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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Matthew Weaver (now) Helen Sullivan (earlier)

Coronavirus live news: some London tube stations shut down while Hubei reports no new cases

Commuters wait to board a Northern Line tube at Clapham North underground station during rush hour.
Commuters wait to board a Northern Line tube at Clapham North underground station during rush hour. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

Premier League football clubs have been urged to follow the leads of Liverpool and Brighton to “avoid a disaster waiting to happen” by fighting the threat of the coronavirus crisis to food banks and ensuring casual staff are paid during football’s suspension.

The move, by the organisation Fans Supporting Foodbanks, comes the Premier League and its clubs prepare for Thursday’s emergency meeting called to discuss the postponement of matches, which is all but certain to stretch beyond the initial 3 April date because the disease continues to spread.

This means collections by FSF before home games are no longer possible, raising concern that food banks will struggle to feed the sizeable constituency dependent on them. There is also doubt regarding the livelihoods of thousands of casual workers in the game.

The former Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent has called for the Olympics in Japan to be postponed.

Pinsent, who won four consecutive Olympic gold medals, said it was unfair to ask athletes to carry on training.

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announced last night that everyone should stay at home for three weeks.

He also said Turkey orders with Greece and Bulgaria will close, but this won’t apply to the refugees still camped out on the EU border, and who are still being encouraged to cross.

There were some clashes last night with Greek border police as people tried to storm a fence.

Asylum seekers waiting at the Pazarkule border crossing between Turkey and Greece, as Greek police fire ear gas canisters
Asylum seekers waiting at the Pazarkule border crossing between Turkey and Greece, as Greek police fire ear gas canisters Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Musician Liam Gallagher offers us these pearls of wisdom.

Mexico has reported its first coronavirus death, reader Lou Canton points out. He was a 41-year-old who suffered from diabetes, the country’s health ministry said.

He had not travelled abroad and had probably become infected when he attended a concert in Mexico City on 3 March.

His wife complained that she had been given mixed messages about his condition, local media report. First, doctors told her her husband had pneumonia due to influenza. Then they told her he had coronavirus, but did not show her any results from a test, she said.

She also added that she had not been tested for coronavirus test and said she was allowed to enter the hospital to visit her husband.

Updated

A photograph taken with a drone shows the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the empty streets of the capital Athens. Cafes, restaurants, museums and archeological sites in the country have suspended operations until at least 30 March
A photograph taken with a drone shows the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the empty streets around it. Cafes, restaurants, museums and archeological sites in the country have suspended operations until at least 30 March. Photograph: Andreas Tsaknaridis/EPA

Greece’s tourist-dependent economy has been especially hard hit by the crisis. Already the most economically fragile member of the EU after its long-running debt crisis, the country has had mass cancellations of holiday bookings amid fears over coronavirus.

The Greek government, which has ordered all private businesses closed, announced emergency support measures on Wednesday.

Updated

The US government is putting the health and potentially lives of thousands of federal judges, lawyers, court staff and undocumented immigrants and their families at risk by insisting that immigration courts remain open for the deportation hearings of detained immigrants, despite the threat of coronavirus.

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced the temporary closure of 10 immigration courts in addition to the already shuttered location in Seattle. All deportation hearings relating to undocumented people who are not in custody have also been suspended.

But a rare alliance of federal employees including immigration judges, Ice prosecutors and lawyers representing immigrants are saying the changes are too little, too late. With 58 immigration courts still open across the country, and only 11 closed, the prospect of courthouses acting as incubators and disseminators of the virus remains pronounced, with the risk of spreading the disease to large numbers of federal employees and the public.

Updated

A planned state visit to Britain by the emperor and empress of Japan in June has been postponed.

It will be rescheduled at a later date, Buckingham Palace said.

London is waking up to the news that 40 tube stations will be shut to slow the spread of coronavirus. TfL says it will run a reduced service to enable London’s critical workers to make essential journeys but there will be no Waterloo & City line from Friday, no night tube service and fewer buses.

Some have still expressed concern about how the changes will affect NHS and care workers. Dr Fiona Yung called for parking spaces to be freed up around hospitals.

Some felt that the changes made sense as a measure to curb the spread, and given the fact that less people are travelling.


The move comes amid speculation that London is going into shutdown. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, said the UK government was about to announce “more stringent measures” for London.

Asked how far the UK was from a “complete lockdown”, Sturgeon said the capital city might see tougher measures first because it was further ahead on the “curve” of the outbreak.

Updated

This is Matthew Weaver taking over the blog from London. The main concerns in the UK are how schools closures are going to work and the prospect of more stringent social distancing measures in the capital.

Up to 40 London Underground stations have closed and the Ministry of Defence is to double the size of the military’s civil contingency unit to create a 20,000-strong Covid support force.

For the next couple of hours we’ll have the latest from the UK and the rest of the world. We will launch a separate UK coronavirus live blog later. Meanwhile you can get the latest on the situation in Australia here.

Please let me know if you think there are things we’ve missed form your part of the world either at matthew.weaver@theguardian.com or on Twitter @matthew_weaver

There are close to 220,000 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide.

Here are the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.

Total cases: 218,823
Total deaths: 8,810

  1. China 81,138
  2. Italy 35,713
  3. Iran 17,361
  4. Spain 14,769
  5. Germany 12,327
  6. US 9,415
  7. France 9,054
  8. South Korea 8,565
  9. Switzerland 3,067
  10. United Kingdom 2,644

It is as if the lights have been switched off. The global economy has been plunged into darkness as countries hunker down in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Most recessions develop gradually over time. When the last one started in 2008 it took the Bank of England six months to spot it. This time it is different. Then it was a financial virus, this time it is the real thing. Commentators often say the economy is hitting the wall or is falling off a cliff on the weakest of evidence. Today the cliches are horrifyingly true.

On some estimates the UK economy is on course to shrink by 15% in the second quarter of 2020. That is not a recession, it is a collapse surpassing anything in modern times, including the Great Depression.

When the banks were bailed out in 2008, it was because policymakers feared precisely what is now happening: a complete shutdown of the global economy. The rescue package worked, but only just. The early indications from China are that the impact of Covid-19 is markedly greater than that of the financial crisis, itself the most severe downturn of the postwar era.

Summary

  • Dozens of London underground stations are to be closed indefinitely. Transport for London announced a series of changes late on Wednesday evening as it urged people in the capital not to travel if at all possible.
  • China on Thursday reported no new cases of Covid-19 being acquired inside the country for the first time, but recorded a rise in infections from abroad.
  • The lockdown of Wuhan may be lifted once there are no new cases for 14 days, the state-backed China Daily reported.
  • New Zealand and Australia closed their borders to foreigners. The bans apply to all non-residents and non-citizens. New Zealand’s comes into effect on Thursday at midnight, Australia’s on Friday at 9pm.
  • Australia’s central bank cut interest rates for the second time this month. The Reserve Bank cut a further 25 basis points, taking the cash rate down to 0.25%. The rate cut marks an historic low in rates in Australia and is part of a substantial stimulus package to tackle the impact of the coronavirus.
  • Japan’s deputy prime minister has said that the Tokyo Olympics are “cursed”, as speculation mounts that the Games will have to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido has lifted its state of emergency, less than three weeks after its governor, Naomichi Suzuki, asked residents to remain indoors after a spike in the number of local cases of the virus.
  • South Korea pledged 50tn won (US$39bn) in emergency financing for small businesses along with other stimulus measures to help shore up its economy, which has been battered by the coronavirus crisis, Reuters reports.
  • Between 400 and 500 foreigners are stranded in Panama after a “tribal” festival and music event ended with many of them being quarantined at the concert site near the Caribbean beach of Playa Chiquita, an organiser said on Wednesday.
  • The coronavirus pandemic has it the car industry, according Toyota group’s Akido Toyoda.
  • California will likely need 19,500 additional hospital beds to treat patients and is looking at bringing a navy ship to serve as a floating hospital. There are 598 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the state, a 21% increase from the previous day.
  • California’s governor said an estimated 60,000 homeless people in the state could become ill with coronavirus over the next eight weeks.
  • Australia’s national carrier, Qantas, will stand down two-thirds of its 30,000-strong workforce without pay and end international flights in a bid to survive what chief executive Alan Joyce said was the biggest crisis aviation has ever been through.
  • The Philippine stock market slumped on Thursday, with the broader index plummeting 12.4% as soon as trading resumed following a two-day closure amid coronavirus quarantine measures on the country’s main island.

The very latest Coronavirus: at a glance:

Updated

Some reaction to the tube line closures in London this morning now.

Here’s a reminder from London mayor Sadiq Khan:

Updated

Here are today’s UK front pages, which are fairly uniformly (ehem) leading with Britain’s school closures this morning, though the FT is leading with the Sterling’s “hammering” against the dollar.

Updated

In case you are just joining us:

Dozens of London Underground stations are to be closed indefinitely amid a toughening of measures to try to slow the spread of coronavirus.

An empty escalator in rush hour on the London Underground as the Covid 19 pandemic worsens.
An empty escalator in rush hour on the London Underground as the Covid 19 pandemic worsens. Photograph: RMV/REX/Shutterstock

Transport for London announced a series of changes late on Wednesday evening as it urged people in the capital not to travel if at all possible.

“People should not be travelling, by any means, unless they really, really have to,” said the mayor, Sadiq Khan.

Here is what we know so far:

And this is everything we know about New Zealand shutting its borders to non-residents and non-citizens. The measure was announced earlier today, shortly after Australia announced the same ban.

New Zealand’s ban takes effect on Thursday (tonight) at midnight.

Australia’s ban takes effect on Friday at 9pm.

Here is the full story from China, which, for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak started, has reported no new domestic transmissions of Covid-19, a major milestone in the country’s fight against the pandemic.

China’s national health commission said on Thursday there were 34 new cases, but all were recent overseas arrivals. In Hubei, the Chinese province where the outbreak began, there were no new cases of any kind during Wednesday.

The pandemic began in Hubei’s Wuhan city late last year, before spreading around the world. While the Asian nations that were first affected appeared to have come through the worst of it, there are now concerns about a second wave of infections, driven by people returning from overseas.

The good news from China came as Australia and New Zealand both announced they would close their borders to all non-residents and non-citizens. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia’s borders would shut from 9pm on Friday, while his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern said the move would happen on Thursday evening.

Updated

The decision by the Nepal government last week to cancel all trekking and climbing permits and end on-arrival visas for visitors in the face of the coronavirus pandemic has brought the flow of tourists to an abrupt halt.

“Things are looking bad. We used to get up to 60 flights a day in the peak season and twice as many helicopters. Now we are hardly receiving 10 to 12 planes,” said airport chief Emanath Adhikari.

Chinese scientists and health experts involved in the country’s fight against the coronavirus believe the worst is now over, downplaying warnings that the disease could become seasonal or that a deadlier “second wave” could hit later in the year, Reuters reports.

An office worker wearing a mask against coronavirus moves past lantern decorations in a mall and office building in Beijing on Thursday, March 19, 2020.
An office worker wearing a mask against coronavirus moves past lantern decorations in a mall and office building in Beijing on Thursday, March 19, 2020. Photograph: Ng Han Guan/AP

Medical advisers in China have expressed confidence that the country’s strict containment measures have done enough to ensure that the outbreak can be brought under complete control, domestically at least, within weeks.

Though they remain wary of the risks of “importing” cases from overseas, they say China should be capable of eliminating Covid-19 in the same way it eliminated Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003. SARS was eventually contained after the government imposed stringent screening and quarantine measures.

“For me, a second outbreak (of coronavirus), a domestic outbreak in China, wouldn’t be a great concern,” said Cao Wei, deputy director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

She told a briefing on Monday that while China needed another month to make a final judgment, the existing prevention and control measures should be enough to bring the epidemic to an end domestically.

The World Health Organization has said the coronavirus reached a peak in China around late February. Zhong Nanshan, a senior government adviser who helped detect and defeat SARS in 2003, said it “could be over by June” if other countries take the required action.

On Wednesday, there were no new domestic cases in the disease’s epicentre of Wuhan for the first time since the outbreak began. However, “imported” infections reached a record 34, and have outnumbered domestic transmissions for five consecutive days.

A range of Turkish clothing retailers said they were temporarily shutting stores from Thursday in response to the spread of the coronavirus, after President Tayyip Erdogan advised Turks not to leave home for three weeks unless necessary.

Staff members disinfect the famous Taksim Tram in Taksim square to prevent the spread of the Covid-19, coronavirus in Istanbul, Turkey.
Staff members disinfect the famous Taksim Tram in Taksim square to prevent the spread of the Covid-19, coronavirus in Istanbul, Turkey. Photograph: Akin Celiktas/Depo Photos via ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock

Turkey announced a second death and said cases of the highly contagious respiratory illness had nearly doubled to 191, as it ramps up steps to rein in the virus, closing cafes, banning mass prayers and halting flights to 20 countries.

On Wednesday Erdogan called on people to minimise social contact until the virus threat recedes, but he did not tell them to stay away from work as he announced a 100 billion lira (US$15.40bn) economic support package.

The euro briefly rose against the dollar and the pound after the European Central Bank announced a €750bn (US$816.83bn) asset-purchase programme in response to the coronavirus outbreak, but even this effort was overwhelmed by a stampede into the dollar.

But the dollar resumed its relentless climb against major currencies on Thursday as wild financial market volatility and worries over tightening liquidity triggered by the coronavirus pandemic sparked an investor flight into cash, Reuters reports.

A woman with an umbrella walks past an illuminated US dollar sign.
A woman with an umbrella walks past an illuminated US dollar sign. Photograph: Sergei Konkov/TASS

The British pound teetered near the lowest since at least 1985 against the greenback.

The Australian dollar skidded to a 17-year low, while the New Zealand dollar crashed to an 11-year low as investors dumped riskier assets.

Investors are selling what they can to keep their money in dollars due to the unprecedented amount of uncertainty caused by the epidemic, which threatens to paralyse large swathes of the global economy.

“This is similar to what happened during the global financial crisis in that investors are even selling what are normally considered safe-haven assets,” said Junichi Ishikawa, senior foreign exchange strategist at IG Securities in Tokyo.

“The logic is the biggest hedge against risk is holding your money in cash, so the dollar is being bought. Investor uncertainty is about as high as it can get,” Junichi Ishikawa, senior foreign exchange strategist at IG Securities in Tokyo. told Reuters.

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his full support for the latest European Central Bank measures on Twitter.

On Wednesday the ECB announced a €750bn Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme.

ECB president Christine Lagarde said of the announcement:

To which Macron responded: “Full support for the exceptional measures taken this evening by the ECB. It is up to us European states to be there through our budgetary interventions and greater financial solidarity within the euro zone. Our people and our economies need it.”

Updated

As we continue to report on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re looking for stories of how this unprecedented crisis has affected couples, families, friends and communities.

If you’ve been separated from a loved one by lockdowns, have had to cancel your wedding or miss an important family event, we’d like to hear from you.

Please do include photographs if you can and are happy for us to use them.

Send me a message on Twitter @helenrsullivan, or email me: helen.sullivan@theguardian.com.

‘A generation has died’: Italian province struggles to bury its coronavirus dead

Undertakers wearing a face mask unload a coffin out of a hearse on March 16, 2020 at the Monumental cemetery of Bergamo, Lombardy, as burials of people who died of the new coronavirus are being conducted at the rythm of one every half hour.
Undertakers wearing a face mask unload a coffin out of a hearse on March 16, 2020 at the Monumental cemetery of Bergamo, Lombardy, as burials of people who died of the new coronavirus are being conducted at the rhythm of one every half hour. Photograph: Piero Cruciatti/AFP via Getty Images

The Guardian’s Angela Giuffrida reports from Orvieto with Lorenzo Tondo from Palermo:

Coffins awaiting burial are lining up in churches and the corpses of those who died at home are being kept in sealed-off rooms for days as funeral services struggle to cope in Bergamo, the Italian province hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Wednesday, Covid-19 had killed 2,978 across Italy, all buried or cremated without ceremony. Those who die in hospital do so alone, with their belongings left in bags beside coffins before being collected by funeral workers.

In Bergamo, a province of 1.2 million people in the Lombardy region, where 1,640 of the total deaths in the country have taken place, 3,993 people had contracted the virus by Tuesday. The death toll across the province is unclear, but CFB, the area’s largest funeral director, has carried out almost 600 burials or cremations since 1 March.

“In a normal month we would do about 120,” said Antonio Ricciardi, the president of CFB. “A generation has died in just over two weeks. We’ve never seen anything like this and it just makes you cry.”

There are about 80 funeral companies across Bergamo, each receiving dozens of calls an hour. A shortage of coffins as providers struggle to keep up with demand and funeral workers becoming infected with the virus are also hampering preparations.

A summary of the new measures announced in Australia and New Zealand:

  • Australia has officially announced it will shut its borders to all non-citizens and residents
  • The border shutdown is effective from 9pm on Friday
  • New Zealand has also announced a border shut down from midnight Thursday
  • A much, much bigger stimulus package is coming to Australia and support measures are on the table
  • This is Australia’s new normal, for at least six months

New Zealand’s borders will be closed to anyone who is not a New Zealand citizen or resident, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today.

“At no time in New Zealand’s history has a power like this been used, and I recognise how extraordinary it is,” Ardern said.

“We need to do this for the health of the country, and our people”

The ban would apply to all countries and nationalities, but the partners and children of New Zealanders would still be allowed in.

On Monday Ardern required everyone arriving in the country to self-isolate for 14 days, including New Zealand citizens.

Spot checks by police had proven that New Zealanders were following the instructions to self-isolate, but there were “a concerning number of cases” of tourists flouting the rules, and refusing to self-isolate.

The prime minister also addressed increasing reports of panic-buying in supermarkets, urging New Zealanders to be calm and shop normally, as freight deliveries from overseas were continuing as normal.

Countdown supermarket today issued directives that purchase limits would now apply to some products, including paracetamol, toilet paper, and bread.

If you’re just joining us: Australia and New Zealand have each announced that they will be closing their borders to non-residents and non-citizens.

New Zealand’s ban takes effect at midnight tonight (Thursday).

Australia’s goes into effect at 9pm Thursday.

Back to Australia’s Scott Morrison now, who has once again given that estimate that measures to control the spread of the virus may be in place for six months:

For the next six months we need to work together. So we do need to moderate our behaviour and understand things need to change. It is not like before. But the phones still work, the hospitals still run, the shops are still open, the trucks are still getting to the shops. All of that is there. What we’re dealing with here is a virus and it will slow the country down. It will mean people will have to self-isolate. It will mean we will have to behave differently and that will happen for quite a period of time - six months, I believe, based on the advice I have, at least.

Thailand’s army will spray the roads in Bangkok with disinfectant every night until the end of the month, the Bangkok Post reported on Thursday.

The country has recorded 35 new cases of coronavirus, following a recent wave of infections. The government has closed schools across the county

In Bangkok, boxing stadia, bars, pubs, massage parlours, saunas, cinemas and fitness clubs, were told to close earlier this week. Schools and universities have also been shut.

Away from Australia and New Zealand for the moment, Mexico registered its first death from coronavirus on Wednesday, the health ministry said in a statement, saying the deceased was a diabetic whose symptoms began last week.

New Zealand closes borders to foreigners from midnight Thursday

New Zealand’s ban on visitors who are not residents or citizens of the country comes into effect midnight tonight (Thursday, 19 March).

The ban, announced by the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, follows Australia’s announcement minutes earlier of a travel ban to the country for all non-residents and non-citizens, affective 9pm Friday evening.

Updated

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has issued a similar order to Australia’s.

Minutes ago, Australia announced a travel ban to the country for all non-residents and non-citizens, affective 9pm Friday evening.

Australian treasurer Josh Frydenberg:

Today the Reserve Bank made four significant announcements:

The first was to announce a reduction in the cash rate to 0.25%.

The second was to target the yield on 3-year Treasury bonds to also 0.25%.

The third is the 90 billion-dollar term funding facility for the banking system which will focus on lending to small and medium-sized businesses across the economy.

Finally, they are increasing the interest paid on exchange settlements.

Updated

More from Morrison on the travel bans in Australia now:

Now, the reason for this decision is consistent with the decision we have a ready made on the issue and that is now we have about 80% of the cases we have in Australia that either results of someone who has contracted the virus overseas or someone who has had eight direct contact with someone who has returned from overseas.”

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg responds to the ban: “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.”

Australia has just announced a travel ban to the country for all non-residents and non-citizens, affective 9pm Friday evening.

Prime minister Scott Morrison said, expanding on the decision:

We believe it is essential to take a further step to ensure we are now no longer allowing anyone, unless they are a citizen or resident or direct family member in those cases, as is applied, to all the other travel bans put in place previously. This is a measure I have been consulting with the New Zealand Prime Minister on – bans.”

Updated

Australia closes borders to non-residents and non-citizens

Breaking: Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has announced a travel ban for all non-residents coming to Australia.

After further consultation with the national security committee this afternoon, tonight, we will be resolving to move to a position where a travel ban will be placed on all nonresidents, non-Australian citizens coming to Australia, and that will be in place from 9pm tomorrow evening. We have already seen a significant reduction in the travel to Australia by non- citizens in residence. It is about one-third of what it would normally be at this time of the year.”

Updated

Australian prime minister Scott Morrison is speaking now. He is using a bridge metaphor.

Our plan is to ensure that over the next six months or as long as it then takes, that we then can effectively build a bridge to ensure that Australians, businesses, those impacted, we can bring them across the bridge and get them to the other side which is where on that side economy is rebounding and health is rebounding and Australian life can go back to what it was.

...

The Reserve Bank governor and deputy governor but with myself and theTreasurer yesterday afternoon and this notion of the bridge is what we discussed.

Updated

Celebrities, politicians and professional athletes faced a backlash this week as many revealed that they had been tested for the coronavirus, even when they didn’t have a fever or other tell-tale symptoms, AP reports.

Concerns over preferential treatment underscores a fundamental truth about inequalities baked into the American health care system those with the financial means can often receive a different level of service.

Asked about the issue Wednesday, President Donald Trump said the well-to-do and well-connected shouldn’t get priority for coronavirus tests. But the wealthy former reality star conceded that the rich and famous sometimes get perks.

“Perhaps that’s been the story of life,” Trump said during a briefing at the White House. “That does happen on occasion. And I’ve noticed where some people have been tested fairly quickly.”

On Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets professional basketball team announced the entire team was tested last week upon returning from San Francisco after a game against the Golden State Warriors.

Hollywood actor Idris Elba said he didn’t have any symptoms when he announced his positive test on Monday, prompting questions and criticism on social media about why he got a test when he was not symptomatic.

On Tuesday, Elba explained further in a follow-up video. He said it was because he learned on Friday that a person he was in contact with had tested positive.

Ali Fedotowsky-Manno, former star of ABC’s The Bachelorette, found herself on the defensive after announcing in a post on Instagram Sunday that she had been tested at a clinic in Los Angeles after she said she had shortness of breath and an X-ray that showed white spots on her lungs.

Fedotowsky-Manno said Wednesday in an interview with the AP that she had seen commentary accusing her of special treatment. She denied the accusation, saying she chose the clinic closest to her house, checked in under her married name and heard the clinic would give tests to people without a fever from someone else in the waiting room, after she was already there.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, the congressman son of Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, has provoked a diplomatic twitter crisis with China by blaming it for Covid-19.

The row came the same night as his father was cursed by Brazilians banging pots and screaming “Bolsonaro out” from apartment windows in big cities.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Eduardo – who his father calls “Zero Three” – cited the Chernobyl TV series to compare the Soviet nuclear disaster with the pandemic.

“One time a dictatorship preferred to hide something serious rather than face the damage of exposing it, even though that would have saved countless lives. China is to blame and freedom the solution,” he tweeted on Wednesday, provoking the ire of Brazi’s biggest trading partner.

“Your words are extremely irresponsible,” the Chinese embassy in Brazil tweeted back. “On returning from Miami [on a trip to meet Donald Trump with his father during which 18 people caught Covid-19], you unfortunately contracted a mental virus, which is infecting the friendship between our people.”

Chinese ambassador Yang Wanming also vented his anger. “Your words are an evil insult against China and the Chinese people,” he tweeted.

Pandemic hits car industry

The coronavirus pandemic is having a big impact on the car industry, according Toyota group’s Akido Toyoda.

“The truth is, it was shocking just how much the world could change in an instant,” Akio Toyoda said at a press conference in Toyo.

“At this point, we can’t foresee what’s ahead for automakers,” added Toyoda, who is also the chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.

In separate announcements this week Toyota, Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co said they would temporarily halt North American factories to protect worker health and amid an expected hit to demand.

They also suspended production at several plants in Europe, with Honda closing its facility at Swindon in Britain until at least 5 April.

Despite the uncertainty, Toyoda said he did not expect the virus outbreak to hit spending on research into advanced technologies, such as autonomous driving and electric cars.

Late-night TV in America will look a bit different next week, with Conan O’Brien using an iPhone to film his show, with guests appearing by Skype. Strange times.

South Korea launches stimulus package

South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, on Thursday pledged 50 trillion won ($39 billion) in emergency financing for small businesses along with other stimulus measures to help shore up its economy, which has been battered by the coronavirus crisis, Reuters reports.

The other measures include relaxing loan terms for small businesses and offering low interest loans. The government also promised to guarantee loans for those hit by the virus impact.

South Korea has been one of the worst hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic.

The country added 152 new cases on Thursday and 8 new deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 8565 and the total number of deaths to 92. A further 1,947 patients have recovered.

Australia cuts interest rates to 0.25%

In Australia, the central bank has cut interest rates for the second time this month. The Reserve Bank cut a further 25 basis points, taking the cash rate down to 0.25%.

The bank’s board said it will not increase the cash rate target until progress is being made towards full employment and it is confident that inflation will be sustainably within the 2–3% target band.

The rate cut marks an historic low in rates in Australia and is part of a substantial stimulus package to tackle the impact of the coronavirus.

Updated

Chinese state media has released of list of where the country’s Covid-19 cases that have returned from overseas have come from. Iran and Italy top the list.

Summary

  • China on Thursday reported no new domestic cases of the coronavirus for the first time since it started recording them in January, but recorded a spike in infections from abroad.
  • The lockdown of Wuhan may be lifted once there are no new cases for 14 days, the state-backed China Daily reported.
  • Japan’s deputy prime minister has said that the Tokyo Olympics are “cursed”, as speculation mounts that the Games will have to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido has lifted its state of emergency, less than three weeks after its governor, Naomichi Suzuki, asked residents to remain indoors after a spike in the number of local cases of the virus.
  • Between 400 and 500 foreigners are stranded in Panama after a “tribal” festival and music event ended with many of them being quarantined at the concert site near the Caribbean beach of Playa Chiquita, an organiser said Wednesday.
  • California will likely need 19,500 additional hospital beds to treat patients and is looking at bringing a Navy ship to serve as a floating hospital. There are 598 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the state, a 21% increase from the previous day.
  • California’s governor said an estimated 60,000 homeless people in the state could become ill with coronavirus over the next eight weeks.
  • Australia’s national carrier, Qantas, will stand down two-thirds of its 30,000-strong workforce without pay and end international flights in a bid to survive what chief executive Alan Joyce said was the biggest crisis aviation has ever been through.
  • The Philippine stock market slumped on Thursday, with the broader index plummeting 12.4% as soon as trading resumed following a two-day closure amid coronavirus quarantine measures on the country’s main island.

Nicaragua has registered its first case of coronavirus infection, a 40-year-old Nicaraguan man who picked up the virus during a recent visit to Panama, Vice President Rosario Murillo said on Wednesday on national television.

New Zealand’s prime minister has held a special press conference just for children, saying the young need extra help understanding the global coronavirus pandemic.

Sitting next to Jacinda Ardern was scientist Dr Michelle Dickinson – who specialises in science communication for kids – and Dr Siouxsie Wiles, who many New Zealanders have come to rely on for calm, practical advice during the crisis.

“Kids ask a lot of questions most of the time, and right now they understandably have plenty about Covid-19,” Ardern posted on Instagram.

“That’s why we put on a press conference just for children and their questions.”

“I hope it will be a useful resource to help answer some of the questions from the young people in your life.”

Earlier this week Dickinson posted avideo online explaining how soap works. Using language that was accessible to kids, the video has become a hit, and she intends to make more of them as the crisis unfolds.

New Zealand’s minister of health, David Clark, has announced bans on gatherings of 100 or more people indoors.

