We will now be closing this live blog. You can find all of our most recent stories about the outbreak on our coronavirus page, and follow the latest liveblog here.
Updated
The effect of the coronavirus outbreak on the Italian economy could be “very strong, the country’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte warns.
The economic impact could be very strong. At this moment, we can calculate that there will be a negative economic impact, we are not yet in a position to forecast what will happen.
Italy is struggling to contain the Europe’s largest coronavirus outbreak, whose epicentre is in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto, the industrial and financial heartlands of the country.
The US department of homeland security’s top official on the White House’s coronavirus task force has sought help on social media accessing a map about the virus.
Ken Cuccinelli, the DHS acting deputy secretary, first asked on Twitter if a link to the map stopped working for other people (it worked for the Guardian). In a second post, he said it looked like he couldn’t access it because it was behind a paywall.
“Seems like bad timing to stop helping the world with this (previously) useful resource,” tweeted the senior member of the Trump administration. “Here’s hoping it goes back up soon.”
Ken Cuccinelli, the #2 official at Homeland Security, is top DHS official on the Trump admin’s coronavirus task force. Someone please get him a Johns Hopkins membership. https://t.co/YWgezui0GP
— Nick Miroff (@NickMiroff) February 24, 2020
The death toll in Europe’s largest coronavirus outbreak has risen to seven on Monday and new cases climbed above 220 as Italy shut down much of its wealthy north to curb the disease’s spread.
Italian shares tumbled more than 5%, the biggest daily drop in almost four years, on worries the flare-up could cause a recession, while worried residents emptied supermarket shelves to stock up on essentials.
Authorities in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto, the industrial and financial heartlands of Italy, shut schools, universities, museums and cinemas for at least a week, and banned public gatherings including the famed Venice carnival.
In Lombardy, close to Italy’s business capital Milan, nearly 50,000 people have been placed under effective quarantine, as measures were adopted for 10 towns, as well as a further one in neighbouring Veneto.
“To be honest, nobody thought the spread would be so aggressive,” Lombardy regional governor Attilio Fontana told 102.5 RTL radio, predicting, however that the virus would regress in days due to the emergency measures.
Local authorities announced four new deaths on Monday – three men in their 80s and a 62-year-old. Three previous fatalities recorded since Friday were also elderly people. All those who have died had underlying health problems.
Lombardy remained the worst hit region with 172 confirmed cases, while neighbouring Veneto had 33 infections, including four in Venice, which had been packed with tourists before its carnival was curtailed two days ahead of schedule.
At national level, 27 people were in intensive care, 101 hospitalised and 94 being monitored at home, officials said.
Earlier reports from Ansa incorrectly put the death toll at seven and were corrected to six later on Monday. Local authorities have now clarified that the toll has since risen to seven people.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there were 14 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the country, Reuters reported. These did not include the 39 cases who were among those evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and the city of Wuhan.
The agency said the 14 confirmed cases included two new cases reported from Humboldt and Sacramento counties, in California.
On Friday, the CDC reported 13 cases among those within the country and 21 cases from among the repatriated Americans and said they were preparing for the possibility of the spread of the virus through US communities that would force the closure of schools and businesses.
American public health officials have also warned that cases among the repatriated citizens will likely increase.
Updated
All nations must work together to fight the spread of the coronavirus and prevent a crisis with “dramatic consequences” for global health and the world economy, the UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, has said.
Guterres, speaking to reporters during a visit to the World Health Organisation (WHO) centre for managing emergencies, called for full funding of the body’s appeal for $675m (£522m) to cover its overall response for three months. Following a briefing with the WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and other senior officials, Guterres said:
All countries – and this is now a problem that is affecting many countries in the world – all countries must do everything to be prepared. The disease it’s still possible to contain but if some fail, if some do not do everything that is needed, this can still become out of control with dramatic consequences in global health and the global economy.
He said the decline in new cases of coronavirus in China was a good trend which he hoped could be maintained.
Updated
WHO plays down pandemic fears as some experts say global spread 'a matter of time'
The World Health Organization has played down fears of a coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world, despite sudden serious outbreaks in Italy and Iran, but some experts said they believed it was now inevitable.
“Using the word pandemic now does not fit the facts, but it may certainly cause fear,” said the WHO’s director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at a briefing.
We are not there yet, said Tedros. “What we see are epidemics in different parts of the world affecting different countries in different ways.”
Other experts said it was hard to believe that COVID-19 would not now spread worldwide.
“We now consider this to be a pandemic in all but name, and it’s only a matter of time before the World Health Organization starts to use the term in its communications,” said Dr Bharat Pankhania, from the University of Exeter Medical School.
Updated
Austria to close border to suspected carriers
Austria has said it will stop people suspected of carrying the coronavirus from crossing its border, after parts of northern Italy were put into lockdown over the weekend following a surge in cases.
The Austrian government released a travel warning for affected areas of Lombardy and Veneto, following a meeting of the government’s coronavirus taskforce that included the chancellor, Sebastian Kurz.
“As far as the borders and cross-border traffic are concerned, we will proceed as follows: we will further tighten warning systems with our neighbours, we will immediately order a stop in the event of suspected cases, as happened last night,” Kurz said on Monday.
Updated
The Trump administration is considering asking Congress for emergency funding to ramp up the US response to coronavirus, Reuters reports.
“We need some funding here to make sure that we ... protect all Americans, that we keep us safe,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Fox News.
Asked how much funding the administration might ask Congress to approve, Gidley later said that there was no announcement yet on the amount.
Politico and the Washington Post, citing unnamed individuals familiar with the planning, had reported the administration may request $1bn funding from Congress. An administration official told Reuters the amount was still being finalised, and the request could go to lawmakers this week.
There have been 13 cases of people diagnosed with the virus in the US and 21 cases among Americans repatriated on evacuation flights from Wuhan
Updated
Summary
Here’s a summary of Monday’s events:
- Six people are now confirmed to have died from coronavirus in Italy, which has had the worst outbreak in Europe with 219 confirmed cases. The Italian government has introduced stringent internal travel restrictions, closing off the worst-hit areas in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto.
- Several European countries including Croatia, Hungary, Ireland and Serbia have advised their citizens against travelling to the affected areas in Italy. Austria is considering reintroducing border controls with Italy. Stock markets in Europe closed the day more than 3.5% down amid virus fears.
- Iran has denied trying to cover up the full extent of the outbreak after a reformist website reported 50 deaths from the virus. The deputy health minister said 12 people had died from the virus.
- South Korean cases spiked to over 760, as several countries imposed travel bans, and some airlines cancelled routes to Seoul. Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq reported their first cases – all involving people who had come from Iran.
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A team from the World Health Organization was due to visit Iran on Tuesday. The WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the sudden increase in cases in Italy, Iran and South Korea as “deeply concerning”.
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China reported 150 new deaths from the virus, with one outside Hubei province. Infections rose by 409 (398 in Hubei) to 77,150. Four Chinese provinces lowered their alert levels on the virus, including Yunnan, Guangdong, Shanxi and Guizhou. The WHO said it was encouraged by the decline in new cases in China.
Updated
Italy death toll revised down to six
The death toll for the coronavirus in Italy stands at six, rather than seven as was initially reported.
The Lombardy regional government has denied reports that a person with the coronavirus had died at Brescia’s Civili hospital.
Updated
Austria is considering reintroducing border controls with Italy, in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has led to a dozen northern Italian towns being put into lockdown.
Italian authorities have said they will impose fines on anyone entering or leaving restricted areas. More than 200 people have contracted the virus and six people have died.
The European commission announced on Monday that it would send experts to Italy from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, in a joint mission with the World Health Organization.
The EU executive also announced a €232m (£195m) package to deal with the virus, although some of the funds have yet to be signed off.
Updated
European markets have closed for trading, with all major indices having lost 3.5% or more amid fears about coronavirus spreading to Europe.
Our business blog has more.
Officials are now saying there have been six coronavirus deaths in Italy, not seven. We’ll have more details soon.
Updated
Japanese health officials and experts on a government panel have acknowledged that the quarantine of the virus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess was not perfect, AP reports.
The officials said Japanese health authorities faced tough challenges in dealing with a foreign-operated ship that required international negotiations, in the absence of established rules to deal with such a crisis.
“The ship was not designed to be a hospital. The ship was a ship,” said Shigeru Omi, a former regional director for the World Health Organization. He added: “Of course isolation was not ideal as would be expected from a hospital, so in my view although the isolation was somehow effective, to a large extent it was not perfect.”
Updated
The UK remains “prepared for all eventualities” over coronavirus, Downing Street has said, PA reports.
Thirteen people in the UK have so far been diagnosed with Covid-19, including four over the weekend who had been on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was held in quarantine in Japan.
On Monday, Downing Street insisted the UK was “well-prepared” and said the risk to individuals in the UK remained low. Asked whether the UK could put in place restrictive measures such as those seen in Italy to combat the spread of the disease, the prime minister’s official spokesman said:
“We will be led by the advice from public health and medical experts and will take steps which they feel are required to best protect the British public.
“We are well prepared for UK cases, we are using tried and tested procedures to prevent further spread and the NHS is extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections.
“We continue to work closely with the World Health Organization and international partners as the situation develops and we remain prepared for all eventualities.”
The Foreign Office has not advised Britons against travel to Italy, but has updated its website with factual information about the situation there. There are no figures as yet as to whether any Britons are stuck in Italy and affected by the lockdown.
Four Britons rescued from the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship are being treated at specialist centres in the north of England after testing positive for the illness.
They were among a group of 30 Britons and two Irish citizens who arrived at a quarantine block at Arrowe Park hospital, in Merseyside, on Saturday.
Two of the patients are in the Royal Hallamshire hospital, in Sheffield, one is in the Royal Liverpool University hospital and a fourth was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
British couple David and Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, who were on the cruise for their 50th wedding anniversary, are still in a Japanese hospital after being diagnosed with coronavirus and pneumonia.
Updated
China has delayed its annual parliamentary meeting as authorities struggle to contain the coronavirus outbreak, which has spread to more countries and prompted fears of a global pandemic.
For the first time in decades, the National People’s Congress (NPC), where hundreds of delegates gather in Beijing every March, was postponed on Monday.
The standing committee for the NPC said a new date for the meeting would be announced separately, according to the state broadcaster CCTV.
Updated
People in northern Italy have been in touch with the Guardian to say they have noticed empty shelves in local supermarkets.
Francesco Sole, a trade union regional secretary from Milan, said prices for face masks and antibacterial gel had skyrocketed.
“It’s quite a shock for us in northern Italy. My wife and I rushed to do some grocery shopping in fear of being stuck at home.
“Empty shelves for basic products such as flour, oil and bottled water were easily noticeable,” he said. “Finding a mask or antibacterial gel has become as challenging as finding water on the moon.
“Some companies have organised their workers to switch to smart working while many others are still seeking to find solutions to manage the situation. People in Milan are trying to figure out what life will be like in the days to come. For a city that is always on the move, this is an eerie pause.”
Francesca, 26, from Lodi, said though the city was not under quarantine the rest of the region had closed schools, universities, theatres, and libraries. Francesca, a student at the Brera Academy of Fine Art, in Milan, said:
“A lot of people in towns that are on lockdown work in Lodi, so everyone here has probably had contact with an infected person.
“Panic is spreading everywhere. Many hospitals’ emergency rooms (where not closed as a precautionary measure) are stormed unnecessarily. It has led people to literally empty supermarkets of long conservation products. Everyone here is constantly looking for updates about the situation and you never know if tomorrow you will be still allowed to go outside your house.
“Personally, I’m waiting to know if a colleague of my father and brother is positive or not. He is now hospitalised and is suspected of having it. If so, my family will probably have to be tested too.”
Updated
Summary
Here’s a summary of what we know about the coronavirus outbreak so far on Monday:
- Seven people are now confirmed to have died from coronavirus in Italy which has seen the worst outbreak in Europe with 219 confirmed cases. The Italian government has introduced stringent internal travel restrictions, closing off the worst-hit areas in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto.
- Iran has denied trying to cover up the full extent of the outbreak after a reformist website reported 50 deaths from the virus. The deputy health minister said 12 people had died from the virus.
- South Korean cases spiked to over 760, as several countries imposed travel bans, and some airlines cancelled routes to Seoul. Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq reported their first cases – all involving people who had come from Iran.
- A team from the World Health Organization is due to visit Iran on Tuesday. The WHO director general described the sudden increase in cases in Italy, Iran and South Korea as “deeply concerning”.
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China reported 150 new deaths from the virus, with one outside Hubei province. Infections rose by 409 (398 in Hubei) to 77,150. Four Chinese provinces lowered their alert levels on the virus, including Yunnanm Guangdong, Shznxi and Guizhou. The WHO said it was encouraged by the decline in new cases in China.
Updated
Serbia’s foreign ministry has advised Serbs against travelling to the parts of Italy hit by the virus.
Foreign Ministry advises Serbian citizens against travelling to Italy: https://t.co/mLvdwlXylQ #coronavirus #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/FGEYjyhqlq
— Serbian Government (@SerbianGov) February 24, 2020
Spain currently has no plans to close its borders in response to the coronavirus outbreak, the country’s health minister has said.
Salvador Illa said the authorities were focusing on reinforcing existing precautions throughout the health system and on raising awareness at ports and airports.
He said:
“For the moment, experts are advising us not to take other measures that may not be effective - although we’re ready if they need to be taken,” the minister said.
“People can trust the national health system and its professionals.
“Thus far, everything has been handled with the utmost competence but people should also be assured that we’re constantly monitoring the situation to adapt measures to the reality of the situation.”
Spain currently has two confirmed cases of the coronavirus: one on the Balearic island of Mallorca and another on the remote Canary island of La Gomera. Nine people have tested negative for the virus in recent hours and the authorities are waiting on test results from a further three.
Italy’s former far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has attempted to politicise the coronavirus outbreak in the country, attacking the Italian government for not defending the country’s borders.
On Sunday, Salvini, who is also the leader of the League party, called on prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, to resign “if he isn’t able to defend Italy and Italians.”
In particular, Salvini cited the docking, on Sunday, of the NGO Ocean Viking rescue ship with 276 African migrants onboard in the Sicilian port of Pozzallo, to say Italy needs “to make our borders armour-plated.”
On the bright side, the WHO team in China has concluded the virus can be contained. It peaked between the end of January and the beginning of February.
"They found that the #COVID19 epidemic peaked & plateaued between the 23rd of January & the 2nd of February & has been declining steadily since then.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 24, 2020
They have found that there has been no significant change in the DNA of the #coronavirus"-@DrTedros
Dr Ghebreyesus said he was encouraged by the continued decline of new cases in China.
"As of 6am GVA time this morning, #China has reported a total of 77,362 cases of #COVID19 to WHO, including 2618 deaths.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 24, 2020
In the past 24 hours, 🇨🇳 has reported 416 new confirmed cases & 150 deaths.
We’re encouraged by the continued decline in cases in 🇨🇳"-@DrTedros #coronavirus
Updated
Dr Ghebreyesus defended the WHO’s decision not to declare the outbreak a pandemic. “Using the word pandemic now does not fit the facts, but it may certainly cause fear,” he said.
"Using the word pandemic now does not fit the facts, but it may certainly cause fear.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 24, 2020
We do not live in a binary, black-and-white world.
It’s not either-or.
We must focus on containment, while doing everything we can to prepare for a potential pandemic"-@DrTedros #COVID19
WHO to visit Iran
A team from the World Health Organization is due to arrive in Tehran on Tuesday after the sharp rise in cases in Iran.
Speaking at a news conference, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the WHO, said the sudden increase in cases Iran, Italy and South Korea was “deeply concerning”.
"Outside #China, there are now 2074 #COVID19 cases in 28 countries & 23 deaths.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 24, 2020
The sudden increases of cases in Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran & the Republic of Korea are deeply concerning"-@DrTedros #coronavirus
Updated
A seventh person has died in the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, the Ansa news agency has reported.
Ansa said the latest person to die was an 80-year-old man who had been taken to hospital last week in Lodi after having a heart attack, Reuters reports. Doctors believe he caught the virus there from another patient.
Italy reported its first death from the coronavirus outbreak on Friday.
Updated
The UK remains “prepared for all eventualities” and the risk to individuals remains low, Downing Street said on Monday.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said:
We will be led by the advice from public health and medical experts and will take steps which they feel are required to best protect the British public.
We are well prepared for UK cases, we are using tried and tested procedures to prevent further spread and the NHS is extremely well prepared and used to managing infections.
We continue to work closely with the World Health Organization and international partners as the situation develops and we remain prepared for all eventualities.”
Updated
Death toll in Italy rises to six people
A sixth person has died in the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, the state broadcaster RAI reported on Monday. The person was a cancer patient in the northern town of Brescia.
Updated
The World Health Organization confirmed “steep declines” in coronavirus cases in China even after taking into account statistical issues.
China caused confusion last week about the figures after twice changing how it counted confirmed cases.
At a joint briefing in Beijing between the WHO and China’s national health commission, Bruce Aylward, the head of a team of WHO experts visiting China, acknowledged the confusion. He said: “I know people look at the numbers and say what’s really happening.”
But he added that “multiple sources of data” pointed to declines. “This is falling and it is falling because of the actions that are being taken,” Aylward said.
While he applauded the dramatic measures taken by Beijing to quarantine entire cities, he said anything that went beyond WHO recommendations in terms of travel and trade restrictions should be reassessed.
Liang Wannian, of the health commission, also said at the briefing that more than 3,000 medical staff in China had been infected by the coronavirus, mostly because of lack of protective gear and fatigue.
Updated
Ireland has said its citizens should not travel to parts of Italy affected by an outbreak of coronavirus.
Italy’s government has moved to close off the worst-hit areas, in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto, as the death toll in the country from the disease rose to five on Monday.
“There has been an increase in the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Italy ... Citizens are advised not to travel to affected areas,” the foreign ministry said in updated travel advice.
Updated
Death toll in Italy increases to five people
Coronavirus deaths in Italy have risen to five people, with 209 confirmed cases.
An 84-year-old woman died overnight in Bergamo, in the Lombardy region, and an 88-year-old from Caselle Landi, also in Lombardy, died on Monday.
Updated
Hong Kong, home to at least 79 confirmed coronavirus cases, has issued a travel alert for South Korea, advising resident to avoid non-essential travel to the country and cautioning those already there to avoid crowded places and healthcare facilities.
Secretary for security John Lee said that starting from 6am on Tuesday, the city will bar all non-Hong Kong residents coming from South Korea. Hong Kong citizens returning from South Korea will have to be in quarantine for 14 days.
A government spokesman said:
“In view of the persistent and rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Korea and the close contacts between Hong Kong and Korea, the government has decided to issue the Red Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) on Korea based on public health considerations.
Red OTA urges the public planning to travel to Korea to adjust travel plans and avoid non-essential travel.”
Updated
The catering staff onboard the previously quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship have recorded a dance video to celebrate them being allowed home to the Philippines.
This is it guys ! Coming Home! SEE YOU SOON PH!! #GalleyTeam #DiamondPrincess #TalaDanceChallenge pic.twitter.com/xIWwGKdKpB
— Mae Fantillo (@maejuliene18) February 24, 2020
Updated
A translator from northern Italy has told the Guardian that the closure of schools and universities has left an eerie silence.
“It’s nice not having to deal with the morning traffic when I walk my dogs but the silence from the local primary school is eerie,” said Susanna, from Treviso. “I did a spot of shopping for my elderly mum last night and the supermarket was busy, but the shelves were not as empty as others in the region.”
She is studying to become a nature guide but her classes have been cancelled until at least 1 March. “The virus doesn’t seem to pose more of a threat than seasonal flu, but it is forbidden to attend meetings and sports or cultural events. Defying the government’s lockdown measures might mean facing arrest or a hefty fine.
