by Summary for 19th March
A lot has happened in the past 24 hours as the world tries to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
Here is an overview of the latest key developments:
Also, should you have any questions about coronavirus, we're running a separate live page, where BBC experts are offering their expertise. You can visit the live page here .
Local police chief Nehemiah Bitok confirmed the death to the BBC and said no arrests had been made so far and investigations were under way.
He said the attackers had accused the victim of having coronavirus.
The attack took place in the fishing village of Msambweni in Kwale county, an area on the coast popular with tourists because of its sandy, white beaches.
the man was attacked on his way home at around 21:00 local time on Tuesday (1800 GMT) after he had been out drinking.
Kenya's health ministry has so far confirmed seven cases of coronavirus[/url].
The East African nation has imposed strict travel restrictions on foreigners, closed learning institutions and banned public gatherings.
TSA was due to do so at the end of the year due to consolidation and a pilot shortage. But it has decided to shut its doors next month as travel demand dries up due to coronavirus travel restrictions.
"It's difficult to articulate or even comprehend the speed at which the coronavirus has changed our industry and our world," president of Trans States Holdings, Rick Leach, wrote in a memo to employees this week. "The immediate cuts to our schedule are far deeper than we feared."
Trans State Airlines operates flights for United Airlines from Denver, Chicago and St. Louis.
"We knew that the wind-down would be accelerated, but were confident that we could continue to fly for United for some months,” he added.
TSA provides feeder services to more than 80 cities in North America with about 240 daily flights, according to travel data firm Cirium.
More of its programmes, including The One Show, will focus on the coronavirus outbreak, the corporation has announced.
Some of the BBC's programming changes include:
ITV will also broadcast news specials and suspend some planned entertainment shows including The Voice UK.
British researchers have to undergo a 14-day quarantine before they can even depart to the southern continent and there are contingency plans for what to do should supply lines to the various stations be disrupted.
Throughout the year there are more than 1,000 researchers from different countries on Antarctica. The closest hospital with an intensive care unit is thousands of miles away in Chile.
According to what he told BBC Breakfast:
He described the situation as "heartbreaking" but the new measures were designed to help stop the spread of this virus.
As an education secretary, I would never have wanted, or believed I'd have been in (such) a position, to make this decision," he added.
9:06
A lot has happened in the past 24 hours as the world tries to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
Here is an overview of the latest key developments:
Also, should you have any questions about coronavirus, we're running a separate live page, where BBC experts are offering their expertise. You can visit the live page here .
The 79-year-old tested positive after being taken to hospital last Friday, the centre said.
The woman, who died of pneumonia in intensive care, had other severe health conditions, including type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.
"The patient’s close contacts have been identified and put under medical observation. None of them has severe symptoms of the disease," the centre said.
Russia has identified 147 cases of coronavirus so far, with the majority in Moscow, state news agency Tass says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the situation with coronavirus in the country is "under control".
Cabinet minister Gavin Williamson told Radio 4’s Today programme the government had “no plans to do this at the moment” but that the prime minister would “deal with difficult decisions”.
On Wednesday, Boris Johnson said “we live in a land of liberty” but added that he would “rule nothing out” when asked about whether London faced a possible shutdown like other European cities.
One A-level student, Ryan English, told the BBC News Channel he was "very concerned".
"Many students like myself in their final year of A-levels are sitting on offers for university, and predicted grades can sometimes be lower than these offers, such as my insurance offer," he said.
"I'm afraid that if they do give these predicted grades then students like myself stand to lose out on future opportunities."
The education secretary has said more details will be given on Friday on how pupils will be awarded grades in the absence of exams.
"Nowruz trips are like welcoming death” is how state radio station opened its news bulletins this morning as images of large traffic jams on Iranian roads flooded social media.
Iran yesterday recorded 17,361 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with an official death toll of 1,135.
On Wednesday, Burkina Faso registered the first death in sub-Saharan Africa - Rose-Marie Compaore, the first-vice president of parliament. She was 62 and suffering from diabetes.
Several African countries have imposed stringent measures to guard against the virus:
Some have tweeted pictures of packed carriages despite the UK government's pleas for people to avoid "non-essential" travel and contact with others.
One passenger, Lorraine Price, tweeted: "I feel we are the dumbest nation in the world, reduced services on tfl and overcrowding as a result in the fastest growing coronavirus part of the country."
But others welcomed the move, with one Twitter user posting: "I think it's great TFL are closing stations because people clearly don’t understand staying home."
It comes just minutes after Australia said it would close its borders to non-residents on Friday.
It joins a growing list of airlines cancelling flights as travel demand dries up globally.
"What we are seeing is unprecedented. Along with the safety issue, there is a huge disincentive to travel with confusion over quarantine and visa rules," Greg Waldron of Flight International tells the BBC.
"It's theoretically possible we could see no international flights as demand is extremely low."
Most of the people work in countries like the UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar and had requested the government to evacuate them.
The Times of India quotes the city's civic authorities as saying that large quarantine facilities are being prepared for the people who would arrive in batches.
India has reported at least 168 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection.
Many other sports events, some scheduled as far ahead as early June, have been cancelled or postponed.
The International Olympic Committee meanwhile said it held "constructive" talks with athlete representatives about the virus crisis.
President Thomas Bach insisted that "everybody realised that we still have more than four months to go" until Tokyo 2020.
British four-time Olympic rowing gold medallist Matthew Pinsent criticised Bach's comments on Twitter. ‘I'm sorry Mr Bach but this is tone deaf. [...] Call it off."
However, the UK government has said it plans to increase testing to 10,000 a day initially, with a goal of reaching 25,000.
The failure to test more widely means that many people are self-isolating without having the virus - but the overwhelming advice is that that is the right thing to be doing for now anyway.
Thousands of people had been expected to attend the World Ijtima Asia Zone Islamic prayer event in South Sulawesi, starting today.
At the last minute and after pressure from authorities, the organisers have called the event off, local media report, but not before at least 3,000 pilgrims had arrived from around the world.
One organiser, Arifuddin Saeni, had told Reuters that there were people from Thailand, India, the Philippines and the Middle East and people were "still coming".
It's particularly concerning because a similar religious event in Malaysia last month has been confirmed as the source of more than 500 infections in the country, and several in other countries.
Mr Clark said the rules were about making sure people were putting "social distancing" in place.
"Large gatherings and events are a high risk environment... people share food or drinks, sit, or stand very close together for long periods," RNZ reported him as saying.
He concluded by saying: "If in doubt, cancel."
This rule does not apply to educational institutes, workplaces, supermarkets or public transport.
Read more about it here from the BBC's Karishma Vaswani.
We're writing from Singapore and London to keep you up to date through the day. Most of us are working from our homes.
So here's what you might have missed from Asia's day so far.
When Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to work from home and to avoid bars, pubs and restaurants earlier this week, it led to a sudden drop in passenger numbers on the London Underground network.
Now, up to 40 London Underground stations are to be shut as the city attempts to reduce the effect of the coronavirus outbreak.
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that there will be a partial shutdown of the network from Thursday morning.
Additionally, there will be no night Tube and bus services will also be reduced, TfL said.
The stations on the closure list are:
TfL has advised passengers to check the website for live updates.
TFL also sent out a tweet at about 05:30 listing some stations marked as "closure".
They are Arsenal; Barbican; Borough, Bounds Green; Bow Road; Covent Garden; Goodge St; Hampstead and Manor House.
But do check as this list could change.
Decisions are due to be made shortly in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Universities UK said pupils should not lose the chance to go to university this year because of the move.
Schools across the UK are to close on Friday.
Some will be kept open with a skeleton staff to provide support for the children of key workers - such as NHS staff, police and delivery drivers - Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
For many working parents, the closures will present issues surrounding childcare (this was one of the reasons why the government delayed closures as long as possible).
Some may need to take time off work, raising concerns that some families will struggle financially.
Mr Johnson's announcement came as UK deaths reached 104 after a further 33 people died.
“It’s reasonable to assume that they are confined to the border provinces though,” he explains.
How can we assume the capital Pyongyang doesn’t have widespread cases? Earlier this week, state officials including leader Kim Jong-un attended the groundbreaking for a new hospital and none of them wore masks.
But state media are reporting a lot on the restrictions at the border and there are health and safety campaigns over the threat. Officials and citizens that don’t follow the rules are publicly chastised.
As we've mentioned there has been remarkable news from China today. For the first time since the crisis began there in December the country has reported no new domestically transmitted cases.
All new cases confirmed on Wednesday, 34 in all, and most of China's recent cases have been people who came in from other countries - classified as imported cases.
Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete tweeted on Thursday that there had been a "single confirmed case... imported from a patient who had recently traveled abroad".
The Australian airline will furlough most of its 30,000-strong workforce it announced on Thursday.
Qantas and its low-cost airline Jetstar will suspend all overseas flights from late March to at least the end of May.
"Demand has evaporated," Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said in a note to employees. "We have no work for most of our people. We have to make difficult decisions to guarantee the future of the national carrier."
Those are Singaporeans who had been travelling abroad or foreigners coming into the country. Basically anyone who has recently travelled outside of Singapore.
In a response to the sudden spike, the city state has tightened its borders even further. There's now advice to defer all travel abroad - previously that advice had only been for non-essential travel to be stopped.
Foreigners residing in the country on a work pass visa will have to get approval from authorities to return.
Singapore had its first coronavirus cases early on but then seemed to be able to stall the spread. It currently has 313 infections recorded, more than 100 of which have already recovered.
Mr Barnier said he was "doing well and in good spirits" in a tweet announcing his diagnosis on Thursday.
His diagnosis throws the process of negotiating a post-Brexit trade deal between the EU and the UK into doubt.
Mr Barnier had been due to hold talks in London this week, but they were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The post-Brexit transition period, under which the UK will continue to follow EU rules, will end in December and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed not to extend it.
Northern Italy is particularly affected by the outbreak, with doctors forced to make decisions about which patients to give intensive care treatment to. More than 2,900 people have now died in the country, just 300 fewer than the total number of deaths in China.
“Extraordinary times require extraordinary action,” said ECB chief Christine Lagarde, and markets in Europe in Milan and Paris recovered some ground on Thursday morning.
Russia has recorded its first official death, Belgium has announced another seven and Denmark has recorded two more, bringing its total number to six.
Italy is likely to to overtake China’s official fatality number of 3,245 in the pandemic on Thursday. On Wednesday night, a column of some 30 military vehicles could be seen in the centre of Bergamo moving around 70 coffins to crematoria outside the city as the local cemetery could no longer manage, Ansa news agency reports.
Italian and French authorities are angry too many people are flouting lockdown measures.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has appealed for common sense and one minister says a “complete ban on outdoor activity” must be considered.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has said “some people think they’re some kind of modern-day hero when they break the rules - but they’re imbeciles, and a danger to themselves”.
King Felipe of Spain made a powerful televised address on Wednesday night, telling Spaniards “the virus will not defeat us but on the contrary it will make us stronger as a society". Covid-19 has hit Spain particularly hard, with at least 79 deaths reported in residential care homes.
The Ministry of Defence is also planning to train 150 military personnel to drive oxygen tankers around the country to support the NHS.
Scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) will also help Public Health England’s effort to understand the virus and tackle the spread.
The patient was elderly, had an underlying medical condition and was being treated in a hospital in the greater Belfast area.
Health Minister Robin Swann said: "I want to express my deep sadness at this death and send my condolences to the patient's family and friends."
On soft surfaces like clothes it will survive far less long, so if you have a coat that has virus on and you don’t wear it for a day or two the virus shouldn’t be active any more.
Remember, simply touching an infected surface will not give you Covid-19.
You have to then pass the virus to your mouth, nose or eyes so that’s why we need to stop touching our faces when out and about .
Indonesia - the most populous Muslim nation in the world - only reported the first confirmed cases on 2 March but the number had already reached 227 with 19 deaths in just over two weeks. Many believe the real figure could be much higher.
Experts have predicted that the worst is yet to come, a modelling forecast put the number of confirmed cases at more than 8,000 by mid-April.
The government has ordered a “partial lockdown”, with calls for citizens to “work, study and worship” at home.Officials have called on people to exercise social distancing but vulnerable groups are already struggling.
Small businesses and street vendors, who have suffered losses, may not be able to sustain their livelihood if this situation continues in the coming weeks (the government has already announced various stimulus packages).
Schools have resorted to online learning for the time being but this method only favours privileged students with devices and an internet connection at home.
Social distancing is paramount to contain the spread of the virus, but how can people living in densely populated, slum areas even do that? Next month, devout Muslims in Indonesia will start observing Ramadan, during which religious gatherings intensify.
The country has the fourth highest death toll in the world after China, Italy and Iran.
The Spanish health ministry says 939 people are in intensive care while 1,107 people diagnosed with the virus have recovered.
Michel Barnier, the head of the EU task force handling the post-Brexit relationship with the UK, has tested positive for coronavirus and says he is doing well.
Face-to-face negotiations between the UK and the EU have already effectively stopped because of the health advice on either side of the Channel. Some of Mr Barnier’s close-knit team are also now in isolation.
But there’s still plenty of work to be done. Both sides have shared with each other hundreds of pages of draft legal text which need to be analysed and mined for areas of agreement or potential compromise.
Plus, the deadlock will probably only be broken with some big political decisions and we’ve learnt they can happen very quickly if the conditions are right.
As for Mr Barnier… he’s a devotee of exercise, mountain air and healthy eating (he recently told me off for eating quiche rather than salad) and he’s feeling fine.
A spokesperson said there were also “no plans to use military personnel for public order during the coronavirus pandemic”.
Asked to comment on the suggestion only one person would be allowed to leave a house at a time, Downing Street said this was "not true”, according to BBC political correspondent Chris Mason.
It comes after speculation London could face a lockdown by the weekend.
World Athletics chief Lord Sebastian Coe has told BBC Sport he believes that is the right decision, for now.
"Let's not make a precipitous decision when we don't have to four months out," he said. Events were "changing by the hour" but it was "not a decision that has to be made at the moment". However, he added that "anything" was possible.
Read the full story: Lord Coe says too early to decide on cancellation
Asked whether the UK would follow the EU in implementing restrictions, Dominic Raab said the UK home secretary was keeping the situation “under constant review”.
“When we ask the question, the scientific advice comes back that this, is at least at this stage, this is not the advice they would give us to do it [to close the border],” he said.
“What we are very clear on at this point is taking these measures is not in the UK’s interest. It won’t affect spread of disease.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that, as of 09:00 on Thursday, there were 266 cases of coronavirus in Scotland, an increase of 39 from Wednesday.
Those on the frontline of the NHS, she said, were the priority in terms of testing and it would be used to allow critical workers to get to work.
The prayer meeting, held in Raipur, saw 10,000 Muslims offering "healing verses" for the country. A local police chief told news agency AFP the organisers had not sought permission from the authorities to hold the event,
Photos and videos of the event, such as the footage below, show people standing and praying shoulder to shoulder in a field. Many Bangladeshis have expressed shock and anger online over the event.
Officially the country has 14 positive cases of the virus but many experts fear that not enough testing has been done and that there are many more undetected cases.
The 56-year-old minister later cited exhaustion from weeks of intense work.
"I am feeling better now. I am going home to rest," he said on social media, adding that he would be back at work on Thursday.
But, speaking to the Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr Raab said he was being updated on the situation daily.
He said he had also spoken to Spain's foreign minister and had been assured that British nationals in hotels there would not be "kicked out on to the streets" when they closed next Tuesday.
Mr Raab also said he was confident that the 600 UK nationals on the Braemar cruise ship trapped in the Caribbean would fly back from Cuba to the UK later today.
The latest key developments worldwide
Good morning,A lot has happened in the past 24 hours as the world tries to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
Here is an overview of the latest key developments:
- China reported no new domestically transmitted cases in the country for the first time since the virus emerged in late December
- The lockdown in the Chinese city of Wuhan could be lifted once there are no new cases for 14 days, the China Daily newspaper reports
- Hokkaido, the worst-affected Japanese region, is lifting its state of emergency after officials said the spread of the virus appeared to be ending
- China is among several Asian countries facing a second coronavirus wave , spurred by people importing it from outside
- Australia and New Zealand closed their borders to foreigners, the latest countries to do so worldwide
- The European Central Bank (ECB) launched an emergency €750bn ($820bn; £700bn) package to ease the impact of the coronavirus pandemic
- Donald Trump called himself a “war-time president” as he enacted powers to ramp up production of vital medical supplies
- In the UK, schools and dozens of London Underground stations are to be shut
Also, should you have any questions about coronavirus, we're running a separate live page, where BBC experts are offering their expertise. You can visit the live page here .
Kenyan beaten 'over coronavirus fears' dies
A man suspected of having coronavirus in south-eastern Kenya was beaten up by a group of youths and later died in hospital.Local police chief Nehemiah Bitok confirmed the death to the BBC and said no arrests had been made so far and investigations were under way.
He said the attackers had accused the victim of having coronavirus.
The attack took place in the fishing village of Msambweni in Kwale county, an area on the coast popular with tourists because of its sandy, white beaches.
the man was attacked on his way home at around 21:00 local time on Tuesday (1800 GMT) after he had been out drinking.
Kenya's health ministry has so far confirmed seven cases of coronavirus[/url].
The East African nation has imposed strict travel restrictions on foreigners, closed learning institutions and banned public gatherings.
US airline joins Flybe as second virus casualty
Trans States Airlines is closing nine months earlier than planned to become the second airline to wind up during the coronavirus outbreak after UK carrier Flybe.TSA was due to do so at the end of the year due to consolidation and a pilot shortage. But it has decided to shut its doors next month as travel demand dries up due to coronavirus travel restrictions.
"It's difficult to articulate or even comprehend the speed at which the coronavirus has changed our industry and our world," president of Trans States Holdings, Rick Leach, wrote in a memo to employees this week. "The immediate cuts to our schedule are far deeper than we feared."
Trans State Airlines operates flights for United Airlines from Denver, Chicago and St. Louis.
"We knew that the wind-down would be accelerated, but were confident that we could continue to fly for United for some months,” he added.
TSA provides feeder services to more than 80 cities in North America with about 240 daily flights, according to travel data firm Cirium.
How the BBC is changing during the pandemic
As life changes for people in the UK, so will the BBC.More of its programmes, including The One Show, will focus on the coronavirus outbreak, the corporation has announced.
Some of the BBC's programming changes include:
- A weekly prime-time coronavirus special will be broadcast on Wednesdays on BBC One
- There will be a daily edition of the coronavirus podcast
- Radio 5 Live will host regular phone-ins on coronavirus
- The One Show will be used as a consumer programme for all aspects of the crisis, including health and wellbeing advice
- A daytime programme on BBC One - Health Check UK Live - will directly address the concerns of viewers in isolation
- Educational programming for school children will be increased
- A virtual church service on Sunday mornings will be launched across local radio in England
- Newsround bulletins for children will remain on air throughout the day on CBBC
- The BBC's online output will continue
ITV will also broadcast news specials and suspend some planned entertainment shows including The Voice UK.
The only virus-free continent...
... is Antarctica. The countless penguins aside, there are also several teams of international researchers on the continent. So far, no infections or symptoms.British researchers have to undergo a 14-day quarantine before they can even depart to the southern continent and there are contingency plans for what to do should supply lines to the various stations be disrupted.
Throughout the year there are more than 1,000 researchers from different countries on Antarctica. The closest hospital with an intensive care unit is thousands of miles away in Chile.
Details on UK school closures and grades to come this week
UK Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has been speaking about the decision to close all schools after Friday.According to what he told BBC Breakfast:
- A list of key workers - some of whom will be asked to still attend schools - will be announced "later on today"
- NHS staff, some school workers and delivery drivers are some of those likely to be included in the list
- More details about qualifications and grades will be released tomorrow
- The UK is working to issue grades by August, as normal, but Mr Williamson cannot give a "total guarantee" that this target will be met
- Exams are "the best system" to grade students but this year they will be awarded "under a different system"
- Pupils and students will be given a "proper and thorough appeal process"
- There needs to be support for parents
- About 10% of children will be kept in schools, which will be asked to "work together" to provide places
He described the situation as "heartbreaking" but the new measures were designed to help stop the spread of this virus.
As an education secretary, I would never have wanted, or believed I'd have been in (such) a position, to make this decision," he added.
9:06
The latest key developments worldwide
Good morning,A lot has happened in the past 24 hours as the world tries to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
Here is an overview of the latest key developments:
- China reported no new domestically transmitted cases in the country for the first time since the virus emerged in late December
- The lockdown in the Chinese city of Wuhan could be lifted once there are no new cases for 14 days, the China Daily newspaper reports
- Hokkaido, the worst-affected Japanese region, is lifting its state of emergency after officials said the spread of the virus appeared to be ending
- China is among several Asian countries facing a second coronavirus wave , spurred by people importing it from outside
- Australia and New Zealand closed their borders to foreigners, the latest countries to do so worldwide
- The European Central Bank (ECB) launched an emergency €750bn ($820bn; £700bn) package to ease the impact of the coronavirus pandemic
- Donald Trump called himself a “war-time president” as he enacted powers to ramp up production of vital medical supplies
- In the UK, schools and dozens of London Underground stations are to be shut
Also, should you have any questions about coronavirus, we're running a separate live page, where BBC experts are offering their expertise. You can visit the live page here .
Russia confirms first death
The country's coronavirus monitoring centre confirmed the death of an elderly woman with the virus at a hospital in Moscow.The 79-year-old tested positive after being taken to hospital last Friday, the centre said.
