Health workers hard hit as Spain's coronavirus cases rise
Read the latest developments of the novel coronavirus outbreak here
Madagascar orders lockdown of two main cities in virus fight
President Andry Rajoelina on March 22 ordered lockdowns in Madagascar’s two main cities to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus across the poor Indian Ocean nation.
“From tomorrow, Monday … everyone stay at home,” he said in a televised broadcast, adding that only the capital Antananarivo and Toamasina in the east were concerned, AFP reported.
Any transport, except for goods, was forbidden, he added. Only stores selling vital products such as food could open for business and only one person per family could go shopping.
Banks will remain open but a curfew during night hours will be introduced, he added.
“Those who don’t respect these measures will suffer severe penalties,” he warned.
Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest countries, has registered 12 cases of COVID-19 so far. No deaths have been reported so far.
Malaysia may extend movement curbs, to add stimulus
Malaysia's prime minister said on Monday the government may consider extending movement restrictions by up to two weeks, and will announce more economic stimulus to soften the blow from the coronavirus outbreak and weak oil prices.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the national security council will meet on March 30 to decide on what to do after the current curbs on movement and businesses expire at the end of the month, Reuters reported.
The government is also expected to unveil an expanded stimulus package on the same day, Muhyiddin said.
Trump orders emergency medical stations for coronavirus hotspots
President Donald Trump on March 22 said he had ordered the deployment of emergency medical stations with capacity of 4,000 hospital beds to coronavirus hotspots around the United States.
Trump told a news conference that he had told the FEMA emergency management agency to set up the medical stations in New York, California and Washington state, AFP reported.
He said eight stations in California would have 2,000 beds and that four stations for both New York and Washington state would have a total of 1,000 beds each.
“I want to assure the American people that we’re doing everything we can each day to confront and ultimately defeat this horrible invisible enemy,” he said.
“We’re at war, in a true sense we’re at war,” Trump added.
The US has almost 33,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 409 deaths, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Trump said he had approved a request to issue a major disaster declaration for the state of New York, which has seen the vast majority of America’s coronavirus cases.
He added that he had approved one for Washington state as well and would do the same for California “very shortly.”
Trump told reporters during his now-daily White House briefing on the pandemic that the federal government would pay for National Guard soldiers to be deployed in the three states to help contain the spread of the virus.
He added that the US Army Corps of Engineers would help build the temporary medical sites in New York and that the US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy would be deployed to Los Angeles.
Southeast Asians consider emergency powers, Singapore carrier grounds fleet
Southeast Asian countries considered more emergency powers today to tackle the threat of the coronavirus as Singapore Airlines said it was grounding almost all of fleet in the face of the "greatest challenge" it has ever faced.
The virus has infected about 3,700 people across Southeast Asia, with nearly 100 deaths, more than half of them in the region's most populous country, Indonesia, Reuters reported.
Pakistan's first coronavirus death exposes nation's vulnerability
When Saadat Khan, 50, returned to Pakistan on March 9 from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, he was greeted in his village with a rousing welcome and a grand feast attended by more than 2,000 people, many of whom embraced him warmly.
On March 18, less than 10 days later, Khan died at an isolation centre for coronavirus patients in the northwestern city of Mardan. He died from COVID-19, the day his test results came back positive, Reuters reported.
Khan was Pakistan's first fatality from a disease that is rapidly spreading through the country of 220 million people.
The number of confirmed cases in Pakistan has soared to more than 750 from 22 last week, largely driven by a wave of pilgrims returning from Iran who Pakistani authorities said were inadequately tested and improperly isolated. At least four people have died from the disease in Pakistan in the past week.
Germany reports 22,672 coronavirus cases, 86 deaths
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has risen to 22,672 and 86 people have died from the disease, a tally by public health agency Robert Koch Institute (RKI) showed today.
That compares with 18,610 cases and 55 deaths on Sunday, when RKI warned that the actual number was likely higher as not all local health authorities had submitted their figures over the weekend, Reuters reported.
Hong Kong to ban all tourist arrivals, weighs suspension of alcohol sales
Hong Kong said today it was banning all tourist arrivals to the global financial centre amid a spike in imported cases of the coronavirus, as it joins cities worldwide in the battle to contain the spread of the disease.
The government also said it was studying whether to suspend the sale of alcohol in licensed bars and restaurants in the city, which has 318 confirmed cases of coronavirus and four deaths, Reuters reported.
Facebook aims its Messenger at coronavirus battle
Facebook today began enlisting outside developers to create ways its Messenger service can help health organizations battling the novel coronavirus.
The social network also invited software savants to take part in an online "hackathon" aimed at creating ways to use Messenger to ease social-distancing and deliver accurate information about the pandemic, according to Messenger vice president Stan Chudnovsky in a blog post, AFP reported.
Montenegro reports its first death from coronavirus infection
A 65-year old man from the Montenegrin town of Herceg Novi who died in hospital in the capital Podgorica on Sunday is the Adriatic country’s first victim of the coronavirus, the director of the Clinical Center of Montenegro.
“The man was transported to the Clinical Center of Montenegro ... and unfortunately died shortly afterwards,” Jevto Erakovic said late on March 21, Reuters reported.
The patient suffered from a chronic lung disease before he contracted the coronavirus. Montenegro, a tiny Balkan republic of only 620,000, has registered 22 cases of coronavirus infection.
Greece imposes lockdown after coronavirus infections jump
Greece announced a lockdown on Sunday, restricting movement from Monday morning with only a few exceptions, to combat the spread of coronavirus.
"It is maybe the last step, one that must be taken promptly and not in vain," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address. "We have to protect the common good, our health," Reuters reported.
Greece confirmed 94 new cases on Sunday, its largest single-day jump, taking its total to 624, with 15 deaths, up two.
UN to create global coronavirus fund, Norway foreign ministry says
The United Nations will create a fund to support the treatment of coronavirus patients worldwide, Norway’s foreign ministry said today.
“A multi-donor fund under UN auspices will provide predictability for our partners and help to make the efforts more effective,” Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement, Reuters reported.
The purpose of the fund is to assist developing countries with weak health systems in addressing the crisis as well as to tackle the long-term consequences, the ministry added.
A formal announcement could be made later this week, it said.
Almost 340,000 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus across the world and more than 14,500 have died, with deaths in Italy surpassing the toll in China, where the outbreak began, according to a Reuters tally.
Modi tells Indians to save themselves from coronavirus as Delhi locks down
Streets were deserted in the Indian capital today and office buildings shuttered as a lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus began and Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to stay at home and save themselves.
India has reported 415 cases of the coronavirus and seven deaths but health experts have warned that a big jump could be imminent, which would overwhelm the underfunded and crumbling public health infrastructure, Reuters reported.
Modi said many Indians were not taking the lockdown seriously. The lockdown in the capital of more than 18 million people will last for the rest of the month.
US should lift sanctions if it wants to help Iran amid coronavirus: Iran's Rouhani
The United States should lift sanctions if Washington wants to help Iran to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said today, adding that Iran had no intention of accepting Washington's offer of humanitarian assistance.
"American leaders are lying ... If they want to help Iran, all they need to do is to lift sanctions .... Then we can deal with the coronavirus outbreak," Rouhani said in a televised speech, Reuters reported.
Iran is the Middle Eastern nation worst hit by coronavirus, with around 1,700 deaths, over 21,000 infected people and one person dying from the virus every 10 minutes, according to the health ministry.
Brazil and Uruguay agree to close border for 30 days
Brazil and Uruguay agreed on Sunday to close their land border for the next 30 days, the Uruguayan foreign minister said.
“Brazil has just issued a decree, which is the one we agreed upon, and we will issue a mirror decree” in the next few hours, Ernesto Talvi said in a statement, AFP reported.
According to the Brazilian ministerial decree, only Brazilian citizens or residents, as well as Uruguayans who have Brazilian spouses or children, may enter from the neighboring country.
Freight transport may continue to cross the border in both directions, and the measure also allows for the free movement of those who reside in border cities.
The Uruguayan decree will follow the same lines.
Brazil on Thursday announced it was closing its land borders for 15 days to nearly all its neighbors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
A ministerial decree said it was blocking entry “by road or land” from all neighboring countries, with the exception of Uruguay to the south.
The decree, which went into immediate effect, prohibits entry to foreigners from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru and Suriname.
The restrictions do not apply to Brazilian nationals or to foreigners residing in the country.
Trucks carrying goods and people on humanitarian missions are allowed to continue to enter Brazil.
Indonesia invokes emergency measures in Jakarta, bonuses for doctors
Indonesia's capital Jakarta shut cinemas and other public entertainment today at the start of a two-week emergency period to try to slow the accelerating spread of the coronavirus in Southeast Asia's biggest city.
The new measures, which include urging people to work from home, still fall short of the tougher lockdowns imposed by neighbours amid concerns among some experts that the archipelago of 260 million people is not doing enough to contain the virus, Reuters reported.
National police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said 465,000 police across Indonesia would disperse any public gatherings "for the sake of public safety" though a photograph posted on social media of a packed commuter train in Jakarta quickly went viral.
President Joko Widodo today offered his condolences after a medical association said six doctors and nurses had died after contracting the virus.
Indonesia has confirmed 514 cases of the virus and 48 deaths, mainly concentrated in Jakarta, whose governor on Friday admitted medical staff were already getting over-stretched.
Widodo said doctors and other medical staff would receive bonuses ranging from 5 million rupiah to 15 million rupiah ($300-$900) per month in regions that have declared an emergency. Aside from Jakarta, the East Java region has also declared an emergency.
The president has so far resisted calls for tougher lockdowns due to concerns about the impact on businesses and the poor, many of whom are vendors plying their trade on the streets.
Releasing inmates, screening staff: US prisons rush to limit virus risks
The coronavirus is invading US jails and prisons, prompting inmate releases, reduced bail requirements and other extraordinary measures as officials rush to avert a potentially disastrous spread of the virus among crowded inmate populations.
In New York City, where at least 29 inmates and 17 staff in the jail system have been infected by the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday 23 inmates would be released before day's end and the city would decide within 24 hours whether to release up to 200 more, Reuters reported.
He said inmates would be screened to identify those at risk from the virus, which has killed more than 14,000 people across the globe, including 415 in the United States.
Syria confirms first coronavirus case as fears grow it could spread
War-ravaged Syria on Sunday confirmed its first case of the coronavirus after weeks of rejecting opposition allegations that the disease had already reached a country with a wrecked health system and thousands of Iranian-backed militias and Shi'ite pilgrims.
Health Minister Nizar al-Yaziji told state media "necessary measures" had been taken regarding the 20-year-old woman, who he said would be quarantined for 14 days and given medical checks, Reuters reported.
Concerns over water shortages jump in Jordan amid lockdown
Complaints and concerns over water shortages rose by 58% in Jordan in the first day after a country-wide curfew was instated, water authorities said Sunday.
Jordan, the world's fifth most water-stressed nation due to climate change and overuse, is trying to cope with increased demand from the public during coronavirus lockdown measures, said Ministry of Water and Irrigation spokesman Omar Salameh, Reuters reported.
Prayers at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound suspended over virus
All Muslim prayers at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound will be suspended from Monday until further notice in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, religious officials said on March 22.
The doors of the mosque and the adjoining Dome of the Rock had already been shut, but worshippers were still able to gather in the open areas of the hilltop compound, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus pandemic prompts rare questioning of Thai monarchy
The coronavirus pandemic led to a rare surge of online posts in Thailand questioning the monarchy on Sunday and a government minister subsequently warned that inappropriate posts could lead to jail.
Insulting the monarchy is a crime, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, Reuters reported.
A Thai-language hashtag that translates to #whydoweneedaking? was one of the top trending topics on Twitter in Thailand after an overseas Thai activist posted about King Maha Vajiralongkorn continuing to travel in Germany during the coronavirus crisis.
King Vajiralongkorn, 67, who was crowned last year, has a second home in Germany. He spends much of his time outside Thailand.
Prison riot kills 23 in Colombia as Chile enforces virus curfew
Panic over the spread of the coronavirus sparked a prison riot in Colombia that killed 23 inmates on March 22, as Chile became the latest Latin American country to announce restrictions on movement.
Rioting swept through the crowded jail overnight in the Colombian capital Bogota amid rising tensions over the virus in the penitentiary system, AFP reported.
Justice Minister Margarita Cabello described the violence as an attempted mass breakout, part of what she said was a coordinated plan with inmates who caused disturbances in 13 jails across the country.
Philippine president seeks powers over firms, supplies, funds to avert crisis
The Philippine Congress held a special session over the internet on Monday to debate a push by the country's strongman leader to adopt sweeping emergency powers, in a bid to avert chaos from a rapid spread of coronavirus.
With borders closed to foreigners and tens of millions of people on home quarantine, President Rodrigo Duterte wants the power to - where necessary - control supplies and public utilities, order businesses to help government, and pull funds from state enterprises and departmental budgets to redirect into emergency health needs, Reuters reported.
If approved, the granting of the powers would be one of the most aggressive steps to tackle coronavirus as governments worldwide roll out stricter measures, including across Southeast Asia, which saw a more than doubling of cases in the past week to nearly 3,700, from 166 a month ago.
The Philippines has confirmed 396 cases and 33 deaths, but health officials acknowledge limited testing for the coronavirus means its already overstretched health system could be facing far more infections than the numbers indicate.
The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian country to adopt lockdown measures, but more are following suit as cases soar, with Vietnam and Malaysia deploying soldiers to help with quarantines or to enforce curbs on travel and gatherings.
Saudi imposes curfew, UAE suspends passengers flights
Saudi Arabia will impose a nationwide curfew for three weeks starting from today after reporting a jump of almost a quarter in coronavirus cases, while the United Arab Emirates will suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country.
Saudi King Salman ordered a curfew - from 7 pm to 6 am for 21 days - to slow the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency SPA reported on Monday. The curfew will take effect on March evening, Reuters reported.
The UAE said it will suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country for two weeks over coronavirus fears, state news agency WAM said on Monday. Cargo operations will continue.
Canada pulls out of Olympics as Japan, IOC consider postponement options
Canada became the first country to boycott the Tokyo Games due to the coronavirus pandemic and Australia told its athletes to prepare for an Olympics next year as Japan and the IOC flagged the prospect of a postponement for the first time.
Opposition to holding the Games in July has risen sharply in the past 48 hours, with several major stakeholders such as US Track and Field and UK Athletics, along with some national Olympic committees, calling for a delay because of the pandemic, Reuters reported.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament today postponing the Olympics may become an option if holding the Games in its "complete form" became impossible.
Rand Paul becomes first US senator to test positive for coronavirus
US Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said on March 22, becoming the first member of the Senate to announce he has COVID-19, as the number of US cases of the respiratory disease grows.
The 57-year-old Kentucky Republican has no symptoms and was tested out of an "abundance of caution" given his recent travels, according to a statement, which came as the Senate prepared to take up a massive economic relief bill, Reuters reported.
Other US senators self-quarantined as a precaution in recent weeks, and at least two members of the House of Representatives have also tested positive for the highly contagious virus.
Harvey Weinstein tests positive for coronavirus in prison
Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who is serving a prison sentence for sexual assault and rape, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the head of the state corrections officers union.
Weinstein, 68, has been placed in isolation at Wende Correctional Facility, said Michael Powers, president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, Reuters reported.
Powers said he learned that the test came back positive on March 22 morning and is concerned about the corrections officers, who he said lack proper protective equipment. Several staff have been quarantined.
Canada coronavirus death toll jumps, officials could punish those ignoring precautions
The Canadian death toll from the coronavirus outbreak jumped by more than 50% on March 21, and impatient officials threatened to punish people refusing to take precautions to fight the spread of the highly contagious illness.
The number of deaths from the respiratory disease rose to 20 by 6pm (2200 GMT) on March 21 from 13 the previous day, Ottawa said, while the number of confirmed cases jumped to 1,430 from 1,099. There are coronavirus cases in all 10 Canadian provinces, Reuters reported.
Canada has already closed its borders to all but essential travel and announced a C$27 billion (£16.07 billion) aid package for people and businesses most affected by the crisis. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said more measures would be needed.
Australia starts lockdown measures as coronavirus cases jump
Australia started shutting down pubs, clubs, gyms and houses of worship today after a jump in coronavirus cases and after thousands disregarded social distancing advice and crowded beaches, bars and restaurants.
After an initial slow rate of infection, the number of COVID-19 cases in Australia has now surpassed 1,100 with the south-eastern states of Victoria and New South Wales recording the highest number of cases, Reuters reported.
New Zealand prepares to enter lockdown as coronavirus cases double
New Zealand said today it will move to its highest alert level imposing self-isolation, with all-non-essential services, schools and offices to be shut over the next 48 hours as the number of coronavirus cases more than double.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said these decisions will place the most significant restriction on New Zealanders' movements in modern history, but it was needed to save lives and slow the virus, Reuters reported.
80 cities across India go into lockdown till March 31
New Delhi will be under lockdown until March 31, the Indian capital's government announced on Sunday, seeking to keep citizens indoors to prevent the spread of coronavirus and giving police powers to punish violators.
The city's borders with neighboring states will be sealed and public transport will be suspended, said the city's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Reuters reported.
At least 75 districts across the country where cases of coronavirus have been detected have been put under stringent lockdown.
Singapore Airlines grounds most of its fleet as travel bans bite
Singapore Airlines Ltd announced today that it would cut capacity by 96% and ground almost all of its fleet in response to coronavirus travel restrictions that the carrier said was “the greatest challenge” it had ever faced.
Shares of the airline were down more than 8% by 0129 GMT, while the broader market was down over 7%, Reuters reported.
The move comes as global travel hub Singapore closed its borders to travelers and transiting passengers in an effort to stem the spread of the virus.
Globally, a shattered airline industry is now seeking state bail-outs to absorb the shock from the pandemic, as widespread travel curbs have forced many to ground fleets and place thousands of workers on unpaid leave to stay afloat.
“This will result in the grounding of around 138 SIA and SilkAir aircraft, out of a total fleet of 147, amid the greatest challenge that the SIA Group has faced in its existence,” Singapore Airlines said in a statement announcing the cut in planned capacity scheduled up to end April.
The airline said its low-cost carrier Scoot will also suspend most of its network, resulting in the grounding of 47 of its fleet of 49 aircraft.
“It is unclear when the SIA Group can begin to resume normal services, given the uncertainty as to when the stringent border controls will be lifted,” the airline said.
Singapore Airlines said it was looking to shore up its liquidity and reduce capital expenditure and operating costs while also asking aircraft manufacturers to defer upcoming deliveries and salary cuts for management.
China sees drop in new coronavirus cases; all new cases imported
Mainland China saw a drop in its daily tally of new coronavirus cases, reversing four straight days of gains, as the capital Beijing ramped up measures to contain the number of infections arriving from abroad.
China had 39 new confirmed cases on March 22, the National Health Commission said, down from 46 a day earlier. All of them involved travellers arriving from abroad, many of whom are Chinese students returning home, Reuters reported
The city of Beijing expanded measures to contain imported infections, diverting all international flights arriving from Monday to other airports in other cities, including Shanghai and as far west as Xian, where passengers will undergo virus screening.
Beijing reported 10 new imported cases, the National Health Commission said on Monday, down from 13 a day earlier. Infections from abroad in the city hit an all-time high of 21 on March 18.
Shanghai and Guangzhou have also said all arriving international passengers will undergo tests to screen for the coronavirus, expanding a programme that previously only applied to those coming from heavily-affected countries.
Shanghai reported 10 new cases on Sunday, down from a record 14 a day earlier.
Guangdong province saw seven new imported infections, Fujian had four and Jiangsu had two. Hebei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shandong and Sichuan each saw just one case, bringing the total imported cases in China to 314 so far.
Mainland China saw no new locally transmitted infections.
In Wuhan, capital of central Hubei province, authorities have eased tough lockdown measures as the epicentre of the outbreak in China saw no new infection for the fifth day.
Thailand reports 122 new coronavirus cases, raising total to 721
Thailand has 122 new coronavirus cases, raising the total to 721, a health ministry spokesman said today at a news conference.
The new cases include 20 patients linked to previous cases, 10 new imported cases, and 92 cases that tested positive and are awaiting investigation into how they contracted the disease, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a Public Health Ministry spokesman said, Reuters reported.
Thailand has recorded one death since the outbreak while 52 patients have recovered and gone home while 668 are still being treated in hospitals.
South Korea reports fewest new coronavirus cases since Feb 29 peak
South Korea today reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases since the peak so far on February 29 and the extended downward trend in daily infections has boosted hopes that Asia's largest outbreak outside China may be abating.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said there were 64 new cases on March 23, taking the national tally to 8,961. The death toll rose by one to 110, Reuters reported.
The new numbers marked the 12th day in a row the country has posted new infections of around 100 or less, compared with the peak of 909 cases recorded on February 29.
In contrast, 257 patients were released from hospitals where they had been isolated for treatment, the KCDC said. South Korea posted more recoveries than new infections on March 13 for the first time since its first case was confirmed on January 20.
Spain's coronavirus cases rise, health workers hit hard
There are nearly 4,000 health workers infected with the coronavirus in Spain, more than one in ten of total confirmed cases, officials said on Monday as the virus toll rose in Europe's second-worst affected country.
Like in other countries hit hard by the virus, nurses, doctors and other health workers have said they are not getting enough protective kits. Authorities and companies are scrambling to manufacture, buy and distribute more of them.
Italy's medics at 'end of our strength' as they too fall ill
At Italy's Oglio Po hospital, 25 out of 90 doctors are infected with the coronavirus, compounding the strain faced by a health system overwhelmed by the world's second-biggest outbreak.
Adding in nurses, technicians and other employees, a fifth of the hospital's personnel has tested positive, hospital director Daniela Ferrari said.
Japan calls for 'timely' G20 action to combat coronavirus fallout
Japan called on Group of 20 (G20) finance leaders to take timely policy steps to tackle global economic risks posed by the coronavirus outbreak, its finance minister Taro Aso said.
Aso said after a conference call with his G20 counterparts that the nature of the crisis was different from the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, when dollar funding dried up.
Fed takes aggressive new steps to combat coronavirus hit to economy
The US Federal Reserve, citing "tremendous hardship" caused by the coronavirus pandemic, on Monday said it would begin backstopping an unprecedented range of credit for households, small businesses and major employers.
The Fed said in a statement the effort was taken because "it has become clear that our economy will face severe disruptions."
Singapore confirms rise of 54 cases of coronavirus to 509
Singapore’s health ministry on Monday reported 54 new cases of the coronavirus, mostly from residents returning from other parts of the world where the infection has spread.
Of the new infections, 48 were imported cases. Singapore’s total stands at 509, with two fatalities.
Russia to use mobile phones to track people at risk of coronavirus: PM
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Monday gave the authorities five days to develop a system to track people who have come into contact with anyone with coronavirus by using mobile phone geolocation data.
Under the new system, people would be sent information if they came into contact with someone who was infected and the same information would be passed on to special regional headquarters set up to fight the respiratory disease pandemic.
Iran's death toll from coronavirus climbs to 1,812 with 127 new deaths
Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus has increased to 1,812, with 127 new deaths in the past 24 hours, a health ministry spokesman told state TV on Monday, adding that the country's total number of infected people has reached 23,049.
Kianush Jahanpur said that in the past 24 hours, some 1,411 Iranians had been infected with the virus across the Islamic Republic, which has the worst outbreak in the Middle East.
Crowds packed California beaches despite shelter in place order
In open defiance of a state order to shelter in place and avoid close contact with others, crowds descended on California beaches, hiking trails and parks over the weekend.
Many public spaces were packed, prompting officials in some cities to order parks, recreation areas and beaches to close, reports the CNN.
Nestle CEO tells staff to get ready for coronavirus storm
Food giant Nestle told employees to prepare for difficult times ahead and make all the necessary efforts to supply customers with the food and beverages they need, Chief Executive Mark Schneider said in a memorandum seen by Reuters.
"This is the moment for extra effort, for going the extra mile," Schneider said in a message to staff, distributed internally on Friday.
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Home work triggers demand jump for chips, laptops and network goods
With more employees working from home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, demand is surging for laptops and network peripherals as well as components along the supply chain such as chips, as companies rush to build virtual offices.
Many firms have withdrawn earnings forecasts, anticipating a drop in consumer demand and economic slump, but performance at electronics retailers and chipmakers is hinting at benefits from the shift in work culture.
Poland calls to postpone July Tokyo Olympic games due to coronavirus
Poland's Olympic Committee, PKOL, has called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change the date of the Tokyo 2020 games scheduled for July due to the coronavirus pandemic, its spokeswoman said on Monday.
"Due to the changing situation - the introduction of the state of the epidemic in Poland and the increasing number of COVID-19 infections - Polish athletes have increasingly limited training options," the PKOL said.
"Olympic qualifications are being canceled and there is too much uncertainty. This does not serve to properly prepare for the Olympic Games - the most important sport event in the world."
UK calls in army and warns people to stay home or face lockdown
Britain sent in the army to deliver protective equipment to hospitals on Monday and told people to stay at home and heed warnings over social distancing or the government would bring in more extreme measures to stop the coronavirus spread.
With some doctors saying they felt like "cannon fodder", the government said the military would help ship millions of items of personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks to healthcare workers who have complained of shortages.