Blogroll

Greece said on Saturday it would suspend all flights that were still operating to and from Italy, after reporting two more fatalities from the coronavirus, raising the total number of deaths in the country to three.

The United Arab Emirates said on Saturday it was shutting major tourism and cultural venues, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum and the Ferrari World theme park, from March 15-31, as Gulf states stepped up measures against coronavirus.

The U.S. government is expected to announce on Saturday that it is expanding its travel ban on most European countries to include Britain and Ireland as it seeks to contain the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, airline and U.S. officials told Reuters.

The United Arab Emirates said on Saturday it was shutting major tourism and cultural venues, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum and the Ferrari World theme park, from March 15-31, as Gulf states stepped up measures against coronavirus.

Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has been hospitalized in Jakarta after he contracted coronavirus, a government official said on Saturday, the most high-profile case so far to be confirmed in the Southeast Asian country.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa rose to 38 on Saturday from 24 a day earlier, the Health Ministry said, as the government weighs new measures to contain the outbreak.

France's health minister on Saturday said people should not use anti-inflammatory drugs if they have coronavirus-like symptoms because it could worsen their condition.

The death toll from coronavirus infections in Iran rose on Saturday to 611, up nearly 100 from a day earlier, state TV said, while Tehran's governor-general denied plans to impose a lockdown on the capital.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev agreed in a phone call on Saturday to temporarily halt air and land travel between the two countries, excluding cargo, Turkey's communications directorate said.

An 82-year-old woman who previously suffered from emphysema died at a Manhattan hospital of COVID-19, becoming New York state's first coronavirus-related death, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.

Health authorities in England announced on Saturday a further 10 deaths caused by coronavirus, almost doubling the number of fatalities in Britain since Friday.

Taiwan will from Saturday require travelers from countries in Europe's Schengen border-free travel zone as well as Britain and Ireland to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival to control the spread of the coronavirus, its government said.

Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has been hospitalized in Jakarta after he contracted coronavirus, a senior government official told a news conference on Saturday.

A Hindu group hosted a cow urine drinking party on Saturday as they believe it wards off the coronavirus, as many Hindus consider the cow sacred and some drink cow urine believing it has medicinal properties.

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the Netherlands rose by 155 to 959, Dutch health authorities said on Saturday.

The Philippines reported on Saturday an additional 34 confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing total to 98 ahead of the implementation of quarantine measures in the capital Manila.

Rwanda has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, an Indian citizen who arrived in the East African nation from Mumbai on March 8, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Malaysia reported 41 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, most linked to a religious event on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur that was attended by about 10,000 people from several countries.

Chinese billionaire and Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma has pledged to donate two million protective masks for distribution across Europe, with a first consignment arriving in Belgium late on Friday.

Abu Dhabi announced on Saturday it was shutting major tourism and cultural venues, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum and the Ferrari World theme park, from March 15-31, as Arab states in the Gulf stepped up measures against coronavirus.