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Coronavirus live news: India locks down population of 1.3bn as Hubei eases restrictions Coronavirus live news: India locks down population of 1.3bn as Hubei eases restrictions
(32 minutes later)
UN urges G20 to adopt ‘wartime plan’; WHO warns US risks could become the centre of the pandemic; EU urged to evacuate refugees from Greek camps. Follow the latest updates.UN urges G20 to adopt ‘wartime plan’; WHO warns US risks could become the centre of the pandemic; EU urged to evacuate refugees from Greek camps. Follow the latest updates.
It’s not working: Scott Morrison’s late night coronavirus messages only sow confusion
This pandemic has plunged us all into whitewater, but there are some certainties.
The first rock solid certainty is 10pm media conferences unveiling fundamental changes to Australians’ livelihoods and freedom of movement really don’t work. At the risk of being blunt, they need to stop, and stop now, because the chaos risks being counterproductive.
Tuesday night’s cascading instructions from Scott Morrison’s podium were stay home everyone, but if you have a job, you are an essential worker, so make sure you keep working. Go to school, but don’t go to the foodcourt. Five at a wedding, 10 at a funeral, 10 at a bootcamp, but no yoga. No waxing, but a hairdresser for 30 minutes is still OK.
A thread of logic ran through the various delineations – or some of them anyway – but holding onto that thread was really challenging.
The dull thud that could be heard in the distance as Morrison spoke at a fiendish clip was the sound of a million Australian heads exploding in their lounge rooms.
An Australian man has been charged over a “prank” in which he coughed on a police officer on purpose while pretending he was infected with the new coronavirus as a friend filmed the incident, authorities said.
The man, aged 21, went into a police station at Coffs Harbour, a coastal city about 525 km (326 miles) north of Sydney, on Tuesday and approached a 71-year-old female officer.
“(He) deliberately coughed on the woman and claimed he had Covid-19, while a friend filmed,” police said, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus. The police station was closed and isolation protocols put in place while authorities checked his status. It turned out he did not have the virus that has infected more than 2,000 Australians and brought most of the country to a standstill. Authorities did not identify the man or give any detail about his motive other than to call the incident a prank.
Australian doctors warned off after prescribing potentially deadly Covid-19 trial drug to themselves
Australia’s drugs regulator has been forced to restrict powers to prescribe a drug undergoing clinical trials to treat Covid-19, because doctors have been inappropriately prescribing it to themselves and their family members despite its potentially deadly side-effects.
The anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine and the similar compound chloroquine are currently used mostly for patients with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, but stocks in Australia have been diminished thanks to global publicity – including from Donald Trump – about the potential of the drug to treat Covid-19.
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have potentially severe and even deadly side effects if used inappropriately, including heart failure and toxicity. Some Australian media outlets have wrongly reported the drug as a “cure” for the virus even though trials have been either inconclusive or too small to be useful, have only been conducted in test tubes, are not yet complete, or have not even received ethics approval.
Thailand has recorded 107 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 934, a health official said on Wednesday.
The new cases consist of 27 patients linked to previous cases, 13 new cases including imported ones, and 67 people who tested positive and are awaiting investigation into how they contracted the disease, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a Public Health Ministry spokesman said. Thailand has recorded four death since the outbreak while 70 patients have recovered and gone home. 860 patients are still being treated in hospitals.
If you have any tips, news you think we need to know, or something funny to share, get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan.If you have any tips, news you think we need to know, or something funny to share, get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
On Wednesday morning, India’s population of 1.3bn people awoke to the first day of lockdown. The confinement of the world’s second most populous nation to their homes for the next 21days, to combat the spread of coronavirus, is not only the largest attempted lockdown so far, but for a country where community and communal spaces form the basis of society, will also challenge the entire Indian way of life.On Wednesday morning, India’s population of 1.3bn people awoke to the first day of lockdown. The confinement of the world’s second most populous nation to their homes for the next 21days, to combat the spread of coronavirus, is not only the largest attempted lockdown so far, but for a country where community and communal spaces form the basis of society, will also challenge the entire Indian way of life.
