The coronavirus outbreaks in China and South Korea appear to be slowing, as countries elsewhere in the world adopt drastic measures to try and stamp out the infection.
In Italy, where some 16 million people in Lombardy and other parts of the north are now under quarantine, there were 133 deaths reported on Sunday, bringing the total to 366. More than 7,000 people in the country have been confirmed to have the virus.
In Iran, there were 49 new fatalities. Some 194 people have now died from COVID-19 there.
But the latest figures from China and South Korea suggest the virus might be slowing in northeast Asia.
China reported 40 new confirmed cases on Sunday, compared with 44 the day before. That is the lowest number since the National Health Commission started publishing national data on January 20.
Outside Hubei province, where the virus first originated late last year, China reported no new locally transmitted cases for the second straight day.
New infections in South Korea also appear to be slowing.
Monday, March 9
05:20 GMT – Markets feel “double whammy” of virus and oil
There has been more turmoil on Asian markets this morning, with investors selling stocks and buying bonds amid growing concern about the health of the global economy, not only because of the impact from the coronavirus but also because of oil.
Oil prices plunged about 30 percent after Saudi Arabia slashed its official selling price.
04:50 GMT – Two members of US Congress go into isolation over virus
Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Arizona Representative Paul Gosar have put themselves into a 14-day quarantine after determining they had contact with a man at the Conservative Political Action Conference who was later confirmed to have the coronavirus.
Several other senators and members of the House of Representatives were also at the event, where US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both spoke.
The White House says there is no indication that either of them met or were in “close proximity” to the man who was confirmed to have the virus.
04:45 GMT – South Korea hopeful of ‘turning point’ soon
South Korea is hopeful that the situation will improve, although it is warning against calling the peak of its outbreak too soon.
“I’m still extremely cautious, but there’s hope we can reach a turning point in the near future,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Monday before returning to Seoul from the hard-hit southeastern city of Daegu.
Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said it was premature to say the crisis was over, as new cases continued to emerge.
“There are still many patients arising from Daegu and nearby regions … and sporadic infections continue to emerge elsewhere, though they’re not spreading as fast,” Kim told a briefing.
“In fact, now is the time to concentrate all our capabilities to bring a clear reduction in infections.”
04:20 GMT – Near-major tennis tournament cancelled in US
The BNP Paribas Open, a near-major tennis tournament that was set to begin this week in the California desert, has been called off. This is the largest sporting event in the US to be called off over coronavirus concerns.
The announcement came on Sunday night after many players were already in the desert practising.
Qualifying matches were to begin on Monday with women’s main draw matches starting on Wednesday and the men’s games the day after.
The coronavirus is having quite an impact on the world’s sporting events and numerous tournaments have been cancelled. We’ve been keeping a list.
04:15 GMT – New rules for mask purchases in South Korea
South Korea has adopted a new distribution system for face masks and rationed the number each person can buy each week.
People can now buy masks only on the weekday corresponding to the last digit of their birth year.
That means people born in years ending with one or six can buy masks on Mondays, while those born in a year ending with three or eight can buy on Wednesdays.
No one is allowed to buy more than one a week.
03:20 GMT – Shanghai Disneyland to open some resort facilities
Shanghai Disneyland, which was closed on January 25 because of the coronavirus, has reopened some of its shops, restaurants and resort facilities on a limited basis.
Visitors will need to go through temperature checks before admission, and the resort will follow an “extensive range of measures designed to ensure a safe and healthy experience for all guests,” it said on its website.
The main theme park will remain closed.
03:00 GMT – Ship heads to Singapore after being turned away by Thailand, Malaysia
The operator of the cruise ship Costa Fortuna said it was heading to Singapore to end its journey on Tuesday as planned, after it was turned away from ports in Malaysia and Thailand over coronavirus fears.
Italian cruise line Costa Crociere said there were no suspected virus cases among the passengers.
The company said it would cancel a cruise due to depart on March 10 from Singapore.
Singapore port authorities have not yet said whether they would allow the ship to dock
02:45 GMT – California preparing to dock cruise ship with confirmed virus cases
The Grand Princess, a cruise ship carrying more than 3,500 people from 54 countries, is expected to dock in California on Monday.
Twenty-one of those on board have been confirmed to have the coronavirus; everyone will be required to spend 14 days in quarantine once they disembark.
Those needing acute medical care will leave the ship first.
“This is a time that we must be guided by facts and not fears, and our public deserves to know what’s going on,” Mayor Libby Schaaf said.
02:40 GMT – First case confirmed in Japanese city of Kobe
A woman in her 40s, who attended a live music show in Osaka, has become the first person to test positive for the coronavirus in Kobe, officials said.
02:20 GMT – South Korea sees smallest daily increase in infections in two weeks
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has announced its latest figures on the coronavirus outbreak there.
It confirmed a total of 248 cases on Sunday – the smallest increase since late February and the fourth successive day that it has been lower than the day before.
The KCDC will provide a further update in the afternoon.
02:10 GMT – Embassies close in North Korea as diplomats evacuated over virus
AFP is reporting that several embassies in North Korea were closed on Monday as diplomats were flown out of the country.
The evacuation came after reports that a special flight was being arranged to fly diplomats and other foreigners from Pyongyang to the Russian city of Vladivostok.
Some 60 people were expected to be evacuated.
North Korea has not confirmed a single infection but has imposed strict rules, including closing its borders and putting thousands of North Koreans into isolation.
It also subjected hundreds of foreigners – including diplomats – to severe restrictions.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned last month of “serious consequences” if the virus reaches his country, which has banned tourists and suspended international trains and flights.
00:30 GMT – Albania becomes latest country to report infections
Albania has reported its first cases of coronavirus – a father and son who recently returned from Italy. Both are in stable condition.
More than 400,000 Albanians live in Italy, which lies just across the Adriatic Sea.
00:20 GMT – Mainland China reports 40 new cases of coronavirus
China has just released its daily update on the coronavirus situation there, and it seems the outbreak is continuing to slow.
The National Health Commission says there were 40 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Sunday, compared with 44 cases a day earlier.
That brings the total accumulated number of confirmed cases in mainland China to 80,735.
A further 22 people died from the virus, bringing the death toll in mainland China to 3,119.
All but one of Sunday’s deaths were in Hubei, the central province at the epicentre of the outbreak. In the provincial capital of Wuhan, 18 people died.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES