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Coronavirus news: South Korean cases surge as WHO says world not ready for pandemic - live updates Coronavirus news: Greece and Brazil confirm first cases as WHO says world not ready for pandemic - live updates
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Coronavirus impact on financial markets continues, as UK schools told not to shut over infection fears. Follow live newsCoronavirus impact on financial markets continues, as UK schools told not to shut over infection fears. Follow live news
Parents whose children have been sent home from school over fears of the potential spread of coronavirus have been getting in touch with the Guardian.
One mother told my colleague Molly Blackall that her daughters had just returned from a ski trip to northern Italy, the European region worst affected so far by the outbreak.
Gwyneth Paltrow has shared a photograph of herself with a mask covering her mouth as she travelled to Paris.
The actress - who starred in the 2011 thriller Contagion, about a deadly virus that swept the world - wrote on Instagram: “En route to Paris. Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid? Pandemic? Propaganda? Paltrow’s just going to go ahead and sleep with this thing on the plane.
“I’ve already been in this movie. Stay safe. Don’t shake hands. Wash hands frequently.”
A Brazilian government test has confirmed the first case of a fast-spreading new coronavirus in Latin America, a source told Reuters on Wednesday.
Brazil’s Health Ministry declined to comment on the result of the test ahead of a news conference at 11 a.m. local time (1400 GMT), the agency reported.
The person familiar with the matter spoke on condition of anonymity because the results were not yet public.
A 12th person has died in northern Italy of coronavirus, while the number of confirmed cases has risen to 374, an increase of more than 50 on the day before, the head of the civil protection agency said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Angelo Borrelli told reporters the latest fatality was male and aged 69. All those who have died so far in the outbreak in Italy, which came to light on Friday, have been elderly and most had underlying health problems.
Greece has reported its first confirmed case of coronavirus, according to AFP.
A spokesman for the Greek health ministry said the patient, a 38-year-old woman who had recently travelled to northern Italy, was in a Thessaloniki hospital and in good condition.
It comes after Greek authorities outlined the measures the country would take in the event of a mass outbreak, including a shutdown of public areas and travel restrictions.
The measures, contained in a government decree, include temporary travel bans to and from countries with a large number of infections and enable beds to be requisitioned in hotels and private clinics.
The decree also foresees the temporary closure of “indoor public gathering areas” such as schools, places of worship, cinemas, theatres, sports halls and businesses.
“We are ready to do whatever is necessary to protect public health,” said government spokesman Stelios Petsas.
The German government sees no need to advise its citizens against travel to Italy, which has become a new frontline in the global outbreak of coronavirus, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.
“We are far from this scenario,” the spokesman told a regular government news conference when asked about whether a travel warning was needed, according to a Reuters report.
A government spokesman said the outbreak in Italy presented Europe with a new situation. Germany was working closely with its European partners to try to prevent the spread of the disease, he said.
Nick Robinson, the BBC presenter, is beginning 48 hours of self-isolation while he awaits the results of a coronavirus test after returning from holiday in south-east Asia.Nick Robinson, the BBC presenter, is beginning 48 hours of self-isolation while he awaits the results of a coronavirus test after returning from holiday in south-east Asia.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is making a Commons statement on coronavirus after 12.30pm, according to a post on our politics liveblog.Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is making a Commons statement on coronavirus after 12.30pm, according to a post on our politics liveblog.
In an interesting reversal, travellers entering Beijing will be subject to 14 days quarantine if they have been to countries seriously impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.In an interesting reversal, travellers entering Beijing will be subject to 14 days quarantine if they have been to countries seriously impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
The city’s health commission spokesman, Gao Xiaojun, outlined the new rules at a press briefing on Wednesday.The city’s health commission spokesman, Gao Xiaojun, outlined the new rules at a press briefing on Wednesday.
The coronavirus outbreak has infected more than 80,000 people worldwide, the vast majority of them in China. There have been nearly 50 deaths outside China, including 16 in Iran and 11 in Italy, according to a Reuters tally.The coronavirus outbreak has infected more than 80,000 people worldwide, the vast majority of them in China. There have been nearly 50 deaths outside China, including 16 in Iran and 11 in Italy, according to a Reuters tally.
A hotel in the Austrian city of Innsbruck remains under lockdown after its Italian receptionist tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, Philip Oltermann, the Guardian’s Berlin bureau chief, reports.A hotel in the Austrian city of Innsbruck remains under lockdown after its Italian receptionist tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, Philip Oltermann, the Guardian’s Berlin bureau chief, reports.
The woman and her partner, both 24 and from Bergamo, in Lombardy, had driven to Innsbruck last Friday and contacted a clinic after coming down with a fever on Sunday.The woman and her partner, both 24 and from Bergamo, in Lombardy, had driven to Innsbruck last Friday and contacted a clinic after coming down with a fever on Sunday.
