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Coronavirus: What measures are countries taking to stop it? Coronavirus: What measures are countries taking to stop it?
(8 days later)
Countries around the world are intensifying their efforts to try to stop the spread of coronavirus. Countries around the world are imposing severe restrictions on their populations in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Governments say they are acting on medical and scientific advice from experts. Some countries have effectively closed their borders to all but their own citizens, imposed strict controls on internal travel and ordered people to stay in their homes.
But the measures and their timing have varied widely, highlighting the many factors at play.
Who is restricting travel from abroad?Who is restricting travel from abroad?
A lot of countries have now limited entry, or imposed other forms of restriction on travellers. And airlines have also cancelled flights on some routes. China, where the Covid-19 outbreak started, has banned all foreign visitors, concerned that nearly all its new cases of the virus have come from abroad.
Australia and New Zealand have said they are banning entry to all foreigners. Other countries in Asia have also placed major restrictions on travel.
Canada, the US and the European Union have also imposed border restrictions.
The EU this week effectively sealed its external borders to anyone from outside the bloc for at least 30 days.
The US has told its citizens not to travel outside the country, warning that they could find themselves having to remain abroad for an indefinite period.
The UK government has urged British citizens not to travel abroad at all unless it's essential.
And some European states are now either fully or partially closing their land borders to neighbouring countries or carrying out checks on those who want to cross.
The US has closed its northern border with Canada and is cracking down on people trying to cross illegally from Mexico.
And US nationals coming back from affected countries are required to pass through designated US airports for screening.
China and other Asian countries are beginning to see some cases being brought back from abroad. China is now requiring anyone who has visited countries with severe outbreaks to quarantine themselves for 14 days if they want to visit certain areas.
Hong Kong wants new arrivals to wear an electronic tag so their movements can be tracked.
India has suspended all visas for foreigners until mid-April and Japan has banned entry to certain categories of Chinese nationals and non-nationals who have been in Iran, South Korea or Italy in the past two weeks.India has suspended all visas for foreigners until mid-April and Japan has banned entry to certain categories of Chinese nationals and non-nationals who have been in Iran, South Korea or Italy in the past two weeks.
Australia and New Zealand have banned entry to all foreigners, with Australia telling all citizens and residents who return to the country they must go into quarantine for two weeks.
Singapore has done the same, stopping visitors entering and requiring all citizens, permanent and long-term residents to self-isolate at home for 14 days
Canada, the US and the European Union have also imposed border restrictions.
The EU sealed its external borders on 18 March to anyone from outside the bloc for at least 30 days..
The UK government has urged British citizens not to travel abroad at all unless it's essential.
The United States has told its citizens not to travel outside the country, warning that they could find themselves having to remain abroad for an indefinite period.
The US has also closed its northern border with Canada and is cracking down on people trying to cross illegally from Mexico.
What about movement within countries?What about movement within countries?
Italy began a major lockdown on 12 March, which has now been extended beyond the original end date of 25 March. France has said its 15-day lockdown might also be extended. Across the world more and more countries are placing restrictions on the movement of their citizens.
Under these measures, people need permission to move around, and most public venues are closed. Spain has told people not to leave their homes unless they need food, medicine or to go to work. India has imposed a strict lockdown on its 1.3bn population after a sharp rise in coronavirus cases there.
The authorities in France and Spain have also fined people who have ignored the rules. Italy - severely hit by the epidemic - began a major lockdown on 12 March, which has been extended beyond the original end date of 25 March, and been gradually tightened.
The US state of California has introduced major restrictions, stopping people leaving home unless it's necessary and forcing businesses deemed non-essential to close. France and Spain have also told people they need permission to move around, and most public venues are closed.
In Latin America, Argentina has become the first country to impose a nationwide lockdown. The UK has joined other countries in severely limiting movement, although people are allowed out once a day to exercise, to shop for basic necessities, for medical reasons or to go to work if absolutely necessary.
So far, there's been no lockdown in the UK, although people have been urged to work from home and not visit pubs, bars and restaurants. In London, some public transport is being suspended, and some underground train stations closed. The authorities in France, Spain, Italy and the UK have introduced fines for people who ignore the rules. In one part of Italy - Lombardy - these fines are as high as €5,000.
The lockdown rules in Germany vary slightly from state to state, but do allow people to leave their homes for fresh air.
