2024 RT Amination Banner.gif

China Daily

News> World> Content
Tuesday, March 03, 2020, 23:45
Pope tests negative for virus; UK sets out plans to curb virus
By Agencies
Tuesday, March 03, 2020, 23:45 By Agencies

Pope Francis coughs during the Angelus noon prayer he recited from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, March 1, 2020. (ANDREW MEDICHINI / AP)

BRUSSELS/TUNIS/RABAT/AMMAN/KIRKLAND/ADDIS ABABA/VATICAN CITY/LONDON/BERLIN/KIEV - Pope Francis, who canceled a Lent retreat for the first time in his papacy because he is suffering from a cold, has tested negative for coronavirus, the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero reported on Tuesday.

Francis was to have taken part in the week-long retreat with senior Vatican officials that began on Sunday night at a Church residence south of Rome

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said he had no immediate comment on the report. The 83-year-old Roman Catholic leader, who had part of one lung removed because of an illness decades ago, also canceled most audiences last week.

Francis was to have taken part in the week-long retreat with senior Vatican officials that began on Sunday night at a Church residence south of Rome.

But in a surprise announcement hours earlier, he said he would be following it from his residence in a Vatican guest house.

He has been taken ill at a time when Italy is battling a surging outbreak of the potentially deadly coronavirus.

The death toll in Italy jumped to 52 on Monday from 34 the day before and the total number of confirmed cases in Europe’s worst affected country climbed past the 2,000 mark.

UK sets out plans to curb virus

The British government unveiled its “battle plan” to tackle the spread of coronavirus on Tuesday, with possible measures including school closures, home working and cancelling large-scale gatherings to delay the peak of the outbreak.

Boris Johnson said the virus would not stop him greeting people with a handshake, adding that he had shaken the hands of everyone at a hospital where infected patients were being treated.

The United Kingdom has so far had 39 confirmed cases of the virus, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday a “very significant expansion” was possible.

But he also said the virus would not stop him greeting people with a handshake, adding that he had shaken the hands of everyone at a hospital where infected patients were being treated.

The government’s plan says as many as one fifth of employees may be absent from work during peak weeks of the outbreak, and businesses could be given extra time to pay their taxes if they are facing short-term cash flow issues.

“It is highly likely coronavirus will spread more widely in the coming days and weeks, which is why we’re making every possible preparation,” Johnson said. 

The plan includes the option of encouraging more home working and discouraging unnecessary travel as part of what it called a “social distancing” strategy to delay the peak of the outbreak until later in the year when the weather is warmer and the health service is under less seasonal pressure.

This would also give more time for testing of drugs and development of vaccines, the government said.

Other measures include looking at emergency registration for health professionals who have retired and delaying non-urgent health care. If staff shortages impact emergency services such as the police force, they will focus on responding to serious crimes and maintaining public order.

If the outbreak worsens or is severe and prolonged, the government said it would move from seeking to contain and delay the outbreak to mitigating its impact.

EU raises COVID-19 risk level, insists not to close borders

The risk for people in Europe to be infected with the COVID-19 was leveled up by the European Center for Disease Prevention Control (ECDC) on Monday, but the European Union (EU) insisted not to close the borders between its member states.

According to the daily ECDC risk assessment, the risk associated with COVID-19 infection for people in the EU/EEA (European Economic Area) and the UK is currently considered "moderate to high". In its previous assessment published on Feb 23, the assessment was "low to moderate".

"In other words the virus continues to spread," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference in Brussels.

In Italy, a total of 1,835 people have so far tested positive for the coronavirus, and 52 deaths have been reported

The ECDC has made the assessment on a daily basis for more than a week, since the COVID-19 outbreak was reported in Italy, where a total of 1,835 people have so far tested positive for the coronavirus. 

There have been 52 deaths, while another 149 patients have recovered in the country, according to Angelo Borrelli, Italy's Civil Protection Department chief and Extraordinary Commissioner for the coronavirus emergency.

He said at a briefing late on Monday that over 23,300 coronavirus tests have been carried out since the epidemic first broke out on Feb 21 among Italians who had no links to China or any other parts of the world with ongoing coronavirus outbreaks.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center, speaks during a media conference regarding COVID-19 at the Emergency Response Coordination Center in Brussels, Monday, March 2, 2020. (VIRGINIA MAYO / AP)

Since the start of the outbreak in northern Italy, there has been a clear sign of dissemination crossing borders.

ALSO READ: Portugal registers first two cases; Germany tally at 150

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany rose to 188 on Tuesday, up from 157 on Monday afternoon, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said.

Thirteen of Germany’s 16 federal states have now reported cases of the novel coronavirus, with the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia being most affected, according to the RKI.

Despite the alarming situation, German Health Minister Jens Spahn did not consider it necessary to close German borders and stressed that the cancellation of major events or the closure of companies was generally not advisable. 

France confirmed 191 cases with three deaths on Monday. The cases of infection increased by 61 compared to Sunday. 

Tourists take photographs in a nearly empty St. Mark's Square during a rainy day in Venice, March 2, 2020. (FRANCISCO SECO / AP)

In Austria, the number of people infected rose to 18 as of Monday evening. Franz Lang, Director General for public security, assured that everything was under control.

Finland reported a new case which brings the total figure to seven. The Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said on Monday that around 150 people, without diagnosis, are in quarantine currently in Finland.

Tuija Kumpulainen, head of Department (Director General) for Wellbeing and Services at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, said that when the infection rate exceeds a certain percentage, Finland will stop quarantining people who have no diagnosis. "This will be necessary to ensure that the society can continue functioning," she said.

Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal and Latvia have each confirmed one case of COVID-19, becoming the latest countries to be hit by the virus

After Sweden raised the risk level of identifying new cases in the country to "very high" last Friday, the country raised on Monday the risk of a general spread of the virus from "low" to "moderate".

READ MORE: COVID-19: G7, euro zone ministers to talk on phone

Elsewhere, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal and Latvia have each confirmed one case of COVID-19, becoming the latest countries to be hit by the virus.

Algeria reported two new coronavirus cases on Monday, which brings the total of confirmed cases to five, a state news agency said quoting a statement from health ministry. The statement added that the two new cases are from the same family, a father and daughter, and were living in France, adding that there's an investigation going to determine the identities of the people who were in contact with them.

Ukraine reports first coronavirus case

Ukraine has its first confirmed coronavirus case, Ihor Kuzin, the acting head of the Health Ministry’s public health center, told Reuters on Tuesday.

The man was hospitalized on Saturday in the western city of Chernivtsi, having traveled to Ukraine from Italy via Romania, Kuzin said.

The man was in a stable condition and his wife has put herself in self-isolation at home, Deputy Health Minister Viktor Lyashko told reporters at a subsequent briefing.

“Yesterday, I told you that we had four suspected cases,” Lyashko said. “Today, one of those cases has been confirmed.”

READ MORE: WHO says risk of coronavirus 'very high' at global level

A person wearing a face mask leaves the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, near Seattle, March 2, 2020. (TED S. WARREN / AP)

Toll in US rises to 6

Six people in the Seattle area have died of illness caused by the new coronavirus, health officials said on Monday, as authorities across the United States scrambled to prepare for more infections with an emphasis on increasing testing capacity.

Six people in the Seattle area have died of illness caused by the new coronavirus, health officials said on Monday, among which at least four of them were either elderly or had underlying health conditions of both

At least four of the six people who died were either elderly or had underlying health conditions or both.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that there are currently 91 cases of COVID-19 in the country, up from just 60 cases a day ago.

Nevertheless, Vice-President Mike Pence, speaking at a White House briefing, said the risk to Americans from coronavirus remained low.

Earlier in the day, two senior officials said the Trump administration was weighing whether to have the president issue an emergency declaration to help cover state and local costs of responding to the coronavirus.

READ MORE: US mulls using sweeping powers to ramp up virus gear production

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn said he expects that by the end of this week close to 1 million coronavirus tests will be completed.

The total number of cases detected by the public health system in Washington state now stands at 18, the most of any state. So far, 10 states, including California and New York, have confirmed or presumed cases.

Share this story

CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG NEWS
OPEN
Please click in the upper right corner to open it in your browser !