With only eight newly detected virus cases, China’s authorities have again reported a new low in infections since the daily reports of the epidemic began seven weeks ago. The Beijing Health Commission reports that seven other people have died of Covid-19 lung disease. The daily increase in deaths was also the lowest in weeks.
The health agency had already announced on Thursday that China had passed the peak of coronavirus spread. The number of new infections with Sars-CoV-2 continues to decrease. The extent to which the official statistics reflect the true situation and the number of unreported cases is still unclear. Since the outbreak of the corona virus, 80,813 infections and 3,176 deaths have been reported in mainland China.
+++ 04:34 Canada’s premier and his wife in isolation +++
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, has tested positive for the novel corona virus. A spokesman for the premier said that she would remain in isolation for the time being. She feels good and has only mild symptoms of the new lung disease Covid-19.
Trudeau and his wife had gone into isolation after Sophie Gregoire Trudeau developed “mild flu-like” symptoms after a trip to London. The prime minister is in good health and has had no symptoms so far, it is said. The 48-year-old still wants to remain in isolation for 14 days, but should not be tested on the advice of the doctors.
+++ 03:33 Another 14 McLaren team members must stay in the hotel +++
The Australian Grand Prix has since been canceled.
(Photo: REUTERS)
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After the first confirmed coronavirus case at McLaren, another 14 people from the English Formula 1 racing team were quarantined. As a precaution, the team members concerned must stay at the hotel in Melbourne for 14 days. They were in close contact with the proven first case. It should not be the drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris nor team boss Andreas Seidl. McLaren had withdrawn from the now canceled Grand Prix of Australia after a positive test.
The other suspicious McLaren employees were released to return to the paddock to help with the dismantling. They are then expected to return to the United Kingdom. Then, as a precaution, they are not allowed to visit McLaren’s headquarters in Woking for 14 days.
+++ 02:38 Argentina stops flights from risk areas +++
In view of the corona pandemic, Argentina no longer allows travelers from the risk areas to enter the country. Flights from Europe, the United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Iran would be stopped for 30 days, said President Alberto Fernández. Passengers who have entered Argentina from the risk areas in the past two weeks must therefore be quarantined for 14 days. Those who do not abide by this can expect criminal prosecution, said the head of state.
The Olympic Games are scheduled to start in Tokyo on July 24.
(Photo: dpa)
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+++ 02:04 Trump considers Olympic postponement possible +++
US President Donald Trump can imagine the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Maybe, but that’s just my opinion, postpone it by a year,” the 73-year-old said Thursday in a media round in the White House. “Maybe that’s not possible either.” The Summer Games are scheduled to take place from July 24th to August 9th.
Trump said he didn’t want to give advice to the organizers in Japan. “You can decide that alone.” However, the US president would prefer a postponement of the event to an empty rank. Postponing the games by a year is “the better alternative than holding them without a spectator”.
+++ 01:25 First Corona case at the United Nations +++
At the United Nations in New York, there is a first documented case of the novel corona virus. A Philippine diplomat was tested positive, according to an internal letter from the UN mission. The last time she was on Monday at the UN headquarters on the East River was for about half an hour. The entire Philippine UN mission is cordoned off, the employees are in voluntary quarantine. “We assume that we were all infected,” it continues.
The case could affect precautionary measures throughout the UN headquarters. The United Nations had already announced to its employees on Tuesday that the 39-story building would initially be closed to visitors. The complex in Manhattan houses, among other things, the UN General Assembly with 193 member countries of the world and the UN Security Council.
Mikel Arteta has already quarantined.
(Photo: Action Images via Reuters)
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+++ 00:40 Arsenal trainer tested positive +++
Arsenal’s Spanish coach, Mikel Arteta, has tested positive for the corona virus. This was announced by the club of German soccer professionals Bernd Leno, Mesut Özil and Shkodran Mustafi on Thursday evening. The 37-year-old Arteta is already in quarantine. The club expected that a “significant” number of people, “including the entire squad and coaching team of the first team”, would also have to isolate themselves. The impact of the finding on the English Premier League schedule is unclear. Arsenal can no longer play games for at least 14 days – the maximum duration of the virus incubation period.
+++ 00:16 Bahamas do not enter cruise ship with infected +++
The Bahamas do not want a British company cruise ship with five coronavirus patients on board. The British company Fred said that four crew members and one passenger had tested positive for the virus on Curaçao on Wednesday. Olsen with. The Braemar ship had therefore had to deviate from the course of a Caribbean cruise, which was due to end in Barbados on Thursday, and headed for the Bahamas, where it was registered.
The Caribbean State Department of Transport said a few hours later that, in the interest of the health of its population, the ship should not dock there and passengers and crew should not disembark. The ship has a capacity of more than 900 passengers – how many were on board is unclear. There has been no confirmed Covid 19 case in the Bahamas and Barbados.
The café in Leuven was still open on Thursday.
(Photo: dpa)
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+++ 23:10 Belgium closes cafes and schools +++
Belgium closes all cafes, restaurants and discotheques because of the corona virus. Schools are dropping classes, all sports and cultural events are being canceled, like Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès after a late evening meeting of the National Security Council. However, parents who have to work could still send their children to schools for childcare. Grandparents should not take care of grandchildren because they belong to a special risk group.
The measures were designed to slow the spread of Covid-19 and would come into effect at midnight on Friday, Wilmès said. According to the decision, pharmacies, food and animal feed stores remain open normally. All other shops would have to be closed on weekends. The head of government called on the population to refrain from buying hamsters: these are neither necessary nor show solidarity with fellow citizens. A complete lockdown like in Italy is not necessary, said Wilmès.
+++ 22:30 top consultant from Iran’s head shows symptoms +++
In Iran, a top adviser to the spiritual head Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been placed under corona quarantine. Former foreign minister and current adviser Chameneis, Ali Akbar Velajati, has “mild coronavirus symptoms,” the Tasnim news agency said, citing the spokesman for the Massih Danechvari hospital in Tehran. The trained pediatrician Velajati is the head of the hospital that treats most coronavirus patients in the Iranian capital.
Iran is one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic worldwide. According to official information, more than 10,000 people have been infected with the novel virus so far, 429 patients have died.
+++ 22:19 Disneyland California closes because of corona virus +++
The Disneyland amusement park in California is temporarily closed due to the corona virus. The measure applies until the end of March, the park said. The hotels remained open until Monday to give guests time to leave, it said.
Although there is no proven coronavirus case in Disneyland, the park said. However, after a “careful review” of the guidelines issued by the California governor regarding the virus outbreak, the park management decided to take this step.
+++ 21:51 cordoned off four cities in northern Spain +++
According to the authorities, four municipalities have been cordoned off in Northern Spain because of the corona virus. The total of 66,000 inhabitants of the cities of Igualada, Òdena, Santa Margarida de Montbui and Vilanova del Camí should not leave the “urban core”, said the civil defense, on instructions from the Catalan regional government on Twitter. However, people are allowed to leave their homes.
These are the further developments abroad:
- Norway: First corona death reported in the Scandinavian country. An elderly person died of Covid-19, according to the Oslo University Hospital. There are 621 infections detected in Norway.
- Turkey: Starting Monday, schools will be closed for one week and universities for three weeks. As announced by the Presidential Office, all sporting events should take place without spectators by the end of April.
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaros’ communications secretary, Fabio Wajngarten, has been infected with the corona virus. Wajngarten had recently met US President Donald Trump.
+++ 21:38 Söder: The next five weeks are crucial +++
In the fight against the rapid spread of the corona virus, the next four to five weeks will be decisive, according to the Prime Minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder. All measures would initially be scheduled until April 20, after which an inventory would be taken, said the CSU boss. Chancellor Angela Merkel said this period was “very, very crucial” for how it will continue afterwards.
lpgAngela Merkel calls the situation “more extraordinary than in the banking crisis”.
(Photo: REUTERS)
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+++ 21:09 Merkel: cancel unnecessary events +++
In order to counter the spread of the corona virus, the federal and state governments are pushing to cancel “unnecessary” events with fewer than 1,000 participants. “This is an appeal to everyone,” said Chancellor Angela Merkel after meeting with the country’s prime ministers. Because of the rapid spread of the corona virus, Merkel also urges the population to refrain from social contacts wherever possible. Closing schools in entire regions is also an option, says Merkel.
+++ 20:59 Great Britain assumes up to 10,000 infections +++
So far, around 590 coronavirus infections have been identified in the UK, according to government chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance. However, between 5,000 and 10,000 people are probably actually infected.
According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the country is entering the next phase in the fight against the epidemic, the so-called delay phase. Accordingly, efforts are now primarily aimed at slowing the further spread. Johnson calls on his compatriots to go into self-isolation for at least a week if they experience symptoms of infection.
Note: You can read the most important developments from the previous day on the current situation relating to the worldwide coronavirus epidemic here read up.
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