© REUTERS / Sergey Pivovarov
Russian medical staff check passengers as a preventive measure against the coronavirus at Sheremetyevo International Airport.
Russia has further tightened its border controls on Sunday after
all flights to and from foreign nations have been banned. An exception is made for those between foreign capitals or necessary for evacuation.
Starting Monday, no passenger flights will be made to and from Russia, the national air regulator has announced.
An exception is made for regular flights connecting the Russian capital with 146 foreign capitals and charter flights that are necessary to carry repatriated individuals to their home nations, including Russia.
Similar restrictions were earlier imposed on air traffic with countries more seriously affected by the coronavirus pandemic, like the US, the UK, Norway, Switzerland, and EU member states. Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport is the only place allowed to handle international flights through its Terminal F.
Comment: Russia has sent 4 of 9 planned military transport ships containing supplies
to Italy, as ordered by Putin.
Moscow's mayor says the metro system will stay
operational no matter what. Russian PM Mishustin
warned companies against firing employees during the crisis, saying that if they did so, they would be receiving a visit from labor inspection, the federal tax service and the prosecutor's office. The Italian Army is
helping to move victims' bodies to lesser-hit regions to help solve the burden on existing services in the hardest-hit locales. India is
holding a "self-curfew drill" for 14 hours. German
cases rose by around 2,000 in one day (death toll reportedly 55), and gatherings of more than 2 people have been
banned. New York's death toll is 114, with 4,800 new
cases. Spain's alleged death toll rose almost 400, with cases at 28,000 (again, it doesn't seem that Spain is actually testing, so these figures are probably overblown). France reported their first covid-related death of a hospital
doctor. Beirut has been put on
lockdown. The UAE
suspended all passenger flights. Placido Domingo tested
positive.
How long will the lockdowns last? That's the "million dollar question",
according to the Belgian health minister. NYC Mayor de Blasio warns that hospitals are
10 days away from shortages of essential supplies. Mnuchin
says "Nobody knew Covid-19 would take off like it did", predicting a 10- to 12-week situation. Japan and the IOC are resisting pressure to
postpone the Olympics this summer. Croatia has
deployed the army to clean debris after their strongest earthquake in 140 years, reminding people to maintain social distancing. Bogota prison in Colombia
rioted, leaving 23 dead and 83 injured. French medics are
suing top officials for their "negligent response" to the virus.
Iran's Khamenei had
this to say:
"Several times Americans have offered to help Iran to contain the virus ... You are accused of creating this virus. I do not know whether it is true, but it is strange that you want to help Iran," Khamenei said in a televised speech on Sunday.
He did not go into the details, saying that it was nonetheless "unwise" to accept American aid, given the circumstances.
The unverified claims that the Covid-19 strain could have originated in the US started to make headlines earlier this month. None of these reports have been confirmed.
Well,
if the Americans created the virus, maybe it didn't come out the way they wanted it to?
The latest from the WHO:
"If we don't put in place the strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is the disease will jump back up," Dr. Mike Ryan has stressed.
Ryan, who serves as the head of the Health Emergencies Programme at the World Health Organization, also made an apparent reversal on previous advice from the UN body, saying there was no need to test everyone for the coronavirus.
"We need to actively search for cases of the virus and we need to test every single suspected case," he said.
We don't need to test everybody. We need to focus on testing those who may have the virus.
Earlier the WHO had been criticized by Finland for asking governments to carpet-test their citizens to deal with the outbreak.
...
The vaccine, which will eventually be developed, is needed "to take the battle to the virus," the health official told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. Until then governments should focus on stemming the spread of the disease and saving the lives of those affected worst.
The latter includes not only the elderly but also middle-aged people, contrary to a popular misconception, he said.
In [South] Korea 19 percent, or one in five of the deaths were under 60 years of age. And in intensive care today in Italy two of three patients are under 70.
Why don't the WHO want countries to know how many people actually have the virus? Because it would contradict what they've been saying, perhaps? It might contradict the rationale for mass vaccination, for instance, if a LOT of people have it, and are already immune.
UPDATE: Merkel is in
quarantine after meeting an infected doctor. Italy
recorded another 651 "corona-related deaths" (i.e., already sick people who died while testing positive, not necessarily from pneumonia). Nashville has
ordered all non-essential businesses closed and ordered a "safer at home" order for 14 days.
The UAE-based international airline, Emirates,
reversed its decision to suspend passenger flights, saying that it will continue flights to certain destinations as long as there is a demand and borders remain open. Syria's health minister
announced that the first case of the virus has reached the war-torn country. In Italy the first Russian cargo of medics and supplies has
landed.
In a slightly amusing slip of the tongue (or Freudian slip?) during a Trump press conference, the FEMA head
vowed to "attack the health and safety of Americans" before quickly correcting himself. Canada and Australia
announced that they will not send any athletes (who have been training for almost 4 years) to the Tokyo Olympics this summer. That is a decision that should be up to each individual athlete. Instead all those athletes will be deprived of what may their only chance at Olympic competition, all because of some virtue-signaling politicians.
See also:
Comment: See also: