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Coronavirus live news: Spain deaths lower for fourth day in a row as Germany sees further case drop Coronavirus live news: Spain deaths lower for fourth day in a row as Germany sees further case drop
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Japan prepares for state of emergency; US faces ‘hardest and saddest week’; UK PM Boris Johnson in hospital; Bronx Zoo tiger tests positiveJapan prepares for state of emergency; US faces ‘hardest and saddest week’; UK PM Boris Johnson in hospital; Bronx Zoo tiger tests positive
Dozens of doctors have been arrested in Pakistan after fighting with police during a protest over the lack of safety equipment to protect them while treating patients infected with Covid-19, AFP reports.
The arrests occurred after more than 100 doctors and paramedics rallied near the main hospital in Quetta and then moved to protest in front of the chief minister’s residence.
Police used batons to disperse the group after they tried to enter the chief minister’s home. Abdul Razzaq Cheema, a senior police official, told AFP that 53 doctors were detained for several hours until the provincial government ordered their release.
Liaqat Shehwani, a spokesman for the provincial Balochistan government, told AFP that the doctors were protesting over the unavailability of personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and goggles.
“We had assured them that the PPE would be provided soon but they started the protest,” Shehwani said, adding that authorities were planning to distribute protective equipment after receiving supplies from the federal government earlier on Monday.
Yasir Achakzai, president of the doctors association in Quetta, told reporters that the government was not following the World Health Organization’s guidelines for protecting doctors and other health workers.
“So they forced us to protest for our rights,” said Achakzai.
Pakistani has recorded 3,277 COVID-19 cases and 50 deaths caused by the virus, however, the true tally is thought to be many times larger.
Black people are underrepresented in high-level decision making about tackling the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a failure to address the specific health risks faced by people of African descent, UN experts have warned.
The lack of representation also posed the risk that racism and implicit bias could creed into policies to tackle the pandemic, the UN’s working group of experts on people of African descent said in a statement.
Underlying health conditions that could place people of African descent at greater risk include hypertension, cardiovascular disease, lupus and autoimmune disorders. The working group also pointed to the disproportionate overrepresentation of black people working in service industries.
The Covid-19 epidemic is under control in Norway, the country’s health minister said on Monday, pointing to the low rate of transmission of the disease, Reuters reports.
Bent Hoeie told a news conference that a person infected with the coronavirus in Norway now spreads it to an average 0.7 other individuals. The government’s goal was to limit the spread to maximum one other person.
The government will decide on Wednesday whether to extend ongoing restrictions, including the closures of schools and nurseries, beyond mid-April.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has described the coronavirus pandemic as the EU’s biggest test since its creation.Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has described the coronavirus pandemic as the EU’s biggest test since its creation.
Merkel, who leads the continent’s industrial powerhouse, is calling for European self-sufficiency in mask production. Most face masks are currently produced in China, and there have in recent days been several well-publicised instances of shipments bound for European countries being diverted at the last minute to the US. Merkel, who leads the continent’s industrial powerhouse, is calling for European self-sufficiency in mask production. Most face masks are produced in China, and there have in recent days been several well-publicised instances of shipments bound for European countries being diverted at the last minute to the US.
Thailand has extended its ban on incoming passenger flights until 18 April, the Thaiger reports.Thailand has extended its ban on incoming passenger flights until 18 April, the Thaiger reports.
An initial three-day ban on incoming flights imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand had been due to end tonight.An initial three-day ban on incoming flights imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand had been due to end tonight.
State and military aircraft, humanitarian aid and medical or relief flights, repatriation flights and cargo aircraft are exempt from the ban, as are emergency landings.State and military aircraft, humanitarian aid and medical or relief flights, repatriation flights and cargo aircraft are exempt from the ban, as are emergency landings.
Passengers already on their way to the country will be subject to a 14-day quarantine once they arrive.Passengers already on their way to the country will be subject to a 14-day quarantine once they arrive.
British tourists stranded in Nepal say they have had to turn to the embassies of other European countries for help, after the British government failed to rescue them, Pete Pattison reports.British tourists stranded in Nepal say they have had to turn to the embassies of other European countries for help, after the British government failed to rescue them, Pete Pattison reports.
Maria Terziska was trekking in the Everest region when she heard that the Foreign Office was advising British nationals to return home. By the time she reached Kathmandy, she was was unable to get any information about flights from the embassy. She arrived back in the UK yesterday on a French rescue flight. She said:Maria Terziska was trekking in the Everest region when she heard that the Foreign Office was advising British nationals to return home. By the time she reached Kathmandy, she was was unable to get any information about flights from the embassy. She arrived back in the UK yesterday on a French rescue flight. She said:
Another British trekker, Scott Hopkinson, who managed to return to the UK on a German rescue flight, said:Another British trekker, Scott Hopkinson, who managed to return to the UK on a German rescue flight, said:
The British embassy in Kathmandu announced today that rescue flights for British nationals would be leaving on Wednesday and Friday, almost two weeks after German and French tourists began to be evacuated.The British embassy in Kathmandu announced today that rescue flights for British nationals would be leaving on Wednesday and Friday, almost two weeks after German and French tourists began to be evacuated.
A seat on the flights arranged by the British embassy costs £800, twice the cost of the French rescue flight.A seat on the flights arranged by the British embassy costs £800, twice the cost of the French rescue flight.
James Capel, who is still waiting to leave Nepal, after a trek in the Everest region, said:James Capel, who is still waiting to leave Nepal, after a trek in the Everest region, said:
Foreign secretary Dominc Raab announced last week that the government had allocated £75million for rescue flights to repatriate British citizens stranded abroad by the coronavirus. Foreign secretary Dominc Raab announced last week that the government had allocated £75m for rescue flights to repatriate British citizens stranded abroad by the coronavirus.
On March 22, the Nepal government banned all international flights. The announcement came at the height of the tourist season when tens of thousands of visitors arrive to trek and climb in the Himalayas. On 22 March, the Nepal government banned all international flights. The announcement came at the height of the tourist season when tens of thousands of visitors arrive to trek and climb in the Himalayas.
Two days later the government announced a lockdown, leaving many trekkers trapped in remote regions, struggling to return the capital Kathmandu, which has the country’s only international airport.Two days later the government announced a lockdown, leaving many trekkers trapped in remote regions, struggling to return the capital Kathmandu, which has the country’s only international airport.
The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.
Movement in and out of four coronavirus “infected areas” in Kenya, including the capital Nairobi, has been banned for three weeks, AFP reports.Movement in and out of four coronavirus “infected areas” in Kenya, including the capital Nairobi, has been banned for three weeks, AFP reports.
Announcing the measures in a televised address, president Uhuru Kenyatta stopped short of a full lockdown within the areas, but issued a warning that “we must be ready to go even further if necessary.”Announcing the measures in a televised address, president Uhuru Kenyatta stopped short of a full lockdown within the areas, but issued a warning that “we must be ready to go even further if necessary.”
He ordered “cessation of all movement by road, rail or air in and out of” Nairobi, and the coastal towns of Kilifi and Kwale and the country’s second largest city of Mombasa for 21 days, starting from Monday at 7pm local time. Transport of food supplies and other cargo would be exempt, he said.He ordered “cessation of all movement by road, rail or air in and out of” Nairobi, and the coastal towns of Kilifi and Kwale and the country’s second largest city of Mombasa for 21 days, starting from Monday at 7pm local time. Transport of food supplies and other cargo would be exempt, he said.
Kenya currently counts 158 cases and six deaths from the virus, most of them in the capital, with a few cases also along the coast. It is the second worst-hit nation in eastern Africa after Mauritius which has 227 cases.Kenya currently counts 158 cases and six deaths from the virus, most of them in the capital, with a few cases also along the coast. It is the second worst-hit nation in eastern Africa after Mauritius which has 227 cases.
The trajectory of coronavirus infections in Iran appears to have started a “gradual” downward trend, the government said Monday, AFP reports.The trajectory of coronavirus infections in Iran appears to have started a “gradual” downward trend, the government said Monday, AFP reports.
In a televised news conference, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour reported 136 Covid-19-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s overall toll to 3,739.In a televised news conference, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour reported 136 Covid-19-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s overall toll to 3,739.
Iran registered 2,274 new cases of infection over the same period, he said, putting the total number at 60,500 across the country.Iran registered 2,274 new cases of infection over the same period, he said, putting the total number at 60,500 across the country.
The figure shows a drop in officially reported new cases of coronavirus infection for the sixth consecutive day, after a peak of 3,111 new cases on 31 March. Jahanpour said:The figure shows a drop in officially reported new cases of coronavirus infection for the sixth consecutive day, after a peak of 3,111 new cases on 31 March. Jahanpour said:
Iran, which announced its first Covid-19 cases on 19 February, is by far the country most affected by the pandemic in the Middle East, according to official tolls released by each state.Iran, which announced its first Covid-19 cases on 19 February, is by far the country most affected by the pandemic in the Middle East, according to official tolls released by each state.
In an attempt to limit the spread of the disease, authorities have not confined the population but have adopted other restrictions such as closing most businesses deemed non-essential.In an attempt to limit the spread of the disease, authorities have not confined the population but have adopted other restrictions such as closing most businesses deemed non-essential.
The UN’s World Food Programme is calling for an urgent $350m funding boost to help it keep going in the face of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, which it says threatens millions of people already as risk of food shortages.The UN’s World Food Programme is calling for an urgent $350m funding boost to help it keep going in the face of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, which it says threatens millions of people already as risk of food shortages.
In its latest weekly situation report the organisation issued a warning that humanitarian supply chains were becoming blocked by measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, just as many areas were entering their annual lean season. According to the document:In its latest weekly situation report the organisation issued a warning that humanitarian supply chains were becoming blocked by measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, just as many areas were entering their annual lean season. According to the document:
Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, has asked international lenders for $6.9bn to help it weather an economic crisis linked to the coronavirus pandemic, AFP reports.Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, has asked international lenders for $6.9bn to help it weather an economic crisis linked to the coronavirus pandemic, AFP reports.
As it attempts to battle the outbreak within its borders, including by locking down its two largest cities, the country, which is also Africa’s biggest oil producer, is suffering from a slump in the price of crude. Finance minister Zainab Ahmed told journalists:As it attempts to battle the outbreak within its borders, including by locking down its two largest cities, the country, which is also Africa’s biggest oil producer, is suffering from a slump in the price of crude. Finance minister Zainab Ahmed told journalists:
Ahmed said Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, had also requested $2.5bn from the World Bank and $1bn from the African Bank of Development.Ahmed said Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, had also requested $2.5bn from the World Bank and $1bn from the African Bank of Development.
US officials on Monday girded the country for a “peak death week” from the coronavirus pandemic as the accelerating American death toll closed the gap with Italy and Spain, Reuters reports.US officials on Monday girded the country for a “peak death week” from the coronavirus pandemic as the accelerating American death toll closed the gap with Italy and Spain, Reuters reports.
Admiral Brett Giroir, a physician and a member of the White House coronavirus taskforce, told ABC’s Good Morning America:Admiral Brett Giroir, a physician and a member of the White House coronavirus taskforce, told ABC’s Good Morning America:
Giroir raised particular alarm for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Detroit. His comments echoed in starker terms those of Donald Trump on Sunday, who said the US would in coming days “endure the peak of this terrible pandemic”, and the US surgeon general, Jerome Adams, who warned the country that this week would be “our Pearl Harbour moment”.Giroir raised particular alarm for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Detroit. His comments echoed in starker terms those of Donald Trump on Sunday, who said the US would in coming days “endure the peak of this terrible pandemic”, and the US surgeon general, Jerome Adams, who warned the country that this week would be “our Pearl Harbour moment”.
The number of confirmed US coronavirus cases passed 336,000 on Sunday. The IS is now the world leader by a long way with nearly twice as many cases as in Spain and in Italy, according to a tally of official data kept by Reuters.The number of confirmed US coronavirus cases passed 336,000 on Sunday. The IS is now the world leader by a long way with nearly twice as many cases as in Spain and in Italy, according to a tally of official data kept by Reuters.
Roughly twice as many people a day are dying in the US as Spain and Italy, according to the data. The American death roll rose by 1,144 on Sunday, to 9,573.Roughly twice as many people a day are dying in the US as Spain and Italy, according to the data. The American death roll rose by 1,144 on Sunday, to 9,573.
In Mumbai, India’s largest city, a major hospital was declared a coronavirus containment zone and closed to new patients, AFP reports.In Mumbai, India’s largest city, a major hospital was declared a coronavirus containment zone and closed to new patients, AFP reports.
Three doctors and 26 nurses at the Wockhardt hospital tested positive for Covid-19, according to Vijay Khabale-Patil, a spokesman for the Mumbai city authority. “Three hundred staffers have been quarantined and the hospital is shut,” he told AFP.Three doctors and 26 nurses at the Wockhardt hospital tested positive for Covid-19, according to Vijay Khabale-Patil, a spokesman for the Mumbai city authority. “Three hundred staffers have been quarantined and the hospital is shut,” he told AFP.
The United Nurses Association (UNA) in Mumbai accused hospital management of failing to protect staff by refusing to let them wear appropriate safety gear. Akash S Pillai, UNA general secretary for Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said:The United Nurses Association (UNA) in Mumbai accused hospital management of failing to protect staff by refusing to let them wear appropriate safety gear. Akash S Pillai, UNA general secretary for Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said:
India has so far recorded more than 4,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, but experts say the real numbers are likely to be far higher, with the country carrying out little testing of its 1.3 billion population compared with many other countries.India has so far recorded more than 4,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, but experts say the real numbers are likely to be far higher, with the country carrying out little testing of its 1.3 billion population compared with many other countries.
Most days I receive emails or Twitter messages from readers who want to know more about the situation faced by refugees as the coronavirus pandemic crisis sweeps the world.
In keeping with our mission as a newspaper, my Guardian colleagues and I have been doing our best to highlight issues facing refugees and other migrant groups, who are among the most marginalised and dispossessed people on the planet.
But if you want a closer look at the issues, then you might be interested to know there is actually a coronavirus live blog kept by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). It highlights the the ways that UNHCR staff, people forced to flee and supporters around the globe are “taking action to stay smart, stay safe and stay kind.”
I’ll be returning to it now and again myself and reporting on any interesting news it highlights.
Fears over the pain coronavirus could inflict on some of Latin America’s most deprived communities have grown after four Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Brazil’s largest favela, Tom Phillips reports from Rio de Janeiro.
Health officials in Rio de Janeiro announced on Sunday that the cases had been detected in Rocinha, a densely populated and labyrinthine community in the city’s south. The patients – three men and one woman – are all under 60.
Two elderly residents of Rocinha – aged 67 and 70 – reportedly died last week after showing coronavirus symptoms although their test results have yet to be released.
According to the Rio newspaper O Globo, coronavirus cases have also been detected in five other favelas: Cidade de Deus (City of God), Parada de Lucas, Vidigal, Mangueira, and the Complexo do Alemão, another vast tapestry of housing in the city’s north.
Rio de Janeiro has so far confirmed 64 deaths and nearly 14,000 cases of Covid-19, although low testing rates means the real figures are likely to be higher.
The Austrian government, which has introduced some of the strictest lockdown rules in Europe, has announced that it is preparing to relax them, giving an insight into what it’s calling its “exit strategy”, writes Kate Connolly in Berlin.
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said any easing of guidelines would depend on citizens sticking to the existing rules, and people’s behaviour this week as well as the infection rate will be “decisive” in seeing how the country proceeds.
“We are trying to carefully shape a plan as to how we can proceed after Easter,” Kurz said in a press briefing in Vienna this morning.
From 14 April, small shops (400 m2 or less in size) as well as DIY stores will be allowed to reopen, as well as state parks, but only with tight entry controls.
However, curfews will remain in place and the obligatory wearing of face masks or mouth and nose covering – until now intended for shoppers in supermarkets – will be extended to public transport.
“Easter week will be a decisive week for us. It will decide whether or not we will rise again after Easter,” Kurz said, referring to the resurrection of Jesus, the culmination of the Easter feast, which is widely celebrated in the overwhelmingly Catholic country.
From 1 May, all shops, shopping centres and hairdressers will be allowed to open. Restaurants, hotels and bars will remain closed until further notice. When they do reopen again, staff will have to wear masks and tables will have to have a specific distance from each other.
Austria’s leaving certificate, the equivalent of the A-level exams in the UK is due to take place, with schools reopening at the start of May for those pupils. A decision as to when other pupils are allowed to return to school will be made at the end of April. Universities will have to complete their semesters via video learning, Kurz said.
The Austrian exit strategy will also include the introduction of tracking apps to trace citizens’ movements and ensure they are not breaking curfew rules. They should be used by the whole of the country. Those who don’t have a mobile phone will be required to wear a special key-ring style device, the chancellor said at the weekend. The majority of Austrians are said to be in favour of the measures.
In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute is developing a similar app to that due to be introduced in Austria. It is being developed in conjunction with a European app that 130 researchers are developing, and will warn people if they might have had contact with infected persons. Its use is expected to be anonymous and voluntary, although surveys show a large number of Germans are prepared to use it if it leads to a relaxation of lockdown rules. The ultimate aim should be to have a single, Europe-wide tracking app.
“Its use should be voluntary, but obviously with the hope that as many people as possible will use it,” Steffen Seibert, spokesman for the German government said this afternoon. “People who use it will be doing their significant bit to reduce the spread of the infection and helping measures to fight it.”
Eugen Tomac, a Romanian MEP, has tabled a written question in the European parliament asking what measures the European commission intends to take to forestall the spread of Covid-19 among refugees in the Greek islands.
Fears are growing that the conditions in which refugees are living on Europe’s borders are ripe for the spread of pandemic disease. Below I reported how two Cyprus-based NGOs had accused that country’s government of turning one migrant centre in to an effective prison camp, with inadequate provision for hygiene and social distancing to protect the health of residents and staff.
The text of Tomac’s question, posted on the European parliament website, reads:
Coronavirus-related deaths in Spain have dropped for the fourth consecutive day in a row, according to figures released on Monday, showing 637 deaths in the past 24 hours, the lowest number in nearly two weeks.
Fatalities, which were sharply down on the record 950 on Thursday, brought the total deaths in the country to 13,055, second only to Italy, AFP reports.
The number of new infections also slowed, increasing 3.3% to 135,032, down from a rise of 24.8% on 21 March. Over 40,000 coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospital – nearly 30% of all confirmed cases of the disease.
The Spanish government is studying how to gradually ease the lockdown imposed on 14 March, which is due to last until 25 April.
The government plans to ramp up testing to be able to isolate people who are infected but not showing symptoms. As for face masks, foreign minister Arancha González Laya said on Monday: “We will probably all have to learn to use them as a prophylactic, at least until there is a vaccine.”
Wearing masks in public could soon be mandatory in Germany, according to a draft list of measures that officials think should allow life to return to normal.
The proposals, contained in a draft action plan document compiled by the interior ministry, seen by Reuters on Monday, include an obligation to wear masks in public, limits on public gatherings and the rapid tracing of infection chains.
Officials say the measures should be sufficient to keep the number of people infected by each person below one, as public life is allowed gradually to resume.
For this to be possible, mechanisms will have to be in place to track more than 80% of people an infected person had contact with within 24 hours of diagnosis, the paper said.
In return, schools will be able to reopen on a regional basis and strict border controls will be relaxed.
Two refugee NGOs have criticised what they describe as prison-like conditions at a centre for asylum seekers on Cyprus, warning that conditions at the camp increases the risk of contracting Covid-19 to those held there.
The Cyprus Refugee Council and Caritas Cyprus said the centre in Kokkinotrimithia has in the past month been turned into an effective detention centre, with conditions that place both residents and staff at risks.
Originally set up with EU funding, the Kokkinotrimithia camp was intended as a first registration reception centre to house asylum seekers for 72 hours while they were registered and underwent medical checks.
In an online statement, the groups said:
As 51 African countries report 9,198 cases of Covid-19 and 414 deaths, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has called for unity on the continent, a massive aid effort and “a new moral economy” that has “people and their welfare at its centre” when the crisis has passed, Jason Burke reports from Johannesburg.
Most experts believe the current total of cases in Africa is a very significant underestimate. There are widespread fears that not only could the death toll be very high, particularly among vulnerable communities such as refugees or HIV sufferers, but the economic impact could be devastating.
One study by the African Union found that many African states could lose up to a third of their tax revenue, with 20m jobs lost across the continent.
In an op-ed in South African paper the Daily Maverick, Ramaphosa said:
Many countries across Africa have now imposed strict lockdowns. In places where there has been effective public information campaigns, these are widely observed and broadly supported despite the economic distress they inflict on many millions who have no savings or salaries.
In Kenya, where there is only a partial lockdown in forced, almost 70% of the population back stiffer measures.
A United Nations official has called on governments around the world to safeguard the health of prisoners during the coronavirus pandemic, partially through early release of inmates, Owen Bowcott, the Guardian’s legal correspondent, reports.
Sir Malcolm Evans, who is professor of international law at Bristol University and chair of the UN subcommittee on prevention of torture (SPT), has urged states to take additional precautions to reduce health risks to those in jails, immigration detention centres, psychiatric hospitals and refugee camps. He said:
Guidance issued by the SPT includes considering reducing prison populations by implementing schemes of early, provisional or temporary release of low-risk offenders, reviewing all cases of pre-trial detention, extending the use of bail for all but the most serious cases, as well as reviewing and reducing the use of immigration detention and closed refugee camps. Evans added: