Fears of ‘devastation’ for the poor as virus cases around the world approach 100,000

THE number of people infected with the new virus charged towards 100,000 yesterday, with the global scare upending routines, threatening livelihoods and prompting quarantines in its spread.

Asian shares were down following a rough day on Wall Street and the consequences of Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, were becoming clear to people around the world.

Halted travel and a broader economic downturn linked to the outbreak threatened to hit alreadystruggling communities for months to come.

“Who is going to feed their families?” asked Elias al-Arja, the head of a hotel owners’ union in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where tourists have been banned and the Church of the Nativity shuttered.

The head of the UN’s food agency, the World Food Programme, warned of the potential of “absolute devastation” as the outbreak’s effects ripple through Africa and the Middle East.

Across the West, there was a sense of déjà vu as the virus’ spread prompted scenes that had already played out in Asia, with workers leaving offices, vigorous sanitising in public and runs on household basics.

Even the spectacle of a cruise ship ordered to stay at sea off the California coast over virus fears replicated that of a few weeks ago on the other side of the globe.

“The Western world is now following some of China’s playbook,” said Chris Beauchamp, a market analyst at the financial firm IG.

Signs of the virus’ shift away from its origins in China were becoming

clearer each day. China reported 143 new cases yesterday, the same as a day earlier and about one-third what the country was seeing a week ago.

Just a month ago, China was reporting several thousand new cases a day, outnumbering infections elsewhere in the world about 120 to one.

The problem has now flipped, with the outbreak moving to Europe, where Italy, Germany and France had the most cases, and beyond.

The second-hardest-hit country, South Korea, was also registering a notable decline in new infections, and the World Health Organisation’s leader said he was seeing “encouraging signs” there.

South Korea reported 505 additional cases yesterday, down from a high of 851 on Tuesday.

The country has touted its

“remarkable diagnostic and treatment abilities”, but its vice-health minister, Kim Gang-Lip, said: “It’s not easy to make predictions about how the situation... would play out.”

Cases were increasing in Germany and France, but Italy remained the centre of Europe’s outbreak, particularly in its north.The country has had 148 fatalities, making it the deadliest site for the virus outside China.

The Italian government restricted visits to nursing homes and assisted living facilities to protect older people, who have been more vulnerable to succumbing to Covid-19. But with schools closed nationwide, many grandparents were called to duty as last-minute babysitters anyway.

The Vatican said a suspension of Pope Francis’ weekly audiences is likely.