beaches at the weekend.
10.12 European shares sink again as coronavirus deaths mount
European shares were stuck near seven-year lows on Monday after several countries expanded measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, with Italy banning even domestic travel as the number of fatalities there topped 5,400.
The benchmark STOXX 600 index was down 4.6% at 0806 GMT, with bourses in Germany, Spain and London leading declines.
The relentless spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has forced entire countries to self-isolate and brought economic activity to a grinding halt, driving the biggest global market sell-off since the 2008 financial crash.
10.11 Philippines coronavirus infections rise to 462
The Philippines’ health ministry reported on Monday 82 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total in the Southeast Asian nation to 462, while deaths remain at 33.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque said earlier on Monday that confirmed cases would rise as the country secures more test kits.
10.06 Hong Kong to ban all tourist arrivals, weighs suspension of alcohol sales
Hong Kong said on Monday it was banning all tourist arrivals to the global financial centre amid a spike in imported cases of the coronavirus, as it joins cities worldwide in the battle to contain the spread of the disease.
The government also said it was studying whether to suspend the sale of alcohol in licensed bars and restaurants in the city, which has 318 confirmed cases of coronavirus and four deaths.
09.45 Poland does not rule out more restrictions
Poland cannot rule out imposing further constraints on citizens to prevent the spread of coronavirus, government spokesman Piotr Muller said on Monday.
Poland has shuttered schools, cinemas and theaters, while limiting public gatherings to no more than 50 people. It has also closed its borders to foreigners and introduced a “state of epidemic”, recommending its citizens to stay at home.
09.44 Montenegro reports its first death
A 65-year old man from the Montenegrin town of Herceg Novi who died in hospital in the capital Podgorica on Sunday is the Adriatic country’s first victim of the coronavirus, the director of the Clinical Center of Montenegro.
“The man was transported to the Clinical Center of Montenegro … and unfortunately died shortly afterwards,” Jevto Erakovic said late on Sunday.
09.32 Qatar announces $150 million aid to Gaza to support UN programmes
Qatar announced $150 million in aid to the Gaza Strip over a period of six months, to support United Nations humanitarian programmes in the Palestinian territory and efforts to contain the new coronavirus outbreak, the state-run Qatari Committee to Rebuild Gaza said Monday on Twitter.
09.30 British broadcaster ITV says all TV advertising impacted by coronavirus
ITV, Britain’s biggest commercial free-to-air broadcaster, said advertisers across all categories were deferring campaigns, and the rapidly changing situation meant it could not guide to ad sales or forecast its outcome for the year.
It said on Monday the coronavirus outbreak had caused it to suspend production on many programmes, and it had implemented contingency plans to enable it to continue to produce news and live output. It also pulled its dividend.
09.29 Jury trials suspended in England
The head of the judiciary in England and Wales on Monday ordered all jury trials to be suspended to allow new systems to be brought in to cope with government instructions for Britons to avoid unnecessary contact to prevent spreading coronavirus.
“My unequivocal position is that no jury trials or other physical hearings can take place unless it is safe for them to do so,” said Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett in a statement.
“A particular concern is to ensure social distancing in court and in the court building.”
09.16 Primark closes all stores, stops orders
Primark is closing all of its stores around the world, a loss of roughly 650 million pounds ($760 million) worth of net sales a month, and will stop placing new orders with suppliers, its parent company said on Monday as the coronavirus outbreak deepens.
“A variety of work streams have been established to mitigate the effect of the contribution lost from these sales and all expenditure is being reviewed,” Associated British Foods said.
“We currently estimate being able to recover some 50 percent of total operating costs.”
09.10 Facebook to assist in fight against the virus
Facebook announced that Messenger will be partnering with developers to provide government health organisations with free services to respond to pandemic.
FB will be creating online hackathon, inviting developers to build messaging solutions that address challenges related to the virus.
08.49 UN to create global coronavirus fund -Norway foreign ministry
The United Nations will create a fund to support the treatment of coronavirus patients worldwide, Norway’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
“A multi-donor fund under UN auspices will provide predictability for our partners and help to make the efforts more effective,” Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement.
08.48 Rouhani: U.S. should lift sanctions if it wants to help Iran amid coronavirus
The United States should lift sanctions if Washington wants to help Iran to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday, adding that Iran had no intention of accepting Washington’s offer of humanitarian assistance.
“American leaders are lying … If they want to help Iran, all they need to do is to lift sanctions …. Then we can deal with the coronavirus outbreak,” Rouhani said in a televised speech.
08.30 Indonesia invokes emergency measures in Jakarta
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta shut cinemas and other public entertainment on Monday at the start of a two-week emergency period to try to slow the accelerating spread of the coronavirus in Southeast Asia’s biggest city.
