Coronavirus kills 31 more in China

BEIJING: Coronavirus is taking its toll on more people in China, as 31 more people were killed on Tuesday.

The government said people arriving in the capital from South Korea, Japan, Iran or Italy will need to quarantine for 14 days. It said China will continue to provide support within its capability for countries around the world amid the COVID-19 epidemic, reports the international media.

Addressing a press conference here, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, coronavirus testing kits had been donated to countries including Japan, Iran and Pakistan, and a team of experts dispatched to Iran.

As of March 2, a total of 62 countries and seven international organizations have promised to donate supplies to China for its fight against the coronavirus, according to Zhao.

Donations from 46 of the countries and 6 of the organizations have already arrived in China. Twelve countries also announced that they would provide cash or other forms of support. Beijing reported as many as 80,302 confirmed cases of virus, 2,946 deaths (including 2 in Hong Kong and 1 in Taiwan); and 47,260 recoveries.

A German cruise ship with 1,200 passengers was Tuesday under quarantine in southern Norway waiting for the test results of two passengers for the novel coronavirus. The two passengers had been in contact with a third person a week ago who tested positive for the virus. That person was not on the ship, according to the report.

The UK reported 11 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the national total to 51. The Netherlands confirmed six new cases, totaling 24 cases on Tuesday.

Australia's total number of cases reached 40 on Tuesday, with 15 recovered cases and one death.

The Czech Republic detected its fifth infection of a girl from Ecuador, who traveled to the country with a confirmed American patient.

Singapore reported two more cases, with the total number of cases at 110 right now. Spain’s number of COVID-19 cases rises to 150, with Madrid reporting 49.

Oman confirmed six more cases on Tuesday: four Iranians and two Oman citizens who all traveled to Iran. There are now 12 cases in the country.

A second person in the state of New York tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday.

The patient has no known travel history to a virus-hit country. "It would be what we call a community spread case," he said. A New York City school canceled classes as a precautionary measure after a suspected case of coronavirus turned up within its community on Tuesday.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called on the Iranian people to fully follow medical rules to help prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country. He also urged all organizations to cooperate with the Ministry of Health and provide it with the required equipment as the ministry is on the front line in fight against coronavirus infection. Twenty-three members of Iran's 290-member parliament have tested positive, according to Iran's Deputy Parliament Speaker Abdul Reza Misri.

Iran's Emergency Center said on Tuesday that the center's chief Pir Hossein Kolivand has been infected with the virus.

The UK government warned that up to a fifth of the workforce may be off sick during the peak of the novel coronavirus epidemic. The announcement was made on Tuesday.

At a conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government was committed to doing "everything possible" to "prepare for all eventualities," as the country reports 39 infections.

In the latest plans, the military could also provide support to emergency services if needed.

The plan includes school closures, reducing large-scale gatherings, and working from home if the epidemic situation worsens.

Ukraine has confirmed its first coronavirus case, Ihor Kuzin, acting head of the Health Ministry's Public Health Center, said on Tuesday. A man was hospitalized on Saturday in the western city of Chernivtsi, having traveled to Ukraine from Italy via Romania, Kuzin said.

Malaysia confirmed seven new cases, with a total of 36 now, Norway confirmed 28 cases, Sweden reported 24 infections in total, Croatia reported one more case, bringing its total to nine, Iceland reported three more cases, with nine in total, Denmark has reported two more patients, totaling six.

Alarmed by the increasing Covid-19 cases in and outside China, India on Tuesday restricted exports of a total of 26 pharma products — active pharma ingredients (APIs) and formulations, including paracetamol, tinidazole and metronidazole, to keep domestic supplies steady.

The curbs are going to be in place until raw material imports from coronavirus-hit China resume unhindered, an official source said.