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The Health Minister says New Zealand is now effectively at war with Covid-19 - and one of the lines of defence is an early launch of this year's flu vaccination campaign.
While it won't protect against Covid-19, it will help ease pressure on the health system over winter.
It comes as the government launches a public health campaign, with a war-time ring to it: 'Unite Against Covid-19'.
But it seems some on the frontline are still waiting for their ammunition, with one medical centre telling patients they don't have any flu vaccines.
David Clark said 'Unite Against Covid-19' was a call to action in the war of us versus the coronavirus.
"We need as a country, everybody doing their bit. Everyone can do something in this battle against Covid-19. That is as simple as washing your hands regularly, it's as simple as not going out when you're unwell, but it's also about, you know, giving your elderly neighbours a phone call checking on how they're doing," he said.
Another weapon in the arsenal is ensuring the most vulnerable get vaccinated against the flu.
The government's vaccine campaign is starting two weeks early and it will be bigger than ever, with 400,000 more vaccines than last year.
Vaccinations are free for at risk groups, including anyone 65 and over, pregnant women, people with certain chronic conditions and young children with a history of severe respiratory illness.
Healthcare workers also get a free jab.
"The flu causes significant strain on our health system and vaccinating yourself against preventable illness like the flu will ensure hospitals will be used by people who need them most," Clark said.
John Atkinson, who is over 65, tried to book in to get a vaccination with Ropata Health in Lower Hutt yesterday, after hearing the Government would be making an announcement.
He was told they wouldn't have any vaccines until April and they couldn't book ahead.
His brother, also over 65, tried to book late this morning and was told the same thing.
"With the things going on you might have to wait two weeks for an appointment anyway so I just thought I'd get in early if it was available," he said.
Atkinson gets the flu vaccine every year, and is mindful of not putting extra pressure on the health system at this time.
"It would just be good to clarify it rather than broadcasting it to the nation that you can get it from today when apparently you can't in some cases," he said.
Ropata practice manager Adrian Tucker said they only found out yesterday the government was bringing forward the vaccine campaign.
He said the vaccines were already due to arrive on Friday, but they can't book appointments until they physically have them.
"If we set up a flu clinic today we could put 200 patients through those but if the vaccines don't turn up on Friday, we've then got to ring and disappoint all those people, so it's just the work load as well, especially at this busy time," he said.
Tucker said their phones have been ringing off the hook today following the government's announcement.
"It would have been nice to have known earlier, but I don't suppose they made their decision earlier, so they can only tell us when they've made their decision really, and we have to react as best we possibly can," he said.
Tucker said the practice would be proactively chasing up with patients that fall into the at-risk group.
Clark said more than 200,000 vaccines have already been distributed across the country, and the rest are on their way.
He urged those experiencing a little delay to be patient.
While Clark could give assurances the most vulnerable are being prioritised, he wouldn't give reassurances there will be enough vaccines for everyone who wants one.
"Pharmac are the experts at projecting forward what we need. As soon as Covid-19 broke New Zealand ordered more vaccine, we got ahead and so that's why we have 30 percent more vaccine than our record year last year," Clark said.
National's health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse doesn't think there will be enough for everyone who wants a vaccine this year.
"And I don't think even the government does. In the second stage of the package that was announced yesterday there's funding still available for flu vaccines.
"I think they should act now and get as many as they can in. Much better to have more than we need than not enough," he said.
Pharmac is still looking to see whether it can source more, but not surprisingly, global demand is huge.
The vaccine will be available for the general population from April 13th.

RNZ answers the top five questions asked about the coronavirus on Google.

What is coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that may cause illness in humans or in animals such as cattle, cats, and bats. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections, ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus is COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, a major city in China's Hubei Province.
On 7 January, Chinese authorities confirmed the identification of the new type of coronavirus, which had not previously been detected in humans or animals. Laboratory testing ruled out other respiratory pathogens such as influenza, avian influenza, adenovirus, and the SARS and MERS coronaviruses.
Scientists studying the new coronavirus in China reported they had discovered two different varieties of the virus could be spreading around the world. Researchers at Peking University School of Life Sciences and the Institut Pasteur of Shanghai published a study earlier this month identifying a more aggressive type of the virus found in 70 percent of analyzed strains, with 30 percent belonging to a less aggressive variety.
A complete clinical picture has not fully emerged yet, but reported illnesses have ranged from very mild (including some with no reported symptoms) to severe pneumonia, resulting in death. Older people and people of all ages with severe underlying health conditions - like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes - seem to be at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness.

How many people have died from it?

According to the latest figures displayed by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at St Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States, 4718 have died worldwide from the illness. There have been 127,863 reported cases of COVID-19.
The greatest number of deaths have occurred in China's Hubei province at 3056. Italy's rocketing fatality rate of 827 has shocked authorities, so much so that large areas in northern Italy remain in lockdown. Other parts of Europe are struggling to contain the disease, including Spain (55 deaths) and France (48 deaths).
Deaths in Iran stand have reached 429, including the loss of high-profile two politicians. One of them was Fatemeh Rahbar, 55, a conservative MP in Tehran, who died on March 7. The other was top official Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of the Expediency Council, which advises Iran's supreme leader.
South Korea's fatality number stands at 66 deaths.

How to prepare for the coronavirus

Create a household plan of action. Talk with the people who need to be included in your plan. Meet with household members, other relatives, and friends to discuss what to do if a COVID-19 outbreak occurs in your community and what the needs of each person will be. Statistics have shown that older people who underlying health conditions are most at risk of severe complications. Those people should take priority in the plan, which should include talking to a health provider for advice.
If possible a room should be designated for those who need to be isolated in the house. Identify a separate bathroom for a sick person to use, if possible. Stay home if you are sick and avoid contact with others.
Create an emergency contact list. Ensure your household has a current list of emergency contacts for family, friends, neighbours, carpool drivers, health care providers, teachers, employers, GP surgeries, and other community resources.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitise that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. You don't need to stockpile disinfectants and hand sanitisers, but health authorities advise having a bottle or two available.
At this stage authorities in New Zealand do not propose altering arrangements for public events.
If you are immune-compromised, avoid staying with a person who is self-isolating. You should stay at least a metre away from people who are unwell. However Ministry of Health says it would not make sense for someone immune-compromised to wear a mask when in public to decrease risk for catching COVID-19. But if your health care provider advises you to wear a mask when in public areas because you have a particularly vulnerable immune system, follow that advice.

How did coronavirus start

Many of the patients at the epicentre of the outbreak in Wuhan had some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. This is not yet been confirmed, but the market has now been closed.
Later, a growing number of patients reportedly did not have exposure to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan City, indicating person-to-person spread. Person-to-person spread was subsequently reported outside Hubei and in countries outside China. Many areas across the globe now have apparent community spread with the virus that causes COVID-19. Community spread means some people have been infected and it is not known how or where they became exposed.

What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed COVID-19 cases. Symptoms may appear two-14 days after exposure and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath. Children may have much milder symptoms than adults but they are just as contagious and therefore more likely to spread the virus due to complacency in not isolating them.
The Ministry of Health says difficulty breathing is a sign of possible pneumonia and requires immediate medical attention.
Its website advises if you have these symptoms and have recently been to a country or area of concern, or have been in close contact with someone confirmed with COVID-19, you should contact Healthline (for free) on 0800 358 5453 (or +64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or your doctor immediately.

The virus, which the World Health Organization has labeled a pandemic, continued to spread widely across the United States, prompting event cancellations, bans on large gatherings, and federal warnings urging Americans to reconsider travel abroad. Trump called off his domestic travel and postponed a rally and fundraising event, while the NBA suspended its season after a player tested positive.
Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia followed the U.S. measures by announcing its own travel ban on Europe, while Italy remained under an unprecedented national lockdown. In Asia, however, the impact on daily life was easing as workers gradually return to offices and major tourist attractions reopened. China’s National Health Commission said the country had passed the peak of the epidemic.
Here are the latest developments:

• More than 1,300 cases have been reported in the United States, with at least 38 deaths, including five new fatalities reported on Wednesday. Upward of 44 states and the District of Columbia have said they are treating coronavirus patients.
• Rules enforcing “social distancing” are going into full effect, as officials in California, Oregon and Washington state announced bans on gatherings of more than 250 people, the most far-reaching measures yet. Meanwhile, the NCAA announced that its college basketball tournaments will be held without fans in attendance.
• The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic on Wednesday, as its director general warned of “alarming levels of spread and severity” as well as “alarming levels of inaction.”
• Actor Tom Hanks said he and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, have tested positive for the coronavirus in Australia.

As WHO declares virus pandemic, fresh questions loom over Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO — Fresh questions emerged Thursday over the wisdom of holding the Olympics in Tokyo this summer, after the World Health Organization labeled the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.
Japan has repeatedly insisted the games must go ahead and its planning is proceeding as normal, and that line was repeated again on Thursday.
“There is no change to the government stance that we will make preparations for the Tokyo Games as planned by keeping close contact with the International Olympic Committee, organizers, and the Tokyo metropolitan government,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference.
But cracks continue to emerge.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike responded more equivocally to the news from the WHO. “I can’t say there won’t be an impact,” she said. “But I believe cancellation is impossible.”
Meanwhile, an influential ruling party politician said Japan needed to brainstorm plans to deal with a possible cancellation or postponement of the games, even though he said the final decision was best left to the International Olympic Committee. “Not thinking about worst-case scenarios won’t eliminate the risk of them materializing,” Shigeru Ishiba, a critic of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, told Reuters.
“The government must start thinking now about what to do” in case the games are canceled or postponed, he added.
Earlier this week, an executive board member of the Tokyo2020 organizing committee said he would consider proposing a delay of one to two years when the board meets later this month. But Japan’s Olympics minister, the president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee and the IOC all insisted the Games are going ahead as planned.

By Simon Denyer

Europe blindsided by Trump’s travel restrictions, with many seeing political motive

PARIS — European officials were blindsided Thursday by President Trump’s decision to severely restrict travel from Europe to the United States, a surprise decision many saw as political above all else.
In Brussels, the official seat of the European Union, two officials said they were not aware of any formal coordination from Washington on an unprecedented move bound to upend travel and commerce on both sides of the Atlantic. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly about the situation.
European markets plummeted in the aftermath of the decision.
In Britain, the benchmark FTSE 100 index, which tracks the 100 largest firms on the London stock exchange, fell after Thursday morning on news of Trump’s travel ban. The steep sell-off brought the FTSE to its lowest level in eight years. Both France’s CAC 40 index and Germany’s DAX index fell by more than 6 percent by mid-morning Thursday.
The details of Trump’s travel restrictions also confounded many European leaders and policymakers, underscoring the view that the decision was largely political. Most importantly, Trump announced that European travel restrictions would, among some other countries, not include Britain, which has just quit the E.U., a multi-state bloc that has been a regular recipient of Trump’s criticism since taking office in 2017.
“Trump needed a narrative to exonerate his administration from any responsibility in the crisis. The foreigner is always a good scapegoat. The Chinese has already been used. So, let’s take the European, not any Europe, the EU-one,” said Gérard Araud, France’s former ambassador to the U.S., in a statement posted on Twitter. “Doesn’t make sense but [it is] ideologically healthy.”
In his announcement, Trump specifically referred to what he called a “foreign virus” that “started in China and is now spreading throughout the world.”
Michael Birnbaum and Quentin Ariès in Brussels, William Booth in London, and Rick Noack in Berlin contributed to this report.

By James McAuley

China closes north side of Mount Everest over coronavirus

Ahead of the spring climbing season, China will not be issuing permits for Mount Everest’s north side because of threats posed by the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
According to reports by AFP and ABC News, Chinese authorities told mountain expedition companies that Everest will be closed to climbers from its Tibetan access point, a safer and more tightly controlled route up the world’s highest peak.
Officials with the China Tibet Mountaineering Association were set to grant only 300 permits this year as prices nearly doubled, from $9,500 to $18,500. The Chinese government has yet to officially confirm the news.
The bulk of the ascents up the mountain are made on Everest’s Nepal side, which remains open, but the virus has taken a toll there too. Some expedition operators have seen cancellations, they say, and climbers going via Nepal must submit medical reports and a 14-day travel history.
Adrian Ballinger, head of the mountaineering company Alpenglow Expeditions, told ABC that while Everest climbers are typically healthy, the high altitudes can dramatically reduced the effectiveness upper respiratory system. Close camps, meanwhile, also elevate the risk of catching the virus.
Despite bordering China, where the virus originated, Nepal has seen comparatively few cases of the virus. Earlier this week, Nepalese officials said they would be suspending visas for eight countries in Europe, including Italy, Iran and South Korea.

By Teo Armus

European airline stocks tumble after President Trump’s surprise new travel restrictions

European airline stocks took a nosedive Thursday after President Trump said he would block most travel from Europe to the United States for a month in order to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
Shares lost as much as a fifth of their value following the surprise announcement of restrictions, which are slated to take effect Friday, as carriers worldwide slash flights and lay off workers to cope with the increasingly low passenger demand. Air France KLM shares fell by 15 percent, while Lufthansa in Germany and British Airways tumbled by a tenth. Norwegian Air Shuttle stocks plunged another 20 percent.
“We encourage authorities to immediately implement measures to imminently reduce the financial burden on airlines in order to protect crucial infrastructure and jobs,” the airline’s chief executive Jacob Schram said this week in a statement.
The European Central Bank is widely expected to announce emergency measures Thursday — including cheap new loans, among other stimulus policies, according to Reuters — in the face of an economic shock that has kept millions of people at home and global markets in volatility.

By Danielle Paquette

Chinese expert predicts pandemic will be through the worst by June

HONG KONG — The Chinese epidemiologist leading his country’s response to the coronavirus predicted Thursday that the global pandemic would “wind down gradually in June,” but also warned that other countries needed to do more to stop its spread.
Zhong Nanshan, who oversaw the response to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in 2002 and has been leading the panel of Chinese experts assessing the coronavirus, also said that China needed to enforce strict controls to stop new infections arriving from overseas.
“Most imported infections are asymptomatic, with half not having a fever, similar to the situation in Wuhan in the early days,” Zhong told reporters in Beijing. “This shows that other countries are not doing enough to stop the virus.”
Of the 15 new coronavirus cases reported in China on Thursday, six of them were diagnosed in people arriving from abroad.
China, having criticized other countries for imposing travel restrictions on its citizens when the virus was raging at home, is now enforcing tough new measures to combat the arrival of new cases from outside its borders.
Zhong justified the response. “We have to strengthen prevention and control when facing imported cases, as well as enhance communication with other countries, to protect China from new sources of infection," he said.
Zhong had previously predicted that the epidemic in China would be through its worst at the end of February, and he wasn’t far off, with the country’s National Health Commission declaring Thursday that the worst had passed there. If other countries took decisive measures to stem the spread, the global pandemic could be over in June, he said.

By Tiffany Liang

Iran seeks emergency IMF funding for coronavirus crises

Iran is seeking $5 billion in emergency funding from the International Monetary Fund to finance its widening response to the Middle East’s worst coronavirus outbreak.
Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif called on the IMF to quickly make good on promises to provide financing to country’s in need.
The IMF “has stated that countries affected by #COVID19 will be supported via Rapid Financial Instrument. Our Central Bank requested access to this facility immediately,” Zarif said in a tweet.
Iranian Central Bank head Abdolnaser Hemmati said he requested $5 billion through the Fund’s Rapid Financial Instrument program. The IMF this week unveiled a $50 billion package of emergency financing for countries struggling with their responses to the virus. Iran has reported about 9,000 positive infections in the still rapidly expanding outbreak and more than 350 deaths.

By Steve Hendrix

China’s coronavirus epidemic has ‘passed its peak,’ National Health Commission says

BEIJING — China’s coronavirus epidemic has passed its peak, with the number of new cases steadily declining, the National Health Commission said Thursday.
The latest figures showed that Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, recorded only eight new infections the day before, falling into single digits for the first time.
“Broadly speaking, the peak of the epidemic has passed for China,” said Mi Feng, a spokesman for the National Health Commission. “The increase of new cases is falling,” he said.
The commission Thursday reported only 15 new cases of coronavirus had been confirmed the previous day. Eight of them in the epicenter province of Hubei, and six were found in people arriving in China from abroad.
With the virus spreading around the world, China’s ruling Communist Party has used its recovery from the outbreak to trumpet the superiority of its response.
“China has mobilized the whole nation and taken the most comprehensive, strict, and thorough control and prevention measures to battle the epidemic, winning precious time for regions outside Hubei and countries and regions around the world,” Mi told reporters in Beijing on Thursday afternoon.
“Out of a heightened sense of responsibility for the global health security, China is willing to maintain openness and transparency, and step up effective cooperation with WHO and relevant countries and regions in playing its role in jointly battling the epidemic,” he said.

By Lyric Li and Anna Fifield

Coronavirus hits NBA, Hollywood, Capitol Hill and workforce as House readies for vote on Trump’s stimulus package

Federal and local officials took increasingly drastic measures to slow the spread of the spread of the new coronavirus Wednesday, as President Trump announced that he will sharply restrict travel to the United States from Europe.
“The virus will not have a chance against us,” Trump said in a televised national address late Wednesday. “No nation is more prepared or more resilient than the United States.”
But other officials have warned the government may not be doing enough to fight the virus, which has been declared a global pandemic. As of early Thursday, more than 1,300 people across the country had tested positive for the virus, while at least 37 had died.
“Bottom line, it’s going to get worse,” Anthony Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at a congressional hearing.
On Wednesday, the visible impact of the virus appeared to reach entertainment, professional sports, and the halls of Congress, as the actor Tom Hanks, a basketball player for the Utah Jazz and a Capitol Hill staffer all tested positive.
In response, the NBA suspended the rest of its season; hours earlier, the NCAA said it would play its March Madness basketball tournaments in nearly empty arenas.
The stock market fared no better, as the Dow Jones reached bear-market territory and Trump pitched an economic stimulus meant to cushion the country. The House of Representatives is expected to vote Thursday on the relief measures, which include expanded unemployment insurance, paid sick leave and food security assistance.
The pain on workers has spread far beyond the travel industry, too, as panic and losses over the virus cause layoffs across industries, including at an Omaha bakery, an Orlando stage-lighting company and the Port of Los Angeles, and economists worry that even more layoffs are coming.
On Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden Jr. plans to speak about the global pandemic, after the former vice president assembled his own public health advisory committee and said he will conduct virtual events in place of in-person campaign activities in Illinois and Florida.
Meanwhile, a Trump campaign spokeswoman said the president would continue to hold large campaign rallies, despite the advice of experts. But late Wednesday, the White House said he had canceled planned fundraising activities and a weekend political trip to Nevada and Colorado.