“On Monday, the Prime Minister announced gatherings and events of 500 or more people outside should be cancelled. Today we are extending that advice to gatherings of 100 people indoors.”

“These measures don’t apply to workplaces, schools, supermarkets or public transport.”

“We know this has specific implications for the hospitality sector. We will work with the sector over the next 24-36 hours to develop guidance.

Clark said some were “thumbing their nose” at self-isolation rules, and they were putting the entire community at risk.

“There shouldn’t be any grey area around this – if you’re meant to be in self-isolation, you don’t go to any gathering or event.”

Hokkaido, Japan lifts state of emergency

Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido has lifted its state of emergency, less than three weeks after its governor, Naomichi Suzuki, asked residents to remain indoors after a spike in the number of local cases of the virus.

Spectator stands are seen empty during the pre-season baseball game of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Orix Buffaloes in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan February 29, 2020, in this Kyodo photo.
Spectator stands are seen empty during the pre-season baseball game of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Orix Buffaloes in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan February 29, 2020, in this Kyodo photo. Photograph: KYODO/Reuters

Suzuki said the risk of infection was “under a certain level of control,” but added he would urge residents to continue to stay home at weekends.

The number of cases in Hokkaido, one of Japan’s 47 prefectures, stands at 154 – the biggest cluster in the country. No new infections were recorded there on Wednesday, the first time in a month there have been no positive diagnoses.

“There was no surge of infected patients that led to the collapse of local medical services,” Suzuki said of the emergency measures, according to Kyodo news agency. “We got through it and avoided the worst-case scenario.”

Hokkaido, a popular ski resort, has seen the number of overseas visitors, many from China, plummet during the outbreak. Local companies warned that a similarly dramatic fall in domestic visitors had left some tourism-dependent businesses on the verge of bankruptcy.

Japan’s deputy prime minister has said that the Tokyo Olympics are “cursed”, as speculation mounts that the Games will have to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Taro Aso, who has a history of making gaffes, told a parliamentary committee that the Olympics appeared to be blighted by world events every 40 years.

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso answers a question by an opposition lawmaker at Upper House’s budget committee session at the National Diet Upper House budget committee session, Tokyo, Japan - 17 Mar 2020
Japanese deputy prime minister Taro Aso answers a question by an opposition lawmaker at Upper House’s budget committee session at the National Diet Upper House budget committee session, Tokyo, Japan - 17 Mar 2020 Photograph: Aflo/REX/Shutterstock

Japan had planned to host the summer and winter Olympics in 1940, but the second world war forced the cancellation of both Games.

Forty years later, many countries, including the US, China and Japan, boycotted the Moscow Olympics in protest at the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.

“It’s a problem that’s happened every 40 years - it’s the cursed Olympics - and that’s a fact,” Aso said.

While Japanese officials and International Olympic Committee have repeatedly insisted the Games will go ahead as scheduled, Aso, who doubles as finance minister, said holding them this summer would “not make sense” if other countries were unable to send their athletes.

“As the prime minister [Shinzo Abe] said, it’s desirable to hold the Olympics in an environment where everyone feels safe and happy. But that’s not something Japan alone can decide.”

Tokyo 2020 organisers said a little-known Japanese swimmer who competed in the 1996 Atlanta Games would receive the Olympic torch during a scaled-back handover ceremony in Athens later on Thursday.

Naoko Imoto, who works in Greece for Unicef, had been approached by organisers after virus-related travel restrictions prevented a Japanese delegation from flying to Athens to receive the symbolic flame, which is due to arrive in Japan on Friday.

“We decided yesterday that we felt it was necessary for a Japanese person to undertake this role,” the organising committee’s chief executive, Toshiro Muto, told reporters.

See something you think we should be reporting on, or a story or meme that will provide some much-needed comic relief? Let me know on Twitter @helenrsullivan.

Kevin Bacon is the latest celebrity to encourage people to practice social distancing. In a video posted to twitter he reminds followers that he is, after all, only six degrees of separation from each of us – and asking people to tag six friends in posts encouraging people to stay at home.

In the video the Footloose star says:

“I’m staying home because it saves lives and it is the only way we’re going to slow down the spread of this coronavirus. Because the contact you make with someone who makes contact with someone else – that may be what makes somebody’s mom or grandpa or wife sick. Everyone has someone who’s worth staying home for.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced on Instagram that over the next few weeks they will be “sharing information and resources to help all of us navigate the uncertainty: from posting accurate information and facts from trusted experts, to learning about measures we can take to keep ourselves and our families healthy, to working with organisations that can support our mental and emotional well-being.

The couple will also be sharing inspiring stories, they said in the post.

Between 400 and 500 foreigners are stranded in Panama after a “tribal” festival and music event ended with many of them being quarantined at the concert site near the Caribbean beach of Playa Chiquita, an organiser said Wednesday.

Panama’s health workers check attendees of the Tribal Gathering festival rock in Cuango, Colon province, Panama, on March 18, 2020.
Panama’s health workers check attendees of the Tribal Gathering festival rock in Cuango, Colon province, Panama, on March 18, 2020. Photograph: Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images

At the same time, Panama’s government announced that the number of coronavirus cases in the country had risen to 109 and that a nighttime curfew would be imposed beginning Wednesday night.

James Baker of Manchester, England, said those attending the Tribal Gathering included people from Spain, Canada, the United States, Denmark, France, Britain and Hungary as well as Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile and Mexico.

Baker said authorities in Panama had instituted a requirement that all those seeking to leave had to prove they had been in Panama for at least 14 days. Most of the estimated 2,300 attendees at the event have been able to leave.

But Baker said many of the remaining festival goers and staff might need help getting back to their home countries due to flight and transport cancellations related to the coronavirus outbreak.

Baker said the group had tents, medial support and food for about a month.

More on China now, which has for the first time reported zero new domestic Covid-19 cases.

Wuhan is expected to see new coronavirus infections dry up by mid-to-late March and the lockdown of the central Chinese city may be lifted once there are no new cases for 14 days, the state-backed China Daily reported.

However, strict disease control and prevention measures will still be needed to prevent a possible rebound, China Daily reported on Thursday, citing epidemiologist Li Lanjuan.

Health workers at the ICU ward at the people’s hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, Hubei Coronavirus outbreak, China.
Health workers at the ICU ward at the people’s hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, Hubei Coronavirus outbreak, China. Photograph: TPG/REX/Shutterstock

Li is the director of China’s State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases.

“If no new case of the coronavirus has been reported for 14 consecutive days in Wuhan following the last reported case, we believe it will be the time when the lockdown can be gradually lifted,” Li told China Daily.

“We expect new cases will cease to appear in mid or late March.”

“After the lockdown is loosened, we still need to strictly carry out routine measures to prevent and control the virus to prevent a possible rebound of the outbreak.”

The Japanese government will consider what to do about school closures and public events based on a meeting of coronavirus experts to be held later on Thursday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

Students wearing protective masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease attend their graduation ceremony at a junior high school in Osaka, western Japan.
Students wearing protective masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease attend their graduation ceremony at a junior high school in Osaka, western Japan. Photograph: KYODO/Reuters

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, late last month requested that all schools close temporarily in March to fight the spread of the virus.

Public broadcaster NHK reported earlier that the meeting is expected to recommend cancellations be decided by region, and that restrictions on activities could be lifted in areas not affected by the virus.

Here is the latest on London’s transport system, which today announced the closure of several stations:

Dozens of London Underground stations are to be closed indefinitely amid a toughening of measures to try to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Transport for London (TfL) announced a series of changes late on Wednesday evening as it urged people in the capital not to travel if at all possible.

TfL said the following stations faced closure:

Bakerloo line

  • Lambeth North
  • Regents Park
  • Warwick Avenue
  • Kilburn Park
  • Charing Cross

Central line

  • Holland Park
  • Queensway
  • Lancaster Gate
  • Chancery Lane
  • Redbridge

Circle line

  • Bayswater
  • Great Portland Street
  • Barbican

District line

  • Bow Road
  • Stepney Green
  • Mansion House
  • Temple
  • St James’s Park
  • Gloucester Road

Jubilee line

  • Swiss Cottage
  • St John’s Wood
  • Bermondsey
  • Southwark

Northern line

  • Tuffnell Park
  • Chalk Farm
  • Mornington Crescent
  • Goodge Street
  • Borough
  • Clapham South
  • Tooting Bec
  • South Wimbledon
  • Hampstead

Piccadilly line

  • Caledonian Road
  • Arsenal
  • Covent Garden
  • Hyde Park Corner
  • Bounds Green
  • Manor House

Victoria line

  • Pimlico
  • Blackhorse Road

More now on Australian Airline Qantas suspending international flights.

Australia’s national carrier, Qantas, will stand down two-thirds of its 30,000-strong workforce without pay and end international flights in a bid to survive what chief executive Alan Joyce said was the biggest crisis aviation has ever been through.

A Qantas Airways plane at Sydney Airport.
A Qantas Airways plane at Sydney Airport. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Joyce said it was “survival of the fittest” in the airline industry due to the coronavirus pandemic, and “lots of airlines are going to go under”.

“Qantas will not be one of them,” he said.

“One of the things we are working on is making sure we are last man standing.”

The decision comes despite a $715m rescue package for the Australian airline sector, unveiled by the country’s government on Wednesday.

There are now close to 220,000 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, as the death toll closes in on 10,000.

Johns Hopkins University lists 8,784 deaths. There are 217,247 confirmed cases.

These are the ten countries with the highest numbers of infections:

  1. China: 81,137
  2. Italy: 35,713
  3. Iran: 17,361
  4. Spain: 14,769
  5. Germany: 12,327
  6. US: 9,077
  7. France: 9,052
  8. South Korea: 8,413
  9. Switzerland: 3,028
  10. United Kingdom: 2,642

Updated

Playboy, one of the world’s most recognisable magazines, has announced it will be shutting down the US periodical, with the Spring issue – which arrives on news stands this week – its last for 2020.

A photo of a first issue 1953 copy of Playboy magazine featuring Marilyn Monroe on the cover and signed by Hugh Hefner.
A photo of a first issue 1953 copy of Playboy magazine featuring Marilyn Monroe on the cover and signed by Hugh Hefner. Photograph: Julien’s Auctions/PA

In an announcement made via an open letter on Medium, the CEO of Playboy Enterprises, Ben Kohn, said the decision to stop printing the magazine – which has been a quarterly since 2019 – had been discussed internally for some time, but was expedited by the coronavirus crisis.

“As the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic to content production and the supply chain became clearer and clearer, we were forced to accelerate a conversation we’ve been having internally: the question of how to transform our US print product to better suit what consumers want today … [and] engage in a cultural conversation each and every day, rather than just every three months,” he said.

“We will move to a digital-first publishing schedule for all of our content including the Playboy Interview, 20Q, the Playboy Advisor and of course our Playmate pictorials,” he continued.

About 160 million – more than the population of Russia – of India’s 1.3 billion people don’t have access to clean water.

“It could prove disastrous for people who don’t have access to clean water,” said Samrat Basak, the director of the World Resource Institute’s Urban Water Program in India, AP reports.

UNICEF said last week that almost 20% of urban Indians do not have facilities with water and soap at home. What could make things worse, experts say, is that social distancing is nearly impossible in many Indian cities that are among the world’s most densely populated areas.

Indian children watch as a woman collects potable water from a public tap in a poor residential neighbourhood of Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, March 18, 2020.
Indian children watch as a woman collects potable water from a public tap in a poor residential neighbourhood of Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Photograph: Mahesh Kumar A/AP

So far, the government has apparently been able to keep a lid on community transmission of the virus. Authorities have confirmed 147 cases and three deaths, all linked to foreign travel or direct contact with someone who caught the disease abroad.

India’s government has made fervent appeals to the public to practice social distancing and good hand hygiene. India also was one of the first countries to essentially shut its borders and deny entry to all but a select few foreigners. But in a country as big as India, community transmission is all but inevitable, experts say.

Clean water is the first line of defence, said V.K. Madhavan, India chief executive at WaterAid, a global advocacy group for water and sanitation. If there is no access to clean water, the situation could worsen.

The Philippine stock market slumped on Thursday, with the broader index plummeting 12.4% as soon as trading resumed following a two-day closure amid coronavirus quarantine measures on the country’s main island.

Travellers are seen wearing raincoats, plastic covers, gloves, goggles, and face masks as they wait for their flight at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 18, 2020 in Manila, Philippines.
Travellers are seen wearing raincoats, plastic covers, gloves, goggles, and face masks as they wait for their flight at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 18, 2020 in Manila, Philippines. Photograph: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

The decline triggered the circuit breaker, a 15-minute trading suspension when the broader index drops at least 10% in one day.

The main index fell to its lowest since December 2011.

Fiji confirms first case

We’ll have more on China as soon as possible.

In the meantime Sheldon Chanel has this report from Fiji’s capital of Suva:

Fiji’s Minister for Health, Dr Ifereimi Waqanibete, has confirmed the first case of Covid-19 in the country.

Waqanibete said the patient, who is in Lautoka city on the country’s west coast, appeared to have contracted the virus while travelling abroad. He has been isolated.

“Our team is identifying all those who he was in contact with. There are no locally transmitted cases in Fiji, but we are vastly expanding containment measures,” he said.

Fiji’s Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, is expected to address the nation in the coming hours.

Though only a handful of cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed across the Pacific, there are intense fears about its spread around the region, where health infrastructure is limited. Many countries in the region are battling serious health issues including tuberculosis, dengue fever, and malaria.

A reminder to wash your hands, this time complete with a dance from police in India:

Here is the full report from China’s health commission:

China’s health commission reports no new domestic coronavirus cases for first time since outbreak began.
China’s health commission reports no new domestic coronavirus cases for first time since outbreak began. Photograph: website

More on the outbreak in China, which as reported has no new domestic virus cases for the first first time.

China on Thursday reported no new domestic cases of the coronavirus for the first time since it started recording them in January, but recorded a spike in infections from abroad.

The lack of domestic infections marks a major milestone in China’s containment efforts, but the rise in imported cases threatens to unravel its progress.

There were 34 cases that were brought in from abroad, the biggest daily increase in two weeks, with 189 in total now, according to the National Health Commission.

But the figures showed that the outbreak is under control in Wuhan, the central city where the virus first emerged in December, and the surrounding Hubei province.

There were eight more deaths - all in Hubei - raising the nationwide total to 3,245, according to the commission.

