Live Reporting
- It's 1 April, and a number of places around the world are warning people not to play pranks or spread fake news during the pandemic. Some governments have also highlighted their fake news laws and penalties.Thailand for instance has warned that those found spreading rumours online could be penalised under its strict Computer Crime Act, while in India, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh has tweeted a warning of swift action against "miscreants" who spread rumours about the virus.Germany's health ministry posted this plea saying "Corona is no joke", while Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen introduced a stern-looking "April Fools' Day Lucky Cat", who is pictured below saying: "This is not funny.""On April Fools' Day, those who can't help themselves can be humorous, but please remember, do not use the pandemic to make jokes," she said in her Facebook post, before listing a string of penalties for spreading fake news.
- The news was revealed by his brother, Andrew Cuomo - the governor of New York state.
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- There was no sugar-coating it this time. No optimistic talk of miracle cures or Easter-time business re-openings. There was just the cold, hard reality of the facts on the ground.“I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,” a grave-faced Donald Trump told the nation on Tuesday afternoon. "This is going to be a very, very painful two weeks."How painful? The number of deaths, based on current projections, is between 100,000 and 200,000.Mr Trump tried to frame this news as best he could, noting that the projections for US casualties if the government had done nothing were in the millions.“A lot of people were saying 'think of it as the flu', but it’s not the flu,” he said. “It’s vicious.”Of course, it was just a week ago the president himself was making exactly such comparisons, noting that the early fatality numbers were much less than those from the flu or even automobile accidents.Now, however, the seriousness of the situation has hit home. He spoke of checking in on a friend who was in the hospital with the virus - "a little older, and he’s heavy, but he’s a tough person" - only to find out he was now in a coma.“I spoke to some of my friends, and they can’t believe what they’re seeing,” he said.
- First quarter business sentiment in Japan plunged, the central bank said on Wednesday.The Bank of Japan's Tankan survey of business views for January to March was the first drop to negative in seven years.It follows the biggest GDP contraction in more than five years in the fourth quarter (October-December) sparked by a hike in the sales tax on 1 October last year that hit consumer spending.The survey did not capture the impact of the delay of the 2020 Tokyo summer Olympics now planned in 2021.The next two-day Bank of Japan monetary policy review is on April 27-28.The central bank already has negative interest rates, a measure designed to discourage commercial banks form buying short-term government securities and instead lend money to companies and consumers.
- US President Donald Trump has told his citizens they should brace for "painful" weeks ahead.Worsening projections suggest the virus might claim up to 250,000 US lives in the coming weeks and months."This is going to be a very painful - a very, very painful two weeks," Mr Trump said at the White House, describing the pandemic as "a plague"."I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead."
- Australians who return from overseas are now required to spend 14 days in quarantine in hotels.
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- Myanmar has reported its first coronavirus death, as the number of cases in the country continues to grow.The 69-year-old man also suffered from cancer, and died in the capital Yangon on Tuesday.He had sought medical treatment in Australia and stopped in Singapore on the way home, said the health ministry.It comes weeks after Myanmar denied that it had any virus cases - though this was questioned by experts.A spokesperson for the government claimed that people's "lifestyle and diet" had protected them from the disease.There are now 14 cases in the country.
- The coronavirus has been linked to 865 deaths in the US over the past 24 hours, making it the country's biggest daily toll so far.According to data from the Johns Hopkins University, the US now has more than 3,870 deaths from the pandemic, which is more than China where the outbreak started but still fewer than Italy, Spain and France.The number of confirmed cases in the US stands at more than 188,000, by far the highest number around the globe.
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When asked about the scarcity of masks at a news conference on Tuesday evening in the US, Mr Trump advocated using other methods of protection.- G'day from Sydney. Australia's cases have risen past 4,700 while 20 elderly people have died.Here's a quick rundown:
- There is much outrage over new laws restricting people from going outside, after police were filmed in Sydney driving through parks and ordering people sitting down (away from others) to leave
- It reflects public confusion over what a lockdown means in Australia. Schools and shopping centres remain open but it is now against the law to sit in a park. PM Scott Morrison has steered away from using the word "lockdown" but state leaders have used the word liberally
- Several cases have been reported this week among supermarket and retail workers
- And the government is flying Australian seafood exports to Asian nations in a $110m bid to prop up the fishing industry
- Planes will return from these nations carrying Canberra’s orders for medical supplies and equipment – an interesting development given local media reports alleging businesses in China are raiding Australia’s supplies
- And the Guardian newspaper has reported that infected passengers let off the Ruby Princess cruise ship in downtown Sydney last month now make up almost a tenth of Australia’s cases
- Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus crisis. Our reporters around the globe will bring you the latest developments as they happen, as well as information to help keep you safe.With global cases now exceeding 850,000, with 42,000 deaths, the coming weeks are crucial.For the first time, the US death toll – now at least 3,400 - has surpassed the figure reported in China.President Donald Trump has just warned of a “very, very painful two weeks”. Officials there have predicted that between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans will die in the outbreak.In the UK, a 13-year-old boy who contracted the virus has died. He is thought to be the youngest victim in the UK, which has just reported 381 more deaths – its biggest daily increase yet.Spain, too, has recorded its highest number of fatalities with 849.