“I’m a member of the local cycling association and we were supposed to hold our monthly critical mass [when cyclists meet to ride through their local area] but this has been cancelled. This is especially upsetting as Treviso has a serious problem with air pollution and we had managed to involve school principals in our ride through town.”
Updated
In France, the government urged anyone who has visited Lombardy or Veneto – the two most affected regions in Italy – to wear face masks if they go outside, limit non-essential activities and take their temperatures twice a day.
The French health ministry issued the same advice for anyone who had traveled to China, South Korea, Singapore or Macao. France has had 12 cases of the virus overall, and one death.
The national health agency said officials were “evaluating the situation” of a bus of Italians, blocked in Lyon, which originated in Milan and stopped in Turin, but wouldn’t give details, or say whether anyone on the bus was suspected of having the virus.
Slovenia and Croatia, on the Italian border, which are popular destinations for Italian tourists and whose own citizens often travel to Italy, were holding crisis meetings Monday. Croatia announced it would monitor any travellers coming from Italy, including Croatian children returning from school trips.
The Romanian prime minister, Ludovic Orban, said anyone entering Romania from any region where the virus had been reported would be quarantined for 14 days, but local media reported that arriving passengers were only being asked to fill out a form.
In Albania, about 5,000 passengers arriving by plane, ferry and land were being monitored, with border crossing points targeting travellers from Italy in particular.
Fears spread to as far away as Mauritius, which blocked an Alitalia airplane that had landed. The Italian foreign ministry said it was working to provide maximum assistance to Italians on board. Many Italians are travelling this week for the mid-winter school holiday, and Mauritius is a popular destination.
Updated
The Iranian government has denied trying to cover up the full extent of the coronavirus outbreak after reports suggested the death toll from the disease was more than four times higher than official figures claim. Sam Jones has more:
On Monday, a lawmaker from Qom – a Shia holy city 75 miles (120 km) south of the capital, Tehran, accused Iran’s health minister of lying about the scale of the outbreak.
According to the semi-official Ilna news agency, which is close to reformists, the lawmaker, Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, said there had been 50 deaths from the coronavirus in Qom alone.
“The rest of the media have not published this figure, but we prefer not to censor what concerns the coronavirus because people’s lives are in danger,” the Ilna editor Fatemeh Madiani told Agence France-Presse.
But the country’s deputy health minister rejected the report. In a news conference broadcast live on state television, Iraj Harirchi said 12 people had died from the coronavirus and 66 had been infected.
“I categorically deny this information,” he said, adding: “This is not the time for political confrontations. The coronavirus is a national problem.”
Updated
A fifth person infected with the coronavirus has died in Italy, the chief of the civil protection agency has announced, according to Reuters.
Italian media reported that the dead patient was 88 and came from the region of Lombardy. The four other people who have died of the illness were also elderly and at least three of them had been suffering serious underlying health problems
Updated
Germany will not be closing the country’s borders due to the coronavirus outbreak, a spokesman for the interior ministry said on Monday.
A spokeswoman for the foreign ministry said Germany was not issuing a travel warning for Italy but said it had updated its advice on travelling there, Reuters reports.
A health ministry spokesman said the danger to the German population from coronavirus remained low but warned the assessment could change at short notice.
Austria suspended train services over the Alps to Italy for about four hours late on Sunday before restarting them after two travellers tested negative for coronavirus. A train carrying about 300 passengers from Venice, Italy, to Munich in Germany was halted on the Italian side of the Brenner Pass before being allowed to continue its journey after the two tested negative, authorities said.
Updated
Iraq detects first case of coronavirus
Iraq has detected its first case of coronavirus, the health ministry said on Monday.
Local health officials in the Iraqi Shia city of Najaf said an Iranian theology student was the first positive case of the virus, Reuters reports.
The patient had entered Iraq before the government shut border crossings and banned the entry of any non-Iraqis coming from Iran, the ministry said in a statement.
“It has become clear to the ministry that the results of lab tests conducted on a theology student, an Iranian citizen, who had entered the country before … the decision to stop travel have revealed he is ill with the coronavirus,” it said.
Updated
Iran’s government disputes report that 50 have died from the coronavirus.
The Iranian government has denied trying to cover up the full extent of the coronavirus outbreak after reports suggested the death toll from the disease was more than four times higher than official figures claim.
On Monday, a lawmaker from Qom – a Shia holy city 75 miles (120km) south of the capital, Tehran, which has had a cluster of cases – accused Iran’s health minister of “lying” about the scale of the outbreak.
According to the semi-official ILNA news agency, which is close to reformists, the lawmaker, Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, said there had been 50 deaths from the coronavirus in Qom alone.
“The rest of the media have not published this figure, but we prefer not to censor what concerns the coronavirus because people’s lives are in danger,” Fatemeh Madiani, the ILNA editor, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
But the country’s deputy health minister rejected the report. In a news conference broadcast live on state television, Iraj Harirchi said that 12 people had died from the coronavirus and 66 had been infected.
“I categorically deny this information,” said Iraj Harirchi. “This is not the time for political confrontations. The coronavirus is a national problem.”
Iran’s government pledged to be transparent about the outbreak.
Updated
In the Middle East, concerns are mounting that Iran is now a major hub of the coronavirus, and that the virus may have taken hold on pilgrimage routes before its existence was known.
Authorities said 50 people have died in the Shia shrine city of Qom this month alone, up sharply from the 12 deaths reported among 47 cases nationwide. Deaths per reported infections were much higher in Iran compared with other countries, and that data reflected concerns that the extent of the virus had been significantly under-reported. Those fears appear to have been realised, and officials are rushing to contain a cluster – the spread of which would have serious implications for regional health.
A Shia seminary in Qom containing 250 people was quarantined on Monday, and the director of one of the city’s main hospitals was reported to have contracted the virus. Schools were closed across the country for a second day. While Qom appears to be the focal point of the cluster, there are also fears that nationwide polling for parliamentary elections over the weekend could have been another conduit to spread the virus. WHO said on Monday it had serious concerns about the situation in Iran.
One Lebanese pilgrim who tested positive for coronavirus after returning from Iran is in hospital in Beirut. Turkey has closed its borders to Iranian travellers.
Overriding these concerns though is the fate of hundreds of thousands of displaced people and refugees in Iraq and Syria, many of whom have already impaired immunities, less access to state healthcare and live in highly concentrated population groups. Small rooms containing infected people are thought to sharply increase mortality. Tents would likely have the same effect
Updated
Mongolia has halted all flights from South Korea and will block entry through its borders until 2 March as it steps up its efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Reuters reports.
The country’s national emergency commission announced the efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus on Monday. It has also already closed its schools until the end of March.
Mongolia had previously suspended all entries through its borders from China. A suspension of coal deliveries into China is scheduled to come to an end on 2 March.
Mongolia has not yet reported any confirmed cases of infection.
Updated
In aan attempt to slow the worst flare-up of the disease outside of Asia, Italian authorities across the north have shut schools, universities, museums and cinemas for at least a week, and banned public gatherings including the famed Venice carnival, Reuters reports.
“To be honest, nobody thought the spread (of coronavirus) would be so aggressive. The illness is not serious, but it must not be underestimated,” Attilio Fontana, the regional governor of Lombardy, told 102.5 RTL radio.
Almost a dozen towns in Lombardy, with a combined population of nearly 50,000, have been placed under effective quarantine, with similar measures in place for a small town in neighbouring Veneto.
Fontana added that emergency measures imposed at the weekend would be effective and that “in a matter of days, the spread of the virus will regress”.
Updated
We’d like to hear from people in northern Italy who are affected by the quarantine restrictions in the area. What has your experience been like and how concerned are you about the outbreak?
You can get in touch by filling in the form here. The form is encrypted and your responses are only seen by the Guardian. You can also contact us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding the contact +44(0)7867825056.
At least 50 people have died in the Iranian city of Qom from the new coronavirus this month, Iran’s semiofficial ILNA news agency reported on Monday.
The Associated Press reported that the new death toll was significantly higher than the latest number of confirmed cases of infections that Iranian officials had reported just a few hours earlier and which stood at just 12 deaths out of 47 cases, according to state TV.
An official from Qom, Ahmad Amiriabadi Farahani, was quoted in ILNA saying more than 250 people are quarantined in the city.
He said the 50 deaths date as far back as 13 February. Iran, however, first officially reported cases of the virus and its first deaths on 19 February.
Updated
Renewed fears over the coronavirus outbreak have prompted steep falls on European stock markets – most notably in Italy, which has suffered the most serious outbreak outside Asia.
The FTSE MIB stock market index in Italy has dropped by 4%. Shares on London’s FTSE 100 have fallen by 2.8%, more than 200 points. In Germany, the Dax index is down by 3.4%. France’s Cac 40 has lost 3.5%.
Budget airline easyJet and holiday provider Tui are the biggest fallers on the FTSE 100, both down by 9%, and British Airways owner IAG has lost 7%. Carnival, the cruise ship operator, has lost another 5%. The company has fallen steeply during 2020 after an outbreak of the virus on its Diamond Princess cruise ship.
The flight to safety for investors fearful of the economic consequences of the coronavirus outbreak has pushed gold prices to their highest since February 2013.
Spot gold prices rose by 2.1% on Monday to hit highs above $1,679 per troy ounce. Investors traditionally buy gold as a safe haven in times of economic uncertainty.
Updated
China postpones most important annual political assembly because of coronavirus
Chinese political leaders including President Xi Jinping are normally expected to attend the annual parliament session in March, but it has been postponed as a result of the virus outbreak.
It is the first time the meeting has been postponed since the Cultural Revolution.
Updated
Kuwait, Bahrain, and Afghanistan recorded their first new coronavirus cases on Monday.
The cases in Kuwait and Bahrain involve people who had visited Iran, which has reported 43 cases of the disease, Reuters reports.
Kuwait detected the virus in three people among 700 who had been evacuated on Saturday from the north-eastern Iranian city of Mashhad, the state news agency KUNA said.
The health ministry identified them as a 53-year-old Kuwaiti man, a 61-year-old Saudi man and a 21-year-old whose nationality was unclear. It said the Kuwaiti and Saudi had been asymptomatic while the third person showed initial symptoms.
In Bahrain, the health ministry said a Bahraini national who arrived from Iran had been diagnosed with the disease and that “all necessary measures have been taken with individuals in contact with the patient”.
Afghanistan’s minister of public health said on Monday the country had identified its first case of coronavirus, following dozens of cases of the disease and eight deaths in neighbouring Iran.
Reuters reports that Ferozuddin Feroz, the minister of public health, told a press conference in Kabul one of three suspected cases had been confirmed in the western province of Herat. He announced a state of emergency in the province, which borders Iran, where dozens of cases of the disease have been confirmed and eight people have died.
Qatar Airways announced it will quarantine passengers arriving from Iran and South Korea who show symptoms for the virus. Passengers who show symptoms will be transferred to the communicable disease centre at the Hamad Medical Corporation. All incoming passengers from Iran and South Korea whose final destination is Doha and are showing no symptoms will be asked to stay in home isolation or a quarantine facility for 14 days.
Updated
China’s foreign ministry said on Monday Beijing was not considering issuing travel advisories for countries such as South Korea and Japan that are reporting an increase in coronavirus cases, Reuters reports.
But the Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways announced it would be suspending all flights to and from South Korea over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
Authorities have so far confirmed 763 cases of novel coronavirus in South Korea.
South Korea’s K-league on Monday postponed the start of the new football season, which had been due to kick off this weekend.
“The K-league has decided to temporarily postpone the start of the 2020 K-league season until the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak eases,” it said in a statement. “This is a measure to protect the health and safety of the citizens and our players with the highest priority against the outbreak of the Covid-19 which has entered a serious phase.”
Matches featuring Daegu FC, based in the city that is the epicentre of the South Korean outbreak, and nearby Pohang Steelers, had already been delayed.
Updated
Fourth person dies from coronavirus in Italy
Italy is rushing to contain Europe’s first major coronavirus outbreak after a fourth person in the country died, Reuters reports.
The Italian government introduced draconian measures such as imposing fines on anyone caught entering or leaving outbreak areas as the number of cases and deaths spiked over the weekend.
The number of cases of the virus in the country rose to 152 on Saturday, prompting the government to close off the worst-hit areas in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Police are patrolling 11 towns that have been in lockdown since Friday night. The latest victim died in the Lombardy city of Cremona.
French junior transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said on Monday morning that there was no need to close down transport borders between France and Italy, despite the spread of coronavirus. “Closing down the borders would make no sense, as the circulation of the virus is not just limited to administrative borders,” Djebbari told BFM Business.
Austria suspended train services over the Alps to Italy for about four hours late on Sunday before restarting them after two travellers tested negative for coronavirus. A train carrying about 300 passengers from Venice, Italy, to Munich in Germany was halted on the Italian side of the Brenner Pass before being allowed to continue its journey after the two tested negative, authorities said.
Updated
Wuhan revokes announcement easing lockdown
An announcement that the Chinese city of Wuhan would relax some of its travel restrictions and allow some people to leave was made without authorisation and has been revoked, the local government said on Monday, according to a report by Reuters.
The city at the epicentre of a coronavirus outbreak that has already killed more than 2,500 people said it would continue to impose strict controls over its borders in order to prevent the virus from spreading further.
The people responsible for the earlier announcement, which stated healthy people would be allowed to leave if they had vital business, have been reprimanded.
Updated
Here’s the latest round up of the number of cases the coronavirus and deaths from AP.
- Mainland China: 2,592 deaths among 77,150 cases, mostly in the central province of Hubei.
- Hong Kong: 74 cases, two deaths.
- Macao: 10 cases.
- Japan: 838 cases, including 691 from a cruise ship docked in Yokohama, four deaths.
- South Korea: 763 cases, seven deaths.
- Italy: 152 cases, three deaths.
- Singapore: 89 cases.
- Iran: 43 cases, eight deaths.
- US: 35 cases; separately, 1 US citizen died in China.
- Thailand: 35 cases.
- Taiwan: 28 cases, one death.
- Australia: 23 cases.
- Malaysia: 22 cases.
- Vietnam: 16 cases.
- Germany: 16 cases.
- France: 12 cases, one death.
- United Arab Emirates: 13 cases.
- United Kingdom: 13 cases.
- Canada: 10 cases.
- Philippines: three cases, one death.
- Kuwait: three cases.
- India: three cases.
- Russia: two cases.
- Spain: two cases.
- Lebanon: one case.
- Israel: one case.
- Belgium: one case.
- Nepal: one case.
- Sri Lanka: one case.
- Sweden: one case.
- Cambodia: one case.
- Finland: one case.
- Egypt: one case.
Updated
Morning, I’m Aamna Mohdin taking over the liveblog from my colleague Alison Rourke.
Four British nationals rescued from a coronavirus-hit cruise ship are being treated at specialist centres in the north of England after testing positive for the illness, PA Media reports.
The four had been on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which had been moored off the coast of Japan for more than two weeks amid the outbreak.
They were among a group of 30 Britons and two Irish citizens who arrived at a quarantine block at Arrowe Park hospital in Merseyside on Saturday, but on Sunday NHS England confirmed the positive diagnoses.
Two of the patients are in the Royal Hallamshire hospital in Sheffield, one is in the Royal Liverpool University hospital and a fourth was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
The new confirmed cases brings the total number of people to be diagnosed with the Covid-19 strain in the UK to 13.
Updated
Summary
Here’s a summary of what we know about the coronavirus outbreak so far on Monday:
- Wuhan – the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak – has eased some lockdown restrictions, including allowing uninfected residents to leave the city for “urgent medical operations”.
- China reported 150 new deaths from the virus, with one outside Hubei province. Infections rose by 409 (398 in Hubei) to 77,150.
- The Chinese health commission said 24 out of China’s 31 provinces had reported no new cases of the virus.
- Four Chinese provinces lowered their alert levels on the virus, including Yunnanm Guangdong, Shznxi and Guizhou.
- South Korean cases spiked to over 760, as several countries imposed travel bans, and some airlines cancelled routes to Seoul.
- Australia raised its travel advice to South Korea and Japan to “reconsider your need to travel”.
- North Korea is reported to have quarantined 380 foreigners over virus fears.
- Asian financial markets have fallen amid fears about the global economy.
Updated
Wuhan lockdown eases
More information is being reported out about Wuhan’s easing of lockdown conditions.
Earlier Chinese state media said the changes would allow “stranded personnel” to leave the city if they are not under quarantine or medical observation.
The Global Times has just tweeted that the decision would allow residents not infected with Covid-19 to leave for “urgent medical operations in other cities”. I’m not clear if that’s in addition to
#Wuhan city, the widely-believed source of the novel coronavirus epidemic or #COVID19, made a decision Monday to allow city residents not infected with the virus to exit for urgent operations in other cities. pic.twitter.com/eB4AmW8ie5
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) February 24, 2020
Updated
Beijing and Shanghai among regions with no new virus cases on Monday
Earlier we reported that 24 out of 31 provincial-level regions across China had no new cases of Covid-19 on Monday. This includes Beijing and Shanghai.
24 provincial-level regions of China, including Beijing and Shanghai, reported no new confirmed cases of #COVID19 Sunday, according to local health authorities Monday. pic.twitter.com/01srDOK3mH
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) February 24, 2020
Updated
We’re getting some more details on the changed conditions in Wuhan – here’s a report from China Global Television Network:
China’s Wuhan, the city at the epicentre of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), will allow non-residents of the city to leave if they show no symptoms and have never had contact with patients, local authorities said in a statement on Monday.
Meanwhile, people who are not quarantined and seeking treatment for special diseases can also leave in batches.
Wuhan, home to over 11 million people and capital city of central China’s Hubei Province, suspended buses, subways, ferries, flights and trains for outbound passengers on January 23 to halt the coronavirus spread, which so far has sickened over 77,000 people and killed at least 2,595.
North Korea quarantines 380 'foreigners'
We have reported a lot today on the virus crisis facing South Korea, but in North Korea state media says Pyongyang has quarantined about 380 foreigners as part of efforts to prevent the new coronavirus from breaking out in the country.
The Korean Central Broadcasting Station said: “(We) have quarantined some 380 foreigners so far across the country, while intensifying isolation, medical monitoring and testing measures on those who have returned from overseas travel, those who have contacted them and those showing abnormal symptoms.”
The identity of those quarantined was not clear but South Korean media reports say they appear to be diplomats stationed in Pyongyang and people involved in overseas trading.
North Korea has not reported any cases of Covid-19 infection, but has doubling the quarantine period to 30 days against those coming from foreign countries.
The vice governor of the People’s Bank of China, has said the virus’s impact on the economy “will be short-lived and will not change the country’s sound economic fundamentals”.
Here’s an excerpt of CGTN’s take on it:
Liu said in the short term, the novel coronavirus outbreak will rattle certain aspects of the economy such as loan growth, consumer prices and debt ratio. For instance, fewer outdoor activities and work resumption delay would discourage the borrowing demand of consumers and certain industries.
But the impact is temporary and will fade with progress being made in epidemic control and factories gradually returning to work, he said.
Liu said the central bank would continue to keep liquidity at a reasonable and ample level, push for reform of loan prime rate (LPR), China’s new market-oriented benchmark lending rate, and lower borrowing costs to ease the financing strain for smaller companies.
South Korean airlines suspend flights to city of Daegu
South Korean airlines have suspended or plan to halt flights to South Korea’s southeastern city of Daegu, where hundreds of new coronavirus infections were reported over the weekend.
Yonhap news agency says Korean Air Lines Co, the country’s biggest airline, canceled its flights to Daegu from the southern resort island of Jeju and Incheon on Sunday.
Meanwhile, 30 South Koreans who recently visited Israel have tested positive for Covid-19, according to Yonhap:
Of 39 Catholic pilgrims from North Gyeongsang Province who visited Israel between February 8 and 16, 12 were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Monday, while the other 18 were confirmed positive and quarantined last week, according to municipal health authorities.
Updated
One Beijing resident has tweeted that things are still quiet in the Chinese capital today, with regards to people going back to work.
Is Beijing back? Heard chatter that stalled infection numbers and pressure to make money would get far more people out this week. 8:15 AM, it's still quiet on our usually busy street, although the birds are out in force. You can hear them near the end... pic.twitter.com/uptgKgbktd
— J Boyce (@beijingboyce) February 24, 2020
The scale of the crisis in Wuhan is plain to see with the mass effort in the city to provide hospital beds, as pointed out in the tweet below by CGTN.
Massive efforts in #Wuhan to contain #COVID19 epidemic:
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) February 24, 2020
- 2 purpose-built hospitals with 2,500 beds
- 16 temporary hospitals in operation
- 10,610 mild cases admitted
- 19 more temporary hospitals planned pic.twitter.com/Di0BlXy1zK
Wuhan eases lockdown for some residents
Chinese state media is reporting that the lockdown in Wuhan is being eased to allow “stranded personnel” to leave the city if they are not under quarantine or medical observation.
The Global Times has also reported that six cities in Hubei province, including Huanggang and Jingzhou, reported no new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday.
Huanggang has had 2,904 confirmed cases and 103 deaths (the third highest number of deaths in China). Jingzhou has had 1,574 and 42 deaths (fourth highest number of deaths in China).
By comparison, Wuhan has had 46,607 cases and 1,987 deaths.
The Global Times also says 24 out of 31 provincial-level regions across China report zero new cases of Covid-19 on Monday.
Of all the new cases announced today, only 11 were outside Hubei province.
Wuhan has eased lockdown by allowing stranded personnel to leave the city, if not under medical observation or quarantine. Wuhan dwellers and vehicles from outside the city could return after following necessary procedures. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/QcbPfkHjSt
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) February 24, 2020
Updated
South Korea cancels national assembly session
South Korea’s National Assembly has cancelled its plenary session scheduled for Monday afternoon after it emerged a coronavirus patient attended a parliamentary forum last week.
Australia is sending a flight to Wuhan with donated goods, the first since the travel ban from China was imposed.
First freight flight from Australia direct to Wuhan loaded with donated goods from Australians since travel bans were imposed.
— Gemma Felicity Acton (@GemmaActon) February 24, 2020
Pilots not allowed off the plane during 22 hour round trip from China
Set to take off at 3pm from Sydney Airport pic.twitter.com/KPLBDwGszm
Updated
Let’s put those Chinese figures into context. The figure of 150 deaths is the highest recorded number of deaths in China in 11 days.
- Monday 24 February: 150 deaths, 409 new cases
- Sunday 23 February: 97 deaths, 648 new cases
- Saturday 22 February: 109 deaths, 397 new cases
- Friday 21 February: 118 deaths, 889 new cases
- Thursday 20 February: 114 deaths, 394 cases (China stopped counting clinically diagnosed cases this day as confirmed cases and instead counted only cases that had tested positive)
- Wednesday 19 February: 136 deaths, 1,749 new cases
- Tuesday 18 February: 98 deaths, 1097 new cases
- Monday 17 February: 105 deaths, 2,048 new cases
- Sunday 16 February: 142 deaths, 2,009 new cases
- Saturday 15 February: 143 deaths, 2,641 new cases
- Friday 14 February: 121 deaths, 5,090 new cases
- Thursday 13 February: 254 deaths, 15,152 new cases (On this day China began including cases diagnosed by doctors and scans in addition to patients who had tested positive to virus).
Updated
China’s, secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Cong Liang, has told a press conference that China is confident in overcoming the coronavirus and maintaining stable economic growth.
He said China had launched tax and fee cuts for small businesses and that the impact on China’s economy would be limited and short term.
It follows President Xi’s speech on Sunday in which he warned of the economic impact of the virus, while at the same time saying he though it was temporary and containable.
China records 150 deaths, 409 new cases
We’re now getting today’s figures from China’s National Health Commission.
There have been 150 deaths in the past 24 hours, and 409 new cases of infections.
Of the deaths, 149 were in Hubei province, as were 398 confirmed new cases, of those (348 were in Wuhan).
It brings the total number of confirmed cases in China to 77,150, with 2,592 deaths.
Updated
As I mentioned earlier in the blog, we are still waiting for Monday’s announcement of cases of the virus from both the Hubei health commission and the National Health Commission. Both have almost always reported by this time (in fact by a few hours ago). There is no explanation for the delay that I can find.
South Korean shares down 3%
South Korea’s stock market has plunged more than 3% as investors take fright at the worsening outbreak in the country.
Not only is one of its largest cities, Daegu, in semi-lockdown, and large gatherings of people cancelled around the country, but airlines are beginning to cancel flights into South Korea, threatening its export-oriented economy.
In Shanghai the Composite index is off 0.93% and its worth noting that the yuan has weakened again to 7.0246 per US dollar. In Hong Kong, shares were off 1.63%.
Brent crude has slumped 3%, or $1.77, to $56.72 a barrel while U.S. crude dropped 2.7%, or $1.48, to $51.9 a barrel.
#HangSeng index extends loss to 1.3% to break through 27,000 market.#PetroChina slumps more than 4% in Hong Kong to hit the lowest since 2008. pic.twitter.com/IwjsDDQJhv
— YUAN TALKS (@YuanTalks) February 24, 2020
Stocks have also fallen 2.26% in Sydney. The Australian dollar has fallen 0.3% to US66.09 and is now close to its lowest point for 11 years.
*S.KOREA CONFIRMS 161 MORE CORONAVIRUS CASES, TOTAL 763
— Eleanor Creagh (@Eleanor_Creagh) February 24, 2020
...what containment! Mkts had chosen to prioritise impending cocktail of dual monetary/fiscal stimulus as a cure all. But > cases outside China, will see >downgrades to growth/earnings etc. ...Virus fears 2.0 just beginning
Updated
New Zealand extends travel ban for arrivals from China
New Zealand has extended a ban on arrivals from mainland China into a fourth week to contain the risk of exposure to the coronavirus, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
The ban has been extended by a further eight days and would be reviewed after that, Ardern told a news conference.
New Zealand so far has no confirmed cases of the virus in the country.
We’re hearing from Australia’s health minister, Greg Hunt. He confirms that seven passengers from the stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship have contracted Covid-19 and are being treated (they have been returned to their home states).
No Australians who were evacuated from Wuhan earlier this month were diagnosed with the illness. They have returned to their homes.
He confirms Australia has lifted its travel advice to Level 2 to Japan and South Korea (as we reported earlier).
We’re now hearing from Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy, who says the rising cases in South Korea, Japan and Italy are a “cause for concern”.
He says he has “cautious optimism” for Chinese provinces outside of Hubei, in terms of the virus spread.
There is no community transmission of the virus in Australia at the moment, he says. But Australia is preparing “for every eventuality” with regards to a potential spread of the virus.
Four Chinese provinces lower alert levels for virus
The Reuters news agency is reporting that the four Chinese provinces Yunnan, Guangdong, Shanxi and Guizhou on Monday lowered their coronavirus emergency response measures.
Yunnan and Guizhou cut their emergency response measures from level I to level III, according to local authorities, while Guangdong and Shanxi lowered their measures to level II.
China has a four-tier response system for public health emergencies that determines what measures it will implement, with level I the most serious.
Gansu province was the first to lower its measures on Friday, followed by Liaoning on Saturday.
Updated
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, has President Xi’s speech on the front page, with the headline: “Virus the nation’s most serious health crisis, Xi warns”.
Good morning! Here’s today’s front page and the headlines: pic.twitter.com/8oBLi7RnV8
— SCMP News (@SCMPNews) February 24, 2020
We are still waiting for the update on today’s virus figures out of China, but the Hubei province’s report on test kits for the virus gives a sense of the scale of what the epicentre of Wuhan is dealing with.
The Xinhua news agency says Wuhan has conducted nucleic acid tests for all backlog of patients, including those confirmed or suspected to be infected with the virus, close contacts of confirmed cases, and patients with fever.
It says they carry out an average of 14,000 tests per day, taking 10 hours to deliver results, which patients can now check online.
Air New Zealand cancels flights between Auckland and Seoul
New Zealand media is reporting that the country’s national carrier, Air New Zealand, has suspended flights to Seoul until April.
Air New Zealand's flights between Auckland and Seoul, Korea suspended until June https://t.co/RaIzsUxvYP pic.twitter.com/oBZZoVvbyy
— Newshub (@NewshubNZ) February 24, 2020
Updated
South Korea cases jump to 763, with seven deaths
No sooner had I typed in those South Korean infection figures, and they are out of date. We have just heard from the health authorities there that infections have jumped to 763, up from 602. Yonhap news agency says there has also been a 7th death.
Over 110 people including nine medical staff, at the Daenam Hospital have been confirmed to be infected with Covid-19, with five victims of the potentially fatal illness reported or linked to the hospital, which has been in cohort isolation to stem further spread.
(URGENT) S. Korea reports 161 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 763 https://t.co/BsY6FRpYjd
— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) February 24, 2020
South Korea postpones new school year as alert raised to highest level
With six deaths and 602 infections, Seoul has raised the virus alert to “red” its highest level in the four-tier system. It’s the first time it has been at red in more than a decade, the Yonhap news agency reports. The country’s health minister said the next seven to 10 days would be crucial in fighting the virus.
The country’s new school year, set to begin in March, has been postponed by a week (March 9). This applies from kindergartens up to high schools. It’s the first time the school term has been postponed nationally.
More than half of the country’s cases are linked to the religious group Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. More than 9,000 members of the group are in self-quarantine. Yonhap says 1,248 have shown Covid-19-related symptoms.
Updated
Australia changes travel advice to Japan and South Korea
Still in Australia, and the government has updated its official travel advice for Japan and South Korea due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus.
Travellers are being told to “exercise a high degree of caution due to a heightened risk of sustained local transmission of coronavirus (Covid-19)”.
“Monitor your health closely and follow the advice of local authorities,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said for both countries.
In South Korea, it advises Australians to “reconsider your need to travel in Daegu and Cheongdo”, the centre of Covid-19 infections.
“We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Daegu and Cheongdo due to significant outbreaks of Covid-19 in those cities,” the advice said.
South Korea has reported 602 infections and six deaths.
Updated
Australian stocks fall 1.6% on virus fears
The Australian stock exchange has plummeted after offshore markets fell on fears the virus is spreading across Asia and may affect global economic stability.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index fell was a 116.7 points in the first half hour of trade, or 1.63%, to 7,022.3.
The broader All Ordinaries index was down 117.1 points, or 1.62%, at 7,113.3 as all indices fell.
Australian Associated Press reports that after half an hour of trading, the biggest drags were the energy, materials and consumer discretionary indices.
Energy was 2.82% lower, industrials were down 2.42% and the consumer discretionary index had tumbled 3.39%.
US and European markets fell on Friday on the back of increasing concerns over COVID-19 as more companies face disruptions and issue profit warnings.
Oil prices also fell but gold jumped to its highest level in seven years as investors rushed to the save-haven metal.
Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea’s Kospi index plunged more than 2% on Monday morning (the country has more than 600 coronavirus infections).
The Hong Kong and mainland China markets open shortly with the focus on what is expected to be very weak factory output data from China later.
You can read our full story on the deepening economic impact of the virus below:
Updated
President Xi warns of economic impact of virus on China
In an important speech on the virus on China, President Xi Jinping has warned that “at present, the epidemic situation is still severe and complex, and prevention and control work is in the most difficult and critical stage”.
“The outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia will inevitably have a relatively big impact on the economy and society,” Xi said, adding that the impact would be short-term and controllable.
The outbreak, which has infected nearly 77,000 people and killed more than 2,400 in China, is one of the most serious public health crises to confront Chinese leaders in decades.
“For us, this is a crisis and is also a big test,” Xi said.
Xi said the virus had caused the most extensive infection and is the most difficult to contain in the country since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the coronavirus outbreak.
We are waiting for the daily update of figures from the Chinese health commission. As of Sunday there were nearly 77,000 infections and more than 2,400 deaths
But here are the main points you need to know before we get underway:
- The world is approaching a tipping point in containing the spread of the coronavirus, experts say, warning that the disease is outpacing efforts to contain it.
- China’s president Xi has acknowledged the “relatively big” impact the virus will have on the country’s economy and society, but also said the results of prevention and control work have “once again demonstrated the notable advantages of the leadership of the CPC (Chinese communist party) and the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics”.
- South Korea’s president has placed the country on red alert, responding to a rapidly growing number of cases (six deaths, 602 infections).
- Italy has imposed strong measures in a number of towns in the northern Lombardy region to stop the spread of the virus (including imposing fines on anyone caught entering or leaving outbreak areas), after a third person died on Sunday.
- Iran (eight deaths, 43 infections) has closed schools and in 14 provinces as “a preventative measure”.
- Japan still has the most cases outside China (838), the vast majority of which were onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
You can get up to date on our latest stories below:
- World is approaching coronavirus tipping point, experts say
- Italy imposes draconian rules to stop spread of coronavirus
- Four more Britons evacuated from cruise ship test positive for coronavirus
- Economic impact of coronavirus outbreak deepens
Updated
