- by Elodie Bagnol and Biodun Iginla, BBC News Analysts, Rome
- A meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels this morning was postponed and the Croatian ambassador has put herself in isolation after she came into contact with a European Council employee who tested positive for coronavirus.Most of the ambassadors were in the room when they received the news.The European Council is working to trace other contacts of the employee.
- Serbia and Slovakia have both announced their first cases of coronavirus.Serbia's Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar said its first case was a 43-year-old man from Subotica in the north of the country who had recently visited Budapest in Hungary.The man is in solitary confinement in hospital and is in good health, the minister added."There is no need to panic," he said.In Slovakia, Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini said the country's first known infection was a 52-year-old man in the capital Bratislava. He had not travelled anywhere in recent weeks but his son had visited Venice.
- On Friday, the French president called on people in France to limit trips to homes for the elderly."We must avoid visiting our elderly relatives as much as possible," Emmanuel Macron said on a visit to a retirement home in Paris.He also warned that that the coronavirus epidemic will last for weeks.
- Twelve people on a Nile cruise boat have tested positive for the coronavirus, while not displaying symptoms, Egypt's health ministry has said.All 12 are Egyptian staff on the ship.The ship was heading to the southern city of Aswan from near Luxor, according to local television reports.
- Italy's Milan-San Remo - one of cycling's biggest races - has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, organisers have confirmed. The one day race was scheduled to take place on 21 March.Next week's Tirreno-Adriatico, a week-long race, has also been shelved for now.
- The mayor of Milan has sought to lessen fears surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. In a video, Beppe Sala encouraged visitors to return to his city."Unfortunately, some media report news on the situation in northern Italy that does not correspond to reality. We are hit by a crisis that knows no geography because this virus is a global health issue," Mr Sala said."We look forward to welcoming you back to our city with our warm hospitality, contemporary flavour, culture, design, food and our personality," he added. "Milan does not stop, see you soon."Italy is Europe's worst hit country, with more than 3,800 cases and 148 deaths. The infections remain centred on outbreaks in two northern regions - Lombardy and Veneto - and have damaged the valuable tourism industry there.
Social embed from twitter
A message to our international friends: we look forward to welcoming you back to our city!#wewontstop #gomilan578 people are talking about this - Government plans against the coronavirus must take "great care to protect the most vulnerable", the UN human rights boss has warned.Michelle Bachelet, the UN's high commissioner for human rights, said the measures to stop the spread of the virus would only work if they took into account "those on low incomes, isolated rural populations, people with underlying health conditions, people with disabilities and older people living alone or in institutions".She added that any action, including lockdowns and quarantines, should should be "necessary and proportionate" and must comply with human rights laws.“As a medical doctor, I understand the need for a range of steps to combat Covid-19, and as a former head of government, I understand the often difficult balancing act when hard decisions need to be taken,” she said in a statement.“However our efforts to combat this virus won’t work unless we approach it holistically, which means taking great care to protect the most vulnerable and neglected people in society, both medically and economically."
- British TV soap Coronation Street has confirmed that one of its stars has been self-isolating "as a precaution".Producers of the programme - the world's longest running soap - said the cast member, who has not been named, made the decision to self-isolate themselves."They haven't been in to work and they are showing no symptoms," a spokeswoman said.There has been no disruption to filming, she added.
- New photos show the holy Muslim site of Mecca before and after Saudi Arabia stopped foreign pilgrims entering the country amid coronavirus fears. One was taken on 14 February, the other is from Thursday. Saudi Arabia has reported five cases of the coronavirus.
- More than 700 people - including many students - are in quarantine in the Russian city of St Petersburg as they may have been in contact with an Italian student who was diagnosed on Thursday.There have been no coronavirus deaths in Russia and there are only seven registered cases.But there is growing scepticism and speculation about inefficient testing.President Putin has attempted to quash those fears, saying he had been told by the security services this was is a foreign ploy to misinform Russians and the only way to fight it was to tell the truth.
- Global stock markets have fallen sharply as investors continue to worry about the broader economic effects of the coronavirus.London's FTSE 100 share index fell more than 3% and there were similar declines in other European markets.Earlier on Friday, markets in Asia had seen big falls, with Japan's Nikkei share index dropping by 2.7%.On Thursday, US share markets recorded steep declines, with all three main indexes down by more than 3%.
- Cameroon has confirmed its first case, becoming the fourth country in sub-Saharan Africa to do so.The health ministry said a French man who had arrived in the capital Yaoundé nearly two weeks ago had tested positive. He is now in quarantine.This brings the number of coronavirus cases on the continent to 29.
- A rush on hand sanitiser to protect against the coronavirus has seen homemade versions spring up, including one based on a handmade vodka.But vodka maker Tito's quickly shot down a tweet suggesting the use of its spirits is strong enough for that purpose.Some people are combining rubbing alcohol and aloe vera for a sanitiser. That can work as long as the version is at least 60% alcohol.But posts on social media that suggested Texas-based Tito's Handmade Vodka could be used instead saw the company cite the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to quickly refute the idea.
- One of the world's largest cinema chains, Cineworld, says it is not expecting the release of any more films to be delayed due to coronavirus.The chain - which operates more than 700 picture houses across the US and Europe - says studios have committed to their film schedules for the rest of the year, but warned that there could be "no certainty as to the future impact" of the virus.It comes after the release of the latest James Bond film was delayed by seven months.Shares in Cineworld have fallen 7% recently, despite the company saying that the outbreak had not dampened demand at the box office.It now says it could look to reduce costs or postpone investment "should conditions relating to Covid-19 continue or worsen".
- Owners of restaurants in Chinatown in the Japanese city of Yokohama have been sent anonymous letters calling Chinese people "germs", The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reports.“Chinese people are garbage! Germs! Devils! Nuisance! Get the hell out of Japan now!” read one letter in red ink.Business owners often receive abusive phone calls and letters whenever social problems related to China emerge, according to the Yokohama Chinatown development cooperative association.
- A total of 140 British citizens are among the 2,500 people aboard a cruise ship being held off San Francisco after a passenger died of the coronavirus.There are another 21 suspected cases - 10 of them crew members - on the Grand Princess.Testing kits have been flown by helicopter to the ship after the death of a man in his 70s.David Chiu, a Democratic member of the California state assembly, said the ship may be kept in quarantine there for two weeks."It's got to dock at some point, our state's public health infrastructure and expertise is second to none, so the chances are if there's any place to dock - California is as good as any," he said."But that being said, obviously we all have concerns to ensure it's done well, both to serve the passengers on the ship and also to protect the broader community in California."
- The Dutch authorities have reportedly confirmed the first coronavirus-related death in the Netherlands.The victim was an 86-year-old man who had been taken to Ikazia Hospital in Rotterdam, local media said.
- We told you earlier that Starbucks branches in the US and Canada had temporarily banned reusable cups in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Well the ruling now apparently applies to the UK too.The coffee chain said customers would still receive a 25p discount for bringing reusable cups with them, but drinks would only be served in paper cups. Its Europe spokesman, Robert Lynch, said the move came "out of an abundance of caution".UK rail companies Great Western Railway and LNER have also banned reusable cups on trains - but GWR scrapped the policy after criticism.Read the full story here.
- Video has emerged from Australia of claw machines filled with toilet roll.It comes as Australians have been buying toilet paper en masse because of fears they could run out if forced to self isolate.This is despite authorities stressing there is no shortage - given most of the nation's rolls are made locally.
- Many large events are being cancelled in affected countries. Sporting events including the Six Nations rugby, Italian football matches and the Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix have already been disrupted. In the UK, the government has said it may restrict large-scale gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Biodun Iginla, BBC News
Friday, March 6, 2020
ANALYSIS AND BREAKING: First confirnfirmed case in the Vatican and beyond
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment