As the global number of COVID-19 cases has surpassed 265,000, with over 11,000 deaths and over 87,000 recoveries, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on people on Friday to stop hoarding surgical masks and prioritize masks usage by health care workers
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2020) As the global number of COVID-19 cases has surpassed 265,000, with over 11,000 deaths and over 87,000 recoveries, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on people on Friday to stop hoarding surgical masks and prioritize masks usage by health care workers.
Niger, Cape Verde and Madagascar have reported the first cases of the coronavirus.
Serbia, Peru and Gabon have reported the first deaths from COVID-19.
Germany's number of COVID-19 cases has surged dramatically, by thousands, to 19,711, with the death toll amounting to 53.
Spain has registered over 3,000 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 20,410. The death toll has reached 1,043.
France's COVID-19 total has surged by more than 1,600 in the past 24 hours, reaching 12,612, with the death toll increasing to 450.
Iran has registered 1,237 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 19,644. The death toll has increased by 149 to 1,433.
Remarkably, China's Wuhan has not recorded any new cases for the first time since the beginning of the outbreak. The WHO believes that it gives hope to the rest of the world.
The European Commission is looking at all the possible instruments for mitigating the effect of the coronavirus on the economy, including issuing "coronabonds" and relaxing budgetary rules, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
China is set to receive a loan worth 7 billion yuans ($989 million) from the BRICS New Development Bank in order to combat the epidemiological threat and economic disruption caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The German government plans to create a 500 billion euros ($536.5 billion) fund to assist companies affected by the coronavirus disease pandemic.
The government of Finland is preparing a package of measures totaling 15 billion euros to support the national economy, hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said.
Switzerland will allocate 32 billion Swiss francs ($32.46 billion) additionally for limitation of the damage caused by COVID-19.
The United Kingdom will allocate 30 billion pounds ($34.9 billion) to support businesses and will also compensate up to 80 percent of salaries to those who cannot work due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced.
Saudi Arabia will spend over 70 billion riyals (over $19 billion) to support the national economy amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The UK will suspend the operation of all restaurants, bars, sport facilities, non-food shops and other public establishments on Saturday.
Switzerland's government, the Federal Council, has introduced a ban on gatherings of over five people, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but the national quarantine is out of question yet.
Canada and the United States have reached a deal to return migrants found to be irregularly crossing the border to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus disease, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
The US is suspending all non-essential travel with Mexico amid the COVID-19 pandemic, US President Donald Trump told reporters.
Brazil's Senate on Friday approved a presidential decree declaring a national emergency over the coronavirus epidemic, allowing the government to waive fiscal targets and free up budget resources to fight the virus. The country will ban entry for citizens of the EU, China, Japan, Australia, Malaysia and South Korea.
Tunisian President Kais Saied on Friday ordered a total lockdown in the country, envisioning restrictions on public movement.
Saudi Arabia has decided to ban medication and medical equipment exports, also suspending domestic air, railroad and bus travel, and taxi services for two weeks starting on Saturday.
Panama is suspending all international flights for 30 days starting on Sunday.
Russia's Republic of Ingushetia has declared a high alert regime to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which means that the regime is now active across the entire Russian territory, in all the 85 regions.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki declared on Friday a state of epidemic emergency in the country.
Haiti has declared a state of emergency over the pandemic of COVID-19, soon after the first two cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the country.
Argentine has imposed a mandatory quarantine on all citizens of the country until March 31.
The government of Australia will restrict access to some remote communities of indigenous populations to protect them from the spread of coronavirus, Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said.
Vietnam will quarantine all international arrivals from Saturday to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Vietnam has also temporarily suspended visa-free travel for the citizens of Russia, Belarus and Japan as a measure to counter the spread of COVID-19 in the country, the decision will be in force beginning on Saturday.
Georgia has completely halted air traffic with other countries, with the measure coming into force on Friday. Georgia has also decided to suspend all international flights beginning on Saturday.
The Philippines will introduce a temporary entry ban on foreign arrivals starting on Sunday as part of efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease.
Jordan is declaring a curfew on the entire national territory starting on Saturday.
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has imposed a nationwide curfew starting on Friday. He has also called on all citizens to start working from home for seven days starting on Friday.
Thailand will start requiring all passengers wanting to come to the country on international flights to be in possession of a health certificate showing a negative test for COVID-19, the Russian embassy in Thailand told Sputnik.
CANCELLATIONS, DELAYS AND CLOSURES
NASA has decided to close the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana after one employee was infected with COVID-19, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said.
The first season of the Continental Club Rugby League, due to start in early April, has been postponed due to the coronavirus.
The World Snooker Championship in the UK's Sheffield, which was expected to be held from April-May, has been delayed until an uncertain date.
The European Chess Union announced that the European Open Chess Championship, expected to run from May 17-30 in Slovenia, would be postponed to December.
The WHO has received certification requests for 40 coronavirus tests, as 20 vaccines are being developed, Melita Vujnovic, WHO representative in Russia, told Sputnik.
Russia has started testing coronavirus vaccines and hopes to launch their mass production by the end of the year, Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said.
Russian scientists from the Samara National Research University have developed a mathematical model that can be used to predict the uncontrolled spread of viral diseases, including new uncontrolled outbreaks of COVID-19.
Russia's Federal Biomedical Agency (FMBA) is working on a vaccine against COVID-19, three prototypes are ready, and tests on mice are underway, with results expected in June and the vaccine expected to be ready in 11 months.
FMBA has also developed an improved test system for diagnosing coronavirus infection. The system will reduce the diagnosis time to less than 90 minutes, while ensuring high efficiency of the tests.
Five laboratories in Moscow will start testing people for coronavirus on Friday, and within a week their number will grow to nine, with around 10,000 tests expected to be carried out daily, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
FIGHT AGAINST FAKE NEWS AND PRODUCTS
The Turkish authorities have detained a total of 64 people for disseminating false information about COVID-19 epidemic via social media, the country's Interior Ministry said.
The Office of the Russian Prosecutor General has requested, for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, that access to fake news on coronavirus, including those spread by the Echo of Moscow radio station, be restricted. The Office of the Russian Prosecutor General cited as an example an interview with political analyst Valery Solovey, released on the website of the Echo of Moscow on March 16. The analyst claimed that 1,600 people had already died from COVID-19 in Ryssia, with the number of those infected totaling up to 180,000. The editor-in-chief of the radio station told Sputnik on Friday that the interview was deleted from the website, following the request.
European Union regulators have opened an investigation into imports of fake coronavirus-related products that are ineffective or even harmful to health, the European anti-fraud office OLAF said on Friday. Products seized include masks, medical devices, disinfectants, sanitisers and test kits.
