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Coronavirus live updates: WHO declares pandemic as Italy introduces stricter measures Iran’s cases have increased to 9,000; US cases now stand at over 1,000; China reports record lows. Follow the latest. What is a pandemic?Full story: WHO declares coronavirus pandemicUS death toll rises to 31 as official warns ‘things will get worse’UK cases jump to 456 and eighth Briton dies 11.53pm GMTThe $17.6bn stimulus package revealed by the Australian government this morning has failed to stem losses on the stock exchange, with shares continuing to fall as prime minister Scott Morrison and treasurer Josh Frydenberg detailed the measures.A market that had fallen by 2% before Morrison began speaking at about 10.35am fell further to be off by almost 3% by 10.50. 11.53pm GMTBusiness...

Will spring slow spread of coronavirus in northern hemisphere? Some leaders claim virus is less likely to infect in spring but data still insufficient to proveWill coronavirus infections slow down as spring arrives in the northern hemisphere? Certainly this is what some political leaders seem to think. Donald Trump told a meeting of the nation’s governors in February that “the heat, generally speaking, kills this kind of virus”. Meanwhile, the UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, told ITV that the hope was to slow the spread of the virus so if it does cause a UK epidemic it arrives in spring and summer when coronaviruses are less transmissible.In the world’s temperate regions seasonal flu and the “common cold” coronaviruses tend to spread more r...

Italy's government orders all shops, bars and restaurants to close Authorities in virus-hit country take extreme measures as Covid-19 takes hold in EuropeCoronavirus latest - live updatesItaly’s government has ordered all shops, bars and restaurants across the country to close as the country’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak rose by 31% in the space of 24 hours to a total of 827.As governments across Europe cancelled events, shut schools and imposed travel bans and the World Health Organization formally declared a pandemic, the Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, said all stores would close nationwide bar those selling “basic necessities”, such as pharmacies and supermarkets. Continue reading... Go to Source

Research finds huge impact of interventions on spread of Covid-19 Study suggests number of cases could have been cut by 66% if China had acted a week earlierCoronavirus latest - liveThe rapid spread of coronavirus around the world could have been substantially curtailed if the broad swath of measures China brought in to control the outbreak were introduced just weeks earlier, researchers say.Sophisticated modelling of the outbreak suggests that China had 114,325 cases by the end of February 2020, a figure that would have been 67 times higher without interventions such as early detection, isolation of the infected, and travel restrictions. Continue reading... Go to Source

Budget 2020: Rishi Sunak turns on taps with £30bn splurge Chancellor announces £12bn to fight coronavirus and £18bn on ‘levelling up’ in reversal of Tory orthodoxyRishi Sunak ditched a decade of Conservative economic orthodoxy on Wednesday and claimed the Tories were now “the party of public services,” as he turned on the spending taps with a £30bn package that leaves Britain on course to have a bigger state than under Tony Blair’s Labour governments.On a day when the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 to be a global pandemic, the chancellor announced £12bn to buttress the economy against the immediate threat of recession and a further £18bn to deliver on Boris Johnson’s election pledge to “level up” ...

Coronavirus live updates: US cases pass 1,000 as UK health minister tests positive Cases spike in Japan, Australia announces health spending and deaths rise sharply again in Italy. Follow latest newsCoronavirus latest: at a glanceUK health minister tests positiveArsenal place players into self-isolationItalian PM extends lockdown to entire countryCoronavirus confusion as NHS helpline gives out wrong adviceNew York to impose containment area to combat spreadShare your experiences 5.42am GMTGoogle has told all its staff in North America to work from home, in an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. Earlier this month, the tech giant had already told workers in Seattle to work from home, as well as Dublin in Ireland. 5.36am GMTGlobal rideshare company Uber has just sent an email to users,...

Arsenal place players into self-isolation and postpone game with Man City due to coronavirus Evangelos Marinakis met several players at Emirates last month‘Risk of them developing Covid-19 is extremely low,’ say ArsenalLatest coronavirus updatesThe Premier League game between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday has been postponed “as a precautionary measure” due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Premier League has said. Following the news that Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis had contracted the virus, Arsenal confirmed that an unspecified number of unnamed players met Marinakis after their Europa League tie on the 27 February and that those players are now in self-isolation. Related: Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos owner reveals he ...

From confidence to quarantine: how coronavirus swept Italy Undetected transmissions in early stage of outbreak at heart of current difficultiesCoronavirus – the latest updatesCoronavirus travel ban: Italy on lockdown – in picturesItaly appeared well ahead of the curve when the coronavirus outbreak began to spread outside China. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus: Japan scales back triple disaster memorials Ninth anniversary of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown came as Japan reported biggest one-day rise in infectionsThe coronavirus outbreak has forced Japan to scale down events marking nine years since a powerful earthquake and tsunami killed more than 18,000 people along its north-east coast.An annual public service in Tokyo to remember the victims of the March 2011 disaster was among a growing number of events called off, one day after the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said sports, cultural and other large gatherings must be postponed for another 10 days in an attempt to contain the spread. The main memorial service, at the capital’s National Theatre, is usually attended by members of the imperial family, politicians an...

Joe Biden wins Idaho primary as string of victories continues – as it happened Former vice-president takes Michigan, Missouri and MississippiNeck-and-neck race in Washington on difficult night for SandersFollow all the results live 5.34am GMTThat’s it from me after another strong primary night for Joe Biden and another disappointing performance for Bernie Sanders.Here’s how the night shook out: Related: Joe Biden wins string of key primaries in major blow to Bernie Sanders 5.12am GMTJoe Biden leads Bernie Sanders in Idaho by about 6 points, with 80% of precincts reporting.Sanders’ loss in Idaho is another blow on a generally disappointing night for the Vermont senator. Continue reading... Go to Source