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Coronavirus live updates: WHO declares Covid-19 a pandemic while Italy death toll jumps by 196 Coronavirus live updates: WHO declares Covid-19 a pandemic while Italy death toll jumps by 196
(32 minutes later)
World Health Organization chief says number of cases reported and number of countries affected ‘doesn’t tell the full story’World Health Organization chief says number of cases reported and number of countries affected ‘doesn’t tell the full story’
The former health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, asks Hancock if he believes the virus can still be contained in the UK.
Hancock says the WHO’s decision to designate the outbreak as a pandemic means that organisation believes it will spread throughout the world.
Responding to Ashworth’s question about more stringent measures, Hancock says different countries are at different stages and some are not following the science – though he would not seek to criticism them for that.
The health secretary says the UK government will follow the scientific advice and “do the right thing at the right time”.
Responding, Hancock says parliamentary staff who are unwell – but unsure whether or not they’ve been in contact with Dorries – should call 111.
The shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, is now on his feet responding to Hancock’s statement. He asks the health secretary to convey his best wishes to Dorries and her staff.
He thanks Hancock for the updated advice and agrees that MPs must be able to scrutinise the government.
Ashworth asks for clarification on guidance for those on the parliamentary estate who are ill but are not sure whether or not they’ve come into contact with Dorries – should they get tested? And he says Labour is supportive of the chief medical officer and agrees with the government that its actions should be determined by the science.
But he asks for more detail on when the UK will move to the next phase of its four-part plan and take more stringent measures to enforce social distancing.
The health secretary says regular meetings of the UK government’s civil contingencies committee Cobra are taking place, including one to be chaired by the prime minister on Thursday, and that the government will do whatever it takes to battle the spread of the virus.
Hancock says he knows people will be concerned by the WHO’s decision to term the outbreak a pandemic today and reiterates the advice to people showing symptoms to seek medical help and to everyone to wash their hands thoroughly.
Hancock says the latest scientific advice will be followed when decided whether or not to continue on this course. He also says experts are meeting daily to determine what is the best advice to give to government.
The health secretary also wishes Nadine Dorries well, saying experts are tracing those who’ve been in close contact with her since last Thursday.
The World Health Organization has declared a coronavirus pandemic, as it expressed concern “about alarming levels of inaction”. The director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the number of cases outside China has increased 13-fold in the past two weeks and there are now 118,000 cases in 114 countries and 4,291 people have lost their lives.
The number of UK citizens who have died has risen to 1o, after three more deaths were announced. They were: a patient in their 70s being treated for underlying health conditions died in Dudley, an elderly patient being treated for a number of serious underlying health conditions has died in Warwickshire and a 53-year-old woman died in Indonesia.
The number of UK cases rose by 87 in 24 hours to 460. They include 387 in England, 36 in Scotland, including its first community transmission, 19 in Wales and 18 in Northern Ireland.
The UK chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has announced a £30bn package to try ease the impact of coronavirus and promised the NHS “whatever it needs” to tackle the crisis. In his first budget Sunak said statutory sick pay will be available to anyone advised to self-isolate, and that sick notes will be available through the 111 service.
The Bank of England has cut interest rates in an emergency move to bolster the economy against the outbreak. The monetary policy committee voted unanimously to slash the bank rate from 0.75% to 0.25% at its first unscheduled meeting since the depths of the 2008 financial crisis
Brexit talks due to take place in London next week have been thrown into doubt because of coronavirus. Michael Gove told MPs that fresh concerns about the safety of the talks had been raised by EU officials.
A member of staff of the UK health minister, Nadine Dorries, has also tested positive for the virus, but there are no plans to test other ministers. Dorries has complained of harassment by the media as she recovers at home from the virus.
Iran announced a record increase in cases to 9,000 as the country’s death toll from the virus increased to 354. Friday prayers have been cancelled for a third week in a row.
The death toll from the coronavirus in Italy rose from 631 to 827 in a day. At the same time, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country rose by more than 2,000, from 10,149 on Tuesday to 12,462 today.
India and Kuwait have effectively banned foreign visitors. Guatemala has banned Europeans from entry, despite the central American country being yet to record a case.
Belgium announced its first three coronavirus deaths, Ireland Sweden and Bulgaria each reported their first death, while Turkey, confirmed its first case.
The German chancellor Angela Merkel warned that up to 70% of the population will be infected unless measures can be found to slow the spread of the outbreak.
Poland, Greece and Ukraine all announced they were closing schools.
