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Coronavirus news: 53 more people die in UK, taking toll to 233 Coronavirus news: 53 more people die in UK, taking toll to 233
(32 minutes later)
Italy deaths pass 4,000; More US states, including New York, tell people to stay home; Dow Jones falls 900 points. Follow the latestItaly deaths pass 4,000; More US states, including New York, tell people to stay home; Dow Jones falls 900 points. Follow the latest
New York’s airspace has been partially closed after a trainee at an air traffic control tower tested positive for coronavirus.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a ground stop for New York airports as it adjusts its staffing to reopen the airspace.
The coronavirus death toll in France has jumped by 112 in 24 hours to 562, the health ministry has confirmed.
The country now has 14,459 confirmed cases, while 525 people are in intensive care – half of whom are under 60 years old.
The true number of people who are thought to have contracted Covid-19 is estimated at 30,000–90,000.
My colleague Lorenzo Tondo has the latest from Italy:
Italy’s government is evaluating whether to close all “non-essential’’ offices and plants, after the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak rose by 793 to 4,825 on Saturday.
Rumours of closures of all non-essential commercial activities have circulated in the last few days, following complaints by workers who are still forced to leave their houses. Several regional governors have already ordered the closure of supermarkets at the weekend.
Mayors and governors throughout the country have been demanding even stricter measures in recent days. Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, is widely expected to respond soon.
Authorities in northern Italy ordered the deployment of hundreds of soldiers to oversee containment measures in the coronavirus crisis. The move came after a request from Lombardy’s governor, Attilio Fontana, for the army to help police enforce the lockdown.
While millions of Italians have been staying at home since 9 March, a minority of the population have violated rules requiring citizens to venture out only if strictly necessary, such as for work, health-related reasons or grocery shopping.
Italian police have so far pressed charges against more than 60,000 people for violating the lockdown, according to figures from the interior ministry.
Prince Harry has announced this year’s Invictus games will be postponed until 2021.
In a recorded statement posted online, he urged viewers to “look out for each other”.
In the UK, supermarket giant Asda is the latest retailer to announce measures to help the most vulnerable, saying it will donate £5m to FareShare and the Trussell Trust to bolster provision at food banks.
The chain said the package would help provide over 4m meals to families in poverty impacted by coronavirus, as well as giving more than 3,000 charities and community groups access to free food over the next three months.
Asda will also be giving priority to NHS workers in larger stores every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am to 9am.
Like Tesco, and following government advice on hygiene, Asda is asking that wherever possible customers use card and contactless in order to reduce the volume of cash handled by staff.
Writer and comedian Sandi Toksvig has launched a new initiative to help prevent loneliness as people across the UK maintain social distancing in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Man charged with making fake coronavirus treatment kitsMan charged with making fake coronavirus treatment kits
A man had appeared in court charged with making counterfeit coronavirus treatment kits and sending them across the world, City of London Police said. A man has appeared in court charged with making counterfeit coronavirus treatment kits and sending them across the world, City of London police have said.
Officers from the force’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) arrested Frank Ludlow, 59, of West Sussex, in a post office near to his home address on Friday and he appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Saturday charged with one count each of fraud by false representation, possession of articles for use in fraud and unlawfully manufacturing a medicinal product. He was remanded in custody until April 20. Officers from the force’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) arrested Frank Ludlow, 59, of West Sussex, in a post office near his home address on Friday and he appeared at Brighton magistrates court on Saturday charged with one count each of fraud by false representation, possession of articles for use in fraud, and unlawfully manufacturing a medicinal product. He was remanded in custody until April 20.
Police said his arrest followed a joint investigation with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the US Food and Drug Administration which was triggered when US customs officers intercepted a package on March 18 containing 60 fake kits labelled as “Anti-Pathogenic treatment” and sent from the UK. Police said his arrest followed a joint investigation with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the US Food and Drug Administration which was triggered when US customs officers intercepted a package on March 18 containing 60 fake kits labelled as “anti-pathogenic treatment” that had been sent from the UK.
US vice-president Mike Pence has said he will be tested for coronavirus after his aide tested positive for Covid-19.US vice-president Mike Pence has said he will be tested for coronavirus after his aide tested positive for Covid-19.
Pret a Manger closes UK storesPret a Manger closes UK stores
High street coffee chain Pret a Manger has just announced that it will be closing all its 550 UK stores from this evening.High street coffee chain Pret a Manger has just announced that it will be closing all its 550 UK stores from this evening.
On Wednesday, it switched to a takeaway model and closed seating areas, later telling staff it was cutting working hours and pay by a quarter as customers followed government advice to stay at home to dampen the spread of coronavirus.On Wednesday, it switched to a takeaway model and closed seating areas, later telling staff it was cutting working hours and pay by a quarter as customers followed government advice to stay at home to dampen the spread of coronavirus.
