Coronavirus latest news: Second UK death linked to disease as 164 test positive - Telegraph.co.uk
Coronavirus latest news: Second UK death linked to disease as 164 test positive - Telegraph.co.uk |
| Coronavirus latest news: Second UK death linked to disease as 164 test positive - Telegraph.co.uk Posted: 06 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PST  An elderly male hospital patient is believed to have become the second UK-based victim to have died from the new coronavirus. The unnamed patient in his 80s is thought to have succumbed to COVID-19 last night while being treated at Milton Keynes Hospital, Bucks. It came as the latest 2pm update from the Government revealed 163 cases have now been recorded in the UK. We'll bring you more here. Good evening,Here's a run-down of the day's key events:
Stay tuned for more updates throughout the night. UN postpones Africa climate change meet due to virusThe United Nations' climate change agency has postponed a regional conference that was to be held in Uganda in April because of the coronavirus outbreak. The Africa Climate Week was scheduled April 20-24 in Kampala. The U.N. climate change secretariat said Friday that the meeting will be held at a later, undetermined date. It says Uganda will still host the meeting, which is intended as a forum to share ways for governments to implement the Paris Agreement on cutting greenhouse gas emissions in Africa. The U.N. agency notes that Uganda's health ministry has issued guidance to place people arriving from countries most affected by the virus outbreak to be held in quarantine at government hospitals if they display symptoms. They are placed in self-isolation for 14 days if they don't display symptoms. Cameroon confirms second caseCameroon said Friday it has confirmed its first two cases of the novel coronavirus, a French national who arrived in the capital Yaounde in February and a Cameroonian who came in contact with him. Cameroon is the first central African country to register a case of the deadly virus, and one of five sub-Saharan nations. The country's health ministry released a statement on Friday announcing the 58-year-old French man had tested positive. Several hours later, another statement confirmed the second case, adding that both men have been placed in isolation in a Yaounde hospital. In sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal has registered four cases, all foreign nationals, and South Africa, Togo and Nigeria have one case each since the outbreak emerged in December in China. Experts have expressed concern over the continent's vulnerability to outbreaks of contagious diseases. Iran bans travellers from France and SpainIraq banned travellers coming from France and Spain from entering the country, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, bringing the total number of countries on its entry ban list to 11 as it tries to stem the spread of coronavirus. The ban does not extend to Iraqi citizens and foreign diplomats, a ministry spokesman said in a statement. Iraq has so far recorded 38 cases of coronavirus and two deaths. How cruise operators are swerving coronavirus – and the bargains to book nowCompanies are offering reworked itineraries, flexibility and great deals. Katherine Lawrey holds the secrets here. Air conditioning systems could spread coronavirus, research showsCoronavirus could spread around buildings via air conditioning systems or even on a draught, new analysis has suggested after scientists found traces of the virus in a hospital air duct. The results from swab analysis of the rooms used by three coronavirus patients indicate that the disease may be more contagious than previously thought. Even though the patients in question were suffering only "mild" symptoms, scientists from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore found evidence of the virus in the hospital's air exhaust. Our health correspondent Henry Bodkin has more details here. Alpine skiing-Cortina d'Ampezzo World Cup finals cancelledThe Alpine skiing World Cup finals in Cortina d'Ampezzo have been cancelled amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Italian winter sports federation (FISI) said on Friday. "It's with great regret that I took this decision," said FISI president Flavio Roda after every nation but Italy voted against holding the March 18-22 finals at an International Skiing Federation (FIS) emergency meeting. "But every member of the council motivated their decision to cancel the finals." The FISI was hoping to hold the event without fans to abide by an Italian government decree. Italy is Europe's worst hit country by the coronavirus outbreak, with over 4,600 cases and more than 197 deaths. Hospital visitors swipe hand sanitiserHand sanitising gel is being stolen by visitors to a hospital on a daily basis as demand for the product grows amid the spread of coronavirus. Bosses at Northampton General Hospital said sanitising gel had been disappearing from the ends of ward beds "every single day" this week. Three wall-mounted dispensers have been ripped off, while visitors have used the hospital's supply of sanitiser to "top up" their own bottles. Sally-Anne Watts, the hospital's associate communications director, told the BBC:
How do you protect your family from Covid-19? Adhering to the official advice on how to protect yourself from coronavirus, and what to do if you have it, is enough to get your head around on its own. For those of us with children living at home, it becomes a more complicated business still, and one that raises multiple questions. Isolating yourself from your children or with your children, getting them to understand the importance of hand hygiene, and what to do if one family member in a household goes down with the virus – all are among the problems parents will encounter. Here, Rosa Silverman answers a number of the queries you might have about keeping your family safe – and, potentially, keeping others safe from your family. Sri Lankans protest quarantine near capitalSri Lankans are protesting the government's decision to convert a leprosy hospital on the outskirts of the capital Colombo into a quarantine centre, saying it could pose a threat to their lives. Army troops are in the process of refurbishing the Leprosy Hospital at Wattala, about 8 kilometres from Colombo. More than one hundred people protested at the site Friday, saying it's unsafe to establish a quarantine facility in such a densely populated area. Private television channel Derena showed demonstrators blocking a main road, shouting slogans and displaying banners reading "Don't bring Corona to our village" and "Save our children." Sri Lanka's government says the centre will be used to quarantine Sri Lankans arriving from Italy, South Korea and Iran for 14 days Italy deaths climb to 197The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has risen by 49 to 197, the Civil Protection Agency said on Friday, the largest daily increase in fatalities since the contagion was uncovered two weeks ago. The accumulative number of cases in the country, which has been hardest hit by the virus in Europe, totalled 4,636 against 3,858 on Thursday. The head of the agency said that of those originally infected, 523 had fully recovered versus 414 the day before. The contagion is focused on a handful of hotspots in the north of Italy, but cases have now been confirmed in each of the country's 20 regions, with deaths recorded in eight of them. Government to meet with sports officials and broadcastersThe British government has called a meeting with sports governing bodies and broadcasters on Monday to discuss how they would cope with a broader outbreak of coronavirus, two people familiar with the situation said. The department in charge of sport will meet with sporting officials to discuss all outcomes including the possibility that some events could be held behind closed doors, one source said. The department was not immediately available to comment. Madrid closes day care centres for elderly citizensMadrid's regional government has ordered the closure of 213 day care centres and other facilities for old people owing to concern that a large number of especially vulnerable elderly people could be affected by coronavirus in such institutions. The move to order a one-month shutdown comes after a 76-year-old man died and it emerged that 15 other people, including some staff, have become infected at a day centre in the Madrid suburb of Valdemoro. Another old persons' centre in Madrid and a third in Votoria have also registered cases of infection. Five people have died in Spain due to Covid-19, with the total number of confirmed positives now above 390. Russian capital on high alertThe Moscow City Hall has put the Russian capital on high alert because of fears of a coronavirus outbreak. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin in a decree signed on Thursday ordered everyone coming in from the countries most affected by coronavirus including China, Iran and Italy to report to authorities and self-isolate at home for two weeks. Russia has recorded just four coronavirus cases on its soil. Three more Russians contracted the virus aboard a cruise liner docked in Japan. They're now at a Russian hospital. In the most recent case, an Italian exchange student tested positive for coronavirus after he returned to St. Petersburg from Italy earlier this week. More than 700 students living at the medical college's dormitory have been placed under quarantine inside the building for two weeks. In a sign of just how serious Russian officials are about the threat of contagion, officials on Thursday said they were cancelling the government's annual showcase St. Petersburg Economic Forum due to be held in June. Nataliya Vasilyeva reports from Moscow. Charity urges UK government to reveal aid plans for possible global pandemicInternational children's charity World Vision has called on the UK government to reveal detailed plans on how UK aid will help developing countries prepare for a coronavirus pandemic – following the Prime Minister's £46m pledge to tackle the outbreak. The charity is warning the virus could travel through poorer regions of the world which lack strong health structures to contain it. Gareth Wallace, interim head of policy, advocacy and campaigns at World Vision UK, said:
$2 billion needed to develop COVID-19 vaccine, says epidemic response groupA global coalition set up to fight epidemic diseases issued a call on Friday for $2 billion to support the development of a vaccine against the new coronavirus that is causing COVID-19 infections around the world. Describing the outbreak as an "unprecedented threat in terms of its global impact", the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) said that while containment measures would help slow the spread, a vaccine was key to longer-term control. "It is increasingly clear that containment measures for COVID-19 can only slow down its spread and the virus is now entering a stage of unprecedented threat in terms of its global impact," said CEPI's chief executive Richard Hatchett "It is critical that we ... invest in the development of a vaccine that will prevent people from getting sick." CEPI announced within weeks of the start of the outbreak that it would put $100 million into an initial programme of vaccine development with the aim of having potential vaccine candidates in early stage clinical trials in as little as 16 weeks. But on Friday it said these funds would be fully allocated by the end of March. "Without immediate additional financial contributions the vaccine programmes we have begun will not be able to progress and ultimately will not deliver the vaccines that the world needs," Hatchett said. CEPI launched in 2017 with initial funding of $460 million from the governments of Germany, Japan and Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust global health charity. Its aim was to speed up the process of developing vaccines against new and unknown diseases. The British government on Friday announced another 20 million pounds ($26 million) of additional funding, beyond 30 million of funding it had previously given to CEPI, and urged other donors to join the efforts to find a vaccine. Supermarkets are prepared, environment secretary saysSupermarkets have "well-established" contingency plans to deal with the potential fall out of a coronavirus epidemic in the UK, says government official. British environment minister George Eustice said on Friday he had been reassured by supermarkets that they had contingency plans in place to prevent food shortages linked to coronavirus:
Continue to prepare for exams and other assessments as normal, says OfqualOfqual, the examinations regulator for England, has issued an updated statement on coronavirus and the annual exam season, with BTecs, GCSEs and A-levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland starting in May:
Facebook closes London officesFacebook is closing its London office after an employee was diagnosed with coronavirus. The social network confirmed it had told staff to work from home on Friday after the employee tested positive for Covid-19. The company said the employee was normally based in Singapore but had visited the company's offices in London for several days last month. A spokesman for the social network said:
No imminent shortages to essential drugs, says WHOSpeaking at the World Health Organization daily briefing, Dr Tedros said that the WHO is working with industry associations, regulators and other partners to monitor any risks to worldwide supplies of essential drugs. However the WHO do not foresee any specific drugs shortages just yet. The director general also added that the WHO has developed a list of more 20 essential medical devices that countries need to manage Covid-19 patients. The list includes ventilators and oxygen supply systems. Chinese province reports 17 new coronavirus infections imported from IranThe northwestern Chinese province of Gansu has confirmed 17 new coronavirus cases imported from Iran, bringing the total imported cases to 28, the province's health authorities said late on Friday. The 17 new patients were among quarantined passengers who entered the provincial capital of Lanzhou on commercial flights from Iran between March 2 and March 5, the Gansu Health Commission said in a statement on its website. Before the new cases, Gansu had reported 11 imported infections from Iran. A total of 283 passengers arriving from Iran are currently under quarantine, it said. Last month, Gansu became the first province to lower its emergency response measures from level I to level III, reflecting the lack of new infections. 'Czechs who break quarantine will be fined £102,911'Thousands of Czechs returning from holidays in Italy will have to go into quarantine for two weeks or face fines as part of efforts to curb the coronavirus, health officials said on Friday. Eighteen cases have been reported in the Czech Republic, all of them people who have travelled to Italy - Europe's worst-hit country - or who have come into close contact with those travellers. "We clearly told our people not to travel to Italy and we clearly said that everyone who is returning from Italy will go into quarantine, under the law," Prime Minister Andrej Babis told a news conference. The health ministry said around 16,500 Czech residents were currently in Italy, where many families go on ski trips during winter school breaks. It said anyone returning after March 7 should phone a doctor who will put them in quarantine at home, unless they need hospital treatment. Anyone breaking that quarantine could be fined up to 3 million crowns (£102,911) under the country's Public Health Law, the ministry added. The Czech Republic reported six new cases on Friday, its biggest daily jump since its first positive tests on Sunday. The government has already barred flights from northern Italian cities including Milan or Venice, and banned spectators from turning out to watch an international biathlon race in the southeast his weekend. The health ministry this week stopped the export of respirator masks and hand disinfectants, among other health products. Ongoing transmission 'probably established' in the UKToday we saw another surge in confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK - but experts say that numbers are going to get "bigger and bigger" because "epidemics usually increase exponentially". John Edmunds, Professor in the Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said:
Fifth person dies in SpainA fifth patient has died from Covid-19 in Spain as the number of people infected with coronavirus jumped overnight by 102 case to 365, according to the country's health officials. All the victims so far in the country have been people in high-risk categories, elderly or suffering from a pre-existing condition, AFP quoted Fernando Simon of the Spanish health ministry as saying. Madrid and the surrounding area has the highest concentration of cases, at 137, after health officials found clusters at two elderly care centres. Both have since been closed. Today – in picturesLush store on Oxford Street offers free hand washing.  Operators of the 'Napoli Servizi' city services fumigate the Church of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples.  Women dressed in Kimono costume wander through Kyoto, Japan.  Rough sleepers at riskHomelessness charities have urged the Government to provide guidance on protecting "particularly vulnerable" rough sleepers from the coronavirus. Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said people sleeping on the streets were at a higher risk "because they are more likely to have a range of existing health conditions", may not be able to wash their hands regularly and may be unable to self-isolate if they become unwell. Healthcare charity Pathway also warned that "the spread of communicable disease can be swift for people without adequate access to hygiene facilities or a safe home". Deaths of homeless people have already risen significantly in recent years. The latest available official data recorded 726 deaths on the streets in 2018, up from 482 in 2013.  Both Crisis and Shelter said they had contacted the Government for advice on controlling the risk posed by Covid-19 but as yet had not received any. Mr Sparkes added:
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, told the PA news agency:
The Government said it would provide further guidance "shortly" and insisted it is "well prepared to deal with the impacts of Covid-19". EU may waive state-subsidy rules to bolster virus-hit economyEuropean Union officials are considering temporarily suspending its rules on state subsidies and financial support to economic segments hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Friday. Euro zone growth is likely to be slower this year than the 1.2% forecast just last month because of the effects of the virus epidemic, the European Commission said in an internal preliminary assessment. In addition to measures adopted by EU states to safeguard growth, the EU is considering targeted measures for sectors most in need, which include tourism, transport and carmakers. "It could be that in some areas there is need for specific support that may require considerations on state aid rules," the EU official said, adding that the discussions were at a preliminary stage. "The Commission should establish a temporary state aid framework that allows member states to support an economy in the downward spiral," EU centre-right lawmaker Markus Ferber said. It should use as blueprint its response to the 2008-09 global financial crisis, he said. The EU suspended parts of its state aid framework during the crisis to allow governments to bail out banks. The EU official also said the European Investment Bank could offer further funding to sectors in need of immediate help, for instance through guarantees for liquidity financing to smaller firms. The EU is also considering granting full flexibility from EU fiscal rules for states that need to spend more to combat the crisis. Royal Caribbean cruises adopts new policy allowing guests to cancel 48 hours beforeWith COVID-19 adding uncertainty to travel plans around the world, Royal Caribbean Group said it will give guests greater control over their holiday decisions, allowing guests to cancel cruises as late as two days before departure. The "Cruise With Confidence" policy allows guests on Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea to cancel up to 48 hours before a sailing. Guests will receive a full credit for their fare, usable on any future sailing of the guest's choice in 2020 or 2021. The policy applies to both new and existing cruise bookings. Richard Fain, the company's chairman and CEO, said:
The policy applies to all cruises with a sailing date on or before July 31, 2020, and will be offered by the company's global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea. Government to hold meeting with supermarket bossesThe Government is set to hold an imminent call with supermarket and trade association bosses over food supply, sources have confirmed to PA. Representatives from major retailers are set to talk with Environment Secretary George Eustice before 3pm. Sources said the talks will focus on contingencies for food supply and stockpiling amid the coronavirus outbreak. Starbucks extends reusable cups ban to UKStarbucks, the world's largest coffee chain, has said it will stop accepting reusable cups from its customers in the UK to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The firm, which said on Thursday that it was suspending the use of personal cups at stores in the US and Canada, added that it would still be honouring the promised discount for anyone carrying one. Should I cancel my holiday because of coronavirus?As coronavirus continues to spread, many are asking: is it safe to travel? Luckily for you, Greg Dickinson has created a ten-point travel advice checklist, including advice on coronavirus travel insurance and how to check Foreign Office coronavirus warnings. Slovakia bans Italy flightsSlovakia will ban flights to and from Italy, the European country worst hit by the coronavirus outbreak, starting Monday, Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini said on Friday after announcing Slovakia's first case of the new virus. Pellegrini said Slovakia would also ban school trips abroad and bar visitors from hospitals among measures to contain the outbreak. Togo confirms first caseThe West African country of Togo has registered its first case of coronavirus, its government said on Friday. The patient is a 42-year old female resident of the capital Lome who had visited Benin, Germany, France and Turkey in late February and early March. She is being treated in isolation and her condition is stable, the government said in a statement. Away from coronavirus, DRC battles deadly measles outbreak As the world grapples with the spread of novel coronavirus, in remote western Democratic Republic of Congo, officials are fighting a deadly outbreak of measles. More than 6,000 people have died from measles in the DRC in a year, the world's worst outbreak and triple the toll of the country's Ebola epidemic. It is also nearly double the 3,404 people who have died from the coronavirus so far. Last year, more than 18 million children under the age of five were vaccinated for measles across DR Congo and around 310,000 suspected cases were reported. The UN agency World Health Organisation had said more emergency funds were needed from donors for a six-month immunisation plan for children to help curb the epidemic. Second person dies from coronavirus in UKAn elderly male hospital patient is believed to have become the second UK-based victim to have died from the new coronavirus. The unnamed patient in his 80s is thought to have succumbed to COVID-19 last night while being treated at Milton Keynes, Hospital, Bucks. He tested positive for the coronavirus but the NHS is waiting for a second test to confirm the result, it is understood. Fellow patients on his ward were isolated this morning and a deep clean has been carried out. The patient is believed to be male and was in his late 80s with underlying health conditions. Hospital staff who nursed with the patient have gone isolation and a detailed contact tracing exercise is now undertaken to trace anybody who had been in contact with him. Family members and close contacts of the patient will be given advice and help. Today services at MK Hospital are running as normal. The hospital has been contacted for comment. Scotland case count rises to 11Five new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Scotland, taking the total to 11, the Scottish government has said. The new cases are from Forth Valley, Grampian, two from Fife and one in the Lothian health board region, which includes Edinburgh. In total there have been one in Tayside, one in Ayshire and Arran, two in Forth Valley, one in Greater Greater Glasgow and Clyde, three in Grampian, two in Fife and one in Lothian. The 99 best films on Netflix UK to watch during self-isolation Netflix has plenty of classic films in its catalogue – and in recent years, the streaming service has also produced some remarkably original films of its own, from the animal rights satire Okja to the Oscar-winning Roma. But for every award-winning drama, there are just as many trashy B-movies (such as the risible romance A Christmas Prince). If you need help navigating these murky, Sharknado-infested waters, look no further: in this star-rated guide, The Telegraph's film critics choose 99 of the very best – perfect fodder for if you find yourself stuck in self-isolation. Inventor of home pregnancy test develops coronavirus testThe man who invented the wee-on-a-stick home pregnancy test is using the same formula to develop a diagnostic kit for coronavirus. Professor Paul Davis, chief scientific officer of Mologic, a laboratory specialising in the development of rapid diagnostics, has won funding from the Department of International Development to come up with a coronavirus testing kit that can be used by health workers in developing countries where there is sparse access to specialised laboratory facilities. Prof Davis said the test would be as easy and simple to use as the home pregnancy test but would use saliva or blood rather than urine. Global Health deputy editor Anne Gulland has more here. Japan bars children from Olympic torch ceremonies over virusJapan has been forced to scrap plans to involve children in the Olympic torch handover and arrival ceremonies because of fears over the new coronavirus, Tokyo 2020's chief organiser said on Friday. Organising committee head Yoshiro Mori called it a "heartbreaking decision" to cancel a performance of 140 children at the handover ceremony in Athens. The announcement comes after organisers said they may have to scale back the torch relay and limit spectators because of concerns over spreading the deadly COVID-19. "A performance by 140 children was scheduled at the handover ceremony in Athens on the 19th (of March), but we'll put utmost priority on the safety of children and cancel their trip," Mori told reporters. Organisers have been scrambling to give assurances that the Olympics, from July 24 to August 9, remain on track despite the international outbreak of COVID-19. Two British Airways staff test positiveA British Airways spokesman said:
Telegraph has been told the staff are baggage handlers. FTSE 100 suffers another 3pc drop as virus fears aboundLondon's FTSE 100 index is down more than 3pc for the fourth time in a fortnight, currently roughly on track for its biggest drop since before the Brexit vote. The drop marks a painful end to a week of volatility on the stock markets, where traders have been running scared as the sizeable economic impact of coronavirus becomes apparent. Investors have ploughed into safe-havens assets such as gold and bonds in a effort to avoid damaging losses, pushing the yields on US and UK government debts (which move inversely to demand) to fresh all-time lows. Meanwhile, the price of oil has dropped below $50 a barrel, as Russian plays hardball at a crunch OPEC+ meeting. Most of cartel wants to cut oil output to force the price upwards, but they're unlikely to move without support for Moscow. Fears of a manufacturing slowdown have battered crude oil prices in recent weeks. Louis Ashworthhas more in the Telegraph's business live blog here. Ukraine lawmaker isolates himselfA member of Ukraine's parliament said on Friday he will stay home until next week after learning that a French lawmaker he had met in late February has since been hospitalised with the coronavirus. "Just stay home. There are no symptoms at all. But according to WHO recommendations, I'll stay home until next Thursday," Oleh Voloshyn told Reuters in a message. A member of France's National Assembly has been hospitalised in intensive care after contracting coronavirus, the lower house of parliament said in a statement earlier on Thursday. Ukraine has so far reported only one coronavirus case, a man who was hospitalised on Saturday in the western city of Chernivtsi. He had travelled to Ukraine from Italy via Romania. Met Police arrest two on suspicion of racially aggravated assaultTwo boys have been arrested on suspicion of racially assaulting a Singaporean man on Oxford Street, central London. The suspects, aged 15 and 16, were held for alleged racially aggravated assault following the incident in central London on February 24, the Metropolitan Police said. They have since been released under investigation. Victim Jonathan Mok wrote on Facebook that he was set upon by a group of men and a woman as he walked along Oxford Street towards Tottenham Court Road. Violence erupted after the group passed the 23-year-old, who has been studying in the capital for two years, and one made a remark about coronavirus, he said. In his account of the assault, Mr Mok described how, as he turned to face the group, one of the men said: "Don't you dare look at me", before launching an attack. The student said:
Police are still looking for two other people in connection with the incident. Fraudsters steal £800k in coronavirus scamsFraudsters are using the panic over coronavirus panic to target vulnerable victims with one losing £15,000 after trying to buy fake face masks, Sam Meadows reports. According to police, there have been 21 reports of fraud since the start of February, with victims reporting face mask scams and phishing emails. In total, £800,000 has been reported stolen. One email seen by the Daily Telegraph purported to be from the Government and claimed that tax refunds were being offered in partnership with the NHS to help deal with the outbreak, in a bid to harvest sensitive personal information. Officers for the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau said fraudsters were sending messages which appeared to come from research groups linked with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Boris Johnson gives £46m boost to find coronavirus vaccine Boris Johnson has pledged a further £46 million for research into a coronavirus vaccine and rapid diagnostic tests. The Prime Minister announced the funding during a tour of a Bedfordshire laboratory, where British scientists are working on a quick and cheap way to diagnose coronavirus. There is currently no vaccine available to protect people against Covid-19, but Mr Johnson said he hoped one will be ready in about a year. Our breaking news editor Gareth Davis has more here. Scotland's Catholic Church bans Holy CommunionThe Catholic Church in Scotland has banned Holy Communion wine and is getting rid of Holy water in churches, under new guidelines intended to stem to the spread of the coronavirus. A spokesman for the Catholic Church said:
Vietnam to host Olympic playoff behind closed doors Vietnam's women footballers will play the second leg of their Olympics playoff against Australia behind closed doors over concerns of COVID-19, football authorities said Friday. The March 11 game will be held in the Cam Pha stadium in northern Quang Ninh province. The Matildas are on verge of Tokyo Olympics after thrashing Vietnam 5-0 in the first leg of their playoff at home on Friday. A statement released by Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) on Friday said the match organiser decided not to open ticket sales to the public "due to the complicated development of COVID-19 outbreak". "Spectators should not come to the stadium area... avoid large public gatherings, to ensure effective prevention of the outbreak," according to the statement. VFF General Secretary Le Hoai Anh told AFP that "only accredited people can attend the game". Italy to Dubai to Durban: how South Africa's first case arrivedSouth Africa's first coronavirus case came from Italy via Dubai to the main airport in the eastern city of Durban, the health minister said on Friday. Zweli Mkhize was briefing media in Hilton, the eastern South African town where the man with the virus is admitted to hospital after testing positive the day before. Mkhize was correcting earlier reports that the man had come through the main international airport in Johannesburg. He added that there was currently no other South African coronavirus patient apart from the one reported already. Vatican reconsiders Pope Francis's schedule as city-state confirms first caseThe Vatican has said it was considering changes to Pope Francis's schedule "to avoid the dissemination" of the new coronavirus. It comes as Vatican City confirmed its first case earlier today. It did not say whether the Argentinian pontiff would be temporarily kept away from crowds or whether he would stop shaking hands with visitors. Francis has not been seen in public since announcing during his traditional Sunday prayer before crowds in Saint Peter's Square that he was skipping an annual spiritual refuge south of Rome because of a cold. The pontiff has cut down his schedule and has spent most of his time at home, the Saint Martha's guest house in the Vatican. "The cold with which the Holy Father was diagnosed is running its due course," Bruni told journalists Thursday. Francis lost part of a lung as a young man and suffers from sciatica - a nerve condition that causes pain in his hip. But he rarely cancels appointments and normally takes extra time to mingle with crowds. Peru records first confirmed casePeru recorded its first confirmed case of coronavirus, President Martin Vizcarra said in a televised statement on Friday, as the disease begins to spread around South America. The patient is a 25-year-old man who had traveled to Spain, France and the Czech Republic, Vizcarra added. South American neighbors Argentina and Chile also announced their first confirmed cases this week, while a number of cases have been confirmed in Brazil. Thailand blocks cruise shipThailand has denied entry to passengers and crew of a cruise ship that arrived at the popular Andaman Sea resort island of Phuket. Phuket Immigration Police Chief Col. Narong Chanaphaikul said his office would not allow the 2,000 or so people on board the Costa Fortuna to disembark because some passengers are from Italy. Thai authorities can prohibit the entry of anyone traveling from a designated dangerous disease area or require them to undergo physical exams or be quarantined. Narong said even though there were no known cases of COVID-19 abroad the ship, it would be impractical to check or quarantine such a large number of passengers for a one-day stop. Thailand last month denied docking privileges to the cruise ship Westerdam after it had already been turned away at several other Asian and Pacific locations. The passengers were finally allowed off at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville, and returned home by air. Elderly could be asked to stay at home if outbreak worsensElderly people will be urged to avoid crowded areas or stay at home entirely when coronavirus becomes more widespread, the UK's chief medical officer has said. Professor Chris Whitty stressed that pensioners should not be advised to isolate themselves at the moment, but suggested this would change as the virus takes a greater grip. Our health editor Laura Donnelly has the latest here. Taiwan sets gold standard on epidemic response Taiwan sits just 81 miles from the coast of China, more than 800,000 of its citizens live there and hundreds of daily connecting flights normally service business travel and tourism, but it has defied predictions of a widespread coronavirus outbreak and kept infection rates to just 44 isolated cases. As nearby Japan and South Korea reel with thousands of infections, experts say Taiwan, an island of 23 million, has kept the virus at bay through early intervention, a slick command structure, well-rehearsed epidemic strategy and transparent communication that other countries including the UK could learn from. Our Asia correspondent Nicola Smith has more here. Singapore reports biggest daily jumpSingapore reported 13 new coronavirus infections on Friday, its biggest daily jump so far. A cabin crew member from Singapore Airlines was included in the new count, which took the city-state's total infections to 130. The 47-year old male cabin crew had been in South Africa in mid-February and France in early March, but health authorities said he had not gone to work since the onset of symptoms. Authorities are also looking into whether one of the new cases may have contracted the disease in hospital, and announced new precautions to further separate patients with respiratory problems in wards. Slovakia confirms first coronavirus caseSlovakia reported its first case of the novel coronavirus on Friday, after a man whose son visited Venice tested positive. "Today, a 52-year-old patient was confirmed to be infected," Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini told journalist Friday. He said the man, who has not been named, is currently hospitalised in Bratislava. "The patient did not travel anywhere recently but his son returned from Venice a couple of weeks ago," Pellegrini added. The patient's sample was tested twice, so there is no doubt about coronavirus, according to the prime minister. "His son has not shown any signs of illness," Pellegrini said. More than 300 samples of suspected infections were tested negative in Slovakia as of Friday, local health authorities said. Case count rises to 45 in GreeceGreece has detected 14 new cases of coronavirus, health authorities said on Friday, bringing the total in the country to 45. A health ministry official said a ban on public gatherings would remain in force in three districts in the south-west of the country, and schools in the same area would remain shut until further notice. One of the patients, a 66-year old man who had recently returned from a pilgrimage to religious sites in Israel and Egypt, was in a serious condition, the official said. Zumba class found to be behind South Korea clusterThe first Zumba-related coronavirus cluster has emerged from South Korea. The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Friday that some 90% of 92 total cases in the central cities of Cheonan and Asan are connected by the dance fitness routine. The infected were either instructors, participants, their family members or close contacts, reported the Korea Herald. "It is still early to confirm, but a workshop of Zumba instructors held last month may be behind all those cases," said a KCDC official. Philippines logs two more casesTwo people who travelled to the Philippines have tested positive for coronavirus after returning to Taiwan and Australia. The positive diagnoses come in the face of the official Philippines claims of only five confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian nation so far, suggesting a silent spread of undetected infections. Two of the five domestic transmissions were confirmed on Friday, with one of these becoming the first local case of a Filipino aged 62 who had not travelled out of the country. Francisco Duque III, the health secretary, claimed that the case was not an indication of community-based spread. "There is no transmission to speak of as yet because we only have one. We're doing contact tracing to establish whether or not there are other cases or clustering of cases," he said, according to CNN Philippines. Men far more likely to die from coronavirus than women, analysis showsCoronavirus is far more deadly for men than women, with males 65 per cent more likely to die from an infection than females, new analysis shows. Our Science Editor Sarah Knapton has more here. Today – in picturesUS Vice President Mike Pence bumps elbows with Washington Governor Jay Inslee.  Don Giacomo Martino of San Tommaso in Italy delivers mass via Facebook and Youtube livestream.  Before and after: between 14 February and 3 March the crowds at Mecca's Grand Mosque and the Kaaba thinned out as fears over the novel coronavirus led to the the suspension of the "umrah" pilgrimage.  Egypt registers 12 new coronavirus cases on Nile cruise shipEgypt's health ministry said it registered 12 people carrying the coronavirus on a Nile cruise ship heading to the southern city of Aswan from Luxor, state television reported on Friday. The country had until now diagnosed three people with the virus, one of whom it said had fully recovered after receiving treatment 'I got it wrong on coronavirus – now my shares are down 15pc'Getting the impact of coronavirus wrong and failing to sell enough shares shows that pride truly comes before a fall, writes James Bartholomew. Read more from our Diary of an Investor series here. Nottingham logs first caseThe first case of Covid-19 has been confirmed in Nottingham. Dr Fu-Meng Khaw, centre director, Public Health England East Midlands, said:
'We are still in the containment phase'Boris Johnson was updated on the coronavirus outbreak in a call on Friday with Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, Downing Street has said. A No 10 spokesman said:
The spokesman said Mr Johnson will chair a meeting of the Government's Cobra civil contingencies committee on the issue on Monday. India poultry industry hit by false virus claimsIndia's poultry industry is reeling after sales fell nearly 80 percent over false claims that chickens were carriers of the new coronavirus and could pass it to humans, officials said Friday. Messages warning people to stop eating chicken because of the contagion have been widely shared on social media, including Facebook and WhatsApp, in recent weeks. While Indian authorities have repeatedly said there was no scientific evidence showing chickens could carry or transmit COVID-19, many Indians and restaurants have stopped buying the meat. "People are not eating poultry at home. They are not going out to eat," Gulrez Alam, secretary of the All India Poultry Breeders Association, told AFP. "Sales are down by 80 percent (since January). There is no demand."  India has reported 31 cases of the virus that has killed more than 3,300 people and infected nearly 100,000 worldwide after it emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December. Nearly $1 billion in sales of birds and meat have been lost, Alam said citing initial industry estimates, and there are fears the situation could worsen. The production cost per bird is about $1.90, but millions of farmers are fetching 14 cents in the wholesale market. "Even hotels we usually supplied meat to have stopped ordering in bulk as there is no demand," said Ramzan Khan, a chicken retailer in Mumbai, who is considering shutting his business temporarily. South Korean cases produce invaluable dataSouth Korea's aggressive testing policy on the coronavirus has produced valuable data about mortality rates, experts say. Since detecting its first case on January 20, the East Asian nation has tested some 140,000 people, sometimes reaching 10,000 a day, and introducing drive-thru testing for ease. Infections have spiked to more than 6,000 after a large cluster was linked to Shincheonji, a secretive religious group. Some 42 people have died. However, the country's transparent, mass testing policy has revealed a mortality rate of just over 0.6%, compared to the 3.4% global average reported by the World Health Organisation. Experts have cautioned that it is still too early to draw firm conclusions, but that the full body of data emerging from South Korea, in comparison to less comprehensive information in other countries, suggests that the virus could be less lethal than previously thought. "If we can test more people – whether they have no symptoms, mild or severe disease – the results, including the case fatality rate, are more accurate and representative when the whole disease spectrum is taken into consideration," said David Hui Shu-cheong, an expert in respiratory medicine told the South China Morning Post. Words by Nicola Smith in Taiwan. Is it safe to fly? Our travel team answer your Covid-19 questionsAs the Government ramps up its response to the coronavirus threat, there are growing concerns about whether it's safe to travel. Is it time to cancel holidays and put 2020 travel plans on hold? At 1 p.m. on Friday, the Telegraph's Chief Consumer and Culture Editor, Nick Trend, will be on hand to answer all of your questions. Email your questions to yourstory@telegraph.co.uk or check out this article here. Iran reports 17 new deathsIran on Friday announced 17 more deaths from the novel coronavirus, raising the total number of people killed to 124, as the overall number of cases soared. "We have confirmed 1,234 new cases, which is a record in the past few days," health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a news conference, raising the total number of infections to 4,747. The new cases "are probably those who had been infected with the virus two weeks ago and have just came to us with symptoms," he added. Lessons history can teach us about coronavirus, and how long it might last Dr Alex Rosenberg, historical author and professor of philosophy at Duke University, describes all the things we can learn from past plagues, and the trap China fell into here. Indonesia confirms two more coronavirus casesIndonesia confirmed on Friday that two more people had tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the total of confirmed cases to four. The two Indonesians were in their 30s and had been tested after being in contact with the first two confirmed cases, Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto told a news briefing. Indonesia had announced its first confirmed cases on Monday, a mother and her daughter who live in the Depok area near Jakarta. Germany reports 134 new coronavirus casesGermany on Friday reported 134 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, the Robert Koch Institute said. The number of cases rose to 534, up from 400 reported on Thursday evening. More than half of the cases, 281, are in the western region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state Trinity College Dublin closes city centre campusA section of Trinity College Dublin's city centre campus will be closed as a precautionary measure as a case of Covid-19 is connected with the campus. An email sent to students and staff on Thursday night read:
Cork University Hospital staff in self-isolationMore than 60 staff at Cork University Hospital have been asked to self-isolate after the identification of a case of community transmission of Covid-19 at the hospital. Confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland more than doubled on Thursday with the first case of community transmission also confirmed. Seven new cases were confirmed by the Department of Health on Thursday night which brings the number of cases in the Republic of Ireland to 13. Three cases have also been detected in Northern Ireland. Four of the latest cases are travel-related from northern Italy, involving four males from the east of the country. Two are associated with close contact with a confirmed case and involve two females in the west of the country. Cameroon's first case is a French nationalCameroon has confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus, a French national who arrived in the capital Yaounde in February, the government said on Friday. The man, 58, has been placed in isolation in a hospital, the health ministry said in a statement. In sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal has registered four cases, all foreign nationals, Algeria has logged 17, and South Africa and Nigeria have one case each. First coronavirus death in the NetherlandsAn 86-year-year old man infected with the coronavirus died in the Netherlands on Friday, the country's first known fatality from the epidemic, the National Health Institute said. He died in hospital in the port city of Rotterdam. The Netherlands reported its first coronavirus infection on Feb. 27. As of Thursday, there were 82 confirmed cases of COVID-19 there. Bethlehem goes into lockdownJames Rothwell in Jerusalem writes: Israel has ordered the closure of Bethlehem following an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, as the Palestinian Authority urged foreign tourists not to visit the West Bank. Bethelhem's Church of the Nativity, as well as several other holy sites, have been closed, while all hotel reservations for foreigners have been cancelled. A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority warned that hotels and hostels that stayed open would have to pay a fine. Israelis and Palestinians have also been told not to enter Bethlehem, while travel between major towns and cities in the West Bank has been banned. On Friday morning the typically bustling streets of the town where Jesus was born were mostly deserted. A British tourist who visited the church earlier this week said he saw groups of pilgrims and tourists kissing holy sites despite warnings of the rapid spread of the virus. Gaza appears to be unaffected so far by the coronavirus and Hamas, which controls the area, says it has no plans for special measures such as closing schools. The quarantine is expected to last for two weeks at minimum. Mask madness At a face mask factory just outside the South Korean capital of Seoul, workers are churning out 300,000 masks a day - and it's still not enough. Last year the Icheon Production Centre CNTUS-Sungjin Co. Ltd. manufactured 30 million face masks. Amid this year's coronavirus outbreak, it has produced 19 million in January and February alone. "We are assuming we will run out of materials in 20 days," said Kim Kyung-sig, who heads the centre. Across Asia, the spread of the coronavirus has sparked a run on masks in the hardest hit countries, as well as among those afraid that they could be next. Some governments, like those in Australia and Singapore, have urged their citizens not to buy or wear the masks unless they are sick. Other countries, like South Korea, have launched public information campaigns to encourage everyone to wear masks. Kim estimates that manufacturers in South Korea can produce just around 10 million masks a day combined, in a country of 50 million people. Coronavirus fear sees shoppers scramble for delivery slotsShoppers wanting their groceries delivered are being told to book early, as the number of people opting for home delivery has surged since the coronavirus outbreak. Most major supermarkets reported a jump in demand for the service recently and some customers are saying they are having to wait for days to book a slot. Waitrose has seen demand for home deliveries jump 17pc since the start of January. While online retailer Ocado is also experiencing "exceptionally high demand". Marianna Hunt has more here. Serbia reports first caseThe first case of coronavirus in Serbia has been diagnosed in a man who had been in Hungary, the country's health minster announced on Friday. "The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Serbia. It is a 43-year-old man from Subotica (north) who recently stayed in Hungary, in Budapest," said Zlatibor Loncar at a press conference. The man is in isolation at the Subotica hospital and his health is good, the minister said. The people with whom he came into contact have been tested. "There is no need to panic, you have to behave in accordance with the authorities' recommendations," added the minister who said the patient behaved "responsibly". Serbia is the fourth country comprising the former Yugoslavia to have reported cases of infection following Croatia (11 cases), North Macedonia (one case) and Bosnia (two cases). European health ministers in crisis talksEuropean health ministers launched crisis talks Friday on how to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, as the EU scrambles to gather protective medical supplies. "The virus is in Europe, the challenge is to slow down and contain it," Germany's Jens Spahn said as colleagues from the 27 EU member states arrived at the meeting. "The new epidemic is here," he said, emphasising the key task now was to slow the spread while treatments are developed. Spahn said that Germany did not yet see a need to limit free movement across borders within the union. Czech health minister Adam Vojtech said supplies of protective suits and masks were limited and that European health workers should be first in line as production is ramped up. "We're trying to negotiate with producers to supply the market, but production is limited. The demand is much higher than the supply worldwide. It is not easy," he said. Europe has not yet been hit as bad as China, but the virus is spreading across the continent and Italy in particular has a major outbreak, with 148 dead in just over two weeks. EU officials have stressed the importance of a coordinated response but major members like Germany and France have banned the export of medical protection gear such as masks and gloves. Vatican reports first case in Vatican CityThe Vatican said on Friday that a patient in its health services had tested positive for coronavirus. Spokesman Matteo Bruni said the discovery was made on Thursday and that outpatient services in Vatican clinics had been suspended to sanitise the areas. The clinic inside the tiny city state - which has some 1,000 residents - is used by priests, residents and employees, including those now retired, as well as their relatives. Bruni said the Vatican was getting in touch with all those who had passed through the clinic, as per protocol. He said its emergency services will continue, adding that the Vatican had informed Italian health authorities. Adviser to Iran's foreign minister dies of coronavirusAn adviser to Iran's foreign minister who took part in the 1979 US embassy hostage crisis has died from coronavirus, the official IRNA news agency reported. Hossein Sheikholeslam, "a veteran and revolutionary diplomat" died late Thursday, IRNA said. So far 107 people have died in Iran amid 3,513 confirmed cases. Cameroon confirms first caseCameroon's health ministry on Friday confirmed its first case of coronavirus, a 58-year-old French citizen who arrived in the capital Yaounde on February 24. It said the man has been quarantined in the city's Central Hospital. "All measures have been taken by the government to contain potential risks of the virus spreading," it said in a statement. Cameroon, which is situated in Central Africa, is the fourth sub-Saharan country to report coronavirus after Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa. The total number of cases on the continent is 29. Since the coronavirus outbreak began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, it has infected almost 100,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,000, mostly in China. Devon church closed for deep cleanSt Mary's Church in Devon has been closed for a deep clean after a parishioner was diagnosed with coronavirus, the Church of England announced. The person tested positive for the virus after attending a Holy Communion service at the church in Churston Ferrers on Sunday. A school in the town also shut earlier this week after a pupil tested positive for the virus, the BBC reports. Free Wi-fi for marooned Grand Princess passengersGuests on board the Grand Princess have been given free Wi-fi to stay in touch with their family as testing continues. A Princess Cruises spokesman said: "In collaboration with the US Centers of Disease Control (CDC) and local authorities, samples were collected today from 45 people on Grand Princess, which includes a mix of guests and crew members. "The samples were delivered to the California Department of Public Health in Richmond for processing. The results of these tests are expected by tomorrow. "Princess Cruises can confirm there are 3,533 people currently on board Grand Princess, including 2,422 guests and 1,111 crew members. In total, they represent 54 nationalities. "Following guidelines received today from the CDC, all guests have been asked to stay in their staterooms while test results are pending. "Guests are receiving meal deliveries in their staterooms by room service, and additional television and movie options have been added to in-room programming. "Guests have also been provided complimentary internet service to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ship's internet bandwidth has been