- The Robert Koch Institute has included Tyrol and Madrid in the list of international risk areas.
- Apple closes all stores outside of China for two weeks.
- The US House of Representatives has approved a corona aid park.
- The Czech Republic closes its borders, as does Denmark, Poland, and other countries.
- An overview of the typical symptoms can be found here .
Robert Koch Institute has included Tyrol and Madrid in the list of international risk areas. To date, this has included Italy, Iran, the Chinese province of Hubei, a province in South Korea, and France Alsace, Lorraine and the Champagne-Ardenne region. Those who come from a designated risk area should, if possible, stay at home for 14 days and, in the event of symptoms, notify their doctor or health department – initially by telephone.
Other African countries report cases
The virus has been introduced to three other African countries. In Namibia, in the south of the continent, a Spanish couple tested positive. Rwanda in East Africa is reporting an infection to an Indian citizen. In the mountainous kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), a woman has been infected who had previously been in the United States. According to WHO data, 36 infections in eight countries have been confirmed in southern Africa. Namibia, Rwanda, and Eswatini have not yet been included.
Apple closes stores
Apple is closing all of its stores outside of China for two weeks because of the coronavirus spread. They want to help slow the disease, said CEO Tim Cook. The iPhone group has around 460 in-house stores outside of China, Apple had already closed the stores in Italy in the past few days.
USA launch aid package
The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved an aid package to deal with the Corona crisis on Saturday night. 363 MPs voted for the measures, only 40 opposed. These include free tests for the virus, two weeks’ sick pay, more unemployment benefits and an increase in food aid for children, families and the elderly. The Democrats in the House of Representatives had previously agreed to the law with President Trump. He has already announced on Twitter that he wants to sign the law as soon as possible. This increases the likelihood that the Republican-controlled Senate will approve it next week. “We are proud to have reached an agreement with the government,” said the chairwoman of the House of Representatives,
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump had declared a national emergency in the U.S. to provide more aid to states and communities. He said that at a press conference on Friday. The measure would release additional funds of up to $ 50 billion. A national emergency in the United States does not mean a nationwide state of emergency like in some other states, in which fundamental rights are overridden in such a case.
Declaring a state of emergency gives Trump far-reaching powers. Among other things, the measure provides access to a fund with disaster relief funds that Congress has endowed with $ 42.6 billion (€ 38.5 billion). Democrats in the US Senate had already sent Trump a letter on Wednesday to declare a state of emergency to make these funds accessible.
Trump said he would likely be tested for the coronavirus soon, but had no symptoms. The president had contact with three coronaviruses last weekend. In addition to two members of a Brazilian delegation, Trump also met another person in his Mar-a-Lago department in Florida, who has since been tested positive for the Sars-CoV-2 virus, according to informed sources.
According to the national health agency CDC, more than 1,600 Covid-19 cases have been registered in the United States to date. However, according to the CDC, fewer than 14,000 tests have been carried out since mid-January. For comparison: According to media reports, South Korea tests up to 20,000 people a day. Given the few tests in the USA, the number of unreported cases is likely to be significantly higher. According to the CDC, more than 40 deaths have so far been recorded in the United States.
Other travel restrictions
The Czech Republic reintroduced the fixed border controls on Germany and Austria on Saturday night due to the coronavirus. Germans, Austrians, Swiss and citizens of a further twelve risk countries are no longer allowed to enter the EU member state and are rejected. Czechs are not allowed to travel to Germany and Austria. Exceptions only apply to Germans residing in the Czech Republic and commuters in a strip 100 kilometers deep on both sides of the border. From Monday the entry stop will be extended to all foreigners.
Besides, on Saturday the government unexpectedly ordered that restaurants and many shops that are not necessary for basic services have to be closed at night. Grocery stores, pharmacies, pet food stores, drugstores, and opticians, as well as company canteens, may remain open. The measure should come into effect at 6 a.m. and is initially valid for ten days.
Even Denmark closes its borders in the coronavirus crisis until further notice, as well as Poland. The measure will apply from noon on Saturday, the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a press conference in Copenhagen. Closing the borders means that the Danes are introducing border controls by the police and the military. According to Frederiksen, these apply up to and including Easter, i.e. until April 13. Tourists and other foreigners without a specific reason for entry would no longer enter the country. This does not apply to truck drivers who bring goods across the border, as Justice Minister Nick Hækkerup emphasized.
The turkey is as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus flights to Germany and links to eight other European countries temporarily. From Saturday at 8 a.m. local time (6 a.m.CET) there will be no flight connections to Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden, said Turkish Transport
Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan in Ankara on Friday. The measure will apply until April 17.
Austriaplaces the entire Paznaun Valley with the municipalities of Ischgl, Kappl, See and Galtur as well as the municipality of St. Anton am Arlberg under quarantine. Foreign guests may leave the corresponding places in Tyrol but should go to home quarantine at home. Besides, all stores across the country that are not necessary for basic services will remain closed. Likewise bars, restaurants, and cafes: these may only be open until 3 p.m. The food trade, banks, pharmacies, shops for animal feed and other necessary shops should remain open, says Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. All employees who can do so should work from home. The measures are initially valid for one week. It was announced on Thursday that the schools would be closed. This should apply until Easter.
Spain calls the alarm state because of the Corona crisis. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced in Madrid on Friday that this measure should be adopted by an extraordinary Council of Ministers. “We want to mobilize all means of the state to better protect the citizens,” said the socialist, who spoke of an “extraordinary crisis”, at a press conference. Spain is “facing tough, difficult weeks”. The alarm condition is the third-highest of the emergency levels provided for in the Spanish constitution. The alarm condition had previously only been called once in Spain after the return to democracy in 1975: in 2010 because of an air traffic controller strike.
WHO calls Europe the center of the pandemic
Europe has replaced China as the center of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. There are now more cases reported each day than China reported at the height of its epidemic, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva on Friday. There are now more reported infections and deaths in Europe than in the rest of the world, except China. The United States has banned people from many European countries except Great Britain from entering the country.
Memorial service for victims of Christchurch terrorist attacks canceled
The central public memorial service planned for Sunday to mark the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, has been canceled due to the dangers posed by the spread of the coronavirus. “We are very sad to cancel it,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement. But you don’t want to take any risks. “On March 15th, every New Zealander has the opportunity to reflect on the events of a year ago in their way,” added the head of government. On March 15, 2019, an Australian racist killed 51 people in the attack.
Wife of Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau infected with coronavirus
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife has contracted the coronavirus. Sophie Gregoire Trudeau had tested positive for the virus, but she was fine, Trudeaus said. She had previously returned from a trip to the UK with flu-like symptoms. The prime minister himself has no symptoms, but will remain in quarantine for 14 days as a precaution, it said. From his house, he wanted to make appointments in conference calls and video switches.
New York City announces a state of emergency – first case with the United Nations
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared a state of emergency over the metropolis. “We see intense increases in the number of cases in the city,” said de Blasio. “I think we’ll be at 1,000 cases next week.” The Metropolitan Museum, Carnegie Hall and the New York Philharmonic had previously announced that they would close and cancel events starting Friday. The famous St. Patrick’s Day parade planned for March 17 has also been postponed.
The United Nations headquarters is also located in New York. The first Corona case has also occurred there. A Philippine diplomat has been tested positive, according to an internal letter from the UN mission, which is available to the German Press Agency. The entire Philippine UN mission is cordoned off, the employees are in voluntary quarantine. “We assume that we were all infected,” it continues. The case could affect precautionary measures throughout the UN headquarters.
