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Coronavirus: UK schools could shut for two months in event of pandemic - live updates Coronavirus: UK schools could shut for two months in event of pandemic - live updates
(32 minutes later)
Britain’s chief medical officer says mass gatherings could be cancelled. Meanwhile, experts say virus could trigger 2008-level economic damageBritain’s chief medical officer says mass gatherings could be cancelled. Meanwhile, experts say virus could trigger 2008-level economic damage
Schools have been issued with advice on coronavirus by Health Protection Scotland.Guidance sent out on Thursday was given as two more people were diagnosed with the infection in England – taking the total to 15.The outbreak of this strain of coronavirus, known as covid-19, started in the Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this month and has since killed 2,747 people in the country.The guidance was sent to directors of education in local authorities to prep staff on preventing the spread of infections, courses of action if staff or pupils become unwell and resources on hygiene techniques.Schools will also be advised on how to deal with people returning from affected areas, similar to what has already been released to the public. Colleges and universities also received the guidance, along with independent schools.Education Secretary John Swinney said: Three more people have died in Italy from coronavirus, bringing the death toll from the worst outbreak of the illness in Europe to 17, the Civil Protection Agency said.The number of confirmed cases has risen to 650, officials said, from 528 announced at a news conference some seven hours earlier. The vast majority are in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto.
The virus is beginning to have an effect on sporting events and organisations. Italian football authorities have insisted matches be played behind closed doors this weekend and the Ireland Italy clash in the Six Nations rugby has been postponed.
Bigger concerns, however, lie over the fate of this summer’s prestige tournaments, particularly the men’s European Football Championship in June and the Tokyo Olympics the month after.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday declared “business as usual” in their plans. However Christopher Dye, an epidemiologist at Oxford University who worked with the IOC during the Zika virus outbreak ahead of the 2016 Rio Games, said that governing bodies will currently be contemplating their response to all possible scenarios, and who would be responsible should things go wrong.
“What the Japanese authorities and IOC are saying is that they fully intend to go ahead and that would be the right judgment at this stage”, Dye told the Guardian. “The end of July is a long way away. We are not even two months into the [outbreak] and a lot of things have already happened. We have seen it spread across China and decline almost everywhere in China and in some parts at a dramatic rate.
“Nobody knows what is going to happen by the summer but the sensible thing is to consider different scenarios. What the organisers will be asking is: what are the risks, the costs, the benefits and who will be responsible if something horrible happened?”
The European Championships are set to be held in 12 cities across the continent, which poses a different risk for the spread of the disease and, according to Dye. “The idea of controlling spread close to venues would essentially be an impossibility.
“The issue of responsibility will be very important as well. What’s happening in Italy at the moment will be one factor that will be taken into account. But Italy in February when it comes to April and May will look like relatively distant past.”
Day said he thought the likelihood of the coronavirus mutating into a stronger strain was unlikely this year but that the occurrence of victims testing positive after having apparently already recovered from the virus was concerning. “We don’t know why this has happened, it could be that the testing was not rigorous enough”, he said. “But if it is the case that immunity is not long lasting then developing a vaccine for coronavirus will be more difficult”.
The director of the Wellcome Trust has called for the world bank to spend $10bn on the crisis.
Jeremy Farrar said an urgent commitment of $10 billion (£7.7bn), “with more to follow as needed,” was “essential” from the World Bank to “underpin the public health measures in low- and middle-income countries, coordinated by the WHO alongside critical investment in diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.”
He said: “Anything less leaves us at risk of much greater costs later and long-term catastrophe. The sums are considerable. The decision to release funds should not be taken lightly, but the stakes could not be higher.”
Farrar said what was missing in the global response was tangible, high-level funding and support from global financial institutions including the World Bank, Regional Development Banks and the International Monetary Fund.
“The possible impact of this coronavirus is far beyond a health emergency – it’s a global crisis with potential to reach the scale of the global financial crisis of 2008,” he said.
The coronavirus outbreak will cost world tourism at least $22bn (£17b) owing to a drop in spending by Chinese tourists, said the head of the World Travel and Tourism Council.
The COVID-19 epidemic has killed more than 2,760 people, mostly in China – where it first emerged in December – and infected more than 81,000 in over 45 countries.
“It is too soon to know but the WTTC has made a preliminary calculation in collaboration with (research firm) Oxford Economics which estimates that the crisis will cost the sector at least $22 billion,” Gloria Guevara told El Mundo daily.
“This calculation is based on the experience of previous crises, such as SARS or H1N1, and is based on losses deriving from Chinese tourists who have not been travelling in recent weeks,” she said.
“The Chinese are the tourists who spend most when they travel.”
The loss figure is the most optimistic scenario envisaged by the study which was published on February 11 by Oxford Economics, taking the hypothesis of a 7.0% drop in overseas trips by Chinese nationals.
But the losses could more than double, reaching as much as $49 billion if the crisis lasts as long as the SARS outbreak, which erupted in November 2002 and was brought under control in July 2003.
Schools have been issued with advice on coronavirus by Health Protection Scotland.Guidance sent out on Thursday was given as two more people were diagnosed with the infection in England – taking the total to 15.The outbreak of this strain of coronavirus started in the Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this month and has killed 2,747 people in the country.The guidance was sent to directors of education in local authorities to prep staff on preventing the spread of infections, courses of action if staff or pupils become unwell and resources on hygiene techniques.Schools will also be advised on how to deal with people returning from affected areas, similar to what has already been released to the public. Colleges and universities also received the guidance, along with independent schools.The education secretary, John Swinney, said:
The leader of Derbyshire county council, Barry Lewis, has written a blog update on the situation in Buxton:The leader of Derbyshire county council, Barry Lewis, has written a blog update on the situation in Buxton:
Robert Largan, MP for the High Peak — which includes Buxton – described claims that the town was on lockdown as “really unhelpful”. He added: “A primary school and a doctors temporarily closing does not constitute a ‘lockdown’. More responsible journalism please.”The Buxton Opera House insisted it was going ahead with itsperformance of Fascinating Aida tonight, and the Buxton Taphouse pub and Hydro cafe said it was business as usual.Robert Largan, MP for the High Peak — which includes Buxton – described claims that the town was on lockdown as “really unhelpful”. He added: “A primary school and a doctors temporarily closing does not constitute a ‘lockdown’. More responsible journalism please.”The Buxton Opera House insisted it was going ahead with itsperformance of Fascinating Aida tonight, and the Buxton Taphouse pub and Hydro cafe said it was business as usual.
Samantha Flower, a borough councillor for the Burbage area of Buxton, where a school has been closed due to the outbreak, said there was no sense of lockdown in the town but that there was confusion about the advice for anyone with symptoms.Samantha Flower, a borough councillor for the Burbage area of Buxton, where a school has been closed due to the outbreak, said there was no sense of lockdown in the town but that there was confusion about the advice for anyone with symptoms.
Flower said: “We’re not locking down. Until they tell us to cut off the town we’re not doing that. We have got to take proper advice from the medical profession and they’re being very calm about it. This is a very rural community and people see themselves as quite tough, rugged individuals – they’re not the sort of people to panic over a sniffle.”Flower said: “We’re not locking down. Until they tell us to cut off the town we’re not doing that. We have got to take proper advice from the medical profession and they’re being very calm about it. This is a very rural community and people see themselves as quite tough, rugged individuals – they’re not the sort of people to panic over a sniffle.”
She added: “It’s a small community – we all know each other, we all use the same shops – but nobody knows if they have been in direct contact [with the confirmed Coronavirus patient].”She added: “It’s a small community – we all know each other, we all use the same shops – but nobody knows if they have been in direct contact [with the confirmed Coronavirus patient].”