The national capital Delhi was almost unrecognisable. The wide highways that criss-cross the vast city which are usually at a standstill with rush hour traffic stood eerily empty. The dense maze of back alleys and narrow streets, usually thronging with bicycles, rickshaws, chai wallahs, fruit and vegetable markets and densely packed crowds doing their morning shopping, there were only a few people bearing bags of food. In the usually hectic hub of old Delhi, cows and police were the only ones roaming the streets. Temples, gurdwaras and mosques, usually overflowing with life, stood silent.The national capital Delhi was almost unrecognisable. The wide highways that criss-cross the vast city which are usually at a standstill with rush hour traffic stood eerily empty. The dense maze of back alleys and narrow streets, usually thronging with bicycles, rickshaws, chai wallahs, fruit and vegetable markets and densely packed crowds doing their morning shopping, there were only a few people bearing bags of food. In the usually hectic hub of old Delhi, cows and police were the only ones roaming the streets. Temples, gurdwaras and mosques, usually overflowing with life, stood silent.
The lockdown will have a particularly calamitous impact on the 300m Indians who live below the poverty line, and exist hand to mouth. The reality of a lockdown for the tens of millions who live on the streets; for the swathes of large families who live crammed into a single room often with no ventilation or running water; and for the rickshaw drivers who live in their rickshaws and rely entirely on their daily income is likely to be devastating.The lockdown will have a particularly calamitous impact on the 300m Indians who live below the poverty line, and exist hand to mouth. The reality of a lockdown for the tens of millions who live on the streets; for the swathes of large families who live crammed into a single room often with no ventilation or running water; and for the rickshaw drivers who live in their rickshaws and rely entirely on their daily income is likely to be devastating.
Trump seeks to reopen ‘large sections’ of US by Easter, clashing with expertsTrump seeks to reopen ‘large sections’ of US by Easter, clashing with experts
Donald Trump is aiming to reopen “large sections of the country” by Easter, he told reporters on Tuesday, as officials advised anyone who has recently left New York to self-quarantine for two weeks.Donald Trump is aiming to reopen “large sections of the country” by Easter, he told reporters on Tuesday, as officials advised anyone who has recently left New York to self-quarantine for two weeks.
The US president has put himself on collision course with his own health experts by floating a deadline for firing up the economy, claiming without evidence that the current shutdown would cause more deaths than the coronavirus itself.The US president has put himself on collision course with his own health experts by floating a deadline for firing up the economy, claiming without evidence that the current shutdown would cause more deaths than the coronavirus itself.
“I hope we can do this by Easter,” Trump told reporters at an unusually brisk White House briefing. “I think that would be a great thing for our country.”“I hope we can do this by Easter,” Trump told reporters at an unusually brisk White House briefing. “I think that would be a great thing for our country.”
Asked if that timeline – 12 April – was realistic , he replied: “We’re going to look at it. We’ll only do it if it’s good and maybe we do sections of the country, we do large sections of the country.”Asked if that timeline – 12 April – was realistic , he replied: “We’re going to look at it. We’ll only do it if it’s good and maybe we do sections of the country, we do large sections of the country.”
The president, known for his love of media spectacle, said he picked Easter because “I just thought it was a beautiful time, a beautiful timeline, it’s a great day”, adding: “It was based on a certain level of weeks from the time we started. And it happened – actually, we were thinking sooner. I’d love to see it come even sooner.”The president, known for his love of media spectacle, said he picked Easter because “I just thought it was a beautiful time, a beautiful timeline, it’s a great day”, adding: “It was based on a certain level of weeks from the time we started. And it happened – actually, we were thinking sooner. I’d love to see it come even sooner.”
Walmart Inc’s Flipkart has suspended services, a notice on the Indian e-commerce firm’s website said on Wednesday, as India began a 21-day lockdown to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.Walmart Inc’s Flipkart has suspended services, a notice on the Indian e-commerce firm’s website said on Wednesday, as India began a 21-day lockdown to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered the lockdown from Tuesday midnight, but a federal government advisory suggested exempting e-commerce deliveries of essentials such as food and medical equipment in addition to grocery stores and banks. Flipkart, whose services include grocery deliveries, did not say how long the suspension would last. “Our promise is that we will be back to serve you, as soon as possible,” the notice said. Amazon India’s pantry service that delivers groceries was also not available in several cities. It has not said, however that it is suspending pantry services, only that it will halt orders for non-essential products to prioritise customers’ critical needs. Modi’s announcement led to long queues at grocery stores in cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai as customers began panic buying before the ban came into effect.Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered the lockdown from Tuesday midnight, but a federal government advisory suggested exempting e-commerce deliveries of essentials such as food and medical equipment in addition to grocery stores and banks. Flipkart, whose services include grocery deliveries, did not say how long the suspension would last. “Our promise is that we will be back to serve you, as soon as possible,” the notice said. Amazon India’s pantry service that delivers groceries was also not available in several cities. It has not said, however that it is suspending pantry services, only that it will halt orders for non-essential products to prioritise customers’ critical needs. Modi’s announcement led to long queues at grocery stores in cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai as customers began panic buying before the ban came into effect.
The Indian government has banned the export of hydroxychloroquine and formulations made from the medication, as experts test the efficacy of the drug in helping treat patients infected with Covid-19.The Indian government has banned the export of hydroxychloroquine and formulations made from the medication, as experts test the efficacy of the drug in helping treat patients infected with Covid-19.
There are currently no approved treatments, or preventive vaccines for Covid-19. Researchers are studying existing treatments and working on experimental ones, but most current patients receive only supportive care such as breathing assistance. Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, is among the medications that are being tested, as a potential treatment for patients with the disease. Earlier this week, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, which maintains a list of drug shortages, said hydroxychloroquine was in shortage.There are currently no approved treatments, or preventive vaccines for Covid-19. Researchers are studying existing treatments and working on experimental ones, but most current patients receive only supportive care such as breathing assistance. Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, is among the medications that are being tested, as a potential treatment for patients with the disease. Earlier this week, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, which maintains a list of drug shortages, said hydroxychloroquine was in shortage.
US President Donald Trump fully supports a delay in the Tokyo Olympics agreed between Japan and the international Olympic panel, a Japanese government spokesman said on Wednesday, citing comments made to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a telephone call.US President Donald Trump fully supports a delay in the Tokyo Olympics agreed between Japan and the international Olympic panel, a Japanese government spokesman said on Wednesday, citing comments made to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a telephone call.
“President Trump repeatedly said the postponement is an excellent and wise decision,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Akihiro Nishimura told a news briefing. “There was a remark that he supports Prime Minister Abe’s stance 100%.” On Tuesday, the Tokyo Games were postponed to 2021, for the first time in the event’s 124-year modern history, because of the coronavirus pandemic.“President Trump repeatedly said the postponement is an excellent and wise decision,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Akihiro Nishimura told a news briefing. “There was a remark that he supports Prime Minister Abe’s stance 100%.” On Tuesday, the Tokyo Games were postponed to 2021, for the first time in the event’s 124-year modern history, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump privately appeals to Asia and Europe for medical help to fight coronavirusTrump privately appeals to Asia and Europe for medical help to fight coronavirus
The US has been appealing to its allies for help in obtaining medical supplies to overcome critical shortages in its fight against coronavirus.The US has been appealing to its allies for help in obtaining medical supplies to overcome critical shortages in its fight against coronavirus.
In his public rhetoric Donald Trump has been talking up the domestic private sector response to the crisis.In his public rhetoric Donald Trump has been talking up the domestic private sector response to the crisis.
“We should never be reliant on a foreign country for the means of our own survival,” Trump said at a White House briefing on Tuesday evening. “America will never be a supplicant nation.”“We should never be reliant on a foreign country for the means of our own survival,” Trump said at a White House briefing on Tuesday evening. “America will never be a supplicant nation.”
However behind the scenes, the administration has approached European and Asian partners to secure supplies of testing kits and other medical equipment that are in desperately short supply in the US.However behind the scenes, the administration has approached European and Asian partners to secure supplies of testing kits and other medical equipment that are in desperately short supply in the US.
On Tuesday, Trump spoke by phone with the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, asking if his country could supply medical equipment.On Tuesday, Trump spoke by phone with the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, asking if his country could supply medical equipment.
