Coronavirus news – live: First infected Briton dies as WHO upgrades global risk of disease to 'very high'
The coronavirus has been transmitted within the UK for the first time, officials revealed, after a person in Surrey became the 20th person in the country to contract the virus.
Hours later it emerged that emergency laws allowing health and safety measures to be bypassed in order to keep the country running during a looming outbreak could be rushed in next week amid Number 10 fears of an economic meltdown.
The number of worldwide coronavirus cases has continued to rise, as stock markets across the globe plunged to record lows in the face of mounting fears around the disease’s spread.
A host of countries reported their first infections on Friday, as Nigeria became the first in sub-Saharan Africa to do so.
Meanwhile, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said Britain should prepare for a financial fallout while Wall Street endured its biggest one-day drop in nine years.
Read below for The Independent's coverage of Friday's events as they unfolded:
Good morning and welcome to The Independent's rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak.
Here's the latest:
- In Europe, the number of people who tested positive for the illness in Italy increased by more than 200 to 650. Germany, which warned of an impending epidemic, has about 27 cases, France around 18 and Spain 15. Greece announced tighter border controls - South Korea reported 256 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the total number of infections to 2,022. The death toll stood at 13, unchanged from a day earlier - Iran said on Thursday its death toll from coronavirus had risen to 26, by far the highest number outside China, and the total number of infected people now stood at 245. The outbreak prompted authorities to call off Friday prayers in the capitals of 23 of Iran's 31 provinces - Mainland China - where the virus originated late last year - reported 327 new cases on Friday, the lowest since 23 January - Lithuania reported its first coronavirus infection on Friday, in a woman who returned this week from a visit to Italy's northern city of Verona
(Mask-clad commuters make their way to work during morning rush hour at the Shinagawa train station in Tokyo)
- New Zealand's health ministry on Friday confirmed the country's first case of coronavirus in a person who recently returned from Iran - The virus has caused nearly 80,000 infections and almost 2,800 deaths, according official Chinese figures. It has spread to another 46 countries, where about 3,700 cases and 57 deaths have been reported, according to the World Health Organization - It would be a "fatal mistake" for any country to assume it will not be hit by the coronavirus, and rich countries that might have thought they were safer should expect surprises, the WHO said - Nigeria's health ministry said on Friday it has confirmed a coronavirus case in Lagos state
- Bank of England governor Mark Carney said Britain should prepare for an economic hit as fallout from the novel coronavirus outbreak deepens
The world economy appears to be in freefall as the coronavirus continues to pummel markets across the globe.
Share prices were on track for the worst week since the global financial crisis in 2008, with virus-related disruptions to international travel and supply chains fuelling fears of recession in the United States and Europe.
"Markets are voting and saying they think the US is on its way to recession," said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG in New York.
"And frankly at this stage after the coronavirus-related slowdown in travel plans that has busted the global supply chain apart, it will be a miracle if we avoid a recession."
Asian markets:
- Nikkei closed down 3.67% in Tokyo - Sydney's ASX200 finished off 3.2%. - The Korea stock exchange ended 3.6% worse off. - Hang Seng currently down 2.65% - Shanghai down 2.95%
Nigeria confirms first case of coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa
Nigeria's health authorities reported the country's first case of coronavirus on Friday.
The health commissioner for Lagos, Africa's largest city with more than 20 million people, said an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on Tuesday from Milan on a business trip fell ill the next day.
Commissioner Akin Abayomi said the man was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing. The patient was clinically stable with no serious symptoms and was being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.
Abayomi said officials were working to identify all of the man's contacts since he arrived in Nigeria. Lagos state early this month advised people arriving from China to observe 14 days of self-quarantine while monitoring for any symptoms.
This is the first time that Covid-19 has been confirmed in sub-Saharan Africa.
England's chief medical officer has warned it is "just a matter of time" until coronavirus spreads in the UK, as the number of confirmed cases in the country jumped to 16.
Three people tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK on Thursday, including the first confirmed case in Northern Ireland.
Experts have warned of school closures and cancelled sporting events as the disease spreads across the globe.
Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer, said that there could be a "social cost" if the virus intensifies, including school closures for more than two months.
He told the Nuffield Trust summit: "One of the things that's really clear with this virus, much more so than flu, is that anything we do we're going to have to do for quite a long period of time, probably more than two months."
The Northern Ireland patient had recently returned from northern Italy, while a parent at a primary school in Derbyshire contracted the virus in Tenerife, where 168 Britons are being kept in a hotel on the south west of the island.
South Korea reported 315 additional coronavirus cases on Friday, pushing up the total infections in the country to 2,337, the Korea Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention said.
The updated numbers came after the agency confirmed 256 cases earlier in the day. Together it marked the largest daily increase since South Korea confirmed its first patient on 20 January.
New Zealand health officials on Friday said the country had its first case of coronavirus, a person in their 60s who recently returned from Iran.
Health officials said the results of a test came through positive on Friday afternoon. The person was being treated at the Auckland City Hospital and the person's household members had also been isolated as a precaution.
New Zealand's Ministry of Health said in a statement it was confident the public health risk from the infection was being well managed.
Authorities said the patient arrived on an Emirates flight that landed in Auckland on Wednesday. They said anybody on the flight who had any concerns should contact health experts.
Mongolia's President Battulga Khaltmaa and other government officials have submitted to a 14-day quarantine after returning home from their visit to China, the state news agency Montsame reported on Friday.
Battulga is the first head of state to visit China since the country began implementing special measure to curb the coronavirus outbreak in January.
He arrived in Beijing with Foreign Minister Tsogtbaatar Damdin and other senior government officials on Thursday, and held a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.
They were taken into quarantine as soon as they arrived in Mongolia as a precautionary measure, Montsame said.
British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) has warned that earnings have been hit by "weaker demand" as a result of coronavirus.
The airline group said it has seen lower demand on Asian and European routes as well as weaker business travel across its network due to the cancellation of industry events and corporate travel restrictions.
Willie Walsh, chief executive of the firm which also owns Aer Lingus, told reporters he believed the impact of coronavirus on the airline industry would be significant enough for some failing airlines to be "pushed over the edge".
"We are well able to adjust to this situation because our business is in great shape. It's the failing airlines who will be most affected by this... so without question, there will be more consolidation as a result," he said.
The firm said that uncertainty around the coronavirus outbreak means it is currently unable to provide accurate profit guidance for 2020.
IAG suspended flights to mainland China in January as a result of the outbreak. Earlier this month British Airways also reduced its Hong Kong service and will reduce the regularity of its service to Seoul in coming weeks.
'No one can tell how long this will last and how severe it will get'
Financial analysts have warned that "no one can tell how severe it will get" as global markets continues to spiral as a result of the coronavirus.
Asian stocks tracked a plunge on Wall Street, where the benchmark S&P 500 index fell more than 4 per cent on Thursday, extending a rout that has sliced more than 10 per cent off of its closing peak since 19 February.
"The coronavirus now looks like a pandemic. Markets can cope even if there is big risk as long as we can see the end of the tunnel," said Norihiro Fujito, chief investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.
"But at the moment, no one can tell how long this will last and how severe it will get."
Meanwhile, Bank of England governor Mark Carney has said Britain should prepare for an economic hit as fallout from Covid-19 deepens.
The central bank had already detected a tightening in supply chains that could imply a downgrade but it was too early to tell how badly Britain would be affected, Mr Carney said.
A case of coronavirus has been diagnosed in the southern French city of Nice, concerning a woman who had recently returned from Milan, said the mayor of Nice on his Twitter account.
"I have been informed of a first case of coronavirus diagnosed this morning at the Nice hospital," wrote Mayor Christian Estrosi on Twitter on Friday.
The world of sport has been hit hard by Covid-19, with a number of major events cancelled, postponed or slimmed down in size as officials seek to contain the spread of the virus.
A Six Nations match between Ireland and Italy scheduled for March 7 in Dublin has been placed on hold, with tournament chiefs set to gather in Paris next week.
England's trip to Rome on 14 March is also now in doubt due to the virus' stranglehold in northern Italy, which has become a major centre of infection with 11 towns in lockdown.
The final two stages of the cycling UAE Tour were cancelled on Thursday after two members of staff on the race were taken ill. (The San Siro was to the public for Inter Milan's match against Ludogorets Razgrad in the Europa League)
Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome and star sprinter Mark Cavendish are among riders who will be tested for the virus.
Five Italian Serie A football matches will be played behind closed doors this weekend rather than being postponed.
Cultural events have also been cancelled amid fears over the virus, after grime star Stormzy rescheduled the Asia leg of his tour which was set to begin next month.
Professor Chris Whitty, the UK's chief medical officer, said that there could be a "social cost" if the virus intensifies.
"One of the things that's really clear with this virus, much more so than flu, is that anything we do we're going to have to do for quite a long period of time, probably more than two months," he said.
A female passenger who was on board the virus-hit cruise liner berthed in Japan has died, according to local media reports.
The woman, a Japanese national, was allegedly in her 70s.
Hundreds of infections have been reported from the quarantined Diamond Princess, which is docked in Japan's Yokohama port. If confirmed, it would be the fifth death from coronavirus linked to the vessel.
Israel's health ministry has confirmed its second case of coronavirus, a person it said had been in close contact with a man who tested positive after visiting Italy.
"Another coronavirus patient who was in close personal contact with the patient who returned from Italy was diagnosed with a positive result, and transferred to isolation," the health ministry said in a statement.
A week ago, two Israeli passengers who tested positive after traveling on the virus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess were quarantined in an Israeli hospital.
The Swiss government has announced that it will be banning all "public and private" events with more than 1,000 people as part of continuing measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.
The ban comes into effect immediately and will last until at least 15 March.
The government says the decision was taken "in view of the current situation and the spread of the coronavirus."
It says the measure "is expected to provide effective protection to people in Switzerland and to public health" and "should prevent or delay the spread of the disease in Switzerland, thus reducing its momentum."
The measure will notably affect the annual Geneva Motor Show, which was due to take place from 5-15 March and draws tens of thousands of visitors every year.
Confirming the infection, Wales' chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton said: "I can confirm that one patient in Wales has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).
"All appropriate measures to provide care for the individual and to reduce the risk of transmission to others are being taken.
"I can also confirm that the patient had travelled back to Wales from Northern Italy, where the virus was contracted.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to assure the public that Wales and the whole of the UK is well prepared for these types of incidents. Working with our partners in Wales and the UK, we have implemented our planned response, with robust infection control measures in place to protect the health of the public."
The number of confirmed cases in the UK has risen to 19 after Wales identified its first infection and two new patients were found in England, the health ministry said on Friday.
England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said: "Two further patients in England have tested positive for Covid-19.
"The virus was passed on in Iran and the patients have been transferred to specialist NHS infection centres at the Royal Free Hospital.
"The total number of cases in England is now 17. Following confirmed cases in Northern Ireland and Wales, the total number of UK cases is 19."
According to reports, the two new England patients are believed to be from London.
Facebook cancels annual conference over coronavirus spread
Facebook has cancelled its annual F8 developer conference amid rising fears over the coronavirus outbreak.
The convention, which had been due to take place in San Jose, California, in early May, attracted around 5,000 visitors last year.
Facebook's Konstantinos Papamiltiadis said the "growing concerns" around the virus, officially known as Covid-19, meant the tech giant had decided to cancel the "in-person component" of the conference.
"This was a tough call to make - F8 is an incredibly important event for Facebook and it's one of our favourite ways to celebrate all of you from around the world - but we need to prioritise the health and safety of our developer partners, employees and everyone who helps put F8 on," he said.
"We explored other ways to keep the in-person part of F8, but it's important to us to host an inclusive event and it didn't feel right to have F8 without our international developers in attendance."
In place of an in-person event, Facebook said it would stage a range of "locally hosted events, videos and live-streamed content".
