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Asian nations have sealed borders and clamped down on Chinese visitors as they try to protect themselves from a deadly virus epidemic. The outbreak has killed 170 people in China, infected over 7,700 more and sparked progressively more urgent precautions around the region. Here are some key measures taken outside mainland China: – Hong Kong – Six of the territory’s 14 mainland crossings were sealed from Thursday as the city took steps to cut the […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand announced Thursday it will charter a 300-seat aircraft to evacuate nationals from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. There are 53 New Zealanders confirmed to be in Wuhan but the actual number is believed to be more than double that. “New Zealand will be offering any additional seats to Pacific Island and Australian citizens as a matter of priority,” Foreign Minister Winston […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia was bracing for a heatwave to sweep across the country’s fire-ravaged southeast in the coming days, with the forecast stoking fears the soaring temperatures could inflame bushfires. Temperatures reached above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday in South Australia state, where dangerous fire weather warnings were issued in several bushfire-prone areas. The heatwave is then expected to hit Melbourne and Canberra on Friday before parts of Sydney reach […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Nearly 600 European citizens in China want to be repatriated because of the coronavirus epidemic, the EU said on Wednesday, as airlines began suspending flights to and from the Asian giant. “There are a number of EU citizens in China who would like to leave the country, the current number is about 600, and they cannot do so at the moment,” Janez Lenarcic, the EU commissioner for crisis management told reporters. […]
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (AFP) — African states, including the continent’s biggest economy Nigeria, on Wednesday said they had begun to introduce measures aimed at stopping the spread of the new coronavirus. No verified infection has been reported to date in sub-Saharan Africa, but elsewhere countries have stopped flights to China and airlifted their citizens out of the area where the virus emerged. Nigeria issued a travel advisory advising “all Nigerians and persons intending to travel […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The period between exposure to the new coronavirus that originated in China and symptoms is 5.2 days on average, but varies greatly among patients, according to one of the largest studies yet published on the deadly epidemic. While admitting that the estimate is “imprecise,” the Chinese team behind a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on Wednesday said their findings support a 14-day medical observation period […]
by Miwa SUZUKI TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Three Japanese evacuated from the epicentre of a deadly new coronavirus outbreak have tested positive for the illness, the government said Thursday as it faced criticism for the country’s minimal quarantine measures. The new cases were announced as a second evacuation flight from Wuhan landed in Tokyo, and the government confirmed the second case of apparent person-to-person transmission of the virus in Japan. More than 400 people have […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The crew of a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker were rescued when the vessel caught fire off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, authorities said Wednesday. “The UAE authorities are working to put out a fire that broke out aboard an oil tanker 21 miles off the coast of Sharjah after receiving a distress message,” a senior UAE official said in a tweet, adding that an investigation was underway into […]
WUHAN, China (AFP) — The nationwide death toll from China’s viral epidemic has leaped to 170, the government said on Thursday, with more than 1,700 new infections confirmed. Thirty-seven of the 38 new deaths came in hard-hit Hubei province, the epicenter of a contagion that is causing mounting global fear. Another death occurred in southwestern Sichuan province, the National Health Commission reported. Tibet also reported its first case, the commission said. The 38 new deaths […]
BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AFP) — Another torrential downpour left the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte paralyzed Wednesday, with ruined cars abandoned on streets cake with mud, as the death toll from days of violent weather reached 54. Another 47,000 people across Minas Gerais, the southeastern state where the city is located, have been forced from their homes since the rains began on Friday, civil defense officials said. Tuesday evening’s downpour was nothing short of spectacular: […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — A number of airlines say they are halting or reducing flights to China as the country struggles to contain the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus sweeping the country. China has advised its citizens to postpone trips abroad and canceled overseas group tours, while several countries have urged their citizens to avoid travel to China if possible. The epidemic has killed 132 people, infected more than 6,000 worldwide, and spread to […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — None of the 195 US citizens evacuated on a chartered flight from the Chinese city at the epicenter of a deadly virus outbreak have shown symptoms of infection, a senior US health official said Wednesday. They have been assigned quarters at a military base in California where they will remain in isolation on a voluntary basis for 72 hours, said Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
