Coronavirus LIVE: India likely to airlift its citizens from Wuhan on Feb 26

The number of coronavirus-related deaths in China rose to 2,592 on Monday, while the total number of confirmed cases on the mainland is now 77,150

3:39 AM

White House readying emergency budget request

The White House is readying an urgent budget request to address the deadly coronavirus outbreak whose rapid spread is spooking financial markets and restricting international travel.

3:23 AM

Donald Trump says coronavirus "is very much under control in the US"

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the coronavirus was under control in the United States, and added that he thought the stock market, which tumbled on Monday on worries over the fast-spreading disease, was "starting to look very good to me!"

 

2:19 AM

South Korea becomes biggest coronavirus centre outside

South Korea nationwide total cases jumped to 763 with 161 fresh cases on Monday, making it the world's largest total outside China.

 

The country has seen a rapid surge in the number of coronavirus cases since a cluster of infections emerged from a religious sect in the southern city of Daegu last week

9:42 PM

Steep decline in Coronavirus cases in China: WHO expert

A World Health Organisation expert said on Monday that there was a steep decline in newly-reported cases of COVID-19 due to actions taken by the Chinese government to contain the deadly coronavirus.
 

Canadian epidemiologist Bruce Aylward, who heads the WHO mission team to China, said that he has seen a steep decline in newly-reported cases compared to the number when he first arrived in China two weeks ago.

9:17 PM

World must prepare for 'potential pandemic': WHO chief

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that so far, the WHO does not consider the outbreak that has killed more than 2,600 people a pandemic, but said countries should be "doing everything we can to prepare for a potential pandemic."

8:49 PM

India to send aircraft on Feb 26 to Wuhan to bring back its citizens after China gives clearance

India is likely to send a military transport aircraft to the coronavirus-hit Wuhan on February 26 to deliver relief material and bring back more Indians following a clearance from China, Union Health ministry officials said on Monday.

"As informed by the Ministry of External Affairs, departure of the Air Force flight to Wuhan is being planned for February 26 and the evacuees will arrive on February 27," the ministry said in a statement.

8:49 PM

China shutdowns to impact economy: White House economist

The disruption caused by the virus outbreak in China will have an effect on the US economy, but the magnitude of the hit remains uncertain, a White House economist said Monday.
 

With the death toll worldwide reaching 2,600, the official cautioned that other illnesses such as influenza are responsible for far more fatalities annually than the COVID-19 virus that originated in central China.

8:48 PM

Oman reports first two cases of coronavirus, halts flights to Iran

Oman on Monday reported its first two cases of coronavirus, and halted flights to and from Iran with immediate effect, authorities and reports said.
 

Two Omani women who had returned from Iran -- which is battling the deadliest outbreak outside China -- were diagnosed with the disease and were in a stable condition, state TV reported.

7:20 PM

Rupee drops further by 34p to over 3-month low on coronavirus threat

6:55 PM

Coronavirus outbreak poses further concern for solar energy sector: Icra

Ratings agency Icra on Monday said the outbreak of deadly coronavirus poses concern for domestic solar developers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) due to disruption in supply chain for key components used for manufacturing solar modules.

6:30 PM

Pakistan quarantines 200 near Iran border on virus fears

Pakistan began quarantining at least 200 people near the Iranian border, officials said Monday, as fears spiralled over the growing toll from the coronavirus in the region amid allegations of a coverup in Iran.

The quarantine announcement came hours after Pakistan sealed off its land border with Iran while neighbouring Afghanistan said it had detected its first infection.

 

6:29 PM

Hong Kong to bar non-resident arrivals from South Korea over virus

Hong Kong will bar non-residents arriving from South Korea from Tuesday morning in response to the growing coronavirus outbreak, the city's security chief said late Monday.

6:18 PM

Fifth coronavirus death in Italy as infections mount

Italy reported on Monday its fifth death from the new coronavirus, as the number of people contracting the disease continued to mount and officials called for calm.

6:17 PM

Two more Japan officials aboard ship contract coronavirus

Two more officials sent to a cruise ship quarantined off Japan to help with on-board efforts to contain the deadly coronavirus have contracted the illness themselves, authorities said Monday.

 

The announcement came as experts warned the next one to three weeks would be "crucial" to preventing widespread infections and as fears deepen that the isolation of the virus-stricken Diamond Princess has been ineffective.

6:16 PM

Iran lawmaker says 50 dead from new virus in city of Qom

A staggering 50 people have died in the Iranian city of Qom from the new coronavirus this month, a lawmaker was quoted as saying on Monday, even as the Health Ministry insisted only 12 deaths have been recorded to date in the country.

5:33 PM

Oil prices sink four percent on virus fears

World oil prices sank by more than four per cent on Monday as traders fretted over the coronavirus' spreading impact on global energy demand, analysts said.

 

Benchmark contracts Brent North Sea and New York's West Texas Intermediate both slumped by 4.1 and 4.0 per cent respectively, compared with their levels late Friday.

5:21 PM

Indian-origin woman in UK beaten for trying to save Chinese from racist attack over coronavirus

An Indian-origin woman trainee lawyer in the UK fell unconscious after being beaten by an unidentified man when she tried to save her Chinese friend from a racist attack over coronavirus, media reports said on Monday.

The incident took place when Meera Solanka (29) from England's Solihull town was out with her friends, including her Chinese friend Mandy Huang (28) from London, celebrating her 29th birthday in Midlands region.

Solanka was knocked unconscious and hospitalised after she stepped in when Mandy was told: "Take your f****** coronavirus back home!", Birmingham Mail newspaper reported.

 

3:51 PM

Iran government pledges transparency on virus figures

Iran's government on Monday pledged to be transparent with its figures on a deadly outbreak of the new coronavirus in the country, amid allegations of a coverup.

