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Coronavirus live news: Angela Merkel in quarantine; Spain set to extend state of emergency
Coronavirus live news: Angela Merkel in quarantine; Spain set to extend state of emergency
(32 minutes later)
German chancellor in self-isolation after her doctor tests positive for coronavirus; reports say 360 more people have died in Italy; first two cases in Gaza
German chancellor in self-isolation after her doctor tests positive for coronavirus; reports say 360 more people have died in Italy; first two cases in Gaza
Mozambique has also confirmed its first case to be a patient who had recently returned from the UK, according to Reuters.
Our Australian team have launched their blog today to follow all the developments there.
NHS healthcare workers received a round of applause and flowers from Tesco staff in a show of support for their work against the pandemic.
Tesco told the PA news agency that staff at stores across the country independently decided to make the gesture as part of the ‘NHS hour’ it has introduced. This will allow healthcare workers to arrive an hour earlier every Sunday to buy supplies.
Grenada has reported its first case of coronavirus, local sources report. The patient is said to have recently travelled from the UK.
Grenada has reported its first case of coronavirus, local sources report. The patient is said to have recently travelled from the UK.
A 95-year-old Czech man infected with the new coronavirus has died, the country’s first victim of the pandemic, the chief of the Czech crisis committee said.
A 95-year-old Czech man infected with the new coronavirus has died, the country’s first victim of the pandemic, the chief of the Czech crisis committee said.
Reuters reports that the patient is said to have been suffering from a series of other conditions.
Reuters reports that the patient is said to have been suffering from a series of other conditions.
The Czech Republic has reported 1,120 cases of coronavirus infection.
The Czech Republic has reported 1,120 cases of coronavirus infection.
The Costa Rican government has announced 17 more Covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 134. President Carlos Alvarado said the virus how now spread to all parts of the country and urged Costa Ricans not to drop their guard against the virus.
The Costa Rican government has announced 17 more Covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 134. President Carlos Alvarado said the virus how now spread to all parts of the country and urged Costa Ricans not to drop their guard against the virus.
There is still hope coronavirus can be contained in the Central American country amid a nationwide lockdown. Costa Rica has the second largest outbreak in the region behind Panama, where cases have surged over the weekend to 245 and three deaths.
There is still hope coronavirus can be contained in the Central American country amid a nationwide lockdown. Costa Rica has the second largest outbreak in the region behind Panama, where cases have surged over the weekend to 245 and three deaths.
Further north, Guatemala has started an eight day curfew to prevent the spread of the virus after the country recorded 17 cases on Saturday.
Further north, Guatemala has started an eight day curfew to prevent the spread of the virus after the country recorded 17 cases on Saturday.
From PA Media: A fourth patient diagnosed with Covid-19 in Ireland has died. The patient is reported to have had an underlying condition.
From PA Media: A fourth patient diagnosed with Covid-19 in Ireland has died. The patient is reported to have had an underlying condition.
Syria’s health minister Nizar Yazigi has announced the country’s first confirmed coronavirus case, AP reports.
Syria’s health minister Nizar Yazigi has announced the country’s first confirmed coronavirus case, AP reports.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has started a call to prayer on Twitter amidst the pandemic.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has started a call to prayer on Twitter amidst the pandemic.
The International Olympic Committee is considering a postponement of Tokyo 2020, with four weeks until it has to make a decision.
The International Olympic Committee is considering a postponement of Tokyo 2020, with four weeks until it has to make a decision.
The BBC reports the IOC saying that cancellation is “not on the agenda”, but a ‘scaled-down’ Games will be considered.
The BBC reports the IOC saying that cancellation is “not on the agenda”, but a ‘scaled-down’ Games will be considered.
France’s coronavirus death toll rose by 112 on Sunday to 674, senior health official Jerome Salomon said. The number of confirmed infections increased by 1,559 to 16,018, according to Reuters.
France’s coronavirus death toll rose by 112 on Sunday to 674, senior health official Jerome Salomon said. The number of confirmed infections increased by 1,559 to 16,018, according to Reuters.
The UK’s education secretary Gavin Williamson has reiterated guidance on school attendance for children of key workers.
In a statement, he said: “Tomorrow, all schools will be closed except for vulnerable children and those of critical workers. If your work is not critical in the response to Coronavirus then please keep your child at home. This will help to halt the spread of the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.
“We will be closely monitoring what is happening in schools and will ensure they get the support they need in the weeks and months ahead.”
An 18-year-old with underlying conditions has died in England, the NHS has said. They are thought to be the youngest person in the UK to die of the virus so far.
The global fashion retailer H&M has announced tonight that it is using its global supply chain to produce “personal protective equipment” such as masks, gloves and aprons for use in hospitals and by health care workers to help tackle the widespread effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,
The H&M Group said its supply chain teams around the world were collectively supporting initial efforts to support as many countries and communities as possible worldwide.
Anna Gedda, head of sustainability at the H&M Group, said:“The Coronavirus is dramatically affecting each and every one of us, and H&M Group is, like many other organisations, trying our best to help in this extraordinary situation. We see this is as a first step in our efforts to support in any way we can. We are all in this together, and have to approach this as collectively as possible.”
The High Street coffee chain Pret Manger has this evening reversed a previous decision to cut the working hours of its employees by 25%, agreeing to continue to continue to award them full pay and following the decision to close all 400 UK stores. The company’s staff were told on Thursday it was triggering contractual clauses relating to “unforeseen, exceptional circumstances” caused by the coronavirus outbreak and that the measures would remain in place for at least three months. On Saturday evening it announced the closure of all its UK stores, after closing seating areas and switching to a ‘takeaway model’ from Wednesday. A Pret spokesperson said: “We have decided to continue to pay all our UK employees 100% of their normal hours and pay, reversing our previously proposed reduction in hours. This decision follows the Government’s announcement on Friday that it will pay a percentage of wages due to the coronavirus impact.“This allows us to keep our teams safe at home and ensure they are paid 100% of their normal hours throughout March and April, despite the fact that our UK shops are not currently open.“We have made a commitment to protect jobs across Pret and our number one priority is to look after our teams throughout this pandemic. We will keep reviewing the situation as it develops and in light of the continuing cost pressures on the business.”
Opera star Plácido Domingo has tested positive for coronavirus.
In a Facebook post, the 79-year-old Spanish tenor wrote: “I feel it is my moral duty to announce to you that I have tested positive for COVID19, the Corona virus. My Family and I are all in self isolation for as long as it is deemed medically necessary. Currently we are all in good health but I experienced fever and cough symptoms therefore deciding to get tested and the result came back positive.
“I beg everyone to be extremely careful, follow the basic guidelines by washing your hands frequently, keeping at least a 6 feet distance from others, doing everything you can to stop the virus from spreading and please above all stay home if you can ! Together we can fight this virus and stop the current worldwide crisis, so we can hopefully return to our normal daily lives very soon. Please follow your local government’s guidelines and regulations for staying safe and protecting not just yourselves but our entire community.”
That’s it from me, Hannah Mays. Handing over now to my colleague Clea Skopeliti
Spain’s prime minister has called for the European Union to roll out its own “Marshall Plan,” describing a program of public investment capable of countering the deep economic blow of the crisis.
The country has emerged as one of the hardest hit in Europe, with the death toll soaring to 1,720. The country has 28,572 confirmed cases – a number that is expected to rise in the coming days as expanded testing is rolled out.
Officials have warned that the worst is yet to come. “We’re in a critical moment, the days ahead will be hard,” the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said in a televised address on Saturday. “We have to ready ourselves psychologically and emotionally.”
Around 12% – or 3,475 of the confirmed cases – are doctors, nurses and others on the frontlines of the coronavirus battle, the head of Spain’s health emergency centre, Fernando Simón said Sunday. Earlier this week, Spain lost its first healthcare worker to the virus: A 52-year-old nurse from the Basque Country.
As the government scrambles to contain the virus, a near-total lockdown has been imposed with residents ordered to stay in their homes save for essential trips. Sánchez said on Sunday that he would seek to extend the emergency measures until 11 April.
He also announced additional measures, including a 30-day restriction on travellers arriving from non-EU countries, save for those on essential travel. As well, regional governments will be given the power to take control of private care homes amid concerns that the unchecked spread of the virus in care facilities could be linked to the deaths of at least 100 people.
While the country struggles to contain the virus, many worry about the economic impact it will have on a country where the unemployment rate already ranks among the highest in the industrialised world.
Praising the EU’s response to the crisis so far, Sánchez called for an EU-wide plan aimed at reinvigorating the economies of member states. “We need to articulate a grand Marshall Plan of reconstruction,” he said.
“Europe is at war against the coronavirus. And we have to respond with all of our weapons, with all our tools.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in quarantine after a doctor who gave her a vaccine tests positive for coronavirus.
Merkel’s spokesman said the German chancellor, who is 65, was informed about the doctor’s test shortly after holding a news conference Sunday announcing new measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Merkel had received a precautionary vaccine Friday against pneumococcal infection.
Seibert said in a statement that Merkel would undergo “regular tests” in the coming days and continue with her work from home for the time being.
Merkel had earlier expressed her gratitude to Germans who were following the rules on social distancing, saying it was important to remain at least 1.5 meters (about five feet) apart to reduce the likelihood of infection.
Greece’s prime minister has announced that as of 6 AM tomorrow a curfew will come into effect nationwide. In a televised address - his third in less than a week - Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the measure will prohibit “the circulation and movement of citizens” deemed to be “purposeless” - the strictest restriction, yet, in the fight to contain the novel coronavirus spreading further.
“It is perhaps the last step that an organised democratic state [can take],” he said. “ A step which must be taken in time, so that it is not taken in vain, because time isn’t counted, any more, in days but in hours,” he told the nation adding that in Italy, every two minutes, a life was now being lost to Covid-19.
Exceptions to the rule would be made for citizens going to and from work; for the provision of food and medicine; for visits to a doctor and for those who needed care; for those exercising individually, or with one other person, and for people walking dogs. Those travelling to their permanent place of residence would also be exempt from the measure.
But once enforced anyone out on the streets would have to have their passports or identity cards with them at all times, the centre right leader said insisting that the full force of the law would be imposed on those who violated the restriction. Fines of 150 euro will be given in the case of infractions.
Although Greece has managed to contain the spread of Covid-19 infections, numbers are going up and privately officials say they expect a big leap in the coming days. On Sunday, health authorities announced that in the past 24 hours there had been 94 new cases of people testing positive for the virus with a total of 624 confirmed coronavirus cases countrywide. To date, 15 people have died from the disease (with the exception of three, all men). Altogether 124 have been hospitalised with 34 requiring intensive care - double the figure over that released yesterday. Most of those who have contracted the virus are in Athens. The average age of those hospitalised is 64. Greece was among the first EU member states to announce draconian measures to stem the virus, starting with the closure of schools on March 10, followed by the shutting of nightclubs, gyms, cinemas and theatres two days later and cafes, restaurants, bars and shopping malls on March 13. All retail shops were ordered closed on March 18. In his address, Mitsotakis thanked the vast majority of Greeks for upholding the restrictions, chastising the “frivolous few [who] undermine the safety of most.”
Greeks could be seen in droves converging on beaches on Saturday to enjoy the warm weather. A mass exodus of residents from Athens and other urban centres to villages in the countryside has also alarmed authorities who fear transmission rates spreading to remote areas nationwide.
Our UK focussed coronavirus blog is reporting on Boris Johnson’s daily press conference which is currently happening. You can follow here.