Flower said that people in Buxton that have the symptoms aren’t able to get through to speak to someone on 111 and end up being told just to go to the website.“The problem is people aren’t able to directly speak to anyone. If you call the GP they say to ring 111 and no-one can say for certain if they were in direct contact with the parent and the child that had it. There’s a bit of confusion. People are thinking if they have all these symptoms do I just stay at home and lockdown and then call for help? They’re not sure what to do.”Flower said she had been told that Buxton Medical Practice would reopen on Friday and had been deep-cleaned as news of the confirmed case emerged. “I don’t want people to be overly concerned,” she said. “A little bit more information would be helpful because we’d like to know what happens when you can’t say for certain if you’ve been in direct contact with someone [carrying the virus]. It’s going to be happening around the UK now. Everyone will have to be careful.”Flower said that people in Buxton that have the symptoms aren’t able to get through to speak to someone on 111 and end up being told just to go to the website.“The problem is people aren’t able to directly speak to anyone. If you call the GP they say to ring 111 and no-one can say for certain if they were in direct contact with the parent and the child that had it. There’s a bit of confusion. People are thinking if they have all these symptoms do I just stay at home and lockdown and then call for help? They’re not sure what to do.”Flower said she had been told that Buxton Medical Practice would reopen on Friday and had been deep-cleaned as news of the confirmed case emerged. “I don’t want people to be overly concerned,” she said. “A little bit more information would be helpful because we’d like to know what happens when you can’t say for certain if you’ve been in direct contact with someone [carrying the virus]. It’s going to be happening around the UK now. Everyone will have to be careful.”
Thanks to everyone who has been emailing and messaging me. I am running the Guardian’s live blog and so far your insight has been really useful. If you have any news tips, images or updates from your area then please do share them with me.Thanks to everyone who has been emailing and messaging me. I am running the Guardian’s live blog and so far your insight has been really useful. If you have any news tips, images or updates from your area then please do share them with me.
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.comTwitter: @sloumarshInstagram: sarah_marsh_journalistEmail: sarah.marsh@theguardian.comTwitter: @sloumarshInstagram: sarah_marsh_journalist
Merlin Entertainments, which owns Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Legoland and other popular attractions, said it has “restricted” its employees’ travel to countries with a high risk of coronavirus and has introduced “enhanced cleaning regimes” on its sites.Legoland is closed for winter and will reopen in mid-March, with Alton Towers and Thorpe Park due to open closer to the end of March.A Merlin spokesman said: “The health and safety of our guests and our staff is always our top priority and we will take all necessary precautions to ensure their continued welfare.“We have restricted employee travel to higher-risk countries, implemented enhanced cleaning regimes at our attractions, and informed our teams of coronavirus symptoms as well as the importance of good hygiene practices.“Like many businesses, we continue to monitor the situation closely and are in regular contact with local authorities so we may respond quickly to any developments.”Merlin’s brands also include the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Shrek’s Adventure! London and the Blackpool TowerMerlin Entertainments, which owns Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Legoland and other popular attractions, said it has “restricted” its employees’ travel to countries with a high risk of coronavirus and has introduced “enhanced cleaning regimes” on its sites.Legoland is closed for winter and will reopen in mid-March, with Alton Towers and Thorpe Park due to open closer to the end of March.A Merlin spokesman said: “The health and safety of our guests and our staff is always our top priority and we will take all necessary precautions to ensure their continued welfare.“We have restricted employee travel to higher-risk countries, implemented enhanced cleaning regimes at our attractions, and informed our teams of coronavirus symptoms as well as the importance of good hygiene practices.“Like many businesses, we continue to monitor the situation closely and are in regular contact with local authorities so we may respond quickly to any developments.”Merlin’s brands also include the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Shrek’s Adventure! London and the Blackpool Tower
In the US, the health and human services secretary, Alex Azar, on Thursday said that at least 40 public health labs could currently test specimens for coronavirus and the figure may more than double by Friday.Azar, speaking before the House Ways and Means Committee, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had tested 3,625 specimens for the virus as of this morning.In the US, the health and human services secretary, Alex Azar, on Thursday said that at least 40 public health labs could currently test specimens for coronavirus and the figure may more than double by Friday.Azar, speaking before the House Ways and Means Committee, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had tested 3,625 specimens for the virus as of this morning.
He said at least 40 labs currently had test kits previously manufactured by the CDC that were modified to test for coronavirus.He added that a newly manufactured CDC test could be sent to 93 public health labs as soon as Monday, and a privately manufactured test based on the new CDC test could be sent to those same labs as early as tomorrow, pending FDA clearance.He said at least 40 labs currently had test kits previously manufactured by the CDC that were modified to test for coronavirus.He added that a newly manufactured CDC test could be sent to 93 public health labs as soon as Monday, and a privately manufactured test based on the new CDC test could be sent to those same labs as early as tomorrow, pending FDA clearance.
Downing Street defended the response to the situation at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife.The prime minister’s official spokesman said:Downing Street defended the response to the situation at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife.The prime minister’s official spokesman said:
Pressed on whether there would be an evacuation flight for Britons, the spokesman said: “We base all our decisions on medical and scientific advice and everything is kept under review.”Pressed on whether there would be an evacuation flight for Britons, the spokesman said: “We base all our decisions on medical and scientific advice and everything is kept under review.”
Regarding the potential cancelling of mass events in the event of an intensified virus spread, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, told the Nuffield Trust Summit: “We do want to minimise social and economic disruption subject to keeping people safe.He added: “Of course that is always going to be a balance. We’re going to be led by the scientific advice into what works.”Regarding the potential cancelling of mass events in the event of an intensified virus spread, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, told the Nuffield Trust Summit: “We do want to minimise social and economic disruption subject to keeping people safe.He added: “Of course that is always going to be a balance. We’re going to be led by the scientific advice into what works.”
The minister of health in Tenerife has said 130 of the estimated 700-plus tourists at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel can leave. They spent three days in isolation after the coronavirus was detected there in four Italian tourists.
The minister said there were 11 nationalities among the group. None of the remaining guests at a hotel have shown any symptoms of the virus, a spokesman for the regional government said.
It appears that the 130 will be made up of those who arrived at the hotel after the four Italians who tested positive had already left. Most of these weren’t holidaying at the hotel, but arrived when their flights home were cancelled due to a sandstorm. One of these is Harley Mitford, who is in the hotel with his sister and stepfather. They arrived when their BA flight home was cancelled after a holiday in a nearby villa. Despite the announcement, Mitford said that his family hadn’t received any information about the departure, but had seen the announcement on the news.
“We haven’t been told anything, I just asked at reception and they gave us the usual runaround,” he said.
Chris Whitty has been speaking about measures to reduce risk in the event that coronavirus outbreak reaches pandemic proportions. While noting that such an outcome was just one possibility, he said that there could be a “social cost” if the virus intensifies seeing mass gatherings reduced and schools closed for more than two months.
He said:
Whitty also said that the UK would inevitably be affected in the event of a global epidemic.
Greece has announced that it will reinforce border patrols, citing the threat posed to the country of coronavirus being brought in by refugees and migrants desperate to reach Europe.
Outlining the emergency measure at the end of a cabinet meeting, the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said he had ordered frontier security to be put “on the highest alert” because there was a risk that asylum seekers from Iran and Afghanistan could import the virus when they arrived on outlying islands in rickety boats from Turkey. The death toll from the Covid-19 in Iran rose to 26 today.
“I have already given the order to the maritime minister and the head of the coastguard to substantially increase the number of boats and patrols around the islands of the eastern Aegean,” the centre right leader told his cabinet adding that patrols would be stepped up on both land and sea. “Our islands are already overburdened with public health issues and they must be doubly protected.”
Athens had informed the European commission that it was taking the step. Under EU law a member state can elevate border security to the highest level if public health is threatened.
Three cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Greece. The first person to have contracted the virus – a 38-year-old female designer – was treated in hospital in Thessaloniki, the country’s northern capital, on Wednesday, three days after returning from the Milan fashion show. Greek authorities announced that her nine-year-old son had also been infected, forcing the school he attends in Thessaloniki to shut down for the next two weeks. The boy had attended class on Monday and Tuesday before beginning to display symptoms yesterday.
A third victim, described as a 40-year-old woman who had also travelled to Italy, was also confirmed to have contracted the potentially killer flu after being admitted to a specialist unit in a hospital in Athens earlier today.
Media reports of supermarkets in Thessaloniki running out of essential goods as a result of panic buying have been rife. Mitsotakis kicked off the cabinet meeting calling for calm. “The biggest enemy in such situations is panic,” he said emphasising the importance of personal hygiene and urging Greeks who may develop symptoms of the disease to follow health ministry guidelines.
Earlier the country’s health minister announced that carnival parades would be cancelled to prevent the disease spreading. Festivities were due to peak this weekend in the Orthodox nation.
