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March
Malaysia starts two-week isolation to rein in coronavirus
Written by Wenny ZuliantiMalaysia went into a two-week partial lockdown on Wednesday after coronavirus infections in the country spiked to the highest in Southeast Asia, with some buyers rushing to supermarkets to stock up on essentials like instant noodles.
Malaysia and the Philippines, which has quarantined about half its 107 million population, have imposed the toughest restrictions on movements of people in Southeast Asia, causing early confusion and chaos, though capital markets in both countries will stay open.
Hours before the movement curbs kicked in at midnight in Malaysia, thousands of people queued up at bus stations to go back to their hometowns. Hordes of Malaysians who commute daily to Singapore for work crossed the border to spend the next two weeks there.
Roads in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, normally some of the most congested in Southeast Asia on weekdays, were largely clear on Wednesday morning. Some cafes and restaurants opened, but customers were allowed only takeaway food.
Big supermarket chains such as Mydin put in measures including special shopping slots and cashier lanes for the elderly and disabled and limited the purchases of staples such as rice, flour, cooking oil, hand sanitizers and disinfectants.
"People coming and rushing is still going to see the disease spread, said Ahmad Fauzi, 60, who had been up early to shop to avoid the crowds. "They should be more calm."
Malaysia reported its first two coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, including a man who attended a mass Muslim gathering linked to nearly two-thirds of the country's 673 infections.
Mydin Managing Director Ameer Ali Mydin told Reuters that supply was adequate at his chain of store but that "people must understand that they cannot be too selective".
The government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who took office only this month, has assured there is enough stock of essentials for the country of 32 million people.
He has shut Malaysia's borders for travellers, restricted internal movement, closed schools and universities and ordered non-essential businesses to stay out.
Neighboring Thailand has announced the closure of schools, bars, movie theatres, cockfighting arenas and other entertainment centers.
March
The EU Closes its Borders to Slow the Coronavirus Spread
Written by Ani HasanahEuropean leaders have moved to shut the EU's external borders as they grapple with the quickly spreading virus. The measure is expected to apply to 26 EU states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
The ban came as deaths continued to soar across Europe. Italy remains the worst-hit country with another big surge in cases today. Spain has also partially locked down its 47 million inhabitants In Germany Chancellor Merkel has banned religious services and venues including clubs, bars, leisure facilities, zoos and playgrounds will also be closed. In Press conference held on Tuesday, March 17th 2020 in Brussel, Charles Michel, President of the European Council stated that European member states has agree to limit their borders.
"To limit the spread of the virus globally we agreed to reinforce our external borders by applying a coordinate temporary restriction of non-essential travel to the EU for period of 30 days based on the approach propose by the commission," said Charles Michel.
On similar occasion, European Commission President, Ursula Von Der Leyen said that green lane has to be strengthened in the inner European Union border.
"A big topic today were off course also the internal borders and consequently the blockage there. Here absolutely crucial that we unblock the situation because we know that too many people stranded within the European Union and have problem to go back home. And we have a lot of traffic jam of lorry transporting goods the flow of goods has to be swift, we need this goods for the internal market," she said.
The European Commission launched an advisory panel on Covid-19 composed of epidemiologists and virologists from different Member States to formulate EU guidelines on science-based and coordinated risk management measures. This panel, which was created following a mandate by EU Member States, will be chaired by the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and co-chaired by Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. (BBC/NK)
March
The EU Shuts its Borders to sSlow the Coronavirus Crisis
Written by Ani HasanahThe European Union has formally agreed to temporarily close its external borders to all “non-essential” travel from third nations, as the bloc hopes to put out internal political fires that the coronavirus outbreak has lit across the continent.
With immediate effect, the only things permitted to cross into the bloc will be goods, medical equipment and in some cases people deemed to be necessary to the EU's efforts to manage the coronavirus spread. The measures will remain in place for 30 days and will not apply to the United Kingdom, which despite having left the EU earlier this year is still a transition period with the bloc.
The agreement is not legally binding and will rely on leaders sticking to the commitments made in an emergency conference call on Tuesday.
