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Coronavirus live updates: Justin Trudeau's wife tests positive, Australia limits gatherings, sport in crisis Coronavirus news: Justin Trudeau's wife tests positive, Australia limits gatherings, sport in crisis - live updates
(32 minutes later)
First case at UN headquarters; Australian home affairs minister infected; schools close across EuropeFirst case at UN headquarters; Australian home affairs minister infected; schools close across Europe
Irish authorities are reportedly trying to identify 10,000 beds around Ireland as a contingency for coronavirus, Rory Carroll reports from Dublin.
The Health Service Executive is attempting to source beds in hospitals, hotels, military barracks, student accommodation and other sites for a possible surge in cases, according to RTE.
The National Public Health Emergency Team said the delay phase measures announced on Thursday – such as closing schools and universities and banning big public gatherings – may slow infections so that 200 people a week catch the virus over five weeks instead of 500 people a week catching the virus over two weeks. The goal is to give health services and society time to handle the pandemic.
Simon Harris, the health minister, on Friday said environmental health workers would meet people returning from Spain and Italy. He asked such people to not go to work and curb social interactions for two weeks. “It is not quite self-isolate, but to restrict their movements.”
Ireland has 70 confirmed cases. Northern Ireland has 20.
Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland’s first minister, said the region would close schools at some point.
The Premier League are expected to convene at 10.30am to determine what happens next.
This is an unprecedented time but all 20 clubs will need to come to an unanimous decision for any action to be taken and government officials are also being kept in the loop.
The EFL board are likely to follow action taken by the Premier League, who at 9.30pm on Thursday said all of this weekend’s games would “go ahead as scheduled” before, an hour later, releasing a statement confirming Friday morning’s emergency meeting.
In terms of press conferences, Jürgen Klopp’s has been canned, as has Frank Lampard’s. Steve Bruce and Eddie Howe, however, are scheduled to speak as planned imminently.
Read more on our football live blog:
Egypt has reported its first Covid-19 death of an Egyptian citizen, hundreds of miles away from Luxor, the city at the centre of outbreaks of the virus, Ruth Michaelson reports from Cairo.
According to state media and the Egyptian ministry of health, a 60-year-old woman in the Nile Delta town of Mansoura “was administered a PCR test and tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday evening,” after arriving at a local chest hospital with acute pneumonia.
Mansoura is 465 miles away from the ancient city of Luxor, where increasing numbers of tourists have reported infection after departure.
The woman was transferred to quarantine and died Thursday night. It is unclear why her positive test result for COVID-19 was only added to official infection rates following her death. The Egyptian Ministry of Health subsequently reported 80 total infections since mid-February, including 20 they say have since recovered and left hospital.
The death of the woman in Mansoura is the second death in Egypt, the most populous country in the Middle East. A German tourist transferred from Luxor to a hospital in the resort town Hurghada died last Sunday from the virus.
The outbreak in Mansoura shows that the virus is spreading inside Egypt. “The 13 new coronavirus cases include six who showed no symptoms and had contracted the virus after coming into contact with people who previously tested positive,” said government-owned outlet Al-Ahram.
Egypt’s health ministry continued to update the number of official cases, but has not regularly named the location of infections. The country’s minister for education announced earlier this week that schools were banned from trips in the governorates of Luxor, Aswan and Hurghada due to outbreaks of the virus.
The ministry also announced that a school in the central district of Zamalek would close and parents and teachers self-isolate for a fortnight “as a precautionary measure, after a parent of one of the school students was in contact with a foreigner who tested positive for coronavirus.”
As the disease shows signs of spreading, some in Cairo attempted to retain a sense of business as usual even as Egypt was battered by a freak storm forcing many to stay indoors. Certain bars and clubs in Cairo announced they would test patrons temperatures on entry.
School classes in Belgium have been suspended from Monday, as the the country’s national security council implemented a number of measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.School classes in Belgium have been suspended from Monday, as the the country’s national security council implemented a number of measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Other measures include the closure of all restaurants and bars by midnight and the cancellation of all recreational, cultural and sporting events while restaurants, bars, cafés and nightclubs are ordered to shut at midnight until 3 April.Other measures include the closure of all restaurants and bars by midnight and the cancellation of all recreational, cultural and sporting events while restaurants, bars, cafés and nightclubs are ordered to shut at midnight until 3 April.
Pharmacies and grocery shops will remain open as normal, while other shops must close at weekends, Eurativ.com reports.Pharmacies and grocery shops will remain open as normal, while other shops must close at weekends, Eurativ.com reports.
The health minister of Kazakhstan has announced that two Kazakh citizens have tested positive for coronavirus the first cases of the disease in the Central Asian country, after returning to the country from Germany.The health minister of Kazakhstan has announced that two Kazakh citizens have tested positive for coronavirus the first cases of the disease in the Central Asian country, after returning to the country from Germany.
The patients are staying in a specialised hospital in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s biggest city, Reuters reports him as saying.The patients are staying in a specialised hospital in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s biggest city, Reuters reports him as saying.
The British clinical psychologist Simon Baron Cohen has revealed on Twitter that he has advised all staff in his laboratory to work from home.The British clinical psychologist Simon Baron Cohen has revealed on Twitter that he has advised all staff in his laboratory to work from home.
Baron Cohen, who is professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge, included a link in his tweet to a Medium article that claimed that just one day’s delay to implementing social distancing measures could increase the spread of coronavirus by up to 40%.Baron Cohen, who is professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge, included a link in his tweet to a Medium article that claimed that just one day’s delay to implementing social distancing measures could increase the spread of coronavirus by up to 40%.
Could the US president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, be infected with coronavirus? She was pictured last week standing next to Australian home affairs minister Peter Dutton, whose diagnosis was revealed today.Could the US president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, be infected with coronavirus? She was pictured last week standing next to Australian home affairs minister Peter Dutton, whose diagnosis was revealed today.
The UK government’s chief scientific officer Sir Patrick Vallance has appeared on BBC Radio 4’s agenda setting news programme Today to defend the measures announced last night by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, to combat the spread of Covid-19 in the UK.The UK government’s chief scientific officer Sir Patrick Vallance has appeared on BBC Radio 4’s agenda setting news programme Today to defend the measures announced last night by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, to combat the spread of Covid-19 in the UK.
Many people had criticised the measures, which appeared comparatively relaxed compared to those taken by other countries, even in Europe, as too little, too late. But Vallance said that the government’s reasoning was “based on which interventions are going to have the biggest effect.”Many people had criticised the measures, which appeared comparatively relaxed compared to those taken by other countries, even in Europe, as too little, too late. But Vallance said that the government’s reasoning was “based on which interventions are going to have the biggest effect.”
He said the government’s plan was to reduce the peak of the epidemic, “pull it down and broaden it,” which he said everyone agreed was the best approach.He said the government’s plan was to reduce the peak of the epidemic, “pull it down and broaden it,” which he said everyone agreed was the best approach.
The government wanted to encourage “herd immunity” among the population, Vallance said, suggesting that it would be worse to suppress the disease completely then for it to return in the autumnThe government wanted to encourage “herd immunity” among the population, Vallance said, suggesting that it would be worse to suppress the disease completely then for it to return in the autumn
The UK cabinet minister who went into self-isolation earlier this week has tested negative.The UK cabinet minister who went into self-isolation earlier this week has tested negative.
Anne Marie Trevelyan, the secretary of state for international development, said she would nevertheless self-isolate for seven days.Anne Marie Trevelyan, the secretary of state for international development, said she would nevertheless self-isolate for seven days.
All major public events have been banned in Kenya after it confirmed the first case of coronavirus in east Africa.All major public events have been banned in Kenya after it confirmed the first case of coronavirus in east Africa.
The patient is a woman who had returned to the country from the United States via the UK.The patient is a woman who had returned to the country from the United States via the UK.
Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe told reporters on Friday morningHealth Minister Mutahi Kagwe told reporters on Friday morning
Kagwe told a news conference the government had suspended all public gatherings, sporting events, open-air religious meetings and “all events that are of a huge public nature”, Reuters reported. He also warned traders that “This is not the time to make abnormal profits by charging abnormal prices”.Kagwe told a news conference the government had suspended all public gatherings, sporting events, open-air religious meetings and “all events that are of a huge public nature”, Reuters reported. He also warned traders that “This is not the time to make abnormal profits by charging abnormal prices”.
All rugby fixtures in France have been suspended.All rugby fixtures in France have been suspended.
In the UK, a student at the University of Hertfordshire who has tested positive for coronavirus was a resident of campus student halls, the Guardian has been told.In the UK, a student at the University of Hertfordshire who has tested positive for coronavirus was a resident of campus student halls, the Guardian has been told.
A reader, the parent of another student, has written in to say that students are fearful because the university has said it will not close. Deep cleaning is taking place at the infected student’s flat, the Guardian was told.A reader, the parent of another student, has written in to say that students are fearful because the university has said it will not close. Deep cleaning is taking place at the infected student’s flat, the Guardian was told.
According to a statement on the university website:According to a statement on the university website:
Here is a video of the Australian prime minister Scott Morrison’s announcement that all non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people are to be suspended from Monday.
Nepal has announced that visa-on-arrival has been suspended for all visitors to the country and that all foreign arrivals entering the country from tomorrow must stay in self-quarantine for 14 days.
Here is the official announcement on the Nepali department for immigration website.
Turkey has announced its second coronavirus patient, the day after the government implemented a number of new measure to try to stem the spread of the virus.
The health minister, Fahrettin Koca, wrote on Twitter that the second patient, whose test results came on Thursday evening, was from the circle of people close to the first patient diagnosed on Wednesday.
It comes after the presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin announced that Turkish schools will be closed for one week and universities for three weeks from 16 March, and all sports events will be played without spectators until the end of April.
At a news conference following a meeting of ministers at the presidential palace, Kalin also said that President Tayyip Erdoğan’s foreign visits and programmes will be postponed for some time due to the spread of the virus, according to Reuters.
Kalin said primary, middle and secondary schools would initially be closed for one week and after that students will receive remote online teaching from 23 March.
Turkey was the last of the world’s major economies to report an outbreak, though all its neighbours except war-ravaged Syria had reported cases.
Spanish-language Twitter feeds have been reporting that Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, has tested positive for coronavirus, Tom Phillips reports from Rio de Janeiro.
It comes after Bolsonaro’s press secretary was found to have the disease following a trip to the US, but the reports are being denied as fake news and none of Brazil’s main media sites have confirmed them.
Bolsonaro has taken a test, however, according to local media, and the results will be ready on Friday. His son Eduardo Bolsonaro, a congressman who was also on the trip, tweeted that his father “is not exhibiting any signs of the disease”.
On Thursday, the Brazilian government confirmed media reports that Bolsonaro’s press secretary, Fabio Wajngarten, tested positive following the US trip he was also on, along with ministers, congressmen and the first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, as well as Eduardo Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro dined with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday night and videos and photos, including some on Wajngarten’s own Instagram account, showed the press secretary, Bolsonaro and Trump all in close proximity. “I’m not concerned,” Trump told reporters on Thursday.
The Intercept has reported that aside from Wajngarten, three other members of the delegation have also reported feeling flu-like symptoms and been tested, quoting an anonymous source. It did not name the three others.
Meanwhile conservative Brazilians planning pro-Bolsonaro demonstrations across Brazil that are attacking Congress on Sunday have begun sharing images of people wearing masks – but are insisting the protests, which Bolsonaro himself endorsed, will go ahead. Bolsonaro has cancelled an interview for the launch of CNN Brasil due to air the same day, the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper site reported.
Yesterday we reported that a number of UK universities, including the LSE and the Manchester Metropolitan university, had decided to move classes online to combat the spread of coronavirus. But it appears students across the country have called on their universities to do the same.
Many other universities across the world have already decided to close their doors and continue semesters remotely, or even to postpone teaching altogether.
Change.org says it is hosting more than 40 petitions relating to university measures across the UK, with most calling for teaching to move online. Kajal Odedra, the UK executive director of Change.org, said:
This is Damien Gayle in London taking control of the liveblog now, as the sun moves across the world from Asia towards Europe, the Middle East and Africa. As ever, I will be posting updates from the Guardian’s network of correspondents across the world, as well as the most-important updates from the news wires and social media.
If you have any news that you think we should be reporting on the live blog, please do get in touch. You can reach me on email at damien.gayle@theguardian.com or via my Twitter profile, @damiengayle. With the huge interest in the coronavirus story, I won’t be able to reply to all messages, but I’ll do my best to look at all of them.
That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan. I’ll be handing over to my colleague Damien Gayle who will be bringing you the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic for the next while.
For those of you just waking up, below is our latest coronavirus At a Glance summary piece, as well as the very fresh and more in-depth wrap of the key developments over the last few hours.
The latest blog summary is here.
The Australian home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, has confirmed via Twitter that he has coronavirus.
“This morning I woke up with a temperature and sore throat. I immediately contacted the Queensland Department of Health and was subsequently tested for Covid-19. I was advised by Queensland Health this afternoon that the test had returned positive,” he wrote.
Dutton has been admitted to hospital, per Queensland health’s general advice.
Earlier today, Dutton did not attend his usual Today Show interview. Host Allison Langdon said it was “a stomach bug”.
As stated in his release today, Dutton said he woke up with the symptoms this morning and got the test back this afternoon.
Universities and colleges across the US are halting teaching, moving lessons online, and even asking students to move out of campus accommodation in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Dozens of institutions – including UCLA, NYU, Yale and Princeton – are cancelling in-person lessons in favour of online teaching. Harvard and Amherst have gone as far as to ask their students to move out, disrupting the lives of thousands of students in the process.