Health

Melbourne, Mar 18 (PTI) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday warned its citizens not to travel abroad and banned "non-essential" gatherings of 100 people or more as the government declared the deadly coronavirus, that has infected over 450 people in the country, a "human biosecurity emergency".

Prime Minister Morrison on Wednesday said Australians should abandon all overseas travel because of the coronavirus epidemic. There have been 40 new cases since Tuesday.

Srinagar, Mar 17 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday barred foreign tourists from entering the Union Territory as a precautionary measure in view of coronavirus outbreak.

"Advisor to the Lt. Governor Baseer Ahmad Khan has issued necessary orders in this regard. Secretary Tourism, Director Tourism and DCs have been asked to ensure implementation of the order with immediate effect," an official spokesman said.

New Delhi, Mar 18 (PTI) Rajya Sabha Congress MP Ripun Bora on Wednesday highlighted problems being faced by people due to shortage and high prices of sanitisers and masks amid outbreak of coronavirus.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the House, he said the government has asked people to take precautionary steps like cleaning of hands.

ZURICH, March 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Switzerland’s health care system could collapse by the end of the month if the new coronavirus keeps spreading at current rates, a government official warned.

Swiss authorities estimated that 2,650 people had tested positive for the coronavirus and said 19 people had died, while predicting cases will likely soar in the weeks ahead.

MANILA, Mar 18 (NNN-PNA) – The World Bank earmarked a 100-million-U.S. dollar fast-track loan, to help the Philippines fight COVID-19, the Philippine Department of Finance said.

The fiance department said today, the funds will enable the Department of Health (DoH) to procure personal protective equipment for health care workers, along with testing and laboratory materials, quarantine areas, isolation rooms and other essential equipment, to contain the spread of the viral disease.

CAIRO, Mar 18 (NNN-MENA) – Iran reported 1,178 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 135 more deaths from the virus, with the death toll edging towards 1,000.

Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education announced that, the total number of COVID-19 cases increased to 16,169, as the death toll reached 988. A total of 5,389 people have recovered.

Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, called for a global campaign to disregard the U.S. anti-Iran sanctions, so to help Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East by the virus, to fight the epidemic.

HARARE, March 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared the coronavirus pandemic as a national disaster.

He said this could help the government mobilize resources. Mnangagwa also cancelled Independence Day celebrations and international sporting events to curb spread of COVID-19.

“The government has postponed the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), all previously scheduled national independence celebrations and international sporting events on hold until the coronavirus threat dissipates”, Mnangagwa said.

DUBLIN, March 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar called on the public to be fully prepared for a prolonged impact of the coronavirus outbreak in the country and promised that his government will do whatever it requires to do in the battle against the disease.

In a national televised speech, Varadkar said Ireland is “in the midst of a global and national emergency — a pandemic, the likes of which none of us has seen before.”

ROME, March 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Italy will rush 10,000 student doctors into service, scrapping their final exams, in an effort to help the struggling health service cope with the coronavirus which claimed another 345 lives.

The death toll rose to 2,503 over the past 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the total number of confirmed cases increased to 31,506 from a previous 27,980 – the largest number outside China.

18 Mar 2020; MEMO: Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that mosques would no longer be open for the customary five daily prayers or Friday congregations, an exceptional move to limit the spread of the coronavirus which has infected 171 people in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia, which chairs the Group of 20 major economies, announced an extraordinary virtual leaders summit next week “to put forward a coordinated set of policies to protect people and safeguard the global economy.”