The official White House account made no mention of the request, but according to the South Korean presidency, the Blue House, the call was made at Trump’s “urgent request”.The official White House account made no mention of the request, but according to the South Korean presidency, the Blue House, the call was made at Trump’s “urgent request”.
The global number of cases stand at 422,652. According to figures from Johns Hopkins University, which has been tracking the pandemic, 18,901 people have died and 108,349 people have recovered.
Philippines’ New Peoples Army announced they would observe the UN’s ceasefire call. The communist guerrillas said Wednesday they would observe a ceasefire in compliance with the UN chief’s call for a global halt in armed clashes during the coronavirus pandemic.
South Korea said it would tighten border checks for travellers from the United States by Friday as concerns rise over imported coronavirus cases despite a decline in domestically transmitted infections.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres G20 nations to adopt a wartime plan including a stimulus package in the trillions of dollars for businesses, workers and households in developing countries trying to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The global economy is going to take a “massive hit” as lockdown measures are rolled out across much of the world, according to the rating agency S&P. Economists are revising their forecasts for world GDP on a near-daily basis, S&P adds, and identifies key concerns.
New Zealand declared a State of National Emergency as it heads into a national lockdown tonight for at least four weeks.
Australian cancelled all elective surgery (outside urgent electives) from Wednesday night.
Libya recorded its first confirmed case of the coronavirus on Tuesday, the UN-backed government announced, stoking concern that an outbreak could overwhelm the war-torn country’s already weakened health care system.
Trump insisted on an easing of restrictions by Easter. Despite much of the rest of the world choosing to accelerate restrictions designed to control the virus’ spread and the World Health Organization warning the US is in grave danger of a rapid escalation in the severity of its situation, Donald Trump has claimed the nation is nearing the end of the fight against then virus.
There was speculation over the Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s diagnosis. Brazilian media reported that two names were scrubbed from a list of patients handed over by the hospital where he was tested, leading some to speculate he and his wife contracted the virus and were treated in secrecy.
Poland, India and Egypt all implemented lockdown measures, while South Africans prepare to do the same after the number of confirmed cases increased by more than a third in a day.
The WHO said the US risks becoming the next centre of the coronavirus outbreak as the country is seeing a “very large acceleration” in cases.
The Japan Olympics will be delayed for one year. The games will still be called Tokyo 2020.
The European Union has been urged to evacuate asylum seekers from overcrowded camps on the Greek islands in order to save lives. The first case was confirmed earlier this month when a Greek woman on Lesbos tested positive.
Spanish doctors complained of a lack of equipment. The latest figures also revealed that Spanish healthcare workers accounted for more than 13% of the country’s 39,673 cases.
The Nigerian president’s influential chief of staff has tested positive for coronavirus, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. Abba Kyari, who is in his 70s, is an important figure in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government and his illness could have ramifications for the running of the country.
His case was one of a growing number in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, with a state governor also testing positive and the Lagos state health commissioner warning that they were beginning to see the virus “spread in the community”. Previously, most cases were travellers who had recently returned from the United Kingdom or the United States. Kyari has a history of medical complications, including diabetes, and is the gatekeeper to the president. Many who wish to deal with Buhari must go through Kyari, including Nigeria’s top politicians and business owners. It is unclear if Kyari, who three diplomats also said had tested positive for coronavirus, self-isolated upon his return to Nigeria. As of Tuesday, Nigeria had 42 confirmed cases of coronavirus, two of whom had recovered, and one death - a 67-year-old former oil official. It was unclear if Kyari or Mohammed’s diagnoses were included in that total.
The Australian market has been sliding back all day after a strong start that saw the benchmark ASX200 index jump 5.8% at the opening bell.
Shortly after 2pm the index was up by just 2.3% compared to Tuesday’s closing price, driven down by a steady stream of company announcements revealing the damage the coronavirus crisis is doing to the economy.
So far today ASX-listed companies have announced the dismissal or stand-down of almost 24,000 staff, including 8000 stood down at Virgin Australia, which has reduced its operations to almost nothing, and 8,100 at Star Entertainment, which has shut its casinos in order to comply with new social distancing rules.
In addition, Crown Resorts stood down 10,000 employees on Monday, according to the United Workers Union, and Qantas did the same to 20,000 staff last week.
With dole queues stretching around the corner in some suburbs, the job losses in the listed sector are clearly just the tip of the iceberg.
An important message from the New Zealand police, who somehow still have a sense of humour. ‘Save the human race’ is a little strong, but otherwise a fairly good message for people in most countries:
N0w for a bit of stress relief with the help of the bored, rich and famous: here are the best celebrities to follow on social media, as curated by Sinead Stubbins for the Guardian.
Florence Pugh yelling about food
Actress Florence Pugh is very good on Instagram – partly because it’s fun discovering that she’s extremely English and just did very good accents in Little Women and Midsomma, and partly because her stories just involve her yelling quite simple recipes at you.
Despite her yelling, which just seems to be the natural tenor of her voice, there is something soothing about seeing Florence Pugh pottering around her huge kitchen, holding up bruised tomatoes and eating bits of sausages off a cutting board. “I found this on the floor in a shop,” she said yesterday, holding a butternut squash and justifying why she’s about to clean it. She even has a tab for Cooking in her profile.
Sam Neill drinks wine and reads poetry
New Zealand actor Sam Neill has always been very active on social media, but has used this crisis as an opportunity to post more content (“content” often meaning pictures of his pigs). He also posts lots of videos, sometimes talking about wine as if you have just run into a particularly chatty stranger at a vineyard, or reading a bedtime story (for instance, Hairy MacLary and Friends).
A couple of days ago he read out some poems about love to make us feel OK about social distancing. Each to their own!
There’s more where that came from:
People who suffer from hypertension appear to be very susceptible to the coronavirus, according to figures from Italy’s epidemiology institute.
The institute is releasing details about who is dying from the disease in Italy, which has seen the most fatalities of any country. One of the interesting details refers to the victims’ underlying health conditions, so-called comorbidities.
The data up to 20 March shows that almost 75% of people who died suffered from hypertension, or high blood pressure. Almost 34% had diabetes. Only 1.2 % of cases had no comorbidities.
The data shows the vast majority are aged over 70.
Peru’s death toll has climbed to seven. A 38-year-old man died after he contracted the disease while on a trip to Canada, the country’s health ministry has said. He dies in hospital in Lima after being admitted on Monday with respiratory failure. He was then diagnosed with atypical pneumonia.
The ministry also said a 66-year-old woman died from coronavirus after she returned from Spain on 14 March 14. She died from acute respiratory failure and pneumonia.
More news from the Philippines now, where communist guerrillas said Wednesday they would observe a ceasefire in compliance with the UN chief’s call for a global halt in armed clashes during the coronavirus pandemic, AP reports.
New Peoples Army guerrillas have been ordered to stop assaults and shift to a defensive position from Thursday to 15 April, the Communist Party of the Philippines said in a statement.The rebels said the ceasefire is a direct response to the call of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a global ceasefire between warring parties for the common purpose of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.Guterres issued the call on Monday, saying, It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives.”The communist insurgency has raged mostly in the Philippine countryside for more than half a century in one of Asias longest-running rebellions. The military estimates about 3,500 armed guerrillas remain after battle setbacks, infighting and surrenders reduced their forces in decades of fighting although the rebels claim they have more armed combatants.The rebels said their ceasefire is unrelated to a similar move by the military and police but said it can foster the possible holding of preliminary talks to resume long-stalled peace negotiations.
The streets of New Zealand’s largest cities are beginning to empty, with most shops now closed, after the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, declared a state of emergency a few hours ago.In Dunedin packs of students continued to haunt the main thoroughfares, seeming to ignore the physical-distancing rules, and liquor stores did a swift trade, many running out of spirits such as bourbon and gin.
Homeless people were the most common demographic remaining on the streets of Dunedin, while the few remaining tourists were wearing masks and gloves.Doctors are only seeing urgent patients in-person, and triaging everyone else over the phone. Many pharmacies were not allowing anyone inside, and were instead receiving and handing out prescriptions through the door.Lines of an hour or more stretched outside the Warehouse, hardware stores, supermarkets and firewood depots. The mood on the streets was calm, if slightly strained. “It feels like we’re in a movie,” said one man standing outside an inner-city pharmacy, waiting for a prescription. “It’s buzzy, it’s weird”.