Tyrone Siu Reuters
China again reported a big jump in coronavirus cases on Friday after changing its methodology for diagnosing and counting infections, denting hopes that the deadly outbreak could be petering out.
With another 5,000 reported Friday, the number of cases in mainland China has now surged past 63,000, and the economic fallout is mounting. The latest casualties are flower sellers in the country, some of whom have seen their sales fall up to 95 percent on Valentine’s Day.
More places in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, are enacting “wartime” measures, such as sealing off residential complexes and only allowing essential vehicles on the roads. Authorities in Yunmeng county, where the new steps kicked in on Friday morning, said that anyone attempting to breach the lockdown “at compounds, buildings or road connections” would be detained.
Here are the latest developments:
● More cities in Hubei province are putting in place “wartime” measures, barring citizens from leaving their homes and threatening penalties for anyone who breaches the orders.
● Apps are being used to track citizens who must provide their information before entering and exiting key Chinese cities, allowing authorities to collect a huge amount of data.
● Japan has said that 10 people evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship are in serious condition, as the cruise industry braces for serious losses over coronavirus fears.
● China’s National Health Commission said more than 1,700 medical workers have been infected with coronavirus, six of whom have died, citing the latest available figures as of Feb. 11.
3:43 AM: Japan reports another four cases of coronavirus as risk of full-blown outbreak grows
TOKYO — Japan reported another four cases of the new coronavirus Friday, adding to four cases announced the previous day and bringing the national total to 36, as fears rise that the country could be facing its own outbreak of the disease.
One of the most worrying cases revealed Thursday was that of a doctor in the eastern prefecture of Wakayama, with one colleague and two patients now also showing some pneumonia-like symptoms and awaiting test results. On Friday, a male farmer in his 70s from the same prefecture was found to have the virus, although there is no evidence he was in contact with the doctor, Wakayama Gov. Yoshinobu Nisaka told reporters.
A case was also confirmed in the southwestern island of Okinawa, the last port of call of the cruise ship Diamond Princess before it was placed in quarantine in Yokohama last week. A female taxi driver in her 60s found to have the virus was among 200 people who had been under monitoring in Okinawa because they had been in contact with passengers from then ship during their 9.5-hour stay.
Issei Kato
Reuters
People line up to buy masks at a drugstore in Tokyo on Friday.
The other two cases were found in Tokyo, both in people believed to have been in contact with a taxi driver diagnosed with the virus on Thursday, Japanese media reported. The driver said he had carried Chinese passengers.
Japan’s government vowed to step up testing for the virus on Friday, but health minister Katsunobu Kato tried to play down concerns.
“We do not have sufficient evidence to change our current position that the outbreak is not widespread,” he said, according to broadcaster NHK. “Yet we cannot deny it has spread. We are preparing for that situation so we would be ready if we get into that situation.”
Masahiro Kami, executive director at the Medical Governance Research Institute in Tokyo, said the fight against the virus is entering a new phase in Japan.
“The public has now come to be aware that an outbreak is spreading within Japan,” he said.
Kami said the virus had already been spreading undetected for some time — evidenced by the fact that a Thai couple were found to have the virus after returning from a visit to Japan. He added that the case of the doctor in Wakayama was a potentially serious problem.
“Doctors and other medical staff, if they get infected, have a possibility that they may transmit the infection to patients where they are hospitalized,” he said. “And these are the people who are most vulnerable to the risk of death. This is an issue to which we have to give the highest attention now.”
By: Akiko Kashiwagi and Simon Denyer
2:45 AM: Vietnam considers ‘highest penalty’ for factory making masks from toilet paper
Authorities have found a factory in Hanoi using toilet paper to produce face masks, the Vietnam Express reported, cutting corners as coronavirus fears fuel rising demand for supplies of protective items.
Officials this week were suspicious when they found dozens of large toilet paper rolls at the factory, the outlet reported, and discovered that they were being used to replace the inner antibacterial layer that stops microbes from entering or exiting the surgical mask.
Yen Duong
Reuters
People wearing face masks in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, this week.
“This company is cheating consumers amid the novel coronavirus outbreak,” said Hoang Dai Nghia from the Hanoi Market Surveillance Department. The company’s stock has been confiscated, and authorities are now considering appropriate penalties.
According to the Vietnam Express, the company, Viet Han Company, is not listed as a medical equipment producer, but as a printer and napkin maker.
The World Health Organization has warned of a global shortage of surgical masks as customers, particularly in Asia, rush to protect themselves against the spread of the virus. Many factories are now trying to pivot and produce these items, but counterfeits have also flooded the market, with false trademarks and false details on where the masks originated from.
By: Shibani Mahtani
2:37 AM: More than 1,700 medical workers in China infected with virus
BEIJING — China’s National Health Commission said Friday that at least 1,716 medical staff have contractracted coronavirus, and six have died.
Zeng Yixin, the vice director of the National Health Commission, was citing the latest figures available as of Feb. 11. Of these cases, 1,502 were reported in Hubei province. The health commission said that the illness will be identified as an occupation injury for medical workers, who will be covered by insurance.
The most sensitive of these cases is the death of Li Wenliang, the whistleblower doctor who is considered the first to sound the alarm about the new virus when he leaked a document on Dec. 30 from his hospital, confirming the diagnosis. When he succumbed from the disease, grief and rage filled social media, as the country saw his death as a parable for the Communist Party’s failings.
Read more: Chinese doctor who tried to raise alarm on coronavirus in Wuhan dies on ‘front line’ of medical fight.
By: Wang Yuan
2:10 AM: Chinese cities turn to apps, facial-recognition technology to police coronavirus
BEIJING — Chinese authorities in Nanjing have asked residents in the city of 8 million and returning workers to register their personal information on an app, as officials turn away travelers and other short-term visitors.
In a notice issued late Thursday, the Nanjing city government asked returning residents and migrant workers based there to register on an app called “Ning Guilai” — a pun which can either mean Nanjing Returns or Peace Returns. The app requires a facial scan to confirm that all identification information is accurate.
“Your travel could be affected if we find the information you filled in to be inaccurate; more importantly, it will leave a dark spot in your personal credit record,” the Nanjing government’s notice read, also warning of potential “legal liabilities.”
The app also specified that only those with a permanent residence and workplace in Nanjing, and who are not from the epicenter of the outbreak, Hubei province, are free to travel into the city. Short-term visitors and travelers without a permanent residence or long-term job in Nanjing must postpone trips there, the city government said.
Shanghai has similarly relied on apps to track arrivals, announcing on Feb. 1 that visitors coming in from airports, train stations and toll gates would have to register their personal information on a smartphone app called Healthcare Cloud. The app was originally designed for making hospital appointments and other health services, but now includes a separate section that requires users to register their detailed personal information, including their ID, home and Shanghai addresses, phone number, emergency contact, and travel itinerary.
Yunnan province this week also launched a WeChat in-app program, Kang Yiqing or “Fighting the Epidemic,” that requires residents to register their personal information by scanning a QR code when entering a public venue — including residential areas, farmers markets, shopping malls, supermarkets and subway stations.
“For those who refuse to cooperate, public venue management has the right to ban them from entering or exiting. Those who try to force into public venues without registration, disturb public order, or cause serious consequences, will be held accountable according to law,” Yunnan authorities said.
By: Lyric Li
1:50 AM: Japan says 10 people evacuated from the Diamond Princess in serious condition
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Japan’s health ministry said on Friday that 10 people evacuated from the quarantined cruise ship the Diamond Princess are in serious condition, with eight confirmed to have the new coronavirus.
One of the other two is still awaiting results of a test.
Charly Triballeau
Afp Via Getty Images
A security guard is seen in front of the Diamond Princess cruise ship at Yokohama on Friday.
Amid persistent criticism of its approach, the government said it would start allowing some people who have tested negative for the virus to disembark from the ship early, and finish their quarantine at a facility on land. Priority will be given to passengers over the age of 80 and those with existing medical problems, as well as people in windowless cabins, health minister Katsunobu Kato said.
So far, 218 people on board the ship have tested positive for the virus, out of 713 people who have been assessed. The government says it plans to step up testing in a bid to examine everyone on board before the quarantine ends on Feb. 19.
A quarantine officer involved in screening passengers for the virus also fell sick, with the health ministry saying he did not follow proper procedures, wiping away sweat with his gloves and reusing a mask he had worn earlier, NHK reported.
Read more about the conditions on board the Diamond Princess: Japan relaxes cruise ship quarantine for elderly amid fears of virus spread.
By: Simon Denyer
1:35 AM: Love in a time of conavirus: Roses are out, broccoli and hand sanitizer is in
BEIJING — Forget red roses. Broccoli, cauliflower, masks and hand sanitizer are now the way to prove you love your partner this Valentine’s Day in China, according to Meituan, the country’s largest on-demand services provider.
Flower delivery platforms are reporting a massive drop in online flower sales, as health fears dissuade people from ordering anything online or picking up deliveries. Zhong’ai Flower, an online flower delivery platform based in Wuhan, the epicenter of coronavirus outbreak, reported a sales drop of 90 percent. Ma Yingzi, a flower supplier in Beijing, also estimated a 95 percent drop in flower sales this Valentine’s Day.
The new favorites: broccoli and cauliflower. Meituan said roses are no longer its most ordered items on this day of love, while the vegetables instead have become hot items. Broccoli in Chinese contains the word “flower” in its name, making it a popular gift in lieu of actual flowers, with more nutrients to boot.
And instead of chocolate, others are option for more practical gifts. Meituan’s sales data show that gift orders still grew by 30 percent on Feb. 14, but the most-searched present options were masks, goggles and disinfectants.
By: Wang Yuan
1:30 AM: Super Soaper Soffy, Wipe Up Wilson and Mask Up Mei Mei join Singapore’s coronavirus fight
Singapore’s education ministry has launched a new song — “Bye Bye Virus” — featuring a cast of virus-fighting superheroes in the hopes of teaching schoolchildren best-practice hygiene measures to fend off the outbreak. "
It even comes with a dance.
Singapore Ministry of EducationThe lyrics replicate advice that has been doled out by the government in recent weeks, but in rhymes: “Wear a mask if you’re falling sick / go see a doctor, don’t be so thick.” The chorus is simply “coronavirus go away, don’t you stay.”
The cast of superhero characters, like Mask Up Mei Mei and Wipe Down Wilson, all provide specific tips on mask wearing, hand washing and remind students to avoid touching their faces.
Experts have praised Singapore’s transparency and proactive measures in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. The city-state has 58 confirmed cases, one of the highest of any country, but health experts say has been more proactive about weeding out confirmed cases and tracking down clusters of infection.
Unlike Hong Kong, which has a similar number of infections and a similar population, schools in Singapore have not closed and lessons have continued largely as usual. Only interschool activities have been canceled. Singapore has been focusing its public education efforts on schools and the young, who are vulnerable to the spread of diseases.
By: Shibani Mahtani
1:23 AM: More counties in Hubei enact ‘wartime measures,’ barring citizens from leaving home
BEIJING — Hubei’s most densely populated county became the latest to implement “wartime measures” to control the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, effectively barring residents from leaving their homes.
The Yunmeng Public Security Bureau said on its official WeChat account that these measures would take effect Friday. All residential complexes have been sealed off and only essential vehicles will be allowed on the roads.
“Anyone who forces their way out of compounds, buildings or road connections will be detained,” Yunmeng authorities said.
Neighborhood communities are required to assign staff to help residents buy daily necessities. The county has over 300 confirmed coronavirus infections, and has a population of about half a million people.
The orders will be in place for about two weeks, according to Chinese state media.
Experts have questioned the effectiveness of these lockdowns and the legality of applying “wartime” controls in this public health emergency.
By: Wang Yuan and Shibani Mahtani
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiiwFodHRwczovL3d3dy53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vd29ybGQvYXNpYV9wYWNpZmljL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWNoaW5hLWxpdmUtdXBkYXRlcy8yMDIwLzAyLzE0LzY4MDZhYTA4LTRlYjgtMTFlYS1iNzIxLTlmNGNkYzkwYmMxY19zdG9yeS5odG1s0gEA?oc=5
2020-02-14 08:43:00Z
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