by Summary for 4th March
A teenager among a crowd of away fans at the game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was infected with coronavirus, Israel's health ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
The teenager is believed to have contracted the virus from the manager of a toy store who had visited Italy and earlier tested positive.
"He is currently in isolation in his room and hasn't been in contact with the rest of the household [since testing positive]," the boy's mother said, adding that her son had a stuffy nose and a cough, but no fever.
The health ministry initially requested that thousands of fans at the match be quarantined, but limited the number following an outcry.
Flight bookings have slumped in recent weeks as anxiety increases about the rapid spread of coronavirus, prompting dozens of airlines - including British Airways and Delta - to suspend change fees to encourage passengers to continue travelling.
Virgin said the new measures would allow passengers "the option to change their flight at a later date, without incurring a fee".
“I think that is the right thing. Nobody should be penalised for doing the right thing,” Prime Minister Johnson told parliament.
No word yet on how the government might help those who are self-employed or on zero-hours contracts, who may not qualify for sick pay.
Mr Johnson said "a great many" will be entitled to statutory sick pay.
"Others will be entitled to help through existing systems such as universal credit."
Find out more.
Last week, they took the unprecedented step of barring foreigners from performing pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina.
The Umra is an extra, optional pilgrimage. Although it includes some of the rituals of the most important pilgrimage, the Hajj, they are shortened and there are fewer of them.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia reported its first case of Covid-19 - a Saudi man who had travelled to Iran, the centre of the outbreak in the Middle East.
France closes schools near Paris
France has closed about 120 schools in areas with the largest numbers of coronavirus infection.
Both primary and secondary schools have been shut in an area north of Paris where the main cluster of French cases has emerged and where two people who have died of the virus lived.
The closures affect about 35,000 pupils, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told LCI television.
The man, a member of staff at the European Defence Agency (EDA), had recently returned from a trip to Italy, media network Euractiv reports.
Dana Spinant, deputy chief spokeswoman of the European Commission, told AFP news agency: "We have confirmation of the case."
A spokeswoman for the EDA has denied reports that the official, who has not been named, had attended a lengthy meeting with about 30 other EU members of staff in Brussels before he was diagnosed.
All meetings at the EU headquarters in the city have been cancelled until 13 March.
Number of coronavirus cases in the UK rises to 87.
- Schools and universities in Italy will remain closed until mid March
- Iran reports 15 new deaths from the virus, bringing the total there to 92
- Hospitals in the UK are asked to carry out consultations by video link to reduce the risk of infection
- World Bank announces $12bn aid package for developing countries struggling with the virus
- Chile and Argentina report their first cases of coronavirus
- Hong Kong sends two chartered flights to repatriate citizens from Wuhan, where the outbreak began
- India limits the export of certain medicines, prompting fears of global shortages of common drugs
Israel quarantines football fans
Dozens of people who attended a football match last week in Tel Aviv, Israel, have been ordered to self-quarantine, Israeli news website Ynet reports.A teenager among a crowd of away fans at the game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was infected with coronavirus, Israel's health ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
The teenager is believed to have contracted the virus from the manager of a toy store who had visited Italy and earlier tested positive.
"He is currently in isolation in his room and hasn't been in contact with the rest of the household [since testing positive]," the boy's mother said, adding that her son had a stuffy nose and a cough, but no fever.
The health ministry initially requested that thousands of fans at the match be quarantined, but limited the number following an outcry.
Virgin offers 'free flight changes'
Virgin Atlantic has said it will waive flight change fees for new bookings in March to give passengers more flexibility during the coronavirus crisis.Flight bookings have slumped in recent weeks as anxiety increases about the rapid spread of coronavirus, prompting dozens of airlines - including British Airways and Delta - to suspend change fees to encourage passengers to continue travelling.
Virgin said the new measures would allow passengers "the option to change their flight at a later date, without incurring a fee".
UK to make changes to sick pay amid self-isolation fears
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the government will "bring forward measures to allow the payment of statutory sick pay from the very first day you are sick instead of four days under the current rules".“I think that is the right thing. Nobody should be penalised for doing the right thing,” Prime Minister Johnson told parliament.
No word yet on how the government might help those who are self-employed or on zero-hours contracts, who may not qualify for sick pay.
Mr Johnson said "a great many" will be entitled to statutory sick pay.
"Others will be entitled to help through existing systems such as universal credit."
Find out more.
Saudi Arabia suspends pilgrimages for citizens and residents
The authorities in Saudi Arabia have announced the temporary suspension of the lesser Muslim pilgrimage, or Umra, for Saudi citizens and residents of the Gulf kingdom as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus disease, state media report.Last week, they took the unprecedented step of barring foreigners from performing pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina.
The Umra is an extra, optional pilgrimage. Although it includes some of the rituals of the most important pilgrimage, the Hajj, they are shortened and there are fewer of them.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia reported its first case of Covid-19 - a Saudi man who had travelled to Iran, the centre of the outbreak in the Middle East.
France closes schools near Paris
France has closed about 120 schools in areas with the largest numbers of coronavirus infection.
Both primary and secondary schools have been shut in an area north of Paris where the main cluster of French cases has emerged and where two people who have died of the virus lived.
The closures affect about 35,000 pupils, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told LCI television.
EU official in Brussels tests positive
An EU official in Brussels has tested positive for the new coronavirus.The man, a member of staff at the European Defence Agency (EDA), had recently returned from a trip to Italy, media network Euractiv reports.
Dana Spinant, deputy chief spokeswoman of the European Commission, told AFP news agency: "We have confirmation of the case."
A spokeswoman for the EDA has denied reports that the official, who has not been named, had attended a lengthy meeting with about 30 other EU members of staff in Brussels before he was diagnosed.
All meetings at the EU headquarters in the city have been cancelled until 13 March.
Number of coronavirus cases in the UK rises to 87.
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