Coronavirus latest: Western Europe faces unprecedented curbs to fight outbreak

March 17, 2020

French President Emmanuel Macron told citizens to stay at home and closed the country’s borders
Germany banned religious gatherings and ordered non-essential shops as well as playgrounds shut
The European Commission proposed a 30-day travel ban to curb COVID-19 (coronavirus SARS-CoV-2)
The UK has no plans yet to close schools or introduce mass testing
Columbia is closing all borders and Venezuela will extend a quarantine across the entire country

Updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT)

02:20 Hundreds of prisoners escaped from four prisons in Brazil just a day before day-release privileges were set to be suspended, reported Sao Paulo state prison authorities.

The suspension of privileges was necessary because those returning to jail and “would have a high potential to install and propagate the coronavirus in a vulnerable population, generating health risks for servers and custodians” said authorities.

Law enforcement was dealing with the situation.

02:10 From midnight on Thursday all people entering Hong Kong will be quarantined for 14 days.

02:00 The UN security council has canceled all meetings that were due to go ahead this week.

01:52 Thieves took 50,000 protective facemasks from a warehouse for hospital supplies in the German city of Cologne. “We’re talking about items that normally worth pennies, but there is obviously a market for them now,” said a spokeswoman for the city’s hospitals.

01:35 New Zealand announced a NZ$12.1 billion ($7.3 billion, €6.26 billion) stimulus package to help its economy. Finance Minister Grant Robertson conceded “recession is almost certain” but the package would help soften the economic blow.

01:25 Online retail giant Amazon is benefiting from the virus, hiring 100,000 staff.

01:17 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a nationwide quarantine. He also called on world leaders to “wake up to this pandemic and take drastic measures in time.” The number of cases in Venezuela has risen to 33.

01:10 South Korea reports 84 new cases, bringing the total up to 8,320.

01:00 Columbia will close all land, sea and river borders from midnight until the end of May. President Ivan Duque announced the measures on Twitter.

00:50 Mongolia reported three new coronavirus cases among citizens repatriated from virus-hit South Korea and Germany.

00:40 There could be up to 1,500 coronavirus patients in hospital by the end of the week, said President of the German Hospital Society (DKG) Gerald Gass to German media outlet Funke Mediengruppe. Gass said that German hospitals are well prepared for such an increase in patients.

00:30 Ukraine became the latest European country to announce shutdowns of bars, restaurants and shopping malls. The measures to fight the virus came as President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to act “harshly and urgently.”

The government introduced restrictions on public transport, including closing the country’s three metro systems in Kiev, Kharkiv and Dnipro until April 3.

00:20 China had 13 deaths and 21 new infections Monday, reported its National Health Commission, up from 16 new infections on Sunday.

00:10 Here’s a summary of global figures:

181,546 confirmed cases
7,126 global deaths
78,088 recovered

00:05 Follow yesterday’s developments here: Coronavirus latest: French President Macron says ‘we are at war’ as he orders lockdown

How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?

Food donations drop

Panic-buying has left empty shelves in supermarkets — and food banks. With Germans snapping up canned goods and toilet paper to weather the outbreak, stores have fewer supplies left over to donate to the needy, said Jochen Brühl, head of Tafel Deutschland, which supports more than 1.5 million people with surplus groceries and other donations. Brühl encouraged those who had overreacted to donate.

How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?

Bundesliga suspended

After playing one match behind closed doors, the Bundesliga has suspended its season until at least April 2. The Germany football league had considered playing matches behind closed doors until Paderborn’s coach Steffen Baumgart and defender Luca Kilian tested positive for COVID-19.

How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?

Cultural cancellations

Cultural life has also taken a hit, with major fairs and trade shows canceled or postponed. Among the casualties were the Leipzig Book Fair and the Musikmesse Frankfurt, Europe’s biggest music trade fair. Numerous clubs, galleries and museums have closed across the country, and the gala award show for the annual German film and television award, the Goldene Kamera, has been moved to November.

How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?

Not the ‘Wuhan flu’

The Chinese origin of the virus has led to an increase in xenophobic sentiment in the places worst hit by the outbreak. Asian restaurants and stores — not just Chinese — have reported empty tables in countries hard hit by the pandemic, and people with Asian features have experienced discrimination. At a recent Bundesliga game in Leipzig, a group of Japanese fans was ejected from the stadium.

How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?

Flights grounded

German airline Lufthansa has massively reduced its flight capacity as business and personal travel is cut back. The flagship carrier is now seeking state aid, according to a report from Germany business newspaper Handelsblatt. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr will be attending a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to government sources.

How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?

Car production crippled

Car plants in China have been shut down since January, and major German automakers like Volkswagen and Daimler have said both sales and production have been hit by the epidemic. And with many automakers sourcing electric car parts from China, work at plants in Germany has also hit a stumbling block. Berlin has said it plans to financially support companies suffering coronavirus losses.

How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?

Fewer tourists

“The consequences for the German tourism sector are serious,” warned Guido Zöllick, head of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association. Already by the second week of March, 76.1% of members had reported a sharp decrease in bookings and a drop in revenue. The German parliament has banned tourists from visiting the glass dome of the Reichstag building until further notice.

How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?

Border checks

In an effort to prevent further spread, Germany has closed its borders with France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark. Authorities in Poland and the Czech Republic had already begun spot checks, measuring the temperature of travelers crossing main road borders out of Germany.

How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?

School closures

Preschools and primary schools across Germany have shut. The closures have affected more than 2.2 million children up to age 16 countrywide, according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office. German television stations have adjusted their programming in response to the school closures.

Author: Martin Kuebler