Authorities say 62 people at Innsbruck’s Europa hotel have been tested for possible infection with the virus, of which 12 have been quarantined for two weeks because they were in close contact with the couple. All 62 people were reportedly in good health and the Italian couple’s temperatures had subsided, health authorities in the Tyrol region said.Authorities say 62 people at Innsbruck’s Europa hotel have been tested for possible infection with the virus, of which 12 have been quarantined for two weeks because they were in close contact with the couple. All 62 people were reportedly in good health and the Italian couple’s temperatures had subsided, health authorities in the Tyrol region said.
The Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, had stayed at the same hotel in Innsbruck last Tuesday, the Kleine Zeitung newspaper reported on Wednesday, before the Italian receptionist had returned from Lombardy.The Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, had stayed at the same hotel in Innsbruck last Tuesday, the Kleine Zeitung newspaper reported on Wednesday, before the Italian receptionist had returned from Lombardy.
Overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, a 56-year-old Italian woman from Udine died while holidaying in the town of Bad Kleinkirchheim, Carinthia, in Austria. Austrian media reported doctors were testing whether the woman had been infected with the virus.Overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, a 56-year-old Italian woman from Udine died while holidaying in the town of Bad Kleinkirchheim, Carinthia, in Austria. Austrian media reported doctors were testing whether the woman had been infected with the virus.
In Vienna, a school was evacuated on Wednesday morning after it emerged that one of its teachers could have caught the virus while holidaying in northern Italy, Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported.In Vienna, a school was evacuated on Wednesday morning after it emerged that one of its teachers could have caught the virus while holidaying in northern Italy, Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported.
Two cases of Corona virus have been confirmed in Germany. A 25-year-old man from the town of Göppingen, in Baden-Württemberg in the south-west of the country, was reported on Tuesday evening to have caught the virus on a trip to northern Italy. The man was said not to be in a serious condition.Two cases of Corona virus have been confirmed in Germany. A 25-year-old man from the town of Göppingen, in Baden-Württemberg in the south-west of the country, was reported on Tuesday evening to have caught the virus on a trip to northern Italy. The man was said not to be in a serious condition.
In the large state of North-Rhine Westphalia, a 47-year-old man was reported to be seriously ill with pneumonia after coming into contact with the virus. The man, who is believed to have a recent history of illness, is being monitored on an isolated unit in Düsseldorf.In the large state of North-Rhine Westphalia, a 47-year-old man was reported to be seriously ill with pneumonia after coming into contact with the virus. The man, who is believed to have a recent history of illness, is being monitored on an isolated unit in Düsseldorf.
Spain has reported another case of coronavirus - the second in the Madrid area - bringing the total number of cases here to eight, Sam Jones, the Guardian’s Madrid correspondent, reports.Spain has reported another case of coronavirus - the second in the Madrid area - bringing the total number of cases here to eight, Sam Jones, the Guardian’s Madrid correspondent, reports.
The latest case once again concerns a person who had recently travelled to northern Italy, the location of Europe’s biggest outbreak of the virus. As well as the two cases in Madrid, there are four cases in Tenerife - where hundreds of guests and staff remain under quarantine in a hotel - one in Barcelona and another in Valencia.The latest case once again concerns a person who had recently travelled to northern Italy, the location of Europe’s biggest outbreak of the virus. As well as the two cases in Madrid, there are four cases in Tenerife - where hundreds of guests and staff remain under quarantine in a hotel - one in Barcelona and another in Valencia.
Two people who tested positive for the virus in Mallorca and the Canaries a few weeks ago have now been given the all-clear.Two people who tested positive for the virus in Mallorca and the Canaries a few weeks ago have now been given the all-clear.
The medical director of Public Health England, Paul Cosford, has confirmed that the health agency is not advising that English schools shut over fears of a coronavirus outbreak. He told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday morning:The medical director of Public Health England, Paul Cosford, has confirmed that the health agency is not advising that English schools shut over fears of a coronavirus outbreak. He told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday morning:
Public Health England was available to talk to schools about their “specific circumstances” and “help them make the right decisions for them”, he said.Public Health England was available to talk to schools about their “specific circumstances” and “help them make the right decisions for them”, he said.
A Chinese national with coronavirus is facing up to six months in jail in Singapore after being charged with allegedly giving false information about his whereabouts in the city, according to a Reuters report.A Chinese national with coronavirus is facing up to six months in jail in Singapore after being charged with allegedly giving false information about his whereabouts in the city, according to a Reuters report.
