Blogroll

Several months before the coronavirus pandemic began, the Trump administration eliminated a key American public health position in Beijing intended to help detect disease outbreaks in China, Reuters has learned.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders on Tuesday to reduce contacts to a bare minimum to help fight the coronavirus, as the country prepared for a one-month lockdown.

Australia reported a jump in coronavirus cases on Tuesday that was almost entirely due to passengers who disembarked a cruise ship in Sydney several days ago, prompting widespread criticism of the official response to the pandemic.

Myanmar reported its first confirmed cases of coronavirus in two men who had recently traveled to the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Health Commission for China's Hubei province said on Tuesday it will remove all travel restrictions in and out of the province on March 25, with the exception of the city of Wuhan, the provincial capital and the epicenter of the country's coronavirus outbreak.

Kyrgyzstan declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in its three biggest cities including the capital Bishkek, a move that will allow authorities to lock them down to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

President Donald Trump said on Monday he is considering how to reopen the U.S. economy when a 15-day shutdown ends next week, even as the highly contagious coronavirus is spreading rapidly and hospitals are bracing for a wave of virus-related deaths.

Nearly one in three Americans was under orders on Sunday to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic as Ohio, Louisiana and Delaware became the latest states to enact broad restrictions, along with the city of Philadelphia.

Australia's most populous state recorded its highest daily rise in coronavirus cases on Tuesday and officials warned of harsher penalties for anybody violating self-isolation orders as the country stepped closer to a full lockdown.

South Korea on Tuesday doubled a planned economic rescue package to 100 trillion won ($80 billion) to save companies hit by the coronavirus and put a floor under crashing stocks and bond markets.

Thailand has recorded 106 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths, a health official said on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to prevent hoarding and price gouging of crucial medical supplies needed to fight the deadly coronavirus, while Attorney General William Barr announced that the Justice Department has already launched hoarding investigations to carry out the order.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been accused of racism in labeling the coronavirus pandemic the "Chinese virus," said on Monday that Asian-Americans were not responsible for spreading the disease and needed to be protected.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday reported 33,453 cases of coronavirus, an increase of 18,185 cases from its previous count, and said the death toll had risen by 199 to 400.

The U.S. military is preparing to deploy field hospitals to New York and Seattle, the Pentagon said on Monday, as its top civilian and military leaders acknowledged for the first time that the coronavirus pandemic could impact military readiness.

More countries imposed lockdown measures as coronavirus cases across the globe ballooned, led by a sharp rise in infections in Europe. Italy banned travel within the country, nearly one in three Americans were ordered to stay home and New Zealand will move to its highest alert level imposing self-isolation.

A far-reaching coronavirus economic stimulus package remained stalled in the U.S. Senate on Monday as lawmakers haggled over its provisions, but the U.S. Treasury secretary voiced confidence a deal would be reached soon.

Mexico had 367 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country on Monday, up from 316 the day before, deputy health secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell said, with a total of four deaths.

Everyone arriving in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen at its ports of entry must be tested for the coronavirus, the local government said in a statement on Tuesday.

Cuba's government said on Monday it was banning Cubans from leaving the country, closing schools and suspending interregional public transport in its fight to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.