Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak include:
The global death toll reached 5,359, while 142,557 cases have been confirmed
In addition, 70,176 people have recovered, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. The institution draws from official figures, so the true toll could be higher.
The US president declared a national emergency
Donald Trump, who started out by dismissing coronavirus as a hoax, took the major step of designating it a national emergency. That allowed him to sweep aside a host of rules and regulations in order to try to stop its spread. But he repeatedly refused to accept any responsibility for his own administration’s response to the outbreak.
Europe now at the centre of the pandemic, WHO says
Its director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the continent has more cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined – not including China.
Downing Street U-turn as UK prepares to ban mass gatherings
A Whitehall source briefed reporters that ministers are working on a plan to stop “various types of public event, including mass gatherings, beginning next week”.
UK death toll reaches 11 as Scotland’s first death is confirmed
The nation’s chief medical officer, Catherine Calderwood, said the patient was an “older person who had underlying health conditions”.
UK could be added to the US’s travel ban, Trump says
Responding to news of a significant uptick in the number of UK cases, Trump indicated he was thinking of extended his ban to a country he has thus far protected, while taking others off the list.
UK sporting events and elections postponed
Almost all professional football in Britain, including a significant portion of the grassroots game, was suspended. Rugby fixtures were put off and the London Marathon was postponed. In golf, the Masters, which is played in the US, was also cancelled. Local and mayoral elections due to take place in the UK later this year were put back to 2021.
Host of countries announce strict new measures
Among them are Spain, which also declared a national emergency, France and Canada, as well as Cyprus, Bosnia and Switzerland.
Ivanka Trump working from home after contact with infected Australian government minister
Donald Trump’s daughter, who serves in the White House, will not self-quarantine despite coming into close contact with the Australian home affairs minister, Peter Dutton.
