CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: Latest updates
70,000 DEAD, 50,000 IN EUROPE
More than 1.277 million cases, including 70,009 deaths, have been reported in 191 countries and territories around the world since the virus emerged in China in December, according to an AFP tally compiled around 1100 GMT Monday based on official sources. The pandemic has killed more than 50,000 people in Europe, including 15,877 in Italy, 13,055 in Spain, 8,078 in France and 4,934 in Britain.
JAPAN MULLING STATE OF EMERGENCY
The Japanese government plans to declare a state of emergency as early as today as new coronavirus infections spike in areas such as Tokyo and Osaka. It also proposes a massive stimulus package worth $1 trillion (915 billion euros).
WORST RECESSION SINCE 1945
France could see its deepest recession this year since the end of World War II, due to the crisis, the government warns. France imposed a nationwide stay-at-home order from March 17 after shuttering all nonessential businesses. Statistics office Insee said last month that the lockdown has slashed overall economic activity by 35 percent, and estimated every month of shutdown would cut annual GPD by three percentage points.
FOURTH DAILY DECLINE IN SPAIN
Spain sees its fourth consecutive daily decline in deaths from the virus, with 637 new fatalities recorded on Monday, its lowest for 13 days. The number of new infections also slowed, rising 3.3 percent to 135,032, down from a rise of 24.8 percent on March 21.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WARNING
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urges governments to include the protection of women in their response to the pandemic, amid reports that domestic violence has surged globally in the wake of massive lockdowns imposed.
AUSTRIA TO START EASING LOCKDOWN
Austria could start easing its lockdown measures from April 14, starting with smaller shops, while larger shops, hotels, restaurants and other services could also start to open their doors again in stages, the government says.
BRITISH PM JOHNSON 'IN CHARGE'
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in charge a day after being admitted to hospital for tests after he announced on March 27 that he had tested positive for COVID-19. The Times newspaper reports that he has been given oxygen treatment. On Sunday, in a rare special televised address Queen Elizabeth II vows "We will succeed."
SOUTH KOREA REPORTS 47 CASES
South Korea reported fewer than 50 new coronavirus cases for the first time since its peak in late February, earning the praise of the World Health Organization for combatting the spread in one of the first countries to be hard-hit by the disease. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said there were 47 new infections as of midnight on Sunday compared with 81 recorded a day earlier, taking the national tally to 10,284. The death toll rose by eight to 191.
20M AFRICAN JOBS AT RISK
Millions of lost jobs, mounting debt woes and plunging remittances are among the economic hardships African countries can expect because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the African Union said in a study published Monday. "Nearly 20 million jobs, both in the formal and informal sectors, are threatened with destruction on the continent if the situation continues," said the study.
MUMBAI HOSPITAL SHUT
A major private hospital in Mumbai was shut to new patients and declared a coronavirus containment zone on Monday after 26 nurses and three doctors tested positive, an official said. Mumbai city authority spokesman Vijay Khabale-Patil told AFP that the Wockhardt Hospital has been declared a "containment zone" after the cases were confirmed.
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