Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are adjusting to a once-in-a-generation measures to battle the coronavirus crisis that is not only killing the old and vulnerable but also threatening prolonged economic misery.
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN NUMBERS (updated continuously)
08.00 Airline industry may not survive without state aid
Lufthansa said that the airline industry may not survive without state aid if the coronavirus pandemic lasts for a long time, as it throws everything at bringing home travellers and keeping industrial supply chains open.
The German airline group, which has implemented drastic capacity reductions, introduced short-time working and suspended its dividend, said it was impossible to forecast the impact of coronavirus on its profitability.
07.14 Australia bans non-residents from entering country
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday all non-citizens and non-residents would be banned from entering the country from 9 pm (1000 GMT) Friday.
“The overwhelming proportion of cases in Australia have been imported.,” Morrison told a televised briefing in Canberra.
07.04 Mexico registers first coronavirus death – health ministry
Mexico registered its first death from coronavirus on Wednesday, the health ministry said in a statement, saying the deceased was a diabetic whose symptoms began last week.
03.56 Nicaragua registers first case of coronavirus infection
Nicaragua has registered its first case of coronavirus infection, a 40-year-old Nicaraguan man who picked up the virus during a recent visit to Panama, Vice President Rosario Murillo said on Wednesday.
Murillo was speaking on national television.
03.38 China’s Wuhan reports no new infections for first time, imported cases surge
The central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, reported no new infections for the first time, while imported cases surged by a record, led by new infections in the capital of Beijing.
The new imported infections also accounted for all of the new confirmed cases in mainland China, placing more pressure on authorities to screen travellers at key travel hubs.
03.21 South Korea reports 152 new coronavirus cases, total 8,565
South Korea reported 152 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking the national tally to 8,565, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The country had recorded fewer than 100 new infections for four days in a row until Wednesday.
03.17 Mexican coronavirus tally rises to 118 from 93 a day earlier
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Mexico rose on Wednesday to 118 from 93 a day earlier, the Mexican health ministry said
02.15 New Zealand coronavirus cases rises to 28, with 8 more people confirmed
New Zealand on Thursday confirmed eight new cases of coronavirus linked to overseas travel, taking the total number of infections to 28.
The Ministry of health said one of the new cases is in hospital, while others are at home and self-isolating.
They also advised its citizens not to travel overseas due to the risks posed by the coronavirus.
“We are raising our travel advice to the highest level: do not travel,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
02.09 Japan’s Hokkaido to end state of emergency
Japan’s Hokkaido, the nation’s prefecture with the highest number of coronavirus infections, will end its state of emergency over the epidemic on Thursday, the prefecture governor, Naomichi Suzuki, said.
“We will end the emergency declaration as scheduled on March 19 and from the 20th move to a new stage to overcome the crisis of coronavirus infections,” Suzuki told reporters on Wednesday.
01.27 El Salvador suspends deportations of nationals from U.S., Mexico
El Salvador’s government said on Wednesday it had suspended deportations of its nationals from the United States and Mexico in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
01.21 ECB’s commitment to the euro has “no limits”: Lagarde
The European Central Bank intends to use all tools to defend the euro as “there are no limits” to its commitment to the single currency, ECB President Christine Lagarde said early on Thursday after announcing even more bond purchases to counter the financial fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Extraordinary times require extraordinary action,” Lagarde tweeted. “There are no limits to our commitment to the euro. We are determined to use the full potential of our tools, within our mandate.”
00.55 Mauritius confirms first three cases
Mauritius has confirmed its first three cases of coronavirus, its government said in a statement on Thursday.
“It concerns three Mauritian nationals who have travelled back to Mauritius recently aged 21, 25 and 59 years respectively. Two have worked on cruise ships and one is from the United Kingdom,” the government said in a statement on its website.
00.38 Sao Paulo city hall orders commerce closed until April 5
Brazil’s biggest city Sao Paulo on Wednesday ordered most commercial establishments closed to the public until April 5 in a dramatic effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus epidemic that is likely to batter Latin America’s largest economy.
00.27 UAE suspends entry of valid residence visa holders abroad
United Arab Emirates will suspend entry of valid residence visa holders who are still abroad starting at noon on Thursday for two weeks, over coronavirus concerns, state news agency WAM said on early Thursday.
The UAE has recorded 113 cases on the flu-like disease.
REUTERS