Other News

Luxembourg wants cross-border medics to stay over

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg (AFP) — Luxembourg on Monday invited the health workers who live outside the duchy and commute in daily to stay overnight during the coronavirus crisis. Germany has already imposed more strict controls on its border and France and Belgium may yet follow suit, which could leave medical staff stranded. Cross-border commuters represent 46 percent of Luxembourg’s salaried workforce and about 62 percent of hard-pressed hospital and healthcare staff. If they are prevented from […]

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China tightens quarantine for international arrivals

by Laurie Chen and Jing Xuan Teng BEIJING, China (AFP) — China tightened quarantine measures for international arrivals on Monday as the country worries about a rise in imported cases of the deadly coronavirus and anger raged online at how Europe and the United States are handling the pandemic. After declaring they had “basically curbed” the spread of the disease within China, where the virus first emerged, authorities have now ordered international arrivals to Beijing […]

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Iran reports 129 new virus deaths, taking total to 853

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran said on Monday that the novel coronavirus had killed 129 more people, a new record high for a single day in one of the world’s worst-hit countries. “Our plea is that everyone takes this virus seriously and in no way attempt to travel to any province,” health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in a televised news conference. The latest deaths bring the overall toll to 853 fatalities since February 19, […]

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Eurogroup chief says EU living ‘war-like’ conditions

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Eurogroup chief Mario Centeno warned on Monday that under the coronavirus outbreak the European economy is experiencing the equivalent of war and that a long struggle lies ahead. “We know the virus hasn’t reached its peak. We must not kid ourselves,” Mario Centeno said ahead of a eurozone finance ministers video conference. “These are the first steps in a temporary, but long fight. Forced containment is bringing our economies to war-like […]

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Palace announces guidelines on enhanced community quarantine in Luzon

Mass public transport suspended, private establishments producing food other basic necessities shall remain open (Eagle News) –Mass public transport shall be suspended for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said. Nograles, who was reading the guidelines also on the imposition on the enhanced and stringent social distancing measures, added a strict home quarantine shall be observed, “in which movement shall be limited to accessing basic necessities.” He said […]

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Air pollution ‘likely’ to cut COVID19 survival: experts

by Patrick GALEY PARIS, France (AFP) — Air pollution from petrol and diesel vehicles is likely to increase mortality from the novel coronavirus in cities, public health experts told AFP Monday. The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) warned that dirty air in urban areas that causes hypertension, diabetes and other respiratory illness could lead to a higher overall death toll from the virus currently sweeping the world. Emissions from petrol and diesel engines were still […]

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Emergency powers in virus fight must not be used to quash dissent: UN experts

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Countries going into crisis mode over the spread of the deadly new coronavirus must not use the emergency measures to suppress human rights, a group of independent UN experts insisted Monday. The rights experts, who are appointed by the United Nations but who do not speak on behalf of the world body, said they recognized “the severity of the current health crisis and acknowledge that the use of emergency powers is […]

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Hungary announces coronavirus shutdown measures

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AFP) — Hungary became the latest European country to announce drastic restrictions on public life Monday, closing its borders and curtailing movement in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. “We are closing Hungary’s borders to passenger traffic,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a speech in parliament on Monday. “The international talks to coordinate this is taking place now, this means that in future only Hungarian citizens will be […]

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Nearly 1,000 new virus cases in Spain in 24 hours

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain has registered nearly 1,000 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of cases to 8,744, the health ministry said on Monday. Over the same period, the number of deaths rose by nine to 297, the ministry’s emergency coordinator Fernando Simon said. The figure for new cases was lower than weekend numbers when 2,000 infections were detected between Saturday and Sunday and the number of deaths […]

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Public utilities extend payment deadlines due to COVID-19

(Eagle News) — Public utilities are extending bill payment extensions in view of the Luzon-wide community quarantine imposed by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19. In a customer advisory released Monday, March 16, MERALCO announced that it will provide a 30-day payment extension for all electric bills due from March 1 to April 14, 2020. “Stay safe and healthy; stay home,” the MERALCO advisory stated, adding that customers may use its online and […]

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Iran says coronavirus kills member of top clerical body; 12 Iranian officials among virus fatalities

  TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s coronavirus outbreak Monday killed a member of the clerical body that appoints the supreme leader, state media said, taking the death toll among serving and ex-officials to at least 12. Ayatollah Hashem Bathayi Golpayegani, who was 78, died two days after testing positive for the COVID-19 disease and being hospitalised, state news agency IRNA reported. The official represented Tehran in the Assembly of Experts, an 88-strong body of clerics […]

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JUST IN: Senator Zubiri tests positive for COVID-19, says he is asymptomatic but in isolation in his home

(Eagle News) -Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday, March 16, tested positive for the 2019 coronavirus disease. Zubiri himself said this in a Facebook post, after he received the information from Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. He said he took the test on Friday. “I want people to know that this is not a laughing matter. It’s not a joke. Itong virus na to napakadaling mahawa. Imagine, ingat na ingat na ako. I was very […]

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