Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Coronavirus live news: number of global cases passes 750,000 with death toll over 36,000

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in self-isolation; Moscow announces lockdown of 12m people; Syria records first death
Food delivery drivers wait to pick up orders in “social distancing” chairs in Bangkok, Thailand. Photograph: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

 (now),  and  -

Updated 
Over in Greece, political figures have been prompted to volunteer half of their salaries over the next two months to help the cash-strapped state combat the novel virus.
Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the country’s first female president who assumed the post this month, says she will be handing over 50% of her wage to a special fund created to deal with the economic fallout from the virus. Bank of Greece governor Yannis Stournaras followed suit.
The prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, had called on his cabinet and MPs in his ruling centre-right New Democracy party to do the same.
Greece was among the first European countries to enforce tough measures to stop the virus spreading; closing schools, restaurants and shops. The country’s tourist industry – on which much of its economy depends – has been devastated, insiders say, with holiday packages cancelled and hotels shut.
The Greek health authorities announced that confirmed cases had risen to 1,212, although the rate of new infections had dropped markedly from 95 cases on Sunday to 56 on Monday. The death toll now stands at 43 people. Of that number, 32 are male; reflecting the higher mortality rates among men who fall victim to Covid-19.
Updated 

France sees its worst daily death toll

Global cases pass three quarters of a million

Johns Hopkins University researchers, who have been keeping track of the spread of the virus, say the global number of cases is now at least 755,591.
The institution collects figures from the World Health Organization and other international bodies, as well as media reports, national governments and other sources. Given the differing levels of testing capacity and concerns that some countries are understating their cases, the true scale of the outbreak is likely to be even greater.