Anti-coronavirus measures take drastic turns in Saudi, Iran, Italy

Saudi Arabia banned citizens from performing this year’s pilgrimage in holy city of Makkah, Italy weighed closing schools nationwide and Iran cancelled Friday prayers for a second week as nations scrambled on Wednesday to control the coronavirus outbreak.

With deaths spiking in Iran and Italy and infections spreading quickly through Europe, the Mideast and the Americas, countries were considering new drastic measures to curb the new coronavirus that first emerged in China. In the United States, frustration mounted over officials’ delays and missteps in testing people for the virus. South Korea, Italy and Iran now account for 80 per cent of the new virus cases outside China, according to the World Health Organisation.

In Daegu, the South Korean city at the centre of that country’s outbreak, a shortage of hospital space meant about 2,300 patients were being cared for in other facilities while they awaited a hospital bed. Attending a meeting on quarantine strategies in Daegu, Prime Minister Chung SeKyun sought to assure his country, saying “We can absolutely overcome this situation. ... We will win the war against COVID-19.”

The UN health chief has warned sharply against hoarding medical supplies, saying they are needed to protect health care workers on the front line.

The Czech Republic, Russia and Germany announced bans on Wednesday covering various protective gear like masks, following a similar move by France. In the US, more than 120 cases have been reported. Nine people have died, all in and around Seattle, Washington. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers were expected to finalise an agreement Wednesday on a $7.5 billion emergency bill to fund work on a virus vaccine and other measures. —