European Parliament President David Sassoli announces that the EP's plenary session, which was scheduled to last four days, has been reduced to a single day due to the coronavirus. In Brussels on March 9, 2020. (FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP)
PARIS / ROME / BERLIN / MADRID / BRUSSELS / OUAGADOUGOU / OTTAWA / LISBON / LONDON / BUCHAREST / TIRANA / DUBLIN / WASHINGTON / HELSINKI / STOCKHOLM / PANAMA CITY / MEXICO CITY / MOSCOW / VALLETTA / WARSAW / OSLO / RABAT / CHISINAU / PRAGUE / BELGRADE - The president of the European Parliament David Sassoli said on Tuesday he was in self-isolation at his Brussels home as a precaution after having travelled to Italy.
"Parliament will continue to work to exercise its duties. No virus can block democracy," Sassoli, an Italian, said in statement on Tuesday.
The European Parliament on Monday decided to shorten its monthly gathering to 1-1/2 days from four days due to concerns that hundreds of lawmakers sitting together could spread the coronavirus, an official said.
Parliament will continue to work to exercise its duties. No virus can block democracy.
David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament
The plenary session had originally been scheduled to be held in Strasbourg, France, but that was cancelled due to concerns that travel there would increase coronavirus risks.
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White House: Trump has not been tested for coronavirus
US President Donald Trump has not been tested for the coronavirus, the White House said on Monday, though at least two lawmakers with whom he has recently come into contact have announced they were self-quarantining after attending a conference with a person who had tested positive for the virus.
“The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms. President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him,” White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.
Four Republican lawmakers – Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Paul Gosar, Doug Collins and Matt Gaetz – have announced that they would self-quarantine after coming in contact with an attendee, who later tested positive for the virus, at last month's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
Trump and Pence have not been screened for COVID-19, after the two attended a conservative political conference with an attendee who later tested positive for the virus
Gaetz traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One on Monday. Collins shook hands with Trump during a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Friday.
Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence, who is heading the administration's overall response to the crisis, also attended the conference. The White House said there was no indication they came into contact with the infected attendee.
Pence said he has not been screened for COVID-19, adding that there has been "no recommendation" that he be tested.
US Congressman Mark Meadows, whom Trump has named as the new White House chief of staff, has tested negative for COVID-19, a spokesperson said. Meadows received testing after he was advised this weekend that he might have come in contact with the attendee at the conference.
Trump on Monday said he will be taking "major" steps to gird the economy against the impact of a spreading coronavirus outbreak and will discuss a payroll tax cut with congressional Republicans on Tuesday.
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The stepped-up response to the coronavirus came as the number of confirmed cases in the United States topped 600, with 22 deaths, according to real-time data maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Brady press briefing room of the White House in Washington about the coronavirus outbreak, March 9, 2020. (PATRICK SEMANSKY / AP)
French culture minister contracts virus after parliament visit
France's culture minister has become the latest politician to contract the coronavirus, a government colleague said on Monday, after several lawmakers came down with the COVID-19 illness.
Franck Riester is doing well and resting at home, health minister Olivier Veran said on BFM Television.
Five French parliamentarians have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to media reports on Monday, along with a worker in the National Assembly cafeteria where some or all of the lawmakers may have picked it up.
Riester may have caught the virus from one of the five parliamentarians, culture ministry sources said. The stricken minister last met President Emmanuel Macron several days ago, they added.
French Culture Minister Franck Riester leaves the Elysee Presidential Palace after a weekly cabinet meeting in Paris on March 4, 2020. (LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP)
Italian PM Conte announced Monday the whole of Italy will be placed under lockdown until next month
Macron’s chief of staff Patrick Strzoda was also to work from home after coming into contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus, the president’s office told Reuters on Tuesday.
Macron’s office also said Strzoda showed no symptom and would be tested on Tuesday or Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the French public health authority said the death toll in the country has risen to 30 from 25 a day earlier.
France has confirmed 1,412 cases of coronavirus infection as of 3 pm (1400 GMT) Monday.
Sixth person dies in the UK
The death toll in the United Kingdom from the coronavirus outbreak has risen to six, British health officials said on Tuesday.
The number of people testing positive for coronavirus in the UK has risen to 373, up from 319 the day before, health officials said.
The patient who died was in his early 80s and had underlying health conditions, health officials said.
Italy extends coronavirus lockdown to whole country
Italy will boost measures to soften the economic impact of the coronavirus such as suspending the need to pay household bills, the industry minister said on Tuesday, calling for the European Union to change its rules to allow more government spending.
The whole of Italy, Europe's worst-affected country, is under lockdown until next month in an unprecedented attempt to beat the epidemic.
Italy's 60 million people will only be able to travel for work, medical reasons or emergencies until April 3. All schools and universities, which were closed nationwide last week until March 15, will now not reopen before next month.
Industry Minister Stefano Patuanelli said the government would approve measures worth around 10 billion euros (US$11.35 billion) to help companies and families, telling Radio Capital this would probably cause the budget deficit to rise to just under 3 percent of national output this year.
The cabinet is due to meet on Wednesday to approve the initial package.
The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has risen by 97 to 463, the Civil Protection Agency said on Monday. The total number of cases in Italy, the European country hardest hit by the virus in Europe, rose 24 percent to 9,172, the largest daily increase in terms of absolute numbers since the contagion first came to light on Feb 21.
ALSO READ: WHO: COVID-19 pandemic threat very real, but controllable
People walk in an almost empty St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy, March 9, 2020. (ANTEO MARINONI / LAPRESSE VIA AP)
Germany, Canada report first fatalities
Germany confirmed its first two deaths from the coronavirus on Monday as its overall number of new infections rose by 20 percent to 1,139, the latest signs that the epidemic is spreading rapidly in Europe's largest economy.
To limit the spread of the virus, the regional government in the also badly affected southern state of Bavaria decided to ban all events with more than 1,000 participants, the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper reported.
Separately, Canada on Monday reported its first death from the new coronavirus as the number of people in the nation who have contracted the disease rose to above 70, officials said.
Canada now has at least 71 presumptive and confirmed cases of the virus that causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, up from 51 on Friday and nine more than reported on Sunday.
Schools shut in Madrid region and Basque capital
Spanish PM Sanchez said the government was preparing plans to mitigate the impact of the virus on the Spanish economy
Kindergartens, schools and universities in the Madrid region will close for two weeks from Wednesday as a precaution against coronavirus, officials said on Monday.
Media including Cadena Ser radio said this would send 1.2 million pupils home.
Twenty-eight people have died in Spain from coronavirus, with cases jumping on Monday to 1,204, one of the highest numbers in Europe, though still far behind Italy's tally.
Schools and universities in the Basque capital Vitoria will also close for two weeks, sending tens of thousands of pupils home. This will affect 63,000 students, the Basque newspaper El Correo said.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government was preparing plans to mitigate the impact of the virus on the Spanish economy.
Economy Minister Nadia Calvino said the government was considering taking temporary measures to support the worst-hit industries, such as tourism.
Poland's president says won't hold big election rallies
Polish President Andrzej Duda has said he will not organize large campaign meetings in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus, raising questions over how the outbreak will affect the election due in May.
The presidential election will decide whether the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party can fully implement its agenda, including a further overhaul of the judiciary that has put it at loggerheads with Brussels, as the president can veto laws.
Poland said on Monday that it would introduce checks on its borders in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.
On Tuesday, the deputy head of the president's office Pawel Mucha told private broadcaster Polsat News that he currently saw no reason to change the date of the elections, with the first round due on May 10, and a runoff pencilled in for May 24.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the government has decided to cancel all mass events due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A pedestrian walks along an empty street in the old village of Haro, northern Spain, March 9, 2020. (ALVARO BARRIENTOS / AP)
Commander of US Army Europe may have been exposed to coronavirus
The top US Army commander in Europe may have been exposed to the coronavirus, while a Marine who tested positive for it had been working for a defense agency close to the Pentagon, officials said on Monday.
In the case of Lieutenant General Christopher Cavoli, the possible exposure took place during a conference with land force commanders in Europe on Friday in Wiesbaden, Germany. In a photo, Cavoli is pictured sitting next to an unnamed Italian military officer whose face cannot be seen in a military photo of the event.
Reuters reported on Sunday that Italian army Chief of Staff General Salvatore Farina contracted the virus.
Portugal's president tests negative for coronavirus
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has tested negative for COVID-19 but will continue his voluntary isolation, according to the website of the Presidency on Monday.
Five more COVID-19 cases were reported on Monday in Portugal, bringing the total number to 35.
READ MORE: Infections top 100,000 globally as Trump signs US$8.3b bill
We remain in the contain phase of the outbreak but ... our scientists think containment is extremely unlikely to work on its own and that is why we are making extensive preparations for a move to the delay phase.
Boris Johnson, British prime minister
UK's Johnson says extensive preparations underway
Prime Minister Boris Johnson held an emergency government meeting to discuss when to bring in more stringent measures, though the government said it was not yet advising the closure of large events. Food supplies, it said, would continue.
Britain announced its fourth and fifth deaths from the virus and said that it now had 319 confirmed cases, up from 273 on Sunday.
"We remain in the contain phase of the outbreak but ... our scientists think containment is extremely unlikely to work on its own and that is why we are making extensive preparations for a move to the delay phase," Johnson said at a news conference.
Burkina Faso, Cyprus, Panama, DRC report first cases
Cyprus' largest medical facility suspended most services on Tuesday, authorities said, after a medical doctor heading the heart surgical ward tested positive for coronavirus. The country on Monday reported its first two confirmed cases of coronavirus, including the doctor.
Burkina Faso on Monday reported its first two cases of coronavirus, Health Minister Claudine Lougue said, becoming the sixth country in sub-Saharan Africa affected by the virus. The two patients are a husband and wife, who had recently returned to Burkina Faso from a trip to France and were now in isolation, Lougue said.
In Panama, a 40-year-old woman tested positive for coronavirus, the country's health minister said on Monday, marking the first such case in the Central American nation.
Minister of Health Dr. Eteni Longondo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo confirmed on Tuesday the first positive case of coronavirus in the capital Kinshasa.
Moldova bans foreigners on all flights from countries with coronavirus
Moldova has banned all foreigners from entering by plane from any country affected by the coronavirus.
The ban took effect on Tuesday, three days after the eastern European state reported its first coronavirus case.
Moldova's first case, a 48-year-old woman, is critically ill with acute respiratory failure, the health ministry said on Tuesday. She had been hospitalised after arriving from Italy by plane on Saturday.
Serbia shuts borders for people from coronavirus-affected countries
Serbia closed its borders on Tuesday for travellers from countries most affected by the coronavirus outbreak to prevent spreading of the disease, the government said in a statement. It did not say when the ban would be lifted.
So far, four people in Serbia have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Czech Republic to close schools, ban events
The Czech Republic will suspend schools other than universities from Wednesday, and ban events hosting more than 100 people, as the government steps up measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Tuesday.
The central European country has so far reported 40 cases of coronavirus.
Romania and Albania shut schools, halt Italy flights
Romania has shut down all schools and suspended flights to and from Italy, seeking to limit the spread of the coronavirus to the Black Sea state, as the number of new infections has risen, authorities said on Monday.
In less than two weeks, Romania has confirmed 17 cases of coronavirus in people who have travelled to Italy, where about 1.3 million Romanians live.
Separately, Albania reported its first coronavirus infections on Monday - two men who returned from Italy and four family members of one of them - prompting the government to shut down schools for two weeks and cancel flights and ferries to Italy until April 3.
Morocco, Malta suspend Italy flights
The Moroccan government announced early Tuesday the suspension of all flights to and from Italy amid COVID-19 concerns. The suspension will remain in effect until further notice, the government said in a statement.
Also on Tuesday, Morocco confirmed its third case of COVID-19, health minister said in a statement.
Malta has also stopped all travel links with Italy after confirming its fourth coronavirus case since Saturday. Prime Minister Robert Abela said at a news conference that all flights between Malta and Italy are being suspended immediately and a daily ferry service between the Italian island of Sicily and Malta will only be used to carry medicine and cargo.
Air France slashes flights, airlines suspend Italy flights
Air France-KLM’s French airline will cut 13 percent of its long-haul capacity this month, while Dutch sister carrier KLM will reduce long-haul by a similar amount.
Separately, Norwegian Air and British Airways said they have halted flights to and from Italy. Wizz Air said it has suspended all flights to Italy
European budget airline easyJet said it has cancelled the majority of its flights to and from Milan, Venice and Verona. Customers will have the opportunity to rebook or get a refund, it said on Tuesday.
Ireland axes St. Patrick's Day parades, sets aside coronavirus funds
Ireland has cancelled all St. Patrick's Day parades due to take place across the country next week over the risk of a further spread of coronavirus as the government set aside 3 billion euros to tackle the infection.