Greece has seen a renewed surge in refugee arrivals on its shores with some 42,000 asylum seekers now stranded on Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros facing Turkey. The Aegean isles have become the main gateway for illegal migration into the EU. The seven-month old centre right government has taken a much tougher stance on the issue of migration than its leftist predecessor.
Some 130 people quarantined at a hotel in Tenerife are being allowed to leave, Sky news has reported. They are a number of 700 people – many of whom remain – who were in lockdown after an outbreak.
Hello everyone. I am running the Guardian’s live blog, updating you on the latest information surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. If you have any news tips, images or updates from your area then please do share them with me.
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England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has said while the coronavirus presents “some challenges”, he does not think the world is facing anything on the level of the deadly Spanish flu in 1918.
Speaking to health professionals at the Nuffield Trust Summit in Windsor, Prof Whitty said: “Occasionally things come along which, no matter how good your strategic aim is, will knock you off course for a while.“We are not heading into a H1N1 1918 flu pandemic situation, but the coronavirus does present some challenges for us. It definitely will for a period. How big remains to be seen.”The H1N1 influenza pandemic in 1918 is estimated to have killed at least 50 million people worldwide.
The outlook in Europe. Here is an overview of countries affected, including where people have died and what precautions are being taken.
ItalyItaly is by far the European country worst affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, with 14 deaths and 528 infections. The area most hit has been northern Italy.
GermanyIn Germany, 26 people have been infected, including 10 diagnosed since Tuesday. Fourteen of the 26 work for an equipment manufacturer in Bavaria, and were infected by a colleague returning from China. Several hundred people are quarantined in their homes.
FranceFrance has so far registered 18 infections and two deaths, and has urged its nationals to delay travel to virus hotspots in northern Italy. Students returning from China, Singapore, South Korea and the Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are asked to remain at home for two weeks after their return.
SpainThe country has registered 17 cases – 15 of them since Monday. Twelve are linked to Italy. They include four Italians who were visiting Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The hotel where they were staying has been quarantined.
Three cases have been registered on the Spanish mainland, including one man in serious condition in the Madrid region.
BritainSo far there have been 15 recorded cases, including two announced on Thursday. One patient had been in Italy and the other in Tenerife. The government has requested travellers returning from affected areas in northern Italy, China, South Korea and Iran to isolate themselves and inform authorities.
SwitzerlandFour cases have been resistered since Tuesday, including a man in his 70s who was infected near Milan.
RussiaTwo infected Chinese citizens have been treated in Russia, which has also repatriated and quarantined eight passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, of whom three have tested positive.
AustriaA 72-year-old man in Vienna tested positive on Thursday, making him Austria’s third case after an Italian couple, both 24, tested positive on Tuesday.
CroatiaThree people have tested positive for the virus, including a young man who recently stayed in Italy and his brother.
GreeceIt has announced three cases, all Greeks who had recently returned from northern Italy. Athens announced its first infection Wednesday, a woman aged 38. Two more were announced on Thursday, including a 10-year-old. All three affected are Greek nationals.
FinlandTwo virus infections were confirmed Wednesday, a Chinese tourist in Lapland and a second case involving a Finnish national who had recently visited northern Italy.
SwedenThere have been two cases so far. One was registered at the end of January: a woman who had visited Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus emerged in December. On Wednesday, a second infection was discovered in a man returning from northern Italy.
Belgium has had one case detective and Denmark announced its first case on Thursday. Georgia on Wednesday announced the first confirmed case in the South Caucasus region. In North Macedonia there has been one case, a woman who recently returned from Italy. Norwegian health authorities announced on Wednesday the first case in the Nordic nation in someone who returned from China last week. They said the patient was not in danger.
Lastly, Romania reported its first on Wednesday – a man who was in contact with an Italian who visited the country last week.
In Estonia, the first case of confirmed new coronavirus was found on Wednesday evening, social affairs minister, Tanel Kiik, said Thursday.
The European Union is bracing for the economic impact of the coronavirus epidemic but it is still too early to estimate the magnitude, the bloc’s commissioner for the internal market said.
Tourism is already feeling the pinch because “our Chinese friends haven’t been coming to Europe for two months”, Thierry Breton told a news conference.
He said supply chains reliant on China, including for the auto, medical, electronic, wood and toy industries, were also being affected.
The commissioner spoke after a Brussels meeting of EU economy ministers.
If the disruptions continue, the EU stands ready to deploy economic support measures for virus-hit sectors after another ministerial meeting next month, Breton said.
But for now “it’s too early to say” what measures would entail
or “measure the precise impact” on Europe’s economy.
Italy is the hardest-hit member state, with an outbreak in its economically important north responsible for a dozen Covid-19 deaths.
At a briefing for journalists, EU officials said the bloc was currently in a “containment phase” of identifying infection cases and coordinating on preparedness plans.
One official said the EU was well-prepared and that, while other clusters such as that in Italy may well occur, overall the risk to the bloc was no more than “moderate” because of member states’ capacities to respond.
Closing Europe’s borders – either its external borders or its internal, passport-free Schengen borders – was not seen as advisable or effective, the officials said.
However, there was a possibility that authorities might soon look at cancelling “mass gathering events” such as sporting fixtures.
Moscow’s mayor has asked China to respect the measures the city is taking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus after China’s embassy complained about disproportionate action against Chinese nationals.The embassy this week deplored what it described as the “ubiquitous monitoring” of Chinese nationals on Moscow’s public transport network in a formal complaint sent to local authorities and leaked to Russian media.But Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, defended the measures on Thursday and urged the Chinese embassy to encourage its citizens in Moscow to comply with the quarantine measures.“I ask that you relate with understanding to these necessary measures, which are aimed at preventing coronavirus infections from spreading,” Sobyanin wrote in a response to the embassy, the Interfax news agency reported.Hundreds of people have been quarantined across Russia, which has barred many categories of Chinese nationals from entering the country. Authorities in Moscow have carried out raids on potential carriers of the virus and used facial recognition technology to enforce quarantine measures.Russia has also barred many categories of Chinese nationals from entering the country. Three Russian nationals are receiving treatment in Russia after they contracted the virus on a cruise ship in Japan, the authorities have said.Two Chinese nationals were also treated in hospital in Russia for the virus, but they have since recovered and been discharged.
A growing number of countries are reporting cases of the new coronavirus, with governments looking for solutions as everyday life around the globe is disrupted. Here are some of the latest developments:
Hunting for patient zero
From California to Italy and beyond, more cases are popping up with no clear origin. These are people who did not travel abroad, or were not linked to another known case. Health authorities are looking for the original source in these places – dubbed patient zero. They are using what’s called contact tracing, or finding all the people the patients were in contact with them.
Foreign pilgrims banned from visiting Islam’s holiest shrines
Saudi Arabia has made this move, changing the face of this years annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. It will disrupt plans for millions of faithful from around the world who come to the kingdom to pray together. The decision illustrates how tense the situation is across the Gulf region and the wider Middle East as a whole largely as a result of the rise in the number of deaths and infections in Iran.
Schools shut in Japan
The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, says he wants all elementary, middle and high schools nationwide to remain closed until spring holidays in late March. Japan now has more than 900 cases, including hundreds from a quarantined cruise ship. In other countries people are being told to keep their kids home from school if they’ve been anywhere near the growing number of zones worldwide hit by virus outbreaks.
Border controls
Germany is introducing new landing cards for people arriving from countries most hit by the virus. Pakistan halted flights to and from neighbouring Iran. Prague suspended flights from South Korea. Cyprus is adding more police and health workers at crossing points between the internationally recognised state in the south and a self-declared Turkish Cypriot state in the north. But EU officials insisted that the virus does not stop at borders, saying that if a case is identified at the border, it’s probably too late and the spread is likely anyway.
Now that there are more cases being reported outside China than inside, Chinese authorities are eager to shed the virus stigma and questions about its early handling of the epidemic. President Xi Jinping said on Thursday: “We have the confidence, the ability and the certainty to win this war against the epidemic.” And the Chinese respiratory disease specialist Zhong Nanshan predicted China’s outbreak should be “basically under control” by the end of April. He credited strong measures taken by the government and the work of medical workers for helping curb the spread.