There are major restrictions across US states. The US state of California is stopping people leaving home unless it's absolutely necessary and is forcing businesses deemed non-essential to close.
New York state, which has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the US, also introduced a strict lockdown.
When the outbreak began in China, the authorities there restricted travel nationwide and told people to stay at home, relaxing this only recently.When the outbreak began in China, the authorities there restricted travel nationwide and told people to stay at home, relaxing this only recently.
The Iranian authorities have also tried to restrict travel between cities but have not sealed off the holy city of Qom, where there have been large numbers of cases. In Hubei province, travel restrictions are now being eased for some people, and the city of Wuhan where the virus started is due to come out of lockdown on 8 April.
The World Health Organization (WHO) advice is not to apply travel restrictions, except for a temporary period. Many other countries have also limited movement to varying degrees.
"In general, evidence shows that restricting the movement of people and goods during public health emergencies is ineffective in most situations," it said. What other measures have been taken?
How many tests are being carried out? The WHO has urged countries to test as much as possible to find out who's infected, and so help curtail the spread of the virus.
There is considerable variation in how many people are being tested for coronavirus around the world, and there isn't information from every country. But there's been a wide variation in testing.
South Korea has been carrying out more tests per head of population than anyone else, with nearly 20,000 people tested every day. South Korea tested the most per head of population while others have tested much less, although they are increasing that now.
By mid-March, the UK was testing more than 6,000 a day - although there are now plans to ramp this up to 10,000, and eventually 25,000 a day. The United States, which was relatively slow in getting its testing programme underway, has now significantly ramped this up across the country.
The US has so far carried out considerably fewer tests, with reports of shortages at some health centres. It's not clear exactly how many people have been tested so far, but one estimate says that as of 19 March, it was just over 82,000 in total. Other steps have included shutting down venues where large numbers of people gather, for example closing schools and educational institutes.
Who has closed schools and colleges? The UN estimates that about 87% of those enrolled in education around the world have been affected by school and college closures.
More and more countries are doing so. The UN's educational, scientific and cultural body Unesco says that as of 25 March, more than 160 countries had closed all their schools.
The UN's educational, scientific and cultural body Unesco says that as of 18 March, 107 countries had closed all their schools. A further 12 had closed some schools at a local level. The coronavirus pandemic has also had a major impact on the sporting calendar, as countries have sought to limit mass gatherings.
The UK announced on 18 March that all schools would be closing until further notice, except for certain groups of children. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been postponed until next year.
The Republic of Ireland has already closed its schools and colleges until 29 March, and there have been school closures at national or local level in other European countries. But there's also been a huge impact on a whole host of other major sporting events, including football, rugby union, Formula 1, tennis, cricket, golf and others.
Germany also announced school closures this week. You can find a list of events around the world that have been affected here.
China shut schools in many areas, and Japan has asked all schools to close until the end of the school year, which is in late March. There've also been cancellations of major cultural and religious events around the world, including film festivals, major music events and religious pilgrimages.
Italy has closed all its schools until April as part of the nationwide lockdown. There have also been nationwide shutdowns in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
What about sporting and cultural events?
Coronavirus is having a major impact on the sporting calendar.
Football matches were already being cancelled or played in empty stadiums, but after a number of players and coaches tested positive for the virus in various countries, the authorities have now gone further.
Uefa has postponed all matches in the Champions and Europa Leagues. Other leagues around the world have also been suspended, including all English football until 30 April at the earliest.
And in Formula 1 motor racing, the Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix have been postponed.
The Indian Wells tennis tournament in California was cancelled after a public health emergency was declared for the Coachella Valley.
A number of marathons have been affected - Barcelona's has been moved from 15 March to 25 October and the London marathon has been put back from April until October.
Meanwhile, Japan's Olympics Minister, Seiko Hashimoto, has said everything is being done to allow the Games to go ahead on 24 July, but he admitted it could be delayed until later in the year.
The handover of the Olympic flame in Athens took place behind closed doors, after the symbolic relay race was suspended due to coronavirus concerns.
In New York, Broadway shows are being closed for a month and St Patrick's Day celebrations on 17 March were cancelled throughout the island of Ireland.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily barred pilgrims wanting to visit the holy sites, and Iraq has introduced restrictions on access to its religious sites.
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