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Coronavirus live updates: global infections outstrip China cases as US ramps up response
Coronavirus live updates: global infections outstrip China cases as US ramps up response
(32 minutes later)
New York closes schools; CDC advises against gatherings of more than 50 people, US Fed cuts interest rates to near zero; deaths jump in Europe. Follow the latest news.
New York closes schools; CDC advises against gatherings of more than 50 people, US Fed cuts interest rates to near zero; deaths jump in Europe. Follow the latest news.
You can find the full statement from United Airlines here, but these are a few of the numbers that led to the decision to reduce flight capacity by half for April and May and cut corporate officers’ salaries by 50%
In more airline news, NBC reports that United Airlineswil “cut corporate officers’ salaries by 50% and reduce flight capacity by 50% in April & May.”
The Australian live performance industry has escalated calls on the federal government for an “emergency industry support package” to help creatives, workers and organisations stay afloat amid the coronavirus crisis.
On Friday, after numerous gig, festival and stage cancellations through the week, Scott Morrison’s recommended all non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people be called off.
Here is everything we know about the US Centers for Disease Control recommendation that events of 50 people and over be postponed:
The new advice came as the nation sank deeper into chaos over the crisis. Hours earlier, Donald Trump urged Americans to refrain from panic buyingbasic supplies, as the administration announced plans to expand testing for the virus and health officials were preparing to release “advanced guidelines” on how to mitigate its spread.
During a press briefing at the White House on Sunday evening, Trump again appeared to downplay the threat of the virus.
“Relax, we’re doing great,” he said, during short, meandering comments that focused mostly on celebrating a decision by the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. “It all will pass.”
In New York, here is the full statement from Mayor Bill de Blasio regarding the closure of bars, restaurants and entertainment venues from Tuesday morning.
In the US, the Baltimore city’s health department has a pretty convincing (one only hopes) new ad campaign promoting social distancing:
More now on New York mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to shut the city’s bars, restaurants and entertainment venues:
De Blasio says he will tomorrow sign an executive order “limiting restaurants, bars and cafes to food take-out and delivery. Nightclubs, movie theatres, small theatre houses, and concert venues must all close. The order will go into effect Tuesday, March 17 at 9:00am.”
Breaking: New York will shut its bars and restaurants, Mayor Bill De Blasio’s press secretary has announced on Twitter
The midwestern US state of Ohio is announcing the closure of its bars and restaurants, WBNS 10 News reports.
“Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will be issuing an order to close all bars and restaurants Sunday night at 9 p.m. to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“During a press conference, Gov. DeWine added that establishments can stay open for carry-out and delivery but what we can’t have is people congregating and seating.”
Earlier, DeWine tweeted:
Important pun news now, regarding MGM’s decision to shut its Las Vegas operations:
Important pun news now, regarding MGM’s decision to shut its Las Vegas operations:
Peru will close its borders to curb the spread of coronavirus, President Martin Vizcarra announced on Sunday.
Vizcarra also called on citizens to self-quarantine for 15 days. Peru has 71 cases of coronavirus, the government said.
We’ve received some helpful messages from Twitter users today, thank you! Please do keep ’em coming. Have any tips, good news or stories I may have missed? Send me a message on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
Back to the US Democratic presidential debate now.
When the conversation turned to climate change, Bernie Sanders argued the “existential crisis” requires the same level of response as the coronavirus pandemic.
Sanders argued Joe Biden’s proposals do not go far enough to combat climate change. “I know your heart is in the right place, but this requires dramatic, bold action” Sanders told Biden.
Pushing back against Sanders, Biden interestingly agreed to “no new fracking,” which goes much farther than his previous statements and could come back to haunt him during the general election.
In the US, Republican senator Lindsey graham has tested negative for coronaviurs, he announed on Twitter:
More on global deaths and infections overtaking those inside China now:
The most substantial infection centre outside China is in Italy, where there are nearly 25,000 confirmed infections and more than 1,800 deaths.
Elsewhere in Europe, which the World Health Organization described as the centre of the pandemic, France has 4,500 cases and 91 deaths, Germany has 11 deaths and more than 5,700 infections, the Netherlands has 20 deaths and 2,270 infections, Switzerland has 14 deaths and 2,200 infections, and the UK has 21 deaths and 1,144.
The next worst affected country is Iran, where there are just under 14,000 confirmed cases and 724 deaths. There are fears that the country’s fragile health services and economy are struggling to cope with the outbreak, and on Friday, satellite imaging appeared to show mass graves dug in the city of Qom to bury coronavirus victims.
You can read our full story on this development below:
The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that “MGM Resorts International announced Sunday that it would temporarily suspend operations at all Las Vegas properties, effective Tuesday.”
This includes its hotels and casinos. “The Las Vegas-based company operates the Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Luxor, New York-New York, Excalibur and Park MGM. It also owns 50 percent of CityCenter, which includes Aria and Vdara,” the Journal writes.
Scandinavian airline SAS will temporarily halt most of its operations, the company announced on its website today.
Global deaths and infections from the coronavirus have surpassed those inside China for the first time since the beginning of the outbreak.
Worldwide infections have grown to more than more than 86,000, according to the Johns Hopkins university tracker, while cases inside China, stood at 80,860 as of Monday.
Deaths outside China have risen to more than 3,241, according to Johns Hopkins, while deaths inside China stand at 3,208 as of Monday (excluding four in Hong Kong and one in Taiwan).
A graph produced by Johns Hopkins university illustrated the dramatic rise of cases outside China. The angle of the curve appears to show that cases outside of China have grown even more rapidly than they did inside China at the start of the infection there.
Portugal will stop allowing tourists across its shared border with Spain for the next month in hopes of curbing the spread of the coronavirus, Portuguese prime minister António Costa has said.
Ashifa Kassam reports for the Guardian that the measures will not apply to workers who commute between both countries or goods that crossing the 1,200-kilometre shared border, he added, according to Agence France-Presse.
The measure only applies to those on leisure trips. “”There will be no tourism between Portugal and Spain in the coming months,” he told reporters.
Details of the travel restrictions, which will be enforced on those arriving both by land and flights, are expected to be ironed out by officials from both countries in the coming days. The prohibition is expected to last until at least Easter, said Costa.
“There is a good tradition of Spaniards visiting us during the Easter holidays. This year is not ideal for that visit,” Costa said.
With more than 7,750 cases and 288 deaths, Spain is Europe’’s second hardest-hit country in Europe by the coronavirus outbreak after Italy.
Portugal has so far reported just 245 confirmed cases.
Health authorities are imploring Mexicans to change lifestyles and deeply ingrained customs to slow the spread of the new coronavirus: Avoid physical greetings, keep your distance from others, avoid nonessential activities, among others. The message doesn’t seem to have sunk in with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who isn’t practicing what his own officials are preaching, AP reports.
Touring the Mexican countryside this weekend, López Obrador gave a series of campaign-style speeches to crowds of townspeople touting his administration and barely mentioning the pandemic, saying Sunday that he has great faith that we are going to advance our beloved Mexico, no misfortune will hurt us, pandemics, none of that. On Saturday he waded through a crowd of fans jostling each other to get selfies with him outside a hotel, giving out hugs and even cradling and kissing a young girl on the cheek. Hours later, back in Mexico City, Health Department Deputy Secretary Hugo López-Gatell gave his daily evening news conference, soberly updating the country on the number of confirmed coronavirus cases 41, up from 26 the previous day and 11 the day before that and warning that the situation in Mexico is expected to get more serious soon. We have already said, it is highly recommendable starting today that we avoid greeting with handshakes, kisses, hugs. ... Let us greet each other in a way that we do not need to be inside the healthy distance, López-Gatell said.
