Cyprus Mail 9 April 2020 - Reuters News Service
As of 4.40 today more than 1,518,710 people have been infected across the world and over 88,500 have died but at the same time 330,589 people have recovered.
The USA is now the country with the most infected cases (435,128) ahead of Spain (148,220) who overtook Italy (139,422) earlier this week. Germany and France follow with 113,926 and 112,950 cases respectively
Confirmed deaths by country:
Italy: 17,669
USA: 14,795
Spain: 14,792
France: 10,869
UK: 7,097
Italy: 17,669
USA: 14,795
Spain: 14,792
France: 10,869
UK: 7,097
All the latest news in brief as it happens
06.46 New Zealand orders quarantine for returning citizens in coronavirus battle
New Zealand will begin moving citizens to compulsory quarantine from Friday as they return from overseas, stepping up its efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus halfway through a four-week nationwide lockdown.
The shutdown began in late March in the Pacific nation of about 5 million, and a state of national emergency was declared to stifle local transmissions of the respiratory disease.
“No one goes home, everyone goes into a managed facility,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, adding that 14 days spent in a government-approved facility would be a prerequisite for all foreign travellers.
06.26 China seeks to contain ‘silent carriers’ of coronavirus
China released new measures on Wednesday to try and prevent asymptomatic “silent carriers” of coronavirus from causing a second wave of infections, as the country reported another modest rise in new confirmed cases.
On Wednesday published new rules to manage asymptomatic coronavirus carriers, or what some state media described as “silent carriers” of the virus.
Under the regulations, medical institutions must report detection of asymptomatic cases within two hours of their discovery. Local governments must then identify all known close contacts of the case within 24 hours.
Asymptomatic patients will be quarantined collectively for 14 days, and will be counted as confirmed cases if they start to show symptoms. People who have had close contact with them must also be quarantined for two weeks.
04.55 Honduras registers 31 new cases of coronavirus, bringing total to 343 cases and 23 deaths
Honduras will extend its national curfew to April 19 as the country ramps up efforts to contain the coronavirus, the security ministry said on Wednesday.
The Central American country registered 31 new cases of the virus, bringing its total to 343 cases and 23 deaths, the system for risk prevention said.
03.09 Mexico registers 3,181 cases of coronavirus and 174 deaths
Mexico has registered 396 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the country’s total to 3,181 cases as well as 174 deaths, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
03.05 Essential workers exposed to coronavirus should take precautions returning to jobs – CDC head
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head on Wednesday said essential healthcare workers exposed to a confirmed or suspected coronavirus case should wear face masks, take their temperatures and practice social distancing when they return to work.
“We want them not to share objects that would be touching their face and we’d like them not to congregate in break rooms, lunch rooms, in crowded places,” CDC Director Robert Redfield told a White House briefing.
What happened on Wednesday
EUROPE
- The increase of hospital death fatalities in France slowed again, but the presidential palace said the national lockdown aimed at containing the disease would be extended.
- Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that Italy must stick with its rigid lockdown to try to curb the COVID-19 epidemic. * Spain’s official coronavirus death toll edged higher again, but questions persisted over the veracity of numbers.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “clinically stable” in intensive care on Wednesday and responding to treatment.
- President Vladimir Putin likened Russia’s fight against the coronavirus to its battles against medieval invaders and said the next few weeks would be decisive.
- The president of the European Union’s main science organisation quit over frustration at the response to the pandemic.
- Switzerland’s government, which said its economy could contract by as much 10.4% this year, extended the nation’s restrictions for another week but said a gradual loosening of measures would begin this month.
- The World Health Organization’s regional director described the outbreak in Europe as “very concerning” and urged governments to give “very careful consideration” before relaxing measures to control its spread. * Pope Francis condemned people he said were exploiting the pandemic to turn a quick profit and decried the “hypocrisy” of how some politicians are dealing with the crisis.
- The European Union is drawing up common rules for using mobile apps to track the spread, aiming to make better use of the technology and address privacy concerns.
- Refugees in eastern German are sewing face masks for pensioners in a retirement home.
AMERICAS
- The number of cases in New York state alone approached 150,000, the most anywhere in the world, even as authorities warned the state’s actual death toll could be higher.
- Some 60,000 Americans could die in the pandemic, a university model often cited by U.S. and state policymakers projected, a 26% reduction in its most recent forecast, as total cases in the country reached 395,011, with the death toll at 12,754.
- The head of the World Health Organization gave a strident defence of his agency’s handling of the pandemic, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism.
- U.S. immigration officials have rapidly deported nearly 400 migrant children intercepted at the U.S.-Mexico border in the past two weeks under new rules.
- At least 20 doctors at a public hospital outside Mexico City have tested positive for the coronavirus.
- Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra extended the country’s state of emergency for two more weeks to April 26.
ASIA
- The Chinese city of Wuhan ended its two-month lockdown, even as a small northern city ordered restrictions on its residents amid concern about a second wave of infections.
- India is considering plans to seal off hotspots in Delhi, Mumbai and parts of the south while easing restrictions elsewhere as a way out of a three-week lockdown that has caused deep economic distress
- Tokyo recorded its biggest daily jump on Wednesday since the start of the pandemic, the city’s governor said on the first day of a state of emergency.
- Expatriates in Hong Kong are buying up masks to send to family and friends back home as supplies return to shops.
- Thailand automatically extends visas for all foreigners who entered legally, to prevent long queues at immigration centres and stem the spread, a senior immigration official said.
- East Timor’s prime minister withdrew his resignation as the government approved a $250-million fund.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
- Ethiopia and Liberia declared states of emergency, a day after cases on the continent surged past 10,000
- Lebanon’s food importers, already hit by a dollar crunch, have struggled to book new cargoes as the pandemic threatens supplies and sparks fears of more painful price hikes.
- Egypt will extend a nationwide night-time curfew by 15 days until April 23. * Ethiopia declared a state of emergency.
- A coronavirus lockdown kept the streets of Jerusalem and other Israeli cities nearly empty on the Jewish Passover holiday, which typically draws crowds of people.
- The Gaza Strip has no more coronavirus test kits, Palestinian health officials said.
- Somalia has registered its first death from coronavirus.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
- World equity markets surged and oil prices jumped on Wednesday on hopes the coronavirus pandemic is getting close to peaking and that more government stimulus measures could be on the way.
- Democratic congressional leaders said they would back the Trump administration’s request for another $250 billion for small businesses if the bill includes more funding for hospitals, local governments and food assistance.
- Faced with an accelerating global health crisis, Federal Reserve officials agreed last month they needed a pull-out-all-the-stops response
- Canada said it would temporarily loosen rules for an emergency wage subsidy program to ensure more businesses qualify, while jobless claims triggered by the outbreak soared beyond 4 million
- European Union finance ministers failed in all-night talks to agree on more economic support, spurring Spain to warn the bloc’s future was on the line without a joint response to the crisis.
- The European Central Bank told euro zone finance ministers the area could need fiscal measures worth up to 1.5 trillion euros this year.
- Germany’s economy will probably shrink by 9.8% in the second quarter, its biggest decline since records began, the country’s leading think tanks said.
- The pandemic has cost Austria $12 billion so far, or 2.8% of its annual gross domestic product, according to its central bank.
- A second stimulus package India is poised to announce in coming days will be worth around $13 billion and focus on helping small and medium businesses, senior officials said.
- Hong Kong announced relief measures worth $17.7 billion to help businesses and people crippled by the outbreak to stay afloat.
- Nearly 140 campaign groups and charities urged the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, G20 governments and private creditors to help the world’s poorest countries by cancelling debt payments.
