Coronavirus latest: US Senate fails to reach deal on economic stimulus
Updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT)
Read more: German states move closer to near-total lockdown
02:28 A Canadian man in his 70s, who was infected with COVID-19 while he was on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, has died, Japan’s health ministry said on Saturday.
A total of 712 people were infected while they were onboard the cruise ship. The death of the Canadian man is the eighth confirmed death from amongst those infected on the ship.
02:10 The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has postponed a crime congress that was scheduled to take place in Kyoto, Japan next month.
02:02 Daimler and BMW announced that they will be shutting some parts of their US operations temporarily over coronavirus fears.
BMW will halt production at its South Carolina plant for two weeks starting April 3, while Daimler will stop production at its Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant for two weeks. The German carmaker’s subsidiary Vans will also close down production temporarily in Charleston, South Carolina.
01:47 Syria has closed its borders to foreigners from many countries, as the war-torn country tries to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The government, however, has not documented any cases.
“If we take the scenarios in China or even in Iran, we are expecting we may have a large number of cases and we are preparing accordingly,” WHO’s Syria representative Nima Saeed Abid told Reuters.
01:16 South Korea reported 147 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 8,799.
The country has ordered that all passengers arriving from Europe must be quarantined for 14 days, regardless of symptoms, starting Sunday.
01:15 Mexico has reported 203 confirmed coronavirus cases, up from 164 a day earlier.
01:11 Volkswagen will temporarily close its factories in the Mexican states of Puebla and Guanajuato, as concerns over the coronavirus pandemic spread across the region.
01:07 Starbucks has announced a temporary closure of its company-operated stores in the US and Canada for a period of two weeks. Only Drive-Thru and delivery services will continue, the company said in a statement.
The exception to this rule would be some locations near hospitals in order to “serve frontline responders and health care workers,” the company said.
All store partners will be paid for the next 30 days, regardless of whether they come into work or choose to stay at home, Starbucks added.
00:55 Mainland China experienced a rise in the number of coronavirus infections involving travelers arriving from abroad, even as zero locally transmitted cases were reported for the third day in a row.
With 41 new cases imported from abroad, the number of cases originating from outside the country has risen to 269. Overall, there are 81,008 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in mainland China.
“Wuhan provides hope for the rest of the world that even the most severe situation can be turned around,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference in Geneva.
00:27 The US Air Force is flying back 89 of Americans stranded in Honduras amidst the coronavirus outbreak. This is the second flight of its kind after an Air Force transport plane brought members of a women’s football team from Honduras to the United States.
Read more: Doctor refutes Trump claim on efficacy of malaria drug to treat coronavirus
00:17 New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern asked citizens to avoid all non-essential travel on Saturday. She also urged older citizens to try and stay at home amidst the coronavirus outbreak.
Ardern, however, maintained that schools will remain open in the country, which has seen over 50 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
“Sending children home at this stage, though, doesn’t necessarily reduce transmission in the community,” she said, “but I can assure you we are constantly monitoring these settings to keep children safe.”
“As a mum, I can assure you that is my key consideration,” Ardern added.
00:06 Panama reported 200 confirmed cases of coronavirus on Friday, a sharp increase from 137 a day earlier. The country’s Copa Airlines will be suspending all flights from March 22 till the end of April.
Read more: German, US companies sign deal to develop vaccine
00:04 The US Senate may not be able to arrive at a bipartisan deal on a possible $1 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus bill by the Friday midnight deadline, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Friday. Citing some major disagreements between the Republicans and the Democrats, he said that consensus may be reached on Saturday,
00:02 The United States Army announced that it will close all recruitment centers in the country to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from intensifying. With this, the Army has become the first military service to shut down recruiting facilities.
The Navy and Marine Corps will be keeping their recruitment stations open, but in line with government guidelines.
00:00 Catch up on yesterday’s coronavirus developments here: Top official says ‘No shortages’ in Germany
see/sms (AP, Reuters, dpa)
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