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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Simon Murphy (now), Matthew Weaver, Ben Quinn and Naaman Zhou (earlier)

First confirmed virus case in Africa – as it happened

Cairo International Airport earlier in February
Egyptian quarantine authority employees scan body temperature for incoming travellers at Cairo International Airport earlier in February. Photograph: -/AFP via Getty Images

Summary

Here’s a summary of the key points from today’s coronavirus coverage as governments and health leaders continue to battle to control the spread of the disease:

Updated

More from the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan due to coronavirus, as my colleague Justin McCurry reports how passengers are spending Valentine’s Day.

Travellers, who have been stuck on board for nearly two weeks now, are being treated today with Californian wine and a dinner menu including “Cupid’s avocado and shrimp”, coq au vin and a “surprise dessert of the day”.

As the boredom sets in for passengers on the luxury cruiser – which has seen more than 200 confirmed cases of the disease – individuals posted photos of their meals, tackled sudoku puzzles and played hopscotch during brief and restricted forays on to the deck.

First confirmed case of coronavirus in Africa

Africa has its first confirmed case of coronavirus after a person in Egypt tested positive for the disease, it has emerged.

The person, who is not Egyptian, is in hospital isolation, the country’s health ministry said.

The ministry said it had immediately informed the World Health Organization and taken all necessary preventative measures.

No other details are known yet about the individual who caught the disease.

Airline passengers who have sat within two rows of a person suspected to have caught coronavirus should be quarantined, according to guidance published by the government today for transport staff.

The guidance released by the Department for Transport states: “Any contacts of a possible case need to be isolated or quarantined. In practice for passengers who have travelled via airplane, this will include all passengers in the 2 rows in front and behind of where the possible case was sat.”

Staff working on planes, trains or ships are recommended to cooperate with emergency medical services at airports or ports if a passenger becomes symptomatic on board.

Meanwhile, transport staff should not wear face masks but instead stick to good hygiene to avoid the risk of coronavirus, according to the guidance. It advises staff not to wear masks as “they do not provide protection from respiratory viruses”. Instead, the best way of reducing risk is “good hygiene” and to avoid getting within two metres with a potentially infected person.

The World Health Organization (WHO) will join forces with China to start its investigation into the coronavirus outbreak in the country this weekend, the organisation’s director has announced.

The joint-mission will probe how the disease is spreading and its severity, seeking more precise details on the circumstances surrounding how more than 1,700 health workers have been infected.

“We expect the full team to touch down over the weekend,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“Particular attention will be paid to understanding transmission of the virus, the severity of disease and the impact of ongoing response measures.”

A British man stuck with his wife onboard a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan because of the coronavirus outbreak has criticised Boris Johnson and appealed to billionaire Richard Branson to save them.

David Abel, who is on the Diamond Princess ship with his wife Sally where more than 200 people have been diagnosed with the disease, said despite being a “staunch Tory” he had “no confidence” in the prime minister.

Abel said: “When he [Johnson] just says ‘keep calm, don’t panic’ - I’d like to see you in this situation, mate. I really would.”

In a Facebook live video, he also appealed for Virgin boss Branson to charter a plane to fly all British nationals on the ship home to carry out their quarantine.

He appealed directly to Branson, saying: “If you and your family were in this situation, what would you do? And please don’t say ‘chill out, stay calm’, that’s not what we want to hear.

I’m asking, what would it cost to hire one of your smaller planes, put all the Brits onboard, no flight attendants, packaged food?

Take us to Brize Norton, take us straight into the medical facility and let us do our quarantine there by people who can speak our language.”

Abel added: “I’m serious, Richard Branson, absolutely serious. I think he is the man, he’s not afraid to speak his mind. He’s the guy who could resolve this for the Brits.”

He continued: “Whatever the cost, we will somehow find a way of paying for that plane.

Don’t know how but we wouldn’t want you to be out of pocket on that. But this is just how damned desperate some of the passengers are becoming.”

The couple said previously that they had declined the offer to leave the ship and continue their quarantine ashore if they test negative for the virus. The vessel was quarantined when it arrived in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, at the start of the month after it emerged that a passenger who had disembarked in Hong Kong in late January had tested positive for the disease.

Updated

Eight Heathrow flights delayed amid coronavirus concerns

As many as eight flights at Heathrow Airport were said to have been caught up in delays or checks as a result of government health officials responding to coronavirus-related concerns over passengers feeling unwell.

United Airlines confirmed that staff in London had been providing assistance to a flight from San Francisco which had landed at Heathrow following reports of an individual becoming unwell onboard.

A man who had been on the flight said a passenger had been taken to the back of the plane ahead of the arrival of health officials before passengers were allowed to disembark after half-an-hour.

“There was an initial announcement that someone had taken ill and would be taken off,” said Andy West, a public relations executive at Hotwire, told the Guardian.

“Shortly afterwards he said that there was a suspected case of coronavirus and that the passenger had been isolated at the back of the plane.”

Updated

Alex Sobel, one of two MPs who has gone into self-isolation over a virus scare, called on the government to do more to track down those who may have come into contact with those with coronavirus.

Speaking to Sky News, the Labour MP revealed he found out through media reports that he was at the same event – a Bus Summit – as someone who has since been tested positive for coronavirus. He said:

I hope the government do properly put the resources into public health and tracking people. I found out through the media. I do think there needs to be a stepping of the resource and support for this, because it has got the potential to be a pandemic.”

Sobel said he was not on the official list of delegates at the 6 February event but he did attend a fringe event outside the QEII Centre at which several buses were on show.

He said he has since been in contact with Public Health England which is trying to track everyone at the event.

Public Health England gave the advice that I should take reasonable precautions. Right now I should be at surgeries with constituents. We thought it a reasonable caution to self isolate until next Wednesday evening. I’m still at the office as it all blew up this morning. I’m in the end meeting room in the office away from everybody else. Once I’ve finished all these media reviews, I’ll be going home, and then I’ll be isolating myself.

Like most MPs I’ve got a pile of things to do, things to read, things to write, Netflix to watch, I’m sure I’ll be fine. It is obviously much more important that I isolate myself in case I am a risk than being a bit bored or being a little bit stir crazy

The advice that we’ve been given is that as long you feel well, then you can carry on as normal. Because myself and Lilian another MP, come into contact with a lot of people ... we’ve taken this additional precautions.I’m not showing any symptoms. I’m fine. I’ve got no fever. I’ve got no flu-like symptoms. I’ve gotten to respiratory issues. But as you can present after up to 14 days, I’ve taken these precautionary measures.”

Updated

Professional golf tournaments in China and Malaysia have both been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, organisers have announced.

The Volvo China Open, in Shenzhen, and the Maybank Championship, in Kuala Lumpur were due to take place in April. Organisers are looking at rescheduling the tournaments for later this year.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said:

The well-being of our players, spectators and staff is always our absolute priority. While it is therefore regrettable that the Maybank Championship and Volvo China Open have been postponed, we feel this is the correct course of action at this time. We are currently investigating alternative dates for both events.”

Datuk Abdul Farid Alias, Group President & CEO of Maybank, said:

The decision to postpone the Maybank Championship was made after intense deliberation and careful consideration in the interest of all the players, visitors, working teams and partners.

The postponement of the Maybank Championship was not an easy decision to make, however, the safety of all stakeholders takes precedence, and we want to ensure that any risk of possible exposure to Covid-19 is mitigated. We will monitor the situation and work closely with the European & Asian Tours, as well as our other partners, as we plan for our return in the future.”

Updated

Here’s a dispatch from the opening day of London fashion week by my colleague Hannah Marriott, who reports that the coronavirus outbreak has dealt a blow to the numbers in attendance.

The majority of press and buyers from China, which is responsible for a third of global luxury sales, are not at the five-day event, she reports.

The British Fashion Council’s chief executive, Caroline Rush, has announced that heightened hygiene measures are in place at the central London venue on the Strand, with a “deep clean” each night and antibacterial hand sanitisers handed out.

Updated

Two MPs who went to a London conference alongside a delegate who has since tested positive for coronavirus are among more than 200 attendees who have been contacted by health officials.

A letter has been sent by Public Health England (PHE) to those who went to the UK Bus Summit at the QEII Centre in Westminster on February 6.

The attendee who has caught the disease is among nine people diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK.

Dr Yimmy Chow, consultant in health protection at PHE, said:

One of our main priorities has been to identify any people who we think have been in close contact with confirmed cases of Covid-19 to provide public health advice, as they may be at slightly increased risk of catching the virus.

While the degree of contact conference delegates may have had with the case is unlikely to have been significant, we have taken a precautionary approach and informed them of the situation.”

People trapped in Wuhan have been volunteering and checking in on the animals whose owners are stuck outside the city.

Second MP cancels engagements over virus scare

A second MP who was speaking at the Bus Summit attended by someone who has since tested positive for coronavirus has also gone into self-isolation.

Lilian Greenwood, the MP for Nottingham South, joined her Labour colleague Alex Sobel in cancelling her engagements until next week as a precaution (see earlier)

In a Twitter post, Greenwood shared a letter from Public Health England which has been trying to contact all those who attended the conference last week at London’s QEII Centre.

It advise that if she develops symptoms she should “stay indoors and avoid contact with other people”.

Updated

2,955 people tested negative in UK as positive tests remain at nine

Nearly 3,000 people in the UK have now tested negative for coronavirus, according to the latest daily update from the Department of Health and Social Care.

Of the 2,964 tests conducted in the UK, those who have tested positive still stands at nine. But officials have said it highly likely there will be more in the coming days.

MP cancels engagements over virus scare

Alex Sobel
Alex Sobel Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

A Labour MP has cancelled all his engagements after admitting that he was one of 200 delegates at a summit attended by someone who has since tested positive for the virus.

Alex Sobel, the MP for Leeds north west, said he attended the Bus Summit in central London on 6 February. Public Health England has been trying contacted everyone who came into close contact with someone who has since tested positive for coronavirus, including fellow attendees at the Bus Summit (see earlier).

Sobel said he had been informed he was “very low risk” but cancelled engagements until next Thursday as a precaution and is waiting to be assessed.

A spokesman for Sobel said he was not unwell and had no symptoms, but had decided to self-isolate at home until next week as a precaution.

Updated

Taiwan has accused China of dragging its feet over the evacuation of citizens stranded in the province at the centre of the outbreak, in the latest spat between the two neighbours, AFP reports.

Multiple countries have successfully arranged evacuation flights for nationals stuck in Hubei province where the epidemic is at its most intense and deadly.

But nearly 1,000 Taiwanese have been waiting for the best part of two weeks for a flight out.

On Wednesday, Chinese state media quoted local officials accusing Taiwan’s government of “repeatedly delaying” their return.

The reports said “political manipulation” was behind the delay but gave no concrete details.

For days Taiwanese officials gave few clues on what was behind the hold up as officials tried to broker an agreement behind the scenes.

But on Friday health minister Chen Shih-chung ended that silence, saying Beijing had “refused to cooperate”.

“The Chinese side has used all kinds of reasons to stall and refused our plans and recommendations. We deeply regret this,” he told reporters.

Taiwanese stuck in Wuhan said they have no idea what was causing the delays.

“Most people who are still in Wuhan and Hubei are very anxious and worried and we want to go back to Taiwan,” Hsiao Yung-jui, head of the Wuhan Taiwan Enterprises Association, told AFP.

Summary

Here’s a summary of events so far today:

A Harvard academic has defended research suggesting a possible underreporting of coronavirus cases in Indonesia, following fierce criticism from the health minister in the world’s most fourth most populous country, which insists it has no cases.

Professor Marc Lipsitch analysed air traffic out of the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak in China and suggested in a report last week that Indonesia might have missed cases. On Tuesday the Indonesian health minister Terawan Agus Putranto called the report “insulting” and said the country had proper testing equipment.

On Thursday, health officials in Indonesia, which has a population of 272 million and is a popular destination for Chinese tourists, said they were retracing the movements of a Chinese tourist who was diagnosed with coronavirus upon his return from Bali. No-one in Bali has yet been found with symptoms.

Hong Kong will give handouts worth HK$25 billion (£2.4m) to hospitals and businesses in a bid to revive the city’s ailing economy which has been hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

Announcing the relief package earlier, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the government would give HK$4.7 billion (£460m) to the Hospital Authority, as well as other one-off payments to businesses – including restaurants and travel agents – hurt by the spread of the disease.

It comes after Lam has been under fire, accused of mishandling the crisis, with figures showing Hong Kong has 56 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with one reported death.

“My biggest concern now is really for us to overcome this public health crisis together so that we could then focus on re-launching Hong Kong and rebuilding Hong Kong’s economic strength,” Lam said.

The package will need to be approved by the city’s Legislative Council, Reuters reports. Travel restrictions have hampered the city’s economic prospects. Hong Kong’s economy contracted for the first time in a decade last year as the city has seen months of anti-government protests.

Updated

One of the latest coronavirus scares was on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Heathrow.

In a statement the airline said:

“Our team at London Heathrow Airport is providing assistance related to United flight 901 (San Francisco-London Heathrow) today, following reports of an individual becoming unwell onboard.

“The safety of our customers and employees is our highest priority and we continue to work closely with local authorities.”

In this undated photo distributed by the North Korean government on 12 February, North Korean Premier Kim Jae Ryon (standing) chairs a meeting at the emergency anti-epidemic headquarter in Pyongyang, North Korea
In this undated photo distributed by the North Korean government on 12 February, North Korean Premier Kim Jae Ryon (standing) chairs a meeting at the emergency anti-epidemic headquarter in Pyongyang, North Korea Photograph: 朝鮮通信社/AP

North Korea is one of several countries with close ties to China which has not formally reported any coronavirus cases, but may already be battling the disease.

Officials there are clearly extremely worried about the danger of an outbreak, and have have effectively put the entire country into quarantine to try and prevent one, sealing the borders and stopping all international trains and flights.

Despite these precautions, there have been reports of cases in the north, and in the capital Pyongyang, said Jiro Ishimaru, the head of Osaka-based Asia Press, who runs a secret network of citizen journalists inside North Korea.

Speaking to the Guardian’s Tokyo correspondent, Justin McCurry, Ishimaru said:

“There are lots of rumours flying around that some people have been infected near Dandong, just on the Chinese side of the border, and Rason special economic zone (on the North Korean side),”

“I have heard from our contacts that some people in Rason have been put in isolation for 20-30 days to prevent an outbreak. There is an unconfirmed report that one man in isolation was arrested and shot after he escaped.”

The US state department has said it would “support and encourage” international efforts to help North Korea fight the disease, despite stringent sanctions on the country because of its nuclear weapons programme.

“The United States is deeply concerned about the vulnerability of the North Korean people to a coronavirus outbreak,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement, adding that they would back the work of both American and international aid and health groups.

“The United States is ready and prepared to expeditiously facilitate the approval of assistance from these organisations,” she added.

North Korea has only a rudimentary health system and in a bid to ward off the disease the government has tried to seal off the population from the rest of the world.

It has suspended international tourism, cancelled international flights and cross border trains, summoned officials back from abroad and sent home some South Koreans posted to a “liaison office”.

Pyongyang has also closed the land border with China, normally a somewhat porous frontier that people and goods are smuggled across in both directions.

The border closure has already had a dramatic impact on the economy, which is spreading news of the disease in a society where state media offer little reliable information.

“Given the North’s huge dependence on China for things like food, cooking oil and gasoline, there are shortages of daily necessities. People are asking why that is happening, and that’s how they heard about the coronavirus,” Ishimaru said.

“The authorities can deny that the coronavirus has reached North Korea, but inflation and shortages are a fact of life.”

Another cause for concern has been the apparent disappearance from public life of leader Kim Jong-un. This Sunday is his father’s birthday, when he would be expected to pay his respects to Kim Jong-il, the country’s previous ruler, at a mausoleum in Pyongyang.

“If he doesn’t do that on Sunday or Monday, then it might be a sign that he is concerned about the coronavirus,” Ishimaru said.

Updated

Vietnam has turned away a German-owned cruise ship with more than 1,000 passengers on board over fears of coronavirus infections on board, Reuters reports citing state media.

Authorities in Quang Ninh province, home to the Unesco world heritage site Ha Long Bay, decided on Tuesday not to allow passengers of the ship AIDAvita to disembark on Thursday, the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

“The vessel has docked in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, which have all reported coronavirus cases,” VNA said.

“Not allowing AIDIvita’s passengers to disembark is just a temporary solution to prevent the intrusion of diseases,” VNA cited a local official as saying.


Germany’s AIDA Cruises, the owner of the AIDAvita, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The cruise liner left the Philippines port of Coron on 10 February bound for Vietnam via the South China Sea, according to data published by the Marine Traffic ship tracking website.

