Helen Sullivan with you here. This blog is now closed. We have launched a new coronavirus live blog – where I’ll be bringing you the latest in this unprecedented crisis for the next few hours – at the link below.
Updated
We’ll be leaving this press conference soon as nothing much new is being said, and Trump continues to pat himself on the back.
He says nobody knew how contagious the virus was.
Asked whether he lulled people into a false sense of security Trump responds, “It’s going to go away, hopefully at the end of the month.”
Asked about homelessness in California, Trump takes the opportunity for a swipe against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “I’m not sure if she cares, she has it at a very high level in her district,” he says.
“Who would ever think you’d need 16,000 ventilators?” Trump asks.
He also, despite repeatedly criticising New York’s response, says he has a good relationship with the state. “We’re dealing with New York,” he says.
A reminder we’re with US president Donald Trump’s White House press briefing now, following the prediction that US deaths could reach 240,000.
The toll will be between 100,000 and that number, according to White House modelling.
Trump has called 100,000 a very low number. That figure was presented as a “goal” on a graph displayed by the coronavirus task force.
This White House briefing room slide lists as "goals" 100,000 to 240,000 deaths.
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) March 31, 2020
Breathtaking. pic.twitter.com/CrajjVGqVf
You can tune in live here:
LIVE: Press Briefing with Coronavirus Task Force https://t.co/CurosT0chF
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 31, 2020
Updated
“Do you ever run out of questions, you people?” Trump asks a room full of reporters.
Updated
Trump is talking about the impeachment. “They probably illegally impeached me... you don’t hear much about that nowadays because everyone’s talking about the virus,” which he is happy about, the US president says.
“The democrats their whole live their whole being their whole existence was to try and get me out of office any way they can even if it was a phony deal.”
"I think I'm getting A pluses now for how I handled myself during a phony impeachment," Trump says.
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 31, 2020
Updated
Fact check: Hydroxychloroquine cure
Trump once again touted hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus cure, asserting that it won’t kill people because it has already been to treat other conditions. But the drug can have serious side effects even when it is used as recommended, to treat malaria, as well as lupus and arthritis.
Moreover, public health experts including his own top infectious diseases adviser, Dr. Fauci, have previously warned that there was only “anecdotal evidence” that the drugs could be helpful. My colleague Oliver Milman reported that a French study of 40 coronavirus patients found that half experienced clearing of their airways after being given hydroxychloroquine. Experts have warned that the study is small and lacks sufficient rigor to be classed as evidence of a potential treatment. The French health ministry has warned against the use of hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19.
The surge in demand for the unproven hydroxychloroquine also risks shortages of the drug for those who need it most. It is used to help patients manage the chronic autoimmune disease lupus, but some are already complaining the drug is harder to come by. Trump’s pushing of the treatment has reportedly caused stockpiling of hydroxychloroquine.
Trump says: “I do think we were very early but we also were very smart. Because we had never done that before we had never closed our borders before... we also stopped Europe very shortly after... I stopped them a long time before anyone started stopping people anywhere.”
If we had had adequate testing would we have known? the reporter asks.
LIVE: Press Briefing with Coronavirus Task Force https://t.co/CurosT0chF
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 31, 2020
Pence says Trump’s initial efforts were designed to prevent the virus from entering the US and that they have been told that bought the country significant time.
“If I can also say to every American all the questions about resources are very important,” and that the president is working very hard to address the issue of resources.
He says if Americans can practice social distancing and other measures for 30 days it will make a significant difference to the crisis.
Updated
Dr. Birx is speaking now.
LIVE: Press Briefing with Coronavirus Task Force https://t.co/CurosT0chF
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 31, 2020
She says that it’s not possible to answer the reporter’s question until antibody testing is possible.
“We need to see was the virus circling in February, in early March.”
She says her and Dr. Fauci is focussed on getting testing to determine that.
“If there was no virus in the background there was nothing to mitigate,” Dr. Fauci jumps in to say.
The presser is live here, by the way:
LIVE: Press Briefing with Coronavirus Task Force https://t.co/CurosT0chF
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 31, 2020
Trump is being asked whether, if the US had started social distancing and other measures earlier, would the modelling be different.
Trump says he had a decision to make early on, because “thousands and thousands” of infected people were coming to the US. He decided against the wishes of many to stop that, Trump says.
Now he is laying into New York again.
“New York started late the others didn’t start so late.”
As the White House predicts that between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans will die from coronavirus, Trump is arguing that he is saving the country from a much worse fate.
He says 100,000 is in fact a very low number, according to modelling.
Helen Sullivan with you now, taking over from my colleague Damien Gayle. You can contact me directly on Twitter with questions or news @helenrsullivan.
We’re staying with US president Donald Trump’s White House briefing for now, as the numbers being given for the predicted deaths in the country, which currently accounts for 1 in 5 cases worldwide, are pretty shocking – not only that, but the way they are being presented is insensitive, to say the least:
This White House briefing room slide lists as "goals" 100,000 to 240,000 deaths.
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) March 31, 2020
Breathtaking. pic.twitter.com/CrajjVGqVf
US president Donald Trump said a few minutes ago, addressing the media, that the country is “going to go through a very tough two weeks,” striking a more somber tone than he has at previous briefings. “This is going to be a very, very painful two weeks.”
There will be“light at the end of the tunnel,” he added. We are going to see things get better “all of a sudden” like a “burst of light.”
White House predicts up to 240,000 deaths
The White House has predicted 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the US from coronavirus pandemic, even with mitigation measures. This isn’t the first time that the task force scientists have presented these grim projections.
But Birx said the model doesn’t assume every American does everything they’re supposed to do, “so it can be lower than that,” she said.
“Our hope is to get that down as much as we can,” Fauci added. The numbers are what “we need to anticipate, but that doesn’t mean that that’s what we’re going to accept.”
Ethiopia’s election, set for August, has been postponed as the national election board said Tuesday the coronavirus makes it impossible to prepare.
The vote has been highly anticipated in a country that has seen sweeping political reforms in the past two years but a surge of violence as some people use the new freedoms to settle old scores.
Both the government and opposition camps have expressed support for the election board’s decision. With the government’s mandate expiring in a few months, lawmakers are expected to vote to extend it.
This is the first major election in Africa to be postponed because of the coronavirus. Several African countries have upcoming presidential votes this year, including Burundi and Tanzania.
The pandemic is a preview of the types of global health threats that will emerge as the planet becomes hotter, and how it is tackled has implications for dealing with climate threats as well, health experts have warned.
Mandeep Dhaliwal, the director for HIV, health and development for the UN development programme, has said:
With Covid-19, we can see the urgency of it more readily than some of the impacts of the climate crisis ... we will not be able to ignore anymore that we need to do something about the human activity that’s driving this.
According to a report from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Dr David Nabarro, a special envoy to the World Health Organization (WHO) on the pandemic, added that about a third of the world’s countries are on lockdown.
That is forcing leaders into “awful political tradeoffs” between protecting lives and keeping economies functioning – the kind of tradeoffs that could become more frequent as climate-linked disasters from wildfires to drought worsen.
Once we realise health is ... an apex goal for humanity – not just health now but health in coming generations – then perhaps we can weave together all we’re doing on sustainable development.
The actor, Idris Elba, has said he is not showing symptoms for Covid-19 after testing positive for the virus, as he shared a message of encouragement with fans. Earlier this month, he said he would be self-isolating with his wife Sabrina Dhowre after doctors told him he had been infected.
My peeps👊🏾.. pic.twitter.com/gqea4S3zKD
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) March 31, 2020
The former Marseille president Pape Diouf has died, the French league (LFP) has announced. The club had earlier revealed he had been suffering from Covid-19. Diouf was being treated in a hospital in Senegal after contracting the virus.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel has learned this evening with great sadness of the death of Pape Diouf at the age of 68.
Journalist, agent, president of Olympique de Marseille from 2005 to 2009, Pape Diouf dedicated his whole life in service of football.
A member of the LFP administrative council from September 2007 to June 2009, Pape Diouf will be remembered as a charismatic and passionate director.
In this moment of immense sadness for French football, the LFP offers its condolences to his family and those close to him, and to Olympique de Marseille.
Diouf became the first black president of a first-tier European club when he took the position at Marseille in 2005.
Updated
People in the Italian city of Naples have been filling bread baskets with hot and cold food, and lowering them from their balconies for homeless people and those struggling during the nationwide lockdown.
The initiative started in one street, but has been copied by other residents in the city. Lucarriello, who filled a basket, said it was important to look after each other while people waited for state intervention:
In the UK, the Chemical Industries Association has responded to the government’s claims that a shortage of chemical reagent is behind the lack of Covid-19 tests, saying reagents are being produced and delivered to the NHS.
While there is of course an escalating demand, there are reagents being manufactured and delivered to the NHS.
Every business here in the UK and globally is looking at what they can do to help meet the demand as a matter of urgency. To clarify the exact NHS need and meet it, all relevant UK industries are continuing to work closely with government.
The world faces its most challenging crisis since the second world war, the UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, has warned, saying the pandemic threatens every country and is likely to bring a recession without parallel in the world’s recent past.
There is also a risk that the combination of the disease and its economic impact will contribute to greater instability, unrest, and conflict, he said at the launch of a report on the socioeconomic impacts of Covid-19.
The magnitude of the response must match the scale of the crisis; large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive, with country and international responses being guided by the World Health Organization.
Updated
In Wales, a field hospital is being set up at the Vale Resort near Cardiff, providing 290 beds for the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.
The facility is being set up with the support of local authorities, the military and contractors. Two further field hospital sites are being worked on in the area and will be confirmed at a later date.
Updated
British banks scrap dividends
Britain’s biggest banks have agreed to scrap payouts to shareholders and are expected not to pay out any bonuses to senior staff, after a request from the Bank of England.
The Prudential Regulation Authority, which is part of the Bank, said Standard Chartered, NatWest, Santander, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Lloyds, HSBC and Barclays have all agreed to drop their dividends and share buybacks until the end of the year, and cancel outstanding dividends from 2019.
It comes as the UK prepares for a potential recession. The PRA said that the decision is a “sensible precautionary step given the unique role that banks need to play in supporting the wider economy through a period of economic disruption”.
Updated
Oman reports first death – local media
Oman’s health ministry has reported its first death – a 72 year-old Omani man – state TV has reported on Twitter. Oman reported that, as of 31 March, 192 cases have been identified.
The charity Women in Prison has welcomed the UK government’s decision to release pregnant women from prison but has called for further releases to prevent “avoidable” deaths.
The Ministry of Justice has already said it will temporarily release pregnant women and inmates in mother and baby units in prison who pass a risk assessment. There are 35 pregnant women and 34 women in mother and baby units and the department expects most to be released. Dr Kate Paradine, chief executive of Women in Prison, has said:
The release of pregnant women and mother and babies on prison Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) is the first step to keeping all our communities safe and healthy.
As a matter of urgency, the government must now plan to release many more people to drastically reduce the number of people in prison. Failure to act may have catastrophic consequences, causing many more avoidable deaths in our communities both in and outside of prison.
For the people who will be released, the government must ensure everyone has a safe, warm place to go and access to financial and social support.
Updated
Over in Greece authorities have announced that an asylum seeker has contracted coronavirus, in what has been the first case of a refugee testing positive for the potentially lethal disease since the outbreak of the virus at the end of February.
Manos Logothetis, a senior official at the migration ministry, told the Guardian that a woman was diagnosed with the virus two days after giving birth in an Athens hospital on 28 March.
She may well have contracted it in the hospital. We are still awaiting the results as to whether the baby has also tested positive.
The woman, accommodated in a migrant camp hosting up to 2,500 people on the Greek mainland, remained in the hospital.
As the first recorded case among tens of thousands of migrants and refugees living in vastly overcrowded holding facilities in the country, the news has been received with trepidation. More than 42,000 men, women and children are currently held in reception centres on the five Aegean islands – Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos – facing the Turkish coast.
Appalling conditions in the camps provide what medics fear are exceptionally high-risk environments for Covid-19 to spread. “Authorities are tracing her recent contacts,” the health ministry spokesman and infectious diseases expert, Sotiris Tsiodras, told reporters on Tuesday. A man who lived with the woman had tested negative, he said.
To date, Greek officials have confirmed 1,314 cases of coronavirus. The Covid-19 death toll currently stands at 49 – much lower than in other European countries.
Of the 102 new cases reported overnight, 20 had originated from the staff of a passenger ship, chartered by a US cruise operator, and anchored off Piraeus.
Updated
Mark Stephenson, a family friend, has said the boy’s mother and six siblings are now awaiting the results of a postmortem.
Ismail’s family said they were “beyond devastated” by his death, in a statement released to PA Media through Stephenson.
Ismail started showing symptoms and had difficulties breathing and was admitted to King’s College hospital.
He was put on a ventilator and then put into an induced coma but sadly died yesterday morning. To our knowledge he had no underlying health conditions. We are beyond devastated.
Stephenson, the college director at the Madinah College where Ismail’s sister works, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral costs.
The page says:
Sadly, he died without any family members close by due to the highly infectious nature of Covid-19.
Updated
According to the Press Association, the victim was 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab from Brixton, in south London. His family has said he died in hospital in the early hours of Monday and had no apparent underlying health conditions.
Boy, 13, becomes UK's youngest victim
A 13-year-old boy in London who tested positive has died, Kings College hospital has said. He is believed to be the youngest victim of the outbreak in the UK.
Sadly, a 13-year old boy who tested positive for Covid-19 has passed away and our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this time. The death has been referred to the coroner and no further comment will be made.
Updated
Tunisia will extend a lockdown to contain the outbreak by two more weeks to 19 April, the presidency says.
The country has confirmed 362 cases and nine deaths and has imposed a general lockdown for over a week, preventing people from leaving their homes except to buy necessities or work in certain jobs.
With Donald Trump under increasing scrutiny over his approach to the coronavirus crisis in the US, the president has used his daily press briefings to lash out at the media. With more than 165,000 recorded cases, the US is now the worst-affected country in the world.
Slovakia suffers first death
Slovakia has registered its first death since the outbreak began, according to data from the National Health Information Centre. As of midnight on Monday, Slovakia had 363 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection.
The central European country has banned international travel to try to stem the epidemic, closed schools and most shops, and made it compulsory to wear a face mask outside the home.
Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Martinique and Barbados have refused to accept the medical evacuation of two critically ill passengers from a stranded coronavirus-stricken cruise ship, according to the vessel’s owner, Erin McCormick and Patrick Greenfield write.
Four people have died, nine people have tested positive for Covid-19 and dozens of people are ill with flu-like symptoms on the Zaandam and the Rotterdam, which are traveling towards Florida two attempt to dock.
William Burke, chief maritime officer for the boats’ owners Carnival Corporation, made the disclosure about critically ill passengers while answering questions about plans to enter Port Everglades, which have so far not been approved.
On Monday, a rescue plane carrying medical supplies was banned from landing on a remote Columbian island in order to resupply the Zaandam, which is carrying dozens of sick passengers and crew.
Burke told commissioners that coming to Fort Lauderdale was a “place of last resort after being turned away by several Latin American countries.
After the first session of the meeting, Broward County Commissioner Barbara Sharief told that Guardian that while there may be opponents to the plan to allow the ships to dock, she thinks the plan proposed by Carnival is ultimately a workable approach.
This is Carnival using their resources to get people home. The county commissioners can’t turn a ship away. They can say what they want. But it’s ultimately up to the county administrator and the Unified Command whether to let the ship come in.
She said most of the calls she is getting from the public are from those who want the county to rescue the passengers.
Most people want us to give humanitarian aid, which is something American is known for. I don’t know how, if there are Americans aboard, we would turn these people away.
A group of 28 spring break tourists who returned to Texas from the Mexican beach resort of Cabo San Lucas have tested positive for coronavirus, the city of Austin has said.
About a week and a half ago, approximately 70 people in their 20s departed in a chartered plane for a spring break trip. Some of the group returned on separate commercial flights. Currently, 28 young adults on this trip have tested positive for COVID-19 and dozens more are under public health investigation.
Burundi confirms first cases
Burundi has confirmed its first cases, the East African nation’s health ministry has said. Both men are Burundian. One, aged 56 years, has recently returned from neighbouring Rwanda and the other, aged 42, has recently returned from Dubai, the government said.
Summary
- Global deaths pass 40,000. Data collected by Johns Hopkins University researchers show at least 40,636 people have died across the world, while 174,019 people have recovered after becoming infected. At least 823,479 people have been infected.
- UK sees largest one-day increase in deaths. A total of 1,789 patients have died in UK hospitals after testing positive as of 5pm on Monday (BST), the country’s Department of Health and Social Care says. That is up 381 from 1,408 on the previous 24 hours and represents a 27% day-on-day increase – by far the biggest so far.
- US deaths now exceed those in China. Monday was the deadliest day yet for the US, which has now lost more than 3,400 people. The figures mean the coronavirus death toll has now surpassed that of the 11 September terror attacks and is greater than that of China – 3,309.
- Italy death toll rises by 837. A total of 12,428 people are now known to have died in the southern European country; the world’s worst national death toll. Some 77,635 are currently infected with an increase of 2,107 new cases on Tuesday, 459 more than Monday.
- Worst FTSE quarter since 1987. The FTSE 100 posts its worst quarter since autumn 1987 as it closes for the night at 5671 points (up 108 points, or 1.95% today). That means it has shed 24.8% of its value in the last three months. That’s its second-worst quarter since being created in 1984.
- More than 1,000 have now died in the Netherlands. The number of deaths in the Netherlands resulting from the epidemic rises by 175 to 1,039. The number of confirmed infections has increased by 845 to 12,595, the Netherlands’ National Institute for Health (RIVM) says.
- Sierra Leone confirms first case. The president of the west African nation says a 37-year-old man who traveled from France on 16 March and has been in isolation ever since has tested positive.
- UK shows early signs of flattening the curve. The NHS needs everyone to play their part in reducing transmission of the virus, the medical director of NHS England Stephen Powis says, as signs emerge that physical distancing measures are beginning to work.
- ‘Stay healthy!’ US urges Americans left behind in Pakistan. A US government-arranged flight is to leave Islamabad in Pakistan on Wednesday night to repatriate Americans in the country. But not all US nationals will be on it. Their embassy’s advice to them while they await a plan to get them home is: “Stay healthy!”
- Ireland: confirmed cases of coronavirus halve. Ireland on Monday confirmed 295 new cases, the second highest daily number, bringing the total to 2,910. It recorded eight deaths, bringing the death toll to 54. Northern Ireland has 533 confirmed cases and 22 deaths.
That’s it from me, Damien Gayle, for today. I leave you in the capable hands of my colleague Kevin Rawlinson.
Pregnant prisoners to be released from jails
Pregnant women in prison in England and Wales who are judged to not pose a high risk of harm to the public will be temporarily released within days to protect them and their unborn children from Covid-19, Jamie Grierson, the Guardian’s home affairs correspondent, reports.
Prisoners in mother and baby units meeting the same risk assessment will also be released with their children, the the Ministry of Justice has said.
Prison governors will be able to grant release on temporary licence to pregnant inmates once they pass a risk assessment and suitable accommodation for the women has been identified, the MoJ said.
There were 35 pregnant women in prison and 34 women in mother and baby units as of 6pm on Monday. The department expects most, but not necessarily all, to be released, as some will not pass the risk assessment and some will be on remand and only a court has the power to bail them.
The announcement came as the department confirmed the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 among prisoners increased 18% in 24 hours to 65 cases across 23 prisons as at 5pm on Monday. There are around 83,000 prisoners in England and Wales across 117 prisons.
The number of prison staff who have tested positive rose from 13 to 14 in the same period, while the number of infected prisoner escort and custody services (Pecs) staff remained at four.
The justice secretary, Robert Buckland, said:
We have already taken extraordinary measures to protect prisoners and the public over the last few weeks, but it’s clear now that we must temporarily release pregnant women and those with small babies with them inside prison.
Governors can now temporarily release pregnant prisoners so that they can stay at home and reduce social contact like all other expectant mothers have been advised to do.
Those released will be subject to licence conditions, including a requirement to stay at home, and wear an electronic tag, where appropriate, the MoJ said. They can be immediately recalled to prison for breaching these conditions or committing further offences, the department added.
Updated
On the subject of coronavirus testing rates, it seems I may have been overhasty in granting Iceland the accolade of the most widespread epidemiological surveillance of the spread of the disease.
A reader, Steen Rossau, emailed to point out that actually it is another northern Atlantic island nation that leads the world in the proportion of residents tested for the virus.
The Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark (at least, depending on who you talk to), had as of 5pm on Tuesday tested 4,065 inhabitants, which is 8% of the total population.
So far there are 169 people confirmed to have been infected with coronavirus on the Faroes, including two new cases detected in the past 24 hours, and no one has died there from Covid-19, according data provided on the Danish government website.
The worst affected area is Suðurstreymoy, with between 85 and 89 cases, followed by Norðoyggjar, with 43 cases, local news site KVF reports. Although people in the islands have been asked to abide by social distancing advice, police received reports of parties held across the country over the weekend.
“Officers showed up at some of these parties, where they spoke with the young partygoers about the coronavirus and the restrictions on group activities,” KVL reported.
Updated
France reports 499 dead in 24 hours
France’s health authorities announced an increase of 499 deaths of patients with the coronavirus in the country’s hospitals on Tuesday, the biggest jump in deaths since the start of the pandemic, Kim Willsher reports from Paris.
Here is the full update on coronavirus cases in France from Jérôme Salomon, head of the French health authority, as the French lockdown entered its third week.
- Number of deaths in hospitals 3,523 (+ 499 )
- Number of cases 52,128 (+ 7,578 )
- Number of people in hospital 22,757 (+1,749)
- Number of people in intensive care 5,565 (+ 478)
Patients continued to be evacuated from hospitals in the Grand-Est region where hospitals are said to be “saturated” with Covid-19 patients, with several patients were airlifted by helicopter to Germany on Tuesday.
The Grand-Est is the second worst coronavirus crisis area after the Ile-de-France, which is the Paris region. There are reported to be 2,000 people needing intensive care in the Ile-de-France, a region that has around 1,200 intensive care beds.
French president Emmanuel Macron called for national unity and said the naysayers criticising the government and authorities were “irresponsible”.
“When you are fighting a battle you have to be united in order to win it,” Macron said.
Opinion poll published by Paris Match suggested that the popularity of both Macron and his prime minister Édouard Philippe have risen.
Updated
US passes China in confirmed Covid-19 deaths
The US has now more reported more deaths as a result of coronavirus infection than China, according to official statistics given by both countries that in all likelihood mask the true rates of infection in either.
The US now has 3,415 deaths from the virus, surpassing China’s figure of 3,309, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
However, there are doubts about the accuracy of both countries’ figures, with the US having been slow to start widespread testing and China suspected to have hidden the true extent of its outbreak.
Updated
Earlier I reported how Iceland was a world leader in epidemiological surveillance of the spread of coronavirus, with nearly 5% of the population already tested. But another small, comparatively (well in this case actually very) rich country is snapping at its heels, Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, reports.
The United Arab Emirates is now testing more of its population for Coronavirus per head than any other country, and is on track with the help of Chinese technology to scale up the level of testing to reach the bulk of the population .
A UAE spokeswoman said “testing is at the heart of our containment strategy”, but said it had set no date by which it will reach the entire population of 9m.
The UAE health department says it has so far carried out 220,000 laboratory tests representing 22,900 tests per million people, the second highest test density in the world.
The UAE is making two moves to scale up the level of testing further. It has introduced drive through testing initially in Abu Dhabi with those suspected of carrying the virus tested for free, and those showing no symptoms offered a test at a $100 fee. The first drive through testing centre was opened at the Zayed sports city in Abu Dhabi and is capable of testing 600 people per day over a 12 hour period
The nasal swab test takes about 5 minutes. A further 8 test sites are being opened each capable of testing 600 per day.
In a second development, Group 42, an Abu Dhabi based technology firm, and the Chinese global genomics leader BGI, announced on Tuesday the launch of a mass-throughput laboratory. The lab, modelled on one built in Wuhan, China is capable of conducting tens of thousands real-time “reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction”, (RT-PCR) tests per day. The company claims it is the first in the world of this scale to be operational outside of China.
Peng Xiao, Chief Executive of G42, said: “This high throughput lab provides the scale and firepower to enable all people in Abu Dhabi and the UAE to access the most reliable PCR tests, which are also provided by G42 in partnership with BGI. We thank the UAE leadership’s support in protecting the health and wellbeing of the country’s residents against this pandemic.”
Overall the UAE in the final week of March was testing at rate of just over 10,000 per day, The speed with which the UAE, a wealthy oil Gulf state, has moved to harness Chinese technology raises questions as to why some western countries have been unable to source testing kits and set up infrastructure with comparable speed.
Global Covid-19 death toll passes 40,000
More than 40,000 people have died from the coronavirus since the outbreak began in Hubei, China, in January, according to statistics collected by Johns Hopkins university.
According to the latest tally of official figures kept by the Maryland, US-based university, 40,636 people have died from Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus.
The highest death toll is in Italy, which just reported its most recent daily increase, where 12,428 people have died so far after being infected, followed by Spain, where 8,269 people have died. The US is now the third worst affected country, with 3,175 deaths.
Despite a major lockdown and huge efforts at halting local transmission of the disease, China remains the fourth worst affected country, with 3,309 deaths - including four in Hong Kong. Most deaths in China occurred within the first few weeks of the outbreak and, so far, the disease appears to be effectively contained in the country.
Updated
Worst FTSE quarter since 1987
As feared, the FTSE 100 has just posted its worst quarter since autumn 1987, Graeme Wearden reports on the Guardian business blog.
The blue-chip index has just closed for the night at 5671 points (up 108 points, or 1.95% today).
That means it has shed 24.8% of its value in the last three months.
That’s its second-worst quarter since being created in 1984 -- only beaten by the wild slump in autumn 1987 when the Black Monday stock market crash struck.
The FTSE 100 began 2020 at 7542 points before the full scale of the Covid-19 crisis spooked investors in mid-February, leading to a dramatic slump in share values.
Follow our business blog for the latest updates.
Port Everglades, in Florida, has published a 12-point list of conditions that a coronavirus-stricken cruise liner must meet to dock. But the coast guard officials have warned the Zaandam and its sister ship “will not be allowed in US waters” if it fails to meet them, Patrick Greenfield and Erin McCormick report.
Four people have died, eight people have tested positive for covid-19 and dozens of people are ill with flu-like symptoms on the Zaandam, which is traveling towards Florida with a second ship – the Rotterdam – which is carrying asymptomatic passengers.
Hundreds of elderly passengers are from around the world are aboard the Zaandam.
A Broward County Commission meeting to discuss whether to allow the vessels into port has heard the entry plan submitted by Carnival Cruise Lines, the boats’ owners, is “not there yet”.
Captain Jo-ann Burdian, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Miami who is on the Unified Command decision making body that published the 12-point conditions, has told the meeting there are “no great choices left”.
“If the plan is not approved, I will not permit the vessels to enter US waters,” she said.
On Monday, Orlando Ashford, president of the ships’ operator Holland America Line, warned that more people could die at sea unless its vessels are allowed to dock.
Italy death toll rises by 837
The death toll from coronavirus in Italy rose by 837 to 12,428 on Tuesday, Lorenzo Tondo reports.
Some 77,635 are currently infected with an increase of 2,107 new cases on Tuesday, 459 more than Monday. In the last 24 hours 1,109 have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 15,729.
In total, 105,792 people have tested positive with coronavirus in Italy, including people who have died, recovered and the ones who are currently infected.
According to the National Higher Health Institute, Italy’s coronavirus curve has reached its plateau but lockdown measures are still needed to defeat it. ISS President Silvio Brusaferro said:
The curve tells us that we’re at the plateau. That doesn’t mean we’ve hit the peak and that it is over but that we must start the descent and you start the descent by applying the measures in force.
The ISS said authorities were set to broaden its tests to include “broader swathes of the population”.
Italy reported 812 deaths from Covid-19 on Monday.
Updated
The government of Jamaica is to impose an island-wide seven-day curfew to try to contain its spreading coronavirus outbreak, the prime minister, Andrew Holness, has announced.
From Wednesday, 1 April, Jamaicans will be required to stay in their homes from 8pm each night until 6am the following morning.
Effective April 1, 2020, from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am daily, there will be an all island curfew. The curfew will run for 7 days, ending at 6:00 am on April 8, 2020. #COVID19 #Covid19Jamaica pic.twitter.com/pbVCg4g03e
— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) March 31, 2020
On Tuesday, Holness also said police would be tightening the lockdown across the country, after people continued to ignore health advice. Jamaica has 36 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, and one person has died from the disease.
It has been observed that persons are still flouting the orders that are in place despite the significant threat posed by Covid-19. The police will therefore increase their vigilance and prosecution of persons who breach the orders. pic.twitter.com/E2VKAi37ps
— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) March 31, 2020
In Spain, the socialist-led coalition government has approved more than 50 new economic measures designed to help people and small businesses weather the coronavirus crisis, Sam Jones reports from Madrid.
As well as banning the eviction of tenants for six months following the declaration of a state of emergency earlier this month, it has forbidden energy companies from cutting off supplies to customers while the emergency continues.
A moratorium on mortgage payments is to be extended to self-employed workers affected by the crisis, while temporary workers whose contracts have been ended will receive a payment of €440.
Pablo Iglesias, the deputy prime minister and leader of the far-left, anti-austerity Unidas Podemos alliance, said the measures were intended “to strengthen the social shield against the coronavirus”.
Spain has recorded a new single-day coronavirus death toll after 849 people died from the virus between Monday and Tuesday.
The country’s total number of cases now stands at 94,417 – up from 85,195 on Monday – and its death toll at 8,189.
Updated
In a response to the Covid-19 pandemic that is unparalleled anywhere in the world, health authorities in Iceland have tested almost one in 20 of the island nation’s inhabitants for the coronavirus.
According to the latest data published by Iceland’s directorate of health, 17,904 tests have been carried out so far in the country, equivalent to about 4.9% of the total population. So far health authorities have detected 1,135 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
Currently 935 patients with the virus are in isolation at home, while 35 are in hospital, 11 of whom are in intensive care, according to the Icelandic data. So far, 198 patients have recovered.
Icelandic authorities require people to quarantine themselves when there is a possibility they have been exposed to coronavirus. As of Tuesday, 8,879 people were in quarantine, while 6,214 had completed a period of quarantine.
So far, two people have died from Covid-19 in Iceland.
At a time when all of humanity is facing a common, invisible, enemy, world leaders have called for a suspension of economic sanctions that have increasingly become the pursuit of war by other means, Julian Borger writes.
The Trump administration has responded so far by ignoring those appeals and intensifying punitive measures on the two nations it has identified as America’s greatest enemies: Iran and Venezuela.
The spread of coronavirus has not slowed the regular drumbeat of successive layers of sanctions imposed by the state department on Iran. Last week, a new list of people and companies linked to the Revolutionary Guard was targeted.
On the same day, the justice department unveiled drug trafficking and money-laundering charges against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and 14 top current and former officials.
US coronavirus death toll passes 3,000
The coronavirus has claimed more than 3,000 American lives, with yesterday becoming the deadliest day of the pandemic for the US yet.
Those figures mean the coronavirus death toll has now surpassed that of the September 11 attacks, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans.
Nearly half of the coronavirus deaths have occurred in New York, although the state’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, has warned other states may soon see a similar rate of Covid-19 cases and deaths.
Follow our US coronavirus live blog for more updates.
Death toll in UK hospitals rises by 381 to 1,789
A total of 1,789 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Monday, the Department of Health said, up by 381 from 1,408 the day before.
This represents a 27% day-on-day increase – by far the biggest so far.
The Department of Health also said that, as of 9am on Tuesday, a total of 143,186 people have been tested, with 25,150 testing positive.
UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) testing in the UK:
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) March 31, 2020
As of 9am 31 March, a total of 143,186 people have been tested of which 25,150 tested positive.
As of 5pm on 30 March, of those hospitalised in the UK, 1,789 have sadly died. pic.twitter.com/ctiAd1ty9p
Follow our UK coronavirus live blog for more updates.
The threat posed by the coronavirus has been used as a pretext for a range of states of exception throughout the world that - however necessarily - have curtailed people’s rights.
In Kenya the situation seems particularly extreme, with police in the east African country accused of three killings as they moved in to enforce a coronavirus lock down since Friday night.
Thirteen-year-old Yasin Hussein Moyo was struck in the stomach by a bullet as he stood on the balcony of his family’s home with other children looking on as police moved into their crowded neighbourhood on the outskirts of Nairobi, the Associated Press reports.
His family buried him on Tuesday, as Kenya’s inspector general ordered an investigation into his death, including a forensic analysis of all firearms carried by officers at the scene. A neighbour told AP she saw police aiming at the building.
Meanwhile, in Kenya’s second city Mombasa a motorcycle taxi driver, Hamisi Juma Mbega, died from the injuries he suffered in a beating he received after he breached curfew by taking a pregnant woman to a hospital, according to a post-mortem report obtained by AP.
And the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, a civilian body established by parliament, said it is looking into another death blamed on police brutality, that of a bicycle taxi driver in Homa Bay county.
Kenya now has 59 coronavirus cases, including one death from the disease.
Updated
People in Mexico have been waking up to a state of emergency on Tuesday morning, after the government has issued stricter rules to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The new measures, which come after the Mexican president was accused of downplaying the threat from the virus, include a reduction of the number of people who can gather to 50 and an extension of a previously announced suspension of non-essential activities
Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said:
This applies - strictly - to people older than 60 years, those who have hypertension, diabetes or are pregnant, regardless whether their jobs are considered essential.
Mexico has one of the world’s highest rates of both obesity and diabetes, and experts have recently sounded the alarm that its population could therefore be more vulnerable than its relatively young average age might suggest.
Health officials reported a total of 1,094 cases of coronavirus, up from 993 a day earlier, and eight more deaths, taking its total to 28. They reiterated warnings that the health system could be overwhelmed if the coronavirus is not contained.
The emergency is set to remain in force until April 30.
While the video of a boar piglet (boarlet?) in Bergamo that we posted earlier turned out to be fake news, the Guardian can confirm that a herd of goats really has invaded and occupied the town of Llandudno, in north Wales.
The ancestors of the Kashmiri goats, which came down from the Great Orme and into the town late last week, were originally a gift to Lord Mostyn from Queen Victoria.
A nursing home in Canada has become one of the country’s worst coronavirus outbreaks claiming the lives of 12 elderly residents in recent, with dozens more elderly residents suspected to have the infection, Leyland Cecco reports from Toronto.
Pinecrest Nursing Home, a 65-bed facility in the small town of Bobcaygeon, Ontario, first identified an outbreak of Covid-19 on March 20. Since then, 24 staff at the facility have tested positive for the virus and 35 residents are being treated as though they also are infected. One woman who volunteered at Pinecrest has also died.
“It’s a war zone — more than one nurse has said that,” Michelle Snarr, the facility’s medical director, told Global News. “I feel like a field commander in a war.”
Staff at the retirement home expect the death toll to rise in the coming days, given the age and health profiles of many people living at Pinecrest. Dozens of retirement homes across the country have documented outbreaks of Covid-19 despite numerous precautions in place to halt the spread of the virus.
Ontario’s premier Doug Ford called the unfolding situation “tragic” and pledged to open an investigation into how the virus spread so quickly, despite the facility following protocol.
“I can’t put it into words. It’s just devastatingly horrible. So, so, so sad,” said Snarr.
Updated
Saudi Arabia has reported 110 new Coronavirus cases in last 24 hours, pushing the total number of infections in the kingdom to 1,563, Akhtar Mohammad Makoii reports.
Saudi Arabian health ministry also recorded two new deaths from Covid-19, taking the total number of deaths to 10. The deaths were reported in Medina, among patients who had already tested positive for the virus.
Thirty-three new cases reported in the capital Riyadh.
So far, 165 patients have recovered from Covid-19 in the kingdom.
Across the world, the first response to Covid-19 has been grassroots community action, the Guardian columnist George Monbiot writes in his column today.
The horror films got it wrong. Instead of turning us into flesh-eating zombies, the pandemic has turned millions of people into good neighbours.
Comments are open.
Under-18s in Poland will no longer be able to leave the house without adult supervision, according to a list of fresh restrictions due to go into force on Tuesday night, according to a report in local media.
The new rules, outlined by prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, include, among others:
- A requirement to keep two metres apart in public - even among people from the same family but excluding people under 13, disabled people requiring care, and the elderly.
- The closure of all parks, boulevards, squares and places of recreation.
- A ban on the use of rented bicycles.
- The closure of all beauty and hairdressing salons, massage parlours and tattoo parlours.
- A limit of three people in shops per cash register.
Morawiecki told a press conference on Tuesday:
We want to avoid the fate of our friends in western Europe at any price. We want to limit, flatten this (infections) curve to avoid situations that have happened in Spain and Italy
The army will also help police to keep people off the streets if they have no good reason to be outside, state news agency PAP reported, after sunny weather prompted thousands of Poles last weekend to visit parks and beaches.
As of Tuesday, 2,215 people had tested positive for coronavirus in the country of 38 million, while 32 people had died, the health ministry said. The Polish government is preparing for a steep rise in the number of infections.
Updated
'Stay healthy!' US urges Americans left behind in Pakistan
A US government-arranged flight is to leave Islamabad in Pakistan on Wednesday night to repatriate Americans in the country.
However, not all US nationals on the country will be on it, and arrangements for bringing others back to the US who want to return are unclear.
Americans left behind in the country have been urged to “stay healthy!” An email circulated by the US embassy to Americans in Pakistan, seen by the Guardian, said:
All seats have been filled on the April 1 U.S. government-arranged flight from Pakistan to the United States. Confirmed travelers received phone calls and emails providing flight time and instructions about required documentation. If you are a confirmed traveler, please review the email you will receive on March 31 as it contains updated departure information.
Demand for this flight was extremely high, and we worked to fill every seat. Please do not call or email about being added to this flight. We are no longer able to add passengers. U.S. citizens who are not confirmed on this flight, please do not go to the airport – we will not be able to accommodate any last minute changes.
The U.S. Mission in Pakistan continues to explore other possibilities for U.S. citizens to depart Pakistan. Information for U.S. citizens in Pakistan is disseminated via the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Register and check email often for any information about future flights.
For all U.S. citizens in Pakistan, stay healthy!
Um, good advice, I guess.
Updated
Mauritania, in north-west Africa, has declared its first fatality from coronavirus, AFP reports, citing state media in the Islamic republic.
The victim is a 48-year-old French-Mauritanian dual national who had been quarantined alongside 16 other French nationals. All had arrived in mid-March on one of the last flights before Mauritania banned international arrivals.
The woman’s case was unusual because she did not initially present symptoms, said N’Diaye Mamadou, an official in charge of the isolation centre in the capital Nouakchott.
She began to feel ill on Sunday evening, before her condition worsened on Monday morning. She then died en route to hospital on Monday, Mamadou said. She was diagnosed with coronavirus in a postmortem examination.
Mauritania has recorded six coronavirus cases, including two patients who have since recovered. The government has ordered a night-time curfew and stopped travel between its 13 regions in a bird to curb the spread of the virus.
Updated
A doctor who gave Vladimir Putin a guided tour of Russia’s main hospital treating coronavirus patients last week has tested positive for the disease, Andrew Roth reports from Moscow.
Denis Protsenko, the chief doctor for the Kommunarka hospital in Moscow, tested positive for the disease on Tuesday, Russian state television reported.
The head doctor for Russia’s main coronavirus hospital Denis Protsenko has tested positive for coronavirus. Here he is meeting with Putin last week. pic.twitter.com/0Tr8yOme6d
— Andrew Roth (@Andrew__Roth) March 31, 2020
Putin met with Protsenko last Wednesday during an unexpected visit to the hospital, where he toured the medical facility and spoke with staff and patients.
During the visit, Protsenko was pictured shaking hands with Putin, riding in an elevator with him, and also standing close to him as the two men rode down an escalator along with advisors. Neither man was wearing a mask during the meeting.
It isn’t clear if Protsenko had already contracted the disease when he met Putin. The Kremlin has said that those who meet Putin are screened for the disease in advance. A spokesman for Putin on Tuesday did not immediately respond to questions about whether or not he had been tested recently for the disease.
The Russian president was shown holding a video-conference with regional heads on Monday. It was his first public appearance in four days, as mayors and other government figures have taken the lead in authorising severe measures in order to limit the spread of coronavirus. In Monday’s appearance, he did not exhibit any obvious symptoms of sickness.
When Putin visited the hospital last week, Russia had less than 500 confirmed cases of the disease. As of Tuesday, officials have identified more than 2,300 cases of the disease in Russia, with 500 new cases in just the last day.
Authorities have declared self-isolation regimes in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Protsenko was said to be in stable condition on Tuesday.
Asked about the diagnosis, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s press secretary, told Russia’s Interfax news service that “Putin is tested regularly. Everything is OK.”
Updated
A consortium of defence and electronics firms in Turkey said they will jointly produce and deliver 5,000 ventilators to the health ministry in two months, Reuters reports.
Turkish drone-maker Baykar’s chief executive Haluk Bayraktar said on Tuesday that the initial target is to get 1,000 new ventilators in use by mid-April.
The group of companies have come together to ramp up production of an existing ventilator, to treat people with complications from Covid-19.
The European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has urged countries to respect Europe’s “fundamental principles and values” as they impose emergency restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
It's of outmost importance that emergency measures are not at the expense of our fundamental principles and values. Democracy cannot work without free and independent media. Respect of freedom of expression and legal certainty are essential in these uncertain times.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 31, 2020
.@EU_Commission will closely monitor, in a spirit of cooperation, the application of emergency measures in all Member States. We all need to work together to master this crisis. On this path, we'll uphold our European values & human rights. This is who we are & what we stand for.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 31, 2020
Her comments came a day after Hungary’s parliament approved a bill giving prime minister Viktor Orbán’s government extraordinary powers with no end date in response to the pandemic.
In Belgium, prime minister Sophie Wilmes’s cabinet also has been granted authority to govern by decree without parliamentary involvement for six months.
In France, MPs passed a law increasing the prime ministers powers, a move harshly criticised by a magistrates union and the human rights league.
And in the UK, a former supreme court justice, Lord Sumption, said that excessive measures were in danger of turning Britain into a “police state”.
Updated
France, Germany and Britain have exported medical goods to Iran in the first transaction conducted under a trade mechanism set up to barter humanitarian goods and food after the US withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal, according to Reuters.
The German foreign ministry said the medical goods were in Iran and added that the Instex trade mechanism and its Iranian counterpart would work on more transactions and on enhancing the system.
The shipment is a consignment of medical goods from a European exporter, a ministry source told the Reuters news agency.
Iran was one of the first countries outside of China to suffer a severe outbreak of Covid-19.
Updated
Scientists in Germany have announced what they described as a first-of-its-kind study into how coronavirus spreads and how it can be contained using the country’s worst-hit district as a real-life laboratory, reports Kate Connolly from Berlin.
The virus has spread more widely among the 250,000 residents of Heinsberg – a district in North Rhine-Westphalia bordering the Netherlands – than anywhere else in Germany, with 1,281 confirmed infections and 34 deaths.
More than 550 people have recovered from the illness so far. The advance of the virus in Heinsberg, nicknamed “Germany’s Wuhan” after the Chinese city where the global pandemic emerged, is between two to two and a half weeks ahead of the rest of the country.
