Coronavirus 'could cause 2008-level economic damage' - live updates – Lifechanyuan International Family Society

3543 — Two girls wear scarves over their faces as they exit Attiko hospital in Athens. Photograph: Orestis Panagiotou/EPA

Dulwich Prep school shuts as pupils return from coronavirus hotspots feeling ill

Lucy Campbell

In an update addressed to parents on its website, Dulwich Prep said that as well as the two pupils who returned from a half-term holiday in one of the Category 2 areas and “have since become unwell”, it had been made aware of “other families within our school community where a parent has been asked to self-isolate by their employer”.

It said the two pupils were unrelated and from different sections of the school. The pupils had contacted NHS 111, self-isolated and were awaiting the results of tests. There would be a “professional deep clean” of the site to be completed by Friday and staff were preparing lessons and assignments to be delivered via online platforms in case the school remained closed beyond Monday morning.

“We hope to re-open on Monday 2 March but will publish details as soon as we hear the results of the tests being conducted on our pupils that have fallen ill. However, if either of our pupils test positive for COVID-19 we will remain closed for a longer period while the school undergoes a full deep clean.”

Updated at 10.37am EST

10.18am EST 10:18

Shares of Microsoft Corp fell more than 4% after the company warned of weakness in PC business due to a hit to its supply chain from the coronavirus outbreak.

The company echoed similar statements from Apple Inc and HP. The drop in share price wiped off nearly $50 billion from the Microsoft’s market value on a day when broader markets were down more than 2%.

The virus has so far infected about 80,000 people, killed nearly 2,800 and spread to 44 countries, after originating in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

Apple was the first big technology firm to say the virus was affecting its production and demand in China. PayPal Holdings Inc and Mastercard Inc have also warned about a possible hit.

Several Wall Street analysts expect other technology companies with heavy presence in China to soon come out with their own statements.

10.12am EST 10:12

Governments battling coronavirus epidemics from Iran to Australia shut schools and cancelled big events as they battled to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

For the first time, new infections reported around the world surpassed those in mainland China, where the flu-like disease emerged two months ago from an illegal wildlife market. It is now on the decline in the country after an aggressive containment campaign.

In Japan, where cases rose to 200, there was particular concern after a female tour bus guide tested positive for a second time – one of very few worldwide to do so.

Big gatherings have been halted in Tokyo, Japan’s capital, but it still plans to go ahead with the 2020 Olympics, whose cancellation or relocation would be a massive blow for the country.

“This virus has pandemic potential,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva. “This is not a time for fear. This is a time for taking action to prevent infection and save lives now.”

Director-General of the WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, attends a news conference on the coronavirus in Geneva, Switzerland. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Updated at 10.33am EST

10.08am EST 10:08

Lebanon health ministry confirms third case of coronavirus, NNA reports.

10.05am EST 10:05

One of London’s top private schools, Dulwich Prep London, has said it will be closing for a few days “as a precautionary measure” after two students returned from Italy feeling unwell.

Leon Watson ♛ (@LeonWatson)

Coronavirus fears at Dulwich Prep School after two pupils fell I’ll after returning from northern Italy. I only know this because the weekly @krcsc net session has been cancelled. pic.twitter.com/Z52OWONaeE

February 27, 2020

10.03am EST 10:03

Paul Reid, director general of the Health Service Executive, has outlined what is being done to keep Ireland in the “containment phase”. He has been speaking at a briefing.

Richard Chambers (@newschambers)

HSE supremo Paul Reid outlining what’s being done to keep Ireland in the “containment phase”.

Procurement has been a “challenge” but they’ve “acted very early” in terms of buying protective clothing and equipment.

Millions of gloves, gowns and masks brought in. pic.twitter.com/M4CBgYxO5N

February 27, 2020

Richard Chambers (@newschambers)

Reid: 142,000 visits to the Coronavirus page on the HSE site.

2,000 queries directly related to the virus sent to the HSE and forwarded to the public health team.

Lab capacity is being monitored and may be boosted.

February 27, 2020

Updated at 10.04am EST

9.58am EST 09:58

Sarah Marsh

Hello everyone. I will be running the Guardian’s live blog, updating you on the latest information surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. If you have any news tips, images or updates from your area then please do share it with me.

Email: sa*********@th*********.com
Twitter: @sloumarsh
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist

Updated at 10.14am EST

9.56am EST 09:56

We are at a ‘decisive point’ globally and must ‘move swiftly’, says WHO

The new coronavirus epidemic is at a “decisive point” globally, the World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said, urging affected countries to “move swiftly” to contain the disease.

“We’re at a decisive point,” Tedros told reporters in Geneva.

“If you act aggressively now, you can contain this virus, you can prevent people getting sick, you can save lives.”

“There does not appear to be widespread community transmission,” he added.

Tedros emphasised that all countries should ensure their health systems were prepared for an outbreak. “We are actually in a very delicate situation in which the outbreak can go in any direction based on how we handle it,” he said.

Updated at 10.07am EST

9.50am EST 09:50

The World Health Organization said that as of 6am Geneva time this morning, China had reported a total of 78,630 cases of COVID-19 to WHO, including 2,747 deaths.

Outside China, there were 3,474 cases in 44 countries, and 54 deaths.

It is the second day in which the number of new cases reported in the rest of the world has exceeded the number of new cases in China.

9.30am EST 09:30

Coronavirus ‘could trigger economic damage on scale of 2008 financial crisis’

Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the coronavirus.

Here’s a quick summary of the latest developments. If you’re looking for more detail, here’s our earlier coverage.

Coronavirus could trigger economic damage on the scale of the 2008 financial crisis, analysts have warned, amid growing concerns over the fallout from the deadly disease.
The death toll in Iran has risen to 26, with almost 250 people diagnosed with the virus.
Two more people have died from coronavirus in Italy, bringing the death toll to 14. The number of confirmed cases has risen to more than 520.
Two further patients in England have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of UK cases to 15. The virus was passed on in Italy and Tenerife, and the patients have been transferred to specialists at the Royal Liverpool hospital and the Royal Free hospital, London.
Saudi Arabia has taken the unprecedented step of banning foreign pilgrims from entering the country in an effort to halt the spread of coronavirus. The country has yet to report a case of the virus.
A woman working as a tour bus guide in Japan has tested positive for coronavirus for a second time. The Japanese government has ordered the closure of all schools and museum for a month.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has warned an epidemic that is on the way”. There are now 18 confirmed cases of coronavirus in France and two people have died.
More cases have been reported all over the world including in Switzerland, Kuwait, Spain, South Korea and Austria. Estonia, Denmark, Pakistan, Georgia, Norway, North Macedonia, Greece and Romania are among countries to report their first case of coronavirus in the last day.
China’s health authority has reported another drop in the number of new infections, with 433 new confirmed cases and 29 deaths in mainland China on Wednesday.
Donald Trump has sought to play down the threat from coronavirus despite mounting concerns about unchecked worldwide contagion. In a press conference in Washington, the US president said the danger to Americans “remains very low” and predicted that the number of cases diagnosed in the country, currently on 15, could fall to zero in a “few days”.
But Anne Schuchat, deputy director of the US CDC, said “the trajectory of what we are looking at over the weeks and months ahead is very uncertain”, and authorities should “dust off” their pandemic preparedness plans.
Australia has extended its travel ban on China and enacted its emergency response plan, because “there is every indication the world will soon enter the pandemic phase of the virus”, said the prime minister, Scott Morrison.