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by Allison JACKSON Agence France-Presse Hong Kong, China (AFP) — From Australia’s Bondi Beach to the streets of New Delhi, authorities across Asia have ramped up efforts to stem the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus amid fears of a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks had appeared under control. Tighter travel restrictions were imposed in several countries as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000 — a third of the […]
SUVA, Fiji (AFP) — Fiji confirmed its first coronavirus case Thursday, sparking panic buying in major centers on the Pacific island nation. The announcement followed rampant speculation across the country of 930,000 that the global pandemic had arrived on its shores. “There is a single confirmed case of COVID-19 in Lautoka that was imported from a patient who had recently traveled abroad,” Health Minister Ifereimi Waqainabete said on Twitter. “He was immediately isolated, where he […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia on Thursday unveiled an unprecedented ban on any non-residents arriving into the country, ratcheting up efforts to seal the country off from transborder coronavirus infections. “A travel ban will be placed on all non-residents, non-Australian citizens coming to Australia, and that will be in place from 9:00 pm tomorrow evening,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced. © Agence France-Presse
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — An Australian supermarket chain will start opening its doors exclusively to customers over 60-years-old for one hour a day as part of an effort to ease the burden of panic-buying on the most vulnerable. “Woolworths Supermarkets will be opening exclusively for the elderly and those with a disability to shop from 7am to 8am,” the company said in a statement Monday. The measure is expected to come into effect on Tuesday […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia on Thursday unveiled a massive US$11 billion spending plan designed to curb the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and avert the country’s first recession in 29 years. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the nearly Aus$18 billion package — equivalent to just under one percent of GDP — which will primarily be targeted at businesses. “This plan is about keeping Australians in jobs. This plan is about keeping a business […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The Netherlands has recorded its first death in the novel coronavirus outbreak, health officials said on Friday. “An 86-year-old man with COVID-19 who was admitted to the Ikazia hospital in Rotterdam has died,” the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) said, referring to the disease caused by the virus. “This is the first patient in the Netherlands to die of the coronavirus,” the RIVM said, adding that the source of […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s biggest supermarket on Wednesday announced a limit on toilet paper purchases after the global spread of coronavirus sparked a spate of panic buying Down Under. Woolworths said the restriction of four packs of toilet paper per person would apply “to ensure more customers have access to the products”. Hand sanitizers will also be sold from behind the service counter and restricted to two per person. “It will help shore up […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand confirmed its first coronavirus case Friday, saying a recent arrival from Iran who traveled to Auckland via Bali had tested positive. Health officials said the person, aged in their 60s, was being treated in Auckland City Hospital. “They are in an improving condition in isolation, in a negative pressure room to prevent any spread of the disease,” the health department said in a statement. Officials said the person, […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Two Australians evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for coronavirus on their return home, despite being cleared in Japan, authorities said Friday. “We have two people who are positive for the COVID-19 virus. Those two people have mild illness,” said Dianne Stephens, acting chief health officer for the Northern Territories. Health officials in Canberra told AFP all 164 Australians who returned home earlier this week “were tested […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Two Australians evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for coronavirus, authorities said Friday, raising questions about Japan’s policy of allowing evacuees to return home after testing negative. “We have two people who are positive for the COVID-19 virus. Those two people have a mild illness,” said Dianne Stephens, acting chief health officer for the Northern Territories. Hundreds of people have been allowed to leave the ship after […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia set up a national inquiry Thursday into its month-long bushfire crisis that affected three in four Australians and prompted widespread criticism of the government for its sluggish response to the blazes. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the vast scale of the fires — which killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes — required a new response from the bushfire-prone nation. The Royal Commission inquiry will be […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — An ex-rugby league player is suspected of killing his three children and estranged wife by setting fire to their car, in what Australian police described as one of the most horrific incidents they have encountered. Police said a 31-year-old woman, named by local media as Hannah Baxter, died in a Brisbane hospital on Wednesday just hours after her three children aged three, four and six were found dead in the burned […]
