Coronavirus: EU states take radical steps to stem spread
The EU has condemned Donald Trump’s unilateral ban on travel from 26 European countries as radical efforts to contain the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic upended daily life for millions of people around the world.
France, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Turkey and Norway on Thursday joined the growing list of countries to close all schools, universities and kindergartens, while Italy – by far the hardest-hit EU nation – said its death toll from the virus had risen to 1,016 from 827, with infections climbing by 21% to 15,113.
In a sombre address from the Elysée palace, president Emmanuel Macron unveiled a raft of emergency measures to help the French economy and households, saying France – which reported 2,876 confirmed cases and 61 deaths on Thursday – was facing “its most serious health crisis in a century”.
Schools would close indefinitely from Monday, Macron said. Public transport would still run – although travel should be kept to an absolute minimum – and shops would remain open. The country would spend “whatever it takes” to bolster business.
Local elections, whose first round is due to be held on Sunday, would be maintained, Macron promised, but he advised people aged over 70 and with underlying health conditions to do their utmost to limit their contact with the outside world.
Ireland’s taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, also closed all schools and colleges, and banned indoor gatherings of 100 people or more and outdoor gatherings of 500 or more. “It’s going to involve big changes in the way we live our lives,”
Varadkar said. “And I know I’m asking people to make enormous sacrifices. But we’re doing it for each other.”
German chancellor Angela Merkel fell short of announcing a blanket school closure, saying the regional governments of Germany’s 16 states must decide if they want to shut school gates according to their local situation. One option could be to bring forward April’s Easter school holidays, she said.
Merkel also said the federal government would present a package of additional measures to support businesses on Friday. “I can’t pre-empt them now, but they are very comprehensive,” she said. Germany has reported 2,369 cases, including five deaths.
Spain, which became Europe’s second worst-affected country with 3,004 cases and 84 deaths, imposed its first major restrictions on Thursday night, placing four towns near Barcelona
under indefinite quarantine
Igualada, Vilanova del Camí, Santa Margarida de Montbui and Òdena were put in lockdown late on Thursday after the number of cases linked to a local hospital rose to 58. “No one is allowed out of these affected areas,” the regional government said. “Only emergency personnel and vehicles bringing fuel and food supplies will be allowed to move round the area.”
The government also announced plans to inject €14bn into the economy, and schools and universities across the country were ordered shut for at least two weeks.
Late on Wednesday the Italian government, which on Monday outlawed most domestic travel, went further, ordering the closure of bars, restaurants and all shops except those selling basic necessities.
In a joint statement, the presidents of the European commission and European council defended Europe’s record in managing the pandemic and sharply criticised the White House for its failure to consult its allies.
Travellers scrambled to rebook flights and global markets slumped after Trump imposed sweeping restrictions on travel from the passport-free Schengen zone on Wednesday night, battering airlines and further straining ties with Europe.
The US president restricted travel from the zone, which does not include Britain or Ireland, for 30 days from midnight on Friday. The ban does not apply to American citizens or legal permanent residents of the US and their close family members.
“The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent, and re
quires cooperation rather than unilateral action,” Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel said in a stronglyworded statement.
They said the EU “disapproved” of the fact that the US decision was taken “unilaterally and without consultation”, adding: “The EU is taking strong action to limit the spread of the virus.”
There are now over 128,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide and more than 4,700 people have died, according to the Johns Hopkins university tracker.
Almost 7,000 cases were reported globally on Wednesday, far surpassing the average daily number reported in China during the virus’s initial peak. Italy has seen the sharpest recent increases, accounting for a third of all new cases.
The director of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the body was “deeply concerned that some countries are not approaching this threat with the level of political commitment needed to control it”.
The European centre for disease prevention and control said in an updated risk assessment that it was “likely that similar situations to those seen in China and Italy may be seen in other EU countries or the UK”.
In the US, which has confirmed more than 1,000 cases of coronavirus, a top health official said the country’s testing system was currently failing. “The system is not really geared to what we need right now ... let’s admit it,” said Anthony Fauci from the National institute of allergy and infectious diseases. In other developments:
In Spain, every cabinet member is being tested after equality minister Irene Montero tested positive; her partner, deputy prime minister, Pablo Iglesias, is in quarantine.
The number of confirmed cases in Germany rose to 2,527, with four deaths.
Slovenia, Norway and Austria suspended teaching at schools and colleges, although the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, said working parents will still be able to drop off children for supervision.
The Netherlands banned gatherings of more than 100, asked people to work at home and closed Amsterdam’s celebrated Rijks- and Van Gogh museums.
Iran’s health ministry said the the virus had killed 75 more people, raising the death toll to 429 with more than 10,000 confirmed cases. Iran has asked the International Monetary Fund for an emergency $5bn (£4bn) loan.
The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is self-isolating while his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau awaits results from a coronavirus test. She began to show mild symptoms of illness late on Wednesday after a speaking engagement in the UK.
Jair Bolsonaro’s communications director tested positive days after travelling with the Brazilian president to a meeting with Trump in Florida.
India, which has reported 73 cases, has barred all foreign tourists for one month starting on Friday, including foreign nationals of Indian origin.
The Philippines halted domestic travel to and from the capital, Manila, banned mass gatherings and closed schools for a month.
Stock markets in the US and Europe again posted near-record falls after Trump’s travel ban sparked panic from investors.
China, where the outbreak originated, said the peak had passed as it reported just eight new cases in Hubei province on Thursday. More businesses reopened as authorities cautiously eased draconian containment measures.
Beijing’s senior medical officer, Zhong Nanshan, an epidemiologist renowned for helping to combat the Sars outbreak in 2003, said the global epidemic could be over by June if countries were prepared to take firm measures.
“But if some countries do not treat the infectiousness and harmfulness seriously, and [do not] intervene strongly, it would last longer,” he said.