Coronavirus latest: Guatemala bans US entries as cases spike in Latin America

• The US has declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19
• Spain, the EU country with the second-highest number of cases after Italy, will follow suit today
• Guatemala has banned entry to arrivals from the US and Canada
• The infection has spread to countries in Africa and Latin America that, until now, had remained untouched

Read more: What you need to know about the coronavirus

Updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT)

02:24 China, the country the most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, reported 11 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, bringing the national total to 80,824. Over 65,500 cases have already recovered and 3,189 people have died. 

02:15 The US has reported its 50th coronavirus-related death. 

02:11 The Philippines has reported another coronavirus death, bringing the national death toll to 6. 

02:00 Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) have called for legal changes that would make it easier for working parents to care for children kept at home in situations like the coronavirus outbreak, which has caused many schools and preschools around the country to shut their doors.  

“One possibility could be to expand the regulation that allows me to look after my child for ten days if he or she is ill. That could be extended to government-ordered school closings and the possible duration be extended,” SPD vice-chairwoman Anke Rehlinger told the Rheinischen Post. 

01:45 US Olympic wrestling trials have been postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus fears. 

01:40 Chile has banned public events with more than 500 people. 

01:35 Jamaica’s prime minister has declared the island a disaster area due to the threat of a coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the country is seeking 100 Cuban nurses to help manage the spread of the infection. Travel restrictions are also being imposed on people arriving from Britain. 

Thus far, Jamaica has eight confirmed cases of coronavirus. 

01:25 Some churches in Rome have been reopened in response to criticism from Pope Francis. Despite the severe coronavirus outbreak in Italy, Cardinal Vicar Angelo De Donatis said he had decided to reopen some churches after meeting with the pope. 

The pope had previously said that “drastic measures are not always good.” All churches remain closed to tourists, however. 

Italy is second only to China in number of confirmed coronavirus cases. 

01:20 The US State Department has warned the Chinese ambassador to the US after a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman suggested that the US military brought COVID-19 to Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak began.

“Spreading conspiracy theories is dangerous and ridiculous,” a state department official told Reuters. “We wanted to put the government on notice we won’t tolerate it for the good of the Chinese people and the world.”

01:16 South Korea, one of the countries the worst affected by the virus outbreak, reported 107 new cases of coronavirus on Friday. This brings the national total to 8,086. 

01:15 Mexico’s health minister says the country has 26 confirmed cases of coronavirus. 

01:11 New York City has opened its first drive-through coronavirus testing station. People concerned that they may have been infected with the virus can remain in their automobiles as a medical professional collects the necessary biological samples. These are then sent to a lab, which returns a positive or negative diagnosis within 24 hours. 

Medical personnel swab a driver’s nose at a drive-through coronavirus testing site in Seattle, Washington

01:00 Bolivia has reported seven locally transmitted cases of COVID-19, bringing the national total to 10, including three cases linked to travel. 

00:55 US President Donald Trump says he fully supports the “H.R. 6201: Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” a bill that the US House of Representatives will vote on shortly. 

00:51 Guatemala’s president is banning the entry into the country of people coming from the United States and Canada. 

00:46 Argentine soccer club River Plate are refusing to play a match against Atletico Tucuman due to “the severe risks to the health of the professional squad,” the club has said. 

One player has shown symptoms compatible with coronavirus. The club said they will shut down until further notice and are refusing to play any matches. 

A day before, the Argentine government had cancelled all international sporting events in the country until the end of the month. 

00:41 The African countries of Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Guinea and Mauritania have all confirmed their first cases of the new coronavirus.

00:39 Due to coronavirus fears, New Zealand has cancelled a memorial service honoring the lives of 51 people killed in the Christchurch massacre last year.

On March 15, 2019, a gunman attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Thousands of people had been expected to attend the remembrance service. New Zealand currently has five confirmed cases of COVID-19. 

00:30 That White House has said that US President Donald Trump will host a video conference with all Group of 7 (G7) leaders early next week to discuss the development of the coronavirus outbreak. 

00:20 Unions and student groups in Colombia say they plan to go ahead with a strike scheduled for March 25 to protest the social and economic policies of President Ivan Duque despite the coronavirus outbreak. Public marches have, however, been cancelled.

“The strike on March 25 is going ahead. However, we are asking Colombians not to leave their houses as there will be no transport,” said Diogenes Orjuela, head of the Central Union of Workers. “We will hoist Colombian flags decorated with black tape to condemn the killings and violence. The strike will last 24 hours and we are not going to break protocols because safety is paramount,” Orjuela said.

Colombia’s government has declared a health emergency to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Read more: Coronavirus, cold, or flu symptoms: Should I see a doctor?

00:15 2,450 passengers of a cruise ship have disembarked in California and are now being transported to quarantine sites. 

00:10 The chairman of Germany’s conservative Christian Social Union Party (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian-Democrats, has called for the German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, to be more involved in fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

“We should consider involving the Bundeswehr more,” said CSU Chairman and Bavarian President Markus Söder. “Their nursing personnel, doctors, laboratory facilities, and their free capacities in hospitals…In view of this crisis, it’s essential.”

A Bundeswehr spokesman told the Rheinische Post that the organization is currently assisting on an administrative level, for example by providing laboratory capacity and medical protective equipment. 

00:03 Here’s a recap of the global figures:

• 145,341 confirmed cases globally
• 5,416 global deaths
• 70,931 recovered

00:01 The Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases has added the Spanish capital of Madrid and the Austrian state of South Tirol to its list of high-risk areas for contracting the novel coronavirus. 

The list had already included Italy, Iran, the province of Hubei in China — where the outbreak originated — the province of North Gyeongsang in South Korea, and the region of Grand Est in France. 

kp/dr (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)

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