Global coronavirus update March 12: Canada PM Trudeau working from home as wife tested for COVID-19

The day's biggest development saw US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping measures to prevent people from 26 European countries, except the UK, to enter the country.




Governments across the globe continued to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak as 2,000 new positive cases of the virus were confirmed on Thursday. The day’s biggest development saw US President Donald Trump imposing sweeping measures to prevent people from 26 European countries, except the UK, to enter the country. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is quarantining himself at home after his wife exhibited flu-like symptoms, reported AFP.

China, in the meantime, has said the peak of the novel coronavirus in the country is over but its success in controlling the deadly disease has become complicated due to a global surge in the COVID-19 cases.

According to Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins, the total number of positive coronavirus cases were above 1.2 lakh. While China, where the virus originated, reported the maximum number of cases at 80,932, Italy stood second with 12,462 cases and counting.

Here are the top developments of the day:

Canada PM working from home as wife tested for COVID-19: AFP

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is quarantining himself at home after his wife exhibited flu-like symptoms. Trudeau’s office said Thursday that Sophie Gregoire Trudeau returned from a speaking engagement in Britain and had mild flu-like symptoms, including a low fever late, Wednesday night. She is being tested for the COVID-19 disease and is awaiting results. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Prime Minister is opting to self-isolate and work from home until receiving Sophie’s results,” the statement said.

The United States

US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping restrictions on travel from Europe, except the United Kingdom, triggering panic in EU stocks and hitting troubled airline sector. “This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history,” he said in a prime-time televised address from the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Taking a strong exception to his statement, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement, “The European Union disapproves of the fact that the US decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation.”

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives plan to vote on Democrats’ sweeping coronavirus bill on Thursday, according to a Democratic House aide. Republicans had called for a delay, describing the legislation as rushed and lacking bipartisan ideas. Democrats had earlier had paused a Rules committee meeting to clear the bill for a vote in order to consider proposals made by Trump administration.

Classes were suspended for two weeks in the greater Seattle area, which accounts for the bulk of at least 38 US deaths from coronavirus

The US Army has decided to reduce the number of troops taking part in massive war games that have been planned across Europe over the next six months due to the new coronavirus. The Defender-Europe 2020 exercises were set to involve some 20,000 American personnel, the biggest deployment of US troops to Europe in the last 25 years.

China

The Chinese government’s senior medical adviser, Zhong Nanshan, an 83-year-old epidemiologist renowned for helping combat the SARS outbreak in 2003, said the crisis could be over by mid-year.

“If all countries could get mobilised, it could be over by June,” he said. “But if some countries do not treat the infectiousness and harmfulness seriously, and intervene strongly, it would last longer.”

Spain

Spain cancelled top-flight soccer games, shut schools across a number of areas in the country and announced Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will hold his meetings by video, after a minister tested positive for coronavirus and the death toll nearly doubled overnight.

After an initial slow response to the pandemic, Spain changed tack this week after infections soared, declaring a ban on flights from Italy, closing some schools and cautioning against domestic and foreign travel.

The death toll from coronavirus rose to 84 on Thursday from 47 on Wednesday, the health ministry said, a rise of nearly 80 per cent overnight and a threefold increase from Monday.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will hold all meetings via video conference starting from Thursday after fellow minister Irene Montero was diagnosed with coronavirus, the government said in a statement. Montero’s partner Pablo Iglesias, who is deputy prime minister, was quarantined and all ministers will be tested on Thursday morning, the statement said.

Italy

Italy, the hardest-hit European country by coronavirus, has banned all non-essential travel and public gatherings until April 3 and closed schools and universities across the country. “The right decision is to stay at home,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said when he imposed the lockdown on Monday.

Daily output in the euro zone’s third largest economy is some 15 per cent below its normal levels, according to economist Lorenzo Codogno. Economic Minister Roberto Gualtieri had warned on Wednesday of a “significant fall” in gross domestic product this year.

Pakistan

A 31-year-old resident of Gilgit Baltistan was tested positive for novel coronavirus, bringing Pakistan’s tally of coronavirus infected people to 21, a health official said on Thursday.

With the new case, the total number of patients in Gigit Baltistan reached three, which is the second-highest after 15 victims in Sindh province. Two persons in Islamabad and one in Balochistan have also been tested positive.

Canada

Canada’s main stock index plunged 7.62% at the open on Thursday as the United States’ curbs on travel from Europe due to the coronavirus outbreak hit risk sentiment.

The Philippines

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has suspended domestic travel to and from the Manila area for a month and authorised sweeping quarantines in the region to fight the new coronavirus. Duterte, who was himself tested for the new coronavirus on Thursday, also banned large gatherings in the metropolis, suspended most government work and extended the suspension of classes by a month in new restrictions announced Thursday in a nationwide TV address.

Health officials have confirmed 52 cases of the virus, and two people, a Chinese and a Filipino, have died.

The United Kingdom

The UK, which is exempt from the US travel ban on most European nations, has not taken the stringent measures seen in other European countries, such as closing schools or banning large events.

The UK has 456 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus and eight deaths. But the centerpiece of official British advice so far is that people should wash their hands often in warm, soapy water.

Iran

Iran has asked for an emergency USD 5 billion loan from the IMF to combat the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The pandemic has killed more than 360 people and infected some 9,000 in Iran so far.

Iran’s economy, which is already battered by US sanctions, was choked by the virus outbreak, prompting all of Iran’s neighbors to shutter their borders and cut travel links with Iran, including shipping in some cases, affecting imports, as well.

Japan

Japan’s lower house of parliament has endorsed a legislation that will allow Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The legislation, a revision to add the coronavirus to an existing law enacted for earlier influenza outbreaks, is a controversial one that opponents say could severely limit civil rights, including the right to gather.

The bill, passed Thursday by the lower house, is expected to be enacted as early as Saturday after an expected approval by the upper house Friday.

Denmark

Denmark, which has 514 confirmed cases of the virus, on Thursday entered a virtual lockdown.

All schools _ public and private _ and daycare facilities will be closed from Monday, but many students are staying home already. Schools offered to take care of children but said there would be little teaching.

Ireland & Slovakia

Ireland will shut schools, universities and childcare facilities until March 29 and restrict mass gathering to slow the spread of the coronavirus, acting Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Thursday.

Ireland confirmed its first death of a patient diagnosed with the coronavirus on Wednesday as the number of confirmed cases of the virus rose to 43 from 34 a day earlier. There are also 18 cases in Northern Ireland, the British region which shares an open border with the Irish republic.

Slovakia will introduce border checks, stop international travel to and from the country and close schools as it steps up measures to battle the spreading coronavirus. The central European country, which has so far reported 16 cases of the new virus, also plans to close sport, leisure and entertainment centres like ski areas, pools and clubs, and will shut shopping centres over weekends among its measures.

Finland

Finland is recommending cancelling public meetings of more than 500 people until the end of May due to the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday, as the government prepares for the possibility of a third of Finns becoming ill.

The announcement came after country confirmed cases had jumped by 50 in a day to a total of 109, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare said, and after the Foreign Ministry recommended citizens avoid travelling anywhere in the world now.

(With input from agencies)

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