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Coronavirus latest updates: Trump admits outbreak 'might' impact US economy Pence acknowledges shortage of testing kits; WHO warns of sustained community transmission; first death in UK. Follow live news:Man with coronavirus went to packed rock concert at New Zealand arenaGreece shuts schools as WHO warns about local transmissionVietnamese curator dropped because of ‘coronavirus prejudice’Cruise ship held near San Francisco for testing as city confirms two casesHas Covid-19 mutated into a more deadly strain? Busting the mythsTrump calls WHO’s global death rate from coronavirus ‘a false number’‘Really stressful’: Italians struggle to cope with education closuresCoronavirus latest: at a glance 5.53am GMT Related: 'Fake, Fake': senior Chinese leade...

Inside the cruise ship that became a coronavirus breeding ground As contagion swept through the Diamond Princess, its crew had to carry on working. Here, they recall the climate of chaos and fear that prevailed during the ship’s two-week quarantineChristian Santos* remembers staying awake at night, anxiously listening to the sound of his colleague coughing. They were sleeping below deck, in one of the small rooms shared by workers on board the stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship.He had spent the previous two weeks serving guests who were confined to their rooms, and watching the miserable failure of disease-control measures on the vessel. Now he knew the coronavirus, which had already transmitted to hundreds of people onboard, had almost certainly entered his own cabin. Continue...

'More scary than coronavirus': South Korea's health alerts expose private lives ‘Safety guidance texts’ sent by the authorities contain an avalanche of personal information and are fuelling social stigmaCoronavirus latest updatesAs the number of coronavirus cases in South Korea exceeded 6,000 this week, there was a rise, too, in complaints about information overload in the form of emergency virus text alerts that have included embarrassing revelations about infected people’s private lives.Health authorities and district offices across the country are sending “safety guidance texts” from early morning to late at night, reminding people to wash their hands thoroughly and not to touch their faces with unwashed hands. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Fake, Fake': senior Chinese leader heckled by residents on visit to coronavirus city Sun Chunlan was visiting Wuhan when residents apparently criticised efforts to combat virusA top Chinese official visiting Wuhan has been heckled by residents who yelled “fake, fake, everything is fake” as she inspected the work of a neighbourhood committee charged with taking care of quarantined residents.Vice-premier Sun Chunlan, one of the most senior government officials to visit the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, toured a residential community in Wuhan’s Qingshan district on Thursday. According to state media, Sun was inspecting the operations of the neighbourhood committee, meant to make checks on residents each day and distribute necessities like medicine, food and fresh v...

First UK death from coronavirus confirmed as cases surge to 115 In a change of policy, some confirmed cases are now treated at home rather than in hospital Coronavirus – live updatesA woman in her 70s was confirmed as the first coronavirus death in the UK on Thursday as Downing Street warned that it was now highly likely that the virus would spread in “a significant way”.It was thought she contracted the virus in the UK and had not been in contact with any other known cases. The woman, who was admitted to the Royal Berkshire hospital in Reading on Wednesday, had been “in and out of hospital” with underlying health conditions, the hospital said. The unnamed victim was tested on Wednesday but results only came back after she died early on Thursday morning. Bo...

Coronavirus latest: at a glance A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreakKey developments in the global coronavirus outbreak on Thursday include: Continue reading... Go to Source

Chinese police place Britons in enforced isolation after ferry trip Teacher was given 20 minutes to pack and must remain in hotel room for two weeks Jo Davison and her partner were relaxing in their flat in Shenzhen, China, when the phone rang. She was told by the Chinese authorities that they had been exposed to the coronavirus at close proximity and that officials were on their way. “It was terrifying. Five people in hazmats turned up at our apartment, they looked like ghostbusters,” she said. “They took swabs from our nose and throat and said they’d return in the morning so we should start packing.” Continue reading... Go to Source

'Really stressful': Italians struggle to cope with education closures Parents having to use paid leave to stay at home after decision, disputed by some expertsCoronavirus updates – liveStudents, parents and teachers are struggling to cope with the Italian government’s decision to close all schools and universities nationwide until 15 March as it grapples to contain Europe’s worst outbreak of coronavirus. The virus had claimed 148 lives in the country by Thursday evening, according to government figures.“It is not easy,” said Maurizio Bufalini, 45, who works at a court in Ferrara, in Emilia-Romagna. “My wife and I had to use our holidays and paid leave to stay at home with our little daughter. I hope the government will intervene soon, otherwise it wil...

Calls for Sheikh Mohammed to face justice over family abduction UK judge ruled that ruler of Dubai orchestrated abduction of daughters and intimidated his wifeMinisters, police and prosecutors are under pressure to bring the ruler of Dubai to justice after a UK judge ruled that he orchestrated the abduction of two of daughters – one from the streets of Cambridge.The damning family court judgment naming Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is a friend of the Queen and one of the UK’s most important figures in horse-racing, risks destabilising diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, a close Gulf ally. Continue reading... Go to Source