Epicentre moves to Europe

THE coronavirus pandemic has taken over daily lives around the globe, overwhelming hospitals, shuttering schools and offices, halting US presidential campaign rallies and world sports while increasing fears about the financial toll.

The intensifying spread of COVID-19 beyond Asia has dashed hopes about a quick containment, even with travel and social events curbed drastically.

Asian markets were sinking further yesterday after US stocks had their greatest losses since the Black Monday crash of 1987 and bad European results.

In the United States, Congress neared a deal with the Trump administration on a sweeping aid package with sick pay, free testing and other resources to help reassure anxious Americans and calm markets.

While Washington scrambled to shape an economic rescue package, the European Union slammed President Donald Trump’s European travel ban.

The spread of the virus in Europe, North America and the Middle East has drawn contrast with waning outbreaks in the hardest-hit nations in Asia.

China, where the virus emerged late last year, still accounts for more than 60 per cent of global infections but yesterday it reported just eight new cases and seven deaths.

The pandemic’s new epicentre is Europe. Italy’s death toll topped 1000 on Thursday with more than 15,000 confirmed cases. France, Spain and Germany all exceeded 2000 cases each.

In Italy’s hardest-hit Lombardy region, hospitals were overwhelmed with both the sick and the dead.

France, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Lithuania, Algeria and Slovakia shut schools, as did several states in Germany.

Across the US, where cases have topped 1600, a sense of urgency was pervasive.