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Coronavirus: Italy death toll rises to 21 as UK confirms 20th case – live updates Coronavirus: Italy death toll rises to 21 as UK confirms 20th case – live updates
(about 1 hour later)
Italian civil protection chief confirms 820 cases in the country while Boris Johnson says Covid-19 is UK government’s top priority. Follow live newsItalian civil protection chief confirms 820 cases in the country while Boris Johnson says Covid-19 is UK government’s top priority. Follow live news
A second coronavirus case in a northern Californian patient with no links to international travel has reportedly been identified. The Washington Post quoted Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins centre for health security, as saying:
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, has overseen military drills, state media KCNA say, in a rare public outing amid efforts to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus in the isolated country.
The Reuters news agency reports that North Korea has not confirmed any cases of the virus, but that state media said a month-long quarantine period had been imposed for people showing symptoms and “high-intensity” measures were taken including reinforcing checks in border regions and at airports and sea ports.
On 16 February, Kim made his first public appearance in 22 days to visit a mausoleum marking the anniversary of the birth of his father and late leader Kim Jong Il.
The military drill was to “judge the mobility and the fire power strike ability” on the frontline and eastern units and ended to a “great satisfaction” of Kim, according to KCNA. The network said:
In a separate dispatch, KCNA said Kim has also convened a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s powerful politburo where a stricter enforcement of “top-class anti-epidemic steps” was discussed to prevent the spread of the virus. It quoted Kim as telling the meeting:
He instructed the officials to “seal off all the channels and space through which the infectious disease may find its way, and strengthen check-up, test and quarantine,” KCNA added.
The US State Department has raised its alert level for travel to Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak, telling Americans to reconsider travel there.
Tracing the origins of the latest case of coronavirus - the first to have been caught within the UK - will be “crucial” in preventing more extensive spread, experts have said. Prof Jonathan Ball, a professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, has said:
Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, has said:
Dr Stephen Griffin, an associate professor at the University of Leeds’ section of infection and immunity, has said:
Downing Street will allow ministers to go on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme amid public concern over the spread of coronavirus, according to the Times:
El Salvador’s migration authorities will be ordered to deny entry to travellers arriving from Iran, a health measure intended to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the former nation’s president Nayib Bukele has said.El Salvador’s migration authorities will be ordered to deny entry to travellers arriving from Iran, a health measure intended to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the former nation’s president Nayib Bukele has said.
Bukele said on Twitter that Salvadorans and diplomats arriving from the Middle Eastern country, which has one of the largest outbreaks outside China, will have to spend 30 days in quarantine. El Salvador has no reported cases of coronavirus.Bukele said on Twitter that Salvadorans and diplomats arriving from the Middle Eastern country, which has one of the largest outbreaks outside China, will have to spend 30 days in quarantine. El Salvador has no reported cases of coronavirus.
New measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak in Germany, including the widening of cross-border travel guidelines and the cancellation of major international events, have been enacted by Berlin’s crisis committee.New measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak in Germany, including the widening of cross-border travel guidelines and the cancellation of major international events, have been enacted by Berlin’s crisis committee.
It expanded regulations for air and sea passengers, requiring passengers from South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran to report their health status before entry. Previously, only passengers from China had been required to do so.It expanded regulations for air and sea passengers, requiring passengers from South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran to report their health status before entry. Previously, only passengers from China had been required to do so.
Lebanon will close its schools from 29 February until 8 March as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus, its education ministry statement has said. The country confirmed its fourth coronavirus case and has restricted flights from countries affected by the outbreak.Lebanon will close its schools from 29 February until 8 March as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus, its education ministry statement has said. The country confirmed its fourth coronavirus case and has restricted flights from countries affected by the outbreak.
During a live-streamed news conference with Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, Pence has said: “In every case, people are being treated and by all accounts are doing well.”During a live-streamed news conference with Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, Pence has said: “In every case, people are being treated and by all accounts are doing well.”
Only one American with coronavirus remains in hospital, the US vice president Mike Pence has said.Only one American with coronavirus remains in hospital, the US vice president Mike Pence has said.
Google will cancel an upcoming summit and restrict staff travel after confirming that an employee has been diagnosed with coronavirus.Google will cancel an upcoming summit and restrict staff travel after confirming that an employee has been diagnosed with coronavirus.
The staff member diagnosed with the illness is in the company’s Zurich, Switzerland office, a Google spokesman told CNBC on Friday. The office will remain open.The staff member diagnosed with the illness is in the company’s Zurich, Switzerland office, a Google spokesman told CNBC on Friday. The office will remain open.
The diagnosis comes as tech companies scramble to respond to the virus, which has infected at least 84,000 people worldwide. Google cancelled its Google News Initiative summit, which was scheduled to take place in Sunnyvale, California in late April.The diagnosis comes as tech companies scramble to respond to the virus, which has infected at least 84,000 people worldwide. Google cancelled its Google News Initiative summit, which was scheduled to take place in Sunnyvale, California in late April.
Major companies, including IBM and Verizon, pulled out of annual cybersecurity conference RSA in San Francisco this week and Facebook cancelled its upcoming F8 developer conference in May.Major companies, including IBM and Verizon, pulled out of annual cybersecurity conference RSA in San Francisco this week and Facebook cancelled its upcoming F8 developer conference in May.
Meanwhile, Amazon has begun to restrict all nonessential employee travel in the U.S. and has restricted all travel to China “until further notice.”Meanwhile, Amazon has begun to restrict all nonessential employee travel in the U.S. and has restricted all travel to China “until further notice.”
The British cruise ship turned away by the Dominican Republic is awaiting approval to dock on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten, officials say.
According to the Associated Press, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines said it had reported a small number of influenza-like cases on board that did not appear linked to the new coronavirus – and that the patients had recovered.
The ship sailed to the island and is awaiting approval to dock there, local port officials have said.
Italy’s coronavirus death toll has reached 21 and some 820 people have been infected, the civil protection chief has said, while number of those who have recovered from the virus is increasing.
Authorities say all the victims were elderly people who had also been suffering from other health issues.
Lombardy’s governor, Attilio Fontana, says the situation intensified sharply in Lodi, near Milan, on Thursday; with a sudden spike in the number of people hospitalised.
“Unfortunately another emergency broke out in Lodi overnight,” Fontana, who has put himself into self isolation after a regional government employee tested positive, told La7 television. “There was a rush of hospitalisations yesterday afternoon with 51 people in a serious condition, including 17 who were put in intensive care.”
Public Health England (PHE) has confirmed the latest case is a resident of Surrey and it that it’s working with the county council to manage the situation. Dr Alison Barnett, the centre director for PHE South East, said:
Surrey county council’s interim director of public health, Ruth Hutchinson, added:
The Department of Health and Social Care has said the virus was passed on in the UK but the original source of the virus was “unclear”. It added that there was no “immediately identifiable link” to overseas travel.
Whitty has said:
A further patient in England has tested positive for coronavirus and the illness was passed on in the UK, chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said.
Amazon tells employees to defer all non-essential travel
Amazon has said all employees should defer non-essential travel, including within the US, in a significant escalation by the world’s largest online retailer to guard against the spread of the coronavirus among its ranks.
Dave Clark, the senior vice president of worldwide operations, notified employees of the change on Thursday, which Amazon confirmed to Reuters.
The acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, has accused the media of stoking fear over the coronavirus as a plot to take down Donald Trump, Politico reports.
Speaking at a conservative activist conference in Maryland, Mulvaney suggested the coronavirus was not as serious as other viral outbreaks.
But Mulvaney added that the US would “probably” experience school closures as Covid-19 continued to spread around the world.
You can keep up with all our live US political coverage here:
Boris Johnson has said that taking measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus is his government’s top priority and that the public is right to be concerned, in his first television appearance to talk about the issue.
The prime minister said: “On the issue of coronavirus, which obviously is a great concern to people, I just want to reassure everybody and say that the NHS is making every possible preparation. As you can imagine, the issue of coronavirus is something that is now the government’s top priority.
“I have just had a meeting with the chief medical officer and secretary of state for health, talking about the preparations that we need to make.”
He added that he would be chairing a meeting of ministers and officials on the subject on Monday.
Four more people have died in Italy from coronavirus, Reuters reports the country’s civil protection agency as saying on Friday.
The latest deaths bring the total in Italy to 21, while the number of those testing positive for the illness jumped to 821 from 650 the day before.
The outbreak, which began last week in Italy’s northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto, has made the country the hardest-hit in Europe and has led to draconian measures and a sharp reduction in economic activity.
Lombardy will ask the government to maintain the containment measures implemented against the outbreak for at least another week, the regional government said on Friday.