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| REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration |
The world’s richest nations prepared more costly measures on Tuesday to combat the global fallout of the coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands of people, triggered social restrictions unseen since World War Two and sent economies spinning toward recession.
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN NUMBERS (updated continuously)
10.00 Coronavirus-hit cruise ship docks in Cuba for passengers to evacuate
A British cruise ship that has been stranded for more than a week in the Caribbean after several cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed onboard is set to dock in Cuba on Wednesday to allow weary passengers to disembark and fly home.
09.49 South Africa’s confirmed covid-19 cases rise to 116
South Africa’s health ministry on Wednesday confirmed that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has risen by 31 since Tuesday to 116.
09.31 Israel’s confirmed coronavirus cases jump by 40 percent in 24 hours
Confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel have jumped by 40 percent to 427 in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday, predicting a steeper rise as mass-testing is implemented.
09.28 Moldova reports first death
Moldova reported its first death from coronavirus, the country’s healthcare ministry said on Wednesday.
Moldova, a nation of 3.5 million, has reported 30 confirmed coronavirus cases as of March 18.
09.07 Pakistan urges calm as coronavirus cases surge, Sri Lanka stops flights
Pakistan’s prime minister has urged calm after its tally of coronavirus cases rose to 245 while Sri Lanka sealed itself off and shut its stock market on Wednesday, fuelling fears that South Asian countries are struggling to stem the pandemic.
08.15 After midnight rush, Malaysia’s two-week isolation starts
Malaysia went into a two-week partial lockdown on Wednesday after coronavirus infections in the country spiked to the highest in Southeast Asia, with some buyers rushing to supermarkets to stock up on essentials like instant noodles.
07.58 South African airline SA Express suspends operations
South African state-owned airline SA Express said it would suspend operations from Wednesday until further notice because of recent developments including the impact from the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic.
Australia declares emergency, warns coronavirus crisis could last six months
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday declared a “human biosecurity emergency” and said the country’s citizens should abandon all overseas travel because of the coronavirus epidemic that he warned could last at least six months.
06.43 Thailand reports 35 new coronavirus infections for total of 212
Thailand reported 35 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking its total infections to 212, a disease control official said.
The southeast Asian nation has recorded one death since the outbreak began, with 42 patients having recovered and gone home, while 169 are still in hospital.
07.49 Australia declares emergency, warns coronavirus crisis could last six months
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday declared a “human biosecurity emergency” and said the country’s citizens should abandon all overseas travel because of the coronavirus epidemic that he warned could last at least six months.
06.08 Canada, U.S. to close border to non-essential travel – Globe and Mail
Canada and the United States will announce a deal to partially close their borders on Wednesday, which will allow trade and commerce to go on, the Globe and Mail reported https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canada-us-to-close-border-to-non-essential-travel on Tuesday, citing sources.
06.00 Vietnam reports new case of coronavirus linked to Malaysia mosque event
Vietnam has confirmed an additional case of coronavirus linked to a mosque event in Malaysia, its health ministry said on Wednesday, bringing its total number of cases to 67.
The latest known patient, a 36-year-old man, returned to Vietnam on March 4 on VietJet flight VJ826 from Kuala Lumpur.
05.26 Kyrgyzstan confirms first coronavirus cases
Kyrgyzstan has confirmed its first three coronavirus cases, Healthcare Minister Kosmosbek Cholponbayev said on Wednesday.
Three Kyrgyz nationals tested positive after arriving from Saudi Arabia, he told a briefing.
05.02 Colombia declares coronavirus state of emergency
Colombia’s President Ivan Duque declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as the country steps up measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, including ordering the elderly to stay home from Friday until the end of May.
04.05 Malaysia starts two-week isolation
Malaysia went into a two-week partial lockdown on Wednesday after coronavirus infections in the country spiked to the highest in Southeast Asia, with some buyers rushing to supermarkets to stock up on essentials like instant noodles.
03.53 Canada’s “Big Six” banks to limit hours, close branches
Canada’s six largest banks will temporarily limit operating hours and close some branches as part of measures to support social distancing and curb the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the Canadian Bankers Association said on Tuesday.