Singapore’s health ministry said it had charged the 38-year-old man from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus first surfaced late last year, and his wife who resides in Singapore for allegedly providing false information to authorities about their movements.Singapore’s health ministry said it had charged the 38-year-old man from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus first surfaced late last year, and his wife who resides in Singapore for allegedly providing false information to authorities about their movements.
The husband had been confirmed to be infected with the virus in late January, and has since recovered, while his wife had been quarantined due to her close contact with him.The husband had been confirmed to be infected with the virus in late January, and has since recovered, while his wife had been quarantined due to her close contact with him.
The health ministry said “detailed investigations” had established their true movements and they were charged “in view of the potentially serious repercussions of the false information...and the risk they could have posed to public health”.The health ministry said “detailed investigations” had established their true movements and they were charged “in view of the potentially serious repercussions of the false information...and the risk they could have posed to public health”.
Charges under the Infectious Diseases Act are rare and this is the first case during the coronavirus outbreak in Singapore. First time offenders under the Act can be fined up to S$10,000 ($7,147) or imprisoned for six months, or both.Charges under the Infectious Diseases Act are rare and this is the first case during the coronavirus outbreak in Singapore. First time offenders under the Act can be fined up to S$10,000 ($7,147) or imprisoned for six months, or both.
There is outrage brewing in Vietnam over the behaviour of a group of South Korean tourists from Daegu, at the centre of the their country’s coronavirus outbreak, who caused a fuss when Vietnamese authorities tried to put them in quarantine.There is outrage brewing in Vietnam over the behaviour of a group of South Korean tourists from Daegu, at the centre of the their country’s coronavirus outbreak, who caused a fuss when Vietnamese authorities tried to put them in quarantine.
The story, so far as I can gather from tweets with the hashtag #apologizeVietNam, is that after the South Korean tourists arrived in Vietnam they refused quarantine at the local specialist hospital, forcing authorities to instead isolate them in a four-star hotel.The story, so far as I can gather from tweets with the hashtag #apologizeVietNam, is that after the South Korean tourists arrived in Vietnam they refused quarantine at the local specialist hospital, forcing authorities to instead isolate them in a four-star hotel.
To add insult to injury, when the group returned to South Korea, they criticised the Vietnamese hospitality, in particular deriding the local speciality bánh mì as “just some pieces of bread”.To add insult to injury, when the group returned to South Korea, they criticised the Vietnamese hospitality, in particular deriding the local speciality bánh mì as “just some pieces of bread”.
Authorities in western Germany said on Wednesday that a man who contracted Covid-19 is in a critical condition and has been taken to a specialist hospital in Düsseldorf, the Associated Press reports.
The health ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia state said the man was first hospitalised on Monday with serious pneumonia in the town of Erkelenz, near the Dutch border.
He was then diagnosed with the virus and isolated in an intensive care unit before being transported to Düsseldorf’s University hospital. The man’s wife was also isolated on suspicion of contracting the virus after showing symptoms.
A German news agency reported that the man was in his 40s and had a pre-existing condition.
Over in the City, the FTSE 100 index of the biggest companies listed in London has hit a new one-year low at the start of trading, writes Graeme Wearden, on the Guardian’s business desk.
Rising fears over Covid-19 have pushed the blue-chip index down by another 39 points, or 0.5%, to 6978 points at the start of trading. That’s its lowest level since February 2019.Travel companies are leading the fallers, again, with the holiday firm TUI and budget airline easyJet both losing 3%.
This means the FTSE 100 has fallen more than 5% this week, wiping out more than £100bn of value, as investors have been spooked by the surge in the number of coronavirus infections around the world.Our business liveblog has more details:
The number of coronavirus cases continues to leap in South Korea, according to Reuters.
The country has reported a further 115 infections on Wednesday afternoon, on top of the 169 new cases reported on Wednesday morning.
The country’s total tally of Covid-19 patients is now 1,261, according to Korea’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Department for Education and Public Health England have issued updated advice for schools and colleges in England, following a number of schools sending staff and students home to self-isolate after returning from northern Italy, Richard Adams, the Guardian’s education editor, reports.
The area including Milan is mostly classed as “category 2” by Public Health England in terms of Covid-19 risk. The detailed advice states in part that students returning from the region without symptoms should continue going to school as normal.
This is an extract from the updated advice:
They are advised to self-isolate only if they develop symptoms.
They can continue to attend work or education.
They do not need to avoid contact with other people.
Their family do not need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities.
Click here to read the government’s advice to schools in full.
Leaders of the Philippine church have urged priests to adapt the Ash Wednesday rite in order to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus, AFP reports.
Filipinos marked the holy day with a bow and a sprinkling of dust instead of a cross being daubed on their foreheads by priests. Churches have also discouraged worshippers from holding hands during mass.
“It makes me feel safe,” said Wendy Tamidles, a 19-year-old student, who was among thousands of people, some wearing surgical masks, who lined up at Baclaran church in Manila for services on Wednesday.
There have been three confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Philippines, and one death.
The Philippines is overwhelmingly Catholic, with 80%t of its people said to be believers. Local church officials have also “strongly recommended” that Catholics do not kiss or touch the cross during Good Friday services, which is usually common practice.
“We are being cautious so that the coronavirus won’t spread,” said Victorino Cueto, the rector of Baclaran church.
The Scottish government announced last night it was stepping up its preparations for an outbreak, after the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, chaired a resilience meeting to discuss preparations.
The health secretary, Jeane Freeman, said it was “expecting an outbreak” in Scotland but stressed the risk to individuals was low and that all tests so far had come back negative. A total of 412 people have been tested for the virus in Scotland so far.
Preparations include:
Establishing two testing laboratories in Glasgow and Edinburgh to speed up identification of confirmed cases.
Supplying GPs’ surgeries with face masks and ensuring hospitals are fully stocked with personal protective equipment.
Updating public health legislation to make coronavirus a notifiable disease, thus requiring doctors to inform health boards about any cases of the disease.
Several schools in the UK have closed today, while others have sent pupils home for fear they may have been exposed to coronavirus during ski trips to northern Italy, PA Media reports.
Travellers returning from that part of the world have been told they may need to self-isolate and Public Health England announced that flu patients will now be assessed for coronavirus to see if it is spreading.
Cransley School in Northwich, Cheshire, and Trinity Catholic College in Middlesbrough on Tuesday announced they would be closed for the rest of the week to carry out a “deep clean” after pupils and teachers had returned from ski trips in northern Italy.
Trinity Catholic College said a “small number of staff and pupils” had started showing mild flu-like symptoms following their trip.
Lutton St Nicholas and Gedney Church End primary schools in Lincolnshire also said they had closed “because of a potential connection to the coronavirus by an individual within the school” and St Christopher’s C of E High School in Accrington told parents it would be shut on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Sandbach High School in Cheshire said students and staff who visited Aprica, in Italy’s Lombardy region, were to stay indoors and self-isolate.
A third Cheshire school, Brine Leas School in Nantwich, said its sixth form was closed due to staff shortages following government advice regarding travel to Italy.
Students from Penair School in Truro, Cornwall, Salendine Nook High School in Huddersfield, Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in West Derby and Newquay Tretherras in Newquay, have also been advised to stay home after returning from ski trips.
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said official advice has been changed to say people who have been to anywhere in Italy north of Pisa should self-isolate if they develop flu-like symptoms on their return to the UK. Britons who have been in locked-down regions of Italy – including Lombardy and Veneto – were told they should self-isolate at home for 14 days even if they have no symptoms.
Hello, this is Damien Gayle taking the reins of the coronavirus blog from London, where we are beginning to see commuters on our public transport systems wearing face masks as fear of the outbreak spreads.
As usual, as well as the Guardian’s network of correspondents, social media and news wires, I’ll be relying on your tips, questions and suggestions to shape the day’s live coverage. So please feel free to drop me a line at damien.gayle@gmail.com, or via my Twitter profile, @damiengayle.
The World Health Organization expert who led a delegation to Wuhan has warned countries outside China are “simply not ready” for a pandemic.
The virus has infected more than 81,000 people, and killed 2,762, the vast majority of cases in mainland China and in particular Hubei province.
South Korea reported 169 new cases, reaching a total of 1,146, 90% of them in Daegu and North Gyeongsang.
South Korean authorities said they plan to test about 200,000 members of a secretive church believed to be at the centre of the outbreak.
Mainland China reported its lowest daily death toll in more than three weeks, with 52 fatalities on Tuesday.
Three more people died in Iran, bringing the total to 16 from almost 100 cases.
Latin America recorded its first suspected case, with a patient in Brazil awaiting a second test to confirm the diagnosis.
A US soldier based in a military camp in a town near Daegu has tested positive and is in self-isolation.
Australia’s ASX200 plunged 2.5% on Wednesday, wiping about $125bn from the index’s value.
The International Olympic Committee member, Dick Pound, has said the Tokyo Olympics could be cancelled if the virus threat is too great, and a decision would have to be made within two to three months.
Japan cancelled its football league, and a Tokyo baseball team said it will play in an empty stadium this weekend.
Preparations for an outbreak of coronavirus were under way in Afghanistan as the country confirmed its first case in the western province of Herat, which borders Iran.
Seven more suspected cases have been identified in Herat, and three cases in the nearby provinces of Farah and Ghor.
The affected Herat residents had recently returned from Qom in Iran, where the coronavirus outbreak has already killed at least 16 people and infected dozens of others, according to Iranian officials.