A worker wears a face mask to spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea, Feb 27, 2020. (AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP)
SEOUL / TOKYO / DUBAI / WELLINGTON / BANGKOK / BISHKEK / ULAANBAATAR / MOSCOW / JERUSALEM - Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido declared a state of emergency on Friday as the number of coronavirus cases rose, asking residents to stay indoors over the weekend.
“Hokkaido has been doing everything it can to contain the virus, but the crisis is deepening,” Governor Naomichi Suzuki said at a televised news conference on Friday evening.
The state of emergency will last until March 19, he said.
Tokyo Disney Resort will close for two weeks from Saturday to March 15 as a precaution to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, operator Oriental Land Co said.
A man wearing a mask walks past an advertisement for the Tokyo Disney Resort at a train station in Urayasu, near Tokyo, Feb. 28, 2020. The amusement park will be closed from Feb. 29 until March 15 in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (JAE C HONG / AP)
Both Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea will be closed after a government recommendation that big gatherings and events be curtailed for two weeks, Oriental Land Co added.
Hyundai Motor Co confirmed on Friday that the company has halted operations at its No. 2 plant in Ulsan for disinfection after a worker tested positive for the coronavirus.
“The company has also placed colleagues who came in close contact with the infected employee in self-quarantine and taken steps to have them tested for possible infection,” Hyundai Motor said in a news release.
South Korea tally tops 2300
South Korea reported 571 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the total number of infected in the country to 2,337, the Korea Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention said.
The death toll from the virus stood at 13, unchanged from the day earlier.
Of the new cases, 182 were in the southeastern city of Daegu, the location of a church at the centre of South Korea’s outbreak
More than half of South Korea’s cases are linked to a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southeastern city of Daegu and a hospital in Cheongdo county.
South Korea’s health ministry completed tests for 1,299 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus who showed symptoms of fever and coughing, among 9,334 members of the sect in Daegu, Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip said at a briefing.
The results of the tests will be available during the weekend. So far, the ratio of confirmed cases to suspected cases is “very high.”
The outbreak has prompted South Korean boy band BTS to cancel its scheduled April concerts in Seoul, according to its music label, Big Hit Entertainment.
Korean Air Lines on Friday said it will measure temperatures of all passengers for flights to the US and refuse passengers whose temperature exceeds 37.5 degrees Celsius.
South Korea’s Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom vowed on Friday to deploy “all possible measures” to stabilize financial markets as he sees economic indicators from production to consumption dwindling from the increasing number of new coronavirus infections.
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A man wearing a mask takes a photo of people lining up to buy face masks outside a department store in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 28, 2020. (LEE JIN-MAN / AP)
Japan schools may stay shut longer
Japan’s health minister Katsunobu Kato said on Friday there was a chance schools could be closed longer than one or two weeks, depending on the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
Japan’s children’s day-care centers and after-school clubs will stay open, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said. Japan wants to make it easy for people to take time off work, Kato said. This is an important time for controlling the domestic spread of the virus, he said.
Japan’s children’s day-care centers and after-school clubs will stay open
“There could be a chance” schools could be shut for longer, Kato told parliament. “But the priority is to do what we can now,” he said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged on Friday to take policy steps as needed to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from dealing a severe blow to the country’s fragile economic recovery.
Abe said the government still had sufficient reserves to tap for emergency spending related to the coronavirus epidemic, signaling that he saw no immediate need to compile a fresh spending package.
“But I’m aware of views that if the virus spreads, it could have a huge impact on the economy,” Abe told parliament. “We’re therefore watching developments carefully.”
Deputy director general of the Tokyo 2020 Preparation Bureau at the city's government, Katsura Enyo, insisted that Tokyo has no Plan B for this year’s Summer Olympics.
As of Friday, confirmed cases in Japan topped 200, with four deaths, excluding more than 700 cases and four more deaths from the quarantined cruise liner Diamond Princess.
In this Feb 6, 2020, photo, a tourist wearing a mask views snow-covered buildings from the Sapporo TV Tower's observation deck in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. The Japanese island of Hokkaido is declaring a state of emergency over the rapid spread of the new virus there. (JAE C HONG / AP)
ALSO READ: S. Korea virus infections top 1,260, deaths in Japan rise to 7
Thailand recorded one new case of coronavirus, bringing the total in the country to 41 since January, a senior health official said on Friday
Lebanon bars foreigners from infected areas
Lebanon halted flights for non-residents from countries with coronavirus outbreaks, including China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, the transport ministry said on Friday.
The decision also bars land and sea travel. It excludes Lebanese citizens and foreign residents of the country.
Lebanon has reported three cases of coronavirus over the past week, all of them who had arrived from Iran. The government decided on Tuesday to curb some flights and halt all flights for pilgrims.
Israel confirms second case of coronavirus
Israel’s health ministry on Friday confirmed its second case of coronavirus, a person it said had been in close contact with a man who tested positive after visiting Italy.
“Another coronavirus patient who was in close personal contact with the patient who returned from Italy was diagnosed with a positive result, and transferred to isolation,” the health ministry said in a statement.
A week ago, two Israeli passengers who tested positive after traveling on the virus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess were quarantined in an Israeli hospital.
Iran schools to close for 3 days
All schools in Iran will close for three days starting from Saturday over coronavirus concerns, Iran’s health minister announced on state TV.
“Based on assessments it was felt that there was a need for closing all the schools in the country and for this reason all the schools in the country will be closed for three days starting from tomorrow,” Health Minister Saeed Namaki said.
A Saudi wrestling fan, left, wears a protective mask as he waits for wrestling matches of WWE Super ShowDown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 27, 2020. (PHOTO / AP)
Two more cases detected in Kuwait
Kuwait confirmed two more cases of coronavirus on Friday, bringing the total number of infections to 45, a Health Ministry official said, reporting no death.
Those infected had either traveled to Iran or been contaminated by people who went there, she told a media conference in Kuwait.
New Zealand sees 1st virus case
New Zealand’s health ministry on Friday confirmed the country’s first case of coronavirus in a person who recently returned from Iran.
The person, who is in their 60s, tested positive in results that were formally reported earlier in the day, the ministry said in a statement.
“Although we have our first case of COVID-19, the chances of community outbreak remain low,” it said in a statement.
The patient is being treated in Auckland City Hospital and is in improving condition, the statement added.
New Zealand said on Friday that it was placing temporary restrictions on incoming travelers from Iran as a precautionary measure to protect against the coronavirus outbreak.
“This means people will not be able to travel from Iran to New Zealand and anyone who has been in Iran in the last 14 days will need to self-isolate,” Health Minister David Clark said in a statement.
Fiji broadens travel restrictions
Fiji's Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office Yogesh Karan said in a statement that from Feb. 28, Fiji's borders will be closed to all foreign nationals who have been to countries or regions severely affected by the virus, within 14 days of their intended travel to Fiji.
From Monday, Fiji will also be screening all international air passengers with handheld temperature scanners and that Fiji will have thermal scanners installed at international airports in three weeks.
Singapore ministers to take pay cut on virus
All political-office holders in Singapore will take a one-month salary cut in light of the coronavirus outbreak, CNA reported, citing comments from the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.
President Halimah Yacob has pledged to take a similar one-month pay cut, Heng said in parliament.
The government’s actions follow recent moves by some of Singapore’s top companies to freeze pay and cut bonuses as the country attempts to combat the impact of the virus.
Kyrgyz national in Japan tests positive
A Kyrgyz citizen staying in Japan has tested positive for coronavirus and will be hospitalized there until full recovery, Kyrgyz deputy foreign minister Nurlan Abdrakhmanov said on Friday.
The man was one of the crew of the Diamond Princess cruise ship berthed in Japan’s port of Yokohama. Kyrgyzstan has reported no coronavirus cases on its own territory.
Thailand reports one new case
Thailand recorded one new case of coronavirus, bringing the total in the country to 41 since January, a senior health official said on Friday.
The new case is a 25-year-old Thai man, a tour guide who recently returned from South Korea and was diagnosed with the virus on Feb. 24, Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, the health ministry’s permanent secretary said in a news conference.
So far, 28 coronavirus patients have recovered and returned home and 13 are still being treated in hospitals.
Vietnam to suspend visa-free travel for South Koreans
The Vietnamese government plans to suspend visa-free travel for South Koreans starting on Saturday amid concerns about the coronavirus spreading, Yonhap News Agency said on Friday.
The South Korean embassy in Vietnam said that it received a notice about the suspension from the Vietnamese government, the report said.
Quarantine measures at two Abu Dhabi hotels
Guests at two Abu Dhabi hotels who interacted with two Italian professional cyclists with coronavirus have been placed under quarantine in the hotels, the state news agency of the United Arab Emirates WAM reported on Friday.
The final two stages of the UAE Tour, featuring some of the world’s leading riders, was canceled due to the two Italian participants testing positive.
Other people who also interacted with the two Italians on Yas island have been isolated at home, the agency said, citing the health department of Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital.
The two Italians were diagnosed with the disease on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia suspends toruism visas
The Saudi ministry of tourism temporarily suspended on Thursday issuing electronic tourist visas for those coming from China, Italy, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Kazakhstan, the Saudi news agency (SPA) reported.
The ministry also decided to temporarily suspend work on tourist visas previously issued to citizens of these countries, SPA added.
Russia restricts entry of Iranians, South Koreans
The Russian government on Friday temporarily barred Iranian citizens from entering Russia and said it would also restrict the entry of South Korean citizens from March 1 as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus, decrees published online showed.
The government also said it would no
t allow in any foreign citizens traveling from Iran or South Korea, and ordered the Foreign Ministry to suspend the issue of visas to Iranian citizens, the RIA news agency reported.
With Bloomberg, Xinhua inputs
