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Coronavirus latest updates: Trump tests negative as Spain orders nationwide lockdown Coronavirus latest updates: Trump tests negative as Spain orders nationwide lockdown
(30 minutes later)
Spanish PM’s wife tests positive; France and Israel announce partial closure of country; scientists condemn UK ‘herd immunity’ strategy. Follow live newsSpanish PM’s wife tests positive; France and Israel announce partial closure of country; scientists condemn UK ‘herd immunity’ strategy. Follow live news
In Australia, the Victorian premier Daniel Andrews says the country will need to look at tougher travel rules, similar to those that have been enacted in New Zealand, to slow the spread of Covid-19.
And he says restrictions should be in place for travellers from the United States.
“It’s a little difficult to explain why say China, who have very few new cases, there are travel bans there, but the United States, people are free to travel when we’re seeing many, many new cases and indeed the majority of Victoria’s new cases are connected to those who have travelled from the United States,” Andrews said at a media conference on Sunday.
He said he would be arguing for tougher measures during today’s meeting of the new national cabinet set up to deal with Covid-19.
“I think that arrangements similar to New Zealand will absolutely be on the agenda to be discussed today”.
New Zealand now requires all travellers entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days to try to stop the spread of the virus.Andrews said he would also move “swiftly” to close Victorian schools if and when he has such advice from health authorities.“It’s much more likely when, rather than if,” he said.
In Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson news, it appears that so far the couple have not passed on their coronavirus infections – which they announced earlier this week – to any members of the cast and crew of the Elvis Presley biopic they are in Australia to film.
A representative for the production said no cast or crew had come down with the virus although production had ceased for two weeks.
“We are aware of only the one case of the coronavirus amongst our cast and crew, and additionally the cast member’s wife,” the statement said.
“Working closely with the Queensland Health Department we have delayed our start date by approximately two weeks to allow for the cast member’s full recovery.”
Hanks tweeted on Friday that the pair were “taking it one day at a time” while in isolation in a Gold Coast, Queensland hospital.
New Zealand has confirmed two new cases of coronavirus, one of which is an Australian man. We’ll have more on this soon.
In Australia, the Sydney climate strike scheduled for 15 May has been cancelled, School Strike 4 Climate has announced on Facebook.
The post adds:
“The good news is that we are still intending to hold powerful online activities for May 15 and will be in touch about this once the plan has been confirmed. The fight for climate justice continues!”
A 78-year-old Canadian who was on a cruise ship isolated in Brazil’s northeastern port of Recife tested positive for coronavirus, Brazilian TV network Globo reported on Saturday, citing a press conference.
The ship with 609 people on board has been isolated in Recife since Thursday morning after this passenger showed symptoms similar to those of the new coronavirus. An Irish woman who was also in the cruise ship is also being tested. The remaining passengers and crew members are still being kept in isolation in their cabins. The vessel, with the Bahamas flag, came from the Brazilian port city of Salvador. The Pernambuco state health secretariat did not immediately confirm the report. Brazil’s health ministry confirmed on Saturday 121 coronavirus cases in the country, 23 more than on Friday. In an attempt to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the two most hit by the virus, ordered schools to shut down.
South Korea reported 76 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the country’s total to 8,162 with 75 deaths, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The latest numbers are in line with a downward trend in new cases, down from the 107 recorded on Saturday.South Korea reported 76 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the country’s total to 8,162 with 75 deaths, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The latest numbers are in line with a downward trend in new cases, down from the 107 recorded on Saturday.
Mexico has registered a rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 41 – from 26 a day earlier, the Mexican health ministry said on Saturday. The country has not confirmed any deaths from the fast-spreading virus.Mexico has registered a rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 41 – from 26 a day earlier, the Mexican health ministry said on Saturday. The country has not confirmed any deaths from the fast-spreading virus.
