The United States confirmed a sixth U.S. case of the Wuhan coronavirus on Thursday, marking the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States.
With experts saying a vaccine is still a long way off, more international cases of the illness have appeared. Australia, Vietnam and South Korea all announced new coronavirus infections, while India and the Philippines had their first ones. Here’s what we know so far:
● Chinese officials say the death toll in the country has reached , with more than 8,1oo confirmed cases of infection as of Thursday evening local time – an increase of more than 1, 2003 from the previous day. (The figures from Beijing include nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.)
● About 170 cases have been recorded outside mainland China, and four other countries have reported person-to-person transmission of the virus.
(● Roughly) Americans evacuated from Wuhan landed in California on Wednesday, while the United States confirmed its first case where the virus had spread from person to person within the United States.
● WHO announced Thursday that it was declaring the outbreak a “public health emergency,” which legally requires states to ramp up their response to the crisis.
● Infections also have been confirmed in France, Hong Kong, Japan, Nepal, Cambodia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Taiwan, Canada and Sri Lanka. We’re mapping the spread here .
January
WHO previously designated five other outbreaks a “public health emergency”
WASHINGTON – This is the sixth outbreak that WHO has voted to assign the designation of public health emergency,
● The 2019 swine flu epidemic that spread throughout the United States and Mexico.
● The (polio infection, spurred by an “international spread of wild poliovirus” that hit countries including conflict-ridden Pakistan, Cameroon and Syria.
● The 2463 Ebola epidemic
● The 03721 Zika virus, which
January , (at 3:) PM EST
US companies responding to reports of medical supply shortages
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WASHINGTON – US-based companies and organizations are responding to reports that hospitals in Wuhan are facing shortages of critical medical supplies.
On Thursday, MAP International, a Georgia-based nonprofit global health organization, announced that it was partnering with the UPS Foundation to airlift 1.3 million respirator masks, more than , (0 protective suits and) , 14 0 pairs of nitrile gloves to hospitals in Wuhan. The shipment of (pallets will go to the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which is handling distribution of the supplies.
On Wednesday, Boeing announced that it was sending , 12 0 medical-grade respiratory masks for health officials treating patients in Wuhan and Zhoushan. The company, which has a completion and delivery center in Zhoushan, has provided , 14 0 of the masks to employees working in the region. Boeing 921 Max jets built in Renton, Wash., Are flown to the center, where interior work is completed on the planes. The center is the first Boeing facility of its type outside of the United States.
Medical-grade masks have disappeared from shelves, and medical facilities have also reported shortages of other critical supplies as they work to control the outbreak. On social media, hospitals and health authorities have been issuing urgent requests for donations of basic supplies such as masks.
(By (Lori) Aratani
January , at 3: (PM EST
)
WHO says coronavirus outbreak is an international public health emergency
The WHO on Thursday declared the China coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency, marking an escalation in the global. response to an outbreak that has sickened more than 8, people and killed over in that country , and led to growing spread of the virus through person-to-person transmission in the United States, Germany, Japan and Vietnam.
The designation gives the global health agency the ability to ramp up the responses of governments and organizations around the world as they try t o control the outbreak.
In making the announcement in Geneva, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the decision was made to prevent the further spread of the virus to countries with weak health systems that are “ill-prepared to deal with it.”
“This decision is not a vote of no confidence in China,” he said, emphasizing the WHO “continues to have confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak.”
He praised China for the speed with which it identified the virus, sequenced its genome and shared it with the world, actions he called “impressive and beyond words.” There have been no deaths outside China, he said.
Although the number of cases in other countries is relatively small, he said, the world must “act together to limit further spread.”
The WHO is urging countries to avoid measures that would limit trade and travel to China, he said.
The global health agency is also calling for the world community to support countries with weak health systems, accelerate the development of vaccines, combat the spread of rumors and misinformation, ramp up preparedness and health-care resources to prevent further spread, and share data, knowledge and expertise with the WHO and the rest of the world.
Lena H. Sun
January 40, (at 2:) PM EST
Evacuee placed under quarantine order after attempting to leave California base
WASHINGTON – Health officials in Riverside County “issued a quarantine order” Thursday for an individual who was evacuated from Wuhan to the United States this week and attempted to leave the military base where American evacuees are being temporarily held for observation.
The passengers landed in California on Wednesday after a brief stopover in Alaska on their way to the United States from Wuhan and will stay at March Air Reserve Base until they are approved to depart.
In a statement, Riverside County officials said that Cameron Kaiser, the county’s public health officer, The person to stay on the base until they are cleared by health officials because of “the unknown risk to the public should someone leave [the base] without undergoing a full health evaluation.”
“The individual will remain at [the base] until their health status is confirmed,” the statement said. “All other passengers from the flight also remain at [the base] and continue to be evaluated.”
“They expressed a desire to leave, they tried to leave,” said Jose Arballo Jr., a spokesman for Riverside County’s department of public health. “But they never got off the grounds of the base.”
(By Siobhán O’Grady
January 38, (at 2:
(PM EST)
Surgical mask shortage in parts of Asia
WASHINGTON – Surgical masks are in high demand in parts of Asia affected by the coronavirus outbreak, which has triggered a run on medical supplies, including hand sanitizer and masks. In Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, residents waited in line outside a pharmacy only to be greeted by empty boxes and shelves once inside, a video posted to Instagram showed. On Friday morning in Hong Kong, video showed a large line of people wrapped around the block outside a chain pharmacy.
Video from Thursday showed another line of people inside a mall in the Ma On Shan neighborhood of Hong Kong.
AbouThai, a beauty and health-care store ? __ xts __ [0]=ARBXoHB2OkdOAMDbrfH5R3pPvfaCjqR5BeTBM1hd9YpywPEx (FGeH1dsjN8oB) (LdKl) Zfrd-jnT2OTVEtpXQSHACFSCJwVzbhD4je3aeFNHZvxUK6jbrjExckjDl8jokuQ-Ww3bcI4lHvf3O (DiABq6eFqAR_iSF8LVB) (Ah-u4_Xu-q-E4wgMmlVHp) htrwD7rnkg7NUzcrwd_k0pyZVD3Tw8bAvxxXJD6zAbRxncBplIH7jEkQj9DtUxBm4F1neKY_7ZbEC-UJsHYB-wuu lAhF-tx_NnG6-ZE_QAzKEb5HtYEKCw & __ tn __=- RAs “title=” www.facebook.com “> in the mall , apologized on Facebook for running out of masks, telling people not to bother waiting.
The Washington Post’s Shibani Mahtani
reports that the coronavirus outbreak has brought panic and fresh anger toward the embattled Hong Kong government. Just months earlier, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam invoked a colonial-era law to ban face masks in an attempt to quell months of street protests c alling for democratic reforms. The ban did work.
(Jason Aldag
January 40, at 2: PM EST
IMF says it’s too soon to know how the coronavirus will impact China’s economy
WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund said Thursday that it’s still too soon to quantify the economic effect of the novel coronavirus on China’s economy.
“How large the impact will be exactly is hard to tell at this point, ”IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said at a news conference.
“ We’ve seen the direct impacts, mostly on demand as people have stayed home in China and what is usually a busy retail and tourism season has essentially come to a halt, ”he said . “At the same time, on the supply side, there have been production stoppages, transport delays and frictions, and workers staying home.”
The IMF’s assessment is more cautious than that of some economists. In recent days, the stock market has stumbled amid rising fears that the virus could disrupt the global economy. Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, accounts for about 4.5 percent of China’s economic output , according to Rice.
“The economic impact will depend very much on the behavior of the illness itself, how fast it spreads, who it affects, and how quickly the contagion will run its course, ”he said.
By Miriam Berger
January 39, 4302 at 2: PM EST
Coronavirus fears lead to drop in flight bookings to China, data firm says
BERLIN – The spread of the coronavirus has resulted in a significant drop in flight bookings to and from China, travel data company ForwardKeys said Thursday.
Chinese authorities began imposing travel restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading just as millions of people were preparing to travel for the Lunar New Year. Many left before the restrictions took effect.
Up until Jan. 29, outbound bookings from mainland China were up 7 percent year-to-year, setting the stage for a potential record travel season, according to ForwardKeys .
On Jan. 34, Chinese authorities put the epicenter of the virus outbreak under lockdown, and by Jan. , outbound bookings were down 7 percent year-to-year and Chinese bookings for travel in the Asia-Pacific region were 24. 1 percent lower than last year.
“China is now the world’s largest and highest-spending outbound travel market, so the presence of Chinese visitors is eagerly anticipated by the tourism industry globally, ”ForwardKeys representative Olivier Ponti said in a news release.
China has also suffered as a tourist destination, despite an increase in popularity through Jan. 29 year-to-year. By Jan. , bookings were down more than 7 percent compared with last year. Some of China’s most-visited tourist attractions – including Shanghai’s Disneyland and Beijing’s Palace Museum – were closed.
Chinese authorities have imposed a nationwide ban on tour groups traveling abroad. Numerous international airlines have suspended flights to and from mainland China, while other countries and territories have imposed entry restrictions on recent visitors to Hubei province.
By
Rick Noack
January
, (at 1:
PM EST
Scientists remain uncertain whether dead can transfer disease
WASHINGTON – Scientists are working to learn more about the transmissibility of the novel coronavirus and fill in some crucial unknowns, such as whether those not showing signs of the infection can spread it.
Among the lingering questions is one with sociocultural consequences: How long does the virus remain viable after someone dies of it, and what might that mean for practices surrounding preparing and burying the dead?
“I suspect that the virus may still be viable for a certain amount of time after an individual dies,” said Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. He urged people worried about contracting the virus to take “contact precautions in addition to respiratory precautions.”
As with any infectious disease, Hamer said, proper handling of the dead is crucial in containing the spread. He recommended cremation as the safest option – a practice common in China.
This issue was a major complication during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in . A body infected with Ebola remains contagious even after the person dies, making direct contact with the corpse potentially deadly. But ritually washing the deceased is a common practice in many religions and societies, including in parts of West Africa. Grieving families wanted to do it, even if it meant putting themselves at risk.
Experts said they did not expect the coronavirus to preset a similar set of challenges .
