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Coronavirus live news: Boris Johnson in hospital as US faces 'hardest and saddest week' Coronavirus live news: Boris Johnson in hospital as US faces 'hardest and saddest week'
(32 minutes later)
US orders 29m doses of malaria drug; Pakistan quarantines tens of thousands of worshippers; Bronx Zoo tiger tests positive; Follow the latest updates. US orders 29m doses of hydroxychloroquine; Japan to declare state of emergency; Bronx Zoo tiger tests positive; Follow the latest updates.
Ban wildlife markets to avert pandemics, says UN biodiversity chief
The United Nations’ biodiversity chief has called for a global ban on wildlife markets – such as the one in Wuhan, China, believed to be the starting point of the coronavirus outbreak – to prevent future pandemics.
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, the acting executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, said countries should move to prevent future pandemics by banning “wet markets” that sell live and dead animals for human consumption, but cautioned against unintended consequences.
China has issued a temporary ban on wildlife markets where animals such as civets, live wolf pups and pangolins are kept alive in small cages while on sale, often in filthy conditions where they incubate diseases that can then spill into human populations. Many scientists have urged Beijing to make the ban permanent.
Using the examples of Ebola in west-central Africa and the Nipah virus in east Asia, Mrema said there were clear links between the destruction of nature and new human illnesses, but cautioned against a reactionary approach to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“The message we are getting is if we don’t take care of nature, it will take care of us,” she told the Guardian.
Here’s a video from Trump’s press conference at the White House earlier, in which he again touted the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus.
Though the drug has not undergone tests to prove its effectiveness in treating the virus, Trump has continued to advocate for it, telling reporters: ‘What do you have to lose?’ Dr Anthony Fauci, the top doctor on infectious diseases in the US and a key member of the White House task force, told CBS Face the Nation program there was nothing to suggest the medicine had any benefit against coronavirus. ‘The data are really just at best suggestive. There have been cases that show there may be an effect and there are others to show there’s no effect’. When asked at the daily press briefing, Trump refused to allow Dr Fauci to answer questions about the drug’s effectiveness.
British Airways is suspending direct flights between the UK and Japan starting Wednesday:
New Zealand’s foreign affairs ministry has announced that it will charter a flight for New Zealanders stranded in from Peru.
“On 24 March, we advised New Zealanders overseas that they should shelter safely in place if they could not return to New Zealand commercially. However, New Zealanders in Peru are finding it increasingly difficult to shelter safely in place given the complexities of the situation in-country,” Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
He continued:
Japanese social media celebrity Pikotaro has returned to grace us with his cheer during these dark times.
Pikotaro has reimagined his hit 2016 song Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen (PPAP) (which has the Guinness World Record for being the shortest song to make it into the Billboard Hot 100 chart) as a hand-washing video, called Pray-for-People-and-Peace.
Fourteen people from the Coral Princess cruise ship, which docked in Florida over the weekend with coronavirus victims aboard, were hospitalised and one of them later died, authorities have confirmed. Two fatalities had been reported previously aboard the Coral Princess.Fourteen people from the Coral Princess cruise ship, which docked in Florida over the weekend with coronavirus victims aboard, were hospitalised and one of them later died, authorities have confirmed. Two fatalities had been reported previously aboard the Coral Princess.
The Princess Cruises ship, which docked Saturday in Miami, also began disembarking on Sunday fit passengers who were cleared for charter flights out. Passengers with symptoms of Covid-19 or recovering from it were being kept on the ship until medically cleared.The Princess Cruises ship, which docked Saturday in Miami, also began disembarking on Sunday fit passengers who were cleared for charter flights out. Passengers with symptoms of Covid-19 or recovering from it were being kept on the ship until medically cleared.
In a statement Sunday night, the Miami-Dade County mayor’s office said one of the six people removed on Saturday from the ship had died after being taken by private ambulance to a Hialeah hospital.In a statement Sunday night, the Miami-Dade County mayor’s office said one of the six people removed on Saturday from the ship had died after being taken by private ambulance to a Hialeah hospital.
Two other critical patients were hospitalised in Hialeah and three others whose conditions weren’t disclosed had been sent to a Tampa-area hospital. Eight others whose conditions weren’t disclosed were taken off the ship Sunday to hospitals.Two other critical patients were hospitalised in Hialeah and three others whose conditions weren’t disclosed had been sent to a Tampa-area hospital. Eight others whose conditions weren’t disclosed were taken off the ship Sunday to hospitals.
Mexico’s president unveiled a plan on Sunday to lift the economy out of the coronavirus crisis, vowing to help the poor and create jobs, but his promise of fiscal discipline sparked criticism that the measures fell far short of what was needed. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pledged Mexico would create 2m new jobs in the next nine months and boost small business and housing loans. He also vowed to tighten public sector austerity to avoid debt. Mexico’s leftist leader, targeting measures for the “most vulnerable”, said he would use a budget stabilisation fund and cash from public trusts to fund plans to shield the poor from a slump economists expect to be severe.Mexico’s president unveiled a plan on Sunday to lift the economy out of the coronavirus crisis, vowing to help the poor and create jobs, but his promise of fiscal discipline sparked criticism that the measures fell far short of what was needed. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pledged Mexico would create 2m new jobs in the next nine months and boost small business and housing loans. He also vowed to tighten public sector austerity to avoid debt. Mexico’s leftist leader, targeting measures for the “most vulnerable”, said he would use a budget stabilisation fund and cash from public trusts to fund plans to shield the poor from a slump economists expect to be severe.
Known by his initials “AMLO”, the president said Mexico would announce investments in the energy sector worth 339 billion pesos ($13.5 billion) to boost the economy, which some private analysts forecast to contract by up to 10% in 2020. That sum is far less than $92 billion in energy investments the private sector has proposed to the president. “The mechanisms that AMLO is thinking about are going to be completely insufficient to deal with this type of recession,” said Viri Rios, a Mexican political analyst.Known by his initials “AMLO”, the president said Mexico would announce investments in the energy sector worth 339 billion pesos ($13.5 billion) to boost the economy, which some private analysts forecast to contract by up to 10% in 2020. That sum is far less than $92 billion in energy investments the private sector has proposed to the president. “The mechanisms that AMLO is thinking about are going to be completely insufficient to deal with this type of recession,” said Viri Rios, a Mexican political analyst.
Gustavo de Hoyos, head of employers’ federation Coparmex, was scathing about the economic plan.Gustavo de Hoyos, head of employers’ federation Coparmex, was scathing about the economic plan.
Hong Kongers have been warned to prepare for six months of pain, as the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic worsen.The city has reported more than 890 cases of Covid-19, with a mother and her six-week-old baby among recent cases. Hong Kong’s early response to the virus outbreak in neighbouring mainland China meant that it was spared an epidemic of its own, but as thousands of people returned home in recent months the daily rate of infection has risen dramatically and Hong Kong is now under harsher restrictions than ever. Gatherings of more than four people have been banned since late March, but authorities are warning of further lockdowns and closures of non-essential services.Hong Kongers have been warned to prepare for six months of pain, as the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic worsen.The city has reported more than 890 cases of Covid-19, with a mother and her six-week-old baby among recent cases. Hong Kong’s early response to the virus outbreak in neighbouring mainland China meant that it was spared an epidemic of its own, but as thousands of people returned home in recent months the daily rate of infection has risen dramatically and Hong Kong is now under harsher restrictions than ever. Gatherings of more than four people have been banned since late March, but authorities are warning of further lockdowns and closures of non-essential services.
Hong Kong’s economy was already suffering after more than six months of protests when the virus outbreak began. Last month it reported the highest unemployment figures in three years, with predictions it would get worse.Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Sunday that while sectors like tourism and retail initially bore the brunt of the outbreak’s economic impact, it had now spread to “almost all industries”. He said the government was preparing more comprehensive support measures, but didn’t detail what they were.Writing in his blog, Chan said this meant that bail-out measures must shift focus from assisting individual industries, and become oriented to all enterprises. The main financial pressures across the board were salaries, rent, and decline in business, he said, adding that the government was working on its funding program but landlords “should actively respond to the community’s strong demand for rent reduction”.He said the outlook was “still very uncertain”, and it was appropriate to prepare for an economic situation which might not be reversed for at least six months.Hong Kong’s economy was already suffering after more than six months of protests when the virus outbreak began. Last month it reported the highest unemployment figures in three years, with predictions it would get worse.Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Sunday that while sectors like tourism and retail initially bore the brunt of the outbreak’s economic impact, it had now spread to “almost all industries”. He said the government was preparing more comprehensive support measures, but didn’t detail what they were.Writing in his blog, Chan said this meant that bail-out measures must shift focus from assisting individual industries, and become oriented to all enterprises. The main financial pressures across the board were salaries, rent, and decline in business, he said, adding that the government was working on its funding program but landlords “should actively respond to the community’s strong demand for rent reduction”.He said the outlook was “still very uncertain”, and it was appropriate to prepare for an economic situation which might not be reversed for at least six months.
American Airlines Group Inc said late Sunday it would suspend more flights in and out of New York City’s three main airports for about a month, joining other airlines that have cut flights to the area following a spike in coronavirus cases, Reuters reports.American Airlines Group Inc said late Sunday it would suspend more flights in and out of New York City’s three main airports for about a month, joining other airlines that have cut flights to the area following a spike in coronavirus cases, Reuters reports.
Between 9 April and 6 May, American will operate a total of 13 daily flights from New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports and New Jersey’s Newark, it said, down from an average of 271 daily flights across all three airports in April 2019. David Seymour, American’s senior vice president of Operations, told employees that demand for flights to the New York area “is rapidly evaporating” following an increase in Covid-19 cases and a recent advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning against all non-essential travel to and from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. New York has been the hardest-hit US state by the coronavirus pandemic. United Airlines Holdings Inc said on Saturday that it was reducing its daily New York City area flights to 17 from 157, while JetBlue Airways Corp is cutting its schedule by as much as 80% and Spirit Airlines Inc is canceling all of its flights to the area.Between 9 April and 6 May, American will operate a total of 13 daily flights from New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports and New Jersey’s Newark, it said, down from an average of 271 daily flights across all three airports in April 2019. David Seymour, American’s senior vice president of Operations, told employees that demand for flights to the New York area “is rapidly evaporating” following an increase in Covid-19 cases and a recent advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning against all non-essential travel to and from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. New York has been the hardest-hit US state by the coronavirus pandemic. United Airlines Holdings Inc said on Saturday that it was reducing its daily New York City area flights to 17 from 157, while JetBlue Airways Corp is cutting its schedule by as much as 80% and Spirit Airlines Inc is canceling all of its flights to the area.
The pound fell against the dollar and euro on Monday after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital for tests after showing persistent symptoms of the coronavirus, Reuters reports. The pound fell 0.26% to $1.2242 on Monday in Asia. Against the euro, it fell 0.27% to 88.39 pence. Johnson was admitted in what Downing Street said was a “precautionary step” because he was showing persistent symptoms of COVID-19 10 days after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. Also weighing on sterling is Britain’s constitution – an unwieldy collection of sometimes ancient and contradictory precedents – that offers no formal deputy or caretaker who would take over if Johnson cannot continue to lead.
But, the Guardian reports, in his role as first secretary of state, the prime minister’s de facto deputy, Dominic Raab will be expected to stand in for Boris Johnson if he is unable to work because of coronavirus.
The New Zealand Police are releasing a series of coronavirus advice videos (starring actors, not actual police force members). Here is one on how to maintain a safe distance of two metres (6.5 feet) from someone:
More now on the situation in China, which on Sunday reported a higher number of cases and asymptomatic cases than the day before.
Mainland China reported 39 new coronavirus cases as of Sunday, up from 30 a day earlier, and the number of asymptomatic cases also surged, as Beijing continued to struggle to extinguish the outbreak despite drastic containment efforts. The National Health Commission said in a statement on Monday that 78 new asymptomatic cases had been identified as of the end of the day on Sunday, compared with 47 the day before. Imported cases and asymptomatic patients, who have the virus and can give it to others but show no symptoms, have become China’s chief concern in recent weeks after draconian containment measures succeeded in slashing the infection rate.
Of the new cases showing symptoms, 38 were people who had entered China from abroad, compared with 25 a day earlier. One new locally transmitted infection was reported, in the southern province of Guangdong, down from five a day earlier in the same province. The new locally transmitted case, in the city of Shenzhen, was a person who had travelled from Hubei province, the original epicentre of the outbreak, Guangdong provincial authorities said. The Guangdong health commission raised the risk level for a total of four districts in the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Jieyang from low to medium late on Sunday. Mainland China has now reported a total of 81,708 cases, with 3,331 deaths. Daily infections have fallen dramatically from the peak of the epidemic in February, when hundreds were reported daily, but new infections continue to appear daily. The country has closed off its borders to foreigners as the virus spreads globally, though most imported cases involve Chinese nationals returning from overseas. The central government also has pushed local authorities to identify and isolate the asymptomatic patients.
In Australia, the Covid-19 stricken cruise ship Ruby Princess berthed at Port Kembla near Wollongong on Monday morning and will likely stay for 10 days as health officials and doctors continue to manage the outbreak of infection on board.
On Monday 200 of the 1,400-strong crew on board were showing symptoms.
Sick patients were being treated on board or transferred to hospital if needed, while the whole crew was being placed in isolation. The New South Wales government is now working with the ship’s owner, Carnival Australia, on plans to repatriate the crew, who come from 50 countries.
NSW police said in a statement the vessel might remain in place for up to 10 days, but the crew would not disembark unless in an emergency and approved by the police commissioner, Mick Fuller.
“The berthing will be conducted under strict health and biosecurity guidelines and will not pose a risk to employees at the port or the broader community,” the statement said.
Members of the crew could be seen waving from separate cabins as the ship pulled in on Monday morning.
Podcast: The hunt for a coronavirus vaccine
Scientists in more than 40 labs around the world are working round the clock to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. Despite early success in sequencing the virus’s genome, however, Samanth Subramanian tells Rachel Humphreys we are still some months away from knowing if one can be put into mass production.
The American Civil Liberties Union said Sunday it is seeking an injunction to block part of Puerto Rico’s strict curfew against the new coronavirus, arguing that some of its restrictions are unconstitutional as the governor imposed even tighter measures, including requiring anyone entering a business to wear a face mask.
The curfew imposed 15 March has shuttered non-essential businesses in the US territory and ordered people to stay home from 7 pm to 5 am and remain there even outside those hours unless they have to buy food or medicine, go to the bank or have an emergency or health-related situation. Violators face a US$5,000 or a six-month jail term, and police have cited hundreds of people.It is the first time the ACLU has filed a lawsuit in a US jurisdiction related to a coronavirus curfew.
Millions of Indians switched off their lights and came out onto their balconies and doorsteps with lamps, candles and flashlights on Sunday, responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to “challenge the darkness” of the coronavirus crisis, Reuters reports.
Modi, who last month imposed a three-week long nationwide lockdown, asked citizens to turn out their lights for nine minutes at 9 p.m. on Sunday and to display lamps and candles in a show of solidarity. People across the country switched off lights. Some lit firecrackers, played drums, clapped and chanted slogans against the coronavirus. In some big cities like Mumbai and New Delhi, residents of some housing associations stood in balconies and sang patriotic songs. India has recorded 3,577 cases of the illness, with a death toll of 83. Authorities worry that the healthcare system would be overwhelmed if the disease took deep hold in the country of more than 1.3 billion.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus as early as Tuesday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, as the number of infections topped 1,000 in the capital, Tokyo, Reuters reports.
Abe will likely announce his plans to declare the emergency on Monday, the paper said. Under a law revised in March to cover the coronavirus, the prime minister can declare a state of emergency if the disease poses a “grave danger” to lives and if its rapid spread could have a huge impact on the economy. The virus has already increased Japan’s recession risk. The move would give governors in hard-hit regions legal authority to ask people to stay home and businesses to close, but not to impose the kind of lockdowns seen in other countries. In most cases, there are no penalties for ignoring requests, although public compliance would likely increase with an emergency declaration. More than 3,500 people have tested positive and 85 have died from the new coronavirus in Japan, according to public broadcaster NHK. While that toll is low compared with 335,000 infections and more than 9,500 deaths in the United States, experts worry about a sudden surge that could strain the medical system and leave patients with nowhere to go.