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Countries Scramble to Combat Coronavirus Spread
Countries around the world are taking increasingly stringent measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus that has infected 95,000 people in more than 75 countries, as the number of new cases in China begins to wane.
The World Health Organization said there are about 17 times as many new cases of COVID-19 outside China as there are within its borders.
Australia on Thursday joined China and Iran in banning travel from South Korea, which has more than 6,000 cases, the most outside China.
After banning travel from China, Indonesia announced restrictions on travelers from certain areas of South Korea Iran, Italy. Iran and Italy are the hardest-hit behind China and South Korea.
Iran, with more than 3,500 cases, said schools and universities would remain closed until March 20. Italy, which has reported more than 3,000 confirmed cases, has shut schools and universities until March 15, and is banning spectators at sporting events for the next month.
The United Nations said the virus has to date disrupted the education of nearly 300 million students worldwide from pre-school through 12th grade.
The United Arab Emirates on Thursday advised its citizens and residents not to travel anywhere outside the country during the coronavirus outbreak.
Neighboring Saudi Arabia followed a ban on foreigners entering to participate in pilgrimages to Mecca by adding a new ban on its own citizens and residents of performing the ritual.
Palestinian officials announced the indefinite closure of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, which Christians believe was the birthplace of Jesus.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is postponing a visit to Japan scheduled for next month as both countries deal with the outbreak. Both Chinese and Japanese officials said Thursday Xi's trip would be postponed until a more appropriate time.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is postponing a visit to Japan scheduled for next month as both countries deal with the outbreak. Both Chinese and Japanese officials said Thursday Xi's trip would be postponed until a more appropriate time.
China is the center of the outbreak, and while its new cases have dwindled in recent weeks, it has experienced the biggest toll with 3,000 deaths and hits to its economy as officials shut down cities to try to contain the spread.
Japan has seen more than 1,000 cases, many of them involving a cruise ship that spent weeks docked in quarantine in Yokohama.
In the United States, the focus of the outbreak has been on the western states of Washington and California.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency, joining Washington, Florida and Hawaii.
Federal investigators have begun looking into a nursing home near Seattle, Washington, the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S. Most of the 11 fatalities in the U.S. occurred at the Life Care Center in the city of Kirkland.
New York Mayor Bill De Blasio said there were two new cases confirmed in the city, and that neither patient is linked to travel or other locals who have been diagnosed.
Princess Cruises said the U.S. Coast Guard will use a helicopter Thursday to drop coronavirus testing kits so that a group of fewer than 100 crew and passengers can be screened while the Grand Princess ship sits off the California coast.
No one will be allowed to leave the ship until those tests come back, a measure being taken after health officials linked two cases to passengers who took a February cruise aboard the ship and later tested positive. A total of 11 deaths, including one of those passengers, have been reported in the U.S. from the virus.
The U.S. Senate is expected Thursday to pass an $8.3 billion spending bill to tackle the virus, including research on a vaccine, the purchase of test kits and treatments. Some of the money will also be used to fund international efforts to stop the virus.
The House of Representatives approved the measure Wednesday, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it.
Trump accused the World Health Organization on Wednesday of disseminating erroneous information about COVID-19 and suggested infected patients could be safe going to their jobs.
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