By Teo Armus

U.S. Embassy branch in Tel Aviv isolates some staffers after virus-positive visitor to visa office

JERUSALEM — An unknown number of employees at the U.S. Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv have been sent into self-isolation after a person who later tested positive for the coronavirus visited a waiting room in the facility’s non-immigrant visa section last week.
The embassy was notified Wednesday of the visit by Israel’s ministry of Health, which also put out a call for others who may have been in the waiting room on March 5, between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., to self-isolate.
An embassy spokeswoman said she could provide no further details. President Trump ordered the embassy officially moved to Jerusalem in 2017, but many of its functions — and most of its staff — remain in Tel Aviv.
The number of confirmed cases in Israel has grown to 100, with no reported fatalities. Tens of thousands of Israelis are in precautionary self-quarantine and gatherings of more than 100 are prohibited. The country has radically tightened its borders, requiring all incoming arrivals, residents and visitors alike, to enter two-weeks isolation.
Effective Thursday evening, foreign visitors will be turned back at the airport unless they can prove they have a suitable place to spend the quarantine.

By Steve Hendrix

Duterte to be tested amid rise in coronavirus cases in Philippines

MANILA — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will be tested for the coronavirus, his spokesman announced on Thursday.
He will take the test as a “preemptive” measure along with his special assistant-turned-senator, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go.
“While [the president] and Senator Go do not have the symptoms of the virus, they have opted to undergo the test to ensure that they are fit and healthy to perform their duties as government workers,” said his spokesman Salvador Panelo.
The announcement comes amid a jump in coronavirus cases in the Philippines to 49, with two deaths. Government officials, including senators and the mayor of Manila, have announced they would go on self-quarantine after possibly being exposed to the virus.
Duterte’s security announced a no-touch policy between the president and the public earlier this week, although the president claimed that he would defy it and “shake hands with everybody.”
The tough-talking populist president is most known for his bloody war on drugs, which has left thousands dead. At home, the state of his health is the subject of public scrutiny. Duterte has previously said he has various ailments, including Buerger’s disease and an autoimmune condition called myasthenia gravis, among others. In the past year, he has skipped a number of events for health reasons.

By Regine Cabato

Coronavirus cluster in dense Seoul neighborhood spurs fears of new South Korean outbreak

SEOUL — A new coronavirus cluster in Seoul linked to more than 100 cases has raised concerns about a wider outbreak in the densely populated capital even as growth in South Korea’s national tally appears to be slowing.
Some 102 infection cases can be traced to a call center in one of the busiest districts in Seoul near Sindorim station that handles over 400,000 commuters each day.
Of those, 71 live in Seoul and the rest in neighboring Incheon city and Gyeonggi Province, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a briefing on Thursday.
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun warned that the clusters can lead to “super-spreading” of the virus in greater Seoul metropolitan area, where half of South Korea’s 51 million people live.
Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho told a briefing that the virus situation is getting under control in Daegu city, South Korea’s first coronavirus epicenter. Daegu reported 73 new cases of the virus on Thursday, compared to daily jumps in the hundreds over the past weeks. South Korea has almost 8,000 cases.
Yoon said it is too early to lower anyone’s guard given the sporadic outbreaks in other parts of South Korea.
Park said Seoul will try to contain the outbreak through rapid testing and social distancing campaigns while maintaining the city’s functions. Hundreds of residents and workers at the building with the call center have been tested, according to Park.

By Min Joo Kim

California, Oregon ban gatherings of more than 250 people

California and Oregon will temporarily prohibit any gatherings of more than 250 people, officials in those states said, the most far-reaching restrictions yet meant to contain the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
The rules, an example of social distancing, will make this sweeping measure the standard across almost all of the West Coast. Washington state banned similarly sized events in three Seattle-area counties earlier in the day.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said that the cancellation or postponement of concerts and community events would result in “cascading effects” that save the state’s most at-risk populations.
“Changing our actions for a short period of time will save the life of one or more people you know," Newsom said in a statement. “That’s the choice before us. Each of us has extraordinary power to slow the spread of this disease.”
The orders are not meant to prevent people from attending classes or work or seeking out essential services. Newsom added that California’s rule, which lasts at least through the end of March, would not apply to tightly concentrated living situations, like college dormitories and homeless encampments.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) will announce the rule, which will last for at least four weeks, at a news conference Thursday, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
“It’s time for us all to do what we can to slow its spread and take care of one another,” Brown said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Santa Clara County, which includes Silicon Valley and San Jose, had announced restrictions on gatherings of more than 1,000 people, a move largely targeted at concerts and sporting events. San Francisco followed suit on Wednesday.
That rule was followed by complaints from local businesses there who said the order would severely impact their livelihoods, and Newsom said California officials would be working to cushion the economic shock of the statewide policy.
“These changes will cause real stress,” he said, “especially for families and businesses least equipped financially to deal with them.”
Washington state’s ban so far affects an area covering nearly 4 million people, including the epicenter of the state’s outbreak in King County, as well as nearby Pierce and Snohomish Counties.
Later on Wednesday, Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne immediately suspended all public mass, making his Catholic archdiocese, which covers the western part of state, the first in the country to do so.

By Teo Armus

Saudi Arabia bans travel to and from the European Union, following U.S. lead

DUBAI — Saudi Arabia on Thursday expanded the list of countries its citizens and residents are banned from visiting to include the European Union, just an hour after a similar travel ban on the EU from the United States.
In a statement from the Interior Ministry carried by the official press agency, travel for its citizens and expatriate residents was suspended to the European Union, Switzerland, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, and Somalia.
Many of these countries are yet to report cases of the virus.
Anyone coming from those countries or who has been in them within the past 14 days are also banned from entering the kingdom.
Land ports with neighboring Jordan have also been closed to all but commercial traffic.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia announced similar travel bans to the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, South Korea, Egypt, Italy and Iraq.
Saudi citizens and foreign residents have 72 hours to return to the kingdom before the ban will take effect on them. The national airline, Saudia, said it would continue running flights to Paris until Friday.
An exemption for the decision has been granted to Filipinos and Indians working in the health professions or involved in shipping and trade.
The statement said the move was part of “determined efforts to control the virus, prevent its entry and spread, and based on the concern to protect the health of citizens and expatriates and ensure their safety.”
Saudi Arabia has only reported 45 cases of the virus, but the numbers are rising swiftly among its neighbors. UAE has reported 74 cases, Kuwait has 72, and Bahrain 195.
Qatar, a tiny wealthy emirate next to Saudi Arabia, reported an alarming spike of 238 new cases on Wednesday, all residents of the same compound.
By far, however, the biggest source of the infection in the region is Iran, located across the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia and already hosting more than 9,000 cases, including several politicians and top officials.
Saudi Arabia’s eastern province of Qatif, whose mainly Shiite residents have been known to travel to Iran, was the initial focus of its infections and on March 10, the whole region was put on lock down, with roads in and out blocked. Schools across the kingdom have also been shut down.

By Paul Schemm

Rescue operation at collapsed quarantine center in China ends after final body is recovered

Chinese authorities declared an end Thursday to a rescue and recovery operation at a coronavirus quarantine center that collapsed over the weekend, taking a final toll of 29 lives, including at least two medical workers.
The body of the last victim was pulled from the rubble Thursday. The hotel in the southeastern city of Quanzhou had been converted into a temporary quarantine center during the coronavirus outbreak when it collapsed to an unrecognizable pile.
A total of 71 people, including 42 from the epicenter of Hubei province who had been traveling with the epidemic broke out, were trapped in the collapse. Nine escaped from the rubble on their own.
A preliminary investigation showed that the hotel had been illegally constructed and was repeatedly rebuilt, said Shang Yong, deputy head of the Ministry of Emergency Management. The owner of the building is in police custody.
Construction of the building, which had a floor area of about 75,000 square feet, was started in 2013, land it was later converted into a 66-room hotel that opened in June 2018. China’s State Council, the equivalent of a cabinet, set up a special team on Thursday to further investigate the collapse.

By Liu Yang

Asian share markets tumble after Trump speech

Asian share markets tumbled for the second day in a row Thursday as markets reacted to President Trump’s announcement of travel restrictions on arrivals from European countries and plans to provide $50 billion in loans to support small businesses.
“Stocks are cratering on the president’s remarks from the White House,” Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist for MUFG Union Bank, told the Financial Times. “Stock markets around the world are in free fall as the spread of this deadly pandemic virus has the potential to slow the global economy to a crawl.”
Markets in Asia were also reacting to the World Health Organization’s designation of the coronavirus as a pandemic, and another terrible day on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones industrial average tipped into bear market territory.
The Australian Stock Exchange lost almost 8 percent of its value, or more than $64 billion on Thursday, recording its worst one-day fall since 2008.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was down 3.5 percent in the early afternoon, having fallen by as much as 4.8 percent earlier in the day, while Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225, was down 3.6 percent in the Tokyo afternoon.
In China, the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s composite index was down only 1.6 percent after lunch, while the Shenzhen index had lost 2.2 percent of its value.

By Anna Fifield

CDC warns Americans to avoid ‘nonessential travel’ to Europe

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a level 3 travel warning late Wednesday, urging Americans to avoid “nonessential” trips to Europe due to the impact of the novel coronavirus.
The warning, the most severe travel notice the CDC can issue on a three-point scale, came shortly after President Trump announced a suspension on travel from most of Europe. Neither the ban nor the CDC notice applies to the United Kingdom.
Trump’s sweeping measure, which he introduced in a televised national address Wednesday evening, sent shockwaves through financial markets and created panic over the potential effects on goods and travelers crossing the Atlantic.
But about an hour after his address, Trump took to Twitter to clarify that the 30-day travel restrictions would not apply to trade. “The restriction stops people," he wrote, “not goods.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the rule will suspend entry for “most foreign nationals" who have been in continental Europe at any point in the two weeks before their scheduled arrival in the United States.
The ban does not apply to legal permanent residents, most immediate family members of U.S. citizens, and some others, Chad Wolf, the agency’s acting secretary, said in a statement.
Health experts and the World Health Organization have strongly advised against this sort of targeted travel bans, warning that they can complicate the global response to an outbreak and lead to negative effects in the long term.
The Defense Department, meanwhile, suspended travel for 60 days to several virus-stricken nations for all service members, employees and their families.
At separate points earlier this year, the CDC issued level 3 warnings for the four countries that have experienced the most serious outbreaks of the virus: China, South Korea, Iran and Italy.

By Teo Armus

Australian government unveils economic stimulus package aimed at countering virus impact

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday announced a $11.4 billion stimulus package to try to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus, focused on helping businesses get through the disruption.
Morrison said he wanted to particularly make sure that small and midsized businesses could stay operational as the global outbreak takes its toll on Australia’s economy.
“It is about a cash injection into the Australian economy, which supports small businesses and supports medium businesses,” he said Thursday, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
About 690,000 small to medium-sized businesses employing some 7.8 million people will be eligible to receive between $1,300 and $16,000 to help with cash flow. Those with apprentices can ask for $14,000 to keep them on, a measure that is expected to keep about 117,000 apprentices in work. Other affected businesses will be able to apply to a $645 million fund.
A total of 6.5 million people on welfare — including those receiving disability or veterans’ benefits, and 2.4 million seniors — stand to receive one-off payments of almost $500 each.
“The biggest beneficiaries of that will be pensioners,” Morrison told reporters. “They comprise around half of those who will receive those payments, but they also will be extended to those in family tax benefits, which obviously goes to those in earning households."
The value of the package is equivalent to almost 1 percent of Australia’s gross domestic product, and will be “front loaded” to make sure that money gets into the economy as quickly as possible, Morrison said.
Some Australian companies are taking it upon themselves to try to counteract the impact of the virus. Woolworths, a leading grocery store chain, said Thursday that it would provide two weeks’ paid leave for employees, including casual workers, who can’t come to work because they have to go into isolation or stay home to look after children if schools closed.
Woolworths said employees required to be absent from work due to coronavirus – either due to their own self-isolation, illness or their need to care for others – should not be disadvantaged based on their employment status or the availability of personal leave.
“As Australia’s largest private employer, we recognize we have a key role to play as part of the broader public health response," said Caryn Katsikogianis, Woolworths Group’s chief people officer, the Australian newspaper reported. Other companies including Telstra, the leading telecom operator, have already made similar provisions.

By Anna Fifield

North Dakota reports first case of coronavirus

North Dakota reported its first presumptive case of the new coronavirus late Wednesday.
At a news conference, Gov. Doug Burgum (R) said a man in his 60s had tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, after traveling out of the state and interacting with another patient who tested positive.
The man is recovering at home in isolation in Ward County, which includes the city of Minot, as health officials work to identify people who may have come into close contact with him.
As of late Wednesday, more than 40 states and the District of Columbia have said they are treating patients with presumptive or confirmed cases of the virus. Delaware and Mississippi both announced their first cases on Wednesday.
The North Dakota man’s case must still be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health officials said. Of 27 North Dakota residents tested for the virus, 12 tests have come back negative and another 14 are still pending.

By Teo Armus

Ukraine closes schools nationwide, bans large gatherings

KYIV — Ukraine’s government on Wednesday announced the temporary closure of all schools and banned gatherings of more than 200 people in response to coronavirus fears, though only one case in the country has been confirmed.
The three-week school closure and ban on large gatherings will last from Thursday until April 3 and will include sporting events and conferences.
The government also banned the export of medical masks and other goods needed to fight the epidemic, and plans to purchase infrared sensors to measure people’s body temperatures at Boryspil International Airport outside the capital Kyiv, rather than the manual checks current being used.
Beginning Wednesday, temperature screening will be done in shopping centers, with a focus on people who exhibited physical symptoms such as coughing.
Kyiv’s deputy mayor Mykola Parovoznyk said the city had received 2,500 express test kits and had two diagnostic machines that will be placed at airports. Cinemas, theaters, museums and recreation centers will also be closed for three weeks.
The case identified involved a Ukrainian who returned from Italy.

By Robyn Dixon

Coronavirus concerns impact Opening Day for MLB’s Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants will be forced to postpone or relocate games scheduled at their home stadiums this month, or play them without fans, after government officials in those locales banned large public gatherings due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus.
The announcements moved the impacting of Major League Baseball regular season games from the realm of the theoretical to that of the actual, and could soon be followed by more teams being forced to alter plans as coronavirus continues to spread.
The Mariners were due to open the season with a four-game series at home against the Texas Rangers on March 26, which is Opening Day across baseball, followed by a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins. Six of the seven games in that season-opening homestand fall in March.
The Giants, meanwhile, open the regular season on the road, but will relocate their March 24 exhibition game against the Oakland A’s — previously scheduled to be played at their home stadium of Oracle Park in San Francisco — possibly to their spring training home in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Giants’ home opener is scheduled for April 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The XFL’s Seattle Dragons said they would play their next home game in an empty stadium, while the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer postponed their next home game.

By Dave Sheinin

Wuhan prepares to reopen its airport, as end of lockdown comes into view

BEIJING — Wuhan, the epicenter of China’s coronavirus epidemic, is making plan to reopen its main airport in late March, indicating a tentative lifting of quarantine as new infections in the city continue to fall.
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport was one of China’s biggest air terminals in terms of passenger traffic until it was closed due to virus in late January, when the city quarantined its 11 million residents in a lockdown of unprecedented scale.
The travel ban is expected to end, however, with the number of new confirmed cases in Wuhan having fallen to single digits for the first time in over a month.
“We have been making preparations for a tentative reopening of the airport later this month, somewhere after March 20,” a senior airport manager told The Washington Post on Thursday, declining to give his name because he wasn’t permitted to speak publicly. About one-fifth of airport staff have returned to work.
“We don’t have any concrete dates yet and are still waiting for further instructions from the city and the provincial governments,” he said.
The earliest flight available is one departing from Wuhan to Qingdao at 10:40 a.m. on March 29, run by low-cost carrier Beijing Capital Airlines — a subsidiary of the government-owned Hainan Airlines, according to a search by The Post on major flight booking sites including Ctrip and Alibaba-owned Fliggy.
Passengers from Wuhan could also take connecting flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and several other cities.
“The airport will make relevant arrangements and make the dates public as soon as we receive a notice from government authorities,” the airport manager said.
Beijing Capital Airlines told Chinese media that March 29 remains a “tentative” date and would be subject to adjustments in accordance with the development of the epidemic.
The airport in Wuhan and those serving the wider Hubei province have been asked to get ready by next Monday for government assessment. A document issued by the Hubei Airports Group shows that the preparations in Wuhan kicked off on Tuesday.
Earlier this week, a health expert with the country’s top panel on tackling the outbreak told the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily that Wuhan will likely see new infections drop to zero by the end of this month.
The number of new confirmed cases in China outside Hubei has remained in single digits for two weeks, with eight new infections recorded in Wuhan on Wednesday and seven elsewhere, according to the country’s National Health Commission.

By Lyric Li

New Zealand hopes its in-built isolation will protect it from virus

AUCKLAND — New Zealand, which a former prime minister once called “the last bus stop before Antarctica,” is watching the spread of coronavirus around the world and wondering if its geographical isolation can help keep it outside the pandemic.
The country is pursuing a “keep it out, stamp it out, slow it down” approach, Ashley Bloomfield, the director-general of health, said Thursday.
The remote South Pacific nation has now gone five days without any new confirmed infections, and the five people who had previously tested positive are all at home and recovering, he said.
New Zealand is looking at what other island jurisdictions — especially Taiwan and Singapore — have done to control infections there.
“It is not an inevitability that we get an out-of-control pandemic here,” Bloomfield told reporters in Auckland on Thursday. “We have been acting and planning as if this would be a pandemic for some weeks and now and we continue to plan and respond with pace.”
Health authorities have ample test kits, he added, saying that labs were equipped to do 500 tests a day but only 100 had been needed on Wednesday.
New Zealand has instituted mandatory 14-day self-quarantine periods for people arriving from badly affected countries like China, South Korea, Iran and Italy. But there is little to no enforcement, with the system instead relying on trust.
But the country has not banned large-scale gatherings, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Thursday that a memorial for the March 15 Christchurch mosque attack will go ahead as planned this Sunday.
“I’ve sought specific advice from the Ministry of Health around large gatherings and their message to us has been very clear: we are at a point where we don’t have community transmission,” Ardern said.

By Anna Fifield

Shanghai, with no new cases of coronavirus, begins to reopen attractions

Major tourist attractions in Shanghai, including the famous Oriental Pearl TV Tower with the ball in the middle, were set to reopen Thursday under strict conditions designed to stop a new outbreak of coronavirus in the city.
With Thursday’s additions, a total of 22 attractions will have reopened, including Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum and the Shanghai and Jin Mao towers, according to the Shanghai Culture and Tourism Administration. Shanghai Disney Resort began to resume operations earlier in the week.
Shanghai’s Health Commission said Thursday morning that there had been no new coronavirus infections reported in the city the previous day, part of a steady decline in cases nationwide as Chinese authorities have locked down all hotspots and enforced strict regulations elsewhere.
People wanting to visit the newly opened attractions must wear a mask at all times and will have their temperatures checked before entering. Anyone with a reading above 99.1 degrees will not be allowed to enter.
They will also have to register their real names and contact details, and show a green “health QR code” attesting to their clean travel and health record before being permitted to enter.
Most attractions will have caps on how many people are allowed in each day, and will encourage people to stand three feet apart from each other.
When Shanghai Disney Resort reopened on Monday after six weeks of being closed, it also limited the number of entrants and its hours of operation.
Shanghai is a major financial and business center in China, and authorities have been proceeding slowly to ensure the number of infections does not explode as people begin to return to normal life.

By Anna Fifield