"We will announce any figures (we have) on the number of deaths throughout the country. We pledge to be transparent about the reporting of figures," government spokesman Ali Rabiei said in a news conference aired live on state television.

3:50 PM

Most small firms in China yet to reopen after virus outbreak

Key industries dominated by larger firms appeared to be in stronger shape.

Cong Liang, an official at China's top economic planning agency, said the steel industry was operating at nearly 70 percent capacity while rail freight had almost returned to normal.

Small and medium-sized businesses account for around 60 per cent of China's economy, and the crucial sector is reeling from the impact of the global public health crisis.

3:00 PM

China 'comprehensively' bans illegal wildlife trade

China on Monday declared an immediate and "comprehensive" ban on the trade and consumption of wild animals, a practice believed responsible for the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

 

The country's top legislative committee met on Monday and approved a proposal "on comprehensively prohibiting the illegal wildlife trade, abolishing the bad habit of overconsumption of wildlife, and effectively protecting the lives and health of the people," state television reported.

2:55 PM

China postpones annual Parliament session: State media

China on Monday decided to postpone the annual session of Parliament due to coronavirus, state media reported as the country is combatting the deadly virus which has killed more than 2,500 people.

 

The country's top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met here and approved a draft decision on postponing the NPC's annual session due to coronavirus.

 

The third annual session of the 13th NPC, one of China's biggest political events, was originally planned to open on March 5 in Beijing, official media reported.

2:52 PM

Some Samsung, Hyundai workers self-quarantine as Korea Inc braces for virus impact

Some South Korean workers at Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor are staying home as a precautionary measure as corporate Korea scrambles to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from causing widespread disruption in its home market.

 

About 1,500 workers of Samsung Electronics' phone complex in the southeastern city of Gumi have self-quarantined after one of its workers was infected with the disease, a person familiar with the matter said. They include 900 workers who commute to Gumi from neighbouring Daegu city, the person said.

 

The southeastern city of Daegu - the epicentre of the virus outbreak in South Korea- and nearby cities are an industrial hub in South Korea, Asia's fourth-biggest economy, and home to factories of Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor and a number of others.

2:48 PM

Fourth person dies in coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy: RAI radio

A fourth person infected with the coronavirus has died in Italy, RAI radio reported on Monday, as officials struggle to contain an outbreak of the illness in the north of the country with around 150 cases reported since Friday.

 

The dead patient was in his 80s and had been in hospital for treatment for an unrelated illness when he was struck down by coronavirus, RAI said. The three other people who have died of the illness were also elderly and at least two of them had been suffering serious underlying health problems.

2:35 PM

Afghanistan finds first coronavirus case: Health minister

Afghanistan has detected its first novel coronavirus case, the country's health minister said Monday, involving a patient who had recently travelled to Iran, where 12 people have died from the outbreak.

 

"I announce the first positive coronavirus (case) in Herat," health minister Firozuddin Feroz told a press conference, calling on citizens to avoid travel to the western province which borders Iran.

 

Afghan authorities had earlier announced a suspension of suspend air and ground travel to Iran, as fears mount across the region over a jump in new coronavirus infections.

2:21 PM

South Korea confirms 70 more coronavirus cases, total 833: KCDC

South Korea confirmed 70 more novel coronavirus cases Monday afternoon, bringing its tally to 833, by far the largest national total outside China.

 

The updated figures on the website of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) brought the country's daily increase to 231, its highest to date.

2:21 PM

Virus epicentre Wuhan revokes announcement easing lockdown

An announcement that the Chinese city of Wuhan would relax some of its travel restrictions and allow some people to leave was made without authorisation and has been revoked, the local government said on Monday.

 

The city at the epicentre of a coronavirus outbreak that has already killed more than 2,500 people said it would continue to impose strict controls over its borders in order to prevent the virus from spreading further.

 

It said it had reprimanded the people responsible for the earlier announcement that healthy people would be allowed to leave if they had vital business.

2:17 PM

WHO says no longer uses "pandemic" category, but virus still emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) no longer has a process for declaring a pandemic, but the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak remains an international emergency, a spokesman said on Monday.

 

The Geneva-based agency, which declared the H1N1 swine flu outbreak a pandemic in 2009, declared the novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China in December a public health emergency of International concern, known as a PHEIC, on Jan. 30.

 

"There is no official category (for a pandemic)," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said. "WHO does not use the old phasing system that some people may be familiar with from 2009.

2:01 PM

China not considering travel advisories for countries with rising coronavirus cases

China's foreign ministry said on Monday that Beijing was not considering issuing travel advisories for countries such as South Korea and Japan that are reporting an increase in coronavirus cases.

 

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remarks during a press briefing in Beijing.

1:53 PM

S Korea may consider supplementary budget to head off virus impact

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday said the government should start reviewing whether a supplementary budget should be drawn up to head off the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on Asia's fourth-largest economy.

 

"In addition to swiftly deploying the emergency fund set aside, (the government) should review drafting up of a supplementary budget after coordinating it with the parliament," Moon said in a meeting with chief aides and medical experts.

1:44 PM

Iran coronavirus death toll rises by four to 12: Report

Four more people have died of coronavirus in Iran, a spokesman for Parliament said on Monday, bringing the country's overall death toll to 12 -- by far the most outside China.

 

"The minister of health announced the deaths of 12 people and 47 cases of infection in the country," Assadollah Abbassi was quoted as saying by semi-official news agency ISNA after a closed session of Parliament.

 

Abbassi gave the same death toll in reports by Fars news agency and the Young Journalists Club, a branch of state television, but they quoted him as saying there were "around" 47 infections.