03.27 Avianca suspends all flights from El Salvador
Colombian-based airline Avianca said on Tuesday that it will temporarily suspend all flights from El Salvador beginning at midnight due to coronavirus containment measures taken by the government.
The suspension will last 15 days, Avianca said in a statement.
03.21 Mainland China reports 13 new confirmed cases
Mainland China had 13 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Tuesday, the country’s National Health Commission said, down from 21 cases a day earlier.
That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 80,894, the health authority said in a statement on Wednesday.
The death toll from the outbreak in mainland China had reached 3,237 as of the end of Tuesday, up by 11 from the previous day.
03.19 South Korea reports 93 new coronavirus cases, total 8,413
South Korea reported 93 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing its total infections to 8,413, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The daily tally is slightly up from 84 recorded on Tuesday but marked the fourth day in a row that the country has reported fewer than 100 new infections.
02.21 New Zealand confirms eight new cases
New Zealand confirmed eight new cases of coronavirus, all related to people who had recently travelled overseas, the health ministry said in a press conference on Wednesday.
The new cases take the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country to 20.
02.01 UK’s Sainsbury’s to limit customer purchases, close cafes
British supermarket group Sainsbury’s is to restrict customer purchases to combat panic buying, close its in-store cafes and counters and beef-up online services to get it through the coronavirus crisis, it said on Wednesday.
01.47 South Africa quarantines cruise liner
South Africa is holding the cruise liner MV AidAmira and a cargo vessel off Cape Town after a crew member on board one of the ships showed signs of the coronavirus, national ports operator Transnet said on Tuesday.
01.22 Czechs seize 700,000 masks
The Czech authorities seized nearly 700,000 face masks that are needed against the coronavirus outbreak from a company seeking a higher price for the shipment, Interior Minister Jan Hamacek said on Tuesday.
01.17 Saudi Arabia suspends work in private sectors except health and food for 15 days
Saudi Arabia suspended work in private sectors except health and food services for 15 days, state news agency reported early on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia has reported 171 cases of coronavirus so far, and has taken measures to limit the spread of the pathogen, including closing mosques for daily prayers and announcing an extraordinary virtual G20 leaders summit next week.
01.16 ‘Do not travel overseas’: Australia raises restriction to highest level
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday strongly discouraged the country’s residents against all overseas travel as he declared a human biosecurity emergency and banned all non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people.
“The travel advice to every Australian is ‘Do not travel abroad’. Do not go overseas,” he said.
00.45 Kansas school buildings ordered closed statewide
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly on Tuesday ordered all public and private schools from kindergarten through 12th grade closed to classroom instruction statewide for the remainder of the academic year due to the coronavirus threat.
00.06 Kosovo to declare state of emergency
Kosovo President Hashim Thaci on Tuesday asked the country’s parliament to declare a state of emergency to halt the spread of coronavirus.
Parliament must vote on the request within 48 hours.
00.05 Turkey confirms first coronavirus death, more than doubles cases to 98
Turkey confirmed late on Tuesday its first death related to the coronavir1us and the country more than doubled its confirmed cases to 98, from 47 a day earlier.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told a press conference that an 89-year old died after contracting the virus from someone who had contact with China, the epicentre of the global outbreak.
Late Tuesday, 17th March
PGA Championship postponed
The PGA Championship scheduled for May 14-17 has been postponed over coronavirus concerns, the PGA of America announced on Tuesday.
The major championship was due to be held at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.
The news follows a previous announcement by Augusta National that it has postponed the Masters, the first major of the year that had been scheduled for April 9-12.
Tunisia imposes 12-hour daily curfew
Tunisia will impose a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Wednesday with the army patrolling the streets, Tunisia’s president said on Tuesday, tightening the measures to counter the spread of the coronavirus.
Gambia reports first case of coronavirus -health minister
Gambia’s health ministry reported its first case of coronavirus on Tuesday, a 20-year-old woman who had recently returned from the United Kingdom.
Ireland will advise elderly to stay home
Ireland’s government will at a certain point advise the elderly and those with long-term illnesses to stay at home for weeks to try and save lives from the spread of coronavirus, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in an address to the nation on Tuesday.
REUTERS
