Mar 22 (Reuters) – Coronavirus cases skyrocketed in Europe, prompting further restrictive measures to try to stem the spread. The Governor of New Jersey followed four other US states that have imposed unprecedented restrictions. Australia announced that it would close a large number of businesses starting Monday.
* More than 305,000 people have been infected worldwide and 13,000 deaths have been recorded, according to a Reuters count.
* For an interactive chart on global spread: Open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser
* In its recent desperate effort to stop the epidemic, the Italian government ordered that all businesses must close until April 3, with the exception of those essential to maintain the country’s supply chain.
* Italy recorded a jump in coronavirus deaths from nearly 800 on Saturday, bringing the death toll in the world’s worst-affected country to nearly 5,000.
* The Spanish government wants to extend for 15 more days the state of alarm that it imposed this month to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, several Spanish media reported on Sunday.
* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country’s National Health Service (NHS) could “overwhelm” the coronavirus as the Italian health system in just two weeks.
* Nearly 1 in 4 Americans had orders to close businesses and stay home on Saturday.
* At least 23,941 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the US, and 306 people have died as of Saturday night, according to a Reuters count of state and local government websites.
* The interim government of Bolivia announced that it would postpone the presidential elections originally scheduled for May 3 and will institute a mandatory quarantine throughout the country for 14 days.
* The Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, the most populous in the country, will begin a two-week quarantine to help fight the coronavirus epidemic, its governor said on Saturday, while President Jair Bolsonaro said again that “hysteria” the outbreak could cause more damage than the virus.
* Hundreds of millions of Indians stayed home Sunday, attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for citizens to isolate themselves.
* At least 341 people have tested positive for coronavirus and there have been four deaths in India, according to official data on Sunday.
* China recorded 46 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the fourth consecutive day with a surge, all imported from abroad but one, and tightened measures to intercept cases from abroad.
* Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday ordered the closure of many businesses, including bars, casinos, gyms, and movie theaters, starting Monday at noon to fight the coronavirus after many people appeared to ignore health warnings and They will gather in great numbers in the last days.
* Members of a South Korean church clashed with police on Sunday, according to the media, when government restrictions on religious services and other gatherings took effect.
NEAR EAST AND AFRICA
* The death toll in Iran has reached 1,685 with 129 deaths in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry spokesman told state television on Sunday, adding that the total number of infected people in Iran had reached 21,638.
* Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States’ offer to help Iran in its fight against the pandemic is unusual.
* Oman banned public meetings in the Arab Gulf state on Sunday, limited the staff of state entities and closed the exchange offices.
* Angola, Eritrea and Uganda confirmed their first cases of coronavirus, while Mauritius recorded its first death as the virus spread throughout Africa.
ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES
* Republicans and Democrats in the US Senate were trying to complete an agreement Saturday on a more than $ 1 trillion bill aimed at curbing the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic for workers, industries and small businesses.
* Companies should not publish preliminary financial statements for at least two weeks to better assess how the coronavirus is affecting their business, the UK Financial Conduct Authority said on Saturday.
* An authority with the Chinese central bank on Sunday called for greater coordination of global policies to manage the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, and said Beijing’s recent political measures were gaining strength as capacity for more action was expanded.
* A wave of declines in the corporate sector credit rating risks deepening a financing crisis for company managers and spreading it to other markets.
* Germany is preparing an emergency budget worth more than 150 billion euros ($ 160 billion) to support jobs and companies at risk from the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the finance minister said on Saturday.
* Amazon.com Inc. said it is increasing overtime pay for workers in its US warehouses as the world’s largest online retailer tries to meet the growing demand for online shopping from home-caught consumers.
* Tokyo 2020 organizers have begun writing possible alternatives to hosting the Olympics this summer, two sources familiar with the talks said, in contrast to the Japanese government’s stance that postponement is not an option.
* Multiple sporting events have been canceled or postponed.
(Compiled by Sarah Morland, Milla Nissi, Amy Caren Daniel, Ramakrishnan M and Frances Kerry; translated by Michael Susin in the Gdansk newsroom)
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