It had been scheduled to visit Ha Long Bay, in northern Vietnam, on Saturday, then proceed to the Vietnamese ports of Da Nang, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City from Feb. 16-20, according to CruiseMapper, a website which tracks cruise ships.

The AIDAvita was 176 km (109 miles) south of the Thai capital Bangkok, according to Marine Traffic.

The virus’ impact on global travel was clear to see on a flight from Sydney to Hong Kong.

Belfast born ex BBC journalist Letitia Maria Fitzpatrick posted this image on board her flight to Hong Kong on her long haul way back to Europe.

Flight from Sydney to Hong Kong
Flight from Sydney to Hong Kong Photograph: Letitia Maria Fitzpatrick

The Australian based Belfast woman said the planes she normally takes back to see loved ones at home is full to its 270 capacity. This one had just 70 passengers on board.

Catering staff on the quarantined Diamond Princess where more than 200 people have been diagnosed with the virus have recorded a dance video intended to raise spirits on cruise ship.

This ship, which is docked in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, will remain quarantined until at least 19 February. Older passengers and those with chronic health conditions not connected to the virus have been allowed to leave.

Here’s footage from Sihanoukville in Cambodia today, as 1,455 passengers and 802 crew were finally allowed to disembark from the Westerdam cruise ship.

The ship had been refused port by five countries over Covid-19 fears, but tests by Cambodian doctors said no passengers had the new virus.

Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen greeted the passengers with roses as they left the ship.

A Channel 4 employee was taken to hospital to be tested for coronavirus on Thursday after being met at the channel’s London headquarters by health officials in protective clothing, it has emerged.

The person is understood to have been on holiday recently in China in the last month and had some concerns about feeling unwell. They are not a journalist and had not been to Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak.

The person, who works at the Channel 4’s office in Horseferry Road, London, has now returned home and are expected to get their test results in the coming days. They are understood to have had a light cough and had not been displaying any more than one symptom but opted to contact health authorities as a precaution.

A Channel 4 spokesperson said:

“On Thursday a member of staff at Channel 4 who had travelled to Asia within the last month felt unwell.”

“As a precautionary measure they decided to seek medical advice and, in line with the latest public health advice regarding the Coronavirus, they were taken to hospital for a precautionary test. We have informed our staff of this and continue to follow all the latest public health guidance.”

While there are commissioning editors at Horseferry Road, Channel 4 News is based at ITN’s headquarters elsewhere in London.

Updated

Singapore has reported nine new coronavirus cases – its biggest daily increase, according to the Straits Times. The new cases take Singapore’s virus tally to 67.

Six of the new cases are linked to the Grace Assembly of God church which is now the biggest cluster of cases in Singapore with 13 in total.

Here’s a picture of last week’s Bus Summit at the QEII Centre which was attended by someone who has since diagnosed been with coronavirus.

Transport Times, which organised the conference, said all questions about the event should be directed to Public Health England.

Updated

One of the people diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK attended a central London conference with more than 200 delegates, PA reports.

The person, who has not been named, attended the UK Bus Summit at the QEII Centre in Westminster on 6 February.

Transport Times, the conference organiser, emailed attendees on Thursday afternoon informing them that a person confirmed to be suffering from coronavirus illness - also known as Covid-19 - had been at the event.

Dr Yimmy Chow, consultant in health protection at Public Health England (PHE), said:

“One of our main priorities has been to identify any people who we think have been in close contact with confirmed cases of Covid-19 to provide public health advice, as they may be at slightly increased risk of catching the virus.

“While the degree of contact conference delegates may have had with the case is unlikely to have been significant, we have taken a precautionary approach and informed them of the situation.”

The case is not linked to the ninth patient with coronavirus in the UK - a woman from China.

The Transport Times email attached a letter from PHE saying delegates should take no action if they were well but to stay indoors, avoid contact with others and call NHS 111 if they developed symptoms such as a fever or cough.

“While the degree of contact you may have had with the case at the summit is unlikely to have been significant, we are taking a precautionary approach and informing you,” the letter said, as reported by the Financial Times.

The bus conference listed about 250 delegates from the nationwide bus and transport industry.

It comes after a coronavirus expert warned that the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories could lead to more cases in the UK.

Updated

We’ve updated our coronavirus (or should that now be covid-19?) Q&A:

Authorities in Taiwan have put out an appeal to locate three people who travelled from Hong Kong to Taipei on February 8 and who went missing during home quarantine.

Xinqi Su, an AFP correspondent in Hong Kong, has tweeted that authorities in the Taiwanese capital has publicised information about the individuals and asked the public to help search for them.

Updated

A senior White House official has called on Beijing to be more transparent over its handling of the outbreak amid moves by Chinese authorities to expand ‘wartime’ measures to limit its spread.

Here’s footage of Larry Kudlow, the National Economic Council director, expressing US “disappointment” in the response of China to the coronavirus outbreak.

He said it was a concern for the wellbeing of people in China, adding that the virus had been contained in the US.

Japan has vowed to step up testing and efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus after suffering its first death and finding new cases, including a doctor and at least one taxi driver, in different parts of the country.

The biggest cluster of coronavirus infections outside China is linked to a cruise liner quarantined in a Japanese port, with 218 people from the ship confirmed as infected and taken off to hospital.

On Friday, some of the ship’s passengers were allowed to disembark - with priority given to older passengers who have been confined to windowless cabins - to complete their quarantine on shore.

A passengers is seen on a balcony of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama port on February 14.
A passengers is seen on a balcony of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama port on February 14. Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

Japan’s NHK public television network said that a female taxi driver on the southern island of Okinawa had tested positive for the virus, and the chances were high she had contact with passengers from the ship during a February 1 call at a port.

“We will stay in touch with local governments and expand our testing procedures and treatment of patients in order to prevent the spread,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters, a day after a task force on the disease drew up measures to deal with it, including spending 10.3 billion yen from budget reserves.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, second left, speaks at a meeting against a new coronavirus, at his official residence in Tokyo.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, second left, speaks at a meeting against a new coronavirus, at his official residence in Tokyo. Photograph: Yoshitaka Sugawara/AP

Updated

Investors have reassessing the potential economic impact of the virus, it appears from movement in gold trading.

Gold dropped off a more than one-week high on Friday as hopes for global measures to counter the coronavirus outbreak increased appetite for equities, according to Reuters.

However, analysts said that interest in gold remains undimmed as the death toll in China’s Hubei province continues to rise.

Florists across Hong Kong say their business is down as much as 50 percent compared with last year, but masks and alcohol sanitisers have emerged as new favourite Valentine gifts for lovers, reports Verna Yu in Hong Kong for the Guardian.

A survey conducted by dating agency HK Romance on 572 men and women shows that masks and alcohol sanitisers are the most wished for Valentine gifts for women this year, with 30 percent wanting those, compared with 18 percent wanting flowers, 14 percent wanting jewelry or watches and 9 percent for flights and hotel stays.

For men, 32 percent want masks and alcohol sanitisers, while 19 percent don’t want anything and 11 percent want electronic products. The dating agency says it plans to host classes showing people how to make DIY masks as many simply cannot get hold of them.

Masks, alcoholic sanitisers, disinfectants and even toilet rolls and rice have become prized commodities in Hong Kong for days amid the coronavirus outbreak. Even public hospitals are running out of masks and protective gear, prompting widespread anxiety. The coronavirus epidemic has killed more than 1,350 in China, with one fatality in Hong Kong, while nearly 64,000 people have been infected.

Amid the grim atmosphere, 31 percent of men and 32 percent of women say they will stay home this year to avoid infection while 27 percent say they will go out for dinner anyway. Concerts and events across Hong Kong have been cancelled due to the outbreak while many shops and restaurants close early.

Children wear face masks on Valentine’s Day in Hong Kong, China February 14, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Children wear face masks on Valentine’s Day in Hong Kong, China February 14, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu Photograph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Updated

Chinese health officials have been talking about the impact of the outbreak on frontline health workers, 1,716 of whom have been infected.

Six had died as of Tuesday, with the number of infected staff rising, according to the Chinese health commission vice minister, Zeng Yixin,

“The duties of medical workers at the front are indeed extremely heavy; their working and resting circumstances are limited, the psychological pressures are great, and the risk of infection is high,” Zeng told a news conference.

Chinese officials and hospitals have repeatedly spoken of a shortage of protective equipment, including face masks.

Footage earlier this month of government officials in Wuhan appearing to take face masks intended for health workers has fuelled a growing wave of anger over how Chinese authorities have handled the outbreak.

Images of medical staff making protective equipment out of rubbish bags, sleeping in hospitals, and crying in frustration and exhaustion have dominated Chinese social media over the last two weeks, inspiring an outpouring of sympathy and donations of supplies.

Concern about the impact on Asian financial hubs has been heightened by the news that HSBC and Royal Dutch Shell have been sending staff home in Hong Kong and Singapore after contact with people infected by the coronavirus.

HSBC, which employs 21,000 people in Hong Kong, said on Friday that one of its employees has been placed in government quarantine after “close contact” with relatives diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The bank is also making contact with staff who may have recently come in close contact with the person and will advise them to observe 14-day self-care at home, according to the Straits Times, which referred to a memo confirmed by a Hong Kong-based spokesman.

“All employees have been reminded to be mindful of hygiene procedures and to stay at home or see a doctor if they feel unwell in any way,” the spokeswoman said.

“HSBC will continue to closely monitor the development of case and stay in close contact with health authorities.”

A couple wearing masks embrace in a train on Valentine’s Day in Hong Kong, China February 14, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
A couple wearing masks embrace in a train on Valentine’s Day in Hong Kong, China February 14, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu Photograph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

A senior White House official has called on Beijing to be more transparent over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak as Chinese authorities expanded “wartime” measures to limit its spread, reports Lily Kuo is the Guardian’s Beijing bureau chief

Casualties from coronavirus reached nearly 1,400, with more than 5,000 new cases reported on Friday, dampening optimism that the virus will soon be contained.

At a meeting of senior leaders in Beijing leading the government’s response to the crisis, officials called for other areas to “adopt quarantine and rescue measures equal to that of Wuhan”, which has been under lockdown for more than two weeks, including centralising and quarantining patients.

The meeting, held on Thursday and chaired by premier Li Keqiang called on Wuhan to “speed up” classifying and quarantining residents suspected or confirmed of contracting the virus. It came as a top White House official called on Beijing to be more open.

The first group of French nationals repatriated from China due to the coronavirus outbreak returned to the outside world today after two weeks in quarantine, Reuters reports.

None of the 181 involved - who had been flown home from Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic - tested positive for the virus, local health officials said.

“There have been no problems ...but people are happy that it’s over,” Marc Zyltman, Red Cross head at the southern holiday resort of Carry-Le-Rouet where they were quarantined, told reporters.

A further 157 people remain in quarantine in southern France, of whom 122 will be allowed home on Feb. 16 and the remainder on Febuary 23.

France has recorded 11 cases of the virus, out of a global total of 63,851, of whom the vast majority are in China. The epidemic has killed close to 1,400 people.

A bus carrying French citizens repatriated from Wuhan leaves the Vacanciel hotel club resort, where they had been quarantined for 14 days, in Carry-le-Rouet, southern France, 14 February 2020. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER
A bus carrying French citizens repatriated from Wuhan leaves the Vacanciel hotel club resort, where they had been quarantined for 14 days, in Carry-le-Rouet, southern France, 14 February 2020. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER Photograph: Sébastien Nogier/EPA

Updated

China’s public broadcasting network, CCTV, has been showing images of what it reports is “the third batch” of 35 patients transferred to the Leishenshan (Thunder God Mountain) Hospital in Wuhan, one of two new hospitals built over the course of a few weeks as the official face of the country’s struggle against coronavirus.

Four days after its opening, this week the larger Leishenshan hospital had only 90 patients, on wards designed for 1,600, but was reporting no spare beds, Wuhan city health data, first reported by the Chinese magazine Caixin, showed.

The other facility, Huoshenshan, had not yet filled its 1,000 beds a week after opening.

This is Ben Quinn (@BenQuinn75) picking up the blog now in London.

Reuters reports that 1,716 health workers have been infected by the coronavirus and six of them have died, as of Tuesday.

China National Health Commission Vice Minister Zeng Yixin said on Friday that, at a press conference about protecting medical workers, said the number of infected medical staff is increasing.

Chinese officials and hospitals have repeatedly noted a shortage of protective equipment, including face masks, as the disease took hold in Hubei and spread throughout the country.

Nurse Zhou Li wears a protective suit before entering a ward at Xianghu Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University in Nanchang, east China’s Jiangxi Province
Nurse Zhou Li wears a protective suit before entering a ward at Xianghu Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University in Nanchang, east China’s Jiangxi Province Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Lily Kuo has the latest from China, where wartime measures are being expanded to more cities, as a US official has questioned whether Beijing is being transparent over the outbreak. Read the full story here:

Summary so far

So far today:

  • The total death toll in mainland China rose to 1,380 – after 121 new deaths were recorded on Thursday, but also after 108 deaths were removed due to supposed double-counting.
  • The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China rose to 63,851, a rise of 5,090 new cases.
  • A cruise ship, docked in Sydney, has been given the all clear after a person tested negative for the virus. Earlier, media reports erroneously claimed the ship was in lockdown.
  • In Cambodia, the more than 2000 passengers and crew of the Westerdam cruise ship finally disembarked, after 20 of its passengers were tested and cleared of the virus. The ship had been refused entry to five different countries.
  • A 78-year old man and an 18-month old toddler are still among the Australian citizens still stranded in Wuhan.
  • Japan recorded its first death from the new coronavirus, which is the third coronavirus fatality outside mainland China.
  • It was confirmed that yesterday’s large spike in recorded deaths and cases was due to China changing the methodology of confirming cases, and broadening the definition.

108 deaths were double-counted, as US criticises lack of transparency

An explanation here for shifting numbers.

China’s National Health Commission has said it removed 108 deaths from its national total because it made a statistical error, according to Agence France-Presse.

On Friday, Hubei’s health commission said an extra 116 people had died in the province overnight, and more than 4,800 new cases were reported. However, it also removed 108 deaths from the running total, saying they had been double counted.

That leaves the total number of deaths so far, in mainland China, at 1,380.

Three people have died outside of China: in Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

The number of cases and deaths was also revised upwards yesterday, when China announced it was changing its methodology for registering Covid-19 cases.

Previously, the government was only counting cases that had been confirmed in a laboratory as the new coronavirus. Yesterday, they changed that to cases where a doctor observed a chest infection on a CT scan.

This led to a jump of 13,300 extra cases, which go back retrospectively days or weeks. 254 new deaths were also added.

Michael Ryan, the head of World Health Organisation’s health emergencies programme, said this “does not represent a significant change in the trajectory of the outbreak” – because it was retrospective.

Meanwhile, Larry Kudlow, the director of the US National Economic Council, said he was “disappointed in the lack of transparency coming from the Chinese”.

Reports here of lockdowns and quarantine measures that have begun to start in Shanghai.

In broader medical news, generic drugmakers from India may face shortages and price hikes due to the knock-on effect of the Covid-19 outbreak, analysts say.

Indian companies procure almost 70% of their active pharmaceutical ingredients from China, Reuters report.

“We are comfortably placed with eight to 10 weeks of key inventory in place,” said Debabrata Chakravorty, head of global sourcing and supply chain for Lupin Ltd, adding that the company does have some local suppliers for ingredients.

An extended outbreak that limits the volume of active ingredients and drugs available for export from China could lead to drug shortages and price increases, particularly in the United States - where prices are subject to market forces - according to rating agency Moody’s.

India supplies nearly a third of medicines sold in the United States.

Daara Patel, secretary general of the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association, which represents over 900 drug producers, said he expects supplies to be disrupted from April.

Patel said vitamins and antibiotics are likely to be among the hardest hit as India is a major global producer of both.

Sudarshan Jain, secretary general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance trade group, said there are no API shortages at the moment because drugmakers had stocked up on inventory ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday in China, which was later extended to contain the virus.

Sydney cruise ship given all clear

A person has been tested for the new coronavirus on a cruise ship moored in Sydney and does not have the virus, NSW Health have confirmed.

Earlier this morning, media reports in other outlets incorrectly said a man had a confirmed case on board the Norwegian Jewel, which had sailed from New Zealand.

NSW Health had said earlier that “none [of the passengers] had been in China in the previous 14 days and there was no outbreak of any disease on board”.

Three people were transferred to hospital from the cruise ship, but this was not due to Covid-19, and were in fact “pre-booked by the cruise ship”

But NSW Health said they did test one person, but this was “a precaution and “there is no indication that the person is at particular risk of Covid-19.”

