China says the peak of the outbreak in the country is “generally over” but the situation elsewhere remains grim. President Donald Trump significantly restricted travel from Europe as the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.
A spokesperson for China’s National Health Commission said the peak of the outbreak in the country is “generally over”.
Speaking at a briefing in Beijing, spokesperson Mi Feng said that China would stick with its prevention and control efforts firmly.
China reported just 15 new cases of infection and 11 additional deaths for Wednesday, a dramatic fall from the thousands of new cases it was seeing daily last month. In total, China now has 80,793 cases of infection and 3,169 deaths. There have been 62,793 discharged patients.
Earlier, President Donald Trump significantly restricted travel from Europe and the US cautioned citizens against going abroad, as the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.
Thailand reported 11 more cases, bringing the total to 70. All new cases were friends who went out drinking together despite some being ill, the first cluster of cases in the country.
Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks said he and his wife have the pathogen, which a top infectious-disease specialist said is 10 times more deadly than the seasonal flu. The National Basketball Association cancelled all games until further notice and Italy all but put a halt to normal life as global cases soared past 125,000.
The global stock rout deepened as Mr Trump stopped short of offering a detailed rescue package, even as Australia and the UK unveiled stimulus measures. Mr Trump’s clampdown on European travellers delivers a hammer blow to the already-reeling airline industry.
Key Developments:
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raises travel warning for Europe
- NBA suspends season, Tom Hanks tests positive
- Confirmed cases at 125,000 globally, 4,600 dead
- Trump’s error-laden “foreign-virus” speech has investors spooked
- Stock rout deepens, havens surge
In other developments:
Duterte announces Manila lockdown
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced a halt on domestic land, sea and air travel to and from Manila, as well as community quarantine measures, in what he called a "lockdown" of the capital to arrest the spread of coronavirus.
Mr Duterte approved a resolution to allow a raft of containment measures, including bans on mass gatherings, a month of school closures and quarantining in communities where cases are detected, as well as stopping domestic travel in and out of Manila.
It follows confirmation on Saturday of the Philippines' first domestic transmission of the virus, which has killed two people there and infected 53.
ECB eases capital buffer rules
The European Central Bank loosened capital buffer rules for banks to keep lending going during the outbreak that has dealt a "significant shock" to the global economy.
The ECB said it would allow banks to have capital buffers that are "temporarily below" levels currently required under the so-called Pillar 2 requirements.
In addition, they will be allowed to partially use equity or liability instruments that normally do not qualify as the highest quality category of capital known as Common Equity Tier 1, to meet the requirements.
Separately, the European Banking Authority said it was postponing the 2020 stress tests on banks to 2021.
Vietnam central bank may cut rates
The State Bank of Vietnam may cut policy rates to support domestic economic activities hit by the pandemic, the government said.
The virus has left firms in Vietnam's manufacturing industry suffering material shortages due to supply chain disruptions.
Companies operating in the agriculture, tourism and transport industries have also been hit hard, leaving several local banks with rising bad debts.
The central bank "will create favourable conditions for banks to restructure their loans and cut lending rates for those [firms] hit by Covid-19," the central bank's deputy governor Dao Minh Tu said, according to the statement.
Speaking at a meeting with local businesses earlier Thursday, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam needed to prepare for a rebound, as China, South Korea and Japan are expected to quickly resume production activities shortly.
Vietnam's coronavirus cases rose to 44 on Thursday, the Ministry of Health said. There have been no fatalities.
Iran cases top 10,000, 429 deaths
Iran reported Thursday that its cases have topped 10,000, with the death toll rising 75 to 429.
The worst-hit country in the Middle East and the third in the world after China and Italy added 1,075 cases from the previous day, taking the total number of infections to 10,075, according to a Health Ministry spokesman.
Iranian authorities have asked the public to stay home and refrain from making non-essential travels. But Health Minister Saeed Namaki, speaking to local media on Thursday, sought cooperation from the public for anti-infection efforts on grounds that it has not been sufficient.
Poland reports first death
Poland has recorded its first death from the novel coronavirus outbreak in the western city of Poznan, its deputy mayor said.
The 57-year-old female patient had been hospitalised in critical condition with pneumonia and "unfortunately she died not long ago," Poznan Deputy Mayor Jedrzej Solarski told reporters. Poland currently has 46 other confirmed cases of coronavirus.
Singapore to close mosques for cleaning
Singapore will close all mosques for at least five days for deep cleaning to prevent the spread of coronavirus after a number of congregants in the city-state attended an Islamic conference in neighbouring Malaysia linked to infections.
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore said the closures would take effect Friday, and that authorities are trying to track down around 90 Singaporeans who attended the three-day religious event in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur.
A number of other religious groups have cancelled physical gatherings in Singapore in recent weeks to try and halt the spread of a virus that has infected 178 people in the city-state.
EU hits out at ban
European Union leaders rebuked the US for imposing a unilateral travel ban on arrivals from countries in the Schengen passport-free zone without consulting them.
"The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent, and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action," EU presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel said.
"The European Union disapproves of the fact that the US decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation," they said in a written statement.
"The European Union is taking strong action to limit the spread of the virus."
Spanish deputy PM in quarantine
Second deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias has been put in quarantine after his partner was diagnosed with coronavirus, according to a statement from the government.
Iglesias’s partner, Irene Montero, who is also the equality minister, is in good condition, the government said.
The government will on Thursday announce financial relief initiatives and a moratorium on tax payments for small- and medium-sized companies to mitigate the economic impact of the virus, Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said.
Schools in Madrid and other parts of Spain have closed down and people are being encouraged to work from home as the country attempts to contain the spread of the virus, which has now affected more than 2,000 people and killed 50.
Austria reports first death
A 69-year-old man who had visited Italy and had a pre-existing illness has become the first person in Austria to die of the virus, the city of Vienna said.
His death comes a day after sweeping restrictions were imposed across the country to slow the disease's spread from neighbouring Italy, the hardest-hit country in Europe. Border controls are in place and indoor gatherings of more than 100 people banned with only few exceptions.
"Hospital visits are banned until further notice," the city said in a statement announcing the man's death overnight.
Austria has confirmed 302 cases so far, in contrast to Italy, which has recorded more than 12,000 infections and 827 deaths.
Japan passes bill allowing emergency declaration
Japan’s House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency to deal with the coronavirus outbreak in Japan if needed.
The bill, expected to clear the House of Councillors on Friday, revises the law on new types of influenza and infectious diseases will give the prime minister the authority to declare a state of emergency.
Once a declaration is made for specific areas for a limited period of time, prefectural governors can demand that residents stay indoors and ask for school closures, as well as event cancellations. Local governments can also demand that essential supplies such as medicine and food be sold to them. They can also temporarily take over private land and facilities to provide medical care.
The total number of domestic cases has surpassed 1,300, including around 700 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was under a 14-day quarantine near Tokyo in February. There were 53 new cases reported on Wednesday.
Three infected on Mekong cruise
Cambodia has found three infected British nationals on a tourist boat on the Mekong River, bringing its tally of cases to five, the Ministry of Health said.
A 73-year old British tourist and his 69-year old wife on the boat, which the ministry identified as Viking Cruise Journey, docked in Kampong Cham province, north of the capital, Phnom Penh, tested positive on Wednesday, the ministry said.
A 65-year old British woman from the boat had tested positive on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.
The tourist vessel had travelled up the Mekong river from neighbouring Vietnam, it said.
Cambodia had earlier reported two virus infections in a Cambodian and a Chinese citizen. The Chinese man recovered and went home.
The ministry said 61 people from the vessel had tested negative and had been put in isolation on land and were being monitored.
12 cases linked to Malaysian Islamic conference
Malaysia's health ministry called for mass gatherings to be postponed after at least 12 cases were linked to a three-day religious event in the capital attended by some 10,000 people from several countries.
Malaysia, which reported 149 cases, is tracking about 5,000 citizens who took part in the Feb 28-March 1 gathering of Islamic missionaries at a mosque in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
Eleven of the cases linked to the meeting have cropped up in people in Brunei who attended the meeting — Brunei's first cases of the coronavirus. Some 90 people from Brunei attended.
44th US state with infections
Wyoming has confirmed its first coronavirus case, the state's Department of Health said in a news release.
“Lab testing at the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory has identified the first known case of a state resident with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)," the release said.
The patient is a woman from Sheridan County who has recently traveled domestically.
The report means 44 out of 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, have now reported coronavirus cases. The number of patients in the US has doubled since Sunday. The new numbers bring the national total to 1,274 cases, including 70 cases of citizens repatriated from abroad.
Greece reports first death
Greece reported its first death. The government has already closed schools and cancelled March 25 independence day parades, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cautioned people about the risk of going to church as concerns of the spread intensify. Greece has so far reported 99 confirmed cases.
CDC raises travel warning for Europe
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised its travel warning for Europe, advising Americans to avoid nonessential travel to specified countries in the region.
“Travellers returning from the specified countries in Europe must stay home for 14 days after returning from travel, monitor their health, and practice social distancing,” the CDC said in a statement on its website.
The US State Department earlier raised its travel advisory to Level 3, one step below the most severe category, as it cautioned American citizens against travelling abroad.
The department warned that many parts of the world dealing with outbreaks of the virus “are taking action that may limit traveller mobility, including quarantines and border restrictions”.
India stops most border crossings
India suspended most visas in a bid to halt the spread. All existing visas — except permissions given for diplomatic, official, United Nations, other international organisations, employment and project visas — will be suspended until April 15, according to a government statement Wednesday.