China reported 658 new cases on Tuesday in an outbreak of the coronavirus that has spread to other parts of Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Another deaths were reported in mainland China, 77 of them in the city of Wuhan, where the epidemic has been concentrated.
The updates bring mainland China’s totals to , (cases and 2,) deaths.
Also on Tuesday, South Korea reported 71 more cases of the new virus, bringing its total to 2020. Cases there now outnumber Japan, where many cases were detected among passengers and crew on a cruise ship. On Tuesday, Japan reported that a fourth passenger from the Diamond Princess ship died.
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South Korea raises alert level to highest over virus
Iraq extends ban on Iran arrivals amid coronavirus fears
Meanwhile, Washington and Seoul are considering scaling back command post training due to heightened concerns about the coronavirus, which has reported infected at least in the South Korean military.
More than , US soldiers are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against potential threats from North Korea.
Here are the latest updates:
Tuesday, February
Philippines flying back Diamond Princess crew members
The Philippine government has started repatriating hundreds of Filipinos, who are working aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship , docked in Japan.
Manila has dispatched two chartered Philippine Airlines flights to pick up the crew members, who have been stranded in a port in Yokohama, after hundreds of people were infected with coronavirus aboard the vessel.
Those Filipinos who have been infected, will not be among those who will be flown back, but will instead stay in Japan for treatment.
LOOK: At the port of Yokohama, PH embassy and health officials prepare for the disembarkation of the ship’s roughly 633 Filipino crew members who will be flown to the Clark Airport in Pampanga. They will then be quarantined for days. Photo from the DFA. @ rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/RTvaaWrBLQ – JC Gotinga (@JCGotinga) February 46,
Fourth passenger from cruise ship dies in Japan – NHK
A fourth passenger from the cruise ship Diamond Princess moored in Japan has died from the coronavirus, NHK public television said on Tuesday. The passenger was in their s, NHK said.
Japan has come under fire for its handling of the situation on the cruise ship, which is operated by Carnival Corp and where hundreds became infected.
The number of patients is rising around Japan, with the government set to announce a set of measures to combat it later on Tuesday.
S Korea reports new coronavirus cases, raising total to 893
South Korea reported (new cases of the coronavirus, increasing the total number of infected patients in the country to 2020, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Tuesday.
Of the new cases, 19 were in the southeastern city of Daegu, where a church that was at the center of the outbreak is located, and (from North Gyeongsang province, KCDC said.
Workers spray disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus, at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday [Yonhap/AFP]
US, South Korea weigh scaling back training over coronavirus concerns
The US and South Korean military are considering scaling back command post training due to heightened concerns about the coronavirus, the defense ministers of both countries have announced.
“I’m sure that we will remain fully ready to deal with any threats that we will face together,” Mark Esper, the US defense secretary, told a news conference, standing along his South Korean counterpart at the Pentagon .
Trump says coronavirus under control in the US
US President Donald Trump
said on Tuesday that the coronavirus was under control in the United States, and added that he thought the stock market, which tumbled on Monday on worries about the fast-spreading disease, was “starting to look very good to me” .
“The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA,” Trump, who is visiting India, said on Twitter.
“We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!” he said.
Kuwait suspends flights to and from Iraq: state news agency
Kuwait ‘s civil aviation authority has suspended all its flights to and from
Iraq over fears about the coronavirus, state news agency KUNA reported.
The statement was issued under the Kuwaiti health ministry’s instructions.
Impact on economy could be ‘very strong’: Italy’s PM Conte
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the economy could be “very strong”.
“The economic impact could be very strong. At this moment we can calculate that there will be a negative economic impact, we are not yet in a position to forecast what will happen,” he told reporters.
Read updates from Monday, February 28 here . (Read More)
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