TIG Post

Tag: Coronavirus

  • Police site crashes as Kiwis turn into shutdown snitches

    New Zealanders have become so keen to report their neighbours for breaking coronavirus lockdown rules that police on Monday said a website dedicated to addressing the issue crashed soon after going live.

    The South Pacific nation is in the midst of a four-week Coronavirus lockdown, with residents under orders to stay at home or remain at least two metres (6.5 feet) apart if they must go outside.

    Police commissioner Mike Bush said that a police website www.police.govt.nz/105support opened on Sunday afternoon and received such heavy traffic that it temporarily crashed.

    “We’ve had 4,200 reports of people believing others weren’t complying,” he told reporters.

    “It shows how determined Kiwis are that everyone complies with us.”

    Bush said breaches included a party of about 60 people at a backpacker hostel in Queenstown and tourists continuing to travel the country in campervans.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern backed the informants and also urged the public to report any price gouging at supermarkets via a dedicated email address.

    “Now is not the time to bend the rules. This is a time to stay at home and save lives,” she told reporters.

    New Zealand, with a population of about five million, has 552 confirmed COVID-19 cases, one of them fatal.

    Source: AFP

  • Coronavirus: Trump extends US guidelines beyond Easter

    President Donald Trump has said federal coronavirus guidelines such as social distancing will be extended across the US until at least 30 April.

    He had previously suggested that they could be relaxed as early as Easter, which falls in mid-April.

    “The highest point of the death rate is likely to hit in two weeks,” Mr Trump said.

    He appeared to be referring to peak infection rates that it is feared could overwhelm hospitals.

    White House medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci had earlier warned that the virus could kill up to 200,000 Americans.

    Dr Fauci said that it was “entirely conceivable” that millions of Americans could eventually be infected.

    The US now has more than 140,000 confirmed cases.

    As of Sunday evening, 2,493 deaths had been recorded in the country in relation to Covid-19, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University.

    The United States overtook both China and Italy last week in the number of reported cases.

    What did Trump say?

    Speaking during the latest Coronavirus Task Force press briefing at the White House on Sunday, the president said that measures such as social distancing were “the way you win”, adding that the US “will be well on our way to recovery” by June.

    The measures mean residents must continue to avoid non-essential travel, going to work, and eating at restaurants or bars. Gatherings are limited to groups of under 10 people.

    Suggesting that the “peak” of death rates in the US was likely to hit in two weeks, Mr Trump said that “nothing would be worse than declaring victory before victory is won – that would be the greatest loss of all”.

    Analysts suggest that when Mr Trump referred to a peak in the “death rate”, he probably meant the total number of recorded infections.

    He said the decision to extend social distancing was made after he heard that “2.2 million people could have died if we didn’t go through with all of this”, adding that if the death toll could be restricted to less than 100,000 “we all together have done a very good job”.

    The 2.2 million figure he was referring to appeared in a coronavirus impact report published by Imperial College London on 16 March.

    Mr Trump had previously said that Easter – 10-13 April – would be a “beautiful time” to be able to open at least some sections of the country. On Sunday he said that lifting restrictions at Easter was “just an aspiration”.

    “I wish we could have our old life back… but we’re working very hard, that’s all I know. I see things, I see numbers, they don’t matter to me. What matters to me is that we have a victory over this thing as soon as possible,” he said.

    The president also talked on Sunday about the medical response. He said that “rapid testing” had been approved to get Covid-19 results within five minutes, and that doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers would be tested.

    What about the shortage of equipment?

    Earlier on Sunday, Mr Trump accused hospitals in some states of “hoarding” ventilators, face masks and other critical medical supplies.

    “We do have a problem with hoarding… including ventilators. Hospitals need to release them – in some cases they have too many, they have to release medical supplies and equipment,” he said.

    Hospitals “can’t hold [ventilators] if they think there might be a problem weeks down the road”, he said, alleging that some were “stocked up”.

    The availability of ventilators is a major concern among health professionals as demand has surged with the spread of the virus. A number of states have warned that they will soon not have enough to treat patients suffering from Covid-19.

    The new coronavirus can cause severe respiratory issues as it attacks the lungs, and ventilators help to keep patients breathing.

    President Trump has ordered General Motors in Detroit to produce more of the medical machines to satisfy demand.

    In a separate development, a new breathing aid has been created that can help keep coronavirus patients out of intensive care. The device was built by the Mercedes Formula One racing team, working in collaboration with engineers from University College London.

    What is the latest from elsewhere?

    More than 33,000 people are now confirmed to have died worldwide after being infected with the new coronavirus.

    Some of the latest major global developments include:

    – Australia has tightened its restrictions on movement, with public gatherings now limited to just two people and playgrounds, outdoor gyms and parks closed from Monday

    – South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in has said emergency cash payments will be made to all households except the top 30% by income

    – In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that about 20,000 former NHS staff had returned to work to help the fight against coronavirus

    – Spain recorded a new daily record of deaths, reporting 838 victims on Sunday, as new restrictions came into force requiring all non-essential workers should stay at home for the next 11 days

    – Italy recorded 756 new deaths over 24 hours, bringing the total to 10,779 a slight drop in the daily toll

    – France reported 292 new deaths, bringing its total to 2,606 as specially modified trains began transporting patients from the worst-hit areas in the east of the country to hospitals in the south

    – Tight new restrictions have been imposed on the movement of people in the Russian capital Moscow, with residents only permitted to leave their homes for medical emergencies, essential work and to shop for food or medicine

    – Hundreds of passengers on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off Panama were told on Sunday that the Dutch-owned operator was still trying to “figure out” where people could disembark.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Australian NRL teams to receive AUS$20m

    The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) has announced that it will give AUS$2.5m ($1.53; £1.2m) to every club in the National Rugby League (NRL).

    The package, agreed after an emergency meeting on Monday, is intended to shore up the league’s 16 clubs in light of financial uncertainty created by the coronavirus outbreak.

    Earlier this month, the NRL announced that it would be suspending its season until at least 31 May.

    As part of this latest deal, the NRL will cut staffing levels by 95% during the shutdown period and cut executive salaries by 25%.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Trump ditches hopes of quick virus bounce-back for US

    President Donald Trump has extended emergency coronavirus restrictions for the United States where his top scientist warned up to 200,000 people could die.

    The reassessment by Trump, who had previously said he wanted the country back to work in mid-April, came as Britain and hard-hit Italy warned measures to prevent the spread of the disease would be in place for months to come.

    COVID-19 has already killed almost 34,000 people worldwide, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, with the number of confirmed cases nearing three-quarters of a million.

    As of Sunday, more than 3.38 billion people were asked or ordered to follow confinement measures, according to an AFP database, as the virus infects every sphere of life; wiping out millions of jobs, postponing elections and clearing the sporting calendar.

    Trump warned that the US crisis, which has seen a doubling of infections in only two days, would continue to get worse for some time.

    “The modelling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks,” he said, announcing an extension of social distancing guidelines until April 30.

    “Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won.”

    The president was speaking after Anthony Fauci, who leads research into infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, said he believed 100,000 to 200,000 Americans could die from the disease, and millions could be infected.

    Officials continued to sound the alarm over medical shortages, with some bemoaning a system that has states competing for desperately needed supplies.

    “We’re bidding against one another,” said Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

    The human consequences of a shutdown that has seen huge chunks of the US economy grind to a halt were playing out at food banks in New York, where organizers say demand has exploded.

    “Before, there were 1.2 million people in New York who needed help for food. Now, there are three times as many,” said Eric Ripert of City Harvest, a food rescue organization.

    Six months

    Trump’s re-evaluation of a back-to-normal timeline came as British officials said life may not return to usual for six months.

    The country’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries said it would be several weeks before doctors could tell if the current lockdown had slowed the spread of the disease.

    “But we must not then suddenly revert to our normal way of living — that would be quite dangerous. If we stop then, all of our efforts would be wasted and we could potentially see a second peak.”

    She said measures to contain the virus would be reviewed every three weeks, “probably over the next six months” or even longer.

    In Italy, which has logged a third of global deaths, the government warned citizens should be ready for a “very long” lockdown that would only be lifted gradually, despite the economic hardship it was causing.

    “We are in a very long battle,” said government medical adviser Luca Richeldi. “Through our behaviour, we save lives.”

    Yet the strains on Italian society imposed by measures that might have seemed unimaginable just weeks ago are gradually starting to show.

    The starkest example came when armed police began guarding entrances to supermarkets in Sicily after reports of looting by people who could no longer afford food.

    Global divide

    Africa’s biggest city, Lagos, was due to join the global stay-at-home from Monday, with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari ordering a two-week lockdown.

    The measures also apply to the capital Abuja.

    Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with some 190 million people, has so far registered just 97 confirmed infections and one death from COVID-19, but testing has been limited.

    Officials have warned that the country risks seeing an “exponential” rise in cases unless contacts of suspected carriers are tracked down faster.

    Authorities in Lagos, a sprawling megacity of 20 million, had already closed schools, shut non-food shops and restricted gatherings to limit movement.

    Enforcing a total lockdown will be a mammoth challenge for authorities in a country where tens of millions live in dire poverty and rely on their daily earnings to survive.

    The same holds true for large parts of Africa.

    In Benin, President Patrice Talon said his country could not enforce public confinement because it lacks the “means of rich countries.”

    Aid groups have warned that the coronavirus toll in the developed world could pale compared with the devastation it wreaks on defenseless populations in poor states and war zones such as Syria and Yemen.

    Three billion people around the world lack access to running water and soap, the most basic weapons of protection against the virus, according to UN experts.

    Source: France24

  • Drink lemon water Prophet TB Joshua speaks after failed coronavirus prophesy

    Temitope Balogun Joshua, commonly referred to as T. B. Joshua, the renowned Nigerian Televangelist has subtly responded to those who were anticipating a heavy rainfall last week to signal the end of the deadly coronavirus in the world.

    Many were those who were expecting a heavy downpour to wash away the deadly virus that has killed thousands across the globe as was prophesied by the Founder and Leader of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

    It would be recalled that the Man of God had earlier predicted that the noise of coronavirus will be silenced by the end of March 2020.

     

    “Coronavirus, the fearful virus plaguing the world will end on 27th March 2020.” He specifically revealed in a sermon to his congregation.

    “By the end of this month, whether we like it or not, no matter the medicine they might have produced to cure whatever, it will go the way it came… If it is not medicine that brought this to the world, medicine cannot take it out, it will go the way it came.” Prophet Joshua said

    But several persons descend on him as the day [27th March 2020] ended with no sign of either a rain which he claimed will mark the end of the virus.

    Instead he wrote on his official facebook page “Last meeting, I shared with you one of my habits. I am going to share with you today, one more. My viewers, you deserve what I deserve this is a revelation! In the morning, take a cup of hot water and two lemons. Cut the lemon into small slices and put it in the cup. After three to five minutes, begin to sip it as a drink. Refill it three times! I will advise you to move, walk around your compound or premises as you are sipping. After three to five minutes, sip it as a drink. When you are moving and sipping, it helps digestion.” TB Joshua

    Source: MyNewsGh.com

  • I caught the last flight to propose to my girlfriend on the other side of the world

    Stay in Cairo with family or catch the last flight to Canada to be with my love. I needed to decide quickly but feared that traveling during this pandemic was the equivalent of suicide, or worse, murder.
    As Covid-19 began to spread across the globe, I believed nowhere was safe and self-isolation was the best course of action. Still, love will make you do stupid things.
    I’m a Canadian-Egyptian in love with an Italian-American, Francesca Brundisini, who is working on a postdoc in Quebec City. She’s new to the city and feared that her isolation with no friends or family would lead to a communication breakdown if she contracted the virus.
    As news of the pandemic broke out worldwide, we both realized that this crisis would last more than a few weeks. It was the distance, the uncertainty, and an alarmed Italian mother — panicking in Italy — that pushed me to make a move.
    There was no guarantee I would be able to find a flight and leaving behind my family left me feeling tormented.
    Both my parents are in their 60s and are at high-risk as they suffer from various health complications, including diabetes and heart issues. Leaving them could have meant never seeing them again.
    They encouraged me to try to find a flight, partly because they cared and worried about my partner being alone in Canada, but also because we all thought finding a ticket would’ve been impossible.

    Scrambling for a seat

    byemom

    Eihab Boraie hugs his mom farewell at Cairo’s international airport.
    Once Egypt announced its airports would close on March 19, the only tickets left skyrocketed from $700 to over $3,000, most of them requiring stops in virus-ravaged countries.
    I decided to take a chance and put my name on EgyptAir’s waiting list for a direct flight to Toronto hoping for a miracle. I assumed the only way I would be traveling home was if the Canadian government sent a plane to retrieve stranded Canadians.
    Incredibly, hours before the airport’s closure, I received a call confirming that I had a seat on the last flight to Canada.
    I rushed to EgyptAir’s office in Cairo’s Korba district and got the ticket. As I ran out the door, a jewelry store nearby caught my eye. It was ridiculous that this non-essential store stayed open, but it was as if the universe knew I needed one at that moment.
    On the drive back home, I saw Egypt’s military dispersing across the city preparing to deploy, a move that often indicates that a curfew may be coming.
    Memories of mandatory curfew during Egypt’s uprisings started rushing back, but in these strange times, these draconian measures were oddly comforting as they would help limit infections.

    Emotional farewell

    Eihabatairport

    Eihab Boraie wearing a face mask en route to Canada.
    Eihab Boraie
    I arrived at the airport and gave a big hug to both my parents, hoping it wouldn’t be the last.
    Overwhelmed with emotions, I entered the terminal expecting to encounter scenes of chaos. Instead, the building was shockingly empty.
    Before the pandemic, Cairo Airport had been bustling as tourism had begun bouncing back following recent political and social upheaval in the wake of Egypt’s uprisings.
    During those times, I had seen Cairo’s airport empty, but never like this.
    There was no line at the first security check. Throughout the airport, it appeared that most workers were wearing masks and sometimes gloves, but not everyone. I noticed a few workers handling the luggage carts weren’t wearing either.
    As I arrived at the check-in counters, I was told that this was the last flight going to Canada. There were no other flights checking in at the time. The lack of departures was a relief as it allowed the passengers to socially distance from one another.

    emptycairo

    Cairo Airport was mostly empty.
    Eihab Boraie
    Once I checked in, there were no lines at security to enter the terminal and there was barely anyone inside except a few employees and passengers.
    Navigating the massive walkways — at times with absolutely no one in sight — felt like being in a post-apocalyptic movie waiting for a swarm of contagious zombies to turn the corner.
    At no point was my temperature checked, nor was there anyone asking about any symptoms.
    I later learned from a relative who took the same plane back to Egypt that they were doing temperature checks on arrival at Cairo Airport.
    The line getting onto the plane was uncomfortably crowded. Most passengers were equipped with masks and covered up, only revealing the nervousness in their eyes.
    Those who remained mask-less were often old or young and equally indifferent to the crisis at hand.

    The longest flight of my life

    cairo check in

    Check-in for the flight was crowded. Most passengers wore masks.
    Eihab Boraie
    Boarding MS995 was completed in record time. Yet the departure was annoyingly delayed.
    Two passengers refused to take their seats as they were seated beside the toilets. After a failed attempt to switch places, they finally decided to forfeit their tickets on the last flight out.
    Every decision made on this trip seemed magnified into a matter of life and death, and sitting by the bathroom on a fully booked flight could have arguably increased the chances of being infected.
    The only worse scenario would be sitting beside someone exhibiting symptoms, which is where I found myself.
    Sandwiched between a 72-year-old mother and her 38-year-old daughter, I immediately offered them both hand sanitizer.
    The mother was wearing a mask but appeared to have a runny nose and cough. While the daughter sitting in the aisle seat was wearing no protective measures and didn’t seem too concerned about the risk of traveling.
    There wasn’t a passenger aboard that could have predicted the series of decisions made that week, and it seemed everyone had to scramble for a ticket.
    “I was expecting that the borders would be closed in Canada, not in Egypt, but it happened in Egypt before Canada,” explained the mother.

    aboard the flight

    Departure was delayed by passengers anxious at being seated near the toilet.
    Eihab Boraie
    As she continued to explain her frustrating ordeal to find tickets, the mother mentioned their efforts to receive help from the consulate were to no avail. Her daughter believed that visiting the EgyptAir office in person was the reason they found seats.
    “I found out a lot of people on the previous flight out had been turned away because they weren’t Canadians. So, there were empty seats on that flight, and I decided we should try to go to the office and get on the waiting list … When we got the tickets, I was excited, it felt like we had won the lottery,” explained the daughter.
    Throughout the flight, I was on edge as every cough was a reminder that I was potentially traveling with the invisible enemy sitting next to me. I asked the mother if she was feeling well, but she continued to assure me she was okay.
    “I just got a cold a few days ago and looked at the symptoms, but they say it doesn’t start with a runny nose, it starts with a dry cough. But don’t tell anybody, I don’t want them to send me back,” she pleaded.
    I wondered if she was risking the flight because she would feel safer in Canada, but then she explained: “I don’t think Ottawa is safer than Cairo, I just want to be home and be with my daughters and grandchildren.”
    The whole reason for my travel was to be with the one I love, but I wouldn’t have taken the trip if I was showing symptoms.

    Landing in Toronto

    emptytoronto2

    The airport in Toronto was also quiet.
    Eihab Boraie
    I arrived in Toronto and expected the airport to be filled with Canadians returning from all over the world, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had recently urged citizens overseas to head home.
    To my amazement, the airport was as barren as Cairo’s. When we got off the plane, there was some security personnel handing out pamphlets reminding people to self-isolate for two weeks.
    At customs, they casually asked me if I had any symptoms, but again I didn’t have my temperature checked or anything else. Maybe they had a hidden thermal imaging camera somewhere, but as a Canadian, I was concerned that these screening measures weren’t enough.
    The only line I had to wait at in the airport wasn’t at customs, security or health checks but at a coffee shop. Once I reached the cashier, I again felt disheartened as none of the employees were wearing masks.
    I had seven hours before my next flight. I decided to explore the airport and discovered a medical clinic.
    I asked the receptionist if they offered a Covid-19 test. Their eyes widened at the question and they told me that they didn’t, but gave me a number to call if I started exhibiting symptoms.
    As I continued wandering around, I assumed traffic would pick up. But by midday, there was only a handful of travelers scattered across the airport.
    “I was working here during SARS, but even then, the airport was never this empty,” one airport security guard told me.

    Proposing quarantine

    canadaarrivals

    There was plenty of room on the flight to Quebec City.
    Eihab Boraie
    The flight to Quebec City was half empty, allowing most passengers to take a row of seats for themselves.
    Upon arrival, there was once again no screening process. I had traveled from Cairo to Quebec City during a global pandemic without even a basic check.
    In the time it took me to get there, more than a thousand people had died of Covid-19, and the death toll had surpassed 10,000 globally.
    When my girlfriend Francesca arrived, I snuck up behind her, got down on one knee, and proposed.
    She was completely caught off guard as less than 48 hours before she didn’t know when and if she would ever see me again, let alone predict that I would ask her to marry me.
    She accepted my proposal, we removed our masks and made it official with a long kiss.
    untitled
    I was relieved she said yes as it reaffirmed that although the journey was risky it was worth it. I couldn’t have imagined what I would have done if she refused as there was no going back to Egypt.
    My fiancée loved the ring and placed it on her finger, but we both knew that the kiss sealed the deal as it meant she accepted possibly contracting the virus that I hoped I wasn’t carrying.
    When they heard about the engagement, her family and friends in Italy showered us with congratulations. For many of them this was the first bit of good news they had heard in over a month.

    Insta lovers

    The couple is looking forward to getting married in Italy after the crisis.
    Eihab Boraie
    If I learned anything from this crisis it’s that time is unpredictably short, and if I was willing to risk her health, I should also be prepared to commit to spending the rest of our lives together.
    Our hope is that we will get to enjoy each other beyond the next two weeks, but we both know that there’s no telling if the risk of traveling was worth it until our quarantine is over.
    When the world is healed, our plan is to get married in Italy on the island of Giglio, but it’s hard to imagine when that will be. Until that day the only couple goals we set in stone is to stay isolated and survive the quarantine.
    Source: CNN 

  • Coronavirus cradle Wuhan partly reopens after lockdown

    The city in China where the coronavirus pandemic began, Wuhan, has partially re-opened after more than two months of isolation.

    Crowds of passengers were pictured arriving at Wuhan train station on Saturday.

    People are being allowed to enter but not leave, according to reports.

    Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, saw more than 50,000 coronavirus cases. At least 3,000 people in Hubei died from the disease.

    But numbers have fallen dramatically, according to China’s figures. The state on Saturday reported 54 new cases emerging the previous day – which it said were all imported.

    As it battles to control cases coming from abroad, China has announced a temporary ban on all foreign visitors, even if they have visas or residence permits. It is also limiting Chinese and foreign airlines to one flight per week, and flights must not be more than 75% full.

    In other global developments:

    Meanwhile, the virus continues to spread rapidly in other countries around the world.

    • Nearly 600,000 infections have been confirmed globally and almost 28,000 deaths, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University
    • The death toll in Spain has exceeded 5,000, after it reported 832 more fatalities in the past 24 hours. Spain is the world’s worst hit country after Italy
    • The US now has the highest number of confirmed infections at 104,000
    • South Korea says that for the first time it now has more people who have recovered from the virus than are still infected. It reported 146 new cases on Saturday, taking the total to 9,478 – of whom 4,811 have been released from hospital
    • Russia and Ireland are among the latest countries to bring in new restrictions to try to slow the spread of the virus. In Russia, shopping centres, restaurants and cafes have been ordered to close. In Ireland, people will have to stay at home with limited exceptions for the next two weeks
    • In the UK, frontline National Health Service staff in England will begin being tested this weekend to see if they have coronavirus

    What signs are there of Wuhan reopening?

    The virus is thought to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan that “conducted illegal transactions of wild animals”.

    The city’s 11 million residents have been shut off from the rest of the world since the middle of January, with roadblocks around the outskirts and drastic restrictions on daily life.

    Media captionCoronavirus: Life inside China’s lockdown

    But roads reopened to incoming traffic late on Friday, according to Reuters news agency.

    And state media said the subway was open from Saturday and trains would be able to arrive at the city’s 17 railway stations.

    Nineteen-year-old student Guo Liangkai, who arrived back in the city after three months, told Reuters: “First of all, it makes me very happy to see my family.

    “We wanted to hug but now is a special period so we can’t hug or make any actions like these.”

    Mask-clad passengers wait in a line after arriving at the railway station in Wuhan, China's central Hubei province on 28 March 2020Image copyrightAFP
    Image captionMask-clad passengers waited in a line after arriving at the railway station in Wuhan on Saturday

    All arrivals in Wuhan have to show a green code on a mobile app to prove that they are healthy.

    Officials say restrictions on people leaving the city will be lifted on 8 April, when domestic flights are also expected to restart.

    The virus emerged in China in December and more than 3,300 people there have died from the infection – but both Italy and Spain now have higher death tolls.

    Coronavirus global cases, 28 March 2020

    This information is regularly updated but may not reflect the latest totals for each country.

    Cases Deaths
    USA 104,688 1,707
    Italy 86,498 9,134
    China 81,996 3,299
    Spain 72,248 5,690
    Germany 53,340 399
    Iran 35,408 2,517
    France 32,964 1,995
    UK 14,549 759
    Switzerland 13,259 241
    South Korea 9,478 144
    Belgium 9,134 353
    Netherlands 8,603 546
    Austria 7,712 68
    Turkey 5,698 92
    Canada 4,760 56
    Portugal 4,268 76
    Norway 3,807 20
    Australia 3,640 460
    Brazil 3,477 93
    Israel 3,460 12
    Sweden 3,069 105
    Czech Republic 2,422 9
    Malaysia 2,320 27
    Ireland 2,121 22
    Denmark 2,046 52
    Ecuador 1,627 41
    Chile 1,610 5
    Luxembourg 1,605 15
    Japan 1,525 52
    Romania 1,452 29
    Poland 1,436 16
    Pakistan 1,408 11
    Russia 1,264 4
    Thailand 1,245 6
    South Africa 1,170 1
    Finland 1,165 7
    Indonesia 1,155 102
    Saudi Arabia 1,104 3
    Philippines 1,075 68
    Greece 966 28
    India 933 20
    Iceland 890 2
    Panama 786 14
    Singapore 732 2
    Mexico 717 12
    Diamond Princess cruise ship 712 10
    Argentina 690 17
    Slovenia 684 9
    Estonia 645 1
    Croatia 635 4
    Peru 635 11
    Dominican Republic 581 20
    Qatar 562
    Colombia 539 6
    Egypt 536 30
    Serbia 528 1
    Iraq 506 42
    Bahrain 473 4
    New Zealand 451
    Lebanon 412 8
    Algeria 409 26
    United Arab Emirates 405 2
    Lithuania 382 5
    Armenia 372 1
    Morocco 358 23
    Hungary 343 11
    Bulgaria 313 5
    Ukraine 311 8
    Latvia 305
    Taiwan 283 2
    Uruguay 274
    Slovakia 269
    Andorra 267 3
    Costa Rica 263 2
    Bosnia and Herzegovina 257 4
    Kuwait 235
    Jordan 235 1
    Tunisia 227 7
    San Marino 223 21
    North Macedonia 219 3
    Kazakhstan 204 1
    Moldova 199 2
    Albania 186 8
    Burkina Faso 180 9
    Vietnam 169
    Azerbaijan 165 3
    Cyprus 162 5
    Oman 152
    Malta 149
    Réunion 145
    Faroe Islands 144
    Ghana 137 4
    Senegal 130
    Brunei 120 1
    Venezuela 113 2
    Sri Lanka 110
    Afghanistan 110 4
    Uzbekistan 104 2
    Ivory Coast 101
    Cambodia 99
    Palestinian Territories 97 1
    Honduras 95 1
    Mauritius 94 2
    Belarus 94
    Martinique 93 1
    Cameroon 91 2
    Kosovo 88 1
    Georgia 85
    Montenegro 82 1
    Nigeria 81 1
    Cuba 80 2
    Puerto Rico 79 3
    Bolivia 74
    Guadeloupe 73 1
    Trinidad and Tobago 66 2
    Kyrgyzstan 58
    DR Congo 58 6
    Liechtenstein 56
    Paraguay 56 3
    Gibraltar 55
    Rwanda 54
    Jersey 52 1
    Guam 51 1
    Mayotte 50
    Bangladesh 48 5
    Monaco 42
    Guernsey 36
    Aruba 33
    Isle of Man 32
    Guatemala 32 1
    Kenya 31 1
    French Polynesia 30
    Jamaica 30 1
    French Guiana 28
    Barbados 26
    Madagascar 26
    Togo 25 1
    Uganda 23
    Zambia 22
    United States Virgin Islands 19
    El Salvador 19
    Bermuda 17
    Ethiopia 16
    Maldives 16
    New Caledonia 15
    Tanzania 13
    Mongolia 12
    Djibouti 12
    Equatorial Guinea 12
    Saint Martin 11
    Mali 11
    Dominica 11
    Niger 10 1
    Greenland 10
    Bahamas 10
    Eswatini 9
    Curaçao 8 1
    Cayman Islands 8 1
    Haiti 8
    Suriname 8
    Myanmar 8
    Namibia 8
    Guinea 8
    Gabon 7 1
    Zimbabwe 7 1
    Mozambique 7
    Antigua and Barbuda 7
    Seychelles 7
    Grenada 7
    Eritrea 6
    Laos 6
    Benin 6
    Nepal 5
    Fiji 5
    Saint Barthelemy 5
    Syria 5
    Mauritania 5
    Guyana 5 1
    Montserrat 5
    Sudan 5 1
    Cape Verde 5 1
    Congo 4
    Angola 4
    Vatican 4
    Nicaragua 4 1
    Central African Republic 3
    Somalia 3
    Bhutan 3
    Liberia 3
    Sint Maarten 3
    Chad 3
    Saint Lucia 3
    Gambia 3 1
    Turks and Caicos Islands 2
    Belize 2
    Anguilla 2
    MS Zaandam cruise ship 2
    British Virgin Islands 2
    Saint Kitts and Nevis 2
    Guinea-Bissau 2
    Libya 1
    St Vincent and the Grenadines 1
    Papua New Guinea 1
    Timor-Leste 1

    Source: Johns Hopkins University, national public health agencies

    Last updated on 28 March 2020, 12:00 GMT.

    It is now battling to control a wave of imported cases as infections soar abroad.

    This so-called “second wave” of imported infections is also affecting countries like South Korea and Singapore, which had been successful in stopping the spread of disease in recent weeks.

    A general shot shot shows buildings in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province on 28 March 2020.Image copyrightAFP
    Image captionWuhan has been under lockdown since the middle of January

    Source: BBC 

  • 101-year-old Italian man recovers from COVID-19

    A 101-year-old Italian man who was born during the Spanish flu pandemic has recovered from the novel coronavirus.

    This was disclosed by the Deputy Mayor of the Italian city of Rimini, Gloria Lisi who revealed the man has been released from the hospital and is now home with his family.

    The man, who has been named only as “Mr. P” was admitted to hospital in Rimini, northeast Italy last week after testing positive for COVID-19 and left the hospital on Thursday, March 26.

    The Deputy Mayor of Rimini said his “truly extraordinary” recovery gave “hope for the future. Mr. P made it. The family brought him home yesterday evening. To teach us that even at 101 years the future is not written.”

    Mr. P was born in 1919 during the Spanish Flu pandemic which is estimated to have killed between 30 million and 50 million people worldwide.

    Rimini had registered 1,189 cases of coronavirus as of Thursday, according to the Italian Civil Protection Department.

    Italy yesterday recorded its highest daily jump in coronavirus deaths by 969 with an increase of 4,401 cases.

    The total number of death now stands at 9,134, more than any other country and the total number of recorded cases, including deaths and those who have recovered, now stands at 86,498.

    Source: ABCNewsgh.com

  • Wakaso escapes coronavirus after Jiangsu Suning move

    Wakaso decided to move from Spain to China in January and although it did not look promising at the time, he is better off in the coronavirus issue unlike Victoria which is recording a number of positive cases.

    Victoria is one of the places in Spain with the highest concentration of those affected by coronaviruses. In Alavés alone, there are 15 cases, so Wakaso can say that he was lucky to leave the club on time.

    Wakaso was a regular at Alavés earlier in the season. The club wanted to renew his contract but the player refused so they sold him to Jiangsu Suning for three million euros .

    If they had chosen to keep him, they would have seen him go for free at the end of the season.

    Alaves currently has three first team members who have tested positive for the virus and the Ghanaian would feel that he made a narrow escape. China has seen a huge reduction in cases and an increase in recoveries.

    Source: footballghana.com

  • Coronavirus: India ‘super spreader’ quarantines 40,000 people

    Indian authorities in the northern state of Punjab have quarantined around 40,000 residents from 20 villages following a Covid-19 outbreak linked to just one man.

    The 70-year-old died of coronavirus – a fact found out only after his death.

    The man, a preacher, had ignored advice to self quarantine after returning from a trip to Italy and Germany, officials told BBC Punjabi’s Arvind Chhabra.

    India has 640 confirmed cases of the virus, of which 30 are in Punjab.

    However, experts worry that the real number of positive cases could be far higher. India has one of the lowest testing rates in the world, although efforts are under way to ramp up capacity.

    There are fears that an outbreak in the country of 1.3 billion people could result in a catastrophe.The man, identified as Baldev Singh, had visited a large gathering to celebrate the Sikh festival of Hola Mohalla shortly before he died.A week after his death, 19 of his relatives have tested positive.

    “So far, we have been able to trace 550 people who came into direct contact with him and the number is growing. We have sealed 15 villages around the area he stayed,” a senior official told the BBC.

    Another five villages in an adjoining district have also been sealed.

    This is not the first time that exposure has resulted in mass quarantining in India.

    In Bhilwara, a textile city in the northern state of Rajasthan, there are fears that a group of doctors who were infected by a patient could have spread the disease to hundreds of people.

    Seven thousand people in villages neighbouring the city are under home quarantine.

    India has also declared a 21-day lockdown, although people are free to go out to buy essential items like food and medicine.

     

    Source: BBC 

  • Singapore threatens 6 months in jail for breaking social distancing laws

    Singapore has introduced new laws governing social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak that could see offenders serve six months in jail.

    Those who do not keep at least one meter (3.2 feet) apart, or who meet in groups of more than 10 people outside of work or school, could face a fine of up to 10,000 Singapore dollars ($7,000) and/or up to six months’ imprisonment, according to a Ministry of Health statement posted Thursday.

    The new measures come into effect Friday and also include the same penalties for those who fail to stay in their accommodation if given a “Stay-Home Notice.”
    Such notices have been issued to certain inbound travelers as well as people with respiratory conditions flagged by medical practitioners.

    On Wednesday, Singapore reported 73 new cases of coronavirus, its largest one-day increase in cases.

    Since Monday borders have been closed to all short-term visitors and travelers transiting though the city.

    The only exception is for Malaysians with Singapore work permits, who have been able to continue working in Singapore.

    The government has urged employers to put in place measures to reduce close physical interactions between employees, and to facilitate telecommuting for employees to work from home.

     

    Source: CNN 

  • 2Face Idibia donates 10 million naira to help combat coronavirus in nigeria

    Veteran Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer, Innocent Ujah Idibia, affectionately known as 2Face/2BABA has donated 10 million naira to combat coronavirus outbreak in Nigeria.

    In his bid to prevent further spread and eradicate the virus which has gained roots in the country, the singer, together with a popular brewery company are making the donations and helping the country to defeat the virus.

    He announced his free online concert which is slated on 12th April 2020. The concert is a means rekindling the hope of people, sensitizing on how to follow safety protocols and observe social distancing to help flatten the curve.

    “Together with Trophy Extra Special Stout, I will be making a N10m donation to support initiatives combating CoVID 19,”

    “The idea of the e-concert is for me to lend my voice and call on Nigerians to come together to combat this global pandemic by heeding the stay-at-home request from the government so that the spread of the virus can be reduced to its barest minimum.

    Also, It will provide a moment of hope, optimism, and comfort to everybody in this trying time.”

    Source: www.ghgossip.com

  • Ghanaians in Ivory Coast cross Elubo Boarder through bush paths

    Reports reaching the Ghana News Agency (GNA), indicate that some Ghanaian residents in La Cote d’Ivoire have been crossing the Elubo boarder to Ghana through unapproved routes in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Many of these Ghanaian nationals are indigenes of Elubo and its environs who are conversant with the terrain and as a result decide to disregard the main entry point to Ghana for fear of being denied access to enter the country.

    The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Jomoro, Mr.Ernest Kofie confirmed the incident in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.

    He told the GNA that Ivorian nationals rather used the Elubo boarder to undergo the safety protocols before entering the country since they did not know the bush paths.

    It would be recalled that La Cote d’Ivoire recorded cases of the COVID-19 when Ghana had not recorded any case of the disease. It was weeks after that Ghana recorded its first case.

    As to what measures the Assembly had put in place to contain the pandemic, Mr Kofie said the Assembly was financially constrained taking cognizance of the quantum of protective health kits and others to be procured for distribution to the District.

    The MCE, therefore, appealed to the central government to come to the aid of the Assembly to reach out to the people.

    Mr Kofie, however, said series of sensitization and education was on-going to deepen the understanding of the people on the COVID-19 pandemic and advised the people to continue with the social distancing safety protocol as the first measure to avoid contracting the virus.

    Source: GNA

  • Eleven Wonders President calls for financial support from gov’t during coronavirus period

    President of Techiman Eleven Wonders, Nana Ameyaw Manu has called on the government to support clubs financially through these difficult times presented by the Coronavirus.

    According to him, clubs in the country remains overburden as they continue to pay players and other employers even though football activities have been suspended.

    In line with that, he wants the government to intervene and offer a helping hand.

    “Though the players are on a break they have to be paid, Startimes money is yet to hit our account so we are appealing to the government to support us (clubs) financially because the situation at hand is not our fault,” Eleven Wonders president Nana Ameyaw told OTEC Fm.

    He added, “During the Anas #12 expose, the boys were paid while on break, now the players are on break again due to the COVID-19 outbreak”.

    Because of the increase in the number of confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in Ghana, it is not unclear when the Ghana Premier League, or any other sporting activity will resume in the country.

    Source: Footballghana.com

  • Coronavirus: Discuss possible lockdown thoroughly Economist

    Economist Professor, Godfred Bopkin has asked the government of Ghana to engage in broad discussions before considering a lockdown of any part of the country in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak in Ghana.

    He said although the country is faced with a serious situation as other parts of the world regarding the COVID-19, the government must act tactfully in its decisions.

    Ghana has so far recorded 136 cases of coronavirus with three deaths.

    Groups including the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) have asked the government to lock down the country to mitigate spread.

    Prof Bokpin told journalists in Accra: “Unusual times call for unusual measures. For that reason, the discussion of our debts, though relevant, we have to understand that the country is facing critical challenges that require us to think beyond the normal situation of debt-to-GDP ratio.”

    On the lockdown issue, he said: “A lot of conversation must go on to fill the gaps before such conversations start.”

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • Coronavirus: Baseball jerseys being turned into hospital gowns, masks

    Major League Baseball jerseys are being turned into desperately needed hospital masks and gowns to help health care workers combat the coronavirus pandemic, thanks to the league’s uniform manufacturer.

    MLB and official apparel maker Fanatics are absorbing all costs associated with converting machinery at the Easton, Pennsylvania, factory from uniform manufacturing to production of up to one million masks and gowns.

    “I’m proud that Major League Baseball can partner with Fanatics to help support the brave healthcare workers and emergency personnel who are on the front lines of helping patients with COVID-19. They’re truly heroes,” MLB president Rob Manfred said.

    “We hope this effort can play a part in coming together as a community to help us through this challenging situation.”

    The first fabrics used to make masks and gowns were New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies uniforms, which come complete with the pinstripes typically worn by players on those clubs.

    Jersey fabrics from all teams not already converted into uniforms will be made into new apparel for hospital workers and emergency personnel to combat a shortage of such equipment that has hampered efforts nationwide to control the deadly COVID-19 outbreak.

    The Fanatics plant plans to make the items as long as they are needed, with the US Health and Human Services department estimating up to 3.5 million face masks will be needed.

    “As the demand for masks and gowns has surged, we’re fortunate to have teamed up with Major League Baseball to find a unique way to support our frontline workers in this fight to stem the virus, who are in dire need of essential resources,” Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin said in a posting on the MLB website.

    The MLB season was to have started on Thursday but has been postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic.

    Source: France24

  • Quarantined woman ‘kills herself’ in Kenya

    Kenyan media report that a woman who was being quarantined in the western city of Nakuru has taken her own life.

    Health workers found her dead at the Kenya Industrial Training Institute facility where she was being held, having apparently hung herself, local media say.

    Local government officials also state that initial police investigations are “pointing to suicide”.

    The woman was said to be in her 20s. Nakuru county officials confirmed she arrived in Kenya from South Africa on Wednesday. They are not naming her until they have contacted her next of kin.

    Local media quote unnamed sources as saying the woman had recently complained she was being held in “deplorable conditions” and had asked to be transferred elsewhere.

    Many countries have imposed travel restrictions, plus mandatory quarantine for any new arrivals to curb the spread of coronavirus. Kenya’s quarantine period lasts for 14 days.

    Currently Kenya has confirmed 31 coronavirus cases, one of whom died. Meanwhile South Africa has the highest number on the continent – at more than 1,000.

    Source: bbc.com

  • US tops world in coronavirus cases, overtakes China and Italy

    The United States on Thursday took the grim title of the country with the most coronavirus infections and reported a record surge in unemployment as world leaders vowed $5 trillion to stave off global economic collapse.

    More than 500,000 people around the world have now contracted the new coronavirus, overwhelming healthcare systems even in wealthy nations and triggering an avalanche of government-ordered lockdowns that have disrupted life for billions.

    In the United States, more than 83,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19, edging out Italy, which has reported the most deaths, and China, where the virus was first detected in December in the metropolis of Wuhan.

    The US has recorded 1,178 deaths, while the global death toll stood at 23,293.

    With about 40 percent of Americans under lockdown orders, Trump urged citizens to do their part by practising social distancing: “Stay home. Just relax, stay home.”

    Source: punchng.com

  • Coronavirus: Ghana’s Kassim to suffer 40% deduction on salary

    Many teams in Europe are planning to deduct some amount from the salaries given to their players to support the fight between the world and COVID-19.

    Spanish club Atletico Madrid reportedly announced to apply the same thing to their players due to the coronavirus outbreak.

    Some teams have also given their stadiums for temporarily use as health centers.

    Many footballers have also donated money and equipment to their countries to fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

    Ghanaian defender, Kassim Nuhu Adams plays for Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany.

    Speaking in an interview with Kingdom TV, the Ghanaian footballer explains how the coronavirus has affected German football

    He revealed that his club are planning to slash his salary by 40%.

    “Our Club ‘Fortuna Düsseldorf’ are planning to slash our salary between forty to sixty percent due to coronavirus outbreak.” He revealed.

    According to him the team are planning to also donate some amount and equipment to the health centers in Germany to help fight the coronavirus.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • Spains coronavirus toll hits new record with 769 dead in 24 hours

    The death toll in Spain soared over 4,800 Friday after 769 people died in 24 hours, in what was a record one-day figure for fatalities, the government said.

    Health ministry figures showed the number of deaths reaching 4,858, while cases jumped to 64,059, although the rate of new infections appeared to be slowing, registering a 14 percent increase compared with 18 percent a day earlier.

    Source: France24

  • Great Ampong releases powerful song on the deadly coronavirus disease Listen

    You might have not heard any new song from him for some time now but the deadly coronavirus disease seems to have brought him out of hiding.

    With news of the disease infecting a lot of people each passing day and killing many others in the process, award-winning Ghanaian gospel music sensation, Great Ampong has something for all believers.

    Great Ampong uses a different approach to address the issues about the spread of the disease in his song and it sounds perfect.

    Check out the song below;

    Source: zionfelix.net

  • DR Congo capital Kinshasa declares coronavirus shutdown

    The Democratic Republic of Congo authorities have announced a shutdown of the capital city, Kinshasa, from Saturday to stop the spread of coronavirus

    Governor Gentiny Ngobila said all residents, apart from essential workers such as medical staff, would have to stay at home for four days, starting on Saturday. They would then be allowed to stock up on food in the following two days. The same pattern is scheduled to be repeated for the next three weeks.

    The governor urged the people of Kinshasa not to panic or be misled by disinformation.

    Earlier this week, President Félix Tshisekedi ordered a ban on all travel to and from the capital.

    The country has confirmed 54 cases so far and quarantined nearly two thousand people who have been in contact with Covid-19 patients.

    A representative of the consumer rights association has warned against attempts by some businesses to increase prices during the shutdown

    Kinshasa is the only city to have recorded coronavirus cases in the country.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: China to restrict air travel after reporting 54 new imported cases

    Mainland China reported its first locally transmitted coronavirus case in three days and 54 new imported cases, as Beijing ordered airlines to sharply cut international flights fearing travellers could reignite the coronavirus outbreak.

    The 55 new cases reported on Thursday was down from 67 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said in a statement on Friday. There are now 81,340 confirmed cases in mainland China.

    The death toll stands at 3,292 with five new deaths.

    Imported coronavirus cases, mostly Chinese nationals returning home, now pose the biggest concern for authorities.

    Shanghai reported the most new imported cases with 17, followed by 12 in Guangdong and four each in capital Beijing and nearby Tianjin.

    Hubei province, a region of some 60 million people where the virus first appeared late last year, reported zero new cases on Thursday – a day after lifting a lockdown and reopening its borders as the epidemic there eased.

    China on Thursday ordered local airlines to maintain only one route to any country and limit flights per such routes to one per week, effective March 29. Foreign airlines have also been ordered to cut routes to China to one and limit flights to one per week, although many had already stopped flying to China.

    China will temporarily suspend the entry of foreigners with valid Chinese visas and residence permits starting on March 28, as an interim measure, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

    Source: France24

  • Human lives over football – Eleven Wonders chief want GPL abrogated

    Eleven Wonders coach Ignatius Osei-Fosu is advocating for the abrogation of the 2019-20 Ghana Premier League should its coronavirus-induced suspension persist beyond one month.

    The top-flight is in the second week of a forced break following a government directive banning on all public gatherings including sporting events as part of measures to curb the spread of the disease.

    The pandemic, also known as Covid-19, has so far infected over 510,644 worldwide and claimed 23,028 lives.

    “I’m a fan of a proper calendar. If we’re going to have a prolonged suspension, it may be better to abrogate the current season and start afresh to synchronise with all the other leagues in the world to allow proper transitions and transfers,” Osei-Fosu told Goal on Thursday.

    “We should not rush the league back because human lives are much more important than our work which is entertainment. Calling off the league will also be a blessing in disguise for me to get a grip on my team. Even if the league is to resume in two weeks time, it’s unlikely we can play games immediately because it will take us another two weeks to prepare to play games.

    “At where we are now, it will be very difficult to just regroup and head straight into games. We may even go another month before the suspension is lifted and the more the players stay in the house, the more training we will need to get the players’ physical level back up for matches because you don’t want to risk players for injury. They have their careers on the line. We may be getting to a point where we will need another pre-season. Or else we will have a form of pre-season, play about 17 games and go for another pre-season for the next full season.

    “I think what the GFA should do now is to come up with a clear guideline in anticipation of what could happen in each case’s scenario, so clubs will be clear on how to deal with the situation in advance. But for me, I’m for the abrogation of the league if the suspension extends beyond one month.”

    It has been a topsy-turvy season for Wonders who currently occupy 12th position, four points above the relegation zone but six points adrift of third-placed Asante Kotoko.

    “Looking at the dynamics and our position in relation to our position from the top four, we are at a place where only two matches can push us into the top four. We are one of the teams that have shown our worth and picked a lot of away points. It is easier for me to get into the top four than to get into the relegation zone.

    “We next play Hearts of Oak who are only two points above us and Liberty Professionals who are below us. In essence, all the teams below us are also relegation-threatened. So it is not a situation that I’m making that suggestion because we are not doing well.

    “When the league went on suspension, we were still training and many people were trooping to watch us which is not safe at this time. So for me, it is about the lives of our players too. It’s about humanity and the safety of all. Not about relegation or not.”

    The coach, who was previously in charge of Liberty Professionals, also spoke about their ultimate goal for the season.

    “Our objective is to finish among the top four. It is highly possible. When you look at the club on top of the table, Aduana Stars, they are just nine points away from us which could take only three matches to catch up.

    “When you look at the points build-up, you will see everything is possible. If we are able to strengthen our team in some positions, we can be among the top four. For us, the top four is the least we want to achieve.”

    Ghana has so far recorded 132 cases of the coronavirus involving three deaths.

    The West African nation is considering a lockdown, according to President Nana Akufo-Addo, a situation which could ultimately extend the suspension of the Premier League.

    Many nations around the world have suspended their national leagues in the fight against Covid-19.

    Source: Goal.com

  • Coronavirus: Partey offers productive tips during self-isolation

    Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey has offered guidelines that can help people utilise staying in self-isolation during the coronavirus pandemic.

    The outbreak has affected the entire world forcing many socio-economic activities to be put on hold until the spread is under control.

    The effects of staying indoors for a prolonged period could heighten anxiety and worries, but Partey has been able to share some useful tips on Instagram that can bring out the maximum from everyone.

    Despite the pandemic, Partey has been linked with a move from Spain to the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool.

    Atleti are looking to increase his release clause from €50 million to €100 million.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    Me uno a al #HOMETEAM de @adidas Os cuento mis tips para esta cuarentena: – Mantener una rutina 💪🏽 – Entrenar a diario 🏋️‍♀️ – Hacer cosas que te gusten (Yo estoy aprovechando para ver las pelis de Marvel y aprender a usar tik tok ) – Intenta aprender cosas nuevas 🤓 – Cada día a las 20:00 aplaude a todas las personas que están luchando para que esto pase cuanto antes 👏 👏👏 Lo más importante, mantente cerca de los tuyos, utiliza las nuevas tecnologías para ver a tu familia y amigos. @adidas_es @adidas #HOMETEAM Comparte tus tips aquí ⬇️⬇️—————————————————————————— I joined the adidas #HOMETEAM. Here are my tips for this quarantine: – Have a routine 💪🏽 – Exercise daily 🏋️‍♀️ – Do things that make you happy (I am watching Marvel movies and learning to use tik tok) – Try to learn new things 🤓 – Be grateful to everyone who is working to make this end 👏👏👏 And most importantly, use technology to be close to friends and family. #HOMETEAM @adidas @adidas_es Share your tips here ⬇️⬇️

    A post shared by Thomas Teye Partey (@thomaspartey5) on

    Source: Goal.com

  • Italy’s dead overwhelm morgues as virus toll tops 8,000

    An overwhelmed Italian city at the heart of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday sent more of its dead to nearby towns for cremation as the country’s world-leading toll topped 8,000.

    Officials in Rome reported 662 new deaths and 6,153 infections — largely in line with the figures reported throughout the week.

    The rise in daily deaths edged down to the lowest point in the crisis — 8.8 percent — while the infection rate stood at around eight percent for the fourth day running.

    But the numbers are not dropping much further and Italians appear to be coming to terms with the realisation that two weeks of life under lockdown have not made the disease go away.

    “Until we see this damn rate drop, we will have to continue making very hard sacrifices,” deputy civil protection service chief Agostino Miozzo said in reference to the ever-tightening containment measures.

    Italy’s coronavirus death toll now stands at 8,165 — more than that of second-placed Spain and China, where the virus emerged in December, combined.

    ‘Crematoriums could not cope’

    The endless flood of victims forced the city of Bergamo at Italy’s northern epicentre of the pandemic to send still more bodies to less burdened crematoriums in neighbouring towns.

    An AFP photographer saw six camouflage green army trucks transporting coffins out of a Bergamo cemetery on Thursday.

    “The large number of victims has meant that Bergamo’s crematorium could not cope on its own,” mayor Giorgio Gori said in a statement released to AFP.

    The mayor said the city had also received 113 urns with the ashes of bodies that had been sent out for cremation earlier this week.

    The bodies in the city of about 120,000 people are literally piling up.

    A warehouse in the commune of Ponte San Pietro on Bergamo’s western outskirts held 35 freshly-made wooden coffins Thursday that were destined for cremation at a later date.

    Still more coffins filled a barren church hall in the Seriate commune to Bergamo’s east.

    A priest said a quiet prayer over the rows of coffins and a single red rose rested atop one in the otherwise empty room.

    Anxious south

    Yet the Italian government is just as anxious about the northern crisis spilling over into the far less developed south.

    The head of the Campania region that includes Naples warned of a “dramatic explosion” of infections based on this week’s trends.

    “The next 10 days will be hell for us,” governor Vincenzo De Luca said in an open letter to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

    The number of officially registered deaths in Campania — Italy’s third-most-populous with nearly six million people — rose from 29 on Sunday to 83 on Thursday.

    But no southern region has recorded more than 100 coronavirus fatalities to date.

    Italy’s latest figures confirm that COVID-19 overwhelmingly kills the elderly and the sick.

    Data from Italy’s first 5,542 fatalities show that 98.6 percent of the victims already suffered from at least one ailment or pre-existing condition.

    Slightly over half had three or more other health problems when they died.

    Only 29.1 percent of the victims were women. The disparity has been observed elsewhere and still puzzles doctors around the world.

    The average age of victims was 78 — a fraction lower than the 78.8 reported last week based on the first 3,200 deaths.

    But Italian virologist Roberto Burioni said the figures were “not particularly reliable” because the country was primarily testing people who already exhibited flu-like symptoms.

    Italy’s death rate among the confirmed COVID-19 cases — 10.1 percent — was thus much higher than in countries with broad-based testing such as South Korea.

    Source: France24

  • Turkey’s coronavirus death toll climbs to 75

    Turkey confirmed 16 more deaths from the novel coronavirus late on Thursday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 75.

    A total of 7,286 coronavirus tests have been conducted on Thursday on people suspected of contracting the virus, and 1,196 tested positive, bringing the tally of infections to 3,629, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

    The minister said that the patients and their contact circles have been isolated.

    “I persistently invite you to implement the measures [against coronavirus],” he said.

    While most victims of the virus worldwide were among the elderly, health officials fear they may have contracted it from the young carriers who may be asymptomatic.

    After first appearing in Wuhan, China, in December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 175 countries and regions, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

    The data shows more than 521,000 cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll over 23,500 and around 122,000 recoveries.

    Italy, China, Iran, and Spain continue to be the most affected countries.

    Despite the rising number of cases, a vast majority of those infected with the virus suffer mild symptoms and recover.

    Source: www.aa.com.tr

  • Michelle Obama describes family’s daily routine during self-quarantine

    Netflix, conference calls and online college classes are part of the Obama family’s day-to-day life during their coronavirus self-quarantine, Michelle Obama told Ellen DeGeneres in a televised phone call posted on Twitter.

    With their daughters Malia and Sasha home from college, the family is trying to establish a routine, the former first lady said.

    “We’re just trying to structure our days,” she said. “Everyone’s here — the girls are back since colleges are online, so they’re off in their respective rooms doing their online classes.

    “I think Barack is — I don’t know where he is. He was on the phone on a conference call; I just got finished with a conference call. … We’re just trying to keep a routine going, but we’ve also got a little Netflix and chilling happening.”

    Michelle Obama has advice for Americans stuck indoors to help stem the spread of coronavirus.

    Obama told DeGeneres some good may come out of the coronavirus crisis, at least on a personal level.

    “But on the positive side, I know for us, it’s forced us to continue to sit down with each other, have real conversations, really ask questions and figure out how to keep ourselves occupied without just TV or computers,” she said. “It’s a good exercise in reminding us that we just don’t need a lot of the stuff that we have.”

    Source: edition.cnn.com

  • Coronavirus: Dogs being trained to sniff out virus

    A British charity has teamed up with scientists to see whether dogs could help detect COVID-19 through their keen sense of smell, they said on Friday.

    Medical Detection Dogs will work with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Durham University in northeast England to determine whether canines could help diagnoses.

    It follows previous research into dogs’ ability to sniff out malaria and is based on a belief that each disease triggers a distinct odour.

    The organisations said they had begun preparations to train dogs in six weeks “to help provide a rapid, non-invasive diagnosis towards the tail end of the epidemic”.

    The charity has previously trained dogs to detect diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s and bacterial infections by sniffing samples taken from patients.

    They can also detect subtle changes in skin temperature, potentially making them useful to determining if a person has a fever.

    “In principle, we’re sure that dogs could detect COVID-19,” said Claire Guest, founder and chief executive of Medical Detection Dogs.

    “We are now looking into how we can safely catch the odour of the virus from patients and present it to the dogs.

    “The aim is that dogs will be able to screen anyone, including those who are asymptomatic, and tell us whether they need to be tested.

    “This would be fast, effective and non-invasive and make sure the limited NHS (National Health Service) testing resources are only used where they are really needed.”

    The head of disease control at the LSHTM said dogs could detect malaria with “extremely high accuracy” and, as other respiratory diseases changed body odour, there was a “very high chance” it could also work with COVID-19.

    Detection dogs could be deployed at airports at the end of the epidemic to rapidly identify people carrying the virus, helping prevent the re-emergence of the disease, according to Steve Lindsay from Durham University.

    Over 500,000 coronavirus infections have now been recorded across 182 countries, contributing to 22,920 deaths, according to an AFP calculation based on official country data and World Health Organization figures.

    The number of actual infections is believed to be higher since many countries are only testing severe cases or patients requiring hospitalisation.

    Source: France24

  • India’s coronavirus heroes come under attack

    They have been hailed as India’s coronavirus “heroes”, but doctors, nurses, delivery drivers and other frontline workers have been attacked and in some cases evicted from their homes by panicked residents.

    Some e-commerce giants have even halted deliveries partly due to the harassment of staff, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi said abuse of hospital workers had become a “huge issue”.

    Reports of attacks and abuse have come from across India, increasing with the imposition this week of a 21-day nationwide lockdown. In at least one case, police were accused of beating a delivery driver carrying medicines.

    Sanjibani Panigrahi, a doctor in the western city of Surat, described how she was accosted as she returned home from a long day at a hospital that is treating COVID-19 patients.

    She said neighbours blocked her at the entrance to her apartment building and threatened “consequences” if she continued to work.

    “These are the same people who have happily interacted with me (in the past). Whenever they’ve faced a problem, I’ve helped them out,” the 36-year-old told AFP.

    “There is a sense of fear among people. I do understand. But it’s like I suddenly became an untouchable.”

    This week, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences appealed to the government for help after health workers were forced out of their homes by panicked landlords and housing societies.

    “Many doctors are stranded on the roads with all their luggage, nowhere to go, across the country,” the letter said.

    Modi called on Indians to stop treating medical workers as pariahs, describing those fighting the virus were “god-like”.

    “Today they are the people who are saving us from dying, putting their lives in danger.”

    Fake news and paranoia

    Health workers are not the only ones facing the brunt of the frightened population in an environment where misinformation and rumours are thriving.

    Airline and airport staff, who are still being called on for evacuations of Indians stuck overseas and management of key cargo deliveries, have also been threatened.

    Airline and airport staff, who are still being called on for evacuations of Indians stuck overseas and manage key cargo deliveries, have also been threatened.

    Indigo and Air India have condemned threats made against their staff.

    An Air India flight attendant told AFP her neighbours threatened to evict her from her apartment while she was heading to the United States, saying she would “infect everyone”.

    “I couldn’t sleep that night,” she said, afraid to reveal her name over fear of further stigmatisation.

    “I was scared that even if I did go home, would someone break open the door or call people to kick me out?”

    Her husband had to ask the police for help.

    Others have not been as lucky, the flight attendant said, with one colleague — who declined to speak to AFP — forced out of her home and now living with her parents.

    “With all the fake news and WhatsApp forwards, they don’t know what is going on, so there’s this paranoia that makes them behave like this,” she said.

    T. Praveen Keerthi, general secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (IPCA), told AFP they had received more than 50 complaints from airline crew.

    “Airline staffers are being stopped from entering their own residential premises by security guards,” he said.

    “We also have families and children that we leave at home to help fellow citizens… The least we expect is for our colleagues to not be harassed and ostracised.”

    Airport workers involved in moving essential supplies have also faced attacks as have delivery workers transporting medicines and groceries.

    E-commerce giant Flipkart temporarily suspended services this week.

    The Walmart-owned group said it only resumed home deliveries after police guaranteed “the safe and smooth passage of our supply chain and delivery executives”.

    Source: AFP

  • Coronavirus: Singapore to jail people who stand close

    Singaporeans could be jailed for up to six months if they intentionally stand close to someone else, under tough new rules announced Friday to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

    The city-state has introduced a series of new measures to tackle the virus, including closing bars and cinemas as well as banning large events.

    One step aimed at ensuring “social-distancing” — a key approach being used worldwide to halt the spread of the contagious disease — is a ban on individuals standing less than one metre (three feet) apart in certain settings.

    People are barred from intentionally standing too close to someone else in a queue, or sitting on a seat less than one metre from another individual in a public place, according to the regulations.

    Those found guilty of breaking the rules face a jail term of up to six months and a maximum fine of Sg$10,000 (US$7,000).

    Business owners are also required to take steps such as putting seats not fixed to the ground at least one metre apart, and making sure that people keep their distance when queueing.

    They face the same punishments if found to have broken the rules.

    Singapore, known for having a low crime rate and a tough approach to law and order, introduced stricter curbs after a spike in infections being brought in from overseas.

    The health ministry said earlier this week that “we must implement tighter safe distancing measures now to minimise activities and exposure”.

    The city-state has reported 683 virus infections and two deaths, but has won praise for its approach and has so far avoided going into a total lockdown.

    The rapidly spreading pandemic has infected over half a million people worldwide and killed more than 23,000.

    Source: France24

  • Coronavirus: China bars foreign visitors as imported cases rise

    China has announced a temporary ban on all foreign visitors, even if they have visas or residence permits.

    The country is also limiting Chinese and foreign airlines to one flight per week, and flights must not be more than 75% full.

    Although China reported its first locally-transmitted coronavirus case for three days on Friday, almost all its new cases now come from abroad.

    There were 55 new cases across China on Thursday – 54 of them from overseas.

    The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was “suspending the entry of foreign nationals” because of the “rapid spread of Covid-19 across the world”.

    The suspension applies to people with visas and residence passes, but not to diplomats or those with C visas (usually aircraft crew).

    People with “emergency humanitarian needs” or those working in certain fields can apply for exceptions.

    Although the rules seem dramatic, many foreign airlines had already stopped flying to China – and a number of cities already had restrictions for arrivals.

    Last month, for example, Beijing ordered everyone returning to the city into a 14-day quarantine.

    Although the virus emerged in China, it now has fewer cases than the US and fewer deaths than Italy and Spain.

    There have been 81,340 confirmed cases in China and 3,292 deaths, the National Health Commission said on Friday.

    In total, 565 of those confirmed cases were classed as “imported” – either foreigners coming into China, or returning Chinese nationals.

    In Hubei – the province where the outbreak began – there were no new confirmed or suspected cases on Thursday.

    The lockdown in provincial capital Wuhan, which began in January, will be eased on 8 April.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: GWCL suspends house to house meter readings

    The Management of Ghana Water Company Limited,(GWCL) has introduced a temporary billing regime to bill customers based on an average of their last three months consumption(Jan-March).

    In a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the company, Stanley Martey said this has become necessary so as to reduce the frequency of visits by Meter Readers to the premises of customers following the deadly covid-19 pandemic.

    Meanwhile, the company has assured it will revert to meter readings by Meter Readers when the situation normalizes.

    It further indicated that all anomalies will be rectified in due time, adding “if you have consumed more or less than you have been billed over the period, it will reflect in the meter readings, and subsequently be corrected by the billing system.”

    “Management wishes also to advise customers that, although all offices of the GWCL remain open during this period, customers are encouraged to pay their bills via Mobile Money with all the telecommunication networks,” the statement added.

    Source: Kasapafmonline.com

  • Boye warns against underrating coronavirus threat

    Ghana international John Boye has cautioned Ghanaians against downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Also known as Covid-19, the disease has become a world danger as over 460,065 persons have been infected, with 20,828 people losing their lives.

    As part of preventive measures, some nations, including France where Boye plays club football for FC Metz, have been forced into various forms of lockdowns.

    “They [people] shouldn’t go out and they shouldn’t think the coronavirus is not serious because it is a very serious thing,” Boye told Kingdom TV.

    “For now that the thing has increased to [68] in Ghana, please stay in the house and take care of your family because it is the most important thing.

    “The virus is very bad so be in the house and take care of yourself.”

    Whereas Ghana’s 68 cases recorded so far ranks among the least in the world, France have been heavily hit, having recorded 25,233 cases involving 1,331 deaths.

    “They [French] don’t want to see more than three people together but you can only go out with your wife to buy your needs,” Boye explained.

    “If it is more than three or four people you be dealt with.”

    There are rumours a lockdown in Ghana is imminent as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise.

    Three deaths have so far been recorded from the West Africans’ confirmed cases.

    Source: Goal.com

  • The world is bleeding, take care of yourself – Black Stars player to Ghanaians

    FC Nordsjaelland and Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus has joined a tall list of footballers urging Ghanaians to take the necessary precautionary measures to fight the Coronavirus.

    The number of coronavirus cases in the West African nation keeps rising with three deaths already confirmed.

    Kudus who plays in one of the most affected European countries has advised Ghanaians to practice social distancing in these difficult times.

    “As you all know the world is bleeding. In these tough times it is insane to put sports, social activities before our health and humanity,” he said on Twitter.

    “As of today medic put their lives on the.line to save the infected and the best we can do is to help them starve the virus,” he added.

    “Let’s united to socially distance and encourage ourselves for our mental sanity. Take the precautionary very serious to stay safe and keep positive in the face of COVID-19.”

    Mohammed Kudus is one of Ghana’s brightest stars in Europe this season, having scored nine goals in 19 Danish Supa Liga games.

    Source: footballmadeinghana.com

  • South Africa: ‘Our children are dying, but President Ramaphosa doesn’t care’

    In our series of letters from African journalists, South African filmmaker and writer Serusha Govender reports on the growing anger fuelled by a spate of child murders.

    Passing by Cape Town’s Parliament Square earlier this month, I caught sight of Fadiel Adams camped outside on the final days of a hunger strike.

    This was a father making a desperate stand against what he felt was the government’s lack of interest in combating the recent spate of child murders in the Western Cape province.

    The child murder rate has been high for some time in South Africa, but since the beginning of the year, several killings close to Cape Town have drawn nationwide fury and calls for immediate action.

    The murder of seven-year-old Tazne van Wyk in early February was the spark.

    Tazne went missing on 7 February. Her body was found two weeks later after her suspected murderer led police to the storm drain where he said he had disposed of it.

    The suspect, a violent multiple offender had been released on parole. He was in prison for the kidnapping and murder of another child.

    Mr Adams ended his hunger strike after six days, once he had handed a memorandum to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s secretary, but his campaign is far from over.

    ‘We are dying here’

    He is not convinced that the president will do anything. He accused the president of not caring, adding that “this government has failed all of us”.

    “We are dying here, our children are dying,” said Mr Adams.

    “If Ramaphosa really cared he would have made an immediate directive… I don’t condone violence or burning things, but we won’t stop raising this [issue]. If we have to shut down this whole city to make our point next time then we will.”

    President Ramaphosa talking to people

    After Tazne’s body was found, Mr Ramaphosa visited her community in Elsies River and apologised.

    He said that the accused should never have been given parole, adding that he knew how the community felt and that urgent action would be taken.

    His words were reminiscent of his speech to protesting crowds outside parliament after a 19-year-old student, Uyinene Mrwetyana, was murdered by a postal worker last year.

    This triggered nationwide protests against the high levels of violence against women and children, which in turn prompted the president to promise immediate targeted action.

    Then, too, Mr Ramaphosa told the crowds that this should never have happened, that he would take action, and that he knew how they felt.

    But following Tazne’s killing, his audience had had enough of platitudes, with many saying that they wanted less smooth-talking and more real action being taken to keep their children safe.

    And they are right to be concerned as Cape Town does seem to have a high number of child murders, and it appears to be getting worse.

    Crime statistics released last year showed that four children are murdered every week in the Western Cape Province alone and, overall, child murders have increased across the country by almost 30% over a decade.

    On the same day that Tazne went missing, seven-year-old Reagan Gertse disappeared. His body was discovered on a farm in the Western Cape a week later. The man accused of killing Reagan was also a violent criminal released on parole.

    Serusha Govender

    And there have been other cases of people on parole committing murder.

    When the president promises to fix the problem by pouring more money into a criminal justice system that is releasing violent criminals into communities without any warning, the government should not be too surprised when those communities lose faith and lash out.

    When the man accused of killing Tazne appeared in court, community members revolted. They attempted to storm the court building and, when that failed, they torched nearby buildings they said were frequented by neighbourhood criminals, including the accused.

    Community Activist Mr Adams said that no-one wanted to mete out vigilante justice.

    “To be honest their reaction was mild in comparison to the violence this community has already faced… How else did you expect them to express their anger and frustration at what’s been happening?” he asked.

    Source: bbc.com

     

  • Instagram’s CEO is managing one of the world’s biggest social networks from his garage

    (CNN)“I don’t normally work from my garage,” Adam Mosseri said when asked what it’s like to run one of the biggest social media platforms in the world from his San Francisco home.

    For years, Instagram has been synonymous with travel and experiences. Its users fill their feeds with carefully filtered and cropped photos of exotic locations and colorful venues. But now, from his plywood-lined garage, Mosseri, Instagram’s CEO, is telling his users to do what he’s doing: stay at home.
    Over the past week the company launched a dedicated “Stay at Home” tab featured prominently in the Stories section at the top of its feed. As the name suggests, the feature offers a way for users to share updates on their stay-at-home life at a time as people in vast parts of America and across the world have essentially been not to go outside except for essentials to limit the spread of the coronavirus. And it might actually help raise awareness of the need to stay in. Mosseri revealed Tuesday that the “Stay at Home” Instagram stories were so popular it almost crashed the site in the hours after it went live.
    The fact that a well-intentioned new feature nearly took down the entire service is a reminder of just how many fires Instagram and Mosseri are working to put out at once amid the coronavirus outbreak. Among other pressing issues, he and his team must: keep their servers up and running while much of the world is forced to shift their lives online; try to encourage people on the platform to maintain social distancing; combating inaccurate and potentially dangerous misinformation about the coronavirus at a time when there is apparently an unprecedented amount of traffic on the site; and do all this while working outside the office.
    “Having our workforce, particularly our moderators, work from home, is creating all sort of challenges that we need to work through,” Mosseri said in an interview with CNN Business over Skype on Tuesday from inside the garage that is now his de facto command center.
    “Just generally, the amount of output we should be able to expect on a per person basis is just going to go down,” he said. “There is no way around that, which is why it is so important we get creative and make sure that we continue to make sure we keep people stay safe on the platform.” Mosseri added that the company still needs to stay on top of a range of challenges like content related to child exploitation and terrorism.
    For years, Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, has been trying to combat the spread of misinformation on its platforms. The coronavirus presents a whole new challenge as people around the globe are desperate for just about any information.
    Instagram’s struggles in dealing with the anti-vaccine movement might not inspire much confidence in the company’s ability to get ahead of false information about the coronavirus.
    But over the past few weeks and months it has brought in new rules and features specifically for the coronavirus crisis. Some of those features — like not recommending accounts that spread medical misinformation when people search terms related to the virus (which the company says will roll out in the coming days) — are steps critics of anti-vaccine accounts have been calling for for some time.
    Mosseri said the company’s focus has been getting users accurate information about the virus — links to official government agencies have appeared at the top of users’ Instagram feeds around the world. The company, like other social media platforms, has taken other steps to highlight information from the World Health Organization.
    “I actually think search in general on platforms like ours gets way too much attention because it is not something people do that often. It is more important that people get good information when they come to the app in the first place,” he said.
    Like other companies, Instagram and Facebook instructed employees to work from home before it became mandatory in many states. “We need to take care of our people if we are going to be able to help address the crisis and live up to our responsibility,” Mosseri said.
    But new rules to tackle coronavirus misinformation and other initiatives, like banning ads for the sale of face masks (to help ensure they are available for medical workers in most need of them), require new protocols, staff training and sometimes new systems to implement, all of which is more difficult to do with staff working remotely.
    As a result, Mosseri said Facebook and Instagram staff that don’t normally work on moderation are volunteering to help.
    Twitter and YouTube also warned that the shift to working from home and reliance on automated content moderation may lead to more mistakes.
    The heightened anxiety felt by users will likely only amplify errors. For example, last Tuesday there were widespread reports of Facebook suddenly marking posts from users about everything from the coronavirus to their pets as violating the platform’s rules. The problem was fixed within a few hours and Facebook said it had nothing to do with the changes in its workforce
    With false claims about purported cures and preventative steps that can be take against the virus circulating online, ensuring the spread of accurate information is now literally a matter of life or death.
    Source: cnn.com

  • Senate approves historic $2 trillion stimulus deal amid growing coronavirus fears

    Washington (CNN)The Senate on Wednesday approved a historic, $2 trillion stimulus package to provide a jolt to an economy reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, capping days of intense negotiations that produced one of the most expensive and far-reaching measures Congress has ever considered.

    In a remarkable sign of overwhelming bipartisan support for the legislation, the vote was unanimous at 96-0.
    The legislation represents the largest emergency aid package in US history and the most significant legislative action taken to address the rapidly intensifying coronavirus crisis, which is overwhelming hospitals and grinding much of the economy to a halt.
    It will next go to the House for a vote. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced Wednesday evening ahead of Senate passage that the House will convene at 9 a.m. on Friday to consider the relief package. The plan is to pass the bill by voice vote, a move that would allow the House to avoid forcing all members to return to Washington for a recorded roll call vote.
    President Donald Trump has indicated he will sign the measure and tweeted his congratulations after it cleared the Senate.
    The White House and Senate leaders struck a major deal early Wednesday morning on the package. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell formally announced the agreement on the Senate floor, describing it as “a wartime level of investment for our nation.”
    LIVE UPDATES: Coronavirus pandemic alters life as we know it
    Legislative text of the final deal was released Wednesday evening ahead of a final vote. Key elements of the proposal are $250 billion set aside for direct payments to individuals and families, $350 billion in small business loans, $250 billion in unemployment insurance benefits and $500 billion in loans for distressed companies.
    The plan will deliver a massive infusion of financial aid into a struggling economy hard hit by job loss, with provisions to help impacted American workers and families as well as small businesses and major industries including airlines.
    Under the plan, individuals who earn $75,000 in adjusted gross income or less would get direct payments of $1,200 each, with married couples earning up to $150,000 receiving $2,400 — and an additional $500 per each child. The payment would scale down by income, phasing out entirely at $99,000 for singles and $198,000 for couples without children.
    In addition, the bill would provide a major amount of funding for hard-hit hospitals — $130 billion — as well as $150 billion for state and local governments that are cash-strapped due to their response to coronavirus.
    It also has a provision that would block Trump and his family, as well as other top government officials and members of Congress, from getting loans or investments from Treasury programs in the stimulus, according to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office.
    A few senators were missing from the vote due to concerns about their health amid the coronavirus outbreak, including GOP Sen. Whip John Thune who missed the vote because he was not feeling well, his communications director said in a series of tweets. The tweets do not mention coronavirus or self-quarantine, but said he returned home to South Dakota “out of an abundance of caution.”

    Hard-fought negotiations

    A deal came together after hard-fought negotiations between congressional Republicans, Democrats and the Trump administration.
    After two consecutive days of high-profile setbacks — with Senate Democrats blocking procedural votes on Sunday and Monday over opposition to a bill initially crafted by Senate Republicans — a deal appeared to be imminent by Tuesday morning, but was ultimately not announced until the early hours of Wednesday morning.
    Democrats had argued over the course of negotiations that they wanted to see more safeguards for American workers in the deal and oversight for how funding would be doled out.
    There was intense partisan debate over the $500 billion proposal to provide loans to distressed companies, with $50 billion in loans for passenger air carriers. Democrats initially contended there was not enough oversight on how the money would be disbursed, but the Trump administration agreed to an oversight board and the creation of an inspector general position to review how the money is spent.
    There has also been controversy over the stimulus plan’s unemployment benefits.
    On Wednesday afternoon, the package hit a last-minute snag with a group of Republican senators arguing that it would incentivize unemployment and could trigger worker shortages and supply disruptions by providing more money to some unemployed workers than they would make working.
    “This bill pays you more not to work than if you were working,” GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said. “You’re literally incentivizing taking people out of the workforce at a time when we need critical infrastructure supplied with workers.”
    Republican critics secured a Wednesday evening vote on an amendment to cap unemployment benefits at 100% of the wages workers received while employed, but the amendment did not pass.

    Legislation heads to the House next

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is now emphasizing that Democrats should “recognize the good” in the massive stimulus.
    “What is important is for us to recognize the good that is in the bill, appreciate it for what it does. Don’t judge it for what it doesn’t because we have more bills to come,” the California Democrat told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” Wednesday evening.
    Those comments came just after Pelosi told House Democrats on a series of conference calls that she is already thinking about the substance of the fourth coronavirus relief package that Congress will have to pass to respond to the crisis, according to sources on the calls.
    Pelosi made it clear to members who are disappointed that the pending bill did not include enough of their priorities that they will have a chance to add those provisions in the fourth package, the sources said.
    But passage in the House has been made more daunting by the fact that several of its members have tested positive for coronavirus, while many more have self-quarantined after contact with infected individuals.
    A voice vote is a procedural move that would avoid a recorded roll call vote, which would have forced members now dispersed throughout the country to travel back to Washington to get the stimulus across the finish line.
    “Members are further advised that due to the limited flight options, Members participating in self-quarantine, and several states mandating stay-at-home orders, we expect the bill to pass by voice vote on Friday,” Hoyer announced in a notice to members Wednesday evening.
    Pelosi had suggested on Tuesday that she was hoping to avoid bringing the full House back to Washington to vote on the package, seeking to pass it through unanimous consent instead. But any individual member can block such a move, which would make passage more difficult.
    This story has been updated to include additional developments Wednesday.

    CNN’s Phil Mattingly, Paul LeBlanc and Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report

    Source: .cnn.com
    .

  • It will be a big blow to cancel 2019/20 GPL season – Berekum Chelsea chief

    Berekum Chelsea FC administrative manager Francis Adjei says cancelling the 2019/20 Ghana Premier League season will be a big blow to his side, having invested heavily prior to the start of the new season.

    The Blues are currently 2nd on the league table with 26 points, just two points adrift leaders Aduana Stars after 15 matches played thus far.

    According to Adjei, it is too early to decide the fate of the topflight league following its disruption by the coronavirus pandemic.

    The league has been suspended due to the outbreak of the deadly virus which has so far infected nearly 450,000 persons worldwide, claiming almost 20,000 lives.

    Ghana has so far recorded 68 confirmed cases of Covid-19, involving two deaths.

    “It will be a big blow because we’ve worked hard for this,” Adjei told Goal.

    “This season has not been an easy one. This is one of the toughest seasons we are playing. We’ve tried to invest a lot to get a good position and probably win the league.

    “Should we have to cancel the league for a very good reason, we will understand and accept the decision for the greater good. It will be a big setback but we have to stand with the GFA in times of difficulty.”

    “As a club administrator and a member of the Premier League Management Committee, I know we cannot just stand up and cancel the league. We have to consider all factors,” Adjei said when quizzed about the situation.

    “If I say it should continue, I should be able to give you a very good reason why it should. And if I say it shouldn’t, I would have to give you a good reason too.

    “For now things are not clear. Should the return date be shifted again, the GFA will definitely tell us something, then we can use that to know the pros and cons of each possible decision.”#

    Source: Footballghana.com

  • Cancelling GPL will be a big blow to Chelsea – Chelsea chief

    Berekum Chelsea administrative manager Francis Adjei believes it is too early to decide the future of the Ghana Premier League following its disruption by the coronavirus pandemic.

    The top-flight, like almost all others in other nations, has been ground to a halt in the wake of the outbreak which has so far infected nearly 450,000 persons worldwide, claiming almost 20,000 lives.

    The league, scheduled to resume after a month, was halted two weeks ago following a presidential directive banning all public gatherings, including sporting activities in Ghana.

    But with the pandemic showing no signs of coming under control in two weeks time, inevitably, there would be two ultimate options in the case of a prolonged suspension: cancelling the current season for an all-new one or continuing with the current season regardless of the return date.

    Adjei, who is also a member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Premier League Management Committee, shared his thoughts in an interview with Goal.

    “As a club administrator and a member of the Premier League Management Committee, I know we cannot just stand up and cancel the league. We have to consider all factors,” Adjei said when quizzed about the situation.

    “If I say it should continue, I should be able to give you a very good reason why it should. And if I say it shouldn’t, I would have to give you a good reason too.

    “For now things are not clear. Should the return date be shifted again, the GFA will definitely tell us something, then we can use that to know the pros and cons of each possible decision.”

    Currently second on the league table after 15 rounds of games, Chelsea will be among the hardest-hit clubs should the season be annulled as they are in a good position for a first league title.

    “It will be a big blow because we’ve worked hard for this,” continued Adjei.

    “This season has not been an easy one. This is one of the toughest seasons we are playing. We’ve tried to invest a lot to get a good position and probably win the league.

    “Should we have to cancel the league for a very good reason, we will understand and accept the decision for the greater good. It will be a big setback but we have to stand with the GFA in times of difficulty.”

    Ghana has so far recorded 68 confirmed cases of Covid-19, involving two deaths.

    Source: Goal.com

  • Listen to the President and doctors – Italy based Kwadwo Asamoah warns

    Inter Milan star Kwadwo Asamoah has warned Ghanaian to follows the necessary precautionary steps to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

    Ghana has seen the number of cases grow from 25 to 68 within just 48 hours and the player who plies his traded in the most affected country in Europe, Italy, says the virus is no respecter of human and Ghanaians should take precautions to avoid the spread.

    “The threat of the Coronavirus is real and it is no respecter of persons. I urge all Ghanaians to follow rules and regulations and I want them to listen to the President and our doctors,” he told Citi FM Sports.

    “Wash your hands often and use the sanitisers. Avoid touching your face and avoid crowded places. Let us avoid handshakes, kisses and hugs.

    “I know this is tough for us as Ghanaians since we respect handshakes a lot. However, this is a difficult time and we need to understand these measures and stay safe.

    Ghana has banned all social gatherings and sporting events that has more than 25 members. The country is also encouraging people to stay home to curtail the situation at hand.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • Coronavirus pandemic puts WHO back in hot seat

    The UN’s health agency has faced criticism in the past for overreacting and for moving too slowly in fighting epidemics, but it has rarely faced as much scrutiny as with the Coronavirus pandemic.

    The World Health Organization was deemed too alarmist when it faced the H1N1 epidemic in 2009 but five years later it was accused of dragging its feet in declaring an emergency over the Ebola outbreak in west Africa, which would go on to kill more than 11,000 people.

    After that debacle, the WHO reformed and created a rapid response unit that has since helped to tackle two Ebola outbreaks in Democratic Republic of Congo.

