Bolivia announces total quarantine from Sunday
Bolivia’s government has announced a complete quarantine to come into effect from Sunday in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“It’s a tough but necessary decision for the good of everyone,” said interim President Jeanine Anez, adding that “we must be at home for 24 hours a day.”
Bolivia has so far registered 19 cases, far fewer than neighboring countries such as Brazil, with more than 900, and Chile, with more than 500.
Guatemala orders eight-day curfew
Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei has ordered an eight-day curfew starting Sunday as part of measures aimed at containing the coronavirus.
At least 17 people have been infected in the Central American nation.
Sao Paulo to lock down for two weeks
Brazil’s largest state Sao Paulo will essentially shut down for two weeks to help fight the coronavirus, its governor said on Saturday, as President Jair Bolsonaro again claimed that “hysteria” over the outbreak could cause more harm than the virus itself.
Sao Paulo state Governor Joao Doria said a statewide quarantine order would take effect on Tuesday and last through April 7. All but non-essential businesses and services, including bars and restaurants, will remain closed across the country’s most populous state, which includes its financial hub, for the duration.
Nigeria to shut Lagos, Abuja international airports
Nigeria will close its two main international airports in the cities of Lagos and Abuja from Monday night, its civil aviation regulator has said, as the number of coronavirus cases in the country almost doubled.
The airports, which join three others around the country, will be shuttered for one month, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement. The closure comes as Nigeria’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose on Saturday from 12 to 22, three of them in Abuja, the capital’s first positive identifications.
Olympics Brazil calls for Tokyo Games to be pushed back to 2021
The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) has called for this year’s Tokyo Olympics to be suspended because of the coronavirus and proposed they be held on the same dates in 2021.
Athletes are worried about keeping fit and being able to compete in qualifying events and other competitions ahead of the scheduled Games from July 24 to August 9.
"As an ex-judoka and coach in the sport, I learned that every athlete’s dream is to go to the Olympics in top form,” said COB president Paulo Wanderley. "It’s clear that right now maintaining the games for this year will impede this dream from being fully realised.”
US track and field body calls for Olympics postponement
USA Track and Field (USATF), the governing body of American athletics, has joined USA Swimming in calling for a postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.
The federation, in a letter to United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) chief executive Sarah Hirshland, asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Games which are scheduled to run from July 24-Aug. 9.
“We certainly understand the ramifications of this request, and the realities of trying to coordinate the logistics of a postponed Olympic Games around the schedules of other athletes, sport federations, key stakeholders etc, but the alternative of moving forward in light of the current global situation would not be in the best interest of our athletes (as difficult as that decision might be),” USATF chief executive Max Siegel said in the letter.
[Agree]
Britain hires ex-Nestle executive to run food security ‘war room’: report
The British government is hiring former Nestle executive Chris Tyas to oversee a “war room” set up to ensure the country’s food security as the coronavirus crisis deepens, Sky News reported on Saturday.
Four ministers infected as Burkina Faso reports new deaths
Four government ministers are among the latest cases of coronavirus in Burkina Faso where two new deaths were reported by the country’s health emergency response operations centre.
According to press releases issued by their respective departments, the ministers of foreign affairs, interior, education, and mines and quarries have all tested positive for COVID-19.
“Two deaths (have been) recorded today, bringing the number of deaths since the start of the epidemic to three,” the report from the operations centre known as Corus said. Burkina Faso now has a total of 64 confirmed cases.
Iraq Shia defy curfews to commemorate revered imam
Tens of thousands of Iraqi Shia turned out to commemorate a revered imam, defying curfews imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
On foot, they streamed to the golden-domed mausoleum of Imam al-Kadhim in Baghdad, where authorities kept an outer gate open to allow pilgrims into the surrounding courtyard.
The inner shrine remained closed despite some pilgrims pressing authorities to let them in, a shrine official told AFP news agency.
UK’s Smiths makes ventilator available to other producers
British technology firm Smiths Group said it was making one of its ventilators available for other manufacturers to produce, part of a coordinated attempt to tackle a shortage of life-saving equipment as coronavirus spreads.
The group’s Smiths Medical unit was providing intellectual property and advice to other companies to make its PARAPAC Plus lightweight ventilators, and it was ramping up its own production at its site in Luton, just north of London.
Smiths said it was also talking to contract manufacturers to add production capacity in the US and elsewhere.
All Al Jazeera