The woman, who died of pneumonia in intensive care, had other severe health conditions, including type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.
"The patient’s close contacts have been identified and put under medical observation. None of them has severe symptoms of the disease," the centre said.
Russia has identified 147 cases of coronavirus so far, with the majority in Moscow, state news agency Tass says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the situation with coronavirus in the country is "under control".
London to go on lockdown?
There has been a lot of speculation that UK's capital could soon be put on “lockdown”, with the Telegraph reporting it may happen “by the weekend”Cabinet minister Gavin Williamson told Radio 4’s Today programme the government had “no plans to do this at the moment” but that the prime minister would “deal with difficult decisions”.
On Wednesday, Boris Johnson said “we live in a land of liberty” but added that he would “rule nothing out” when asked about whether London faced a possible shutdown like other European cities.
Concern in UK about exams
There’s been a lot of uncertainty about how school closures and exam cancellations are going to affect pupils.One A-level student, Ryan English, told the BBC News Channel he was "very concerned".
"Many students like myself in their final year of A-levels are sitting on offers for university, and predicted grades can sometimes be lower than these offers, such as my insurance offer," he said.
"I'm afraid that if they do give these predicted grades then students like myself stand to lose out on future opportunities."
The education secretary has said more details will be given on Friday on how pupils will be awarded grades in the absence of exams.
Iran warns against New Year travel
Official media in Iran are urging Iranians to cancel travel plans for new year – or Nowruz – festivities, which begin tomorrow."Nowruz trips are like welcoming death” is how state radio station opened its news bulletins this morning as images of large traffic jams on Iranian roads flooded social media.
Iran yesterday recorded 17,361 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with an official death toll of 1,135.
What's the latest from Africa?
Africa has so far been spared a major outbreak of coronavirus but World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned the continent should “wake up” and prepare for the worst.On Wednesday, Burkina Faso registered the first death in sub-Saharan Africa - Rose-Marie Compaore, the first-vice president of parliament. She was 62 and suffering from diabetes.
Several African countries have imposed stringent measures to guard against the virus:
- South Africa has ordered all bars to close, or limit their patrons to a maximum of 50, at risk of a fine or even imprisonment; it has also banned all cruise ships from its ports
- Kenya, a deeply religious country like most on the continent, has suspended worship in some churches and mosques, and the government says it will manufacture its own hand sanitiser and distribute it for free, in a bid to tackle shortages
- Uganda and Botswana have closed all schools
- Chad has suspended all passenger flights and closed some land borders
- Liberia, which has confirmed one case so far, has stopped issuing passports to stop people travelling and potentially pick up the virus abroad
- Mauritius, an Indian Ocean tourist hot spot, has confirmed its first three cases – two cruise ship workers and a British tourist
Commuters react to London Tube closures
Many commuters still having to use the London Underground have been critical of the decision to shut up to 40 stations.Some have tweeted pictures of packed carriages despite the UK government's pleas for people to avoid "non-essential" travel and contact with others.
One passenger, Lorraine Price, tweeted: "I feel we are the dumbest nation in the world, reduced services on tfl and overcrowding as a result in the fastest growing coronavirus part of the country."
But others welcomed the move, with one Twitter user posting: "I think it's great TFL are closing stations because people clearly don’t understand staying home."
New Zealand also closes borders
New Zealand has now announced that it's closing its borders to all foreigners from midnight on Thursday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.It comes just minutes after Australia said it would close its borders to non-residents on Friday.
No more international flights?
As we mentioned earlier Australia's Qantas has cancelled all international flights as it struggles during the coronavirus pandemic.It joins a growing list of airlines cancelling flights as travel demand dries up globally.
"What we are seeing is unprecedented. Along with the safety issue, there is a huge disincentive to travel with confusion over quarantine and visa rules," Greg Waldron of Flight International tells the BBC.
"It's theoretically possible we could see no international flights as demand is extremely low."
Mumbai gears up for 26,000 Indians returning from Gulf
At least 26,000 Indians will land in India's financial capital, Mumbai, from coronavirus-hit countries in the Gulf between 19 and 31 March.Most of the people work in countries like the UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar and had requested the government to evacuate them.
The Times of India quotes the city's civic authorities as saying that large quarantine facilities are being prepared for the people who would arrive in batches.
India has reported at least 168 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection.
Olympics will still go ahead?
Japan is still planning to host the Olympics as scheduled from 24 July to 9 August, raising growing concerns among athletes who say it's too risky to go there and impossible to train properly.Many other sports events, some scheduled as far ahead as early June, have been cancelled or postponed.
The International Olympic Committee meanwhile said it held "constructive" talks with athlete representatives about the virus crisis.
President Thomas Bach insisted that "everybody realised that we still have more than four months to go" until Tokyo 2020.
British four-time Olympic rowing gold medallist Matthew Pinsent criticised Bach's comments on Twitter. ‘I'm sorry Mr Bach but this is tone deaf. [...] Call it off."
What is the UK government's plan for testing?
At the moment, only people in hospital are being routinely tested, so if you have symptoms and you are not sure if you have the virus, you may well never know.However, the UK government has said it plans to increase testing to 10,000 a day initially, with a goal of reaching 25,000.
The failure to test more widely means that many people are self-isolating without having the virus - but the overwhelming advice is that that is the right thing to be doing for now anyway.
Indonesian religious rally called off
There's been growing concern in recent days about a major religious gathering which was due to take place in Indonesia.Thousands of people had been expected to attend the World Ijtima Asia Zone Islamic prayer event in South Sulawesi, starting today.