Updated
The Norwegian Refugee Council has warned that there are only three ventilators to help save the lives of coronavirus patients in the Central African Republic, a country of almost 5 million people, Jon Henley reports.
“Covid-19 has the potential to tear through the Central African Republic at lightning spread if the country doesn’t get the support it needs to adequately protect itself against the virus,” said David Manan, the respected refugee aid body’s country director.
“And this could be replicated across the world’s poorest countries, where health infrastructure is virtually non-existent,” he said. Wealthy countries like the UK and US are scrambling to secure tens of thousands of ventilators to respond to the pandemic, Manan said.
When rich nations are in panic mode it just highlights how poorer nations like the Central African Republic don’t stand a chance.
Only six cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in CAR so far, none of them locally transmitted. But the country is one of the least prepared in the world to face the outbreak, with close to 700,000 people displaced, half of them living in densely populated, unsanitary camps and 70% of health services provided by aid organisations.
“Without a scale-up of support from the international community, an outbreak in the camps could be catastrophic,” Manan said.
Updated
Coronavirus death toll in Netherlands passes 1,000
The number of deaths in the Netherlands resulting from the coronavirus epidemic has risen by 175 to 1,039, Reuters reports.
The number of confirmed infections increased by 845 to 12,595, the Netherlands’ National Institute for Health (RIVM) said. The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 was up 722 to 4,712.
Whilst new reports of infections appear to be slowing, the new figures for deaths and hospitalisations are new records.
Earlier, the Dutch outbreak management committee advised the government to extend current social distancing measures to the end of April or early-May, NLTimes reports.
Schools, restaurants, cafes, bars and museums remain closed in the country, and the government has instructed people to remain at least 1.5m apart from others.
Updated
The streets of Lagos, Africa’s biggest city, were deserted on Tuesday after Nigeria imposed a lock down in its economic hub, AFP reports.
The government has implemented one of Africa’s most ambitious efforts at social distancing after recording 135 confirmed cases and two deaths.
On Monday, thousands fled Abuja, the capital, to avoid being caught in the lockdown imposed there. President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered a two-week “cessation of all movements” in the key cities.
Global confirmed infections pass 800,000
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection around the world has passed 800,000, with more than 38,000 deaths, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins university.
The Maryland, US-based research university has been tracking official statistics on coronavirus infections, deaths and recoveries since the outbreak was first recognised in January.
It reports at total of 800,049 confirmed cases so far, with 170,325 patients recovered. The death toll stands at 38,714.
The US is now by far the worst-affected country, with 164,610 confirmed cases, followed by Italy, with 101,739, then Spain with 94,417.
Updated
This is Damien Gayle taking over the live blog for the next few hours, covering the latest global developments in the coronavirus outbreak.
Please contact me with any tips or suggestions for coverage at damien.gayle@theguardian.com, or via my Twitter profile, @damiengayle.
Here is our wrap of the current major coronavirus stories:
Sierra Leone confirms first case of coronavirus
Sierra Leone has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, a 37-year-old man who traveled from France on 16 March and had been in isolation since, the president said on Tuesday.
“When I did my first coronavirus press conference, I said that it was not a matter of if, but when. Well, ‘when’ has come,” President Julius Maada Bio said in a speech on national television. He did not announce any new measures to tackle the pandemic.
Updated
There are many joyous images of wild animals populating urban areas silenced and emptied by global lockdowns, but this one from Bergamo in Italy has to be one of my favourites.
Who knew wild boar piglets were so unbelievably cute?
On a positive note, at least nature is returning to our cities. This is from Bergamo, Italy... pic.twitter.com/VvUUPt3WZg
— Robert Woodshaw (@robertwoodshaw) March 30, 2020
- Please note: a reader’s been in touch to say that this footage is from a video that was shot in 2002 in Umbria.
Updated
Afghanistan’s health ministry has confirmed 29 new coronavirus cases in last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 174, reports my colleague Akhtar Mohammad Makoii in Herat.
Of the new cases, 25 have been reported in the western province of Herat which neighbours Iran, one of the world’s worst affected countries. The total number of infections stands at 131 in Herat.
A partial curfew is being implemented in Herat to contain spread of coronavirus, with thousands of Afghans leaving Iran each day. Police have blocked some roads inside Herat city.
Afghanistan’s health minister said yesterday that the country’s testing capacity would increase to 1,000 a day by end of the week, but added that a test for everybody was “not possible”. The health ministry has established a new coronavirus testing facility in Kabul.
Afghanistan is implementing a curfew in the capital Kabul and all three provinces which border Iran, but with streets packed with vehicles and people still walking freely around, experts warn containing spread of coronavirus will be challenging.
Wahid Omar, a presidential adviser, said fighting coronavirus was the government’s top priority, adding that funds had been allocated for provinces that border Iran.
Updated
The president of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo, has announced an unusual measure to slow the spread of coronavirus: as of Wednesday, men and women will only be allowed to leave home on different days, write the Guardian’s Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips.
Starting on 1 April women will able to go out to buy food on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while men can go out on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
“On Sunday everybody must stay in their homes,” Panama’s centre-left president tweeted on Monday night.
The rules will not apply to civil servants or essential workers.
Panama has so far confirmed more than 1,000 coronavirus cases and 27 deaths and its 4 million residents have been under a strict quarantine since 25 March.
Updated
Summary
Spain reports record single-day death toll
Spain has recorded a record new single-day coronavirus death toll after 849 people died from the virus between Monday and Tuesday. The country’s total number of cases now stands at 94,417 – up from 85,195 on Monday – and its death toll at 8,189.
Russia records biggest daily increase for seventh day running
The number of coronavirus cases in Russia jumped to 2,337 on Tuesday, an increase of 500, as the country recorded its biggest daily rise for the seventh day in a row. In Russia, 18 people who contracted the coronavirus have died, while 121 people have recovered.
Italy extends lockdown until Easter
Italy has extended its lockdown until Easter. The number of new coronavirus infections reported on Monday was 1,648, as opposed to 3,815 the previous day. The death toll, however, rose again, with 812 deaths reported, compared with 756 the day before.
Ireland: Confirmed cases of coronavirus halves
Ireland’s daily growth rate in confirmed cases of coronavirus has halved. Ireland on Monday confirmed 295 new cases, the second highest daily number, bringing the total to 2,910. It recorded eight deaths, bringing the death toll to 54. Northern Ireland has 533 confirmed cases and 22 deaths.
WHO: epidemic “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region
The coronavirus epidemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region, and current measures to curb the spread of the virus are buying time for countries to prepare for large-scale community transmissions, a WHO official said.
New coronavirus study reveals increased risks from middle age.
The first comprehensive study of Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations in mainland China has revealed in stark detail the increase in risk for coronavirus patients once they reach middle age.
The number of deaths related to coronavirus in the US has passed 3,000.
Figures from Johns Hopkins University show the toll from coronavirus now exceeds that from the September 11 terrorist attacks. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US, at 164,539 is double those in China.
The World Bank has warned the pandemic is causing “unprecedented global shock”
China’s growth could come to a standstill while 11 million more people in east Asia could be driven into poverty
Updated
Despite the imposition of newly tightened confinement rules, not to mention a death toll of more than 8,000, a tiny minority of Spaniards are refusing to sacrifice their exercise in the fight against the coronavirus, writes my colleague Sam Jones in Madrid.
On Sunday, Guardia Civil officers in the north-western region of Galicia stopped and reported an 82-year-old cyclist who had refused to let the small matter of a global health epidemic come between him and his weekend ride.
“This person was out on his racing bike, complete with helmet and all the gear,” Hector Teixeira of the Guardia Civil’s Galicia traffic unit, told the Guardian. “He told us he was out to do some shopping and lived close to where we’d stopped him.”
Although people are allowed to leave the lockdown to buy food, the officers’ suspicions were raised by the fact that it was a Sunday and there weren’t any shops open in the area. When they asked him for some identification, the cyclist said he’d left it at his home, which was nearby.
They followed him there, only to discover that the couple of who lived in the man’s supposed home had never heard of him. A confession soon followed.
“He admitted that he liked to do a 10km of 15km ride every Sunday and that he wasn’t prepared to change the habits of a lifetime,” said Teixeira. The man has been reported to the authorities and could now face a fine of up to €2,000.
“On the whole, people are following the rules and behaving in a civil fashion,” said Teixeira. “But there’s always a small percentage of the population who break the rules for different reasons. Sometimes it’s because they’re not really sure what they are. But by now, people should know really what the rules are.”
The veteran cyclist is not the only person to incur the police force’s wrath for seeking to dodge the lockdown, which is now in its third week.
On 25 March, the Guardia Civil posted a video on Twitter with the hashtag #NoTieneGracia (#That’sNotFunny). It showed a man on the Canary island of Lanzarote abusing the provision for dog-walking during the state of emergency by taking a chicken out for a stroll.
Updated
Ireland: government advises practising safe sex and hygienic masturbation
Ireland has issued guidelines on safe sex during the coronavirus pandemic, writes Rory Carroll in Dublin.
Only be sexually active with someone you live with and who does not have the virus or symptoms of the virus, and avoid kissing anyone outside your household or who has symptoms, say the Health Service Executive guidelines.
“Taking a break from physical and face-to-face interactions is worth considering, especially if you meet your sex partners online or make a living by having sex. Consider using video dates, sexting or chat rooms. Make sure to disinfect keyboards and touch screens that you share with others.”
Masturbation will not spread coronavirus, it adds. “Especially if you wash your hands (and any sex toys) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after.”
Updated
UK: ONS figures show more deaths related to Covid-19 in England and Wales than previously reported
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) in the UK has published the first of its new weekly bulletins that will include all instances where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate and will include non-hospital deaths.
A total of 210 deaths in England and Wales that occurred up to and including 20 March (and which were registered up to 25 March) had Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
This compares with 170 coronavirus-related deaths reported by NHS England and Public Health Wales up to and including 20 March.
A quick note on the difference between the figures published by the ONS and those that have been published thus far by NHS England and Public Health Wales:
The ONS death figures are based on the number of deaths registered in England and Wales where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate as “deaths involving Covid-19”. The number includes all deaths, not just those in hospitals, although there is usually a delay of at least five days between a death occurring and registration.
The figures published by NHS England and Public Health Wales are for deaths only among hospital patients who have tested positive for Covid-19, but include deaths that have not yet been registered.
Separate figures from the ONS show that for the 108 deaths registered up to 20 March where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, 45 (or 42%) were people aged 85 and over while 34 (31%) were people aged 75-84.
A total of 21 deaths (19%) were people aged 65-74, seven (6%) were people aged 45-64 and one death was aged 15-44 years.
Follow all the latest coronavirus news from the UK in our dedicated liveblog:
Updated
Iran reports 141 new deaths and 3,111 cases of Coronavirus.
Iran has reported 141 new death and 3,111 new cases of coronavirus, writes my colleague Akhtar Mohammad Makoii.
The health ministry of Iran has announced 141 new Coronavirus death in last 24 taking the total number of Coronavirus deaths to 2,898.
3,111 new cases reported positive in the same period pushing the total number of infections to 44,606.
14,656 patients have recovered so far. The health ministry spokesman said 3,703 patients are in critical condition.
Some good context from the last few days from journalist Abas Aslani, senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies:
#Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman: Total #CoronaVirus cases in Iran are now 44,606, number of deaths 2898. New infections as of yesterday is 3111 and 141 deaths in past 24 hrs. Number of those recovered from #COVID19 is 14,656, and 3703 are in serious & critical condition.
— Abas Aslani (@AbasAslani) March 31, 2020
Daily #CoronaVirus infection in #Iran.
— Abas Aslani (@AbasAslani) March 31, 2020
Total cases: 44,606
New infections:
Mar 31=3111
M. 30= 3186
M. 29= 2901
M. 28= 3076
M. 27= 2926
M. 26= 2389
M. 25= 2206
M. 24= 1762
M. 23= 1411
Total deaths: 2898
New deaths:
Mar 31=141
M. 30=117
M. 29=123
M. 28=139
M. 27=144
M. 26=157
Updated
The discount supermarket Aldi is easing many of the temporary restrictions put in place to limit the number of items shoppers can purchase in the UK, amid better product availability and signs that normal shopping patterns are returning, writes Rebecca Smithers.
The retailer limited all products in store to four per person in mid-March. But from today, restrictions will only apply to essential goods in the following categories. Shoppers will be limited to four items each for antibacterial wipes, hand wash and soap, shower gel, bleach, toilet paper, kitchen towel, tissues, nappies, pasta, canned tomatoes, canned beans and sausages, part-baked bread, and beers, wines and spirits. restrictions will apply across all UK stores. They will be limited to two each of antibacterial hand gel, UHT milk and baby formula milk.
A spokesman for Aldi said: “While we would still encourage people to buy only what they need, product availability in store is good and the move will make it easier for people to shop for vulnerable people and those who are self-isolating.”
Morrisons has also lifted restrictions, and other supermarkets are likely to do so in the coming days.
In the UK, business leaders and lawyers have called on the Ministry of Justice to grant early release to prisoners convicted of non-violent offences and those who are medically vulnerable and at risk of catching Covid-19 in jail, writes my colleague Owen Bowcott.
In a letter coordinated by the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, the government is being urged to free on temporary licence elderly inmates, those with six months or less still to serve, pregnant women and those awaiting trial on non-violent charges – “unless there is clear and convincing evidence an individual would present a current and unreasonable risk to the physical safety of the community”.
The devolved government in Northern Ireland on Monday announced it would begin releasing prisoners early in similar categories to reduce the risk of mass infections in jails. Several inmates from British jails have already died.
The letter to the justice secretary, Robert Buckland QC, has been signed by leading business figures, such as Baroness Martha Lane Fox, as well as prominent lawyers and penal reformers.
“To continue detaining these vulnerable inmates is tantamount to a death sentence for many. It presents an unacceptable risk of infection to inmates, prison staff and the general public,” the letter states. “… Once infected, many elderly and other vulnerable prisoners stand to become extremely ill and die. Current estimates project fatalities exceeding 1% of the incarcerated population, amounting to over 800 deaths.
“Just one person carrying Covid-19 can infect dozens of others in close quarters. Every single day, thousands of British citizens go to work inside our prisons then return to their communities. Any outbreaks inside facilities will quickly spread to the surrounding areas, causing unnecessary suffering and preventable deaths.”
Chris Daw QC, a barrister at Serjeants’ Inn, who is one of the signatories, said: “We don’t execute people in this country, yet Covid-19 is a death sentence for many elderly and vulnerable inmates. Releasing them isn’t just about public health, it’s about human rights”.
Celia Ouellette, chief executive at the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, said: “Businesses are trying to do everything they can to save lives, but they also know there is huge pressure on them to restart the economy when restrictions end. The government should be doing everything it can to help our businesses get back to work and preventing the spread Covid-19 in our prison system is critical to this.”
Among other signatories are Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick, formerly of KPMG, the film director Hugh Hudson, Lady Edwina Grosvenor of The Clink charity, and many barristers at Matrix Chambers including Hugh Southey QC, Phillippa Kaufmann QC and Nick Armstong.
Updated
Spain reports record single-day death toll
Spain has recorded a record new single-day coronavirus death toll after 849 people died from the virus between Monday and Tuesday, reports my colleague Sam Jones in Madrid.
The country’s total number of cases now stands at 94,417 – up from 85,195 on Monday – and its death toll at 8,189.
Updated
Public Health Wales has urged the country’s 440,000 smokers to quit now to reduce the risks from Covid-19 and said it has seen a sharp rise in the number of people asking for help to stop, reports Steve Morris.
It says smokers are more at risk from Covid-19 because they have weakened lung defences and more regular hand-to-mouth contact, giving more chances for picking up the virus. Many also have existing lung conditions caused by smoking.
According to Public Health Wales, hundreds of smokers have contacted the NHS Help Me Quit helpline since the outbreak began and in response more telephone support advisers have been drafted in.
Meanwhile, the website of the tobacco control campaign group ASH Wales has seen a 40% increase in visitors, mostly searching for online advice on how to quit.
Ashley Gould, a public health consultant at Public Health Wales, said: “Seven in 10 smokers in Wales say they would like to quit – there might never be a more important time than now to try harder than ever.
“We know that Covid-19 is mainly a respiratory disease and research on similar viruses shows tobacco smoke increases the risks of this type of infection, and how serious it can be.“
Suzanne Cass, the CEO of ASH Wales, said: “We know that giving up smoking can be incredibly tough but there really is no more important time to quit. The health benefits kick in within minutes of stubbing out that last cigarette and continue to grow with time.”
Updated
Russia records biggest daily increase for seventh day running
The number of coronavirus cases in Russia jumped to 2,337 on Tuesday, an increase of 500, as the country recorded its biggest daily rise for the seventh day in a row, Reuters reports.
In Russia, 18 people who contracted the coronavirus have died, while 121 people have recovered.
Updated
Dubai puts lockdown into force
Dubai enforced the UAE’s first full lockdown on a district housing the emirate’s famous gold and spice markets on Tuesday, to disinfect the normally bustling tourist and trade area as part of efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Reuters reports
The United Arab Emirates has extended a daily overnight curfew for a nationwide disinfection drive to April 5, but Dubai announced late on Monday that a 24-hour curfew would be imposed on Al Ras district for two weeks starting Tuesday.
“I am glad they are doing this because it is for our protection,” said one rice trader who works in Al Ras but resides in Sharjah emirate. The trader, who declined to be named, told Reuters he is now conducting his business online.
Dubai closed the main road entrances to Al Ras and halted public transport to the area, which abuts Dubai Creek, where dhow have been banned from transporting goods between Dubai and Iran, a regional epicentre for the virus.
Dubai Health Authority will provide essential supplies to Al Ras residents, Dubai Media Office tweeted.
The UAE has confirmed 611 coronavirus cases, with five deaths. The total number of infections in the six Gulf Arab states stands at more than 3,700, with 18 deaths.
The UAE plans to open drive-thru testing centres across the country, the region’s business and tourism hub, after first was opened last week in the capital, Abu Dhabi.
“We will never hesitate to take any measures against any potential threat to people’s life. At the same time, we won’t let the development grind to a halt,” Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nayhan, the country’s de facto ruler, said in comments carried on state media.
In Kuwait, health minister Basil al-Sabah was quoted on Tuesday as saying a clearer picture would emerge by early June on the success of containment efforts. Kuwait was the first Gulf state to halt passenger flights and impose a partial curfew.
“If infection numbers stabilise, there may be a gradual easing of current measures,” he told Al Rai newspaper. “But if the average rate of transmission increases then … I do not rule out the cabinet enforcing a full curfew.”
Kuwait has recorded 266 infections. Its larger neighbour, Saudi Arabia, has passed 1,400, with eight deaths.
Saudi media posted a video showing security forces deployed in a sealed-off district in Mecca. The kingdom has extended its first lockdown, in the eastern Qatif region, to several districts in some main cities and imposed a partial nationwide curfew.
Updated
Indonesia records 114 new cases, 14 new deaths
Indonesia confirmed 114 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the total to 1,528, a health ministry official said.
A further 14 people had died, taking the total to 136, the official, Achmad Yurianto, reported.
Updated
Italy has extended its lockdown until Easter
Italy has extended its lockdown until Easter, but there is a glimmer of hope as the country reports a declining infection rate.
The BBC reports:
The number of new coronavirus infections reported on Monday was 1,648, as opposed to 3,815 the previous day. The death toll, however, rose again, with 812 deaths reported, compared with 756 the day before.
Italy believes the peak of its crisis will come in just over a week’s time. It is the world’s hardest hit country in terms of number of deaths.
In total, 11,591 have died in the country, the government says.
Updated
Ireland: Confirmed cases of coronavirus halves
Encouraging news from Ireland, where the daily growth rate in confirmed cases of coronavirus has halved and the country appears to have avoided an unmitigated epidemic, writes my colleague Rory Carroll in Dublin.
Restrictions on social and commercial life and other measures have had an “enormous” impact, Philip Nolan, the chair of The Irish Epidemiological Modelling Group, told a media briefing.
“The measures that the state has imposed and that the public have really complied with very, very strongly are having an enormous effect on the number of actual cases that we’re seeing today.”
However Nolan warned against complacency and said Covid-19’s growth rate would have to fall to “close to zero” for it to be suppressed.
The chief medical officer, Tony Holohan, agreed Ireland was seeing “encouraging signs” in the effort to flatten the curve but said the number of cases and admissions to intensive care units continued to rise, putting hospitals at risk of being swamped. Officials are especially concerned about clusters in nursing homes and hospitals.
Ireland on Monday confirmed 295 new cases, the second highest daily number, bringing the total to 2,910. It recorded eight deaths, bringing the death toll to 54. Northern Ireland has 533 confirmed cases and 22 deaths.
Updated
My colleague Pablo Gutiérrez has produced this fantastic data-driven piece:
Updated
For all UK coronavirus news, please do read our UK liveblog.
We will continue to cover all global coronavirus related news here
We will continue to cover all global coronavirus related news here.
Updated
The number of coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic has exceeded 3,000, Reuters reports.
The central European country has had the highest number of cases among the European Union’s eastern wing, but far fewer than in western neighbours such as Germany and Austria.
The growth rate of new cases has shown signs of slowing, the Czech government said on Monday. The health ministry reported that the number of new cases rose by 184 on Monday to 3,001, a 6.5% increase, which is the second-lowest daily rise since the first infections were reported on 1 March By early Tuesday morning the number of cases stood at 3,002.
The government hopes to begin easing restrictions on daily life after the Easter holiday in April if the situation is under control.
Updated
Encouraging news from Ireland: the daily growth rate in confirmed cases of coronavirus has halved and the country appears to have avoided an unmitigated epidemic.
Restrictions on social and commercial life and other measures have had an “enormous” impact, Philip Nolan, the chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Group, told a media briefing.
“The measures that the state has imposed and that the public have really complied with very, very strongly are having an enormous effect on the number of actual cases that we’re seeing today.”
However, Nolan warned against complacency and said Covid-19’s growth rate would have to fall to “close to zero” for it to be suppressed.
The chief medical officer, Tony Holohan, agreed Ireland was seeing “encouraging signs” in the effort to flatten the curve but said the number of cases and admissions to intensive care units continued to rise, putting hospitals at risk of being swamped. Officials are especially concerned about clusters in nursing homes and hospitals.
Ireland on Monday confirmed 295 new cases, the second highest daily number, bringing the total to 2,910. It recorded eight deaths, bringing the death toll to 54. Northern Ireland has 533 confirmed cases and 22 deaths.
Updated
Indonesia is set to release about 30,000 prisoners early as the country seeks to avoid a possible surge in coronavirus infections in its overcrowded prisons.
A document issued by the law and human rights ministry, whcih was viewed by Reuters, notes that adult prisoners would be eligible for parole if they had served two-thirds of their sentences, while children would be eligible if they served half of their jail term.
Official data shows there are 270,386 prisoners across Indonesia, more than twice the official capacity of its jails. A war on drugs has led to a surge in the number of imprisoned people who are particularly vulnerable to the spread of diseases as many prisons lack proper sanitation.
Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation and president Joko Widodo on Tuesday declared a national public health emergency in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak. So far, the government has reported 1,414 infections and 122 deaths from the virus, but some officials and experts believe a lack of testing has masked the scale of the outbreak.
More on the use of face masks:
Czech citizens have mobilised in a national effort to make and distribute home-made masks after the government decreed face-wear mandatory for everyone in an effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic, writes Robert Tait in Prague.
The government, led by the prime minister, Andrej Babiš, has trumpeted mask-wearing as vital in controlling the spread of the virus and has urged other governments to follow suit.
The Czech Republic and neighbouring Slovakia are the only two countries in Europe to impose mandatory mask-wearing, the supposed benefits of which – although endorsed by the World Health Organization – are disputed by some.
The city of Jena in eastern Germany has decided to make people wear face masks when shopping or travelling by public transport, stepping up efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus and becoming the first city in the country to take the step, Reuters reports.
For the last two weeks, states around Germany have closed schools, restaurants, bars and banned public gatherings as they try to tackle the outbreak but the number of cases and deaths is still rising fast.
Jena, which has 119 cases of the coronavirus, decided to follow Austria which on Monday said it was requiring shoppers to wear basic face masks in supermarkets.
“Jena has decided to introduce further steps to protect the population. In a week’s time, wearing mouth and nose protection in shops in Jena, on public transport and buildings with public traffic will be compulsory,” the town hall said in a statement.
Given shortages of face masks, the town also said towels or scarves wrapped over people’s mouths and noses would be acceptable.
German officials have stressed now is not the time to loosen social distancing measures introduced more than two weeks ago but experts and politicians are already debating how Europe’s biggest economy will unwind the lockdown measures.
A health ministry spokesman said on Monday that an obligation for the general public to wear masks may have a role to play later, saying masks for shoppers could help protect others from contracting the illness from the wearer.
Another option is to launch a smartphone app to help trace coronavirus infections, an approach pioneered by Singapore which German officials think could be effective without invading people’s privacy.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Germany has risen to 61,913 and 583 people have died of the disease, statistics from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday.
Updated
Summary
Depressing sexist news out of Malaysia.
The Malaysian government has urged women to dress up at home and avoid nagging their husbands in coronavirus lockdown advice.
Reuters reports:
In a series of online posters with the hashtag #WomenPreventCOVID19, Malaysia’s women’s affairs ministry issued advice on how to avoid domestic conflicts during the partial lockdown, which began on March 18.
One of the campaign posters depicted a man sitting on a sofa, and asked women to refrain from being “sarcastic” if they need help with household chores.
Avoid nagging your husband, another poster said, attempting to inject humour by using a voice similar to the anime character Doraemon - a blue robot cat popular across Asia.
The ministry also urged women to dress up and wear their makeup while working from home.
“(It) is extremely condescending both to women and men,” said Nisha Sabanayagam, a manager at All Women’s Action Society, a Malaysian advocacy group.
“These posters promote the concept of gender inequality and perpetuate the concept of patriarchy,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.
The posters, uploaded on Facebook and Instragram, drew widespread ridicule online with social media users urging the government to remove them.
“How did we go from preventing baby dumping, fighting domestic violence to some sad variant of the Obedient Wives Club?” Twitter user @yinshaoloong wrote.
“No tips on how to deal with domestic violence?” asked another user @honeyean.
The ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Women’s groups have warned lockdowns could see a rise in domestic violence, with women trapped with their abusers. Some governments have stepped up response, including in France which offers hotel rooms to victims.
Malaysia is ranked 104 out of 153 countries in the latest World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap index, after scoring poorly on political empowerment and economic participation.
Vietnam to start lockdown
Vietnam will begin 15 days of social distancing from Wednesday to curb community transmission of the coronavirus, the south-east Asian country’s prime minister said on Tuesday.
“From midnight April 1, everybody is required to stay at home and can only go out to buy food or in emergency cases and must keep at least two meters from others,” Prime Minster Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in a statement.
Updated
UK Supermarket sales rocket
Britons made over 79m extra grocery shopping trips in the four weeks to 21 March year-on-year as they stocked their “pandemic pantries”, driving a 20.5% jump in supermarket sales, industry data published on Tuesday showed.
Reuters report:
Market researcher Nielsen said British consumers spent an additional £1.9bn ($2.4bn) on groceries.
The data showed that in the week ending 21 March, two days before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the full UK lockdown to try to contain the coronavirus spread, sales rose 43% compared to the same period last year.
Nielsen found that in the four-week period shoppers typically added just one extra item to their basket during each shopping trip, with the average shopping basket increasing from ten items to eleven items, and average basket spend rising from £15 ($18.6) to £16.
“With households making almost three extra shopping trips in the last four weeks, this small change in individual shopping behaviour has led to a seismic shift in overall shopping patterns,” said Mike Watkins, Nielsen*s UK head of retailer and business insight.
“As well as increased store visits, consumers opted to shop online - many for the first time. However, unlike stores there is a finite capacity for online grocery shopping, due to warehouse capacity and available delivery slots, and this will have limited the growth of online sales.*
Nielsen data showed that in the last week of February and the first week of March, shoppers focused on “stockpiling” necessities, such as medicines, cleaning supplies, pet care items and ambient groceries, such as pasta and rice. This continued through to the third week, with a consistent rise in these “pandemic pantry” items.
In the week ending 21March, many shoppers had already filled their cupboards with the necessities, so they began to fill their freezers too. Sales of frozen food during this week rose by 84% compared to the same period last year.
This was also the week in which the government announced the closure of pubs and restaurants, resulting in a 67% surge in beer, wine and spirits sales.
Nielsen said all UK supermarkets experienced significant growth in sales over the four week period, with market leader Tesco’s sales up 20.1% and those at Sainsbury’s , Asda and Morrisons up 22.4%, 17.2% and 19.3% respectively. Online grocery sales increased 14% year-on-year.
Updated
British Airways have suspended all flights from Gatwick airport.
BREAKING British Airways suspends all flights from Gatwick Airport https://t.co/sLdhjkSc85
— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) March 31, 2020
Airlive.net reports:
The planes will be grounded from April 1, although the airline will keep equipment for essential functions at the airport, such as maintenance, towing and cleaning. This will enable the carrier to restart operations quickly.
This is due to the ‘considerable restrictions and challenging market environment’ amid the coronavirus pandemic, a spokesperson said. They continued: ‘Like many other airlines, we will temporarily suspend our flying schedule at Gatwick. We are contacting affected customers to discuss their options.’
WHO: coronavirus epidemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region
The coronavirus epidemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region, and current measures to curb the spread of the virus are buying time for countries to prepare for large-scale community transmissions, a WHO official said on Tuesday.
Reuters reports:
Even with all the measures, the risk of transmission in the region will not go away as long as the pandemic continues, said Takeshi Kasai, Regional Director for the Western Pacific at the World Health Organization (WHO).
The new coronavirus first surfaced in central China in late 2019. Infections have now exceeded 770,000 cases worldwide, with the United States, Italy and Spain overtaking mainland China in confirmed cases.
“Let me be clear. The epidemic is far from over in Asia and the Pacific. This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard,” Kasai told a virtual media briefing.
“We need every country to keep preparing for large-scale community transmission.”
Countries with limited resources are a priority, such as Pacific Island nations, he said, as they have to ship samples to other countries for diagnoses, and transportation restrictions are making that more difficult.
Kasai warned that for countries that are seeing a tapering off of cases, they should not let down their guard, or the virus may come surging back.
The WHO does not expect any country to be safe, as the coronavirus will eventually get everywhere, said WHO technical adviser Matthew Griffith.
“Whereas countries and areas in this region have shown how to flatten the curve, outbreaks continue to pop up in new places and importation remains a concern,” Griffith said at the briefing, citing cases in Singapore and South Korea from people who travelled abroad.
The focus of the epidemic is now on Europe, but that will likely shift to other regions, Griffith said.
Robert Koch Institute: Germany cases increase to 61,913; death toll hits 583
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Germany has risen to 61,913 and 583 people have died of the disease, statistics from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday.
Cases rose by 4,615 compared with the previous day while the death toll climbed by 128, the tally showed.
But the institute has been criticised for being out of date.
Zeit Online has the figures (as of March 31) as:
- 67,051 confirmed cases
- 8.1 per 10,000 inhabitants
- 6,522 recovered *
- 650 died.
The Johns Hopkins tracker has number of cases in the country at 66,885 and number of deaths at 645.
Germany: cases and deaths pic.twitter.com/EhxVUt5tNh
— Alexandra Topping (@LexyTopping) March 31, 2020
Updated
UK news summary
As the UK is waking up, here is a quick summary of the UK’s main stories at the moment.
- More than a week after lockdown measures were put in place in the UK, the country’s chief scientific adviser has said there are early signs the measures are making a difference. The number of deaths rose to 1,408 on Monday, up but Sir Patrick Vallance said the number of additional patients being seen by the NHS each day was “stable”.
- Police forces have faced criticism for taking a draconian approach to enforcing lock down measures. Police chiefs are drawing up new guidance warning forces not to overreach their lockdown enforcement powers. One force issued a summons to a household for shopping for non-essential items and another telling locals that exercise was “limited to an hour a day”.
- The government has announced a £75m airlift operation to rescue hundreds of thousands of British nationals stranded abroad because of the coronavirus pandemic.The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, announced a mixture of charter flights to “priority countries” and affordable seats on commercial airlines from countries where they are still running.
- The government has launched a national voucher scheme for children eligible for free school meals. Schools can now provide every eligible child with a weekly shopping voucher worth £15 to spend at supermarkets while schools are closed due to coronavirus.
- Ministers have been accused of putting lives at risk by failing to rapidly expand testing for coronavirus as promised, after fewer than 5,000 people were tested in one day. Critics said the government had been misleading people about the scale of its testing programme as it became clear the UK has still not met its initial aim of 10,000 daily tests.
- More than 80% of young people with a history of mental ill-health have found their conditions have worsened since the coronavirus crisis began in the UK, a survey has found.
- A senior executive at one of Britain’s biggest outsourcing companies has told workers he believes coronavirus is “less severe” than normal influenza in a message explaining why they will not receive any special sickness benefits.
Updated
Good morning, this is Alexandra Topping taking over at the helm of the global coronavirus liveblog from my colleague Helen Sullivan – my thanks to her.
As ever, if you have a global coronavirus story you want to draw our attention to, please do get in touch. I’m on:
Alexandra.Topping@theguardian.com
and @lexytopping on Twitter - my DMs are open.
Updated
That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, on this, the last day of March 2020: The Longest Month in History.
I leave you now in the altogether more energetic presence of my colleague Alexandra Topping.
Here are the key developments from the last few hours:
- New coronavirus study reveals increased risks from middle age. The first comprehensive study of Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations in mainland China has revealed in stark detail the increase in risk for coronavirus patients once they reach middle age.
-
The number of deaths related to coronavirus in the US has passed 3,000, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. The figure means the toll from coronavirus now exceeds that from the September 11 terrorist attacks. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US, at 164,539 is double those in China.
- The World Bank has warned the pandemic is causing “unprecedented global shock” that could cause China’s growth to come to a standstill while driving 11 million more people in East Asia into poverty, the
- British Airways is suspending all flights to and from London Gatwick, its second-largest base, starting 31 March.
- Today marks a week of no new cases reported in Wuhan city, China, where the outbreak first emerged.
- The coronavirus pandemic’s economic fallout could cause China’s growth to come to a standstill, the World Bank warned Monday. The impact could drive 11 million more people in east Asia into poverty.
- All efforts to address coronavirus in Syria are impeded by a fragile health system, a senior UN official warned.
- The age group most represented in Australian statistics for confirmed cases of Covid-19 are people in their 20s, because they are the group most likely to travel or socialise with returned travellers, experts have said.
- Global cases pass three quarters of a million. Johns Hopkins University researchers, who have been keeping track of the spread of the virus, say the global number of cases is now at least 755,591.
- Global death toll passes 37,000. According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University, at least 37,140 people have now died as a result of the outbreak. The institution says it has counted 745,308 confirmed cases worldwide, while at least 156,875 people have recovered.
- Italy records hundreds more deaths – but a slower infection rate. Italy reported 812 new deaths on Monday, taking its total to 11,591. However, the 1,648 new cases represented the the lowest increase of the epidemic so far. A total of 101,739 people have now tested positive.
- Virus poses ‘existential threat’ to South America’s indigenous communities. Indigenous leaders from across the continent are warning that the outbreak poses an “existential threat” to them. Tribes in the Amazon and Chaco regions are urging governments to ensure their territories are protected against outsiders possibly carrying the coronavirus.
- Concerns over powers secured by Hungary’s nationalist PM. Viktor Orbán secures sweeping new powers to fight the outbreak. The country’s parliament passed a law submitted by his governmenthanding Orbán an open-ended mandate, triggering criticism by the domestic opposition, human rights groups and the Council of Europe, Europe’s main rights forum, as it contains no clear timeframe.
- Dubai’s Expo 2020 to be postponed. The six-month multibillion-dollar trade fair that organisers had hoped would attract 25 million visitors will not go ahead as scheduled in October. Dubai was pinning many of its economic forecasts on the trade it was expected to generate.
- Austria makes face masks compulsory for shoppers. Introducing the requirement is a “necessary step” to help to prevent the airborne transmission of the virus, says the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz. Shoppers are to be handed masks covering their mouthes and noses at the entrance of supermarkets from Wednesday.
Updated
More now on the comments from World Bank chief economist for East Asia and the Pacific, Aaditya Mattoo, who said in a report that the coronavirus pandemic is causing “an unprecedented global shock, which could bring growth to a halt and could increase poverty across the region”.
Even in the best-case scenario, the region could see a sharp drop in growth, with China’s expansion slowing to 2.3% from 6.1% in 2019, the report said.
Chinese state media reported that factory activity rebounded in March, with the Purchasing Managers’ Index, a key gauge of manufacturing activity, coming in at 52.0. This was higher than the 44.8 analysts expected in a Bloomberg survey, and up from 35.7 in February, which was the worst month since China began recording the data in 2005. A reading above 50 suggests growth in the sector.
But China’s international trade in services dropped 11.6% in January and February, with imports and exports of tourism services plunging 23.1%, citing the commerce ministry.
Tuesday briefing: Covid-19 danger jumps from middle age
The first comprehensive study of Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations in mainland China has revealed in stark detail the increase in risk for coronavirus patients once they reach middle age. Four per cent of infected people in their 40s needed hospital treatment, as did more than 8% of patients in their 50s. More than 18% of those in their 80s and above needed hospitalisation after catching the virus. Only 0.04% of 10 to 19-year-olds had to go into hospital if infected.
Updated
Australians in their 20s have more confirmed cases than any other age group
The age group most represented in Australian statistics for confirmed cases of Covid-19 are people in their 20s, because they are the group most likely to travel or party with returned travellers, experts have said.
Data updated daily by the federal health department shows that 11.3% of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Australia are among people aged 25 to 29, followed by 9.5% in those aged 60 to 65 – the cruise ship cohort – and 9.3% in those aged 20 to 25.
People aged 80 and older account for just 2.7% of the confirmed cases of Covid-19 but 47% of the deaths.
UK papers, Tuesday 31 March
Tuesday’s GUARDIAN: Police warned against ‘overreach’ in use of virus lockdown powers #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/Q7TnKG98so
— Helen Miller (@MsHelicat) March 30, 2020
Tuesday’s TIMES: £75m airlift for Britons stranded on holiday #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/EvXlUAvleV
— Helen Miller (@MsHelicat) March 30, 2020
Tuesday’s INDEPENDENT: NHS staff ‘gagged’ over protective mask shortage #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/z45t8Eotnu
— Helen Miller (@MsHelicat) March 30, 2020
The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) March 30, 2020
'Police given warning on 'overzealous' virus tactics'#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/ODALxITqqv
Tuesday’s i: Lockdown helping UK to beat virus #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/zggqJRxpDf
— Helen Miller (@MsHelicat) March 30, 2020
Tuesday’s MAIL: Now 1 in4 hospital doctors off work #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/gwllGTqxt7
— Helen Miller (@MsHelicat) March 30, 2020
Cruise operator says lives are at risk on Zaandam as nations ‘turn their backs’ on ship
Patrick Greenfield and Erin McCormick report for the Guardian:
In more cruise ship news, the operator of a coronavirus-stricken cruise liner has warned that more people could die at sea unless its vessels are allowed to dock, accusing governments of “turning their backs” on thousands of people stranded at sea during the global pandemic.
Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line, called for a port to show “compassion and grace” by allowing passengers on the Zaandam cruise liner and its sister ship, the Rotterdam, back on land.
Four people have died, eight people have tested positive for Covid-19 and about 200 people are ill with flu-like symptoms on the Zaandam, which has hundreds of British, American and Australian holidaymakers on board, many of whom are elderly.
Both ships are travelling towards Florida but on Monday, governor Ron DeSantis said passengers cannot be “dumped” in his state and cast further doubt over whether ships would be allowed to dock, dismissing those on board as mostly “foreigners”.
A meeting of Broward county commissioners will take place on Tuesday to discuss whether the vessels should be allowed into port in Fort Lauderdale.
Several Latin American countries closed their ports to the Zaandam as the coronavirus outbreak developed on board and they refused emergency requests to medically evacuate critically ill patients, according to Ashford.
“We are dealing with a ‘not my problem’ syndrome. The international community, consistently generous and helpful in the face of human suffering, shut itself off to Zaandam leaving her to fend for herself,” Ashford said.
10% of Australian cases are from the Ruby Princess cruise ship
In Australia, there are now more than 400 confirmed cases of coronavirus from the Ruby Princess cruise ship, according to state health departments.
As of Monday, at least 440 passengers across six states and two territories had tested positive for Covid-19 after disembarking from the cruise ship, which docked twice in Sydney in March.
In a move the NSW health minister later admitted was a mistake, 2,700 passengers were allowed to disembark without checks from NSW Health on 19 March, with many boarding flights interstate. Another boatload of passengers did the same on 8 March.
There are now more cases of Covid-19 from the Ruby Princess outside NSW than within the state.
British Airways suspends flights to and from London's Gatwick airport
The BBC reports that British Airways is suspending all flights to and from London Gatwick, its second-largest base, starting 31 March.
BREAKING: The BBC understands that @British_Airways is suspending all flights from @Gatwick_Airport due to #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/jQBLrWzWEH
— BBC Radio Sussex (@BBCSussex) March 31, 2020
Updated
Indonesia will suspend all foreign arrivals.
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister said on Tuesday the government has decided to ban all arrivals and transits by foreigners in Indonesia to prevent a further spread of the coronavirus.
Foreigners with stay permits and some diplomatic visits will be exempted from the ban, Retno Marsudi said, adding that the government aims to issue the regulations for the ban on Tuesday.
The government will also strengthen screening for Indonesian nationals returning to the country, she said.
Czech Republic reported 184 new cases for 30 March, taking the country’s total to 3,001.
On Monday the Czech Republic extended its free movement restrictions until April 11.
Europe’s homeless hit hard by coronavirus response
Homeless people in major European cities are increasingly going hungry during the coronavirus pandemic and suffering in the enforcement of the lockdown, with rough sleepers being issued with police fines for being outside.
A shortfall in protective masks, gloves and hand gels for social workers across the continent has forced the closure of the day centres, food banks and soup kitchens on which people rely to keep themselves healthy and fed.
Meanwhile, efforts to minimise the spread of the disease among those without a home have ranged from instructions for shelters in Amsterdam to be shut during the day, forcing people into the open, to what social workers describe as an “absurd” policy of herding people into gymnasiums in Paris to keep them from gathering outside.
Summary
- The number of deaths related to coronavirus in the US has passed 3,000, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US is almost double those in China.
- Today marks a week of no new cases reported in Wuhan city, China, where the outbreak first emerged.
- The coronavirus pandemic’s economic fallout could cause China’s growth to come to a standstill, the World Bank warned Monday. The impact could drive 11 million more people in East Asia into poverty.
- All efforts to address coronavirus in Syria are impeded by fragile health system, a senior UN official warned.
- New coronavirus study reveals increased risks from middle age. The first comprehensive study of Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations in mainland China has revealed in stark detail the increase in risk for coronavirus patients once they reach middle age.
- Global cases pass three quarters of a million. Johns Hopkins University researchers, who have been keeping track of the spread of the virus, say the global number of cases is now at least 755,591.
- Global death toll passes 37,000. According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University, at least 37,140 people have now died as a result of the outbreak. The institution says it has counted 745,308 confirmed cases worldwide, while at least 156,875 people have recovered.
- Italy records hundreds more deaths – but a slower infection rate.The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has climbed by 812 to 11,591, the country’s civil protection agency says, reversing two days of declines in the daily rate. But the number of new cases rose by just 4,050; the lowest nominal increase since 17 March. A total 101,739 people have now tested positive.