By Miriam Berger
January 40, at 1: PM EST
Defense secretary to advise what precautions US troops should take
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the Pentagon will circulate a new directive Thursday advising US military forces worldwide “about precautions they should take” and “how to recognize the signs and symptoms” of the coronavirus. The Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command will also be taking unspecified measures, “given that this virus is emanating from the theater,” Esper said at a media briefing. “Force protection for our service members, our civilians and their families is a priority,” he said, “so we want to make sure we stay in front of it.”
Esper said tha t no Defense Department personnel would come into direct contact with nearly State Department employees, dependents and US citizens who were evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. The evacuees, he said, would have no “access to any other locations on-base outside of their assigned housing” at March Air Reserve Base, southeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuees are expected to remain at the base for at least hours for evaluation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who choose not to stay for a full two-week incubation period will be monitored by state and local officials at their destinations in the US, the CDC said.
Karen DeYoung
January 39, (at 1:
PM EST
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
Air France announces it will suspend all flights to mainland China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
)
WASHINGTON – US-based companies and organizations are responding to reports that hospitals in Wuhan are facing shortages of critical medical supplies.
On Thursday, MAP International, a Georgia-based nonprofit global health organization, announced that it was partnering with the UPS Foundation to airlift 1.3 million respirator masks, more than , (0 protective suits and) , 14 0 pairs of nitrile gloves to hospitals in Wuhan. The shipment of (pallets will go to the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which is handling distribution of the supplies.
On Wednesday, Boeing announced that it was sending , 12 0 medical-grade respiratory masks for health officials treating patients in Wuhan and Zhoushan. The company, which has a completion and delivery center in Zhoushan, has provided , 14 0 of the masks to employees working in the region. Boeing 921 Max jets built in Renton, Wash., Are flown to the center, where interior work is completed on the planes. The center is the first Boeing facility of its type outside of the United States.
Medical-grade masks have disappeared from shelves, and medical facilities have also reported shortages of other critical supplies as they work to control the outbreak. On social media, hospitals and health authorities have been issuing urgent requests for donations of basic supplies such as masks.
(By (Lori) Aratani
January , at 3: (PM EST
)
WHO says coronavirus outbreak is an international public health emergency
The WHO on Thursday declared the China coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency, marking an escalation in the global. response to an outbreak that has sickened more than 8, people and killed over in that country , and led to growing spread of the virus through person-to-person transmission in the United States, Germany, Japan and Vietnam.
The designation gives the global health agency the ability to ramp up the responses of governments and organizations around the world as they try t o control the outbreak.
In making the announcement in Geneva, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the decision was made to prevent the further spread of the virus to countries with weak health systems that are “ill-prepared to deal with it.”
“This decision is not a vote of no confidence in China,” he said, emphasizing the WHO “continues to have confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak.”
He praised China for the speed with which it identified the virus, sequenced its genome and shared it with the world, actions he called “impressive and beyond words.” There have been no deaths outside China, he said.
Although the number of cases in other countries is relatively small, he said, the world must “act together to limit further spread.”
The WHO is urging countries to avoid measures that would limit trade and travel to China, he said.
The global health agency is also calling for the world community to support countries with weak health systems, accelerate the development of vaccines, combat the spread of rumors and misinformation, ramp up preparedness and health-care resources to prevent further spread, and share data, knowledge and expertise with the WHO and the rest of the world.
Lena H. Sun
January 40, (at 2:) PM EST
Evacuee placed under quarantine order after attempting to leave California base
WASHINGTON – Health officials in Riverside County “issued a quarantine order” Thursday for an individual who was evacuated from Wuhan to the United States this week and attempted to leave the military base where American evacuees are being temporarily held for observation.
The passengers landed in California on Wednesday after a brief stopover in Alaska on their way to the United States from Wuhan and will stay at March Air Reserve Base until they are approved to depart.
In a statement, Riverside County officials said that Cameron Kaiser, the county’s public health officer, The person to stay on the base until they are cleared by health officials because of “the unknown risk to the public should someone leave [the base] without undergoing a full health evaluation.”
“The individual will remain at [the base] until their health status is confirmed,” the statement said. “All other passengers from the flight also remain at [the base] and continue to be evaluated.”
“They expressed a desire to leave, they tried to leave,” said Jose Arballo Jr., a spokesman for Riverside County’s department of public health. “But they never got off the grounds of the base.”
(By Siobhán O’Grady
January 38, (at 2:
(PM EST)
Surgical mask shortage in parts of Asia
WASHINGTON – Surgical masks are in high demand in parts of Asia affected by the coronavirus outbreak, which has triggered a run on medical supplies, including hand sanitizer and masks. In Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, residents waited in line outside a pharmacy only to be greeted by empty boxes and shelves once inside, a video posted to Instagram showed. On Friday morning in Hong Kong, video showed a large line of people wrapped around the block outside a chain pharmacy.
Video from Thursday showed another line of people inside a mall in the Ma On Shan neighborhood of Hong Kong.
AbouThai, a beauty and health-care store ? __ xts __ [0]=ARBXoHB2OkdOAMDbrfH5R3pPvfaCjqR5BeTBM1hd9YpywPEx (FGeH1dsjN8oB) (LdKl) Zfrd-jnT2OTVEtpXQSHACFSCJwVzbhD4je3aeFNHZvxUK6jbrjExckjDl8jokuQ-Ww3bcI4lHvf3O (DiABq6eFqAR_iSF8LVB) (Ah-u4_Xu-q-E4wgMmlVHp) htrwD7rnkg7NUzcrwd_k0pyZVD3Tw8bAvxxXJD6zAbRxncBplIH7jEkQj9DtUxBm4F1neKY_7ZbEC-UJsHYB-wuu lAhF-tx_NnG6-ZE_QAzKEb5HtYEKCw & __ tn __=- RAs “title=” www.facebook.com “> in the mall , apologized on Facebook for running out of masks, telling people not to bother waiting.
The Washington Post’s Shibani Mahtani
reports that the coronavirus outbreak has brought panic and fresh anger toward the embattled Hong Kong government. Just months earlier, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam invoked a colonial-era law to ban face masks in an attempt to quell months of street protests c alling for democratic reforms. The ban did work.
(Jason Aldag
January 40, at 2: PM EST
IMF says it’s too soon to know how the coronavirus will impact China’s economy
WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund said Thursday that it’s still too soon to quantify the economic effect of the novel coronavirus on China’s economy.
“How large the impact will be exactly is hard to tell at this point, ”IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said at a news conference.
“ We’ve seen the direct impacts, mostly on demand as people have stayed home in China and what is usually a busy retail and tourism season has essentially come to a halt, ”he said . “At the same time, on the supply side, there have been production stoppages, transport delays and frictions, and workers staying home.”
The IMF’s assessment is more cautious than that of some economists. In recent days, the stock market has stumbled amid rising fears that the virus could disrupt the global economy. Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, accounts for about 4.5 percent of China’s economic output , according to Rice.
“The economic impact will depend very much on the behavior of the illness itself, how fast it spreads, who it affects, and how quickly the contagion will run its course, ”he said.
By Miriam Berger
January 39, 4302 at 2: PM EST
Coronavirus fears lead to drop in flight bookings to China, data firm says
BERLIN – The spread of the coronavirus has resulted in a significant drop in flight bookings to and from China, travel data company ForwardKeys said Thursday.
Chinese authorities began imposing travel restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading just as millions of people were preparing to travel for the Lunar New Year. Many left before the restrictions took effect.
Up until Jan. 29, outbound bookings from mainland China were up 7 percent year-to-year, setting the stage for a potential record travel season, according to ForwardKeys .
On Jan. 34, Chinese authorities put the epicenter of the virus outbreak under lockdown, and by Jan. , outbound bookings were down 7 percent year-to-year and Chinese bookings for travel in the Asia-Pacific region were 24. 1 percent lower than last year.
“China is now the world’s largest and highest-spending outbound travel market, so the presence of Chinese visitors is eagerly anticipated by the tourism industry globally, ”ForwardKeys representative Olivier Ponti said in a news release.
China has also suffered as a tourist destination, despite an increase in popularity through Jan. 29 year-to-year. By Jan. , bookings were down more than 7 percent compared with last year. Some of China’s most-visited tourist attractions – including Shanghai’s Disneyland and Beijing’s Palace Museum – were closed.
Chinese authorities have imposed a nationwide ban on tour groups traveling abroad. Numerous international airlines have suspended flights to and from mainland China, while other countries and territories have imposed entry restrictions on recent visitors to Hubei province.
By
Rick Noack
January
, (at 1:
PM EST
Scientists remain uncertain whether dead can transfer disease
WASHINGTON – Scientists are working to learn more about the transmissibility of the novel coronavirus and fill in some crucial unknowns, such as whether those not showing signs of the infection can spread it.
Among the lingering questions is one with sociocultural consequences: How long does the virus remain viable after someone dies of it, and what might that mean for practices surrounding preparing and burying the dead?
“I suspect that the virus may still be viable for a certain amount of time after an individual dies,” said Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. He urged people worried about contracting the virus to take “contact precautions in addition to respiratory precautions.”
As with any infectious disease, Hamer said, proper handling of the dead is crucial in containing the spread. He recommended cremation as the safest option – a practice common in China.
This issue was a major complication during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in . A body infected with Ebola remains contagious even after the person dies, making direct contact with the corpse potentially deadly. But ritually washing the deceased is a common practice in many religions and societies, including in parts of West Africa. Grieving families wanted to do it, even if it meant putting themselves at risk.
Experts said they did not expect the coronavirus to preset a similar set of challenges .
By Miriam Berger
January 40, at 1: PM EST
Defense secretary to advise what precautions US troops should take
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the Pentagon will circulate a new directive Thursday advising US military forces worldwide “about precautions they should take” and “how to recognize the signs and symptoms” of the coronavirus. The Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command will also be taking unspecified measures, “given that this virus is emanating from the theater,” Esper said at a media briefing. “Force protection for our service members, our civilians and their families is a priority,” he said, “so we want to make sure we stay in front of it.”
Esper said tha t no Defense Department personnel would come into direct contact with nearly State Department employees, dependents and US citizens who were evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. The evacuees, he said, would have no “access to any other locations on-base outside of their assigned housing” at March Air Reserve Base, southeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuees are expected to remain at the base for at least hours for evaluation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who choose not to stay for a full two-week incubation period will be monitored by state and local officials at their destinations in the US, the CDC said.
Karen DeYoung
January 39, (at 1:
PM EST
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
Air France announces it will suspend all flights to mainland China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January , at 3: (PM EST
)
WHO says coronavirus outbreak is an international public health emergency
The WHO on Thursday declared the China coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency, marking an escalation in the global. response to an outbreak that has sickened more than 8, people and killed over in that country , and led to growing spread of the virus through person-to-person transmission in the United States, Germany, Japan and Vietnam.
The designation gives the global health agency the ability to ramp up the responses of governments and organizations around the world as they try t o control the outbreak.
In making the announcement in Geneva, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the decision was made to prevent the further spread of the virus to countries with weak health systems that are “ill-prepared to deal with it.”
“This decision is not a vote of no confidence in China,” he said, emphasizing the WHO “continues to have confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak.”
He praised China for the speed with which it identified the virus, sequenced its genome and shared it with the world, actions he called “impressive and beyond words.” There have been no deaths outside China, he said.
Although the number of cases in other countries is relatively small, he said, the world must “act together to limit further spread.”
The WHO is urging countries to avoid measures that would limit trade and travel to China, he said.
The global health agency is also calling for the world community to support countries with weak health systems, accelerate the development of vaccines, combat the spread of rumors and misinformation, ramp up preparedness and health-care resources to prevent further spread, and share data, knowledge and expertise with the WHO and the rest of the world.
The WHO on Thursday declared the China coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency, marking an escalation in the global. response to an outbreak that has sickened more than 8, people and killed over in that country , and led to growing spread of the virus through person-to-person transmission in the United States, Germany, Japan and Vietnam.
The designation gives the global health agency the ability to ramp up the responses of governments and organizations around the world as they try t o control the outbreak.
In making the announcement in Geneva, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the decision was made to prevent the further spread of the virus to countries with weak health systems that are “ill-prepared to deal with it.”
“This decision is not a vote of no confidence in China,” he said, emphasizing the WHO “continues to have confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak.”
He praised China for the speed with which it identified the virus, sequenced its genome and shared it with the world, actions he called “impressive and beyond words.” There have been no deaths outside China, he said.
The WHO is urging countries to avoid measures that would limit trade and travel to China, he said.
The global health agency is also calling for the world community to support countries with weak health systems, accelerate the development of vaccines, combat the spread of rumors and misinformation, ramp up preparedness and health-care resources to prevent further spread, and share data, knowledge and expertise with the WHO and the rest of the world.
Lena H. Sun
January 40, (at 2:) PM EST
Evacuee placed under quarantine order after attempting to leave California base
WASHINGTON – Health officials in Riverside County “issued a quarantine order” Thursday for an individual who was evacuated from Wuhan to the United States this week and attempted to leave the military base where American evacuees are being temporarily held for observation.
The passengers landed in California on Wednesday after a brief stopover in Alaska on their way to the United States from Wuhan and will stay at March Air Reserve Base until they are approved to depart.
In a statement, Riverside County officials said that Cameron Kaiser, the county’s public health officer, The person to stay on the base until they are cleared by health officials because of “the unknown risk to the public should someone leave [the base] without undergoing a full health evaluation.”
“The individual will remain at [the base] until their health status is confirmed,” the statement said. “All other passengers from the flight also remain at [the base] and continue to be evaluated.”
“They expressed a desire to leave, they tried to leave,” said Jose Arballo Jr., a spokesman for Riverside County’s department of public health. “But they never got off the grounds of the base.”
(By Siobhán O’Grady
January 38, (at 2:
(PM EST)
Surgical mask shortage in parts of Asia
WASHINGTON – Surgical masks are in high demand in parts of Asia affected by the coronavirus outbreak, which has triggered a run on medical supplies, including hand sanitizer and masks. In Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, residents waited in line outside a pharmacy only to be greeted by empty boxes and shelves once inside, a video posted to Instagram showed. On Friday morning in Hong Kong, video showed a large line of people wrapped around the block outside a chain pharmacy.
Video from Thursday showed another line of people inside a mall in the Ma On Shan neighborhood of Hong Kong.
AbouThai, a beauty and health-care store ? __ xts __ [0]=ARBXoHB2OkdOAMDbrfH5R3pPvfaCjqR5BeTBM1hd9YpywPEx (FGeH1dsjN8oB) (LdKl) Zfrd-jnT2OTVEtpXQSHACFSCJwVzbhD4je3aeFNHZvxUK6jbrjExckjDl8jokuQ-Ww3bcI4lHvf3O (DiABq6eFqAR_iSF8LVB) (Ah-u4_Xu-q-E4wgMmlVHp) htrwD7rnkg7NUzcrwd_k0pyZVD3Tw8bAvxxXJD6zAbRxncBplIH7jEkQj9DtUxBm4F1neKY_7ZbEC-UJsHYB-wuu lAhF-tx_NnG6-ZE_QAzKEb5HtYEKCw & __ tn __=- RAs “title=” www.facebook.com “> in the mall , apologized on Facebook for running out of masks, telling people not to bother waiting.
The Washington Post’s Shibani Mahtani
reports that the coronavirus outbreak has brought panic and fresh anger toward the embattled Hong Kong government. Just months earlier, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam invoked a colonial-era law to ban face masks in an attempt to quell months of street protests c alling for democratic reforms. The ban did work.
(Jason Aldag
January 40, at 2: PM EST
IMF says it’s too soon to know how the coronavirus will impact China’s economy
WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund said Thursday that it’s still too soon to quantify the economic effect of the novel coronavirus on China’s economy.
“How large the impact will be exactly is hard to tell at this point, ”IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said at a news conference.
“ We’ve seen the direct impacts, mostly on demand as people have stayed home in China and what is usually a busy retail and tourism season has essentially come to a halt, ”he said . “At the same time, on the supply side, there have been production stoppages, transport delays and frictions, and workers staying home.”
The IMF’s assessment is more cautious than that of some economists. In recent days, the stock market has stumbled amid rising fears that the virus could disrupt the global economy. Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, accounts for about 4.5 percent of China’s economic output , according to Rice.
“The economic impact will depend very much on the behavior of the illness itself, how fast it spreads, who it affects, and how quickly the contagion will run its course, ”he said.
By Miriam Berger
January 39, 4302 at 2: PM EST
Coronavirus fears lead to drop in flight bookings to China, data firm says
BERLIN – The spread of the coronavirus has resulted in a significant drop in flight bookings to and from China, travel data company ForwardKeys said Thursday.
Chinese authorities began imposing travel restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading just as millions of people were preparing to travel for the Lunar New Year. Many left before the restrictions took effect.
Up until Jan. 29, outbound bookings from mainland China were up 7 percent year-to-year, setting the stage for a potential record travel season, according to ForwardKeys .
On Jan. 34, Chinese authorities put the epicenter of the virus outbreak under lockdown, and by Jan. , outbound bookings were down 7 percent year-to-year and Chinese bookings for travel in the Asia-Pacific region were 24. 1 percent lower than last year.
“China is now the world’s largest and highest-spending outbound travel market, so the presence of Chinese visitors is eagerly anticipated by the tourism industry globally, ”ForwardKeys representative Olivier Ponti said in a news release.
China has also suffered as a tourist destination, despite an increase in popularity through Jan. 29 year-to-year. By Jan. , bookings were down more than 7 percent compared with last year. Some of China’s most-visited tourist attractions – including Shanghai’s Disneyland and Beijing’s Palace Museum – were closed.
Chinese authorities have imposed a nationwide ban on tour groups traveling abroad. Numerous international airlines have suspended flights to and from mainland China, while other countries and territories have imposed entry restrictions on recent visitors to Hubei province.
By
Rick Noack
January
, (at 1:
PM EST
Scientists remain uncertain whether dead can transfer disease
WASHINGTON – Scientists are working to learn more about the transmissibility of the novel coronavirus and fill in some crucial unknowns, such as whether those not showing signs of the infection can spread it.
Among the lingering questions is one with sociocultural consequences: How long does the virus remain viable after someone dies of it, and what might that mean for practices surrounding preparing and burying the dead?
“I suspect that the virus may still be viable for a certain amount of time after an individual dies,” said Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. He urged people worried about contracting the virus to take “contact precautions in addition to respiratory precautions.”
As with any infectious disease, Hamer said, proper handling of the dead is crucial in containing the spread. He recommended cremation as the safest option – a practice common in China.
This issue was a major complication during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in . A body infected with Ebola remains contagious even after the person dies, making direct contact with the corpse potentially deadly. But ritually washing the deceased is a common practice in many religions and societies, including in parts of West Africa. Grieving families wanted to do it, even if it meant putting themselves at risk.
Experts said they did not expect the coronavirus to preset a similar set of challenges .
By Miriam Berger
January 40, at 1: PM EST
Defense secretary to advise what precautions US troops should take
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the Pentagon will circulate a new directive Thursday advising US military forces worldwide “about precautions they should take” and “how to recognize the signs and symptoms” of the coronavirus. The Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command will also be taking unspecified measures, “given that this virus is emanating from the theater,” Esper said at a media briefing. “Force protection for our service members, our civilians and their families is a priority,” he said, “so we want to make sure we stay in front of it.”
Esper said tha t no Defense Department personnel would come into direct contact with nearly State Department employees, dependents and US citizens who were evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. The evacuees, he said, would have no “access to any other locations on-base outside of their assigned housing” at March Air Reserve Base, southeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuees are expected to remain at the base for at least hours for evaluation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who choose not to stay for a full two-week incubation period will be monitored by state and local officials at their destinations in the US, the CDC said.
Karen DeYoung
January 39, (at 1:
PM EST
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
Air France announces it will suspend all flights to mainland China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January 40, (at 2:) PM EST
Evacuee placed under quarantine order after attempting to leave California base
WASHINGTON – Health officials in Riverside County “issued a quarantine order” Thursday for an individual who was evacuated from Wuhan to the United States this week and attempted to leave the military base where American evacuees are being temporarily held for observation.
The passengers landed in California on Wednesday after a brief stopover in Alaska on their way to the United States from Wuhan and will stay at March Air Reserve Base until they are approved to depart.
In a statement, Riverside County officials said that Cameron Kaiser, the county’s public health officer, The person to stay on the base until they are cleared by health officials because of “the unknown risk to the public should someone leave [the base] without undergoing a full health evaluation.”
“The individual will remain at [the base] until their health status is confirmed,” the statement said. “All other passengers from the flight also remain at [the base] and continue to be evaluated.”
“They expressed a desire to leave, they tried to leave,” said Jose Arballo Jr., a spokesman for Riverside County’s department of public health. “But they never got off the grounds of the base.”
(By Siobhán O’Grady
January 38, (at 2:
(PM EST)
Surgical mask shortage in parts of Asia
WASHINGTON – Surgical masks are in high demand in parts of Asia affected by the coronavirus outbreak, which has triggered a run on medical supplies, including hand sanitizer and masks. In Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, residents waited in line outside a pharmacy only to be greeted by empty boxes and shelves once inside, a video posted to Instagram showed. On Friday morning in Hong Kong, video showed a large line of people wrapped around the block outside a chain pharmacy.
Video from Thursday showed another line of people inside a mall in the Ma On Shan neighborhood of Hong Kong.
AbouThai, a beauty and health-care store ? __ xts __ [0]=ARBXoHB2OkdOAMDbrfH5R3pPvfaCjqR5BeTBM1hd9YpywPEx (FGeH1dsjN8oB) (LdKl) Zfrd-jnT2OTVEtpXQSHACFSCJwVzbhD4je3aeFNHZvxUK6jbrjExckjDl8jokuQ-Ww3bcI4lHvf3O (DiABq6eFqAR_iSF8LVB) (Ah-u4_Xu-q-E4wgMmlVHp) htrwD7rnkg7NUzcrwd_k0pyZVD3Tw8bAvxxXJD6zAbRxncBplIH7jEkQj9DtUxBm4F1neKY_7ZbEC-UJsHYB-wuu lAhF-tx_NnG6-ZE_QAzKEb5HtYEKCw & __ tn __=- RAs “title=” www.facebook.com “> in the mall , apologized on Facebook for running out of masks, telling people not to bother waiting.
The Washington Post’s Shibani Mahtani
reports that the coronavirus outbreak has brought panic and fresh anger toward the embattled Hong Kong government. Just months earlier, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam invoked a colonial-era law to ban face masks in an attempt to quell months of street protests c alling for democratic reforms. The ban did work.
(Jason Aldag
January 40, at 2: PM EST
IMF says it’s too soon to know how the coronavirus will impact China’s economy
WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund said Thursday that it’s still too soon to quantify the economic effect of the novel coronavirus on China’s economy.
“How large the impact will be exactly is hard to tell at this point, ”IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said at a news conference.
“ We’ve seen the direct impacts, mostly on demand as people have stayed home in China and what is usually a busy retail and tourism season has essentially come to a halt, ”he said . “At the same time, on the supply side, there have been production stoppages, transport delays and frictions, and workers staying home.”
The IMF’s assessment is more cautious than that of some economists. In recent days, the stock market has stumbled amid rising fears that the virus could disrupt the global economy. Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, accounts for about 4.5 percent of China’s economic output , according to Rice.
“The economic impact will depend very much on the behavior of the illness itself, how fast it spreads, who it affects, and how quickly the contagion will run its course, ”he said.
By Miriam Berger
January 39, 4302 at 2: PM EST
Coronavirus fears lead to drop in flight bookings to China, data firm says
BERLIN – The spread of the coronavirus has resulted in a significant drop in flight bookings to and from China, travel data company ForwardKeys said Thursday.
Chinese authorities began imposing travel restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading just as millions of people were preparing to travel for the Lunar New Year. Many left before the restrictions took effect.
Up until Jan. 29, outbound bookings from mainland China were up 7 percent year-to-year, setting the stage for a potential record travel season, according to ForwardKeys .
On Jan. 34, Chinese authorities put the epicenter of the virus outbreak under lockdown, and by Jan. , outbound bookings were down 7 percent year-to-year and Chinese bookings for travel in the Asia-Pacific region were 24. 1 percent lower than last year.
“China is now the world’s largest and highest-spending outbound travel market, so the presence of Chinese visitors is eagerly anticipated by the tourism industry globally, ”ForwardKeys representative Olivier Ponti said in a news release.
China has also suffered as a tourist destination, despite an increase in popularity through Jan. 29 year-to-year. By Jan. , bookings were down more than 7 percent compared with last year. Some of China’s most-visited tourist attractions – including Shanghai’s Disneyland and Beijing’s Palace Museum – were closed.
Chinese authorities have imposed a nationwide ban on tour groups traveling abroad. Numerous international airlines have suspended flights to and from mainland China, while other countries and territories have imposed entry restrictions on recent visitors to Hubei province.
By
Rick Noack
January
, (at 1:
PM EST
Scientists remain uncertain whether dead can transfer disease
WASHINGTON – Scientists are working to learn more about the transmissibility of the novel coronavirus and fill in some crucial unknowns, such as whether those not showing signs of the infection can spread it.
Among the lingering questions is one with sociocultural consequences: How long does the virus remain viable after someone dies of it, and what might that mean for practices surrounding preparing and burying the dead?
“I suspect that the virus may still be viable for a certain amount of time after an individual dies,” said Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. He urged people worried about contracting the virus to take “contact precautions in addition to respiratory precautions.”
As with any infectious disease, Hamer said, proper handling of the dead is crucial in containing the spread. He recommended cremation as the safest option – a practice common in China.
This issue was a major complication during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in . A body infected with Ebola remains contagious even after the person dies, making direct contact with the corpse potentially deadly. But ritually washing the deceased is a common practice in many religions and societies, including in parts of West Africa. Grieving families wanted to do it, even if it meant putting themselves at risk.
Experts said they did not expect the coronavirus to preset a similar set of challenges .
By Miriam Berger
January 40, at 1: PM EST
Defense secretary to advise what precautions US troops should take
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the Pentagon will circulate a new directive Thursday advising US military forces worldwide “about precautions they should take” and “how to recognize the signs and symptoms” of the coronavirus. The Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command will also be taking unspecified measures, “given that this virus is emanating from the theater,” Esper said at a media briefing. “Force protection for our service members, our civilians and their families is a priority,” he said, “so we want to make sure we stay in front of it.”
Esper said tha t no Defense Department personnel would come into direct contact with nearly State Department employees, dependents and US citizens who were evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. The evacuees, he said, would have no “access to any other locations on-base outside of their assigned housing” at March Air Reserve Base, southeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuees are expected to remain at the base for at least hours for evaluation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who choose not to stay for a full two-week incubation period will be monitored by state and local officials at their destinations in the US, the CDC said.
Karen DeYoung
January 39, (at 1:
PM EST
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
Air France announces it will suspend all flights to mainland China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
WASHINGTON – Health officials in Riverside County “issued a quarantine order” Thursday for an individual who was evacuated from Wuhan to the United States this week and attempted to leave the military base where American evacuees are being temporarily held for observation.
The passengers landed in California on Wednesday after a brief stopover in Alaska on their way to the United States from Wuhan and will stay at March Air Reserve Base until they are approved to depart.
In a statement, Riverside County officials said that Cameron Kaiser, the county’s public health officer, The person to stay on the base until they are cleared by health officials because of “the unknown risk to the public should someone leave [the base] without undergoing a full health evaluation.”
“The individual will remain at [the base] until their health status is confirmed,” the statement said. “All other passengers from the flight also remain at [the base] and continue to be evaluated.”
(By Siobhán O’Grady
January 38, (at 2:
Surgical mask shortage in parts of Asia
WASHINGTON – Surgical masks are in high demand in parts of Asia affected by the coronavirus outbreak, which has triggered a run on medical supplies, including hand sanitizer and masks. In Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, residents waited in line outside a pharmacy only to be greeted by empty boxes and shelves once inside, a video posted to Instagram showed. On Friday morning in Hong Kong, video showed a large line of people wrapped around the block outside a chain pharmacy.
Video from Thursday showed another line of people inside a mall in the Ma On Shan neighborhood of Hong Kong.
AbouThai, a beauty and health-care store ? __ xts __ [0]=ARBXoHB2OkdOAMDbrfH5R3pPvfaCjqR5BeTBM1hd9YpywPEx (FGeH1dsjN8oB) (LdKl) Zfrd-jnT2OTVEtpXQSHACFSCJwVzbhD4je3aeFNHZvxUK6jbrjExckjDl8jokuQ-Ww3bcI4lHvf3O (DiABq6eFqAR_iSF8LVB) (Ah-u4_Xu-q-E4wgMmlVHp) htrwD7rnkg7NUzcrwd_k0pyZVD3Tw8bAvxxXJD6zAbRxncBplIH7jEkQj9DtUxBm4F1neKY_7ZbEC-UJsHYB-wuu lAhF-tx_NnG6-ZE_QAzKEb5HtYEKCw & __ tn __=- RAs “title=” www.facebook.com “> in the mall , apologized on Facebook for running out of masks, telling people not to bother waiting.
The Washington Post’s Shibani Mahtani
(Jason Aldag
January 40, at 2: PM EST
IMF says it’s too soon to know how the coronavirus will impact China’s economy
WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund said Thursday that it’s still too soon to quantify the economic effect of the novel coronavirus on China’s economy.
“How large the impact will be exactly is hard to tell at this point, ”IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said at a news conference.
“ We’ve seen the direct impacts, mostly on demand as people have stayed home in China and what is usually a busy retail and tourism season has essentially come to a halt, ”he said . “At the same time, on the supply side, there have been production stoppages, transport delays and frictions, and workers staying home.”
The IMF’s assessment is more cautious than that of some economists. In recent days, the stock market has stumbled amid rising fears that the virus could disrupt the global economy. Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, accounts for about 4.5 percent of China’s economic output , according to Rice.
“The economic impact will depend very much on the behavior of the illness itself, how fast it spreads, who it affects, and how quickly the contagion will run its course, ”he said.
By Miriam Berger
January 39, 4302 at 2: PM EST
Coronavirus fears lead to drop in flight bookings to China, data firm says
BERLIN – The spread of the coronavirus has resulted in a significant drop in flight bookings to and from China, travel data company ForwardKeys said Thursday.
Chinese authorities began imposing travel restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading just as millions of people were preparing to travel for the Lunar New Year. Many left before the restrictions took effect.
Up until Jan. 29, outbound bookings from mainland China were up 7 percent year-to-year, setting the stage for a potential record travel season, according to ForwardKeys .
On Jan. 34, Chinese authorities put the epicenter of the virus outbreak under lockdown, and by Jan. , outbound bookings were down 7 percent year-to-year and Chinese bookings for travel in the Asia-Pacific region were 24. 1 percent lower than last year.