At the last minute and after pressure from authorities, the organisers have called the event off, local media report, but not before at least 3,000 pilgrims had arrived from around the world.
One organiser, Arifuddin Saeni, had told Reuters that there were people from Thailand, India, the Philippines and the Middle East and people were "still coming".
It's particularly concerning because a similar religious event in Malaysia last month has been confirmed as the source of more than 500 infections in the country, and several in other countries.
New Zealand bans gatherings of over 100
New Zealand will ban indoor gatherings of more than 100 people, its Health Minister David Clark has said.Mr Clark said the rules were about making sure people were putting "social distancing" in place.
"Large gatherings and events are a high risk environment... people share food or drinks, sit, or stand very close together for long periods," RNZ reported him as saying.
He concluded by saying: "If in doubt, cancel."
This rule does not apply to educational institutes, workplaces, supermarkets or public transport.
How does Singapore's contact tracing work?
Singapore's use of an extensive contact tracing system to track down those who came into contact with an infected person has been praised by Harvard epidemiologists who described it as a "gold standard of near-perfect detection".Read more about it here from the BBC's Karishma Vaswani.
What's happened in Asia today?
If you're just joining us in the UK or elsewhere in Europe - good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of these unusual times.We're writing from Singapore and London to keep you up to date through the day. Most of us are working from our homes.
So here's what you might have missed from Asia's day so far.
- China says it didn't have a single domestic new infection yesterday, that's a major milestone for the country where the outbreak started. China is now focusing on travellers from overseas who might bring the virus back.
- Other Asian countries like Singapore or South Korea are seeing a resurgence of new cases though.
- Australia and New Zealand are shutting their borders to all non-residents.
- In the US, President Trump has signed a $100bn package to cover testing and sick leave.
- Asian markets are sliding despite the bailout promises from around the world.
- The global number: More than 800,000 people have been infected although many have already recovered. The death toll stands at more than 8,000 worldwide.
London Underground station closures
There have been more than 900 confirmed cases of coronavirus in London - where the virus is spreading faster than in other parts of the UK.When Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to work from home and to avoid bars, pubs and restaurants earlier this week, it led to a sudden drop in passenger numbers on the London Underground network.
Now, up to 40 London Underground stations are to be shut as the city attempts to reduce the effect of the coronavirus outbreak.
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that there will be a partial shutdown of the network from Thursday morning.
Additionally, there will be no night Tube and bus services will also be reduced, TfL said.
The stations on the closure list are:
- Bakerloo Line: Lambeth North, Regents Park, Warwick Avenue, Kilburn Park, Charing Cross
- Central Line: Holland Park, Queensway, Lancaster Gate, Chancery Lane, Redbridge
- Circle Line: Bayswater, Great Portland Street, Barbican
- District Line: Bow Road, Stepney Green, Mansion House, Temple, St James's Park, Gloucester Road
- Jubilee Line: Swiss Cottage, St John's Wood, Bermondsey, Southwark
- Northern Line: Tuffnell Park, Chalk Farm, Mornington Crescent, Goodge Street, Borough, Clapham South, Tooting Bec, South Wimbledon, Hampstead
- Piccadilly Line: Caledonian Road, Arsenal, Covent Garden, Hyde Park Corner, Bounds Green, Manor House
- Victoria Line: Pimlico, Blackhorse Road
TfL has advised passengers to check the website for live updates.
TFL also sent out a tweet at about 05:30 listing some stations marked as "closure".
They are Arsenal; Barbican; Borough, Bounds Green; Bow Road; Covent Garden; Goodge St; Hampstead and Manor House.
But do check as this list could change.
UK schools to close - what happens next?
Schools and universities in the UK are calling for urgent clarity from the government after the announcement that GSCEs and A-Levels in England and Wales will be cancelled.Decisions are due to be made shortly in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Universities UK said pupils should not lose the chance to go to university this year because of the move.
Schools across the UK are to close on Friday.
Some will be kept open with a skeleton staff to provide support for the children of key workers - such as NHS staff, police and delivery drivers - Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
For many working parents, the closures will present issues surrounding childcare (this was one of the reasons why the government delayed closures as long as possible).
Some may need to take time off work, raising concerns that some families will struggle financially.
Mr Johnson's announcement came as UK deaths reached 104 after a further 33 people died.
What about North Korea?
There’s one country where we basically don’t know anything about the virus situation: North Korea. There are no official statistics from within the sealed-off country but news trickling out does suggest there are cases, says Oliver Hotham of NK News.“It’s reasonable to assume that they are confined to the border provinces though,” he explains.
How can we assume the capital Pyongyang doesn’t have widespread cases? Earlier this week, state officials including leader Kim Jong-un attended the groundbreaking for a new hospital and none of them wore masks.
But state media are reporting a lot on the restrictions at the border and there are health and safety campaigns over the threat. Officials and citizens that don’t follow the rules are publicly chastised.
China has no domestic cases for first time
If you're just joining us it's lunch time here in Singapore.As we've mentioned there has been remarkable news from China today. For the first time since the crisis began there in December the country has reported no new domestically transmitted cases.
All new cases confirmed on Wednesday, 34 in all, and most of China's recent cases have been people who came in from other countries - classified as imported cases.
Fiji records first virus case
The coronavirus has now hit the shores of Fiji, its Minister for Health confirmed on Twitter.Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete tweeted on Thursday that there had been a "single confirmed case... imported from a patient who had recently traveled abroad".
Qantas to scrap all international flights as demand dries up
Qantas has become the latest major airline to cancel all international flights as it struggles during the virus pandemic.The Australian airline will furlough most of its 30,000-strong workforce it announced on Thursday.