increased." Bollywood 'Oscars' called off over coronavirusBollywood on Friday called off its Oscars night, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, because of the spreading coronavirus. Organisers of the Indian industry's biggest awards ceremony said they had to postpone the three-day event in Indore starting March 27 because of the "sensitivity" of the mounting health crisis. Bollywood's biggest names including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif were due to attend the gala. EU scramble for medical suppliesEuropean health ministers launched crisis talks Friday on how to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, as the EU scrambles to gather protective medical supplies. "The virus is in Europe, the challenge is to slow down and contain it," Germany's Jens Spahn said as colleagues from the 27 EU member states arrived at the meeting. "The new epidemic is here," he said, emphasising the key task now was to slow the spread while treatments are developed. Spahn said that Germany did not yet see a need to limit free movement across borders within the union. Czech health minister Adam Vojtech said supplies of protective suits and masks were limited and that European health workers should be first in line as production is ramped up. "We're trying to negotiate with producers to supply the market, but production is limited. The demand is much higher than the supply worldwide. It is not easy," he said. EU officials have stressed the importance of a coordinated response but major members like Germany and France have banned the export of medical protection gear such as masks and gloves. Reports of Vatican outbreakA Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter broke the news this morning. The Vatican has confirmed it was working with Italian authorities to keep the coronavirus from spreading in its tiny city-state, with a suspension of Pope Francis' weekly audiences seen likely. RFU's Mako Vunipola call was wrong, say Public Health EnglandPublic Health England coming down hard on the RFU's decision to ban Mako Vunipola from their camp ahead of the Wales game. They say it "was not necessary" and that Eddie Jones' decision makers got it wrong, which they say the RFU now accept. Vunipola had returned to the UK from Tonga via Hong Kong airport. In a farcical move, he was stopped from training with England, but his club side Saracens took the decision that there was nothing wrong with him - so he trained with them instead. Mass public gatherings will be stopped, Jeremy Hunt saysJeremy Hunt, the former health secretary who now chairs the Health and Social Care Select Committee, said that mass public gatherings would be stopped at some stage during the outbreak. He said the Government was taking its advice from its top scientists and medical experts, but conceded: "There's no doubt when we get to that final stage - mass public gatherings will stop for a short period of time." Britain should expect an outbreak similar to Hubei province in China, Mr Hunt said, where 20% of the population contracted Covid-19. The most disruptive time is still to come, according to Mr Hunt, who said the peak is expected between three and nine weeks' time. He said: "[We are] Approaching the moment have to intervene." Coronavirus now a 'global epidemic' and vaccine won't be ready for this outbreakThe Government's Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance has conceded that coronavirus is now a global epidemic. He also said that the vaccine for Covid-19 would not be ready to combat this outbreak. Talking to the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme, he said: "This is a wake-up call. A lot of people have been working hard on this. "We know that these things can happen...this won't be the last time we get a virus." Germany logs 134 new casesGermany has reported 134 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, the Robert Koch Institute said. The number of cases rose to 534, up from 400 reported on Thursday evening. More than half of the cases, 281, are in the western region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state. Boris and Carney team upBoris Johnson and Mark Carney have held coronavirus crisis talks as they prepare to defend the economy from the outbreak, write The Telegraph's Tim Wallace and Christopher Hope. It came amid warnings from leading economists that the contagion is pushing the UK to the brink of recession as it wreaks havoc with tourism, trade and business confidence. Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, told The Telegraph: "Given how slow growth was expected to be in any case, I think there's a serious chance you'd have a technical recession." The warning was echoed by analysts at Goldman Sachs. Mr Carney, in his final days as Governor of the Bank of England, said the Bank and the Treasury are closely coordinating their plans to prop up the economy. Bill Gates to the rescue?The crown prince of the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi tweeted on Friday that he had discussed cooperation in fighting the new coronavirus with US billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates federation, which has reported at least 27 coronavirus cases. "My good friend @BillGates and I discussed over a call the importance of enhancing cooperation between multilateral institutions and private entities in the global fight against all diseases and COVID19 in particular," Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the de-facto ruler of the UAE, tweeted. "We have been and will remain strong partners in this effort." Newcastle churchgoer tests positiveA church in Newcastle has closed after it was confirmed that a member has tested positive for coronavirus. Newcastle's first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon and the patient is being treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. It has now emerged the patient is a member of a church that has several branches in the region and letters were sent out to other members. It is understood the patient works for Nike in Sunderland and contracted the virus after attending a conference in Edinburgh, although this has not been confirmed by the firm. A spokesman for the church told ChronicleLive that the specific Newcastle branch which the patient attended has been closed and will remain shut until the end of March. The letter said: "Aside from the member who has been diagnosed, all those who are considered to be at risk have received personal contact from Public Health England and are undergoing the standard two week isolation period at home. "If you have not received this contact then please be assured that you are not required to do anything further than the general public." N. Korea releases foreigners from quarantine North Korea said on Friday it has released about 220 foreigners from a quarantine imposed as part of its vigilant prevention efforts to avoid an outbreak of the coronavirus that has spread around the world. The country has not publicly disclosed any cases of COVID-19, but outsiders are skeptical it escaped the virus that erupted in its neighbour and closest ally China and has infected more than 98,000 people globally. About 380 foreigners in North Korea had been placed under medical surveillance, state radio had previously reported. The Korean Central News Agency said Friday that 221 of them were released from quarantine. It gave no further details. North Korea has said at least 7,000 of its people were in medical surveillance as well. China tells citizens to avoid N. Korea border China has told its citizens not to stray too close to the North Korean border at risk of being shot by guards ordered to protect the reclusive regime from the coronavirus. Reuters reported that residents in the northeastern cities of Jian and Biashan have been issued a printed warning about North Korea's aggressive approach to keeping the virus at bay, and prohibited from fishing, grazing livestock or throwing rubbish near the river. The country, which is at serious risk if Covid-19 takes hold in its impoverished population, has already banned Chinese and other foreign citizens from entering, but the 880-mile frontier with China is notoriously porous and riddled with smuggling. Read the full story here. Coronavirus pop-up shop Washington DC has pop-up shops for food and drink, even marijuana. And now, coronavirus prevention supplies. As local stores sell out of masks and hand sanitiser, Adilisha Patrom, owner of a co-working and event space next to Gallaudet University, saw an opportunity and jumped on it. Inside, her storefront, different models of face masks and hand sanitiser bottles in various sizes are displayed along a stack of information sheets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A Florida native who came to Washington to attend Howard University, Patrom, 29, sells her masks for between $5 and $20, depending on the model. She also puts together prevention kits with masks, surgical gloves and sanitiser, which sell for $20 to $30. The high-end N95 masks are priced at about twice what they sell for on Amazon. But Patrom says her goal isn't to get rich. Rather, she sees the shop as a service to the community and says discounts are available to those in need and to senior citizens, who are most vulnerable to the virus. Bhutan confirms first caseThe isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has reported its first case of the coronavirus after a US tourist tested positive, the Prime Minister said on Friday. The government immediately shut borders to foreign visitors for two weeks in an effort to limit the impact of the disease. The 76-year-old man arrived in Bhutan from India on March 2, and was admitted to hospital on March 5 with a fever, where he tested positive for COVID-19, the office of Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said in a Facebook post. The post added that there would be "two weeks' restriction on all incoming tourists with immediate effect". Schools in three areas - including the capital Thimphu - will be closed for two weeks from Friday. Japan defends travel restrictions Japan's government defended tighter travel restrictions on visitors from China and South Korea, saying they were not too late to help slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, as Seoul protested the measures as "excessive". The new measures, announced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday, came after weeks of criticism he was failing to tackle the outbreak head-on. Starting Monday, people arriving from China and South Korea will be quarantined for two weeks at designated sites - Japanese nationals will also be subject to the measures South Korea's foreign ministry said it will summon the Japanese ambassador on Friday to explain the decision and receive a formal complaint. "It is extremely regrettable Japan took this unreasonable and excessive step without sufficient prior consultation with us, and we strongly urge immediate reconsideration," the ministry said in a statement. Pence visits virus-hit Washington state Vice President Mike Pence pledged the Trump administration's full support to Washington state officials on Thursday as the coronavirus death toll there continued to mount. The state has been the hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the US, with at least 70 confirmed infections and 11 dead. Most of those who died were residents of Life Care Center, a nursing home in Kirkland, a suburb east of Seattle. Researchers say the virus may have been circulating undetected for weeks. "As the state of Washington, and the Seattle area in particular, deals with the coronavirus, we're going to continue to make sure that you have the full support of every agency in the federal government," Mr Pence said after touring the state's emergency response center. "We know you're the front line." Mr Pence attended a round-table meeting with Gov. Jay Inslee, members of Washington's congressional delegation and local officials to discuss coordinating response to the outbreak. Bethlehem in lockdown Israel has imposed a lockdown on the city of Bethlehem over coronavirus fears as Palestinian authorities announced a two-week ban on tourists and shuttered the Church of the Nativity. The moves came after Palestinian authorities said seven cases had been confirmed in the Bethlehem area south of Jerusalem on Thursday and announced a 30-day state of emergency and the cancellation of large gatherings. All Israelis and Palestinians "are forbidden from entering or leaving the city", the Israeli defence ministry said in a statement, adding the lockdown had been imposed "in coordination with the Palestinian Authority". Israel controls all entrances to the West Bank from the Jewish state but the Palestinian government has limited autonomy in cities. The Church of the Nativity, built on the site that Christians believe was the birthplace of Jesus, was closed on Thursday and is among the sites expected to be shuttered until March 20. "We have decided to prevent the entry of tourists for a period of 14 days and to prevent hotels in all cities from receiving foreigners," tourism minister Rula Maayah told AFP. Saudi Arabia reopens holy sites Saudi Arabia reopened two of the most holy religious sites in Islam, Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and Al-Masjid al Nabawy in Medina, after they were closed for sterilisation to halt the spread of the new coronavirus, state TV Al-Ekhbariya reported on Friday. Saudi Arabia closed the sites to foreign pilgrims and traditional tourists from some 25 countries to stop the spread of the virus. It also said that citizens and residents of Gulf Cooperation Council countries wishing to enter must wait 14 days after returning from outside the region. Saudi Arabia has reported five cases of the coronavirus. It was not clear from the Al-Ekhbariya report if pilgrims would be allowed to return to the sites. Twitter expands banAs coronavirus fears continued to mount on Thursday, Twitter expanded its ban on "dehumanising language" to include disease. A rule barring such hate speech targeting religious groups now applies to "language that dehumanises on the basis of age, disability, or disease," the Twitter safety team said in an online post. "Our primary focus is on addressing the risks of offline harm, and research shows that dehumanising language increases that risk," it said. Twitter will delete tweets already posted that break the rules, relying on users to report offending comments. Australian school closedAustralia ordered its first school closure on Friday after a 16-year-old pupil tested positive for the coronavirus, as the country's Prime Minister warned the public bill for treating infected patients could top A$1 billion (£500 million). Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he has written to Australia's state governments to create a A$1 billion fund to treat coronavirus patients, though he cautioned more money may be needed. Australia has recorded 60 cases of the coronavirus and two elderly people have died. While the majority of those infected in Australia contracted the virus overseas before returning home, the outbreak is now spreading locally. A 16-year boy in Sydney, Australia's largest city, became the latest to be diagnosed. Desperate to ensure the coronavirus doesn't spread, the New South Wales government ordered the closure of Epping Boys High School for at least one day. Health officials said the nearly 1,200 pupils and staff will need to quarantine themselves. Death toll in Hubei climbs There were 30 deaths from coronavirus in mainland China on Thursday, 29 of the fatalities were reported in Hubei Province. The latest deaths take the toll from the outbreak in mainland China to 3,042. There were also 143 news cases confirmed in China taking the total to 80,552 - 126 of the new cases were reported in Wuhan. Cases in South Korea also continued to climb with a total of 6,284 coronavirus cases on Friday, up by 196 cases from late Thursday. The Korea Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention also said seven more deaths from the virus were reported, bringing the total to 42. Cruise ship passengers in lockdown Olivia Rudgard, in San Francisco, reports on the latest from the Grand Princess cruise ship. Staff from the US Centre for Disease Control arrived by helicopter on to a cruise ship off the coast of California carrying 140 British citizens, among the 3,400 passengers and crew trapped amid concerns that coronavirus may be spreading among them. Videos taken by passengers show helicopters hovering above the Grand Princess at 11.30am on Thursday, and staff clad in masks and protective gear standing on deck. Announcements made on the ship on Thursday morning ask passengers to practice "social distancing", by staying six feet away from each other, under recommendations from the CDC. Previously allowed to move around the ship, they were asked to stay in their cabins after lunchtime on Thursday and told they would be receiving room service for all future meals. Passengers were also given a hotline number to call if they began to feel unwell. Cruise company Princess said samples were collected from "fewer than 100" guests and crew. Samples are set to be sent to laboratories in San Francisco for testing and results are expected early Friday morning. Social media posts suggest British passengers on board include crew, guest services staff and entertainers. Family members of passengers expressed concerns about a repeat of the situation which emerged on the Diamond Princess, a cruise run by the same company, where the virus spread quickly among guests confined to their cabins off the coast of Japan. More cases detected in US Houston and Maryland have confirmed five new cases of coronavirus. Houston officials confirmed the first two cases of the virus on Thursday, saying the two were on a trip to Egypt with multiple people, including a man from nearby Fort Bend County. A day earlier the Fort Bend County man became the first Texan to have a positive test result outside of persons repatriated from abroad. Houston officials said the Fort Bend County man was on the same trip as the two new patients who are from Harris County. Maryland's public health laboratory has confirmed three coronavirus cases, Governor Larry Hogan said in a statement. The patients contracted the disease while traveling overseas and are in good condition, Hogan said. He provided no additional details. Chinese patients on Iran flightsThe northwestern Chinese province of Gansu reported 11 new confirmed coronavirus patients, all of whom entered China on commercial flights from Iran, according to state media. A total of 311 passengers arriving at the provincial capital of Lanzhou from Iran have now been quarantined, state broadcaster CCTV reported late on Thursday. Before the new cases, Gansu had reported a total of 91 infections, with two deaths, it added. Iran has confirmed a total of 3,513 infections by March 5, with 107 deaths, its health ministry said on Thursday. |
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