The new measures, which include urging people to work from home, still fall short of the tougher lockdowns imposed by neighbours amid concerns among some experts that the archipelago of 260 million people is not doing enough to contain the virus. National police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said 465,000 police across Indonesia would disperse any public gatherings “for the sake of public safety” though a photograph posted on social media of a packed commuter train in Jakarta quickly went viral.
08.21 Taiwan reports 26 new cases of coronavirus, total now 195
Taiwan’s government announced 26 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, bringing the total number to 195.
All but one of the new cases was imported, in people with travel histories to the United States, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Britain, the government said in a statement.
07.49 Malaysia says may extend movement curbs, to add stimulus
Malaysia’s prime minister said on Monday the government may consider extending movement restrictions by up to two weeks, and will announce more economic stimulus to soften the blow from the coronavirus outbreak and weak oil prices.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the national security council will meet on March 30 to decide on what to do after the current curbs on movement and businesses expire at the end of the month.
07.01 Philippines reports eight new deaths, 16 more cases
The Philippines’ health ministry on Monday confirmed eight new deaths because of the coronavirus outbreak and 16 more infections.
This brings country’s total deaths to 33 and confirmed cases to 396, said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
06.55 Australian coronavirus cases spike, cruise with sick passengers denied entry
Australians began living under strict new lockdown rules on Monday as coronavirus cases topped 1,600 and authorities denied entry to a cruise ship carrying hundreds on board complaining of respiratory illnesses.
As new restrictions closing non-essential services came into effect, there were clear signs of economic and social stress with long queues forming outside offices of the main welfare agency across the country.
06.30 Thailand reports 122 new coronavirus cases, raising total to 721
Thailand has 122 new coronavirus cases, raising the total to 721, a health ministry spokesman said on Monday at a news conference.
The new cases include 20 patients linked to previous cases, 10 new imported cases, and 92 cases that tested positive and are awaiting investigation into how they contracted the disease, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a Public Health Ministry spokesman said.
06.22 Cambodia reports two new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 86
Cambodia reported two new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total to 86, health authorities said.
“We have not yet found evidence of community outbreaks, but there is a possibility,” Cambodia’s Communicable Disease Control department said in a Facebook post on Monday.
05.45 Tokyo governor agrees with PM Abe on potential Olympics delay, cancellation not an option
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Monday that she agreed with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s latest comments that postponement of Olympics won’t be ruled out as an option due to the coronavirus outbreak, although she said cancellation was unthinkable.
04.05 S.Korea reports fewest new coronavirus cases since Feb. 29 peak
South Korea on Monday reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases since the peak so far on Feb. 29 and the extended downward trend in daily infections has boosted hopes that Asia’s largest outbreak outside China may be abating.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said there were 64 new cases on Monday, taking the national tally to 8,961. The death toll rose by one to 110.
03.58 Harvey Weinstein tests positive for coronavirus in prison
Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who is serving a prison sentence for sexual assault and rape, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the head of the state corrections officers union.
Weinstein, 68, has been placed in isolation at Wende Correctional Facility, said Michael Powers, president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association.
03.50 Olympics-Team Canada says it won’t participate in Games
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Paralympic Committee (CPC) said on Sunday that Team Canada would not be participating in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020.
“The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring,” the committees said in a statement.
03.45 UAE suspends passengers flights
The UAE said it will suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country for two weeks over coronavirus fears, state news agency WAM said on Monday. Cargo operations will continue.
The UAE’s ministry of health has decided to close shopping and commercial centres, leaving open pharmacies and supermarkets, along with fish, vegetables and meat markets dealing with wholesalers, WAM reported. It will limit restaurants to delivery services.
03.41 Saudi imposes curfew to curb coronavirus spread
Saudi Arabia will impose a nationwide curfew starting on Monday after reporting a jump of almost a quarter in coronavirus cases, while the United Arab Emirates will suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country.
Saudi King Salman ordered a curfew – from 7 pm to 6 am for 21 days – to slow the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency SPA reported on Monday. The curfew will take effect on Monday evening.
03.23 China sees drop in new coronavirus cases; all new cases imported
Mainland China saw a drop in its daily tally of new coronavirus cases, reversing four straight days of gains, as the capital Beijing ramped up measures to contain the number of infections arriving from abroad.
China had 39 new confirmed cases on Sunday, the National Health Commission said, down from 46 a day earlier. All of them involved travellers arriving from abroad, many of whom are Chinese students returning home.
03.16 New Zealand announces move to enter lockdown over next 48 hours
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday the country will move into its highest alert level, with all-non-essential services, schools and offices to be shut over the next 48 hours.
The move means bars, cafes, restaurants and cinemas will be shut. Supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open, Ardern said, adding that the country was well supplied.
All schools will be closed from Tuesday, she said.
02.56 Venezuela prohibits company layoffs and suspends credit collections
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Sunday a series of economic measures to address the financial fallout from the spread of the coronavirus in the country, including prohibiting layoffs while also suspending rent payments and credit payments.
“We have the conscience and the absolute decision to protect all jobs in the country, to protect the entire operation of all companies and businesses in the country,” Maduro said during a live appearance on state television.
02.04 Japan PM Abe says postponing Tokyo Olympics an option
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that postponing the Tokyo Olympic Games may become an option if holding the event in “complete form” became impossible.
02.01 UK scientists to track mutations in coronavirus to map spread
UK scientists are to track the spread of the new coronavirus and watch for emerging mutations by using gene sequencing to analyse the strains causing thousands of COVID-19 infections across the country, Britain said on Monday.
Researchers will collect data from samples from infected patients in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the government said in a statement.
01.58 Panama reports nearly 30% jump in new coronavirus cases
Panama health officials reported 68 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, up 28% from the previous day, bringing the total number of infected persons in the country to 313.
01.55 New Zealand reports 36 new coronavirus cases, total crosses 100
The number of coronavirus cases in New Zealand crossed the 100 mark on Monday as the country reported 36 new infections.
Of the new cases, two are related to community transmission, Ministry of Health’s Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said in a news conference.
00.08 Georgia locks down two regions
Georgia decided to lock down two southern regions in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the country’s prime minister said.
Giorgi Gakharia told a briefing that Marneuli and Bolnisi regions, bordering with Azerbaijan, would be locked down after a woman, who had contact with at least 90 people, after attending a relative’s death anniversary dinner, was diagnosed with a COVID-19.
Sunday, March 22
EUROPE
Italy banned travel within the country on Sunday as data showed a further 651 people had died from the disease, lifting the number of fatalities to 5,476.
Britain may need to impose curfews and travel restrictions to halt the spread of the coronavirus if people do not heed the government’s advice on social distancing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Sunday. Greece announced a lockdown on Sunday, restricting movement from Monday morning with only a few exceptions.
The Spanish government sought to extend until April 11 a state of emergency that it has imposed to try to control Europe’s second-worst outbreak of coronavirus
AMERICAS
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans were under orders to close up shop and stay at home on Saturday. At least 23,941 cases of the virus have been reported in the United States and 306 people have died as of Saturday evening. The Canadian death toll from the outbreak jumped by more than 50% on Sunday, and officials threatened to punish people refusing to take precautions to fight the spread of the virus.
Panama health officials reported 68 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, up 28% from the previous day, bringing the total number of infected persons in the Central American country to 313.
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has denied the country’s healthcare system will collapse next month, contradicting his own health minister as the number of deaths in the country jumped 39% and confirmed cases topped 1,500.
ASIA
New Zealand said on Monday it will move to its highest alert level imposing self-isolation, with all-non-essential services, schools and offices to be shut over the next 48 hours as the number of coronavirus cases more than double.
Mainland China saw a drop in its daily tally of new coronavirus cases on Sunday, reversing four straight days of gains, as the capital Beijing ramped up measures to contain the number of infections arriving from abroad.
South Korea on Monday reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases since the peak so far on Feb. 29 and the extended downward trend in daily infections that has boosted hopes that Asia’s largest outbreak outside China may be abating.
Australia started shutting down pubs, clubs, gyms and houses of worship on Monday after a jump in virus cases and after thousands disregarded social distancing advice and crowded beaches, bars and restaurants.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
Saudi Arabia will impose a nationwide curfew starting on Monday after reporting a jump of almost a quarter in coronavirus cases, while the United Arab Emirates will suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country.
War-ravaged Syria on Sunday confirmed its first case of the coronavirus after weeks of rejecting opposition allegations that the disease had already reached a country with a wrecked health system
Iraq’s government has extended a curfew on travel in and out of Baghdad until March 28 as part of strict measures to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, it said in a statement on Sunday.
Iran’s death toll has reached 1,685 with 129 deaths in the past 24 hours, the health ministry’s spokesman told state TV on Sunday, adding that the total number of infected people in Iran had reached 21,638.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
Partisan battles in the U.S. Senate stopped a $1 trillion-plus coronavirus response bill from advancing on Sunday, but talks continued over Democrats’ demands for more funding for medical care and state and local efforts to combat the pandemic.
Airlines cancelled more flights on Monday as Australia and New Zealand advised against non-essential domestic travel, the United Arab Emirates halted flights for two weeks and Singapore and Taiwan banned foreign transit passengers.
India’s biggest automaker Maruti Suzuki India and peers including Mahindra & Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) as well as Hyundai Motor Co said they will halt car production in the country due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The impact of the coronavirus outbreak will put Europe into a recession but it should be transitory and the region should be back in positive GDP growth in the second semester, European Central Bank vice president Luis de Guindos said on Sunday.