Qantas and its low-cost airline Jetstar will suspend all overseas flights from late March to at least the end of May.
"Demand has evaporated," Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said in a note to employees. "We have no work for most of our people. We have to make difficult decisions to guarantee the future of the national carrier."
Singapore tightens borders
Singapore has seen its biggest jump in new coronavirus cases. On Wednesday 47 new infections were reported, 33 of which authorities believe to have been imported.Those are Singaporeans who had been travelling abroad or foreigners coming into the country. Basically anyone who has recently travelled outside of Singapore.
In a response to the sudden spike, the city state has tightened its borders even further. There's now advice to defer all travel abroad - previously that advice had only been for non-essential travel to be stopped.
Foreigners residing in the country on a work pass visa will have to get approval from authorities to return.
Singapore had its first coronavirus cases early on but then seemed to be able to stall the spread. It currently has 313 infections recorded, more than 100 of which have already recovered.
EU's chief Brexit negotiator tests positive
Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, has tested positive for coronavirus.Mr Barnier said he was "doing well and in good spirits" in a tweet announcing his diagnosis on Thursday.
His diagnosis throws the process of negotiating a post-Brexit trade deal between the EU and the UK into doubt.
Mr Barnier had been due to hold talks in London this week, but they were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The post-Brexit transition period, under which the UK will continue to follow EU rules, will end in December and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed not to extend it.
Italy's lockdown to be extended
The prime minister has said the country's lockdown measures will be extended - they currently run to 3 April. It will not be possible to return immediately to life as before, even after the worst is over, Giuseppe Conte added.Northern Italy is particularly affected by the outbreak, with doctors forced to make decisions about which patients to give intensive care treatment to. More than 2,900 people have now died in the country, just 300 fewer than the total number of deaths in China.
What's the latest across Europe?
Fatalities continue to climb in Europe, as Italy extends its lockdown after announcing the biggest rise yet with 475 deaths within 24 hours. But there's been praise for the European Central Bank’s €750bn (£700bn; $820bn) shot in the arm to cover sovereign bonds and corporate debt in the eurozone.“Extraordinary times require extraordinary action,” said ECB chief Christine Lagarde, and markets in Europe in Milan and Paris recovered some ground on Thursday morning.
Russia has recorded its first official death, Belgium has announced another seven and Denmark has recorded two more, bringing its total number to six.
Italy is likely to to overtake China’s official fatality number of 3,245 in the pandemic on Thursday. On Wednesday night, a column of some 30 military vehicles could be seen in the centre of Bergamo moving around 70 coffins to crematoria outside the city as the local cemetery could no longer manage, Ansa news agency reports.
Italian and French authorities are angry too many people are flouting lockdown measures.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has appealed for common sense and one minister says a “complete ban on outdoor activity” must be considered.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has said “some people think they’re some kind of modern-day hero when they break the rules - but they’re imbeciles, and a danger to themselves”.
King Felipe of Spain made a powerful televised address on Wednesday night, telling Spaniards “the virus will not defeat us but on the contrary it will make us stronger as a society". Covid-19 has hit Spain particularly hard, with at least 79 deaths reported in residential care homes.
Army to provide support in UK
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced a new military force ready to support public services as required during the coronavirus crises. As part of the support the Army will provide during the pandemic, the number of troops at a heightened state of readiness will be doubled to 20,000 and Reserves will be placed on standby.The Ministry of Defence is also planning to train 150 military personnel to drive oxygen tankers around the country to support the NHS.
Scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) will also help Public Health England’s effort to understand the virus and tackle the spread.
First coronavirus death in Northern Ireland
The region's first coronavirus death has been confirmed.The patient was elderly, had an underlying medical condition and was being treated in a hospital in the greater Belfast area.
Health Minister Robin Swann said: "I want to express my deep sadness at this death and send my condolences to the patient's family and friends."
How long does the virus stay active on surfaces?
It varies a lot on the type of surface. On hard surfaces like door handles, lift buttons or kitchen worktops it is probably around 48 hours, although some previous research on coronaviruses has found they can survive for perhaps a week in the right conditions.On soft surfaces like clothes it will survive far less long, so if you have a coat that has virus on and you don’t wear it for a day or two the virus shouldn’t be active any more.
Remember, simply touching an infected surface will not give you Covid-19.
You have to then pass the virus to your mouth, nose or eyes so that’s why we need to stop touching our faces when out and about .
Ramadan fears in Indonesia
Sita Dewi - BBC News IndonesiaIndonesia - the most populous Muslim nation in the world - only reported the first confirmed cases on 2 March but the number had already reached 227 with 19 deaths in just over two weeks. Many believe the real figure could be much higher.
Experts have predicted that the worst is yet to come, a modelling forecast put the number of confirmed cases at more than 8,000 by mid-April.
The government has ordered a “partial lockdown”, with calls for citizens to “work, study and worship” at home.Officials have called on people to exercise social distancing but vulnerable groups are already struggling.
Small businesses and street vendors, who have suffered losses, may not be able to sustain their livelihood if this situation continues in the coming weeks (the government has already announced various stimulus packages).
Schools have resorted to online learning for the time being but this method only favours privileged students with devices and an internet connection at home.
Social distancing is paramount to contain the spread of the virus, but how can people living in densely populated, slum areas even do that? Next month, devout Muslims in Indonesia will start observing Ramadan, during which religious gatherings intensify.
Death toll soars in Spain
The health ministry has reported 209 new deaths, bringing the total to 767, and a jump in infections by a quarter - from 13,716 to 17,147.The country has the fourth highest death toll in the world after China, Italy and Iran.
The Spanish health ministry says 939 people are in intensive care while 1,107 people diagnosed with the virus have recovered.
Barnier's condition and Brexit talks
Adam Fleming - Brussels reporterMichel Barnier, the head of the EU task force handling the post-Brexit relationship with the UK, has tested positive for coronavirus and says he is doing well.
Face-to-face negotiations between the UK and the EU have already effectively stopped because of the health advice on either side of the Channel. Some of Mr Barnier’s close-knit team are also now in isolation.
But there’s still plenty of work to be done. Both sides have shared with each other hundreds of pages of draft legal text which need to be analysed and mined for areas of agreement or potential compromise.
Plus, the deadlock will probably only be broken with some big political decisions and we’ve learnt they can happen very quickly if the conditions are right.
As for Mr Barnier… he’s a devotee of exercise, mountain air and healthy eating (he recently told me off for eating quiche rather than salad) and he’s feeling fine.
‘Zero prospect’ of London lockdown
There is "zero prospect of any restrictions being placed on travelling in and out of London”, the UK government has said.A spokesperson said there were also “no plans to use military personnel for public order during the coronavirus pandemic”.
Asked to comment on the suggestion only one person would be allowed to leave a house at a time, Downing Street said this was "not true”, according to BBC political correspondent Chris Mason.
It comes after speculation London could face a lockdown by the weekend.
'Too early to decide on Olympics'
Speculation about the fate of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo has been rife and some athletes have called for them to be postponed but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said they could still take place as planned.World Athletics chief Lord Sebastian Coe has told BBC Sport he believes that is the right decision, for now.
"Let's not make a precipitous decision when we don't have to four months out," he said. Events were "changing by the hour" but it was "not a decision that has to be made at the moment". However, he added that "anything" was possible.
Read the full story: Lord Coe says too early to decide on cancellation
No plans yet to shut UK border
There are no moves yet to close the UK’s border, the foreign secretary has told MPs, but the situation is under “constant review”.Asked whether the UK would follow the EU in implementing restrictions, Dominic Raab said the UK home secretary was keeping the situation “under constant review”.
“When we ask the question, the scientific advice comes back that this, is at least at this stage, this is not the advice they would give us to do it [to close the border],” he said.
“What we are very clear on at this point is taking these measures is not in the UK’s interest. It won’t affect spread of disease.
What's the latest from the Middle East?
The region is home to one of the outbreak's hot spots, Iran, and has seen some of the tightest curbs to tackle it, notably in Israel:- After 1,284 deaths and 18,407 infections Iran's authorities hope people will heed their advice and stay at home when the two-week holiday for Nowruz, the Persian New Year, starts on Friday. The sight of busy markets and traffic jams has been causing health experts anxiety
- The health ministry in Israel, where 529 people have tested positive, has begun texting people who have come into contact with confirmed patients, telling them to self-isolate, while civil rights groups are up in arms at news the Shin Bet security agency has been given permission to monitor mobile phones in order to prevent the spread of the virus
- Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, the Mossad, has meanwhile been importing essential medical equipment to battle Covid-19. Local media said it had already purchased 100,000 testing kits from abroad, but that it had been told by the health ministry they were “not exactly what we needed”
- The United Arab Emirates, which has reported 98 cases, says it will bar the re-entry of all foreign residents who are currently abroad for two weeks. About 90% of the population - 9 million people - are foreign nationals
- Saudi Arabia, which has reported 171 cases, has suspended most private sector activities, ordering business to implement home-working. The kingdom has also cut its state budget by almost 5%, as the outbreak and low oil prices threaten growth
Three more deaths confirmed in Scotland
Three more patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to six.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that, as of 09:00 on Thursday, there were 266 cases of coronavirus in Scotland, an increase of 39 from Wednesday.
Those on the frontline of the NHS, she said, were the priority in terms of testing and it would be used to allow critical workers to get to work.
Bangladeshi mass prayer meeting criticised
On Wednesday thousands of people gathered in southern Bangladesh to pray for the country to be rid of coronavirus, in a move that has not gone down well with the rest of the country.The prayer meeting, held in Raipur, saw 10,000 Muslims offering "healing verses" for the country. A local police chief told news agency AFP the organisers had not sought permission from the authorities to hold the event,
Photos and videos of the event, such as the footage below, show people standing and praying shoulder to shoulder in a field. Many Bangladeshis have expressed shock and anger online over the event.
Officially the country has 14 positive cases of the virus but many experts fear that not enough testing has been done and that there are many more undetected cases.
Dutch minister collapses during virus debate
The minister for medical care, Bruno Bruins, fainted in parliament on Wednesday as far-right politician Geert Wilders was speaking during a debate on the coronavirus.The 56-year-old minister later cited exhaustion from weeks of intense work.
"I am feeling better now. I am going home to rest," he said on social media, adding that he would be back at work on Thursday.
UK nationals 'cannot leave Peru'
British nationals in Peru have no way of leaving the country as a result of the restrictions imposed over coronavirus, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said.But, speaking to the Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr Raab said he was being updated on the situation daily.
He said he had also spoken to Spain's foreign minister and had been assured that British nationals in hotels there would not be "kicked out on to the streets" when they closed next Tuesday.
Mr Raab also said he was confident that the 600 UK nationals on the Braemar cruise ship trapped in the Caribbean would fly back from Cuba to the UK later today.
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