In a message to customers today, Pret’s chief executive, Pano Christou, said:In a message to customers today, Pret’s chief executive, Pano Christou, said:
On the UK’s coronavirus death toll, NHS England said in a statement:On the UK’s coronavirus death toll, NHS England said in a statement:
The coronavirus death toll in the UK has reached 233 after NHS England said a further 53 people had died in England after testing positive.The coronavirus death toll in the UK has reached 233 after NHS England said a further 53 people had died in England after testing positive.
The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Italy rose by 793 to 4,825 on Saturday, officials said.
It is the largest daily rise in absolute terms since the contagion emerged a month ago.
On Thursday, Italy overtook China as the country to register most deaths from the virus.
The total number of cases in Italy rose to 53,578 from a previous 47,021, an increase of 13.9%, the Civil Protection Agency said.
The hardest-hit northern region of Lombardy remains in a critical situation, with 3,095 deaths and 25,515 cases.
Of those originally infected nationwide, 6,072 had fully recovered on Saturday compared to 5,129 the day before.
There were 2,857 people in intensive care against a previous 2,655.
President Trump introduces vice-president Mike Pence who has been leading the US’ coronavirus taskforce.
“He has not slept much. Maybe a tiny bit ... maybe a little. But not much,” Trump said.
White House press briefing begins
Donald Trump has begun providing an update on the coronavirus at a White House press conference.
A Guardian correspondent is at the briefing. Follow the latest developments on our US coronavirus blog:
Leaders of Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial, urged worshippers on Saturday to maintain social distancing to help fight the coronavirus.
Church leaders at the ancient holy site in Jerusalem’s walled Old City called on visitors to “avoid any act of devotion that might include physical contact such as touching and kissing the stones, touching icons, vestments and the personne”.
In a statement, the church said worshippers should not enter in groups of more than 10 and maintain a distance of at least 2 metres between each other.
“The Holy Sepulchre is the ultimate place of hope. Hope that faith will defeat doubt, light will defeat darkness and life will triumph over death,” it added.
With the usually busy Easter holiday approaching, the coronavirus crisis has led to a sharp decline in the number of visitors to the Holy Land. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a particular favourite among pilgrims and tourists.
Other sacred sites have ordered similar precautions, including the Church of the Annunciation, in Nazareth, and in Bethlehem, revered as Jesus’s birthplace, the Church of the Nativity has shut down entirely.
Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, has limited Friday prayers to the open outdoor areas of the mosque compound – one of the most sensitive spots in the Middle East – which Muslims refer to as the Noble Sanctuary and Jews call the Temple Mount.
At the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism where Jews are allowed to pray, religious authorities have instructed the faithful to refrain from holding mass prayers and from kissing the stones of the ancient wall which abuts the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary complex.
Israel has reported 883 confirmed cases of coronavirus to date and one death.
The Palestinians have confirmed 52 cases in the occupied West Bank and none in the Gaza Strip.
Alejandro Giammattei, the president of Guatemala, has ordered an eight-day curfew from Sunday to stem the spread of coronavirus in the Central American country.
My colleague Helena Smith has this update on the coronavirus response in Albania:
Albania has resorted to deploying the army to enforce a curfew that began at 1pm local time on Saturday – the country’s latest bid to stem the spread of coronavirus.
The measure, set to last 40 hours, was implemented after citizens continued to openly flout orders to stay at home. To date 76 people in the former Stalinist state have contracted the virus. Two deaths have also been recorded.
With some 120,000 people having returned from Italy – like Greece, host to a large Albanian community – prior to the country cutting air and sea links with its neighbour on 9 March, there are mounting fears over the ability of the nation’s health system to cope in the event of a sudden surge in confirmed coronavirus cases.
The prime minister, Edi Rama said authorities wouldn’t hesitate to use force if the curfew was violated. “Everyone will stay inside after 13:00,” he said. “Police and armed forces will use force against whoever breaks the law, including pensioners, and will use water canons and teargas if need be.”
Prior to the lockdown, Albanians had failed to uphold the appeals of authorities to social distance with news agencies in Tirana, the capital, describing joggers going out in groups to exercise, the elderly playing dominoes in the street and people converging on supermarkets with scant attention to those next to them.
First coronavirus death in Bosnia
A woman has became the first to die of the coronavirus in Bosnia, the manager of a hospital in the north-western town of Bihać said on Saturday.
“The first victim is an elderly woman who died in the hospital even before her test for coronavirus showed positive. She had a history of chronic diseases,” Hajrudin Havic said.
Bosnia has declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak.
It has so far reported 90 infections.
Algeria said on Saturday that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had risen to 139 from 95.
The country has stopped international and domestic travel, closed mosques, cafes and restaurants and told half of state employees to stay at home to try to limit the spread of the virus.
Turkey imposed a partial curfew on Saturday for citizens over the age of 65 and those with chronic diseases, effective as of midnight, as part of measures against the coronavirus outbreak.
Details of the curfew would be announced later, the interior ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on Saturday, Turkey suspended flights with 46 more countries and banned picnics and barbecues, after the number of cases roughly doubled every day for a week.
A further two people have died in Wales after contracting coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths there to five, health officials have said.
In a statement, Dr Frank Atherton, the chief medical officer for Wales, said: