Coronavirus latest: 1.3 billion people in India on lockdown
- 1.3 billion people ordered to lock down in India
- The US could become the new epicenter of the pandemic
- The 2020 Summer Olympic Games have been postponed
- Germany has more than 30,000 cases of COVID-19, with more than 120 deaths so far
Read more: Coronavirus: What are the lockdown measures across Europe?
Updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT)
02:11 China has lifted its tough restrictions on Hubei province, the original epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. The reopening of Hubei comes after a months-long lockdown and China has reported no new domestic cases. Schools, however, remain closed.
The country did register 47 new infections imported from overseas, the National Health Commission said, bringing the total to 474 imported cases – most of them Chinese nationals returning home.
02:00 Here is the latest from the Americas:
Mexico: Deputy Health Secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell said that businesses and organizations whose work requires people to travel between home and work sites, or be in public spaces, must stop.
In the populous State of Mexico, which borders the capital on three sides, a long list of businesses and public spaces including daycare centers, bars, gyms and theaters, have been closed since Monday. Governor Alfredo del Mazo instructed businesses that do not sell food or pharmaceuticals to close and residents to only leave their homes for necessities.
Mexico has registered a total of 405 coronavirus cases and five deaths. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has drawn criticism for not taking the virus seriously enough, encouraging people to go out to restaurants, despite the more stringent measures recommended by his government.
Brazil: Brazil’s largest city, Sao Paulo, went into lockdown, but President Jair Bolsonaro has criticized what he sees as a “hysteria” over the coronavirus, urging that life must continue and jobs be preserved.
Bolsonaro urged mayors and state governors to roll back lockdown measures. “We must return to normality,” he said. “The few states and city halls should abandon their scorched-earth policies.”
The president claimed that the large-scale coronavirus outbreak taking place in Italy would not occur in Brazil because the country has a younger population and warmer climate.
Brazil has registered some 2,201 cases and 46 deaths, according to government figures.
Panama: The government has widened its existing curfew to slow the spread of coronavirus, including requiring people to be in quarantine at all hours starting today.
President Laurentino Cortizo did not say how long the curfew would be in place, but added there would be “logical exceptions,” including for health workers and certain businesses such as banks and supermarkets.
Panama has registered 443 cases of COVID-19, with a total of eight deaths.
Guatemala: Guatemalan lawmakers voted to extend a nationwide state of emergency due to the coronavirus for another 30 days. The country now has 21 confirmed cases of the infection, the government said.
Paraguay: President Mario Abdo Benitez closed the country’s borders until Sunday following a second death from COVID-19.
“People can only leave, not enter,” said Interior Minister Euclides Acevedo, adding that Paraguayans and residents were exempt but would face quarantine in military barracks upon return.
Commercial airlines will not be allowed to land at Paraguayan airports during that timeframe.
“It’s a week of sacrifice, a tough week,” said Acevedo.
Ecuador: The Galapagos Islands government said four people on the archipelago had tested positive for the virus. All of them had returned to the islands from the port city of Guayaquil, the worst affected city in Ecuador with more than half of the country’s confirmed cases.
The Ecuadorian government ordered a total ban on visitors to the islands last week. The country has registered some 1,000 cases of coronavirus.
Colombia: Thousands of Colombians rushed to return to their home cities, while others hurried to banks, supermarkets and other shops before the start of a mandatory 19-day national quarantine. President Ivan Duque has ordered Colombians to stay in their homes, blocked international and national flights and restricted the use of long-distance public transport.
Colombians will be allowed outside under 34 exceptions which include travel for medical staff and delivery workers, while only one person per household will be allowed to go outside to buy food and medicine.
The country has reported 306 cases of the disease and three deaths.
01:29 New Zealand announced a state of emergency on Wednesday to combat the spread of COVID-19. A nationwide lockdown will take place from midnight. The country has reported 47 new infections, bringing its confirmed total to 205.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned the number of cases will rise: “Make no mistake, this will get worse before it gets better.”
01:13 Sportswear giant Nike said shoppers in key Asian markets were beginning to return to stores and online shopping. “Traffic is back,” Nike Chief Executive John Donahoe said of China, adding that the same dynamic was beginning to play out in Japan and South Korea.
“Consumers are back in the stores,” he said. “They are often wearing facemasks, but they’re back in the store.”
During its peak, the COVID-19 crisis in China forced the closure of 75 percent of Nike-owned stores.
00:39 Instances of panic buying were reported across India in the aftermath of a nationwide lockdown announced on Tuesday to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Within hours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation announcing the lockdown, people flocked to markets to stock up on essentials.
Pharmacies and grocery stores saw people queuing up even as a lockdown was already in place in several parts of the country, including the capital, New Delhi.
Indian media reported queues at grocery stores even before Modi’s speech, despite the prime minister’s call for social distancing in a prior address.
After reports of panic buying, Modi took to Twitter to pacify the public.
“THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED TO PANIC,” he wrote.
00:30 Italy reported a rise of 743 new deaths from the novel coronavirus epidemic, after figures had declined the previous two days.
The government announced harsher penalties for people who violate home confinement rules, in place since March 10. These include one to five years in prison for people leaving their homes if they have tested positive for the virus.
00:05 India began a total lockdown at midnight local time (19:30 UTC) on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the lockdown will be in place for the next 21 days.
“For the next few days, forget about going out. Stay at home. Do just one thing and stay at home,” Modi urged more than 1 billion people.
The prime minister said that he called on the state and regional governments in India to focus primarily on health services. So far, the country has logged 469 active cases and 10 deaths.
00:00 Catch up on yesterday’s news here: India announces complete lockdown
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-latest-1-3-billion-people-in-india-on-lockdown/a-52906248?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf