Philippines cases pass 500
The Philippine health ministry on Tuesday confirmed 39 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the country’s total to 501.
The number of patients who have died from the virus is 33. There were 19 people who have recovered from the infection, the health undersecretary, Maria Rosario Vergeire, has said.
Updated
More from New Zealand now. The minister of foreign affairs Winston Peters has encouraged tens of thousands of Kiwis stuck overseas to “shelter in place”, as the government was in not certain it could get them home, due to the global health crisis evolving too rapidly.
“Since 18 March, we have been warning New Zealanders offshore that the window for flying home was closing,” Peters said. “A week later, it has now almost completely closed.”
“It has become very difficult to return to New Zealand from all around the world,” he said. Peters continued:
Many of the hubs we usually rely on to get home are no longer available, as countries such as Singapore prevent transits by foreign nationals through their airports. We must recognise that measures like these are part of the international effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.
We are reaching a point where the best option for most New Zealanders offshore is to shelter in place, by preparing to safely stay where they are. This includes following the instructions of the local authorities and the advice of the World Health Organisation.
Those few Kiwis who still have the option to return to New Zealand should continue to work with their airlines to seek flights as a matter of absolute urgency.
The feasibility of Government-assisted departure flights is being considered, but there are no guarantees these will be possible in the extremely complex and rapidly changing global situation.
Beijing’s city government is further strengthening quarantine rules for individuals who arrive in China from overseas, as the Chinese capital seeks to minimise coronavirus-related risks, Beijing Daily reported on Tuesday.
The paper, the official publication of the city’s Communist Party organisation, said all people entering the Chinese capital will be subject to centralised quarantine and testing for the coronavirus.
Those who entered the city and have travelled from overseas to China in the past 14 days will also be subject to the measures.
New Zealand: coronavirus cases almost double in one day as lockdown nears
Just over 24 hours before New Zealand is due to enter full lockdown, 40 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed, bring the country’s total to 155.
Four of the cases were confirmed as contracted through community transmission and six people were in hospital, but none in intensive care, said the director general of health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
The increase in cases came as New Zealand prepared to enter a month-long lockdown and panic buying occurred across the country. Following the prime minister’s announcement on Monday New Zealanders bought enough food to feed 10 million people, the Countdown supermarket said, despite being a nation of fewer than 5 million.
Police were called in to break up fights at supermarkets, despite the prime minister repeatedly calling for “kindness” and calm. Long lines formed outside gun and hunting shops, with some New Zealanders – even in urban areas – appearing to stockpile weapons and ammunition.
South Korea reported 76 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, maintaining a downward trend in new infections which raised hopes that Asia’s largest outbreak outside China may be slowing.
The daily tally brought the country’s total infections to 9,037, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The death toll rose by two to 120.
It marked the 13th day in a row the country has posted new infections of around 100 or less. South Korea reported its lowest number of new cases on Monday since with the peak of 909 cases recorded on 29 February.
Myanmar confirms first two cases
Myanmar reported its first confirmed cases of coronavirus in two men who had recently travelled to the United States and the United Kingdom, Reuters reports.
The country had been the most populous country in the world to say it had no cases, despite sharing a long and porous border with China, where the virus originated in the city of Wuhan.
The health ministry said a 36-year-old travelling from the United States and 26-year-old returning from Britain, both Myanmar nationals, had tested positive.
“Investigation is ongoing on history of people who have been in contact with these two patients,” it said in a statement late on Monday.
Myanmar last week closed land borders and banned mass gatherings, including for the upcoming Buddhist New Year. Cinemas have been closed, though bars and restaurants remain open.
Government spokesman Zaw Htay told a news conference earlier this month that the “lifestyle and diet of Myanmar citizens” had protected the country against the virus, while others credited the country’s Buddhist religion.
Some doctors say they fear a major outbreak though in a country with a health system ranked among the world’s worst after decades of neglect under military rule. Many services are run by volunteers and aid groups.
Two doctors told Reuters a likely explanation for the lack of cases in Myanmar was limited testing. Myanmar had carried out around 300 tests as of Monday evening, in a population of 51 million, according to health ministry spokeswoman Khin Khin Gyi.
In Argentina, riots in several jails have resulted in at least one death and five wounded.
On Monday, over one thousand prisoners revolted, demanding the improvement of sanitary conditions to prevent the spread of coronavirus within the prison population. Flames were seen rising from the prison at Coronda in Santa Fe province.
Radio AN24
(@RadioAN24)#Argentina Gravísimos motines en las cárceles santafecinas de Las Flores y Coronda. Hay incendios, toma de rehenes y enfrentamientos armados con los guardias.#SantaFe#Motin#Carceles pic.twitter.com/BDee4sjbWf
There were riots also at several prisons in the provinces of Córdoba and Buenos Aires and in the capital city of Buenos Aires.
There were 36 new cases of coronavirus reported in Argentina Monday, bringing the total to 301 with four deaths so far. But the lack of widespread testing with only one testing facility operational for the whole country of 45 million people suggests the actual number could be far higher. Only persons with severe symptoms or returning from high-risk countries such as Spain, Italy or the US, are being tested so far.
Press reports meanwhile indicate that Argentina will extend its mandatory nationwide quarantine beyond its original March 31 deadline, until at least the end of the Easter holidays in April.
We’ll be moving away from US developments now for a moment.
In Tokyo Olympics news – though there is still no official announcement that the games have been postponed, Japanese Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto has told reporters that the world needs to put an end to the coronavirus before the Tokyo Games can be held in their “complete form”.
“I believe the Tokyo Games cannot move toward the ‘complete form’ that the prime minister [Shinzo Abe] has mentioned as long as countries of the world have not put an end to the coronavirus,” Hashimoto said.
“So, it’s first and foremost for us to join forces and respond firmly for putting an end to the coronavirus,” she said.