There have been nearly 81,000 infections in China but only 7,263 people remain sick with the Covid-19 disease.

South Korea reported 152 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking the national tally to 8,565, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The country had recorded fewer than 100 new infections for four days in a row until Wednesday.

Medical staff in protective gear work at a ‘drive-through’ testing centre for the novel coronavirus disease of Covid-19 in Yeungnam University Medical Center in Daegu, South Korea, March 3, 2020.
Medical staff in protective gear work at a ‘drive-through’ testing centre for the novel coronavirus disease of Covid-19 in Yeungnam University Medical Center in Daegu, South Korea, March 3, 2020. Photograph: Kim Kyung Hoon/Reuters

China's Hubei province reports zero new cases for first time

BREAKING: China’s Hubei province has reported no new coronavirus cases for the first time since the outbreak began.

Updated

The Friends reunion special is reportedly the latest casualty of Hollywood being shut down by the coronavirus.

Filming on the highly anticipated show has been delayed until May, according to US outlet Deadline.

However, producers are still aiming for the special to be ready for the launch of the HBO Max streaming service, set to arrive on an unspecified date in May.

HBO Max declined to comment.

Friends would be the latest in a long line of shows to be disrupted as Hollywood grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Major series to have paused production include Netflix’s Stranger Things, Apple TV+ drama The Morning Show - which also stars Friends’ Jennifer Aniston - and sketch show Saturday Night Live.

The release of James Bond film No Time To Die has been pushed back to November while Disney has also delayed a string of big releases, including its Mulan remake and superhero movie Black Widow.

The Friends reunion special will bring back the beloved comedy’s six stars more than 15 years since the final episode aired.

But, while coronavirus may have put a stop to many things, it has not dampened the intensity of the Seinfeld / Friends rivalry:

More now from California, where Governor Gavin Newsom took to Facebook to announce plans to deal with a coming surge in patients who’ll need to be hospitalized after being infected with coronavirus.

A shuttered movie theatre displays the message ‘Keep Calm’ on the marquee on March 18, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.
A shuttered movie theatre displays the message ‘Keep Calm’ on the marquee on March 18, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

The state will likely need 19,500 additional hospital beds to treat patients. To meet demand, Newsom said the state is planning to procure two hospitals, one in Southern California and one in northern California.

They’re also looking at bringing a Navy ship, the Mercy, into the mix in the coming days to serve as a floating hospital, as well as adding two mobile hospital units that have about 500 beds each.

Newsom also gave a tally of the state’s most recent coronavirus cases. There are 598 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the state, a 21% increase from the previous day, he said.

So far, the state has administered 12,600 tests. They’re still waiting on results from 3,215 of those tests.

As Australian state Tasmania closes the gate to outsiders and the Northern Territory Chief minister says it’s not off the table, Aboriginal groups in the central Australia say the NT must become a “Special Control Area for Covid 19” or else there will be a lot of preventable deaths.

The Combined Aboriginal organisations of central Australia– land, justice and health groups – have held a special meeting to discuss the threat of Covid 19

“We want to apply the same travel restrictions that apply to international visitors, to visitors to the Northern Territory from any Australian jurisdiction.”

“This is really our only hope of preventing the NT from experiencing the type of exponential spread that is now being seen in Sydney, Melbourne and other Australian cities. More of the same will just give the same outcomes,” said Donna Ah Chee, one of the spokespersons for the Combined Aboriginal organisations.

“We have to stop pretending that the health system will cope no matter how well prepared we try to make it. We don’t have the workforce or the infrastructure in intensive care to cope with the surge that will come if we let this pandemic unleash its full force on the NT. Look at Italy, Holland, Spain and other European countries – they all thought they could cope and are now telling us not to make the mistakes that they made,” Ah Chee said.

In Australia, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who is addressing media now, has some good advice:

We know already that for many people the symptoms aren’t even evident and they’re carrying the virus. That’s why all of us have to assume we have it. You have to act in a way as though you have it and how you won’t transfer that to other people.

US news summary

Here now is a summary of the latest news from the US, where confirmed cases now stand at almost 8,000. According to the Johns Hopkins University, there are 7,786 confirmed Covid-19 infections across the country.

  • Ice will temporarily shift its priorities amid the coronavirus pandemic, delaying arrests of foreign nationals except for those who have committed crimes.
  • A Florida representative said that he tested positive for coronavirus, marking the first case in Congress.
  • The iconic New York Stock Exchange will close floor trading beginning on Monday. Electronic trading will continue.
  • After invoking the Defense Production Act to help make up for medical supply shortages, Donald Trump walked back the move, adding to the confusion surrounding his administration’s coronavirus response.
  • The Senate passed the second coronavirus bill, which expands paid sick leave and provides funding for free testing, on a vote of 90-8. It now heads to Trump’s desk for his signature.
  • The Dow closed down more than 1,300 points, marking another dismal day for the markets as investors panic over the coronavirus crisis. With today’s drop, nearly all the stock market gains since Trump took office have been wiped out.
  • Bernie Sanders’ campaign said he was assessing the path forward for his presidential bid, after Joe Biden completed a three-state sweep last night and moved closer toward securing the Democratic nomination.
  • The US-Canadian border will be closed to all non-essential travel in the hope of mitigating the spread of coronavirus. Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the two countries had mutually agreed to the closure.

Google’s coronavirus testing sites see little activity despite Trump’s hype

A Google-affiliated program to allow people to schedule coronavirus tests online has been hyped by Donald Trump and become the focus of scrutiny by Democratic senators, who asked Google in a letter on Wednesday to address serious privacy and data-collection concerns.

Cars line up to enter a coronavirus drive-through test clinic at the San Mateo County Event Centre on March 16, 2020 in San Mateo, California.
Cars line up to enter a coronavirus drive-through test clinic at the San Mateo County Event Centre on March 16, 2020 in San Mateo, California. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

But at two of the pilot testing sites in California on Tuesday afternoon, not much was happening at all.

At one drive-in testing site in a driveway on a commercial strip in San Jose, staffers started dismantling the operation at 2.15pm. Within minutes, the sign boards advertising “Test Center” were gone, the tent was down, and testing appeared to be done for the day.

Another testing site in San Mateo was still open later in the afternoon, but over half an hour, just a single car drove into the parking lot where the screenings were being done.

We’ve had Arnie and his miniature equine companions, Lulu and Whiskey – now we have Sam Neill and his shoes.

He must be protected at all costs.

60,000 California homeless could contract coronavirus in next eight weeks

The governor of California said on Wednesday that modeling done by experts has shown that an estimated 60,000 homeless people in the state could become ill with coronavirus over the next eight weeks.

“Over the next eight-week period we have modelled that (with 108,000 unsheltered people in the state), at an attack rate of 56%, we’re looking at 60,000 individuals who could have Covid-19,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in a Facebook broadcast.

Updated

The Australian Olympic Committee continues to tell athletes to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics to proceed in four months amid growing doubt caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The AOC says the International Olympic Committee has provided fresh assurances that the 2020 Games will start in July despite widespread concerns.

AOC Chief Executive Matt Carroll (left) and Australian Team Chef de Mission for Tokyo 2020 Ian Chesterman (right) address the media during a press conference in Sydney, Thursday, March 19, 2020.
AOC Chief Executive Matt Carroll (left) and Australian Team Chef de Mission for Tokyo 2020 Ian Chesterman (right) address the media during a press conference in Sydney, Thursday, March 19, 2020. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

“We owe it to our Australian athletes to do everything we can to ensure they will participate with the best opportunity in those Games,” AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said, having been one of many bosses to order staff to work from home during the past week.

But former Australia chef de mission and Olympic rowing champion Nick Green cast doubt on the Games, saying it would be “very difficult” to hold them as the world grapples with the global pandemic.

New Zealanders have been advised not to travel overseas.

A sign saying washing and drying your hands kills the virus is seen at Christchurch International Airport on March 18, 2020 in Christchurch, New Zealand.
A sign saying washing and drying your hands kills the virus is seen at Christchurch International Airport on March 18, 2020 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photograph: Kai Schwörer/Getty Images

“We are raising our travel advice to the highest level: do not travel,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.

“This is the first time the New Zealand Government has advised New Zealanders against travelling anywhere overseas. That reflects the seriousness of the situation we are facing with Covid-19,” he said.

“New Zealanders who travel overseas risk contracting COVID-19. At the same time, health care systems in many countries are under strain and do not have the capacity to support foreigners.”

Mr Peters has also urged all New Zealanders currently travelling overseas to consider returning home immediately.

“Borders are closing. You may not be able to return to New Zealand when you had planned to. You should therefore organise to come home now,” he said.

Iran is to pardon 10,000 prisoners including political ones in honour of the Iranian new year on Friday, according to state TV.

It was not stated whether the pardons would include the British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – who was released on Tuesday for two weeks, when 85,000 were let out temporarily because of coronavirus – or the British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was not known to have been released.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners over recent years, including citizens of the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, Austria, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and Lebanon. Tehran denies it holds people on political grounds and has mainly accused foreign prisoners of espionage.

The coronavirus outbreak has prompted calls from the United Nations and the United States for political prisoners, including dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, to be released from Iran’s overcrowded and disease-ridden jails.

Iran said it had 189,500 people in prison, according to a report that the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, submitted to the Human Rights Council in January. They are believed to include hundreds arrested during or after anti-government protests in November.

Updated

More on London’s public transport system now.

Transport of London has announced that from Thursday:

Up to 40 London Underground stations that do not interchange with other lines will be closed until further notice. Anyone who needs to make essential journeys should check www.tfl.gov.uk for live travel updates before they travel.

In addition:

  • From Friday morning, 20 March, there will be no service on the Waterloo & City line.
  • On Friday and Saturday nights there will be no all-night ‘Night Tube’ service or the all-night ‘Night Overground’ service that currently runs on the East London line.
  • Late services on the Tube and Overground will continue to run, with trains running late into the night on all days for essential travel only.
  • From Monday 23 March, TfL will gradually reduce the frequency of other services across the TfL network to provide a service for critical workers to get to where they need to – ensuring that remaining services are not overcrowded.
A surgical mask hangs on a lamppost in central London on March 18, 2020 as people take precautions amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
A surgical mask hangs on a lamppost in central London on March 18, 2020 as people take precautions amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

In a press release sent to the Guardian by Transport of London, Mayor Sadiq Khan said:

People should not be travelling, by any means, unless they really, really have to. Londoners should be avoiding social interaction unless absolutely necessary, and that means they should be avoiding using the transport network unless absolutely necessary.

London will get through these extraordinarily challenging times, and ensuring the capital’s critical workers can move around the city will be crucial.

Frontline staff across our health and care service – as well as those ensuring Londoners stay safe and can access food and other essentials – should be commended for their hard work. We owe it to them to do whatever we can to help them do their jobs effectively.

Updated

In London, more draconian restrictions may be needed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, with guidance to avoid non-essential travel and stay home being ignored by some, while confirmed cases of sickness escalate rapidly. The prime minister, Boris Johnson, told his Wednesday press conference that he was prepared to take “further and faster measures” to tackle the disease.

A sign advertising a book titled “How Will We Survive On Earth?” is seen on an underground station platform on March 18, 2020 in London, England.
A sign advertising a book titled “How Will We Survive On Earth?” is seen on an underground station platform on March 18, 2020 in London, England. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Transport for London is now moving to cut the number of trains and buses running throughout the week, most likely to the level of weekend schedules. But what are the key issues transport chiefs need to consider when limiting services?

The full story below:

The New Zealand ministry of health director-general Dr Ashley Bloomfield has confirmed that eight new cases of coronavirus have been identified, taking the country’s total to 28.

All of the cases are in people who have recently arrived from overseas, and there is no community outbreak or transmission at this point.

Bloomfield was pressed on whether New Zealand was preparing for a “total lockdown” as seen in the likes of France and Italy. Bloomfield said at this stage that option was not being discussed at all.

Earlier today Prime minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealanders must prepare but not panic about the difficult few months ahead.

“We are in a very heightened state as a nation, and so is the world,” Ardern said.

WHO calls coronavirus 'enemy against humanity'

The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday called the new coronavirus an “enemy against humanity”, as the number of people infected in the pandemic soared past 200,000.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Photograph: Christopher Black/World Health Organization/AFP via Getty Images

“This coronavirus is presenting us with an unprecedented threat,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in a virtual news conference.

He stressed the need for countries everywhere to “come together as one against a common enemy: an enemy against humanity.”

Sub-Saharan Africa has only recorded 233 cases and four deaths, making it the least affected region.

But Tedros warned the situation could quickly shift.

“In other countries, we have seen how the virus actually accelerates after a certain tipping point, so the best advice for Africa is to prepare for the worst, and prepare today,” he said.

“Africa should wake up.”

Updated

Good morning and welcome to our coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, or, as WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has dubbed it, “an enemy against humanity”.

  • Boris Johnson has announced that UK schools will close, after days of pressure and the announcement of the closure of schools in Wales and Scotland earlier today.
  • The total number of US cases passed 7,000 as a congressman confirmed he had tested positive. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that, besides the 7,038 cases, 97 people had died. At about the same time, Mario Diaz-Balart – a Republican of Florida – revealed his diagnosis. “I’m feeling much better. However, it’s important that everyone take this seriously,” he said.
  • The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday called the new coronavirus an “enemy against humanity”, as the number of people infected in the pandemic soared past 200,000.
  • Australian flagship carrier Qantas announced it will suspend all international flights from the end of the month and would be standing down two thirds of its 30,000-strong workforce without pay.Qantas stock fell 4.35% in early trade.
  • The pandemic is like a nuclear explosion, a senior British clergyman said. The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the initial impact would be huge, but that the fallout would be long-lasting and transformative. Welby also said the UK government must not make the mistake of focusing its efforts to mitigate the outbreak’s economic effects on the UK’s big cities at the expense of smaller communities.
  • The UK announced plans to double the military force available to help deal with the outbreak. The Ministry of Defence said an extra 10,000 personnel would be added to the 10,000 already available to form a support force.
  • Pakistan and Costa Rica announced their first deaths. Two announcements in quick succession came from Pakistan, where official figures count 260 infections. Later, the Central American nation announced an 87-year-old man had died.
  • Tasmania cut itself off from the rest of Australia. The Australian island state decided to shut its border with the rest of the country in a bid to stop the spread of the virus within its community.

Updated

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