- Virus poses ‘existential threat’ to South America’s indigenous communities. Indigenous leaders from across the continent are warning that the outbreak poses an “existential threat” to them. Tribes in the Amazon and Chaco regions are urging governments to ensure their territories are protected against outsiders possibly carrying the coronavirus.
- Concerns over powers secured by Hungary’s nationalist PM. Viktor Orbán secures sweeping new powers to fight the outbreak. The country’s parliament passed a law submitted by his governmenthanding Orbán an open-ended mandate, triggering criticism by the domestic opposition, human rights groups and the Council of Europe, Europe’s main rights forum, as it contains no clear timeframe.
- Dubai’s Expo 2020 to be postponed. The six-month multibillion-dollar trade fair that organisers had hoped would attract 25 million visitors will not go ahead as scheduled in October. Dubai was pinning many of its economic forecasts on the trade it was expected to generate.
- Austria makes face masks compulsory for shoppers. Introducing the requirement is a “necessary step” to help to prevent the airborne transmission of the virus, says the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz. Shoppers are to be handed masks covering their mouthes and noses at the entrance of supermarkets from Wednesday.
Fears over hidden Covid-19 outbreak in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria
Health and other officials focused on Lebanon, Iraq and Syria fear the numbers of people infected with coronavirus far exceed the official figures disclosed by all three governments, and claim non-state actors are quarantining entire communities of patients in areas outside state control.
Officials, including bureaucrats, aid workers and international observers, who spoke with the Guardian over the past week say parts of Lebanon and Iraq in particular are likely to be holding thousands more infected people, and that a lack of disclosure poses a serious health risk over the next three months.
They also claim coronavirus patients are being housed and guarded by political groups in central and southern Iraq and southern Lebanon.
An even worse scenario is thought to be unfolding in Syria, where weak state structures, an internally displaced population of 7 million, and the fact large chunks of the country remainoutside central government control make controlling the spread of the virus almost impossible.
Ground and air links between all three countries have been largely severed, but there are deepening concerns that large numbers of virus carriers were able to return before borders were sealed in mid-March.
US coronavirus-related deaths, which stand at 3,164, according to Johns Hopkins University figures, now exceed the toll from the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
2,977 people were killed when the World Trade Centre and Pentagon were attacked in 2001.
On Monday, with around three quarters of Americans under stay-home orders, the number of cases in the country reached 164,539, double the 82,240 cases in China, where the outbreak first began.
The majority of the country’s coronavirus-related deaths are in New York state, which accounts for 1,200 fatalities.
New York’s governor urgently appealed for medical volunteers Monday amid the staggering number of deaths, as he and health officials warned that the crisis unfolding in New York City is just a preview of what other U.S. communities could soon face.
“Please come help us in New York now,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said as the state’s death toll climbed by more than 250 people in a day to a total of over 1,200, most of them in the city.
He said an additional 1 million health care workers are needed to tackle the crisis.
“We’ve lost over 1,000 New Yorkers,” Cuomo said. “To me, we’re beyond staggering already. We’ve reached staggering.”
Updated
Coronavirus testing is expected to increase substantially in coming days in the Philippines, where the high number of deaths relative to confirmed cases reflects lower testing so far, a World Health Organisation official said on Tuesday.
The coronavirus death toll in the Philippines rose to 78 on Monday - the second highest in Southeast Asia outside Indonesia - with 1,546 reported infections, Reuters reports.
“With respect to the high proportion of deaths in the Philippines, that’s essentially because of the way Philippines has chosen to test,” WHO technical advisor Matthew Griffith told a news conference, referring to the focus on testing only the most severe cases until now.
“We expect the testing to increase substantially in the coming days.”
Speaking of karaoke:
every zoom discussion during online school pic.twitter.com/0LtkQy8gOm
— liva worst (@realchoppedliva) March 31, 2020
Karaoke shutdown in Tokyo amid calls for Covid-19 state of emergency in Japan
Still in Japan, the governor of Tokyo has told residents to ditch another national pastime – karaoke - as calls grow for Japan to take tougher measures to stem a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.
Yuriko Koike said Tokyo’s 14 million people should avoid visits to bars and restaurants, and put karaoke sessions on hold until 12 April, while a senior medical official called on the government to declare a state of emergency before it is “too late”.
Japan has so far avoided the kind of outbreaks that have ravaged the US, Italy, Spain and Iran, but a rise in cases in Tokyo, including some with no known source of infection, along with the virus-related death this week of Ken Shimura, one of the country’s best-known comedians, have sparked calls for more government action.
While we are taking in some visuals from around the world, in Japan the tradition cherry blossom season is in full swing, but with none of the usuals crowds taking in the views. Traditional viewing areas have been closed.
Updated
Authorities in Egypt have broadcast health messages onto the pyramids in Giza, one of the tourist sites closed until at least 15 April. The landmarks also carry a message of thanks to the country’s health workers.
Podcast: Lessons from the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic
Science writer and journalist Laura Spinney discusses the outbreak of Spanish flu, one of the worst virus outbreak of modern times, which is believed to have killed up to 100 million people. She believes there are lessons to be learned from that pandemic.
Health workers in Spain have been acknowledging the cleaning staff, who have been working around the clock to keep hospitals and facilities as safe as possible.
The cleaning staff at our hospitals are hardly ever mentioned and they also deserve a tribute!pic.twitter.com/25ij79UtIs
— Josep Goded (@josepgoded) March 30, 2020
Australian economic stimulus package: how much governments have committed to coronavirus crisis
The $130bn support package announced by the Morrison government on Monday is the largest plank in a raft of measures to keep Australians in jobs and support those out of work, unprecedented in its scale.
Every state and territory has announced stimulus packages that, along with the impact of Covid-19-related closures on their revenue, are expected to put them all in deficit.
By the end of March, the measures announced totalled AU$213.6bn (US$132bn) in direct, on-budget spending from the federal government, $11.8bn from the states and $105bn in lending from the Reserve Bank and the federal government.
US president Donald Trump, speaking earlier to reporters at the White House, said more than 1 million Americans had been tested for the coronavirus, which he called a milestone.
But when questioned about testing per capita in the US, Trump wrongly claimed that the population of Seoul in South Korea was 38 million people (it is actually closer to 10 million people) and told the reporter to stop asking ‘snarky’ questions.
Updated
You can send me news, tips or questions about the coronavirus pandemic on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
World Bank warns pandemic is causing 'unprecedented global shock'
The coronavirus pandemic’s economic fallout could cause China’s growth to come to a standstill while driving 11 million more people in East Asia into poverty, the World Bank warned Monday.
The pandemic is causing “an unprecedented global shock, which could bring growth to a halt and could increase poverty across the region,” said Aaditya Mattoo, World Bank chief economist for East Asia and the Pacific.
Even in the best-case scenario, the region will see a sharp drop in growth, with China’s expansion slowing to 2.3% from 6.1% in 2019, according to a report on the pandemic’s impact on the region.
Just two months ago, the World Bank’s economists forecast China would grow by 5.9% this year, which would have been its worst performance since 1990.
Now the world’s second-largest economy faces a more dire outlook, reflected in the record contraction in manufacturing activity in February and industrial production that fell for the first time in 30 years.
Updated
In more airlines news, Virgin Australia has come out of its trading halt – and soared 10% – after telling the ASX it has indeed asked for a $1.4bn loan from the government.
The loan could be convertible to shares, part-nationalising the airline, Virgin told the ASX.
It confirmed the Australian’s initial report on the request, published this morning, saying it “continues to explore a range of options to manage through the Covid-19 crisis, including requesting financial support from the Australian government in the order of AU$1.4bn (US$870m) as part of a broader industry support package to prepare for a prolonged crisis”.
Shares in rival Qantas, which has lobbied against a bailout for Virgin and reportedly wants AU$2.4bn for itself, also rose 4%.
Updated
American Airlines said it plans to seek US $12bn in government aid to cover payroll costs for the next six months while sweetening offers for voluntary leave and early retirement to reduce the work force, AP reports.
The airline is now offering to pay a portion of salary for workers who accept voluntary leave or early retirement. American will seek part of a $50bn kitty that Congress and the White House created for passenger airlines under a $2tn measure to help the economy withstand a sharp downturn caused by the new virus pandemic.
Updated
Florida megachurch pastor arrested for breaching Covid-19 health order
Florida officials have arrested the pastor of a megachurch accused of holding two Sunday services with hundreds of people and violating a safer-at-home order in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Jail records show Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne turned himself in to authorities on Monday afternoon in Hernando County, where he lives. He was charged with unlawful assembly and violation of a public health emergency order. Bail was set at $500, according to the records, and he was released after posting bond.
Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said his command staff met leaders of the River at Tampa Bay church about the danger they were putting themselves – and their congregation – in by not maintaining appropriate social distancing, but Howard-Browne held the services. The sheriff’s office also placed a digital sign on the road near the church driveway that said “practice social distancing”.
New York’s Empire State Building was lit up on Monday night to honour medical workers and first responders.
The building’s twitter account described the pulsing red light as a “heartbeat”.
The heart of New York is beating strong. ❤️
— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) March 29, 2020
Our lights will shine in a dynamic heartbeat from 9-10PM tonight in support of the “@FOXTV Presents the @iHeartRadio Living Room Concert for America.” pic.twitter.com/woOhzoc1p0
The building also flashed like a siren.
[1/2] We’ll never stop shining for you.
— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) March 30, 2020
Starting tonight through the COVID-19 battle, our signature white lights will be replaced by the heartbeat of America with a white and red siren in the mast for heroic emergency workers on the front line of the fight. pic.twitter.com/OYkblLTRHN
The @EmpireStateBldg reminding us that the city is in the middle of an emergency. pic.twitter.com/50TjEjOogN
— Rita J. King (@RitaJKing) March 31, 2020
Updated
A New Zealand epidemiologist has told a committee of lawmakers who are scrutinising the government’s pandemic response that “A lock down on its own is not enough.”
“It’s like pressing the pause button on your device,” David Skegg, an emeritus professor of epidemiology at the University of Otago, said of the four-week national lockdown that began last Wednesday.
He was speaking to a New Zealand parliamentary committee convened to question and hold to account government and public officials for their decisions on the Covid-19 pandemic. It is chaired by the leader of the opposition and features lawmakers from every political party in parliament.
647 cases of coronavirus have been recorded in New Zealand; 14 people are in hospital with the virus, including two in intensive care, and one person has died.
The government has drawn widespread praise for its decision to shut down the country and ask the public to stay home. But Skegg said the move would be a “terrible waste” unless the government added to it with these four measures:
- Ensure the lockdown is as comprehensive as possible to minimise person-to-person spread. “Are all of those essential industries really essential?” Skegg asked, of the businesses allowed to remain open.
- Every effort must be made to prevent spread by New Zealanders returning from overseas. These travellers are being quarantined in hotels and motels, though there have been some reports of those quarantined being allowed out to buy their own groceries -- which is not allowed.
- Far more testing. Skegg said loosening of rules around testing -- which no longer require patients to have traveled overseas or have come into contact with a confirmed case -- haven’t got through to doctors in the field.
- The capacity for rapid case contract tracing must be greatly expanded as a matter of urgency, Skegg said.
The epidemic committee was held by video call, with a live stream broadcast publicly and available to watch on social media and many news outlets. As with any group of people holding a Zoom meeting, there was the occasional person speaking with bizarre echoing feedback, although only one lawmaker asking a question had to be reminded to un-mute his microphone.
Anger as Las Vegas turns parking lot into sleeping area for homeless
Images of homeless people sleeping in a converted parking lot in Las Vegas have sparked criticism, even as the city officials describe an “emergency situation” and say the solution was the best option after another shelter was forced to close amid the coronavirus crisis.
Over the weekend, authorities in Las Vegas needed to find additional sleeping space for the city’s sizable homeless population when a 500-bed overnight shelter closed after a client tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Officials turned a parking lot into a makeshift shelter, saying spaces for sleeping were drawn 6ft apart in observance of federal social distancing guidelines.
Many white boxes were covered up with blue mats that could be more easily cleaned. But photos of the temporary shelter showing people sleeping close to each other on the ground, some within arm’s reach, sparked backlash on social media.
Nevada, a state in one of the richest countries in the world, has painted social-distancing boxes on a concrete parking lot for the homeless to sleep in. pic.twitter.com/svNJ0N9r3f
— A Mancino-Williams (@Manda_like_wine) March 30, 2020
Updated
Quarantined Argentinians burst into a noisy clamour, banging pots and pans from their windows and balconies on Monday night, demanding politicians and public officials cut their wages to aid in the coronavirus effort.
The call to protest, launched on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, had wide repercussion, especially in the capital city of Buenos Aires and the large city of Córdoba in central Argentina.
Sigue el #Cacerolazo en #Palermo pic.twitter.com/Ea9Zfltadd
— Gabriela Inglese ✨ (@GabrielaInglese) March 31, 2020
“Politicians should cut their wages in half, we would have six billion dollars for the fight against coronavirus,” read the social media messages. The pot banging launched at 9.30pm, following the nightly 9pm clapping and cheering for health workers at the forefront of the coronavirus battle.
The call to pot banging came after the government of president Luis Lacalle Pou in neighbouring Uruguay announced on Sunday a 20% cut of wages and pensions for state officials earning over 80 thousand monthly Uruguayan pesos (around US$1800).
Argentina had its highest daily increase of coronavirus cases Monday, with 146 new cases, totalling 966 cases and 24 deaths so far. The previous record had been 101 cases last Friday.
Updated
More from the US now, which today passed 3,000 coronavirus-related deaths.
Total deaths across the United States hit 3,017, including at least 540 on Monday, and the reported cases climbed to more than 163,000, according to a Reuters tally.
People in New York and New Jersey lined both sides of the Hudson River to cheer the US Navy ship Comfort, a converted oil tanker painted white with giant red crosses, as it sailed past the Statue of Liberty accompanied by support ships and helicopters.
USNS Comfort has arrived in NYC. It’s passing World Trade Center right now on the Hudson River. I can hear cheering from Jersey City. pic.twitter.com/a7kTK2dmQh
— Kevin Rincon (@KevRincon) March 30, 2020
The Comfort will treat non-coronavirus patients, including those who require surgery and critical care, in an effort to free up other resources to fight the virus, the Navy said.
“It’s a wartime atmosphere and we all have to pull together,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was among the dignitaries to greet the ship’s arrival at the Midtown Manhattan pier.
This is not the first time that the hospital ship USNS Comfort has been deployed to help New York. In 2001, the Comfort was docked in Manhattan to assist in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. If set on end, the Comfort would be the 13th tallest building in NYC. pic.twitter.com/BgxLHoZX4j
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) March 30, 2020
Hospitals in the New York City area have been overrun with patients suffering from Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus. Officials have appealed for volunteer healthcare workers.
“We can’t take of you if we can’t take care of ourselves,” said Krystal Horchuck, a nurse with Virtua Memorial Hospital in New Jersey. “I think a lot of us have accepted the fact that we are probably going to get this. It’s just that we want to survive. We’re all being exposed to it at some point.”
The United States has the most confirmed cases in the world, a number that is likely to soar when tests for the virus become more widespread.
What an amazing sight! To all aboard the #USNSComfort, the #NYStatePolice and all the doctors and nurses the world over ... THANK YOU. pic.twitter.com/OJGP68Q2nv
— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) March 30, 2020
South Korean children are set to star the school year on 9 April and will be doing it online, according to Yonhap News Agency:
“The new school year here usually starts in March, but the country had postponed it three times by five weeks to next Monday over concerns that schools are vulnerable to cluster infections of Covid-19.
Chung said online remote classes appear to be a viable alternative for students to learn and for schools to meet the statutory yearly school days.”
Apps and coronavirus: what you need to know about protecting your privacy
If you are one of the millions of Australians working from home and resorting to apps to maintain a social life online in the coronavirus pandemic, it is as important as ever to look at what and how much information you may be unwittingly sharing with them.
A painting by Vincent van Gogh with an estimated value of up to £5m (US$6.2m) has been stolen from a Dutch museum currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The thieves took Van Gogh’s Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring after smashing through the front glass door of the Singer Laren museum, in Laren, at around 3.15am on Sunday morning. No other art is believed to be missing.
South Korea reported 125 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 9,786, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The daily number of new infections in South Korea has been hovering around 100 or less for the past three weeks.
One week since last new confirmed Wuhan case
In China now, where we understand that today marks a week since a new coronavirus case was reported in Wuhan city, where the outbreak first emerged.
There were 48 new confirmed cases in Mainland China on March 30, all of which were imported cases abroad.
There was one death, in Hubei.
Updated
In lighter news from – where else? – New Zealand:
A nationwide teddy bear hunt is helping keep New Zealand’s children occupied during the country’s month-long coronavirus lockdown, with tens of thousands of homes taking part, including the prime minister.
New Zealand has more than 500 confirmed cases of coronavirus and is in the midst of a quarantine period, one of the strictest enforcements anywhere in the world. Going outside is prohibited unless for essential supplies such as food and medicine, or a brief respite of exercise and fresh air, taken locally.
Inspired by the popular children’s book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, by Michael Rosen, the real-life Kiwi bear hunt has seen homes from Bluff to Auckland place teddy bears in their street-facing windows, allowing local children to “hunt” for bears in their neighbourhoods. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, confirmed she too had placed a teddy in the front window of Premier House in Wellington, where she is in lockdown with her fiancé, Clarke Gayford, and toddler, Neve.
Updated
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has ruled that gun shops are considered essential businesses that should remain open as other businesses are closed to try to stop the spread of coronavirus, AP reports.
Gun control groups called it a move to put profits over public health.
After days of lobbying by the National Rifle Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and other gun groups, the Department of Homeland Security this past weekend issued an advisory declaring that firearms dealers should be considered essential services just like grocery stores, pharmacies and hospitals and allowed to remain open.
The agency said its ruling was not a mandate but merely guidance for cities, towns and states as they weigh how to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
In recent weeks, firearm sales have skyrocketed. Background checks the key barometer of gun sales already were at record numbers in January and February, likely fueled by a presidential election year. Since the coronavirus outbreak, gun shops have reported long lines and runs on firearms and ammunition.
Background checks were up 300% on March 16, compared with the same date a year ago, according to federal data shared with the NSSF, which represents gunmakers. Since Feb. 23, each day has seen roughly double the volume over 2019, according to Mark Oliva, spokesman for the group.
Have news, tips or questions about the coronavirus pandemic? Get in touch with me directly on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
As the pandemic death toll passes 3,000 in the US, here are a few of the surreal images of the USNS Comfort, a US Navy hospital ship, arriving in New York Harbour.
The ship brings over 1,100 medical personnel, a dozen operating rooms and almost 1,000 beds to ease the pressure on New Yorks health care system due to Covid-19.
New York state has had over 1,2000 coronavirus-related deaths.
US deaths pass 3,000
The number of deaths related to coronavirus in the US has passed 3,000, AFP reports, citing Johns Hopkins University figures.
The toll in the US, the worst-affected country on earth is, 3,008.
The US has the highest number of cases in the world, at over 160,000 – just under double the cases in China, where the outbreak began.
Updated
Trump accused of using coronavirus briefing as corporate advertising spot
Donald Trump was accused on Monday of turning his daily White House coronavirus briefing into an advertising spot for corporate allies, even as the number of US cases topped 160,000.
The US president paraded several company leaders in the White House Rose Garden, starting with Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow, who has become a regular cheerleader for Trump at his campaign rallies.
Trump praised companies for doing their “patriotic duty” by producing or donating medical equipment to meet America’s most urgent needs. “What they’re doing is incredible,” he said. “These are great companies.”
He went on to invite Lindell, Darius Adamczyk of Honeywell, Debra Waller of Jockey International, David Taylor of Procter & Gamble and Greg Hayes of United Technologies to make short speeches. He introduced Lindell as a “friend” and riffed: “Boy, do you sell those pillows, it’s unbelievable what you do.”
Lindell then stood at the presidential podium and said his company has dedicated 75% of its manufacturing to producing cotton face masks.
Then, in a bizarre gear change, Lindell went into campaign rally mode and referenced the date of Trump’s election. “God gave us grace on November 8, 2016, to change the course we were on,” he said. “God had been taken out of our schools and lives, a nation had turned its back on God.”
“I encourage you to use this time at home to get back in the word, read our Bibles and spend time with our families.”
Trump told reporters: “I did not know he was going to do that, but he’s a friend of mine and I do appreciate it. Thank you, Mike.”
All efforts to address coronavirus in Syria impeded by fragile health system, senior UN official warns
UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock warned the Security Council on Monday that the 10 cases of Covid-19 and one death confirmed in Syria are just the tip of the iceberg, and judging from other countries a devastating impact can be expected on vulnerable communities.
Lowcock said: “All efforts to prevent, detect and respond to Covid-19 are impeded by Syria’s fragile health system,” noting only around half of the country’s hospitals and primary health care facilities were fully functional at the end of 2019.
He said efforts to prevent and combat the virus are also are face the challenges of population movement, obtaining critical supplies including protective equipment and ventilators, and difficulties of isolating in crowded camps for the displaced with “low levels of sanitation services.”
Updated
In Colombia, the police have come up with a novel way to dissuade people from leaving their homes.
An empty coffin, decorated with flowers and and a the word “Coronavirus” in gold lettering, driven around in a hearse:
The coronavirus pandemic is having an impact on abortions.
In Australia, travel restrictions and isolation requirements due to Covid-19 have left doctors unable to fly interstate to perform later gestation abortions, prompting an urgent call for assistance.
The travel restrictions had especially affected a later gestation clinic in Victoria, which provides services to women whose lives may be at risk by continuing with the pregnancy or in cases of severe foetal abnormalities, according to the national not-for-profit sexual and reproductive health organisation Marie Stopes.
The doctors can not afford to quarantine when they get back to South Australia as they also provide services in their home state. They are trained provide the service up to 24 weeks’ gestation. There are very limited numbers of specialised doctors who can provide these terminations, making it hard for clinics to fill the gap with other staff.
In Australia, abortion is largely classified to be an elective or semi-elective procedure. While non-urgent elective surgeries have been cancelled to increase capacity for Covid-19 patients, critical gynaecological procedures, including abortion, are classified as essential and urgent. But there are other challenges to access.
In the US, there is some hope, as providers in the states of Ohio and Texas are granted temporary relief.
In Texas, a federal district judge granted abortion providers a temporary restraining, allowing them to continue through April 13, after attorney general Ken Paxton sought to ban abortion access during the coronavirus pandemic, saying it did not qualify as “essential” health care.
In Ohio, a judge struck down a similar policy put forth by the state’s health department.
“Patients will suffer serious and irreparable harm,” said Judge Lee Yeakel of the Western District of Texas. Only the Supreme Court has the power to decide whether a ban on abortions during a national crisis is constitutional, Yeakel said.
Women’s health advocates are seeking similar rulings in Oklahoma, Iowa, and Alabama, which have also sought to restrict abortion access amid the pandemic.
In Italy, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Pope Francis’ vicar for the archdiocese of Rome, on Monday became the highest-ranking Catholic official known to test positive for coronavirus.
De Donatis’ office said he was tested for the virus after feeling unwell and was admitted to a Rome hospital. His closest aides had gone into voluntary quarantine as a precaution, a statement said.
A pope is also the bishop of Rome but appoints someone to act as his vicar to administer the vast archdiocese.
De Donatis, 66, is not believed to have had personal contact with Pope Francis recently.
The Vatican said on Saturday that the pope and his closest aides did not have the virus. Coronavirus has killed 11,591 people in Italy, about a third of the deaths around the world.
Updated
Bangladesh garment manufacturers say fashion retailers have cancelled or put on hold more than US$3bn in orders due to the coronavirus outbreak, though a handful have agreed to pay anyway, AP reports.
The data from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association released Monday reflected both orders already made or in the works and planned orders from the country, which is the world’s second largest exporter of clothing after China.
The cancelled orders, according to reports to the BGMEA from manufacturers, included tens of millions in purchases from many big buyers, including European buyers C&A and Inditex, Primark of Ireland and Britain’s Marks & Spencer.
A survey of factory owners in Bangladesh released Friday showed millions of Bangladesh factory workers being sent home without the wages or severance pay they are owed.
The BGMEA reported that $1.8bn in orders have been put on hold and another $1.4bn have been cancelled. Cancellations of planned orders, for April-December, amounted to nearly $1.7bn, it said. The figures are conservative because they exclude orders that would go to multiple buyers.
Sweden’s H&M has said it was pausing new orders and reevaluating plans but will pay suppliers and take delivery of orders already under production or already made, according to terms already agreed on.
Here’s a neat roundup of some of Trump’s comments in recent weeks, to the tune of “Flight of the Bumblebee”:
Oof this stings https://t.co/PCKNgZUTJ3
— Helen Sullivan (@helenrsullivan) March 30, 2020
And below are some of the US president’s most misleading claims about the pandemic, including around testing, from my colleague Oliver Milman. The scary question is: If the US has not done a lot of testing and the numbers are still this high, what are the real numbers?
“Without basis, Trump has claimed the US has done an excellent job in testing people for the coronavirus. As early as January, the president said the situation was ‘totally under control’. Just six weeks later the US had emerged as the new global center of the pandemic.
“In reality, healthcare providers faced a severe shortage of testing kits as coronavirus hit the US, with the situation exacerbated by faults in the testing system and restrictions on who could actually take a test. A big disparity opened up whereby rich or famous people were able to get tests while others struggled to do so.”
US cases are double those in China
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US is almost double those in China, where the outbreak began, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
The US has 160,020 cases and China has 82,198.
Italy, while still 60,000 behind the US, has become the second country to record over 100,000 cases, with 101,739.
Spain, with the third-highest number of cases, has 85,195.
New coronavirus study reveals increased risks from middle age
The first comprehensive study of Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations in mainland China has revealed in stark detail the increase in risk for coronavirus patients once they reach middle age.
The analysis found that while the overall death rate for confirmed cases was 1.38%, the rate rose sharply with age – from 0.0016% in the under 10s, to 7.8% in 80s and over.
The study showed only 0.04% of 10 to 19-year-olds required hospital care compared with more than 18% of those in their 80s and above.
Dramatic rises were seen among middle-aged groups too, with 4% of people in their 40s needing hospital treatment and more than 8% of patients in their 50s.
Summary
Hello and welcome to today’s live coronavirus coverage.
As the world passes another sombre milestone, with more than three quarters of a million confirmed coronavirus cases, the gap between cases in the US and other countries is growing, with 160,000 cases. Italy has passed 100,000 cases, Spain has over 85,000 and China has 82,198.
I’ll be taking you through the latest developments for the next few hours. Please do reach out to me with news, tips or questions on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
- New coronavirus study reveals increased risks from middle age. The first comprehensive study of Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations in mainland China has revealed in stark detail the increase in risk for coronavirus patients once they reach middle age.
- France sees its worst daily death toll. French health authorities have reported 418 new deaths, taking the total to 3,024 or an increase of 16%. The country has become the fourth to cross the 3,000 fatalities threshold after China, Italy, and Spain.
- Global cases pass three quarters of a million. Johns Hopkins University researchers, who have been keeping track of the spread of the virus, say the global number of cases is now at least 755,591.
- Global death toll passes 37,000. According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University, at least 37,140 people have now died as a result of the outbreak. The institution says it has counted 745,308 confirmed cases worldwide, while at least 156,875 people have recovered.
- Italy records hundreds more deaths – but a slower infection rate. The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has climbed by 812 to 11,591, the country’s civil protection agency says, reversing two days of declines in the daily rate. But the number of new cases rose by just 4,050; the lowest nominal increase since 17 March. A total 101,739 people have now tested positive.
- Virus poses ‘existential threat’ to South America’s indigenous communities. Indigenous leaders from across the continent are warning that the outbreak poses an “existential threat” to them. Tribes in the Amazon and Chaco regions are urging governments to ensure their territories are protected against outsiders possibly carrying the coronavirus.
- Tens of thousands of people stranded abroad will be flown back to the UK by airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Titan Airways on chartered planes as part of a partnership between the government and private enterprise announced by the country’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab.
- Israeli prime minister in self-isolation. Benjamin Netanyahu and his key advisers isolate themselves after one of the prime minister’s aides tested positive for the coronavirus.
- Concerns over powers secured by Hungary’s nationalist PM. Viktor Orbán secures sweeping new powers to fight the outbreak. The country’s parliament passed a law submitted by his government handing Orbán an open-ended mandate, triggering criticism by the domestic opposition, human rights groups and the Council of Europe, Europe’s main rights forum, as it contains no clear timeframe.
- Dubai’s Expo 2020 to be postponed. The six-month multibillion-dollar trade fair that organisers had hoped would attract 25 million visitors will not go ahead as scheduled in October. Dubai was pinning many of its economic forecasts on the trade it was expected to generate.
- Austria makes face masks compulsory for shoppers. Introducing the requirement is a “necessary step” to help to prevent the airborne transmission of the virus, says the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz. Shoppers are to be handed masks covering their mouthes and noses at the entrance of supermarkets from Wednesday.