"It's up to them now to implement ... They said they would immediately do that," said European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen shortly after the agreement was reached.
The move comes after the European outbreak of the virus created political tensions among member states that placed enormous pressure on Brussels to act, despite the EU's central bodies having little formal authority over nation's health or border policies.
Brussels hopes that by closing the external border, national governments will be willing to reopen internal borders that some EU member states -- including France, Spain and Denmark -- had closed in response to the crisis. Earlier today, Germany, the EU's wealthiest and arguably most powerful member state, announced the closure of several of its borders.
The EU's logic is that reopening the EU's internal borders will make a coordinated response to the coronavirus easier.
However, the EU will also be keen to have those borders operating as normal for political reasons. The Schengen Area is seen by officials in Brussels as central to the European project and crucially to the EU's single market. It is also one of the most contentious issues across the bloc and has been attacked by Euroskeptic populists as an example of overreach by Brussels and a security risk. The longer that the borders between member states remained closed, the more of a concern for Brussels.
Von Der Leyen did not confirm that any member state had committed to lift their internal border restrictions during a press conference on Tuesday. She did however say that she was "confident there will be a positive move over the next phase."
The EU has been criticized for its early response to the crisi. Whether that criticism is fair is open to debate: Brussels can only advise member states on health policy and can do little more than act in a coordination role. When situation in Italy accelerated a few weeks ago, a lack of coordination left member states distrustful of one another and unwilling to cooperate.
The EU's leadership will hope that today's efforts bring the 27 member states closer together and leads to European nations to starting reading from the same script. (CNN)
March
Bolivia Closes Border to Curb Coronavirus Spread
Written by Ani Hasanah
Bolivia's Interim President Jeanine Áñez (wikipedia)
Bolivia’s borders will be closed due to the ongoing threat of coronavirus, Interim President Jeanine Áñez announced in a statement released by her office on Tuesday.
Effective Thursday, only Bolivian citizens and residents may enter the country, the statement said. Travelers entering the country must follow protocols implemented by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.
International and national flights will be suspended starting Friday, the statement said. The transportation of goods will still be allowed into Bolivia.
In addition to border closures, work days will be shortened and markets will open for limited hours. The measures will be in place until March 31. (CNN)
March
Lockdowns and Entry Bans Imposed around the World to Fight Coronavirus
Written by Ani Hasanah
(Reuters)
France and Spain joined Italy in imposing lockdowns on tens of millions of people, Australia ordered self-isolation of arriving foreigners and other countries extended entry bans as the world sought to contain the spreading coronavirus.
Panic buying in Australia, the United States and Britain saw leaders appeal for calm over the virus that has infected over 156,000 people globally and killed more than 5,800.
Several countries imposed bans on mass gathering, shuttered sporting, cultural and religious events, while medical experts urged people to practice “social distancing” to curb the spread.
Austria’s chancellor urged people to self-isolate and announced bans on gatherings of more than five people and further limits on who can enter the country.
All of Pope Francis’ Easter services next month will be held without the faithful attending, the Vatican said on Sunday, in a step believed to be unprecedented in modern times.
The services, four days of major events from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday, usually draw tens of thousands of people to sites in Rome and in the Vatican.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said from midnight Sunday international travelers arriving in the country would need to isolate themselves for 14 days, and foreign cruise ships would be banned for 30 days, given a rise in imported cases.
Australia’s latest restrictions mirror those announced by neighboring New Zealand on Saturday.
March
Coronavirus: EU States Record Highest One-Day Death Toll
Written by Ani HasanahItaly saw 368 deaths bring its total to 1,809, Spain recorded 97 more deaths for a total of 288, and France reported 29 deaths, giving a total of 120. The UK also saw a single-day record.with 14 new deaths and a total of 35.
Governments across Europe have responded by curbing the movements of citizens and tightening borders. Germany is to impose controls on its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark and Luxembourg as of Monday morning, while Portugal will clamp down on its frontier with Spain.
The Czech government has introduced stringent lockdown measures: people will be allowed to go to and from work and buy food or medicine, and make urgent family visits, but otherwise free movement will be severely limited from midnight (23:00 GMT) on Sunday until 24 March.
Austria is banning gatherings of more than five people from Monday, and the Republic of Ireland is asking pubs to shut until 29 March.
Schools will be closed across many European states.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has now declared Europe the epicenter of the pandemic which originated in China. (BBC)
March
Coronavirus: New York City Shuts Down Schools, Restaurants and Theatres
Written by Ani HasanahMayor Bill de Blasio said he decided to act because "our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality".
Separately, the US is extending its European travel ban to include the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The US has confirmed 69 deaths linked to the pandemic and 3,774 infections.
New York City - which has the population of more than eight million - has recorded five deaths. Each of the victims - aged 53 to 82 - had underlying health conditions, officials say.
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President Donald Trump has said the US has "a tremendous testing set up where people coming in have to be tested".
Correspondents say there is a growing sense of unease and confusion in America, with fears of a run on hospital beds and concern about childcare as tens of millions of children are sent home from school. (BBC)
March
Nearly 2 Million Airline Seats Affected by New Travel Ban, According to OAG Analysis
Written by Ani Hasanah
The world’s leading provider of travel data and insight, released its latest analysis on the global impact of the coronavirus on the air travel market.
The Europe to United States travel ban will have far-reaching implications for the global aviation industry. The ban will affect 10.9% of all international flights and 16.9% of all scheduled international seats between the United States and Schengen countries. Overall, 6,747 flights and roughly 2 million seats will be affected each way over the next four weeks.
Delta and United Airlines are the most affected U.S. carriers. Together, they account for 31% of the affected flights. Lufthansa is the most affected European airline (13%). The most affected European countries are Germany, France and the Netherlands—which service 57% of all flights between the Schengen Area and U.S.
“COVID-19 has caused the single largest disruption to the air travel market ever,” said John Grant, senior aviation analyst at OAG. “The situation is extremely fluid, with travel restrictions, capacity and airline schedules changing by the day. Expect a significant amount of cancellations from U.S. and European carriers in the coming days.”
Looking ahead to scheduled capacity for April 2020, as of March 12, 2020, there are currently 13,169 scheduled, one-way flights from Europe to the U.S., including the United Kingdom. The countries with the most scheduled flights include the UK (4,121 flights), Germany (1741 flights), France (1,570 flights), Netherlands (1,212 flights) and Spain (851 flights). (ANTARA)
March
Australia's home affairs minister tests positive for COVID-19
Written by nuke
Australia's home affairs minister Peter Dutton said he tested positive for coronavirus on Friday (Mar 13).
"This morning I woke up with a temperature and sore throat. I immediately contacted the Queensland Department of Health and was subsequently tested for COVID-19. I was advised by Queensland Health this afternoon that the test had returned positive," he said in a statement issued by his office.
"It is the policy of Queensland Health that anyone who tests positive is to be admitted into hospital and I have complied with their advice ... I feel fine and will provide an update in due course."
Dutton was in the United States last week for a meeting with members of the FiveEyes intelligence alliance - Australia, the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand - that included Barr. He also met with US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka on Mar 6, according to a photo posted by the Australian embassy in Washington, which shows the pair standing close together. It is not yet known when Dutton contracted the virus. Australia has recorded 156 infections and three deaths from the flu-like disease but authorities expect this to increase rapidly in the coming weeks with the arrival of the southern hemisphere winter//CNA
March
World travel may shrink 25% on coronavirus in 2020, shed 50 million jobs
Written by nuke
The coronavirus epidemic is putting up to 50 million jobs in the global travel and tourism sector at risk, with international travel likely to slump by a quarter this year, the World Travel and Tourism Council projected on Friday (Mar 13).
The coronavirus outbreak "clearly presents a significant threat to the industry as a whole, to those employed within it, and those wishing to continue travelling," it said in a statement.
The equivalent to a loss of three months of global travel in 2020 "could lead to a corresponding reduction in jobs of between 12 per cent and 14 per cent", it said in a statement, also calling on governments to remove or simplify visas wherever possible, cut travel taxes and introduce incentives once the epidemic is under control. The tourism industry accounts for 10 per cent of the world's GDP and jobs//CNA