Tag Archives: COVID-19

An entire Italian town has been placed under strict quarantine measures after a large crowd turned out for the mayor’s funeral during the coronavirus crisis. More than 200 people gathered in the streets for the funeral procession in Saviano, near Naples, during Italy‘s lockdown over the pandemic. The town has …

The news agency’s license was suspended earlier this month over a report on the number of coronavirus cases in Iraq. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) informed Reuters it was lifting the suspension “to allow transparent and impartial work by the media … in adherence to operating according to …

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has once again warned US President Donald Trump against interfering in the internal affairs of other countries in the age of the new coronavirus. Zarif made the remarks in a Sunday posting on Twitter in an apparent reference to Trump’s Saturday allegation that the …

South Korea extended its social distancing policy for another 16 days on Sunday but offered some relief for churches and sporting fixtures, as it reported just eight new coronavirus infections, the lowest in two months. The slightly relaxed guidelines mean high-risk venues like churches will face fewer restrictions, while sports …

Spanish children have been kept at home since 14 March, under strict measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. Now Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez aims to relax the rule on 27 April so they can “get some fresh air”. Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, who has young children herself, this week …

The World Bank Group (WBG) is expected to launch health emergency programs in over 100 countries by the end of April to support the fight against COVID-19, with 64 already in operation, President David Malpass said Friday. “In response to COVID-19, the World Bank Group has focused on taking fast, …

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has relaxed the state’s COVID-19 containment measures, scaling back restrictions on outdoor activities with an executive order as outraged residents take to the streets to demand an end to the lockdown. While some forms of outdoor recreation were permitted under a previous directive, an array of …

The Colombian government has begun providing some of the poorest residents of the capital Bogota with food donations as the city of seven million people goes through more than a month of lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a government order, dozens of the homeless are also given …

Thousands of protesters in cars and on foot have flouted Michigan’s stay-at-home orders to demand the state reopened. ‘It’s time for our state to be opened up’ said one protester in her car. ‘We’re tired of not being able to buy the things that we need, go to the hairdressers. …

Soccer matches and other sports events in Spain will take place in empty venues at least until the end of the summer, the mayor of Madrid said Saturday. José Luis Martínez-Almeida told the Onda Cero radio station that the coronavirus pandemic likely “won’t be under control” by then for events …

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday the U.S. and Canada have agreed to keep their border closed to nonessential travel for another 30 days. Trudeau said it will keep people on both sides of the border safe amid the pandemic. “The agreement is the same terms. It’s just extended …

Filipinos have been threatened with martial law-style enforcement if they do not comply with a month-long coronavirus lockdown, as police said 120,000 people have been arrested or warned for flouting rules. Over two weeks after he ordered law enforcement to shoot those who violate the lockdown, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte …

Italian sports car maker Ferrari has announced that it will produce respirator valves and fittings for protective face masks as part of its efforts to support the national response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement today. “Ferrari has started to produce respirator valves and fittings for protective masks …

The World Health Organization has warned there is no evidence to suggest the presence of antibodies in the blood can determine whether someone has immunity to the coronavirus. Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO’s executive director for health emergencies, said Friday there was no indication so far that a large proportion …

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has hit back at a series of presidential tweets accusing him of dramatizing the coronavirus pandemic and not being appreciative of the president’s efforts in providing help. Following Cuomo’s complaints about the medical shortage in the US, President Donald Trump had tweeted that Cuomo “should …

Unsurprisingly, yet soberingly, the European tourism sector is reeling. According to a recent UBS analysts’ note – which cited data from Planet, the VAT refund provider – tourist spending across Europe in March fell 68.4% year-on-year. “Chinese spend in Europe was down -84.6% y/y, with all other nationalities also declining …

COVID-19 patients who are getting an experimental drug called remdesivir have been recovering quickly, with most going home in days, STAT News reported Thursday after it obtained a video of a conversation about the trial. The patients taking part in a clinical trial of the drug have all had severe …

Nearly 1,300 people who died of the coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan, or half the total, were not counted in death tolls because of lapses, state media said on Friday, but Beijing dismissed claims that there had been any kind of cover-up. The central city where the outbreak …

Some European countries have announced plans to ease restrictions on social life, transport and cross-border travel imposed since mid-March to battle the spread of the novel coronavirus. AUSTRIA Austria allowed thousands of shops to reopen on April 14, becoming one of the first countries in Europe to loosen the lockdown. …

The COVID-19 pandemic will likely kill at least 300,000 Africans and risks pushing 29 million into extreme poverty, the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said on Friday, calling for a $100 billion safety net for the continent. Africa’s 54 countries have so far reported fewer than 20,000 confirmed cases …