The global number of coronavirus cases doubled in a week to more than 300,000. More countries tightened international and domestic travel.
Japanese organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are drawing up plans for a possible delay, Reuters reported. Zagreb residents were urged to maintain distance from other people even after an earthquake sent them into the streets.
Italy is shutting almost all industrial output after reporting the most coronavirus deaths in a day on Saturday. The US closed in on a deal for an aid package to boost the virus-battered economy by $2 trillion.
Key Developments:
- Worldwide cases exceed 307,000, more than 13,000 dead
- India suspends passenger rail services nationwide
- US infections top 26,000, France fatalities rise to 562
- Italy rocked by deadliest day as virus prompts industry shutdown
Updates (latest first):
UK needs ‘heroic effort’
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said it will require a “heroic national effort” to defeat the outbreak, as he urged Britons to stay at home to protect the state-run National Health Service and save lives. He told Sky News the government doesn’t want to implement a full lockdown as in other countries, but is prepared to look at “other options” if people don’t follow the government’s advice. The minister also said the UK’s food sector is resilient but urged Britons to shop responsibly, amid widespread reports of empty supermarket shelves caused by stockpiling.
Zagreb residents on streets after quake
People in Zagreb are out in the streets after a strong earthquake shook the capital early on Sunday. The government has urged them to keep social distancing after all public gatherings were restricted yesterday. Part of the city’s cathedral tower collapsed and one person was killed.
Macron threatened to close border
President Emmanuel Macron called Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday morning to tell him that France would close its borders to travellers coming from Britain if Johnson didn’t take more steps to stop the spread of the coronavirus, French newspaper Liberation reported, citing sources at Elysee Palace. Johnson later in the day ordered pubs, restaurants and leisure centres across the country to close.
Dutch patients to be moved
Hundreds of coronavirus patients from hospitals in Brabant, the hardest hit province in the Netherlands, will be moved elsewhere in the country, De Volkskrant reported, citing the director of a Den Bosch hospital. The relocation of as many as 700 patients is necessary because an enormous increase in the number of critical patients is expected in the coming week and intensive care capacity in the region’s hospitals is expected to be insufficient.
Taiwan suspends international transit
Taiwan will suspend transit of international passengers through its airports from March 24 to April 7, as it announced 16 new confirmed cases and 13 of them are imported ones, according to website statement of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control Sunday, adding that the number of total confirmed cases rose to 169.
Israel takes stricter steps as cases balloon
New rules prohibiting most Israelis from leaving their homes for the next seven days took effect on Sunday morning as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases approached 1,000.
Israel tightened its isolation rules after some people balked at following earlier prescriptions. As testing widens, the number of infected persons has soared to 945. An 88-year-old man who died on Friday was the country’s first fatality.
India suspends passenger train services until March 31
India suspended passenger train services across the country until March 31 as the government tries to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
The railways ministry said passenger rail will stop with immediate effect though freight services will continue, according to a statement on Sunday.
Olympics organisers draw up plans for possible delay: Reuters
Japanese organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are drawing up plans for a possible delay to the Games, even as the government says a postponement is not an option, Reuters reported.
The organisers are studying different dates and scenarios for a delay in the Olympics and the cost implications according to the report, which cited two unidentified people familiar with the development. Tokyo 2020 organisers and the International Olympic Committee didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters said.
The Nikkei on Sunday cited unidentified people as saying the IOC’s executive board will probably hold a meeting within a week to discuss whether to go ahead with the Games.
Turkey cases surge; Qatar installs checkpoints
Coronavirus cases in Turkey soared as countries across the Middle East imposed new restrictions on movement of people, shut public places and rolled out measures to protect businesses.
Qatar banned all forms of public gatherings, deployed patrols, installed checkpoints across the country and warned that those who violate the coronavirus policies would be arrested.
Australia’s AFL suspends rest of 2020 season
Australia’s AFL suspended the rest of the 2020 season after the government said all non-essential travel should be canceled.
The league will review the situation by the end of April, Australian Football League Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan said in a statement.
All Beijing International flights must stop elsewhere first
All international flights bound for Beijing will have to first stop in one of 12 designated cities for those on board to take coronavirus tests before arriving at the capital, which is seeing more imported infections.
The new rule is tighter than one announced on March 19, which only applied to some overseas flights to Beijing, the government said Sunday. The 12 cities include Shanghai, Tianjin, Qingdao, Nanjing, Dalian and Xi’an.
Japan urges limits on US travel
Japan’s foreign ministry asked residents to refrain from making non-essential trips to the US because of the increase in coronavirus cases there.
Trump offers North Korea help
US President Donald Trump sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offering help fighting the coronavirus outbreak.
The letter also included a plan for advancing ties between the countries, according to a statement from Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, that was published by state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Thailand, India report new cases
Thailand reported 188 more coronavirus cases, the highest daily increase so far, bringing the total to 599.
Separately, India said cases rose to 341, while the country confirmed its fifth death from the virus. South Korea reported 98 new virus cases, bringing the total to 8,897. The number of deaths rose by two to 104.
Goldman Sachs staffer cleared after false positive test
An employee at Goldman Sachs Group Inc’s investment banking division in Hong Kong tested negative for the coronavirus after earlier being identified as a highly probable case, according to a statement from the bank. The investment bank said it will re-open its offices on the 60th and 67th floors of Cheung Kong Centre in the city with immediate effect, and that some other employees are to be released from restrictions.
Prison riots break out across Colombia
Colombian authorities are trying to quell riots in several jails across the country amid fears that the coronavirus could spread in overcrowded conditions.
The nation’s prison service said in a post on Twitter that it is “dealing with disturbances” alongside the security forces in various jails. Earlier, it said in a statement there are currently no cases of the disease in the prison system.
Indonesia restricts public gatherings
Indonesian police have called on the public to avoid public gatherings, including religious activities, as the government tries to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Police said in a statement on Sunday that they will take action against mass gatherings as well as individuals who hoard basic necessities.
Singapore, Vietnam bar entry
Singapore said it will bar all short-term visitors from entering or transiting through the city-state to reduce the risk of imported cases of the coronavirus.
The government will also limit the entry of work permit holders to those in essential sectors such as health-care and transport, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs a ministerial task force to tackle the virus. Holders of various visas or passes, which allow them to work and live in Singapore, risk not being allowed back in soon should they decide to leave the island now, Wong said.
Separately, Vietnam said it will temporarily suspend entry to all foreigners who already have travel visas to the country, except for those visiting the country for diplomat or official purposes. Foreigners who are deemed experts, business managers or highly skilled workers will still be allowed to enter the country but must have certificates indicating they have tested negative for the virus, must fill out health declarations and will be ordered into quarantine upon arrival, the government said in a statement on Sunday.
Australian state shut down non-essential services
Australia’s two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, plan to close non-essential services over the next 48 hours to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. All non-essential travel such as holidays should be cancelled, and a National Cabinet meeting of federal and state leaders has been brought forward to Sunday night to discuss local lockdowns in virus hotspots, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in Canberra.
The government deployed an additional A$66 billion in stimulus, including cash payments of as much as A$100,000 to small businesses, in a second package aimed at averting recession and saving jobs.
Amazon’s Bezos tells workers virus will ‘get worse’
Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos warned his company’s 800,000 employees that the coronavirus outbreak will likely “get worse before it gets better,” according to an open letter shared on his Instagram account.
“This isn’t business as usual, and it’s a time of great stress and uncertainty,” Bezos wrote in his first public comments about the outbreak. “It’s also a moment in time when the work we’re doing is its most critical.”
Uganda confirms first case
Uganda confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country, the Ministry of Health said, adding that it involved a patient with recent travel history from the United Arab Emirates.
Trump, Congressional leaders say deal on virus stimulus close
US President Donald Trump and congressional leaders said negotiators were closing in on an agreement for a coronavirus economic-relief plan that the top White House economic adviser said would provide a $2 trillion boost to the US economy.