“There is no concern for other passengers or people in and around Circular Quay,” they said.

Ketchup and cola factories are partially closing across China, as confirmed by the Kraft Heinz company and PepsiCo.

Pepsi has closed one of its six Chinese factories ever since the Chinese New Year, but it is expected to open again soon, Bloomberg reports.

But both companies say disruption will be minimal, and Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio said only 2% of its sales came from China.

Some odd scenes in Sihanoukville in Cambodia today, as 1,455 passengers and 802 crew were finally allowed to disembark from the Westerdam cruise ship.

The ship had been refused port by five countries over Covid-19 fears, but tests by Cambodian doctors said no passengers had the new virus.

Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen greeted the passengers with roses as they left the ship.

Anna Marie Melon, from Queensland, said that Hun Sen had “a wonderful heart” as he handed a rose to her.

“Cambodia alone, even the United States, Guam, did not let us land, but Cambodia did, so thats wonderful,” said American Joe Spaziani to Associated Press.

“We appreciate it very very much. Its been a long struggle and we appreciate everyone being here.”

Domestically, Hun Sen has been criticised for arresting political opponents, and was described a “fully fledged military dictator” by Human Rights Watch. The former Khmer Rouge member has been in power for 35 years, making him the world’s longest-serving prime minister.

And here’s some much needed explanation on why the figures and death toll have changed so rapidly recently.

The big spike in confirmed cases and deaths yesterday was the result of the Chinese government changing the way it classifies new cases.

Previously, the government was only counting cases that had been confirmed in a laboratory as the new coronavirus. Yesterday, they changed that to cases where a doctor observed a chest infection on a CT scan.

This led to a jump of 13,300 extra cases, which go back retrospectively days or weeks. 254 new deaths were also recorded.

Japan has vowed to step up testing and containment of Covid-19 after the country recorded its first death, Reuters report.

On Thursday, Japan’s health ministry confirmed a woman in her 80s living in Kanagawa prefecture, just to the west of Tokyo, had died.

“We will stay in touch with local governments and expand our testing procedures and treatment of patients in order to prevent the spread of the illness,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters, a day after a task force on the disease drew up new measures to deal with it, including spending 10.3 billion yen from budget reserves.

But chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Sugaand health minister Katsunobu Kato said there was no evidence the new coronavirus, was spreading widely in Japan.

1,380 deaths in China

The latest national government figures are in – there have been a total of 1,380 deaths in mainland China since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak.

This comes after 116 new deaths were recorded just in the Hubei province. That is a drop in the rate of new deaths and new cases, compared to yesterday.

There are now a total of 55,748 confirmed cases across mainland China.

Figures on the unofficial Tencent tracker are still higher than these government figures, by about 100 deaths.

And more on cruises, Royal Caribbean – whose ships have not yet been hit by either a Covid-19 case or Covid-19 scare – is still cancelling 18 of its cruises.

As reported by Bloomberg News, this will reduce its earnings by 65 US cents a share this year.

Summary

Today so far:

  • 116 new deaths, and 4,823 new cases were confirmed in Hubei – which is a drop in the rate of new deaths and cases.
  • Japan recorded its first death, only the third coronavirus fatality outside mainland China.
  • In Cambodia, the Westerdam cruise ship has been cleared of coronavirus cases by the Cambodian health ministry. 20 tests came back negative, the cruise operator said. Passengers have now started disembarking.
  • In Sydney, NSW Health said there was no confirmed coronavirus, and no “outbreak of disease” on a cruise ship docked in Sydney harbour. One person is being tested for the disease as a precaution, but they had not been in China over the past 14 days.
  • China’s chicken shipments have been diverted to other countries, due to a lack of freezer space at its ports, as lockdowns lead to lower food consumption.

An elderly Australian man, from Perth, has reportedly tested positive for the new coronavirus while on another cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, which has multiple confirmed cases – unlike the Westerdam and the Norwegian Jewel.

His daughter told ABC radio that her father, Val, had tested positive and would be taken to hospital in Japan.

The woman, Marcelly, did not give her surname to the ABC.

Passengers from the Westerdam – the cruise ship denied entry to five countries – have begun disembarking in Cambodia after tests for coronavirus came back negative.

Passengers leave the Westerdam cruise ship in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on Friday.
Passengers leave the Westerdam cruise ship in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on Friday. Photograph: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP via Getty Images
A passenger waves from a bus after she disembarked from the MS Westerdam, at the port of Sihanoukville in Cambodia on Friday.
A passenger waves from a bus after she disembarked from the MS Westerdam, at the port of Sihanoukville in Cambodia on Friday. Photograph: Heng Sinith/AP

China’s incoming chicken shipments have also been disrupted, according to Reuters

This is due to consumption slowing down due to so many cities under lock down. As a result, freezer space is running out in China’s ports.

Reuters report:

“Ships carrying refrigerated cargo containers of chicken from the United States to China are being diverted to ports in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a U.S. poultry export trade group.

“Chinese ports have run out of space for refrigerated containers, Jim Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, told Reuters on Thursday.

“Frozen and refrigerated product is starting to spoil because of the lack of available power, a manager for a Los Angeles port terminal operator said.”

Updated

Speaking of, researchers from East Anglia University in the UK say that misinformation and conspiracy theories about on coronavirus could cost lives – because people stop following actual health advice.

Updated

Further statement from Norwegian Cruise Line:

“During Norwegian Jewel’s sailing from Auckland to Sydney, a few guests on board experienced a stomach-related illness. To mitigate any impact of this rare occurrence, we implemented stringent sanitation procedures.

“There are various false inflammatory media reports regarding the ship...The vessel remains in operation, and all guests onboard are in good health.”

"No outbreak of disease" on Sydney cruise ship

The official NSW Health statement is in, on the conflicting reports around a cruse ship docked in Sydney, the Norwegian Jewel.

“None [of the passengers] had been in China in the previous 14 days and there was no outbreak of any disease on board,” NSW Health said. “There were 3 routine medical transfers, none related to respiratory illness.”

However, “one person has been tested for respiratory illness on board with results expected this afternoon”.

But NSW Health say this was “a precaution and “there is no indication that the person is at particular risk of Covid-19.”

“At this point there is no concern for other passengers or people in and around Circular Quay.”

Earlier, the operator of the ship said media reports about coronavirus on board were false.

“This morning there were various false media reports related to an illness on board our ship,” they said. “There is absolutely no truth to this. The vessel remains in operation, and all guests onboard are in good health.”

The Norwegian Jewel, registered in the Bahamas, is a 15-year-old cruise ship with a capacity of nearly 2,400 passengers.

It departed from Dunedin four days ago, having been sailing between ports in New Zealand.

Westerdam passengers test negative

In other cruise ship news, the Westerdam – which has been turned away from five different countries over coronavirus fears – has said that 20 of its passengers have been tested and do not have the new virus.

The ship has always maintained that it has no sick passengers, but was it was refused entry by multiple countries because it had been in Hong Kong two weeks ago. It was eventually allowed to dock in Cambodia.

Just now, the cruise operator, Holland America Line announced: “20 samples taken onboard Westerdam have all been confirmed as negative for coronavirus by the Pasteur Laboratory in Phnom Penh”.

“As stated in previous communications, there were never any suspected cases of coronavirus on board.”

The ship has 1,455 passengers and 802 crew, and Cambodian authorities have given the ship permission to disembark its passengers.

“We sincerely thank all those in Cambodia who have demonstrated a willingness to welcome us with an open mind and make decisions based on facts,” Stein Kruse, the CEO of Holland American Line said.

“This has all been a terrible and unfortunate misunderstanding that has impacted 2,257 people on board and hundreds of others shoreside,” he said.

78-year old man and 18-month old toddler among Australians still stranded in Wuhan

A 78-year old, former Royal Australian Air Force engineer is the latest Australian to be confirmed as still stranded in the Wuhan, as reported exclusively by myself and my colleague Ben Doherty.

This comes after we revealed that an 18-month old toddler, also an Australian citizen, was still in the Hubei province, under lockdown, and had not been given a place on one of the Australian evacuation flights.

The flights were supposed to prioritise the elderly, the young and the “isolated and vulnerable”.

Now Garry Ridder has spoken to us as well, saying that when he asked if 78 qualified as old, he got “no response but a quiet chuckle.”

Earlier, other stranded Australians said the priority process was unclear, and they felt they were being “swept under the carpet”. Desmond Lim, whose wife is still trapped in Wuhan, said he felt like they were being punished for following the process.

“The mantra of most army units in the world is ‘Leave no one behind’,” Ridder told Guardian Australia. “This is obviously not in the Australian government’s playbook.”

Updated

The US state department has issued a statement saying it is “deeply concerned” about North Korea’s vulnerability to the new coronavirus.

“The US is deeply concerned about the vulnerability of the North Korean people to a coronavirus outbreak...The US is ready and prepared to expeditiously facilitate the approval of assistance from these organisations”.

If you’re struggling to keep up with the news on coronavirus, the fabulous team at Full Story (Guardian Australia’s news podcast) has made a podcast that traces the outbreak and reviews the public health response, both in China and Australia.

You can listen here:

At the very end you can also hear some snippets of my interview with Moko Yong, a photographer from Melbourne who is still trapped in Wuhan, along with many other Australians.

116 new deaths – lower than yesterday

That latest figures out of China show that there has been a drop in the number of new deaths and new infections, but the toll does continue to rise.

There have been 116 new deaths, and 4,823 new cases in the Hubei province, where the virus first emerged. That is a total of 51,986 cases in the province, according to Reuters.

However, this is a smaller increase than yesterday, when there was a dramatic 240 new deaths and nearly 15,000 new cases.

Cruise ship company denies reports of potential coronavirus case

The operators of a Norwegian cruise ship docked in Sydney Harbour say there’s “no truth” to reports of a potential coronavirus case amongst its passengers.

Norwegian Cruise Line, operators of the Norwegian Jewel, said the vessel remained in operation and all the passengers were healthy.

“This morning there were various false media reports related to an illness on board our ship,” a Norwegian Cruise Line spokeswoman said in a statement to AAP on Friday. “There is absolutely no truth to this. The vessel remains in operation, and all guests onboard are in good health.”

NSW Health told AAP on Friday that while no passengers of the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship had visited mainland China in the past 14 days they were being screened for the illness for precautionary reasons.

A passenger on board a cruise ship that docked in Sydney harbour Friday morning has reportedly been taken for testing for a possible case of novel coronavirus.

The Singaporean national fell ill with a respiratory illness and was taken from the Norwegian Jewel shortly after it docked at the international passenger terminal at Circular Quay at 6am this morning.

The man is being tested as a precaution. He has not yet been confirmed as having the virus.

Other passengers have been allowed to disembark from the ship, after earlier being kept on board as a precaution.

The Norwegian Jewel, registered in the Bahamas, is a 15-year-old cruise ship with a capacity of nearly 2,400 passengers.

It departed from Dunedin four days ago, having been sailing between ports in New Zealand.

The cruise ship operator has been contacted for comment.

Updated

This is Naaman Zhou bringing you the latest coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. These are the top developments:

You can get in touch with me on naaman.zhou@theguardian.com or on Twitter @naamanzhou

Updated

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