Coronavirus infections pass 100,000 across 91 countries
China will ease restrictions in Wuhan and Hubei when situation improves; WHO urges nations to make containing coronavirus ‘highest priority;’ no compulsory quarantine of visitors to Thailand
The number of people infected with coronavirus across the world surpassed 100,000 on Friday as the outbreak reached more countries and the economic damage intensified, with business districts beginning to empty and stock markets tumbling.
The new virus has spread to about 91 countries. An increasing number of people faced a new reality as many were asked to stay home from work, schools were closed, large gatherings and events were cancelled, stores cleared of staples like toiletries and water, and face masks became a common sight.
The outbreak has killed more than 3,400 people and spread across more than 90 nations, with six countries reporting their first cases on Friday.
Authorities will ease restrictions in Wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus outbreak which is still in lockdown, when situation improves, a senior government official said on Friday.
Ding Xiangyang, Vice Secretary General at the State Council, told a media briefing in Wuhan that winter had passed and the day everyone was looking forward to would not be far away.
China — excluding the territories of Hong Kong and Macau — where the epidemic emerged at the end of December, had 80,552 cases, of which 3,042 were fatal. There were 143 new infections and 30 deaths there since 1700 GMT Thursday.
Outside China, a total of 19,450 cases have been recorded around the world since the epidemic began, including 365 deaths.
There have been 2,349 new cases and 31 new deaths outside China since 1700 GMT Thursday.
The most affected countries after China are: South Korea (6,284 cases, 42 deaths), Italy (3,858 cases, 148 deaths), Iran (4,747 cases, 124 deaths) and France (577 cases, nine deaths).
All countries should make containing the outbreak of COVID-19 their top priority, the the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.
The UN agency stressed that fighting the epidemic requires countries to work together, and praised Iran for “switching on” to the coronavirus outbreak there and taking a fresh “all of government approach.”
“We are now on the verge of reaching 100,000 confirmed cases,” the WHO’S director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at a briefing. “It (the epidemic) is geographically expanding and deeply concerning.” “We are continuing to recommend that all countries make containment their highest priority,” he added.
hai health authorities on Friday said they would not order the compulsory quarantine of visitors from countries hit hard by coronavirus, as the kingdom struggles to balance health fears with the needs of its flatlining economy.
The holidays of possibly tens of thousands of people were cast into doubt on Tuesday when the health minister insisted a quarantine of all entrants from China - including territories of Hong Kong and Macau - Italy, Iran, South Korea, would be imposed.
On Friday health authorities spiked the plan, instead “recommending” arrivals from the four countries stay indoors and report to authorities for monitoring.
“We recommend home quarantine,” Sukhum Kanchanapimai, permanent-secretary of the Public Health Ministry told reporters.
Travellers from the four countries will have to “report on their health status daily”, said Tanarak Plipat of the Disease Control Department, or risk “punishment” under the law.
South Korea said on Friday it would suspend visas and visa waivers for Japan in response to Tokyo’s own travel restrictions on Koreans, as fears over the spreading coronavirus rekindled a feud between the neighbours dating back to before World War Two.
South Korea’s curbs, which take effect on Monday, also include special entry procedures for non-japanese foreigners arriving from Japan, Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young told a briefing.
At present, Japanese can visit South Korea for 90 days without a visa.
Seoul had earlier summoned the Japanese envoy to protest against Japan’s decision to quarantine South Korean visitors for two weeks.
Japan is among almost 100 countries to impose curbs on travellers from South Korea, which has suffered 44 deaths and 6,593 infections in the biggest outbreak outside China, where the virus emerged late last year.