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Coronavirus pandemic - World News

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK has risen by 676 in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily leap, taking the total to 2,626.
 
Cuba

Cuba confirms first death in the country from coronavirus. The victim was a 61-year-old Italian tourist.
 
Southafrica

South Africa is Africa’s new coronavirus focus of concern as cases nearly doubled to 116 from two days before.

The country said 14 of the new ones were from local transmission — and six were in children under 10.
South Africa's health minister, Zweli Mkhize, earlier this week called that kind of rate “explosive.”
Though the pandemic is in its early days on the continent, health experts have warned that even facilities in Africa's richest nation could be overwhelmed by the virus' spread.
 
Confirmed cases worldwide pass 200,000, more than 8,000 people have died

Schools in Scotland and Wales are to close with England decisions "imminent"

Canada and US closing border to non-essential transit "very quickly" says Canada's PM Trudeau

EU countries have begun turning away travellers from outside the bloc

Share prices fall in Europe and Asia as stimulus packages fail to reassure markets

Glastonbury festival and Eurovison Song Contest cancelled

Some UK supermarkets place limits on purchases of staple foods

WHO says South East Asian countries must "act now" to tackle virus
 
majiz said:
475 deaths last 24 hours in italy
brutal
Click to expand...

The death toll from coronavirus in Italy has risen by 475 in the last 24 hours, setting another world record, according to the latest update from the country's Department of Civil Protection.
 
Chancellor Angela Merkel has addressed German citizens in a televised speech saying "since WWII there has never been a challenge for our country in which acting in solidarity was so very crucial" and called on people to help tackle the spread of COVID-19 by sticking to rules
 
Portugal is to declare a nationwide 15-day state of emergency to fight the spread of coronavirus, which will make it easier for the government to reduce people's movements - the country has 642 cases.
 
There are 9,134 people who have tested positive for the coronavirus in France, and there have been 264 deaths - an increase of 89 in the last 24 hours. Of those infected, 2,626 are in hospital; 931 of them in intensive care, half of whom are under 60 years old.
 
The Italian city of Bergamo, one of the worst-hit by the coronavirus outbreak, is having to transport its dead out of the city as its crematorium is struggling to cope.

Army vehicles have been brought in to move dozens of coffins from Bergamo to other regions, according to Ansa news agency.

The wealthy city, northeast of Milan in Italy's Lombardy region, has recorded at least 93 coronavirus-related deaths as cases continue to grow relentlessly each day.

The mayor of Bergamo, Giorgio Gori, said the true number of related deaths could be higher as many people with COVID-19 symptoms had died before being tested.

"The crematorium of Bergamo, working at full capacity, 24 hours a day, can cremate 25 dead", said a spokesperson for the local authority.

"It is clear that it could not stand up to the numbers of the past few days."

Coffins are now being taken to crematoriums in Modena, Acqui Terme, Domodossola, Parma, Piacenza and several other cities.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...-as-citys-crematorium-is-overwhelmed-11959994
 
China reports no new domestic cases, a major milestone
But Asian countries are seeing a second wave of infections from people returning home

UK schools set to shut down, prompting calling for clarity on exams

European Central Bank launches emergency €750bn package

Trump signs $100bn bill to cover free testing and some paid sick leave

Australia and New Zealand are closing their borders to non-residents

Confirmed cases worldwide pass 200,000, more than 8,000 people have died
 
MenInG said:
China reports no new domestic cases, a major milestone
But Asian countries are seeing a second wave of infections from people returning home

UK schools set to shut down, prompting calling for clarity on exams

European Central Bank launches emergency €750bn package

Trump signs $100bn bill to cover free testing and some paid sick leave

Australia and New Zealand are closing their borders to non-residents

Confirmed cases worldwide pass 200,000, more than 8,000 people have died
Click to expand...

Yeah very believable coming from the Chinese I must say :)
 
South Korea, China and Singapore are among the Asian countries facing a second coronavirus wave, spurred by people importing it from outside.

China, where the virus first emerged, confirmed it had no new domestic cases on Wednesday, for the first time since the outbreak began, a major milestone.

But it reported 34 new cases among people recently returned to China.

Singapore also reported 47 new cases, of which 33 were imported - 30 of them returned Singapore residents.

South Korea saw a jump in new cases on Thursday with 152, though it is not clear how many were imported.

A new cluster there is centred on a nursing home in Daegu, where 74 patients have tested positive.

Japan reported three new cases on Wednesday. But Hokkaido, the worst-affected Japanese region with 154 cases, is lifting its state of emergency in place since late February, after officials said the spread of the virus appeared to be ending.

Officials have urged people to remain cautious and stay at home, but said there had been "no surge of infected patients that led to the collapse of the medical environment".

"We've carried out powerful measures on refraining from going out, but from now on, we will move into a stage of reducing risks of the spread of infection while maintaining social and economic activities," governor Naomichi Suzuki said on Wednesday.

The detectives racing to find coronavirus cases in Singapore
China's National Health Commission (NHC) reported no domestically transmitted cases in China for the first time since the virus emerged in late December.

It also said there were no cases at all in Wuhan, the outbreak centre which was essentially locked down earlier this year, but 34 cases arriving from abroad.

China's death toll stands at 3,245, however there have been ongoing questions over the reliability of China's data.

All four countries had all been showing success in controlling domestic cases, but there is concern that increases elsewhere could unravel their progress.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51955931
 
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The number of people dying from coronavirus in Italy has risen by 475 in one day to nearly 3,000 - the biggest increase since the outbreak.

There are a total of 35,713 confirmed cases in the country, with more than 4,000 having successfully recovered.

Lombardy, the worst-hit region, recorded 319 deaths in one day.
 
Russia has announced that a 79-year-old woman with coronavirus and underlying health issues died from pneumonia, the country's first confirmed death resulting from the pandemic.
 
Sri Lanka will not conduct the parliamentary elections as scheduled on April 25 due to the coronavirus outbreak, Mahinda Deshapriya, the chairman of the country's election commission, said.
The government earlier this week banned all incoming flights for two weeks, and imposed a curfew in some areas to rein in the spread of the disease.
There have been over 50 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Sri Lanka so far.
 
Spain’s had a huge jump - catching up with Iran.
 
Indonesia - the most populous Muslim nation in the world - only reported the first confirmed cases on 2 March but the number had already reached 227 with 19 deaths in just over two weeks. Many believe the real figure could be much higher.

Experts have predicted that the worst is yet to come, a modelling forecast put the number of confirmed cases at more than 8,000 by mid-April.

The government has ordered a “partial lockdown”, with calls for citizens to “work, study and worship” at home.Officials have called on people to exercise social distancing but vulnerable groups are already struggling.

Small businesses and street vendors, who have suffered losses, may not be able to sustain their livelihood if this situation continues in the coming weeks (the government has already announced various stimulus packages).

Schools have resorted to online learning for the time being but this method only favours privileged students with devices and an internet connection at home.

Social distancing is paramount to contain the spread of the virus, but how can people living in densely populated, slum areas even do that? Next month, devout Muslims in Indonesia will start observing Ramadan, during which religious gatherings intensify.

source bbc
 
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier tests positive for virus
 
Countries like Indonesia and Philippines are really anomalies, they have 2 dozen plus fatalities but even less cases than Pakistan. Either they are hiding their data or not even testing enough people. The number of dead is a direct correlation to the number of affected.