Ireland has so far reported 24 cases after three more were identified on Monday.
A package that could cost up to 2.4 billion euros was agreed to increase sick pay to enable all workers to self-isolate if necessary, while Ireland's already stretched health department will be given an additional 435 million euros this year.
Meanwhile, a worker at Apple Inc.’s European headquarters in Ireland has tested positive for coronavirus.
The company said it is coordinating closely with local health authorities and they feel the risk to others is low.
In a statement, the tech giant said the employee is now in self-isolation.
Russia tells people 'not to use public transport at rush hour' amid virus fears
Russia's consumer safety watchdog recommended on Tuesday that people avoid public transport, shopping malls and other public places at rush hour as a precaution against the coronavirus, the RIA news agency reported.
Canadian passengers disembark from the Grand Princess cruise ship at the Port of Oakland in California on March 9, 2020. (JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
Passengers sue over coronavirus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship
A Florida couple who was aboard the coronavirus-hit Grand Princess ocean liner has sued the ship's owner for more than US$1 million, claiming the company put profits over safety and did not have proper screening protocols in place.
The Grand Princess docked in Oakland, California, on Monday so its 2,400 passengers could disembark and be taken to quarantine or medical sites. An initial round of testing aboard the ship last week found that 21 people, mostly crew, were infected with the coronavirus.
Latin America on lookout as infections top 100
Latin America on Monday continued to keep a close watch on COVID-19 as the caseload in the region topped 100.
Chile's Health Ministry announced three new cases, bringing its total to 13. Health Minister Jaime Manalich said authorities expect the country to go from the current stage of isolated cases related to travel abroad to "a phase of community transmission".
In Argentina, where 17 cases have now been reported with one death, Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta called on those returning from the coronavirus-hit countries to voluntarily quarantine themselves for a recommended period of 15 days.
Colombia's Health Ministry reported two new cases, bringing the total to three. President Ivan Duque tested for COVID-19 after attending an event in the US capital where one of the other guests was reported as testing positive for the virus. Duque's results came back negative.
The government of Costa Rica, where nine cases have been reported, announced it was suspending all mass gatherings, such as concerts and festivals. It also instructed government offices to allow workers to work from home, when possible, to reduce the chances of transmission.
Sweden recorded its first domestic case of COVID-19 on Monday as the total number of infected individuals rose to 260, among them the deputy governor of Sweden's Central Bank
In Peru, two more people tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total to nine. Ecuador has registered 15 cases to date.
COVID-19 situation in other parts of the world
Fifty-six more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the Netherlands, bringing the total cases to 321, according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) on Monday.
Sweden recorded its first domestic case of COVID-19 on Monday as the total number of infected individuals rose to 260, among them the deputy governor of Sweden's Central Bank.
Twenty-eight more people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Belgium, bringing the country's total cases to 267, the Federal Public Health Service said Tuesday in a statement.
In Austria, the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 140 on Monday, with no deaths reported, according to health authorities. The country urged its citizens to return home from Italy.
Ten new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Finland on Monday, bringing the total infection cases of the country to 33.
Austria will deny entry to people arriving from Italy in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday.
Greek officials announced on Monday the first set of economic measures to counter the novel coronavirus effects, as the number of confirmed cases in the country reached 84, according to the latest count.
The package includes additional expenditure for the health system and the suspension of VAT and social security contributions for four months in order to support businesses and regions, where the state introduces freezing of economic activity for more than 10 days, Greek Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said at a press briefing.
Workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant inside a classroom at a primary school in Athens, Greece, March 9, 2020. (THANASSIS STAVRAKIS / AP)
Egypt announced on Monday that another four people have been tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 59 in the country. The country also announced it will suspend all events with large gatherings over coronavirus concerns.
Tunisian Ministry of Health confirmed on Monday three new coronavirus cases in the country, bringing the total number of infection cases to five.
Gates, other charities pledge US$125m towards COVID-19 treatments
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and two other large charities on Tuesday pledged up to US$125 million to help speed the development of treatments for the fast-spreading coronavirus.
The effort, known as the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, will focus on new and repurposed drugs that can be used right away to treat patients infected with the novel coronavirus and possibly other viruses in the future.
The money is intended to ensure that treatments for the virus will be available in poor countries and affordable for individuals.
The Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust medical charity are each contributing up to US$50 million, and the Mastercard Impact Fund has committed up to US$25 million for initial projects.
