The coronavirus, which originated in China in December, has since spread to almost every country, infecting at least 680,000 around the world and killing almost 34,000. At the same time, over 150,000 have recovered from the disease.
At the moment the United States has reported the highest number of confirmed cases (more than 142,000), while the highest death toll has been registered in Italy (10,779 people, according to official data).
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A total of 162 people have died and 180 patients have recovered, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Tuesday.
According to the ministry, Mexico will also extend the suspension of non-essential activities in the country till 30 April.
One patient has died, the Chinese health authorities said.
The number of those infected rose by 323 in the past day, while the death toll climbed by 23. The country's mortality rate on Monday stood at 3.5 percent.
The wealthy industrial state of Sao Paulo accounted for 1,517 infection cases, trailed by Rio de Janeiro with 657 cases.
1/ Today, due to an increasing number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in DC and across the region and the nation, I've issued a stay-at-home order for the District of Columbia. This order reinforces my direction to residents to stay at home except to perform essential activities.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser #StayHomeDC (@MayorBowser) March 30, 2020
According to the health authorities, India's COVID-19 death toll stands at 32, and the number of recoveries increased to 102.
New Delhi reported the biggest daily rise in the number of cases — 25 new cases were confirmed over the past 24 hours, and the total number of coronavirus-infected patients in the capital reached 97.
The southern Kerala state is the most affected by the virus — the state has now 202 cases after 20 more patients tested positive for COVID-19 during the last day.
"The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been informed of 295 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland, as at 1 pm, Monday 30 March. There are now 2,910 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland", the statement read.
There were eight new COVID-19-related deaths over the past 24 hours, among them five women and three men, the NPHET said. Their median age was 86 and six of them had underlying conditions, according to the statement.
According to the health authorities, 79 people are in critical condition, and 16 people died from COVID-19.
The number of recoveries in the country reached 161.
The central Najaf province has recorded 18 cases, the biggest daily increase among the Iraqi provinces, according to the ministry.
Four coronavirus-infected patients died on Monday, and nine people fully recovered from COVID-19. The total number of recoveries has climbed to 152, and the death toll has reached 46.
The total number of infections in the country has risen to 656, while 41 people have died.
A 44-year-old woman has died in the past 24 hours.
"As of 9 am on 30 March 2020 [08:00 GMT], a total of 134,946 people have been tested, of which 112,805 were confirmed negative and 22,141 were confirmed positive", the UK Department of Health and Social Care said in a statement.
According to the statement, the death toll from COVID-19 has increased by 180 cases to a total of 1,408 fatalities.
"Furthermore, as from 31 March 2020 at 6 am [03:00 GMT] ... Gatherings of people at any residence are prohibited, other than of permanent residents ... Any movement of persons from 9.00 p.m. until 6.00 a.m. is prohibited, except for those holding a Confirmation of Movement of an Employee certificate", Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Monday.
The new measures include a fine of up to 300 euros ($330) for those violating the restriction.
"The government's scientific committee met this morning to consider whether all containment measures should be prolonged by at least Easter [12 April]. The government will move in this direction", Health Minister Roberto Speranza said Monday.
The number of confirmed infections has now reached 153,246, according to the updated data. The death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 2,828.
"The Chief of Defence Staff has developed a plan that will see the Canadian Armed Forces mobilizing up to 24,000 regular and reserve force members across the Canadian Armed Forces to support these efforts", Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan said. "The Canadian Army has readied up to 10 regular force units across Canada".
The defence minister said that the Canadian military has been preparing for this scenario and is ready to assist vulnerable communities, especially indigenous and isolated communities, as well as provinces should a request be made.
Chief of the Defence Staff Jonathan Vance told reporters the army is ready to provide medical, logistical and engineering support, both in the short and long-term should the military be asked for assistance. Vance added that the army is preparing for scenarios where a coronavirus-stricken community can be affected by an additional disaster, such as a flood.
INBOX >> Virginia’s #coronavirus stay at home ORDER, in effect now until June 10, 2020, or until it’s amended to end at an earlier date. @WUSA9 pic.twitter.com/W9gmnMk5Hw
— Mike Valerio (@MikevWUSA) March 30, 2020
"Members are advised that the House is not expected to meet sooner than Monday, April 20, 2020", Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office said in a notice.
US lawmakers and Trump administration officials are expected to work on a fourth emergency stimulus package in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States.
The notice said congressmen will be notified if they must return to vote on critical legislation related to the coronavirus response or other important measures.
Over 400 people have died from the coronavirus in France's hospitals over the past 24 hours, with the death toll exceeding 3,000, Jerome Salomon, the head of the national public health service, said on Monday.
He said on Sunday that the death toll amounted to 2,606 and the total case count reached 40,174.
"As many as 3,024 people have died in hospitals [since the beginning of the outbreak]", Salomon said at a briefing.
The case count has surged to 44,550, he added.
"We will continue monitoring and assessing the impact of the pandemic on trade. We call on the international organizations to provide an in-depth analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on world trade, investment and global value chains. We will continue working with them to establish coordinated approaches and collect and share good practices to facilitate flows of essential goods and services", the ministers said in their statement.
The G20 ministers also pledged to continue working together on a "free, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent, predictable and stable trade and investment environment" and open markets.
"We agree that emergency measures designed to tackle COVID-19, if deemed necessary, must be targeted, proportionate, transparent, and temporary, and that they do not create unnecessary barriers to trade or disruption to global supply chains, and are consistent with WTO rules", the ministers went on to say.
The ministers expressed their profound sadness over the "devastating human tragedy".
The duration of the isolation regime is determined by a presidential decree, the centre said in a statement. The days from 30 March to 3 April have been declared non-working ones throughout the country so that most Russians can stay at home. Decisions regarding an extension of the isolation regime will be made taking into account the development of the epidemiological situation of the coronavirus, the centre stated, adding that earlier information about 14 April is incorrect.
"This morning, I have signed an executive order, which institutes a stay-at-home directive", Hogan told reporters. "No Maryland residents should be leaving their homes unless for an essential job or for an essential reason, such as obtaining food or medicine, seeking urgent medical attention".
Hogan noted that no Maryland residents will be allowed to travel outside of the state unless such travel is "absolutely necessary".
"As many as 11,535 tests have been conducted today, and 1,610 of them are positive. We have 10,827 infected people. We have lost 37 patients today, the death toll amounts to 168. A total of 162 patients have recovered, and 725 are in life support departments", Health Minister Fahrettin Koca wrote on Twitter.
Ülkemizin mevcut Koronavirüs tablosunu burada ve aşağıda paylaştığım linkte bulabilirsiniz.
— Dr. Fahrettin Koca (@drfahrettinkoca) March 30, 2020
🔍 https://t.co/RVlhe7786O pic.twitter.com/dJX0NPTFI1
We just got some major reinforcements in the COVID-19 fight — the @USNavy’s Comfort has arrived in New York City. https://t.co/FWE4SZO7Ae
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 30, 2020
"If we over the next two weeks across Easter keep standing together by staying apart, and if the numbers remain stable for the next two weeks, then the government will begin a gradual, quiet and controlled opening of our society again, at the other side of Easter", Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a press conference.
On 13 March, the Danish Social Democratic government announced a more or less complete shutdown of the public sector. Then came bans on social gatherings with more than ten persons and forced closings of restaurants and cafés.
The US Navy hospital ship Comfort has arrived in New York City on Monday morning to provide relief to local hospitals struggling to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.
The Comfort, which is equipped with 12 operating rooms and 1,000 beds and has more than 1,200 medical personnel, docked at Pier 90 off West 50th Street in Manhattan at around 11:00 a.m.
The hospital ship will be used to treat non-COVID-19 patients who require other urgent medical assistance as city hospitals are stretched to coping with patients infected by the virus.
"Until which date is the quarantine in force? According to the decree of the Moscow mayor, it is necessary to respect the self-isolation regime through 14 April", the response centre wrote on its Telegram channel.
"We are aware of an increasing number of false information about the coronavirus pandemic, we are concerned that some of that might also lead to public harm … The commission will continue to monitor this very closely … It is important that all actors are engaged in ensuring the dissemination of reliable information about the coronavirus pandemic", spokesman of the EU institution, Johannes Bahrke said.
In addition, the EU is looking into external sources of fake news about the pandemic, according to the spokesman. Moreover, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla are on board in the fight against the fake news, Bahrke added.
A further 159 people who tested positive for the coronavirus have died in the UK, the National Health Service said on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths in the country to 1,284.
"I call on all deputies of the New Democracy, as well as ministers and deputy ministers, to join a symbolic initiative of contributing 50 percent of their salary to the fight against the coronavirus for the next two months. These funds will be directed to a special account for fighting COVID-19", Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis posted on Facebook.
According to the prime minister, politicians must be the first to exercise solidarity in circumstances like those during the current pandemic.
Himself a member of New Democracy, Mitsotakis voiced the hope that other parties would join the initiative as well.
"The company expects to initiate human clinical studies of its lead vaccine candidate at the latest by September 2020 and anticipates the first batches of a COVID-19 vaccine could be available for emergency use authorization in early 2021, a substantially accelerated time frame in comparison to the typical vaccine development process", Johnson & Johnson said in a statement.
The company said it was rapidly scaling its vaccine manufacturing capacity by establishing new production facilities in the United States as well as overseas to provide a global supply of more than one billion doses.
"The company plans to begin production at risk imminently and is committed to bringing an affordable vaccine to the public on a not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use", the statement said.
Johnson & Johnson also said it has formed a partnership called BARDA with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the US Department of Health and Human Services to commit more than $1 billion in investment to co-fund vaccine research, development and clinical testing.
Portugal has recorded a total of 6,408 COVID-19 cases and 140 fatalities as of Monday, the Portuguese Health Ministry said.
The latest situation update from Portugal on Sunday stated that there have been 119 COVID-19 related fatalities and close to 6,000 cases.
According to the health ministry, the majority of the verified infection cases are still concentrated in the country's north.
The Portuguese government declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19 on 19 March.
#CoronavirusOutbreakindia: BBMP is using drones to spray disinfectants across #Bengaluru. According to @BBMPCOMM today, drones were used at Victoria Hospital, KC General Hospital, Malleswaram & Shivajinagar BMTC Bus Station.@WFRising @WeAreBangalore @iambhutia @group1crew pic.twitter.com/VT2Ovw8N6a
— Darshan Devaiah B P (@DarshanDevaiahB) March 29, 2020
Indian police using drones to make sure strict implementation of Lockdown even at terrace of civilian areas.#Gujarat#Junagarh#lockdown #COVID2019india pic.twitter.com/T4L8HLsfs8
— Rishikesh Kumar (@rishhikesh) March 30, 2020
I’ve been working from home and continuing to lead the government’s response to coronavirus.
— Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) March 30, 2020
Stay at home, protect the NHS, and save lives. #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/tYqHYa0Sfy
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The coronavirus-stricken Zaandam cruise ship, stuck off Panama’s Pacific coast with about 1,800 people aboard, will soon start moving toward Florida to bring its passengers and crew home, Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford said on Monday.
"We recently received confirmation from the Panamanian government that both ships [Zaandam and Rotterdam] have been allowed access to the Panama Canal, so that we can make our way east, toward Florida ... I am thanking the Panamanian government for their support in allowing us this passage, so that we can get our guests and our crew back towards safety and back towards their journey home", Ashford said in a address posted to the company's Twitter.
The president added that further details, including the exact time of departure of the vessel, would be provided later.
The Zaandam, which left the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires on 7 March, has been in the territorial waters of Panama since being denied entry at several ports in Latin America. The Rotterdam, which departed from the US city of San Diego, delivered supplies, medical personnel and test kits to the liner. The company said it intended to send healthy passengers to the Rotterdam after undergoing analyzes. So far, four passengers of the Zaandam liner have died from COVID-19.
This video from Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford regarding the transit of the Panama Canal was shared on board Zaandam and Rotterdam: https://t.co/Ui3ocK72D4
— Holland America Line (@HALcruises) March 30, 2020
Alert : There are rumours & media reports, claiming that the Government will extend the #Lockdown21 when it expires. The Cabinet Secretary has denied these reports, and stated that they are baseless#PIBFactCheck#lockdownindia #coronaupdatesindia #IndiaFightsCorona
— PIB India 🇮🇳 #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) March 30, 2020
India has been on a two-week lockdown since 24 March. People are told not to leave homes unless for exceptional reasons. Thousands of shops and firms are temporarily closed, and the work of public transport is restricted. The traffic between Indian states, all domestic and international flights are also suspended.
As of Monday, India has confirmed a total of 1,071 COVID-19 cases, including 29 deaths.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has registered 302 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, which brings the total toll of those infected to 1,836, the country's operational headquarters for preventing the spread of coronavirus said in a statement on Monday.
"Over the past 24 hours, the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus infection in 35 regions in Russia is 302," the statement read.
The new cases have been in Moscow (212), the Komi Republic (15), in St. Petersburg (8) and in the Moscow region (7) among others.
In addition, one patient died from the disease in the Pskov region over the last 24 hours, which brings the total death toll to nine.
So far, 71 regions across the country have been hit by the disease and 66 patients have been discharged from hospitals.
According to the head of Russia's consumer oversight watchdog, Anna Popova, the authorities are fully monitoring some 82 percent of the people arriving from countries hit by the coronavirus infection
Popova said that Russians are still arriving from countries experiencing the height of the outbreak.
"At the moment, we and the Interior Ministry are monitoring about 737,000 Russians, who are in self-isolation, and ensuring the self-isolation is a big problem, but, at the same time, we and the Interior Ministry are able to fully track some 82 percent of all the arrivals in the first two days", Popova said.
According to the official, the remaining roughly 20 percent are in Russia only in transit on their way to another destination.
Austria intends to require people to put on a medical mask before entering supermarkets to reduce the risks of spreading COVID-19, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Monday.
According to Kurz, the measure will take effect once a shipment of masks arrives. Presumably, starting Wednesday, people will receive masks free of charge before entering supermarkets.
"It will be ordinary masks, the purpose of which is to cover the nose and mouth", the chancellor said at a press conference.
He added that it would be the first step, and the requirement would be extended to other places beyond supermarkets. One will still need to maintain a distance of at least three feet from other people, Kurz stressed.
The government decides to increase quarantine period to 21 days starting tomorrow.
— PM Bhutan (@PMBhutan) March 30, 2020
This is to ensure highest preventive measure. pic.twitter.com/klyRhou1rg
"The Chinese government has decided to send a team of medical experts to Venezuela to help the country fight COVID-19 epidemic", Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a briefing.
According to the diplomat, the team, formed by China's National Health Commission, arrived in the Bolivarian republic on Monday.
"To date, the country has [a stockpile] of these devices. It is also very important that we have our own production base to make such equipment. The government has already allocated additional funds to companies that produce such equipment. They are now stepping up the production. If earlier we had a production capacity of 1,000 ventilators a month, today this number is increasing multiple times", Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said.
