The coronavirus outbreak poses a “very grave threat for the rest of the world”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said in an appeal for sharing virus samples and speeding up research into drugs and vaccines.
“With 99 percent of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in opening remarks to a meeting of more than 400 researchers and national authorities, including some participating by video conference from mainland China and Taiwan.
Here are the latest updates:
Tuesday, February 11
Malaysia drafting stimulus for tourism, retail and aviation
Malaysia is crafting a stimulus package for tourism, retail and aviation industries, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
“Today’s meeting discussed specifically the impact of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak on the country’s economic growth,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Among the sectors identified are the services sectors such as the tourism, retail and aviation industries.”
Two Japanese evacuees confirmed infected
Two Japanese citizens evacuated from Wuhan have been diagnosed with the infection after initially testing negative, the health ministry said.
One of the two, a man in his 50s who returned on the first Japanese evacuation flight on January 29, previously twice tested negative for the virus.
However, a third test 12 days later found the man – who has been isolated in his hotel room since his return – was infected.
The second evacuee, a Japanese man in his 40s, returned from Wuhan on January 30 and initially tested negative for the virus, but was diagnosed after a second test on Monday.
China’s top virus expert says outbreak may peak this month
China’s coronavirus epidemic may peak in February and then plateau before easing, the government’s top medical adviser on the outbreak said.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters news agency, Zhong Nanshan, a leading epidemiologist who won international fame for his role in combating the SARS epidemic in 2003, said the situation in some provinces was already improving, with the number of new cases declining.
Zhong, who had previously predicted an earlier peak, said the forecast was based on modelling and developments in recent days, as well as government action.
German car supplier to reopen HQ
German auto parts supplier Webasto will on Wednesday reopen its headquarters close to Munich, it said, after eight of its employees contracted the new coronavirus.
Workspaces, meeting rooms, kitchen facilities and sanitary installations were cleaned and disinfected before workers return, the company added.
South Korea raises concerns over Hong Kong travel
South Korea will implement “strict quarantine screening” on people arriving from Hong Kong and Macao beginning on Wednesday, the country’s health authority said.
Jung Eun-kyeong, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Yonhap News Agency the decision was taken as “the possibility of an inflow of coronavirus patients from such regions heightened”.
Taiwan advises against Hong Kong, Macau travel
Taiwan’s government raised its travel warning for the new coronavirus, advising people not to visit Hong Kong or Macau unless they have to, and to take precautions if going to Singapore or Thailand.
Singapore expects up to 30 percent drop in visitor numbers
The Singapore Tourism Board said it expected visitor numbers to the city-state, which hosts one of the world’s busiest airports, to take a “significant hit” of up to 30 percent due to the virus scare.
Beijing has banned the departure of tour groups in response to the outbreak, while neighbouring countries have imposed restrictions on Chinese visitors.
Visitors from China made up a fifth of Singapore’s 2019 total, with tourism accounting for almost six percent of Gross domestic product (GDP).
Thailand records one more case of coronavirus
A health official from Thailand said the country had recorded its 33rd case of coronavirus.
The new case is a 54-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan who was put in quarantine after coming into contact with another Chinese virus patient while in Thailand, said Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchia, the director-general of the Department of Disease Control.
“The 33rd patient got sick from contact and her condition is not severe,” Suwanchai said.
Ten of the infected people have recovered and returned home, while 23 are still being treated in hospital
Hong Kong urges people to stay at home
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday appealed for residents to stay indoors as much as possible.
“As part and parcel of enhancing social distancing we are making an appeal to the people of Hong Kong to stay at home as much as possible,” Lam told reporters.
“But at the moment, we’re making this appeal, we’re not going for compulsory closures because Hong Kong is a free society.”
Parts of Hong Kong, including restaurants, shopping malls and cafes, are almost deserted as people work from home and schools remain closed.
Taiwan urges Philippines to lift Taiwan travel ban
Taiwan urged the Philippines on Tuesday to lift a travel ban on its citizens after Philippine airlines cancelled flights to Taiwan following a government ban on all foreigners travelling from the island.
Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou made the comments at a regular news briefing in Taipei, adding that some Taiwanese were stranded at airports in the Philippines as a result of the ban.
Senior Hubei health officials removed from posts: report
China’s state broadcaster CGTN said two senior health officials from the worst-affected province of Hubei had been removed from their posts.
Vietnam confirmed its 15th case of the new coronavirus on Tuesday, a three-month-old baby, infected by her grandmother.
The infant tested positive for the virus on February 9, the ministry said in a statement.
It said 10 out of 15 confirmed cases are from the northern province of Vinh Phuc.
Vietnam has made plans to quarantine hundreds of its citizens returning from China, including 950 at military camps outside Hanoi, and 900 at temporary facilities on the Vietnam-China border.
Hong Kong health officials say four people from evacuated building have symptoms
Four people evacuated from a building in Hong Kong where a man and a woman were confirmed with the coronavirus both lived have shown symptoms of the flu-like virus, a government official said on Tuesday.
About 100 people were evacuated from the block in the early hours of the morning.
Authorities are investigating pipes within the building amid concerns the virus may have been spread through the system, raising concerns of a community outbreak.
Secretary for Food and Health Sofia Chan was speaking after a 62-year-old woman was confirmed as having lived in the same block as another virus patient, triggering the evacuation.
United States reports 13th coronavirus case
The US reported a new case of coronavirus, bringing the total across the country to 13, after a person who was on board its first evacuation flight from Wuhan was confirmed to have the infection.
‘Permission to disembark refused’: Thailand bars cruise passengers
Thailand has refused permission for passengers from Holland America’s cruise ship MS Westerdam to disembark, its health minister said on Tuesday, the latest country to turn it away amid fears of the spreading coronavirus.
The company, owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp, on Monday said that passengers would disembark in Bangkok on February 13 and that there was no reason to believe anybody on board had the virus.
“I have issued orders. Permission to disembark refused,” Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a Facebook post.
China companies seek billions in loans
More than 300 Chinese companies are seeking bank loans totalling at least 57.4 billion yuan ($8.2bn) to help to soften the effect of the coronavirus outbreak, two banking sources told Reuters News Agency.
Among the prospective borrowers are food delivery giant Meituan Dianping, smartphone maker Xiaomi, ride-hailing provider Didi Chuxing Technology, facial recognition start-up Megvii Technology and internet security business Qihoo 360 Technology, the sources said, adding that the companies seeking loans were either involved in the control of the epidemic or had been hardest hit.
Philippine Airlines cancel Taiwan flights over coronavirus
Philippine Airlines cancelled flights to Taiwan after the government expanded its travel ban to include all foreigners coming from the island to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific said they were cancelling flights to and from the self-ruled island.
“These restrictions are in relation to the coronavirus situation, in the interest of public health and safety,” PAL spokeswoman Cielo Villaluna said in a statement.
The Bureau of Immigration said late on Monday the travel ban would take effect immediately and follow the same procedures as in the previously announced restriction that covered China, and its Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
More than 115,000 Filipinos live and work in Taiwan, mainly in factories and as household helpers.
Source: AL Jazeera and news agencies