    And yet, the organisation is once again under fire, with critics saying it did not react quickly or strongly enough to the new Coronavirus, which emerged in Wuhan, China, late last year.

    The agency has been accused of delaying sounding the alarm for fear of offending Beijing, for waiting too long to declare the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic and for failing to coordinate a coherent international response.

    Also, a consensus appears to be emerging on the need to close down public spaces to limit the spread but the WHO has given little guidance on these measures.

    “WHO remains surprisingly silent and absent in all of these pragmatic questions,” Antoine Flahault, head of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva, wrote in The Lancet medical review, asking: “Is there any orchestra conductor?”

    ‘Enemy of humanity’

    However, other commentators have praised WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and his team for giving sound guidance, instead criticising countries for failing to heed the advice.

    Devi Sridhar, a professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, said the WHO’s reaction was “hard to fault”, adding that countries like South Korea that followed the advice to test, trace and contain have done better than others.

    One of the central planks of criticism is that the WHO waited until March 11, when nearly 120,000 cases had already been registered, to declare the outbreak a pandemic — a move that truly hit the accelerator on global efforts to rein in the virus.

    By that time, the virus, dubbed an “enemy of humanity” by Tedros, had already taken hold in Europe, which soon overtook Asia as the epicentre of the outbreak.

    With a dearth of tests, shortages of protective gear for health workers and vital medical equipment like ventilators, health systems even in wealthy nations have been pushed to the breaking point.

    In a bid to halt the spread of a pandemic that has already claimed more than 18,000 lives, more than 2.5 billion people worldwide are now largely confined to their homes and economies have largely ground to a halt, threatening a global recession.

    China conundrum

    Despite the chaos, and evidence that Chinese officials hid the crisis for weeks and stifled doctors trying to sound the alarm, the WHO has praised Beijing for its early response.

    Joseph Amon, a professor of global health at Drexel University in the United States, told AFP it was a “clear mistake and set an early tone by WHO that the epidemic was perhaps not as severe and that the initial response was adequate”.

    China told the WHO about an unknown form of pneumonia circulating in Wuhan on December 31, 2019.

    Experts say that if the world had learnt of the problem weeks earlier it could probably have been reined in.

    “If we had known about it then, then that could have made a huge difference,” Roland Kao, an epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh, told AFP.

    But while experts agree there was certainly much to criticise in China’s initial response, many say the WHO was right to highlight what the country got right, including quickly sharing the genetic sequencing of the virus and taking dramatic lockdown measures to slow the spread.

    “To alienate China early in the process by pointing out mistakes would have been a mistake,” Ann Lindstrand, in charge of WHO’s expanded immunisation programme, told AFP, saying Beijing’s cooperation was crucial.

    “Tedros did the right thing.”

    Tedros himself has dismissed claims that he and WHO have bowed to Chinese pressure, stressing the collaborative relationship the agency has with its members.

    Some say the COVID-19 pandemic has actually revealed the opposite problem — states need to feel pressure from the WHO but the agency simply does not have the power.

    “Dr Tedros and WHO are working hard to conduct the orchestra, but the players are not cooperating,” said Suerie Moon, the co-director of the Graduate Institute’s Global Health Centre.

    Source: France24

  • Coronavirus delays Russian vote on Putin staying in power

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has postponed a vote on constitutional change that would allow him to stay in power, because of concerns over coronavirus.

    He said the public vote previously due to be held on 22 April would be delayed until a “later date”.

    The proposed changes include scrapping a ban on allowing Mr Putin to run for office again.

    He also announced that Russians would not work next week “to slow the speed” of the infection.

    Source: BBC

  • Futures rise as Washington reaches deal on $2 trillion aid package

    U.S. stock index futures rose on Wednesday, putting Wall Street on course to extend its massive bounce from the previous session, as Washington reached a deal on a $2 trillion stimulus package to help ease some economic pain from the coronavirus pandemic.

    The Senate will vote on the bill later on Wednesday and the House of Representatives is expected to follow soon after.

    At 05:24 a.m. EDT, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were up 741 points, or 3.6%, S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were up 54 points, or 2.21% and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were up 187 points, or 2.48%.

    SPDR S&P 500 ETFs (SPY.P) were up 2.61%.

    The S&P 500 index .SPX closed up 9.38% at 2,447.33? on Tuesday.

    Source: reuters.com

  • Coronavirus: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola donates 1m euros to fight virus

    Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has donated 1m euros (£920,000) to fight the coronavirus outbreak in Spain.

    Guardiola, who is at his home in Barcelona, has been working with his lawyers over the past few days to work out the best way of using the money.

    It will go to a campaign being promoted by the Medical College of Barcelona and the Angel Soler Daniel Foundation.

    Spain is one of the worst affected countries in Europe.

    Official figures on Tuesday showed that 2,696 people had died in the country and close to 40,000 are infected.

    The money will be used to help purchase medical equipment and protective material for the hospital staff involved in treating those admitted to hospital.

    The Catalan region is one of the areas in Spain which has the most concentrated number of cases.

    Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both reportedly donated 1m euros to coronavirus campaigns this week.

    Mundo Deportivo reported that Barcelona forward Messi has donated a total of 1m euros to two hospitals, one in Barcelona and the other in his native Argentina.

    Juventus and Portugal star Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes have donated 1m euros to three intensive care units for patients suffering from coronavirus at hospitals in Lisbon and Porto.

    Last week Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski donated 1m euros to fight the coronavirus pandemic in Germany.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Three US sailors test positive for virus on aircraft carrier

    Three US sailors from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, the first cases reported on a US Navy ship currently on deployment, officials said Tuesday.

    The three have been evacuated and all those they had come into contact with on the vessel, which has more than 5,000 personnel on board, have been quarantined, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas B. Modly told reporters.

    The ship was last in port in Vietnam 15 days ago but Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday said it was difficult to connect the cases to a particular port visit.

    “We took great precautions when the crew came back from that shore visit, and did enhanced medical screenings of the crew,” he said.

    Overall, the Navy has 86 coronavirus cases, including 57 active-duty service members, he said.

    Last week the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer — currently in port in San Diego according to US media — reported one of its personnel had tested “presumptive positive” for the virus.

    Source: France24

  • Coronavirus: US Senate, W.House agree on $2 trillion rescue for US economy

    The Senate and White House have reached agreement on a $2 trillion stimulus package for the US economy and millions of Americans ravaged by the coronavirus crisis, top lawmakers said early Wednesday.

    “At last, we have a deal,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, hailing the massive “wartime level of investment into our nation” reached after five days of arduous and tense negotiations.

    “We have a bipartisan agreement on the largest rescue package in American history,” top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said shortly after McConnell spoke.

    “So many people are being put out of work through no fault of their own. They don’t know what their future is going to be like, how are they going to pay the bills,” Schumer added.

    “Well, we come to their rescue.”

    The Senate and House of Representatives still need to pass the legislation before sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature.

    McConnell said the Senate will vote on the measure later Wednesday.

    The deal aims to buttress the teetering economy by giving roughly $2 trillion to health facilities, businesses and ordinary Americans buckling under the strain of the coronavirus pandemic.

    The measure will put cash directly into the hands of Americans hard hit by the crisis, provides grants to small businesses and hundreds of billions of dollars in loans for larger corporations including airlines, and expands unemployment benefits.

    It will also inject some $130 billion into what Schumer calls “a Marshall Plan for hospitals” and health care infrastructure, referring to the huge American aid program to rebuild Europe after World War II.

    With viral outbreaks spreading coast to coast, hospitals have been in dire need of equipment like protective gear, intensive care beds and ventilators.

    US stocks had already surged Tuesday on expectations of an agreement.

    On Wednesday, Tokyo’s Nikkei closed up eight percent after the stimulus deal was reached. Oil prices rallied in Asia.

    McConnell and Schumer negotiated the deal with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other White House officials amid days of bitter partisan infighting over what to put into the final package.

    Mnuchin had shuttled between the Capitol offices of the Senate’s leaders as they and staffers hammered out the language of the bill.

    The agreement followed multiple failed attempts to advance a Republican-led proposal, and pressure had soared to swiftly reach a compromise that provides relief for hundreds of millions of Americans.

    President Donald Trump called for an immediate resolution to the stalemate.

    “Congress must approve the deal, without all of the nonsense, today,” he said Tuesday on Twitter.

    “The longer it takes, the harder it will be to start up our economy. Our workers will be hurt!”

    – ‘Stop negotiating’ –

    Democrats rejected the original package, arguing it put corporations ahead of workers, including health professionals on the front lines of the battle against a pandemic that has infected 55,000 and killed nearly 800 in the US alone.

    As the hours ticked away Tuesday, several lawmakers voiced their anxiety.

    “Pass the damn bill. Stop negotiating. Enough is enough,” a visibly angry Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on the floor, after accusing Democrats of “nickeling and diming at a time people are dying.”

    Any relief package that passes the Senate will need to clear the Democratic-led House too before going to Trump.

    Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled a more generous, roughly $2.5 trillion counterproposal that included ambitious elements like guaranteed paid and family medical leave, student loan forgiveness and oversight of the $500 billion earmarked for corporations.

    But she signalled the House may simply take up the Senate bill and try to pass it.

    “Much of what we have in our bill is reflected in this supposed agreement,” Pelosi said.

    According to Schumer, the compromise legislation includes an oversight mechanism for the company loans, and expanded unemployment provisions for workers laid off or sickened during the pandemic.

    “Every American worker who is laid off will have their salary remunerated by the federal government, Schumer said.

    Pelosi suggested the measure might even pass the House by unanimous consent.

    But getting 435 lawmakers to swallow a gargantuan rescue package without debate could be an uphill proposition in a sharply divided chamber.

    Source: France24

  • Coronavirus: Prince Charles tests positive but ‘remains in good health’

    The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus, Clarence House has announced.

    Prince Charles, 71, is displaying mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health”, a spokesman said, adding that the Duchess of Cornwall, 72, has been tested but does not have the virus.

    Both Charles and Camilla are now self-isolating at Balmoral.

    Buckingham Palace said the Queen last saw her son on 12 March, but also “remains in good health”.

    The Queen, the palace added, “is following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare”.

    A Clarence House statement read: “In accordance with government and medical advice, the prince and the duchess are now self-isolating at home in Scotland.

    “The tests were carried out by the NHS in Aberdeenshire, where they met the criteria required for testing.

    “It is not possible to ascertain from whom the prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks.”

    The prince’s last public engagement was on 12 March but has been working from home over the last few days.

    The Press Association news agency reported he has had a number of private meetings with Highgrove and Duchy individuals, all of whom have been made aware.

    According to the latest Department of Health and Social Care figures, there are now more than 8,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK – although the actual number cases is likely to be far higher. Some 422 of those patients have died.

    Source: www.bbc.com

  • Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus

    The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus, Clarence House has confirmed.

    Prince Charles, 71, is displaying mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health”, a spokesman said.

    The Duchess of Cornwall has also been tested but does not have the virus.

    Source: BBC

  • Coronavirus: 27.1 million watch PM Boris Johnson’s TV address

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statement on Monday announcing strict new coronavirus restrictions was watched by more than 27 million, according to overnight figures.

    His televised address was seen by 15.4 million viewers on BBC One, while 5.7 million tuned in to ITV and 1.6 million saw it on Channel 4.

    An additional 4.4 million watched on the BBC News Channel and Sky News.

    That makes it the most-watched broadcast for years.

    The Channel 4 and ITV ratings include +1 figures. The statement was also streamed on Amazon Prime.

    The previous most-watched broadcast in recent years was the London Olympics Closing Ceremony in 2012, viewed by 24.5 million.

    People in the UK are now living under strict new measures following the PM’s announcement.

    They can only leave their homes to buy essential items, exercise once a day, and travel for work were “absolutely necessary” or for any medical need.

    Source: bbc.com