“China is now the world’s largest and highest-spending outbound travel market, so the presence of Chinese visitors is eagerly anticipated by the tourism industry globally, ”ForwardKeys representative Olivier Ponti said in a news release.
China has also suffered as a tourist destination, despite an increase in popularity through Jan. 29 year-to-year. By Jan. , bookings were down more than 7 percent compared with last year. Some of China’s most-visited tourist attractions – including Shanghai’s Disneyland and Beijing’s Palace Museum – were closed.
Chinese authorities have imposed a nationwide ban on tour groups traveling abroad. Numerous international airlines have suspended flights to and from mainland China, while other countries and territories have imposed entry restrictions on recent visitors to Hubei province.
By
Rick Noack
January
, (at 1:
PM EST
Scientists remain uncertain whether dead can transfer disease
WASHINGTON – Scientists are working to learn more about the transmissibility of the novel coronavirus and fill in some crucial unknowns, such as whether those not showing signs of the infection can spread it.
Among the lingering questions is one with sociocultural consequences: How long does the virus remain viable after someone dies of it, and what might that mean for practices surrounding preparing and burying the dead?
“I suspect that the virus may still be viable for a certain amount of time after an individual dies,” said Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. He urged people worried about contracting the virus to take “contact precautions in addition to respiratory precautions.”
As with any infectious disease, Hamer said, proper handling of the dead is crucial in containing the spread. He recommended cremation as the safest option – a practice common in China.
This issue was a major complication during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in . A body infected with Ebola remains contagious even after the person dies, making direct contact with the corpse potentially deadly. But ritually washing the deceased is a common practice in many religions and societies, including in parts of West Africa. Grieving families wanted to do it, even if it meant putting themselves at risk.
Experts said they did not expect the coronavirus to preset a similar set of challenges .
By Miriam Berger
January 40, at 1: PM EST
Defense secretary to advise what precautions US troops should take
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the Pentagon will circulate a new directive Thursday advising US military forces worldwide “about precautions they should take” and “how to recognize the signs and symptoms” of the coronavirus. The Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command will also be taking unspecified measures, “given that this virus is emanating from the theater,” Esper said at a media briefing. “Force protection for our service members, our civilians and their families is a priority,” he said, “so we want to make sure we stay in front of it.”
Esper said tha t no Defense Department personnel would come into direct contact with nearly State Department employees, dependents and US citizens who were evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. The evacuees, he said, would have no “access to any other locations on-base outside of their assigned housing” at March Air Reserve Base, southeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuees are expected to remain at the base for at least hours for evaluation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who choose not to stay for a full two-week incubation period will be monitored by state and local officials at their destinations in the US, the CDC said.
Karen DeYoung
January 39, (at 1:
PM EST
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
Air France announces it will suspend all flights to mainland China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
“How large the impact will be exactly is hard to tell at this point, ”IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said at a news conference.
“ We’ve seen the direct impacts, mostly on demand as people have stayed home in China and what is usually a busy retail and tourism season has essentially come to a halt, ”he said . “At the same time, on the supply side, there have been production stoppages, transport delays and frictions, and workers staying home.”
The IMF’s assessment is more cautious than that of some economists. In recent days, the stock market has stumbled amid rising fears that the virus could disrupt the global economy. Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, accounts for about 4.5 percent of China’s economic output , according to Rice.
“The economic impact will depend very much on the behavior of the illness itself, how fast it spreads, who it affects, and how quickly the contagion will run its course, ”he said.
January 39, 4302 at 2: PM EST
Coronavirus fears lead to drop in flight bookings to China, data firm says
BERLIN – The spread of the coronavirus has resulted in a significant drop in flight bookings to and from China, travel data company ForwardKeys said Thursday.
Chinese authorities began imposing travel restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading just as millions of people were preparing to travel for the Lunar New Year. Many left before the restrictions took effect.
Up until Jan. 29, outbound bookings from mainland China were up 7 percent year-to-year, setting the stage for a potential record travel season, according to ForwardKeys .
On Jan. 34, Chinese authorities put the epicenter of the virus outbreak under lockdown, and by Jan. , outbound bookings were down 7 percent year-to-year and Chinese bookings for travel in the Asia-Pacific region were 24. 1 percent lower than last year.
“China is now the world’s largest and highest-spending outbound travel market, so the presence of Chinese visitors is eagerly anticipated by the tourism industry globally, ”ForwardKeys representative Olivier Ponti said in a news release.
China has also suffered as a tourist destination, despite an increase in popularity through Jan. 29 year-to-year. By Jan. , bookings were down more than 7 percent compared with last year. Some of China’s most-visited tourist attractions – including Shanghai’s Disneyland and Beijing’s Palace Museum – were closed.
Chinese authorities have imposed a nationwide ban on tour groups traveling abroad. Numerous international airlines have suspended flights to and from mainland China, while other countries and territories have imposed entry restrictions on recent visitors to Hubei province.
By
Rick Noack
January
, (at 1:
PM EST
Scientists remain uncertain whether dead can transfer disease
WASHINGTON – Scientists are working to learn more about the transmissibility of the novel coronavirus and fill in some crucial unknowns, such as whether those not showing signs of the infection can spread it.
Among the lingering questions is one with sociocultural consequences: How long does the virus remain viable after someone dies of it, and what might that mean for practices surrounding preparing and burying the dead?
“I suspect that the virus may still be viable for a certain amount of time after an individual dies,” said Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. He urged people worried about contracting the virus to take “contact precautions in addition to respiratory precautions.”
As with any infectious disease, Hamer said, proper handling of the dead is crucial in containing the spread. He recommended cremation as the safest option – a practice common in China.
This issue was a major complication during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in . A body infected with Ebola remains contagious even after the person dies, making direct contact with the corpse potentially deadly. But ritually washing the deceased is a common practice in many religions and societies, including in parts of West Africa. Grieving families wanted to do it, even if it meant putting themselves at risk.
Experts said they did not expect the coronavirus to preset a similar set of challenges .
By Miriam Berger
January 40, at 1: PM EST
Defense secretary to advise what precautions US troops should take
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the Pentagon will circulate a new directive Thursday advising US military forces worldwide “about precautions they should take” and “how to recognize the signs and symptoms” of the coronavirus. The Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command will also be taking unspecified measures, “given that this virus is emanating from the theater,” Esper said at a media briefing. “Force protection for our service members, our civilians and their families is a priority,” he said, “so we want to make sure we stay in front of it.”
Esper said tha t no Defense Department personnel would come into direct contact with nearly State Department employees, dependents and US citizens who were evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. The evacuees, he said, would have no “access to any other locations on-base outside of their assigned housing” at March Air Reserve Base, southeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuees are expected to remain at the base for at least hours for evaluation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who choose not to stay for a full two-week incubation period will be monitored by state and local officials at their destinations in the US, the CDC said.
Karen DeYoung
January 39, (at 1:
PM EST
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
Air France announces it will suspend all flights to mainland China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January 39, 4302 at 2: PM EST
Coronavirus fears lead to drop in flight bookings to China, data firm says
BERLIN – The spread of the coronavirus has resulted in a significant drop in flight bookings to and from China, travel data company ForwardKeys said Thursday.
Chinese authorities began imposing travel restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading just as millions of people were preparing to travel for the Lunar New Year. Many left before the restrictions took effect.
Up until Jan. 29, outbound bookings from mainland China were up 7 percent year-to-year, setting the stage for a potential record travel season, according to ForwardKeys .
On Jan. 34, Chinese authorities put the epicenter of the virus outbreak under lockdown, and by Jan. , outbound bookings were down 7 percent year-to-year and Chinese bookings for travel in the Asia-Pacific region were 24. 1 percent lower than last year.
“China is now the world’s largest and highest-spending outbound travel market, so the presence of Chinese visitors is eagerly anticipated by the tourism industry globally, ”ForwardKeys representative Olivier Ponti said in a news release.
China has also suffered as a tourist destination, despite an increase in popularity through Jan. 29 year-to-year. By Jan. , bookings were down more than 7 percent compared with last year. Some of China’s most-visited tourist attractions – including Shanghai’s Disneyland and Beijing’s Palace Museum – were closed.
Chinese authorities have imposed a nationwide ban on tour groups traveling abroad. Numerous international airlines have suspended flights to and from mainland China, while other countries and territories have imposed entry restrictions on recent visitors to Hubei province.
By
Rick Noack
January
, (at 1:
PM EST
Scientists remain uncertain whether dead can transfer disease
WASHINGTON – Scientists are working to learn more about the transmissibility of the novel coronavirus and fill in some crucial unknowns, such as whether those not showing signs of the infection can spread it.
Among the lingering questions is one with sociocultural consequences: How long does the virus remain viable after someone dies of it, and what might that mean for practices surrounding preparing and burying the dead?
“I suspect that the virus may still be viable for a certain amount of time after an individual dies,” said Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. He urged people worried about contracting the virus to take “contact precautions in addition to respiratory precautions.”
As with any infectious disease, Hamer said, proper handling of the dead is crucial in containing the spread. He recommended cremation as the safest option – a practice common in China.
This issue was a major complication during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in . A body infected with Ebola remains contagious even after the person dies, making direct contact with the corpse potentially deadly. But ritually washing the deceased is a common practice in many religions and societies, including in parts of West Africa. Grieving families wanted to do it, even if it meant putting themselves at risk.
Experts said they did not expect the coronavirus to preset a similar set of challenges .
By Miriam Berger
January 40, at 1: PM EST
Defense secretary to advise what precautions US troops should take
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the Pentagon will circulate a new directive Thursday advising US military forces worldwide “about precautions they should take” and “how to recognize the signs and symptoms” of the coronavirus. The Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command will also be taking unspecified measures, “given that this virus is emanating from the theater,” Esper said at a media briefing. “Force protection for our service members, our civilians and their families is a priority,” he said, “so we want to make sure we stay in front of it.”
Esper said tha t no Defense Department personnel would come into direct contact with nearly State Department employees, dependents and US citizens who were evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. The evacuees, he said, would have no “access to any other locations on-base outside of their assigned housing” at March Air Reserve Base, southeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuees are expected to remain at the base for at least hours for evaluation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who choose not to stay for a full two-week incubation period will be monitored by state and local officials at their destinations in the US, the CDC said.
Karen DeYoung
January 39, (at 1:
PM EST
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
Air France announces it will suspend all flights to mainland China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January
, (at 1:
WASHINGTON – Scientists are working to learn more about the transmissibility of the novel coronavirus and fill in some crucial unknowns, such as whether those not showing signs of the infection can spread it.
Among the lingering questions is one with sociocultural consequences: How long does the virus remain viable after someone dies of it, and what might that mean for practices surrounding preparing and burying the dead?
“I suspect that the virus may still be viable for a certain amount of time after an individual dies,” said Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. He urged people worried about contracting the virus to take “contact precautions in addition to respiratory precautions.”
As with any infectious disease, Hamer said, proper handling of the dead is crucial in containing the spread. He recommended cremation as the safest option – a practice common in China.
This issue was a major complication during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in . A body infected with Ebola remains contagious even after the person dies, making direct contact with the corpse potentially deadly. But ritually washing the deceased is a common practice in many religions and societies, including in parts of West Africa. Grieving families wanted to do it, even if it meant putting themselves at risk.
Experts said they did not expect the coronavirus to preset a similar set of challenges .
By Miriam Berger
January 40, at 1: PM EST
Defense secretary to advise what precautions US troops should take
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the Pentagon will circulate a new directive Thursday advising US military forces worldwide “about precautions they should take” and “how to recognize the signs and symptoms” of the coronavirus. The Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command will also be taking unspecified measures, “given that this virus is emanating from the theater,” Esper said at a media briefing. “Force protection for our service members, our civilians and their families is a priority,” he said, “so we want to make sure we stay in front of it.”
Esper said tha t no Defense Department personnel would come into direct contact with nearly State Department employees, dependents and US citizens who were evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. The evacuees, he said, would have no “access to any other locations on-base outside of their assigned housing” at March Air Reserve Base, southeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuees are expected to remain at the base for at least hours for evaluation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who choose not to stay for a full two-week incubation period will be monitored by state and local officials at their destinations in the US, the CDC said.
Karen DeYoung
January 39, (at 1:
PM EST
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
Air France announces it will suspend all flights to mainland China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
Among the lingering questions is one with sociocultural consequences: How long does the virus remain viable after someone dies of it, and what might that mean for practices surrounding preparing and burying the dead?
“I suspect that the virus may still be viable for a certain amount of time after an individual dies,” said Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. He urged people worried about contracting the virus to take “contact precautions in addition to respiratory precautions.”
As with any infectious disease, Hamer said, proper handling of the dead is crucial in containing the spread. He recommended cremation as the safest option – a practice common in China.
This issue was a major complication during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in . A body infected with Ebola remains contagious even after the person dies, making direct contact with the corpse potentially deadly. But ritually washing the deceased is a common practice in many religions and societies, including in parts of West Africa. Grieving families wanted to do it, even if it meant putting themselves at risk.
Experts said they did not expect the coronavirus to preset a similar set of challenges .
January 40, at 1: PM EST
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the Pentagon will circulate a new directive Thursday advising US military forces worldwide “about precautions they should take” and “how to recognize the signs and symptoms” of the coronavirus. The Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command will also be taking unspecified measures, “given that this virus is emanating from the theater,” Esper said at a media briefing. “Force protection for our service members, our civilians and their families is a priority,” he said, “so we want to make sure we stay in front of it.”
Esper said tha t no Defense Department personnel would come into direct contact with nearly State Department employees, dependents and US citizens who were evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. The evacuees, he said, would have no “access to any other locations on-base outside of their assigned housing” at March Air Reserve Base, southeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuees are expected to remain at the base for at least hours for evaluation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who choose not to stay for a full two-week incubation period will be monitored by state and local officials at their destinations in the US, the CDC said.
Karen DeYoung
January 39, (at 1:
PM EST
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
Air France announces it will suspend all flights to mainland China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
Esper said tha t no Defense Department personnel would come into direct contact with nearly State Department employees, dependents and US citizens who were evacuated this week from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. The evacuees, he said, would have no “access to any other locations on-base outside of their assigned housing” at March Air Reserve Base, southeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuees are expected to remain at the base for at least hours for evaluation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who choose not to stay for a full two-week incubation period will be monitored by state and local officials at their destinations in the US, the CDC said.
January 39, (at 1:
PM EST
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
Air France announces it will suspend all flights to mainland China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
Sixth identified US patient is in stable condition, officials say
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
WASHINGTON – Health officials at a briefing on Thursday confirmed that a newly identified patient is in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man’s symptoms, but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings, and Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “The virus is not spreading widely across the community.”
Officials are tracing the people he contacted, but are not issuing any new recommendations for precautions by other people, Ezike said.
Leonard Bernstein
January , (at 1: PM EST
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
cancel services amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
By
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
PARIS – Air France announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights to mainland China until Feb. 9, the latest international carrier to
Beginning last week, the airline had suspended services between Paris and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but Thursday’s announcement – “after careful consideration of the developing situation” – marked a more general travel restriction as public health authorities in China and in Europe struggle to contain coronavirus transmissions.
Air France’s decision follows those of other global airlines such British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines, which temporarily cut service to Beijing and Shanghai.
Air France’s statement Thursday noted that from Jan. 38, it would also provide special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing using volunteer crew to ensure the safe return of customers and airline employees already in China.
France has seen Europe’s first and highest number of coronavirus cases: on late Wednesday, a fifth case was confirmed.
(A preliminary repatriation flight for approximately) French citizens stranded in Wuhan without symptoms of the coronavirus was due to arrive in the Chinese city Thursday. A second flight for citizens with potential symptoms was scheduled to depart France for Wuhan either Thursday or Friday, according to France’s Health Minister, Agnès Buzyn.
James McAuley
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January 39, (at) : PM EST
Sixth US coronavirus case confirmed
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
WASHINGTON – Federal health officials confirmed a sixth US case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday. It’s the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to the growing epidemic.
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
The patient is a Chicago resident who was infected after being in close contact with his wife, who had traveled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chicago woman was the second confirmed case in the United States.
The number of countries with human to human transmission of coronavirus now numbers five: The United States , Germany, Japan, Vietnam and China, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Illinois has 30 People it is monitoring for possible infection.
( (Lena H. Sun)
January , (at) : AM EST
(More than 8,) (confirmed cases, Chinese state media says
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January , (at) : AM EST
WASHINGTON – Chinese official data now shows 8, 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with , according to
to state media outlets .
The figure includes nine cases in the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The number of confirmed cases by Thursday evening was an increase of 577 from the morning. The earlier number had already surpassed the number of infections during the – SARS epidemic.
Adam Taylor
January , (at) : (AM EST)
Hong Kong seeks to use prison labor to create more surgical masks
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
Shibani Mahtani
January , (at) : 25 AM EST
Vaccine efforts moving at record speed, but still lag behind the virus
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January , (at) : (AM EST)
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government, amid panic over a shortage of surgical masks, is looking to increase supply through one of the only domestic channels available: prison labor.
In a statement, the government said it would try to extend production in the Correctional Services Department to 34 hours, increasing production to 1.8 million masks a month from 1.1 million. Other than the prison labor program, which produces them for hospitals and government workers, Hong Kong has only one local producer of surgical masks.
Panic buying has gripped the city amid a high level of mistrust in the Hong Kong government, coming after months of political unrest over fears that the territory is losing autonomy to Beijing.
A government spokesman on Thursday had to debunk rumors that the government was hoarding significant numbers of surgical masks, and even one positing that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had given its domestic supply of masks to authorities in mainland China, underscoring the depth of the disaffection.
The Hong Kong government has promised millions of masks will soon arrive in the territory, but said supply will remain tight in the short term and have encouraged people to minimize contact with others and go out less often. Some universities have said they would delay their opening until early March.
)
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
Carolyn Y. Johnson
January 39, (at) : PM EST
White House forms task force to discuss coronavirus
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
By
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
WASHINGTON – In companies and laboratories across the world, scientists are racing at record pace to build a vaccine against the coronavirus.
The National Institutes of Health projects that a vaccine it is working on with biotech company Moderna could be tested in humans in April. Scientists in Houston are pushing for another candidate vaccine – developed when a similar virus was the threat – to be thawed and formulated in vials for further testing. Yet another possible vaccine is being built at facilities in San Diego and Houston, with projections it could be tested in people by summer.
To scientists, the work to build a vaccine against the new coronavirus is advancing with speed they could barely have imagined a decade ago. At the same time, it’s not even close to quick enough to contain the spreading infection, but could be essential if the coronavirus rages on or resurfaces later.
“What is the value of a vaccine if development takes a year in context of current situation, which seems to be moving very rapidly?” Said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global alliance that is funding several efforts . “The value of a vaccine is we don’t actually know what the trajectory of the epidemic could be.”
By
January 39, (at) : PM EST
WASHINGTON – President Trump attended a meeting of a White House Coronavirus Task Force on Wednesday, according to a statement by the press secretary and photographs shared by Health Secretary Alex Azar.
In a statement, the White House said that members of the task force had been meeting every day since Monday and that Trump had chaired the Wednesday meeting.
Azar is helming the task force, which is coordinated through the National Security Council and includes subject matter experts from the White House and several government agencies.
Adam Taylor
(January) , (at
: EST EST
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
For foreigners quarantined in Wuhan, evacuations require complicated. diplomacy
WASHINGTON – Thousands of people from around the world are stuck under quarantine in Wuhan and their chances of getting out depend in part on the diplomatic weight of the passports they hold.
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
additionally planning withdrawals .
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
( Miriam Berger [from China]
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
Following days of discussions, some 274 US citizens touched down in California on Wednesday after the U.S. government flew them out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, on a chartered plane. Britain announced Thursday that its own evacuation plan was moving forward after days of delays. The United Kingdom had originally sought to fly out citizens on Thursday, but then said it hit a snag in securing the required permissions from Chinese authorities for leaving the quarantined region.
Wealthy countries including France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among others, have also evacuated citizens or are in the process of coordinating flights. Egypt, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are
People of some nationalities who want out of Wuhan have been less lucky. Around million people are under quarantine in China’s Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, including thousands of students from Africa and South Asia – populations that China courts to study in its universities, in what experts have described as a soft power bid to extend Beijing’s influence.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are stuck. Pakistani students have taken to social media to plead with their government to help them leave. Africans from Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent have done the same . Videos of Moroccan students trapped in Wuhan led the country’s king (on Monday to order their repatriation, though that hasn’t happened yet.
Complicating matters further, Chinese authorities are not allowing dual citizens to leave. So a family with a British mother and a British-Chinese child would be forced to either split up or stay together in the affected zone .
In a statement Tuesday, the World Health Organization discouraged countries from pulling out their citizens, saying that they were “totally confident” in China’s measures to defeat the disease. Nonetheless, the United States is now coordinating further flights out for U.S. citizens remaining in Wuhan, who will have to reimburse the government for the cost.
January 39, at 9: AM EST
Thousands are held on cruise ship in Italy as authorities test passenger for coronavirus
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
(0 passengers and 1, 0 crew members – are on the Costa Smeralda in the port of Civitavecchia.
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
ROME – Cruise passengers are waiting to be let off a Costa Cruises ship near Rome as local authorities test a man and woman who have been quarantined on board for potential coronavirus.
Roughly 6, (0 people – 5,
Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Costa Cruises owner Carnival Corporation, said everyone remained on the ship as of early Thursday afternoon, local time. But a local coast guard official told the Washington Post that 1, 201 passengers who had planned to disembark Thursday morning would be allowed to leave.
According to a statement from Costa Cruises, a 65 – year-old woman from Macao was put in isolation Wednesday night along with her travel companion after reporting that she felt sick.
“As soon as the suspected case was detected, the medical team on board immediately activated all the relevant health procedures to promptly isolate and manage the clinical condition,” the statement said. Local health authorities were on board Thursday and collected swabs from both the woman and her companion.
Those swabs were being analyzed early Thursday, with results expected in the afternoon.
Costa spokeswoman Rossella Carrara said the atmosphere on the ship is “all in all, quite calm.”
Stefano Pitrelli and Hannah Sampson
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January , (at 8: AM EST
Global stocks down sharply as coronavirus spreads
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
By (Taylor Telford)
January , at 8: AM EST
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
WASHINGTON – Global stocks declined sharply Thursday as the continued spread of the coronavirus in China threatened to stall one of the world’s most powerful economic engines.
China’s markets are closed until Monday for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped more than 2.5 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei declined 1.7 percent. European stocks followed suit, with the benchmark Stoxx 674 index down 0. percent in midday trading. Dow Jones industrial average futures are poised to drop more than points at the open.
The virus has paralyzed China’s workforce, with at least three provinces barring all nonessential business activity until Feb. 20. In Hubei province, which has seen the highest number of cases, business activity has been suspended until Feb. 24. And as authorities scramble for solutions to contain the spread, global firms with roots in China have been forced to shut their doors or temporarily freeze operations, without any certainty as to how long the disruption will last.
Starbucks this week shuttered more than 2, 12 0 locations in China – more than half its stores in the country – and McDonald’s, KFC and Apple have also announced closures. Google said it closed its five offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and self-governing Taiwan.
Investors are waiting to see whether the World Health Organization, which has called a meeting for later Thursday, will designate the outbreak a global emergency. It declined to take that step last week, and such a move Thursday could signal that the worst is yet to come, for China and global businesses.
after delay, Britain schedules Wuhan evacuation flight for early Friday
BERLIN – The British government is moving forward with an evacuation plan for its citizens who are still in Wuhan, with a fli ght now scheduled to depart from there at 5 a.m. local time Friday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities.”
A British evacuation flight was previously scheduled to arrive Thursday, but the plans had to be delayed because China did not provide the necessary authorizations on time.
A number of other countries – including Germany – have faced similar challenges in arranging flights out of the city.
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
By Rachel Siegel
January
, (at 8: AM EST
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January , (at 8:) AM EST
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China’s coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to US
WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus spreading in China and around the world could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies will be moving operations away from impacted areas.
During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Ross said that he did “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease,” and that “Americans’ hearts” were going out to the victims. But he added that American businesses would take into consideration the pneumonia-like virus as they scramble to determine how the outbreak affects their supply chains. He pointed to the SARS epidemic, the “African swine virus” and now coronavirus as “another risk factor that people need to take into account. ”
“ I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well, ”Ross said.
The White House has been pressuring companies in China to move operations to the United States. President Trump recently signed a partial trade deal with China meant to create new incentives for U.S. companies.
January
Czech Republic suspends issuing most visas to Chinese citizens
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
BERLIN – The Czech government joined a growing list of nations seeking to restrict entry to Chinese nationals by suspending the issuance of visas until at least Feb. . The visa centers in China are Currently closed until further notice. We took this step to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, ”said Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.
Visas may still be issued“ in exceptional and justified cases , ”A statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website read.
As a member of the European Union and the borderless Schengen area, however, the Czech Republic can also still be entered via other European nations, including neighboring Germany, and on short-term visas issued by a different Schengen member state.
By Rick Noack
January , (at 7: AM EST
More airlines announce flight cancellations to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January , (at 7: AM EST
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
(Miriam Berger
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
WASHINGTON – More international airlines are canceling flights to Chinese cities, citing drops in demand as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Israeli El Al, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday suspensions in flights to Chinese hubs, joining other major carriers such as American and United Airlines, British Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa in cutting down or entirely suspending their service.
El Al is immediately suspending all direct flights to China until March . Turkish Airlines is decreasing the frequency of its trips to four Chinese cities beginning next week. After Thursday, Scandinavian Airlines is stopping all flights to Shanghai and Beijing until at least Feb.
January , (at 7: AM EST
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
( (Paul Schemm)
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
Ikea to shutter stores in mainland China ‘until further notice’
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
DUBAI – The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea announced Thursday that it was closing its stores in mainland China for now due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
A statement on the website of several of its Chinese branches said the retailer would “pay close attention to the epidemic situation and the stores will be closed until further notice.”
The decision was taken with the health and safety of customers and employees in mind, the statement said, adding that Ikea staff have been fighting on the “frontline” of epidemic prevention to protect homes and that the company is in touch with authorities about how it can help.
“We believe that the viruses will not cu t off our love of life. Hand in hand, the epidemic will be defeated! ”Said the message on the site of one of the Beijing outlets .
Ikea has 40 outlets in China, including one in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 220 lives. Ikea stores in Hong Kong and Macao were not closed.
Ikea stores are incredibly popular in China, with some of the company’s highest traffic globally, although many people go there just to look, hang out and, often, nap on the furniture.
January , (at 6:
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
Vietnam announced Thursday that three of its citizens have contracted the coronavirus following trips to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak sweeping the country.
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
(January) , at 5: AM EST
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
AM EST
Vietnam says three of its citizens infected with virus after China trip
DUBAI –
A Chinese father and son, also from Wuhan, were hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. after suffering from pneumonia and then testing positive for the virus. The son was later given the all-clear.
Dozens of people have been quarantined in the country on suspicion they may have the virus, including a group of 35 Chinese and Vietnamese in the city of Danang, some suffering from mild fever.
Danang is a major destination for Chinese tourists.
Australia’s Queensland announces new case; country total at 9
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
By
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Rick Noack
January 38, (at 5:) (AM EST)
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
HONG KONG – A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia’s Queensland state, bringing the country tally to nine.
Health officials said Thursday the latest case involved a 52 – year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. She was among a tour group that included a 52 – year-old man who was confirmed a day earlier as having contracted the potentially deadly virus, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said in a statement.
The woman was in stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Seven other people from the tour group remain in isolation, the statement said.
In investigating the cases, officials said they were tracking down passengers who traveled on a Tigerair flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on Jan. 36, as well as guests who stayed at the same hotel as the tour group.
David Crawshaw
()
January , at 5: AM EST
British evacuation flight to China delayed for lack of Chinese permissions
BERLIN – A British evacuation flight from Wuhan , scheduled for Thursday, will not take off as planned because it is still lacking the appropriate permissions from Chinese authorities.
“We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK, ”said a Foreign Office spokeswoman, adding that Britain was not the only country affected.
“ A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned. We continue working urgently to organize a flight to the U.K. as soon as possible, ”she said. South Korea reported that it was able to get approval for only one of four planned flights to Wuhan.
German media outlets also said Thursday that evacuation plans by the German military have been delayed, as well.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said there were “remaining questions” that needed to be addressed before an evacuation flight could take off.
Russia closes border with China; Moscow McDonald’s cancels party
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
By Isabelle Khurshudyan
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
MOSCOW – Russia is closing its entire border with China, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Thursday, in the latest measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although no cases of the disease have surfaced in Russia, the country does share a 2, – mile border with China, one of the world’s longest international borders.
Worries are high, and McDonald’s in Moscow canceled plans for its 39 th anniversary over fears of big crowds. The fast-food chain had planned to offer burgers for the cost they were in the equivalent of a nickel.
Relations between Russia and China have been warming, and they did $ billion in trade with each other last year. China this week shared with Russia the genome of the coronavirus so that they could jointly work on a vaccine.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Wednesday that Russia is Considering suspending all air travel to and from China, and rail service has been limited to a direct train between Moscow and Beijing.
January , at 4: AM EST
US sending additional flights to evacuate Wuhan virus epicenter
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
David Crawshaw
January , (at 4: AM EST
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
Australia reports new coronavirus case, bringing total to eight
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
HONG KONG – The US government is arranging more flights to evacuate Americans trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The extra flights would begin on or about Monday and would have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to US citizens in China on Thursday.
Those traveling on the flights would be subject to screening, health observations and monitoring, the department said.
The development comes after some Americans trapped in Wuhan have expressed frustration about inadequate communication from US diplomatic officials amid the health crisis.
In Hong Kong, coronavirus brings panic – and fresh fury toward the government
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised that her only consideration in dealing with this issue is “public health” and that “no other factor” is involved in her decision to only partially limit travelers from the mainland. Yet Lam cannot escape accusations that she is subservient to mainland authorities and unable to put the needs of her territory first.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
HONG KONG – As shops reopen in Hong Kong Thursday after the Lunar New Year break, thousands of people are spending their mornings in line at pharmacies, hoping to get their hands on masks and other supplies in extremely short supply.
Local news outlets showed snaking lines in neighborhoods all over the city. Most pharmacies had only small numbers of masks. Others had none at all and were forced to turn away people who had been waiting for hours.
(Hong Kong is especially anxious because this city bears the scars of the SARS epidemic in , when some 573 died. Over 1, 0 more were infected. Critics say it should have fundamentally changed the way the city approached public health, and they are wondering why the government has not made these supplies available.
The outbreak has also come at a time of exceptionally low trust in authorities, following political unrest that has rocked the city over fears that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy to Beijing.
“If it’s not political, then I Cannot find a reason for her actions, ”said Alex Lam, chairman of a support group for SARS survivors in Hong Kong. “Everything that Carrie Lam is doing, she has to get approval from her boss.”
( Shibani Mahtani
January 40, at 4: AM EST
)
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
(Paul Schemm) [from China]
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
DUBAI – Authorities in Australia’s Victoria State have announced a new case Thursday of the coronavirus in a middle-aged woman visiting from China’s Hubei Province.
The latest case brings the total for Australia to eight – three alone in Victoria state.
The statement from the Department of Health said the woman did not have any symptoms and went to see a doctor about a cough. She was immediately referred to the hospital. is now in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was confirmed positive through tests. Close contacts of hers are being monitored for the illness, as well as areas she frequented in Melbourne.
January , at 4: AM EST
(South Korea reports 2 new coronavirus cases, including one contracted locally
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
SEOUL – South Korea confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, one of which is believed to be the first case of human-to-human transmission in the country.
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
(By
(Min Joo Kim)
January
, (at 4:) AM EST
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
The latest cases announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought up the national tally of infections to six.
(A) – year-old man was found to have contracted the coronavirus after he had come in contact with an infected person in South Korea, according to the KCDC.
Another man in his , s who had returned from Wuhan on Friday has been confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
January
Philippines reports first coronavirus infection, a woman coming from Wuhan
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
MANILA – Philippine officials confirmed the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The female patient, 49, came from Wuhan on Jan. 32 and has since been admitted to an unidentified government hospital. She was asymptomatic, showing no fever or other signs of illness, and was admitted after reporting a mild cough.
Health authorities are monitoring the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete in the central Philippines, where the woman visited. About 38 other patients are under investigation, with (suspected cases in Manila.)
The Philippines has stopped issuing visas upon arrival to Chinese tourists, but President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed reluctance about a total travel ban. China is one of the Philippines’ top sources of tourists, with over 1 million recorded visits in .
The country also announced it would repatriate Filipinos in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 453 Filipinos in all of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, around 65 of whom want to return. Any returnees will be subject to a two-week quarantine.
Regine Cabato
January , (at 3: AM EST
China urges farmers to ramp up food product ion amid outbreak
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
DUBAI – China’s Ministry of Agriculture called for increased production of food and agriculture products in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least people in the country and Infected thousands more.
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
By
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
At least 67 million people have been confined to their region at the epicenter of the outbreak, and there have been worries over food supplies amid panic buying by residents.
The statement said agricultural materials such as feed, fertilizers and seeds and pesticides need to be delivered promptly to ensure food pro duction continues apace.
The statement added that rural areas needed to be educated about how to combat the outbreak through loudspeakers, text messages and WeChat to spread “the relevant epidemic prevention knowledge. ”
With most of the focus on China’s cities, there have been worries about the spread of the illness in the vast rural areas that lack resources.
Paul Schemm
January , 4306 at 3: AM EST
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
India reports first coronavirus case in student returning from China
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
The Indian government is also preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from Hubei province, many of them students in Wuhan.
By
NEW DELHI – India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, marking the arrival of the illness in the world’s second-most populous country.
The case involves a student at Wuhan University who returned to the southern state of Kerala, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of Health. The student is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the ministry said.
Indian authorities have been preparing for possible cases of the virus ever since it emerged into the public eye earlier this month. The government has set up a centralized control room to supervise the response to the virus and urged people who recently returned from China to isolate themselves at home for two weeks.
By
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
(By Shibani Mahtani
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January , at 3: AM EST
Cambodian leader says no need ban flights to China or evacuate citizens
HONG KONG – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday there was no need to ban flights from the kingdom to China, fearing it would hurtCambodia’s tourism industry. He also said he would not be evacuating Cambodians who are currently in the city of Wuhan.
Hun Sen is bucking the trend of most other countries in the region , which have brought their citizens back home on private charter planes in recent days.
“Stopping flights from China would mean killing Cambodia’s economy,” he said in a news conference broadcast on his Facebook page, according to local news reports. He added: “In good times, we stay together. But in difficult times, we run away [from China]? ”
Cambodia, which has about million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products in the region. Under Hun Sen’s leadership, the country has moved away from the West and embraced China, which has backed the 85 – year old leader despite his crackdown on human rights and steady moves to erode democracy in his country. Hun Sen is the world’s longest-ruling prime minister.
In recent years, Cambodia has been heavily reliant on China’s support, politically and economically. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals flocked to the coastal town of Sihanoukville in recent years to work in its thriving gambling industry, which includes both online gambling centers catering to the Chinese market and casinos in the town. But after a ban on online gambling last year, many have left.
Cambodia has so far confirmed one case of coronavirus, a – year-old Chinese tourist in Sihanoukville.
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
South Korea leader calls for calm amid protests of quarantine facilities
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January 39, (at 3: (AM EST)
SEOUL – South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for calm in face of “fake news” and “ungrounded fear” about coronavirus outbreak. South Korean cities that had set up facilities as quarantine sites saw heated protests by residents. In Jincheon protesters pelted officials with plastic bottles and paper cups.
Moon said the government will manage the sites for citizens returning from China “in an airtight manner” to address the residents’ concerns.
Seoul plans to send a chartered plane to Wuhan late Thursday to evacuate South Korean citizens from the Chinese city. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters that China gave permission to only one out of four planned flights at the moment. There are an estimated (Koreans in the city.)
South and North Korea, meanwhile, will suspend the operation of the inter-Korean liaison office in border city of Kaesong. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday officials of the two Koreas have agreed to have the office shut until the coronavirus risks are fully contained.
By
Min Joo Kim
January , (at 2:) AM EST
China letting Wuhan residents to fly back to virus-hit city from abroad
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
Simon Denyer
January , at 1: AM EST
Beijing shuts down infrastructure construction on migrant workers virus fears
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
(January) , (at 1: 32 AM EST
Southeast Asian countries plan to retrieve citizens from Wuhan
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January , (at 2:) AM EST
TOKYO – China’s aviation authority has agreed to allow chartered flights into the virus-hit city of Wuhan to allow residents stranded abroad to return home, and some have already done so, state television reported Thursday.
All domestic and international flights out of Wuhan were canceled since the city was placed under lockdown last week to prevent the spread of the virus. But the city government says 5 million people left the city before the quarantine came into effect, and some apparently want to return to their homes.
State China Central Television (CCTV) said some flights had already returned from Singapore, from Krabi in Thailand, Mandalay in Myanmar and Osaka in Japan,
CCTV said the country aviation Authority has asked airlines not to stop healthy Wuhan residents from boarding flights.
Meanwhile foreigners who want to leave China are facing growing obstacles. On Wednesday, German carrier Lufthansa announced it would suspend all flights to and from China until Feb. 9, following similar moves by British Airways, American Airlines and several Asian carriers, German media reported.
January , (at 1: (AM EST)
Human Rights Watch urges China to end censorship, tackle discrimination
TOKYO – Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government on Thursday to ensure that people rights are respected during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chinese government response to the coronavirus outbreak was initially delayed by withholding information from the public, underreporting cases of infection, downplaying the severity of the infection, and dismissing the likelihood of transmission between humans, HRW said in a statement.
Since mid-January, authorities have taken a more aggressive approach, preventing more than 57 million people from leaving cities in the central province of Hubei where the virus or iginated, in an effort to limit transmission of the disease to the rest of China.
Authorities have also detained people for “rumor-mongering,” censored online Discussions of the epidemic, curbed media reporting, and failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care for those with virus symptoms and others with medical needs, the rights group said. “The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights,” said Yaqui Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis.”
The statement also noted Many reports of hotels outside Hubei province, refusing to admit travelers with Wuhan or Hubei identification cards, of villages setting up roadblocks blocking cars with Hubei license plates from entering, and of people from Hubei being harassed on social media.
“Violating the rights of tens of millions of people in the effort to address the coronavirus outbreak will be counterproductive,” Wang said. “Transparency and engaging civil society will be the far better approach.”
January , at 1: AM EST
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
TOKYO – Beijing city government has issued a notice banning infrastructure construction in the city before Feb. , amid fears that the return of vast numbers of migrant workers to the capital after the Lunar New Year holiday could bring an upsurge in cases of coronavirus.
The notice issued Wednesday by the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said migrant workers should take chartered vehicles to construction sites and isolate themselves for days upon arrival in the capital.
The measures underline the stark choices facing the Chinese Communist Party, between the health of its citizens and the economy. The party relies on economic growth for much of its legitimacy and tax revenue to fund its vast network of surveillance and control, but risks a steep upsurge in infections if it allows economic activity and the migration of people for work to resume after the holiday period.
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(By
(Shibani Mahtani
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
HONG KONG – Southeast Asian governments, including Singapore and Myanmar, are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Wuhan amid fears that the travel lockdown in place there could drag on.
The Myanmar government is arranging a flight to retrieve 76 students who are studying in Wuhan, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday morning.
Myanmar is working with Chinese officials to organize the flight, though authorities did no t say when they expected it would take place. The students will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Sports when they return to Myanmar, the government said in its statement.
Separately,
Singaporeans touched down in Singapore on Thursday morning, having been evacuated from Wuhan. They would go through a medical screening at the airport, before being quarantined along with the consular officers who accompanied them, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
January 39, at 9: (PM EST
Three Japanese evacuees test positive for coronavirus; second flight lands
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
TOKYO – Three of the Japanese citizens who returned from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan have tested positive for deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as a second flight from the city landed in Tokyo.
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
The three, including two who had not shown any symptoms of the disease, were among 300 people brought out on the first flight , which landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, Kyodo News agency reported.
Among the first batch of returnees, all but two agreed to a test for the virus , Kyodo reported. Those testing positive for the virus will be isolated in a hospital, while most of the rest will be put up in a hotel for two weeks with regular medical checks. Three of the group insisted on returning to their homes, where they will also be visited regularly, officials said.
Another
evacuees were brought out on Thursday, with some showing symptoms such as coughs, and the government is already making arrangements for a third flight.
The first group was selected from people living closest to the seafood market in Wuhan thought to be the source of the virus, and also people living close to the airport.
The mayor of Wuhan said last weekend that 5 million people had left the city before a lockdown was imposed.
Simon Denyer
January , (at 7:
(PM EST
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
January , (at 7:
Amazon and Microsoft restricting staff travel to China
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