March 21, 2020 – Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Nearly one billion people confined to homes
An estimated 900 million people are now confined to their homes in 35 countries around the world — including 600 million hemmed in by obligatory government lockdown orders — according to an AFP tally. Colombia will impose obligatory confinement on Tuesday evening. The same will begin across Tunisia on Sunday. In the United States, seven US states have issued orders to stay home — California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and Nevada. In total, one in five people in the US are affected by stay-at-home orders.
More than 11,000 dead globally
More than 12,000 deaths have been recorded since the virus first emerged in December, according to an AFP tally compiled at 1900 GMT on Saturday based on official sources. There have been more than 32,485 infections reported in 165 countries and territories. Italy has recorded 4,825 deaths out of 53,578 cases, with 6,072 recoveries. China has 81,008 cases, including 3,225 fatalities and 71,740 people recovered. The worst affected countries after Italy and China are Iran with 1,556 deaths, Spain with 1,326 deaths, and France with 562 deaths.
China: no domestic cases for third day
China reports no new local cases for a third consecutive day. The several dozen cases reported on Saturday are considered to have been infections brought in from other countries.
Toughening measures
Georgia and Kyrgyzstan declare nationwide states of emergency. Switzerland, which has so far not followed other countries in ordering full confinement, announces it will ban all gatherings of more than five people, and anyone standing closer than two metres to others risks a fine. Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jordan and Burkina Faso introduce curfews. In Iran however, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani promise the country will overcome the outbreak but still refuse to impose heavy restrictions. Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa, tightens restrictions on places of worship, airports and bars.
Swimmers stay ashore
Sunbathers, surfers and tourists are banned from Australia’s famed Bondi Beach, and several more of the city’s swimming spots are closed. Rio de Janeiro’s beaches are also off-limits to sun-seekers from Saturday.
Borders closing
Cuba, which is largely dependent on its tourism revenue, will close its borders to non-residents on Tuesday, for 30 days. The Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso close their borders as of this weekend. Brazil will close its borders as of Monday to all visitors from Europe, Australia and several Asian countries.
Businesses hit
Smartphone shipments take a historic plunge in February, the industry tracker Strategy Analytics says, dropping to 61.8 million, a 38 percent dip from the same month a year earlier. Air Canada and Air Transat announce they will temporarily lay off some 7,000 staff. Boeing announces it will suspend its dividend until further notice and that
its chief executive and chairman will forgo pay until the end of the year. Guatemala announces a partial halt to industrial production as of Monday but says this will not affect food and pharmaceutical sectors.