Another anomaly is Mexico.... they hardly have a 100 cases while the US is topping 9000 and we all know how much there is travel between Mexico and US.


Not sure what countries are planning on achieving by hiding the number of cases. Governments need to realize that even if there is a single positive case anywhere in the world he/she is a potential threat to them and their country.
 
767 people have died in Spain after testing positive for COVID-19 which is an increase of 209 deaths since yesterday
 
WHO head tells Africa to 'wake up' to coronavirus threat

Africa must "wake up" to the coronavirus threat and prepare for the worst, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

The continent should learn from how the spread of virus has sped up elsewhere, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

He warned that while Africa's confirmed cases were currently low - around 640 - there was no reason for complacency.

"Africa should wake up, my continent should wake up," said the Ethiopian, the WHO's first African head.

Health experts warn that strained public health systems in Africa could become quickly overwhelmed if the virus takes hold, especially in overcrowded urban areas.

"WHO's recommendation is actually mass gatherings should be avoided and we should do all we can to cut it from the bud, expecting that the worst could happen," Mr Tedros told a news conference in Geneva, where the WHO is based.

In Africa, 16 people have died from Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus: six in Egypt, six in Algeria, two in Morocco, one in Sudan and one in Burkina Faso.

In South Africa, which has 116 cases, President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a state of disaster, restricting travel, closing schools, banning mass gatherings and ordering bars to close or limit numbers to 50.

The country has also banned all cruise ships from its ports. This comes despite tests coming back negative for six people on board a cruise ship, which had been put under quarantine. All 1,700 people are now free to leave the ship and return home.

Anyone breaking South Africa's coronavirus measures will be subject to a fine, or even imprisonment.

Other African nations have been imposing similar restrictions:

  • Lagos state, the economic hub of Nigeria, has banned gatherings of more than 50 people and schools will close from next week
  • Africa's most-populous country, which has eight coronavirus cases, is also stopping flights from any country where there are more than 1,000 infections from Saturday
  • Algeria, one of the worst-affected countries in Africa, has closed its borders and stopped flights
  • The president has also banned mass gatherings, which would affect the weekly big anti-government demonstrations
  • Rwanda, which has 11 patients with Covid-19, is banning passenger flights after Friday for 30 days
  • Kenya, a deeply religious country like most on the continent, has suspended worship in some churches and mosques
  • The government also says it will manufacture its own hand sanitiser and distribute it for free, in a bid to tackle shortages
  • Liberia, which dealt with a deadly Ebola outbreak several years ago and has two recorded cases of Covid-19, has stopped issuing passports to stop people travelling and earlier this week banned entry to those from countries worst affected by the pandemic
  • The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius has banned entry to tourists for two weeks - and confirmed its first three cases: two cruise ships workers and a British tourist
  • Zambia, with two Covid-19 cases, has suspended parliament and schools and university will close after Friday
  • Somalia, with one case, closed its air space overnight
  • Uganda and Botswana, which have no cases so far, will close schools from next week
  • Chad, with no cases, is suspending all passenger flights and closing some land borders from midnight on Thursday.
Click to expand...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-51960118
 
Coronavirus: Trump puts US on war footing to combat outbreak

Describing himself as a "wartime president", President Donald Trump has vowed the US will achieve "total victory" over the coronavirus.

He spoke as he revived a Korean War-era measure allowing the US to ramp up production of vital medical supplies.

Two lawmakers meanwhile became the first members of Congress to test positive for the infection.

The US has more than 9,300 cases of Covid-19 and has seen 150 deaths so far, according to estimates.

Globally there are some 220,000 confirmed cases and over 8,800 deaths.

What did President Trump say?

At a White House press conference, the president was asked by a reporter whether he considered the country to be on a war footing in terms of fighting the virus.

"It's a war," he said. "I view it as a, in a sense, a wartime president."

Mr Trump has been holding daily briefings on the emergency this week after being accused of playing down the outbreak in its early stages.

He said: "We must sacrifice together, because we are all in this together, and we will come through together. It's the invisible enemy. That's always the toughest enemy.

"But we are going to defeat the invisible enemy. I think we are going to do it even faster than we thought, and it'll be a complete victory. It'll be a total victory."

Mr Trump announced he was signing the 1950 Defense Production Act, which empowers the president to direct civilian businesses to help meet orders for products necessary for national security.

But he said later on Twitter that he would only invoke the measure "in a worst case scenario in the future".

Mr Trump also described as an "absolute, total worst case scenario" a warning by his Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, that the pandemic could send US unemployment rocketing to 20%.

The president said two US Navy hospitals ships would be pressed into service to help alleviate an expected shortage of sick beds.

The USNS Comfort is expected to be sent to New York Harbor, though defence officials said it is currently undergoing maintenance in Virginia.

The other vessel, USNS Mercy, is being prepared to deploy to a location on the West Coast.

During the press conference, Mr Trump again rejected suggestions that his use of the term "Chinese virus" to describe Covid-19 was racist.

Earlier in the day the US-Canada border, the world's longest, was effectively closed, except for essential travel and commerce.

Mr Trump also announced a new crackdown on migrants or asylum seekers crossing the US-Mexico border.

He said his administration would invoke a statute that allows people to be blocked in order to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

Which congressmen have coronavirus?

The office of Ben McAdams, a Utah Democrat, said on Wednesday evening he had tested positive for the virus.

The 45-year-old said he developed "mild cold-like symptoms" after returning from Washington DC on Saturday evening.

Mr McAdams said he immediately self-isolated at home, but "my symptoms got worse and I developed a fever, a dry cough and laboured breathing".

His doctor referred him on Tuesday for a Covid-19 test, which came back positive on Wednesday, according to the statement.

The representative said he would remain in self-quarantine until he had recovered.

Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, also announced on Wednesday he had tested positive for coronavirus.

"I'm feeling much better. However, it's important that everyone take this seriously," the 58-year-old tweeted from self-quarantine at his flat in Washington DC.

Mr Balart said he did not plan to return to Florida, noting his wife, Tia, has underlying conditions "that put her at exceptionally high risk".

The news will likely send a shiver through Congress, which has many elderly members.

Its representatives and senators are usually eager to shake hands with the aides, colleagues, constituents and lobbyists they encounter daily.

They also often find themselves at close quarters with each other while riding the dedicated subway beneath the Capitol complex.

What is Congress doing to combat coronavirus?

On Wednesday, the president signed a coronavirus relief package that was passed earlier in the day in the US Senate by 90-8.

The bill provides free virus testing and paid sick, family and medical leave for workers at companies with 500 employees or fewer, as well as expanded funding for food welfare.

It is estimated the paid leave provisions of the bill alone will cost $105bn (£90bn).

The White House and Congress are also discussing additional coronavirus economic stimulus measures that could cost up to $1.3tn.

Mr Trump has said that package might include direct payments of up to $1,000 to Americans to encourage spending.

Despite efforts to sustain the economy, the Dow Jones plummeted again on Wednesday erasing nearly all the gains it has made since Mr Trump took office.

How else is the US responding to coronavirus?

The leader of Baltimore, Maryland, urged gang members to stop shooting each other, saying hospital beds are needed to treat coronavirus patients.

Following a spate of shootings on Tuesday night, Mayor Jack Young said: "We cannot clog up our hospitals and their beds with people that are being shot senselessly because we're going to need those beds for people infected with the coronavirus.

"And it could be your mother, your grandmother or one of your relatives. So take that into consideration."

Meanwhile, as the US shortage of face masks becomes severe, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said nurses can "use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for care of patients with Covid-19".

The CDC, one of the world's leading public health institutes, said this should only be done "as a last resort" and conceded it was "unknown" if this would actually protect health workers from the virus.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which handles deportations of foreign nationals, said on Wednesday it would postpone most arrests during the coronavirus crisis.

The Department of Homeland Security agency said it would also suspend enforcement operations at or near healthcare facilities.

As of Tuesday, there were no confirmed cases of Covid-19 among the 37,000 detainees in ICE detention facilities.
Click to expand...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51955450
 
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, 9,800 people are currently under quarantine in Turkey, Turkish interior minister said.

Speaking to the reporters in the parliament, Suleyman Soylu said the number of quarantined people, including pilgrims who returned from their Islamic pilgrimage of Umrah in Saudi Arabia, is 9,800 across the country.

Soylu also said 64 of 242 suspects allegedly posting fake and provocative coronavirus posts on social media were detained.

Turkey has so far reported 191 cases, with three deaths.
 
Coronavirus pandemic: Experts say Somalia risk greater than China

The coronavirus pandemic could kill more people in Somalia than anywhere else if preventive measures are not put in place urgently, medical experts and analysts have warned.

The East African country confirmed its first case of COVID-19, the infection caused by the novel coronavirus, on Monday in a student who returned from China and is now in quarantine, according to the country's health ministry.

"If this virus has killed thousands in developed countries like China and Italy, and also killed hundreds in Spain and Iran, you can imagine what the death toll will be in Somalia if nothing is done," Mohamed Mohamud Ali, chairman of Somali Medical Association (SMA), told Al Jazeera.

"Currently, we don't have a single testing kit in the country. We send samples to South Africa and wait for at least three days to know the results. This is a big challenge for us," Mohamed said.

The outbreak reached Africa later than other continents, but at least 31 countries have now confirmed cases, with 13 reported deaths.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on African countries to "wake up" to the growing threat of the virus, which has killed more than 8,600 worldwide and infected at least 207,000 people.

'It will not just kill people'

The SMA's Mohamed believes the Somali people could do more to take the pandemic seriously.

"It will not just kill people. Economically, the consequences, if nothing is done, will be dire. We might not be able to recover from it," he added.

The Somali government announced measures on Tuesday to reduce the potential spread of the virus. Schools and universities in the country have been closed starting March 19 for a period of 15 days, and large public gatherings have been banned, according to the prime minister.

Hassan Ali Khaire said in an address to the public on Wednesday: "We have set aside five million dollars ... to deal with this disease. That money will be used to help any Somali affected by this disease, whichever part of the country they may be. We are also in discussion with global financial institutions so that they can assist us [financially] to prevent the spread," he added.

Mohamed Ahmed Ali, an analyst based in the capital Mogadishu, also told Al Jazeera more needed to be done if lives are to be saved in the country.

"Businesses are open as normal. Public transport is operating as usual, and restaurants are open. The risks and consequences are unimaginable. If more is not done immediately, more people could die in Somalia than anywhere else in the world," Mohamed said.

The government faces challenges to its authority in several parts of the country, complicating access and diluting efforts made at the centre.

Large swaths of the country are in the hands of the al-Qaeda-linked armed group, al-Shabab, which has not allowed any information to emerge from those areas with regards to the spread of COVID-19. A strained working relationship between the central government and the federal states makes the situation worse, according to Mohamed.

"Sadly, the government has limited power in what it can do," he added.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...malia-risk-greater-china-200319052938789.html
 
Italy has taken over China in numbers of people who have died from this...
 
Coronavirus death count has officially crossed 10,000.

As of now, total death count is 10,005.
 
Spain fast catching up with Iran, may overtake soon.
 
The deaths will most likely double in a few weeks or the next month as it spreads through Africa, especially in a place like South Africa where they have a huge HIV/AIDS epidemic meaning they have many immuno compromised people there who can't afford drugs.
 
About 2,700 passengers from the Ruby Princess are urgently told to self-isolate
The US State Department says Americans overseas should travel home immediately
California announces a state-wide stay at home order for its 40 million people
Governor Gavin Newsom says the state could see 56% of its people falling ill
Italy reported 427 more deaths on Thursday, overtaking China's toll
The UK death toll has now risen to 144
Queen Elizabeth says the UK is "entering a period of great concern and uncertainty"
Confirmed cases worldwide have risen to more than 222,000, with more than 9,000 deaths
 
BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China’s imported coronavirus cases have risen to a record level, according to data released on Friday, with infected travellers reaching ever more provinces adding to pressure on authorities to step up tough entry rules and health protocols.

For a second day in a row, China found no domestically transmitted cases of the virus, which is believed to have emerged in a central province late last year, according to new daily figures on the disease, registered on Thursday.

Now the focus is on guarding against cases arriving from abroad as the spread of the coronavirus in Europe and North America sparks a rush home by Chinese expatriates, many of them students, raising fears of a second wave of infections just as China brings its epidemic under control.

Mainland China had 39 new confirmed cases on Thursday, the National Health Commission said, all of them imported.

Of the new imported infections, 14 were found in Guangdong, eight in Shanghai and six in Beijing, the health authority said in a statement.

Big transport hubs like the capital, Shanghai, Guangdong, including the city Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, have been the main points of entry for the infected travellers.

But on Thursday, imported cases were also reported in the cities of Tianjin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Shandong and Gansu in the north, as well as in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangxi, Sichuan, bringing the total number of imported infections in China to 228.

The commission did not say where the cases were believed to have originated but provincial authorities said some of the travellers had been in Britain, the United States and Spain.

The new imported case in Tianjin, a city of 11 million people, was a 23-year old woman studying in London who travelled home via Zurich, Tokyo and Beijing, the Xinhua state news agency said.

The northeastern city of Shenyang said a traveller arriving from London, via Seoul, was its first imported case. It said the traveller did not show any fever or respiratory tract symptoms after arriving at Shenyang’s airport on March 16.

The Yale School of Public Health said in a study many overseas outbreaks were caused by travellers from China who were pre-symptomatic and therefore not screened or isolated.

To limit the possibility of asymptomatic patients returning to spread the disease, authorities in a growing number of Chinese regions are making travellers coming back from any of 24 countries badly hit by outbreaks spend 14 days in isolation, either at home or at designated venue.

President Xi Jinping warned on Wednesday that China must not allow the improving trend of containment of the virus be reversed.

Wuhan, capital of the central province of Hubei and the epicentre of the outbreak, saw no new cases for a second day, the National Health Commission said.

That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China to 80,967. The death toll from the outbreak had reached 3,248 as of the end of Thursday, up by three from the previous day.

Globally, 245,000 people have been infected and more than 10,000 have died.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...r-of-imported-coronavirus-cases-idUSKBN217065
 
With 66 coronavirus cases Sri Lanka has announced a nationwide curfew
 
Taiwan has accused the World Health Organization of failing to communicate an early warning about transmission of the coronavirus between humans, slowing the global response to the pandemic. Taiwan says they alerted the WHO at the end of December https://t.co/b8Co5yEg1o
 
About 2,700 passengers who disembarked a cruise ship in Sydney have been told to self-isolate after three people who were onboard tested positive for Covid-19.

Confirming the news on Friday, the NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, said the doctor onboard had conducted 13 tests on the Ruby Princess, which had completed a relatively short cruise around the Pacific to New Zealand.

Two passengers who have tested positive are being treated in a Sydney hospital and another who may have contracted the virus made it to Tasmania and is in hospital there. A crew member who tested positive remains on the ship, which is docked off the Australian east coast.

Guidelines introduced by the government this week mean people who had arrived from overseas were already required to self-isolate for 14 days. But Hazzard said authorities were now concerned that others may also have contracted the virus and that passengers were unaware there were confirmed cases onboard.

“The very big concern is that those people came off the cruise with no knowledge of Covid actually being on their ship,” he said. “If they think that it’s OK to be wandering around, the clear message from me as New South Wales health minister is ‘no it’s not’.

“Please put yourself into immediate quarantine for 14 days, self-isolate in your home or your normal place of residence, or whenever you may be, and start taking very serious note of your own health.”

The NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, said the ship had been deemed “low-risk” because it was travelling from New Zealand to Australia. But she said that “for the abundance of caution” health authority ensured that all swabs taken on cruise ships were tested for Covid-19.

“SMS and emails have gone out to all of those passengers on that ship,” Chant said. “We will be contacting everyone by phone to confirm that they have understood the requirements around self-isolation, which they were instructed to do by the ship as well as Border Force officers when they disembarked from the ship.

The Ruby Princess is operated by the same company that runs the Diamond Princess, the major cruise ship that was badly hit by the coronavirus last month.

The government has banned cruise ships from docking in Australia but made special arrangements for the Ruby Princess and others to dock on Thursday.

A Princess Cruises statement reportedly said that those who tested positive were “among a group of guests and crew members who had reported flu-like symptoms during the cruise”.

“All, along with their cabin occupants, had been in isolation onboard the ship, which minimised any contact with other guests or crew.”

The cruise ship departed Sydney on 8 March for a 13-night cruise to New Zealand, but the journey was cut short when the government introduced new travel laws in response to the pandemic.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...self-isolate-after-three-people-test-positive
 

This is what china did to control the spread. They have advanced as a society a lot faster than many people credit them for. At the same time in an autocratic country like china knowing either you stay home or you get thrown in a concentration camp the choice to stay home is easier. As its china people discount the numbers but remember it started in dec 2019 in China if they hadn't been able to stop it they would have millions of people sick and dying by now. The video is from a japanese reporter
 
China has exonerated a doctor who was punished for warning about COVID-19 and later died of the disease.

Dr Li Wenliang and seven colleagues were reprimanded in December for telling friends about the emerging coronavirus threat on social media.

In an unusual admission of error, the ruling Communist Party's top disciplinary body has now revoked its earlier decision - and sent a "solemn apology" to Dr Li's family.

Two police officers have been issued with "disciplinary punishments" for their role in the original incident, a report by the National Supervisory Commission said.

Investigators found that Dr Li hadn't disrupted public order with his actions - describing him as a professional who had fought bravely and made sacrifices.
His family have now received a financial contribution to his funeral, as well as workplace injury compensation.

Some posts on Weibo, a Chinese social media site, reacted angrily to the report. One wrote: "Is that it?"

Another wrote: "It's like they might as well have not said anything."

Unusually, many of the comments criticising the report remained online hours after they were published - a stark contrast to early February, when posts attacking the government's response to the coronavirus were speedily censored.

Following his death, Dr Li became the face of growing anger at the Communist Party's controls over information - with complaints that officials lie about disease outbreaks or conceal them altogether.

The 34-year-old ophthalmologist, who worked in Wuhan, had raised the alarm about the coronavirus on 30 December - urging alumni of his medical school to wear protective clothing.

Dr Li told them seven patients from a local seafood market had been diagnosed with a SARS-like illness and were quarantined in hospital.

A screenshot of the message went viral on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, and Dr Li was accused of "rumour-mongering" by Wuhan police who tried to silence him.

The doctor was told to sign a letter that accused him of "making false comments" that had "severely disturbed public order".

Local leaders in Wuhan were accused of telling doctors in December that they were not allowed to publicise the spreading virus, as it would cast a shadow over the annual meeting of a government body.

Medics were also ordered to delete social media posts that appealed for donations of supplies.

Wuhan has now had its second consecutive day with no new confirmed or suspected cases.

The National Health Commission said all of the 39 new cases recorded on Friday were brought from overseas.

427 more people have died in Italy, taking total deaths to 3,405

The latest developments across the world:

Iran's Mission to the United Nations has said the "inhumane and unlawful" US sanctions are hampering efforts to prevent COVID-19 cases in the country, urging the international community to help lift the sanctions
Haiti has confirmed its first two cases of COVID-19 and announced it will close all airports, schools, factories and seaports
Cannes Film Festival has been postponed, with organisers saying they are considering moving the festival to June or July
South Korea will test all passengers coming from Europe for coronavirus and enforce two-week quarantines beginning on Sunday
North Korea says it has released thousands of people from quarantine, although has not publicly confirmed a single case of COVID-19
Australia has demanded indoor venues provide at least four square metres of space between each person and tightened regulations on travel to and from remote indigenous communities


https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...ho-died-after-warning-about-covid-19-11960679
 
Death toll passes 10,000, confirmed cases near 250,000
California announces a state-wide stay at home order for its 40 million people
China again reports no new domestic cases
Italy reported 427 more deaths on Thursday, overtaking China's toll
Argentina imposes a nationwide lockdown, the first Latin American country to do so
In the UK retired medics are being asked to return to work
The chancellor is preparing a wage subsidy plan to help protect jobs
 
I tried the WHO Whatsapp number = gives info which is out of date when asking about people infected/death toll
 
Infections in Spain rise to almost 20,000

The number of cases of coronavirus in Spain rose to 19,980 on Friday - up from 17,147 on Thursday.

That's an increase of 2,833 in 24 hours.

==

Singapore update

Singapore has reported 40 new cases, taking the toll to 385, according to a health ministry official.

==

Coronavirus: Worldwide deaths pass 10,000

The latest on the coronavirus outbreak as Johns Hopkins University says over 10,000 people have now died.

==

Coronavirus: Number of cases in Germany rises by nearly 3,000 to 13,957 overnight

The increase comes as French President Emmanuel Macron said his country is only at the beginning of its crisis despite 372 deaths.
 
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Amid coronavirus alarm, politicians defy health experts' warnings

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - The coronavirus pandemic is expected to get worse before it gets better, a global health expert warned, stressing the best way individuals can limit the spread is to strictly observe social distancing - the practice of avoiding close contact with other people.

Swee Kheng Khor, a doctor who studies global health policies at the University of Oxford, made the assessment even as some of the world's political leaders continue to defy his advice while imposing the same restrictions in their countries.

"At the moment, vaccines are at least 12 to 18 months away, and there is no cure for coronavirus," said Dr Khor, who has extensive experience in disaster relief.

"Treatment is only supportive and may require intensive care in a minority of patients. Therefore, without a vaccine or effective treatment, social distancing to prevent coronavirus is the best way to fight it."

As part of the health guidelines on social distancing, mass gatherings - from rallies and concerts to religious events - are to be avoided, and individuals are advised to maintain at least one metre (three feet) distance from others.

But even if the science behind social distancing is strong, governments "find it difficult to impose" the practice, because it goes against the "instinct of humans" and it carries with it political and economic costs, noted Dr Khor, who is also a senior fellow on health policies at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur.

Handshakes and selfies

The disease, which originated in China, has continued to spread around the world, with infections confirmed in at least 165 countries. As of Thursday, the death toll is nearing 9,000, while infections were about 220,000. Some 84,000 victims have recovered, mostly in China.

The health emergency has left many political leaders grappling for the most effective response, while others remain dismissive of the global threat.

On Sunday, March 15, outrage erupted in Brazil after President Jair Bolsonaro bolted out of his own reported quarantine to greet supporters, shaking hands and taking photos with them in the capital, Brasilia. This, despite earlier warnings that he might have been exposed to the coronavirus through his communications secretary, Fabio Wajngarten, who had tested positive.

Bolsonaro, who claimed to have tested negative for the virus, earlier encouraged supporters to take to the streets against the country's Congress and Supreme Court - ignoring warnings from health authorities about large gatherings and recommendations on social distancing. He called the coronavirus threat a "fantasy".

He also downplayed the revelation on Wajngarten's health condition, while his son fiercely pushed back against reports from Fox News and several Brazilian media that the president himself was infected.

Trump 'not concerned'

Wajngarten accompanied Bolsonaro during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Florida in the first week of March. At least 14 people from Bolsonaro's US entourage later tested positive for the coronavirus, according to reports.

On Friday, March 13, Trump brushed off speculation about the risk of being exposed to the disease, after his meeting with Bolsonaro and other Brazilian officials.

As he shook hands with outgoing Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar during their meeting at the White House, Trump said he was "not concerned" after meeting Wajngarten, who in one photo was shown standing next to the American president and vice president.

Later that same day at the Rose Garden, Trump addressed the country and declared a national emergency to combat the virus - a reversal from earlier statements in which he said it will "miraculously" go away "when it gets a little warmer" in April.

After his speech, the US president was seen patting the back of Vice President Mike Pence and brushing his right hand with the hand of Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as both reached for the microphone set up for the news conference.

The next day, as cases of infections and deaths continued to climb in the US, Trump wrote on social media, "SOCIAL DISTANCING!"

As of Thursday, March 19, the number of infections in the US surpassed 8,300, with at least 150 deaths.

Public gatherings continue

Elsewhere, in Iran, cases of infections have reached more than 18,000 while the death toll hit more than 1,284 on Thursday - leaving the country struggling to contain the heavy death toll.

That has not stopped President Hassan Rouhani from presiding over public gatherings, even as he ordered the suspension of Friday prayers at mosques across the country, as well as other large gatherings during the Persian New Year beginning on Friday.

On Wednesday, Rouhani was seen standing next to several officials as he unveiled a commemorative stamp honouring healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus - an event panned on social media. At the event, he was shown with bare hands carrying an oversized seal handed to him by an aide.

Amid reports of several high-ranking officials in his cabinet being infected, Rouhani also conducted his regular cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Several of the officials were seen wearing masks and gloves, unlike Rouhani.

'I want an embrace'

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte placed Metro Manila on lockdown effective March 15, which was later expanded to the whole northern island of Luzon covering 57 million people.

But even as Duterte ordered strict compliance on social distancing, his former aide and closest ally, Senator Bong Go went ahead with a relief distribution event in Mindanao, that attracted more than 100 people, many victims of a recent fire that destroyed several homes.

In the photos posted by the state-owned Philippine Information Agency, Go was seen addressing a crowd, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder.

In response to criticism directed at him, Go wrote on social media, "in this time of crisis, if you cannot help, just quarantine your mouth", without answering questions about his alleged violations of the social distancing rules.

In early March, Duterte also said he will continue to shake the hands of his supporters, rejecting the "no-touch" policy being implemented by his security personnel to protect him from possible infection.

"I want an embrace, why only a handshake? That protocol is foolishness. I will shake hands. If the Lord summons me now, that it is time to go, then I will go. I am done. I have been the president, the highest position a person can ever attain. And my children, they are fine now," Duterte said.

Delayed, inadequate Philippine response

As of Thursday, coronavirus infections in the Philippines have reached 217, with at least 17 deaths, according to the Department of Health. Among those who were infected was Senator Miguel Zubiri, another ally of Duterte.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has also been placed in quarantine after he was exposed to another senior health official, who contracted the virus. On Tuesday, Duque was seen sitting to the left of Duterte during a meeting in the presidential palace in Manila. Senator Go was seated to Duterte's right.

JC Punongbayan, a Filipino columnist and teaching fellow at the University of the Philippines School of Economics, said Duterte's response to the pandemic has been "delayed and inadequate", putting into question the effectiveness of the current "community quarantine".

"Experts have shown that quarantines and lockdowns are inferior to well-enforced social distancing. It seems the Duterte government has not realised that yet. True enough, many Filipinos fled Metro Manila before the lockdown was enforced, and this could have accelerated the spread of COVID-19 outside of Metro Manila," Punongbayan told Al Jazeera.

'Cannot completely block life'

For his part, Dr Roberto Bruzzone, visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health, said while it is important for people to strictly observe social distancing, it is also clear that societies "cannot function completely in isolation".

"This is what we need to take into consideration that we cannot completely block life by having everybody staying at home and not going out," Dr Bruzzone told Al Jazeera.

In the case of Italy, where a complete nationwide lockdown was ordered last week, Bruzzone, who studied medicine at Rome's La Sapienza University, said it is "to early" to assess the effectiveness of the "drastic measures of limitations to individual freedom of movement".

"We need to believe that these were effective, because by decreasing the chances of being in contact with other people, it is likely to be effective."

As of Thursday, Italy registered 3,405 deaths compared with 3,249 deaths in China. Italy also has more than 41,000 cases of infection.

'Give way to scientists and doctors'

As countries struggle to stave off the growing number of deaths and infections, Dr Khor of Oxford University said aside from social distancing, countries should also implement adequate tests and aggressive contact tracing - the process of identifying anyone, who may have come in contact with an infected person.

Taken together, the three measures can help achieve the two objectives during an outbreak: the reduction of the total number of cases and the distribution of cases over a longer period of time, also known as flattening the curve, he added.

Dr Khor noted that the coronavirus outbreak is happening at a time of "declining trust" in governments around the world.

He suggested that political leaders should give way to scientist and doctors to help solve the crisis.

"Decisions during outbreaks are far too important to be left to politicians alone. Scientists and doctors deserve a bigger and permanent seat at the decision-making table, during times of outbreaks."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-health-experts-warnings-200312020607340.html
 
Death toll passes 10,000, confirmed cases near 250,000, more than 80,000 recovered
California announces a state-wide stay at home order for its 40 million people
China again reports no new domestic cases
Spain becomes fourth country to register more than 1,000 deaths, after China, Italy and Iran
Argentina imposes a nationwide lockdown, the latest Latin American country to do so
In the UK retired medics are being asked to return to work
The chancellor is preparing a wage subsidy plan to help protect jobs
 
COLOMBO/LUCKNOW (Reuters) - Mosques in Sri Lanka were shut indefinitely from Friday, and the island is set to impose a countrywide curfew over the weekend, as South Asian countries step up efforts to check the spread of COVID-19 cases.

The densely populated region of some 1.9 billion people has been less badly affected than other parts of the world, but new coronavirus cases in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka are all accelerating, with the total across South Asia now exceeding 750. Seven people have died.

Authorities worry that these countries could be especially at risk, should the virus begin to spread locally, due to poor health facilities and infrastructure in much of the region. The virus has already infected more than 245,000 people worldwide, and led to over 10,000 deaths.

A police curfew is set to be imposed nationwide in Sri Lanka from 6 p.m. local time on Friday until 6 a.m. on Monday, as authorities on the island moved to slow the spread of the virus, which has infected 65 people there.

The religious body that oversees mosques in the nation directed all of them to shut indefinitely. About 10% of the country’s 22 million people are Muslims.

Meanwhile, mosques elsewhere in the region screened people for high temperatures using thermometers and urged their faithful to practice greater social distancing during Friday prayers.

In an address to his nation late on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens to stay home and avoid panic-buying, as India outlined plans to halt all international flights in an effort to stem the number of cases in India, which passed 200 on Friday.

Following Modi’s appeal, a senior district official in the town of Ayodhya in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, said he expected the state government to call off the Ram Navami Mela, a major Hindu religious gathering in the temple town.

“We’re expecting an official order in a couple of days and it will be in line with what our prime minister said yesterday in his address,” said the senior official.

The annual Ram Navami fair in Ayodhya brings millions of Hindus to the holy city. This year authorities were expecting a surge in numbers, as the foundation-laying ceremony of the grand Ram Temple, was also expected to take place.

Sharad Sharma, the spokesman for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a Hindu nationalist organisation, said it had asked its cadre not to hold any procession on Ram Navami.

“We’re also requesting people ... pray and celebrate Ram Navami in their homes, in community temples and not to gather in large numbers at any place. We will follow the appeal of our prime minister,” he said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...lerates-coronavirus-battle-idUSKBN217117?il=0
 
Coronavirus: In dense Bangladesh, social distancing a tough task

Dhaka, Bangladesh - The new coronavirus has forced countries around the world to adopt measures such as flight bans, mandatory lockdowns and social distancing to prevent the pandemic from spreading.

South Asian nation of Bangladesh has also followed suit, banning flights and shutting down schools and colleges but offices still remain open in one of the poorest countries in the world.

On Thursday, the country detected three more cases of COVID-19, taking the total number of infected people to 18. A 70-year-old man died of the disease on Wednesday.

But for people in the densest country on earth, social distancing is a difficult task while commuting in crowded public transport or living in cheek-by-jowl urban slums.

Huddling inside a Tempo - a makeshift human haulier that sits up to 14 passengers - on a Dhaka road, Abdullah Yusuf was brooding on his helpless condition on Wednesday.

Crowded transport and cheek-by-jowl slums

The 27-year-old, who works as a technician at an industrial chemical laboratory, needs to commute from his Rayerbazaar home in Dhaka to office in Tejgaon. He uses Tempo, the cheapest mode of transport, to cover some 5km (3 miles) distance between his home and office.

"People are talking about maintaining social distancing and personal hygiene to stop COVID-19 outbreak," Yusuf told Al Jazeera. "Inside a crowded Tempo, those warnings seem futile as we don't have any option but to sit in a cheek-by-jowl distance."

With an income of less than $250 a month, Yusuf cannot afford to rent an auto-rickshaw or use taxi-hailing services to make the daily commute. "Our office doesn't allow us to work from home. We need to go out every day."

The South Asian nation with 170 million people has shut down all of its educational institutions from March 17 until March 31. The country has also banned incoming flights from the European destinations.

However, with no "total lockdown" order imposed by the government, millions of people like Yusuf are out on the roads every day, especially in the capital Dhaka - home to some 18 million people.

For a city as dense as Dhaka, maintaining social distance - as suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) to stop the coronavirus spread - seems like a chimera.

Even staying at home is barely proven to be efficacious in Dhaka - a city with no less than 23,334 people living per square kilometre.

Nadia Tabassum Khan has been working from home for the past one week as her office, a multinational market research firm, allowed their employees to avail the facility.

"Our contractual housemaid however, is making a daily visit to our house from outside," 36-year-old Khan told Al Jazeera.

Khan's housemaid Sulema Begum, a 34-year-old with beetle leaf stained teeth, barely has any idea about the magnitude of coronavirus outbreak. She hardly knows about the pandemic that has infected more than 200,000 people worldwide and killed nearly 10,000 people.

In her slum at Beribandh in the south of Dhaka, where at least 20,000 people live in extremely close quarters, with most residents little aware of the threat due to the disease.

"We have seen on the TV that people are washing hands and advise everyone to do the same. A bottle of hand wash costs more than 120 takas (about $1.4). It is hard for me to afford it," said a nonchalant Begum.

"Besides, in the slum, there is one toilet for every 10 families. We don't even have a regular water supply in the toilet," Begum added.

'Can't enforce social distancing'

Dr ANM Nuruzzaman, a physician who was earlier a director in the Directorate General of Health Service, told Al Jazeera that practising social distancing in a country like Bangladesh is "next to impossible".

"Social distancing is a way of controlling infectious disease. But in a densely populated country like Bangladesh, you can't enforce social distancing in many areas."

"Especially, consider the slums in Dhaka and Chattagram where millions of people live. They are living in such close quarters that it's unthinkable to enforce social distancing there."

The government has said it has all the necessary preparations to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak but people have expressed concerns at the preparedness.

A physician, who wished to remain anonymous, told Al Jazeera that "extremely" limited number of testing is possibly leaving COVID-19 cases undetected in Bangladesh.

As of Wednesday, the Bangladesh government through its Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) - tested only 268 people.

The Dhaka-based IEDCR is the sole testing facility with no other hospitals - public or private - allowed to conduct coronavirus tests.

"The centralisation of detecting COVID-19 makes some sense as it is a contagious virus and without personal protective equipment (PPE) - which many hospitals don't have - it's not safe," Dr Monira Parvin, head of virology department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), told Al Jazeera.

"But that leaves us, who are working in hospitals, in extremely vulnerable condition as patients with symptoms of common flu and pneumonia are coming to the hospitals every day," said Parvin. "These symptoms are similar to those observed in patients infected by COVID-19."

'Shortage of testing kits'

Four doctors of Parvin's hospital were already sent to home quarantine after they handled a person who was later diagnosed with COVID-19.

Doctors in many other hospitals and private clinics are refusing to treat patients with cold and pneumonia symptoms. This has sparked anger and anxiousness among the common people.

Many people are turning to social media to share their experiences. One such Facebook post by Nurun Nahar Nowshin went viral on social media. Nowshin revealed that she made rounds of several hospitals, which refused to treat her father and instead suggested to get her father tested at the IEDCR first.

But her father passed away before the coronavirus test result arrived. Later it was known that he did not have COVID-19.

"The preparation by the government is not adequate. Why don't they bring more kits and test more patients?" questioned Asraf-Ul-Jubair, a vexed resident from Dhaka's Moghbazar who recently called the IEDCR.

"It's hard to believe that only 18 persons are infected with the coronavirus in Bangladesh. If they don't test more people, then they will not be able to find more cases," Jubair said.

Meerjadi Sabrina Flora, director of IEDCR, said they have planned to expand the COVID-19 testing facility to few other centres.

She admitted that the IEDCR has a shortage of testing kits, adding that they would bring more kits from China very soon.

"We will conduct more tests. Our hotline is open 24/7. Any affected patients can seek help on our hotline," she said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...al-distancing-tough-task-200320103733470.html
 
The republican party and fox news has put so many lives at risk. I don't even know what to say at this point. Some people lives and breaths anything that comes out of this orange clown's face and his fox news media army. Now they are trying to change their tune after the initial damage spread. Too little to late ...
 
Indonesian capital declares emergency over coronavirus as death toll climbs

The governor of Jakarta on Friday declared a state of emergency in the Indonesian capital for the next two weeks over the coronavirus outbreak as the death toll in the country climbed to the highest in Southeast Asia.
 
The death toll from the new coronavirus has passed 5,000 in Europe - the new epicentre of the pandemic - as Italy, Germany and Spain reported a steep rise in infections.

Italy announced 627 more deaths on Friday, the biggest day-to-day increase in the country's four-week epidemic, a day after surpassing China's death toll.
 
Spain's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic soared to 1,002 on Friday from 767 on the previous day, reported the country's health emergencies chief, Fernando Simon.

The number of registered cases in the country also rose sharply to 19,980 on Friday from 17,147 on Thursday, Simon said.
 
Germany's had a huge rise in cases, overtook Iran.
 
San Marino only has 144 cases, but is the worst hit out of all nations in terms of ratio of population.
 
Rome, Italy - The image of Italian army trucks escorting coffins as a local crematorium was unable to cope with the number of bodies coming in shocked the citizens in Bergamo city this week.

The footage, which caught international attention and was shared widely on social media, was a stark reminder of how grave the coronavirus outbreak is in the northern region of Lombardy.
"If this keeps going for six months, we will have to prepare the plot for mass graves," Carlo Rossini, a worker at the Funeral Honours Agency La Bergamasca, told Al Jazeera.

Death toll in Italy rises by 627 in a day, reaching a record 4,032
 
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Tunisian President Kais Saied ordered a general lockdown, restricting public movement to counter the spread of the coronavirus - he said he was asking the majority of people to stay at home & stopping movement between Tunisian cities. So far, 39 cases have been confirmed.
 
Kroll said:
San Marino only has 144 cases, but is the worst hit out of all nations in terms of ratio of population.
Click to expand...

San Marino's population is only 33,400. Really small state.

This virus can wipe out a significant percentage of their population. Let's hope not.
 
sweep_shot said:
San Marino's population is only 33,400. Really small state.

This virus can wipe out a significant percentage of their population. Let's hope not.
Click to expand...

Also, its inside Italy, so the high rate kind of makes sense.
 
The US is now catching up with Iran. Soon Iran may drop out of the top 5 infected nations.
 
Kroll said:
The US is now catching up with Iran. Soon Iran may drop out of the top 5 infected nations.
Click to expand...

USA should overtake Iran tomorrow or the next day.

I have this feeling Iran is not reporting correctly. They probably have more infections than what they are reporting.
 
600 deaths in italy last 24 hour
Last few hours cases have been confirmed in Madagascar

Not only this illness pretty deadly but it's also obscenely contagious. A friend of a friend is 24 years old and in intensive care in london right now

This illness is absolutely horrific. God help us all
 
majiz said:
600 deaths in italy last 24 hour
Last few hours cases have been confirmed in Madagascar

Not only this illness pretty deadly but it's also obscenely contagious. A friend of a friend is 24 years old and in intensive care in london right now

This illness is absolutely horrific. God help us all
Click to expand...

People still don't get it, and we have govts who seem to be caught dragging their heels over it as well because they don't want to have to foot the bill for keeping people indoors.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
People still don't get it, and we have govts who seem to be caught dragging their heels over it as well because they don't want to have to foot the bill for keeping people indoors.
Click to expand...
The gov have sent out completely the wrong message thus far

Wuhan was completely shut down, that means nobody in or out after they had a mere 24 deaths china weren't at all open about the lethality of this disease but I think western governments should have assessed the situation a bit better. Lots of people on the internet way back in january realised how lethal covid-19 is, just from the data that was coming out of china. But western governments havent done anything until its (I fear) too late
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coronavirus?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coronavirus</a> (2019-nCoV) identified in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wuhan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wuhan</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a>🇨🇳. <a href="https://t.co/Fnl5P877VG">pic.twitter.com/Fnl5P877VG</a></p>— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1217043229427761152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


18th jan tweet

China messed it up really badly
 
USA has officially overtaken Iran in terms of number of infections. USA may overtake Germany too.
 
Police in Sydney have closed Bondi Beach after crowds exceeded Australia's outdoor gathering limit.

The country has banned outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people in a bid to tackle the spread of coronavirus.

However large crowds of people are still flocking to beaches across Sydney, flouting advice to stay inside.

Images from Bondi Beach on Friday showed swimmers, surfers and sunbathers packed in huge numbers onto the sand.

Police temporarily closed the beach on Saturday. It is not clear when it will reopen to the public.

New South Wales (NSW) Police Minister David Elliott said in a televised news conference that lifeguards would conduct a head count of the number of people on the beach.

If numbers exceed 500, the beach will be closed and people will be moved on. If anyone refuses to move, the police will be brought in.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the beachgoers' behaviour was "unacceptable" and called on local councils to step in to ensure people are complying with the social distancing advice. Under the advice, people should try to stay 1.5m (4 ft 10 in) apart.

Mr Elliott warned that other beaches could take similar action if people failed to comply with the regulations.

He told ABC News: "Some of the photos that I saw from this very beach, of dozens of families using communal showers and toilets is in complete denial of what this virus is all about."

NSW Labor's Shadow Treasurer, Walt Secord, urged the government to consider closing the beach completely.

"The decisions we make today can be life and death decisions for other people in a few days. People are ignoring the social-distancing guidelines and I just think it's absolutely ludicrous."

New rules on socialising were announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday. Indoor venues such as bars and restaurants must have a density of no more than one person per four square metres (43 sq ft) of floor space.

The previous overall limit of 100 people indoors and 500 people outdoors remain in place.

The number of coronavirus infections across Australia has risen to more than 1,000 and seven people have died.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-51984725
 
Paraguay confirms first death

Paraguay's health ministry has confirmed the first death from coronavirus in the country.

Earlier, President Mario Abdo extended a previously announced quarantine through April 12, and called for a social isolation policy to last one week.
 
The grim toll of coronavirus deaths in Italy, the world's worst-hit nation, surged past 4,000 on Friday as New York and other US states joined California in ordering a lockdown to try to bring the pandemic under control.

While new infections were being detected around the globe, the World Health Organization said the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic began in December, offered a glimmer of "hope for the rest of the world", with no fresh cases reported.

As Italy reeled from its worst single-day toll with more than 600 deaths, worldwide fatalities swept past 11,000, with the number of infected people topping 258,000, according to an AFP tally.

Governments and central banks continued meanwhile to throw huge sums of money into the economic battle, hoping that a deep global recession could somehow be dodged.

"Those are really two hotbeds," Trump said.

"I don't think we'll ever find (a US-wide lockdown) necessary," he said, adding that the United States was "winning" the war against the virus.

Shortly after Trump spoke, the governor of Illinois ordered residents of the midwestern state to stay at home and the governor of Connecticut did the same.

The stay-at-home orders put the three most populous cities in the United States -- New York, Los Angeles and Chicago -- under lockdown.

Britain, falling in line with its neighbors in the European Union, also announced tougher restrictions, telling pubs, restaurants and theaters to close and promising to help cover the wages of affected workers.

Italy reported its worst single day, adding another 627 fatalities and taking its reported total to 4,032 despite government efforts to stem the spread.

The nation of 60 million now accounts for 36 percent of the world's coronavirus deaths and its death rate of 8.6 percent among those registered with infections is significantly higher than in most other countries.

France on Friday reported 78 more deaths over the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll there to 450.

- 'Hope' -

In encouraging news, Wuhan reported no new cases in 24 hours.

"Wuhan provides hope for the rest of the world that even the most severe situation can be turned around", said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Hours earlier, California, which has over 1,000 cases and 19 deaths, told its 40 million residents to stay at home.

New York state, which has reported over 7,000 cases and 39 deaths, followed suit on Friday morning, ordering its nearly 20 million residents to do the same from Sunday evening.

"We're all in quarantine now," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Trump also announced Friday that the US and Mexico have agreed to restrict non-essential travel across their border beginning on Saturday.

He said the move, similar to one already announced with Canada, was necessary to prevent the "spread the infection to our border agents, migrants, and to the public at large."

Meanwhile a staffer in the office of US Vice President Mike Pence, the pointman for Washington's response to the coronavirus outbreak, tested positive for the illness

Across Europe, governments continued to rigorously enforce lockdown measures as the continent's most celebrated boulevards and squares remained silent and empty even as warmer spring weather arrived.

- 'Idiots' -

France said more than 4,000 people were fined on the first day of its confinement and ministers described those breaking the rules as "idiots".

The strict measures follow the template set by China, as a lockdown imposed in Hubei province where the virus first emerged appeared to have paid off.

China's death count was steady at 3,248, according to an AFP tally.

Europe now accounts for more than half of the world's fatalities linked to COVID-19.

Accurate figures are difficult to come by, however, as many of those who die suffer from other illnesses and infection rates are uncertain because of a lack of testing in many countries.

The shadow of the virus is lengthening across Africa and the Middle East too.

Gabon confirmed sub-Saharan Africa's second known death, with reported cases across Africa standing at more than 900 and rising fast.

In Latin America, Cuba and Bolivia both announced they were closing their borders.

The pandemic has sparked fears of a global recession, battering the world's stock markets and prompting governments to push huge spending plans to limit the damage.

The central banks of the United States, Japan, Britain, Canada and Switzerland joined forces on Friday in a new bid to keep money pumping through the world economy.

In the United States, senators began negotiations over a $1 trillion emergency stimulus package to help Americans ravaged by the virus outbreak.

The US package -- coupled with a European Central Bank plan to buy 750 billion euros in bonds -- saw stock markets across Asia and Europe rebound in Friday trading, but Wall Street finished sharply lower.

The global sporting calendar, shredded by the pandemic, still has one major event coming up that has not yet been called off -- the Olympic Games, set to take place in Japan in the summer.

https://www.afp.com/en/news/15/ital...w-york-joins-california-lockdown-doc-1q05tl18
 
South Korea reports 147 new cases

South Korea has reported 147 new cases of coronavirus, holding to its downward trend in daily infections from a peak in February.

According to the Korea Centre for Disease and Control, the daily tally marked the 10th day in a row that the country has posted new infections in the mid-100s or below.

However, concerns about new outbreaks around small clusters and people coming from abroad have persisted.
 
shah_1 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coronavirus?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coronavirus</a> (2019-nCoV) identified in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wuhan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wuhan</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a>🇨🇳. <a href="https://t.co/Fnl5P877VG">pic.twitter.com/Fnl5P877VG</a></p>— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1217043229427761152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


18th jan tweet

China messed it up really badly
Click to expand...

WHO has tiptoed China’s line in this whole
scenario, they also said travel bans were not necessary.

Also they had time criticize Trump for calling it as Chinese virus.

Their handling of Ebola and this has dented their reputation.
 
AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan blew sirens at the start of a nationwide curfew on Saturday, limiting the mobility of its 10 million citizens indefinitely to combat the spread of coronavirus, witnesses and officials said.

Anyone violating the curfew, which severely restricts movement beyond emergencies and essential services, can be jailed up to a year, the army said.

“Anyone going outside will be subjecting themselves to punishment,” Bassam Talhouni, Justice Minister told Jordan’s Al Mamlaka news channel.

The curfew, in which thousands of soldiers have been deployed inside cities and on main highways across the country, is in place until further notice.

Armored police vehicles roamed the streets of main cities, calling on people to heed warnings not to leave their homes, witnesses said.

Jordan has closed land and sea border crossings with Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Israel, and suspended all incoming and outgoing flights since Tuesday.

King Abdullah enacted an emergency decree giving the government sweeping powers to enforce an army-imposed curfew and other measures that restrict civil and political liberties.

Health Minister Saad Jaber said on Friday that Jordan had 85 confirmed cases of coronavirus, after 15 new cases were identified, with officials warning that numbers could rise.

The curfew came after officials criticized the presence of many people on the streets even after warnings to stay at home, a ban on gatherings and public worship, and suspension of work for civil servants and private companies.

Panicky shoppers went on a last-minute shopping sprees before the start the curfew, leading to long queues at bakeries and foods stalls.

The government has said the kingdom, which imports most of its food and is an energy importer, has a strategic stockpile of commodities for several months alongside several months of gasoline and petroleum products.

The monetary authorities have also in recent days taken several moves, including delaying loan payments, slashing interest rates and injecting liquidity, to help cushion the energy importer from the economic impact of the crisis.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...to-combat-coronavirus-witnesses-idUSKBN21808M
 
JaDed said:
WHO has tiptoed China’s line in this whole
scenario, they also said travel bans were not necessary.

Also they had time criticize Trump for calling it as Chinese virus.

Their handling of Ebola and this has dented their reputation.
Click to expand...

The United Nations overall is a bag of hot air and a waste of space.
 
Varun said:
The United Nations overall is a bag of hot air and a waste of space.
Click to expand...

Which they are, problem is everyone takes them as a standard in these situations , WHO’s failure has been of epic proportions considering they said Travel bans are not necessary, am unable to grasp how did they even think that seeing the situation now we are in!

It’s one thing for corrupt leaders to fail and another for some Effin so called unbiased Health Organization representing the world to fail!

This is what the WHO director General said 14 hrs ago

”Wuhan provides hope for the rest of the world, that even the most severe situation can be turned around.”

How did he think Travel bans were not necessary if Wuhan is what is providing him hope!

Even now he is singing praises of China!

#Rant

https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/det...he-media-briefing-on-covid-19---20-march-2020
 
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