States of emergency have been declared in Michigan and Massachusetts, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the US passed 1000. Three security officers have tested positive at California’s San Jose airport.
Saudi Arabia said it is closing cinemas while Lebanon said it was shutting cafes and restaurants. Washington state in the US, Hungary and Ukraine were among the places to ban public gatherings over a certain size.
China has reported only 24 new cases and 22 new deaths nationally, including a record low of 13 cases in Wuhan. Lockdowns have been partially lifted in the Hubei province, and key industries will be allowed to resume in Wuhan.
The UK health secretary, Matt Hancock, is addressing the Commons.
He says parliament will stay open. The House of Commons may need to function differently but the government must be scrutinised, he tells MPs.
NHS England has announced that another person has died after testing positive for coronavirus. They are the eighth to die in the UK, the authorities say. Two more British people have also died abroad.NHS England has announced that another person has died after testing positive for coronavirus. They are the eighth to die in the UK, the authorities say. Two more British people have also died abroad.
Dr Catherine Free, the medical director at George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust has said: Dr Catherine Free, the medical director at George Eliot Hospital NHS trust has said:
Referring to the eighth death to be announced, Diane Wake, the chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, has said: Referring to the eighth death to be announced, Diane Wake, the chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS foundation trust, has said:
A seventh patient has died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, NHS England said. Two UK citizens had previously been announced to have died overseas – one in Japan and one in Bali.A seventh patient has died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, NHS England said. Two UK citizens had previously been announced to have died overseas – one in Japan and one in Bali.
On Wednesday evening, the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Spain rose to 2,152 almost half of which - 1,024 - were in the Madrid region. Fifty people have so far died from the virus, 31 of them in the capital and the surrounding area. Spain has the second highest number of confirmed cases of the virus in Europe after Italy.
The official Kuwait state news agency, Kuna, quotes government spokesman Tareq al-Mezrem as saying:
Kuwait, which has 72 confirmed coronavirus cases, also announced a public holiday from 12 March to 26 March, except for entities providing essential services, the National reports.
Here is the latest on how coronavirus is affecting sporting events in the UK:
British Airways has come under fire for a second day over its decision to cancel, with immediate effect, all flights out of Italy yesterday leaving thousands stranded.
It was also criticised for advising passengers to go across the border to Switzerland.
Rory Boland, travel editor at Which? magazine, said:
The consumer magazine called on the Civil Aviation Authority to monitor the situation closely to ensure BA and other airlines were complying with their legal obligations. Boland said:
India announced some of the most extreme action taken to date with respect to foreign tourists.
The Guatemalan health minister, Hugo Monroy, said on Wednesday the country will ban the entry of European citizens in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The Central American country, which has yet to confirm any cases of the virus, will block the entry of Europeans starting tomorrow, Monroy told a news conference.
The country’s director of civil aviation will communicate the ban to airlines, Monroy added, underlining that it applied to citizens from across Europe.
“This is done simply to prevent the introduction of the coronavirus to our country,” Monroy said.
Alberto Volpe, a 33-year-old, was feverish when he flew from Milan to Gatwick on Sunday after being forced to return home from a skiing holiday in Chamonix due to an injury to his girlfriend.
He said:
The governor of Washington state, USA, Jay Inslee, has today prohibited gatherings of more than 250 people and said he may soon close schools to slow the spread of coronavirus in a state suffering the deadliest outbreak in the United States.
The ban on gatherings applies to King, Snohomish and Pierce counties in the Seattle area and is aimed at sports, concerts and other cultural events, Inslee told a press conference.
Washington state has reported over a quarter of the more than 1,000 US coronavirus cases and the majority of the 31 deaths, putting pressure on Inslee to slow the virus’s spread to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.
He said:
The Democratic governor, who has clashed with the president, Donald Trump, over his response to coronavirus, also faces pressure from parents and health experts to close all schools in the hard-hit greater-Seattle area.
Inslee said he had asked all school districts in the state to make contingency plans for possible closures within the next several days.
A member of staff at a care home in Northamptonshire for people with learning disabilities and those with physical disabilities and mobility issues has tested positive for Covid-19, the Northamptonshire Telegraph reports.
There have been fears about the impact the virus could have should it take hold in a care home in the UK, particularly one where there are older people and/or those with underlying health conditions which make them more susceptible to Covid-19.
In the US, 19 deaths out of a nationwide total of 31 to date were linked to one suburban Seattle nursing home.
Saudi Arabia announced today it will close cinemas until further notice to try to halt the spread of coronavirus, its state news agency has reported.