The country’s 33 million students will head into earlier and longer Easter vacations at the end of next week after Education Minister Esteban Moctezuma on Saturday announced measures to help avoid the spread of the coronavirus.The country’s 33 million students will head into earlier and longer Easter vacations at the end of next week after Education Minister Esteban Moctezuma on Saturday announced measures to help avoid the spread of the coronavirus.
Earlier this week, governments of El Salvador, Panama and Peru all ordered short-term suspension of classes. Governments around the world, but mostly in Europe and Asia where there have been more cases, have announced similar measures.Earlier this week, governments of El Salvador, Panama and Peru all ordered short-term suspension of classes. Governments around the world, but mostly in Europe and Asia where there have been more cases, have announced similar measures.
There’s a fairly heartbreaking video out of Italy, showing the striking increase in obituaries in daily Italian newspaper L’Eco di Bergamo. Bergamo is a city northeast of Milan.There’s a fairly heartbreaking video out of Italy, showing the striking increase in obituaries in daily Italian newspaper L’Eco di Bergamo. Bergamo is a city northeast of Milan.
The video compares the obituary pages on 9 February 2020 and 13 March 2020:The video compares the obituary pages on 9 February 2020 and 13 March 2020:
One of the world’s most respected economists, Mohamed El-Erian, has doubled down on his warnings about the scale of the economic shock resulting from the coronavirus crisis.The chief economic adviser to the insurance company Allianz has written for Bloomberg about what he calls the “huge paradigm shift for economies, institutions, and social norms and practices” now affecting the whole world.One of the world’s most respected economists, Mohamed El-Erian, has doubled down on his warnings about the scale of the economic shock resulting from the coronavirus crisis.The chief economic adviser to the insurance company Allianz has written for Bloomberg about what he calls the “huge paradigm shift for economies, institutions, and social norms and practices” now affecting the whole world.
El-Erian, who voiced his concerns to the Guardian three days ago, goes on to say that the impact will be greater than anything experienced by most people in advanced countries – presumably meaning all those under the age of 75 who can’t remember the second world war or the 1930s depression.Here is an excerpt from his piece:El-Erian, who voiced his concerns to the Guardian three days ago, goes on to say that the impact will be greater than anything experienced by most people in advanced countries – presumably meaning all those under the age of 75 who can’t remember the second world war or the 1930s depression.Here is an excerpt from his piece:
Australia’s new national cabinet is set to meet Sunday. The country’s cases of coronavirus now stand at over 250 and the government is facing questions about the possible closure of schools and tighter border controls, Reuters reports. The government has already advised against non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people from Monday, though this does not include schools, airports or public transport.Australia’s new national cabinet is set to meet Sunday. The country’s cases of coronavirus now stand at over 250 and the government is facing questions about the possible closure of schools and tighter border controls, Reuters reports. The government has already advised against non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people from Monday, though this does not include schools, airports or public transport.
The national cabinet which includes federal, state and territory leaders, dubbed a “war cabinet” by the media, will hold its first meeting via teleconference on Sunday to discuss the response to the spread of the virus. The meeting is expected to canvas whether schools should be closed and whether border controls should be further tightened to contain Covid-19. “We are rightly, keeping all options on the table, whether it’s in relation to travel or whether it’s in relation to schools. The schools question will be very much guided by the medical advice,” Health Minister Greg Hunt told ABC television.The national cabinet which includes federal, state and territory leaders, dubbed a “war cabinet” by the media, will hold its first meeting via teleconference on Sunday to discuss the response to the spread of the virus. The meeting is expected to canvas whether schools should be closed and whether border controls should be further tightened to contain Covid-19. “We are rightly, keeping all options on the table, whether it’s in relation to travel or whether it’s in relation to schools. The schools question will be very much guided by the medical advice,” Health Minister Greg Hunt told ABC television.
“One of the things that they have talked about, is not moving too early on something like that.” Visitors who have been in high-risk nations are already banned from entering Australia, while New Zealand on Saturday said it would require incoming travellers, including its own citizens, to self-isolate for two weeks.“One of the things that they have talked about, is not moving too early on something like that.” Visitors who have been in high-risk nations are already banned from entering Australia, while New Zealand on Saturday said it would require incoming travellers, including its own citizens, to self-isolate for two weeks.
In Australia, Nine news is reporting that a group of Australian surfers are stuck on their boat in an Indonesian port after they were prevented from disembarking due to measures in place to limit the spread of coronavirus.The men told Nine they were down to their last supplies of food and water and they had contacted the Australian government seeking assistance.Guardian Australia has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment and to confirm if they are assisting.In Australia, Nine news is reporting that a group of Australian surfers are stuck on their boat in an Indonesian port after they were prevented from disembarking due to measures in place to limit the spread of coronavirus.The men told Nine they were down to their last supplies of food and water and they had contacted the Australian government seeking assistance.Guardian Australia has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment and to confirm if they are assisting.
Morale boosting efforts deployed from balconies are catching on in Portugal, it seems. A Twitter user has alerted us to this video of people applauding for healthcare workers.
Videos of people singing and playing instruments from their balconies in Italy have flooded social media in recent days as that country endures nationwide lockdown.
You can find more here with the hashtag #somostodossns
US clothing brand Everlane has joined Apple, Urban Outfitters and Verizon in closing stores over coronavirus concerns.
“Effective tomorrow, we are closing out retail stores until March 28 and offering compensation to our retail team members during this time,” Everlane said in an email to customers.
Apple Inc said it is closing all its retail stores, except those in Greater China, for the next two weeks to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission, a move that was followed by several U.S. retailers on Saturday.
Apple’s hourly workers will continue to receive pay in alignment with business as usual operation, Cook said, and online sales will continue as usual, said CEO Tim Cook.
Apparel retailer Urban Outfitters Inc., which owns brands including Anthropologie and Free People, said on Saturday it was closing all of its consumer stores worldwide until at least March 28. The company also said it would continue to pay its store employees while stores are closed.
Verizon Communications Inc. said it was temporarily closing “a number of its stores” across the United States in order to expand its work from home policy to include some of its retail employees. Retailers are bracing for a blow to sales as virus-wary shoppers in Europe and the United States stay home. US retailers including Macy’s Inc, Saks Fifth Avenue and Gap Inc.’s Banana Republic sent notices to shoppers on Thursday saying they were open for business in a move to stem losses due to a steep decline in traffic.
An update on the new cases in mainland China now, where for the second day new cases that came to China from overseas surpassed the number of locally transmitted new infections.
Mainland China had 20 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on March 14, up from 11 cases a day earlier. Of Saturday’s cases, 16 involved travellers entering China from overseas, it said. The remaining four cases were recorded in the city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak is believed to have first begun. Saturday also marked the tenth consecutive day where Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, recorded zero new infections outside Wuhan.
Of the 16 imported cases, 5 were found in the capital Beijing and three in Shanghai. The provinces of Zhejiang, Gansu and Guangdong respectively reported four, three and one cases. The Shanghai case involved a Chinese native who lived in the Italian city of Milan, and travelled back to China via Frankfurt on March 12, the government said. The Gansu government said one of its cases was found on a charter flight from Iran while the other two were travellers from Saudi Arabia.
In the US, Georgia’s presidential primaries, which were set to take place on 24 March, have been postponed until May because of fears over the new coronavirus, state election officials announced Saturday, a day after Louisiana also pushed back its primaries, becoming the first state to postpone its presidential primaries due to the virus.
In addition to public safety, one of the biggest considerations was the risk the virus posed to poll workers, who are often older, election officials said.
Georgia is reporting 66 confirmed cases, with most concentrated around metro Atlanta. One death in the state has been attributed to the virus.
Staying in Australia for the moment, AAP reports that there is “slight optimism that Australian shares will have a positive start on Monday after the Futures market ended with a small gain over the weekend.”
CommSec chief economist Craig James said the “amazing” turnaround in the US markets on Friday when the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1985 points, or 9.4% and the Futures also finished higher augured well for Monday’s opening.
He said US President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency late last week over the fast-spreading coronavirus had a positive impact on the share market.
However, investors would react more positively if the number of people contracting coronavirus stabilised or even better, started to decline, Mr James.
“What investors want to see is a stabilisation of the Covid19 active cases globally, but if we saw a stabilisation in Australia that would certainly be encouraging for our local market.”
In Australia, eight more Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Victoria, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 57.The new cases include six men and two women with ages ranging from theirteens to 60s. The Victorian health department wrote in a press release:
More on Trump’s negative result now. The White House released the test results Saturday night after Trump – a self-described germaphobe – told reporters hours earlier that he had taken the coronavirus test, following days of resisting being screened despite the fact that he had been in recent contact with three people who have tested positive for the virus, including members of the Brazilian president’s delegation who visited with him at his Florida resort, AP reports. Trump told reporters at a White House briefing on Saturday that he had his temperature taken and it was “totally normal,” shortly before stepping into the room to discuss the government’s efforts to halt the spread of the virus. The pandemic has now infected more than 2,200 people in the U.S. and caused at least 50 deaths.
The president had multiple direct and indirect contacts with people who have since tested positive for the virus, including three people he spent time with last weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. The president, according to two people close to the White House, had been reluctant to take the test for fear it would project weakness or worry. Trump has wanted to appear in full control during the crisis, and had expressed concerns that taking personal steps could undermine that appearance.
He hasn’t yet tweeted about the result.
Just in case you missed this, Donald Trump has tested negative for coronavirus.
A White House physician has issued a statement confirming that Donald Trump does not have Covid-19.
It comes after the US president confirmed he had been tested for the virus at a press briefing earlier on Saturday.
If you happen to spot interesting or cheering coronavirus news – or anything I’ve missed – please do drop me a line on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
Hello and welcome to today’s coronavirus liveblog. US President Donald Trump has tested negative, the Spanish PM’s wife has tested positive, and more countries are announcing states of emergency, lockdowns and partial shutdowns.
Donald Trump has tested negative. Trump’s physician, Sean Conley, confirmed the US president does not have Covid-19. Earlier on Saturday, vice-president Mike Pence announced that the country’s European travel ban would be extended to the UK and Ireland from midnight on Monday (eastern standard time).
The Global number of confirmed cases stands at 156,098, with 5,819 deaths. As of today 72,621 people have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The institution runs a live tracker of coronavirus cases, based on official figures, meaning that the true figures may be somewhat higher.
A group of more than 240 UK scientists have denounced the British government’s plan to achieve “herd immunity” by delaying measures to prevent the virus spreading. The group said that enforcing social distancing now could save “thousands of lives”.
The Spanish government has formally declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus, placing the country in lockdown and ordering people to stay at home for the next two weeks unless they have to buy food or medicine or go to work or hospital.
The Spanish PM’s wife has tested positive for coronavirus. The Spanish government announced that the prime minister’s wife, Begoña Gómez, has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Israel proposes uses anti-terrorism tracking tech. Israel has – like France and Spain – announced a partial closure of the country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added that he hopes to deploy anti-terrorism tracking technology to locate people who have been in contact with those carrying the virus.
Colombia closes border with Venezuela and Ecuador bans foreigners. Colombia overnight closed its border with Venezuela in order to stem the spread of Covid-19 in the South American nation.
Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Accord has declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus and will close all air and sea ports from Monday, prime minister Fayez al-Serraj said on Saturday.
Rwanda, Seychelles and Central African Republic confirmed their first coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of African countries that have reported positive tests for the virus to 23.
NHS and private hospitals join forces to fight coronavirus. The NHS will form an unprecedented partnership with the private health sector this week in an emergency plan to combat the Covid-19 crisis, amid fears the UK’s publicly-funded hospitals will be unable to cope with the number of coronavirus patients.