Germany AfD: Outrage as far right helps oust Thuringia PM Ramelow - BBC News

Protests have broken out in the eastern German state of Thuringia after the far-right AfD party helped oust state premier Bodo Ramelow, replacing him with another candidate.

Mr Ramelow's Die Linke (Left) won Thuringia's state elections in October and agreed a coalition deal on Tuesday.

But, in what is being described as an earthquake in German politics, he then lost the vote for state premier.

The AfD unexpectedly threw its weight behind another party's candidate.

Why the controversy?

For mainstream parties to collaborate with the AfD is considered a taboo, and both Chancellor Angela Merkel's local CDU and the liberal FDP ended up on the same side, backing the liberal candidate, Thomas Kemmerich.

No state premier has ever taken office before with the aid of the AfD.

The anti-immigration party is the biggest opposition force in Germany's national parliament, the Bundestag. Thuringia is one of its heartlands and the regional AfD is seen as even more extreme there, because it is led by Björn Höcke, one of its most controversial figures.

Mr Höcke sparked an outcry when he condemned the decision to place the Holocaust memorial in the heart of Berlin, describing it as a "memorial of shame".

Critics were appalled that the two centre-right parties had apparently made a pact with a party that holds extreme views on immigration, freedom of speech and the press.

Mr Kemmerich's FDP had barely scraped into the local parliament in Erfurt with just 5% of the vote last October, and his success in the vote in parliament came as a shock to Bodo Ramelow's supporters.

• Far right overtakes Merkel party in regional vote

What reaction has there been?

Mr Kemmerich told the parliament in Erfurt that he was against all forms of fascism - "I'm anti-AfD and anti-Höcke" - but local reports said he was interrupted by shouts of "charlatan" and "hypocrite".

Over 1,000 protesters took to the streets of Erfurt and other demonstrations were held in Thuringia's other main cities - Weimar, Jena and Gera -, public broadcaster MDR reported.

Hundreds of people protested in front of Mr Kemmerich's party headquarters in Berlin, and the hashtag #Dammbruch (dam burst) was trending on Wednesday evening in Germany.

Mr Ramelow himself said what had happened was a "disgusting charade". He pointed out that it was in Thuringia 90 years ago that the first National Socialist government in Germany had been elected.

There was also anger from the CDU's national leader, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who called for new elections, describing what had happened as "a bad day for Thuringia, a bad day for Germany".

The leader of Mr Kemmerich's own party, Christian Lindner, ruled out co-operating with the far right.

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2020-02-05 18:55:15Z
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Coronavirus live updates: Singapore confirms infant with virus, ECB chief says outbreak fuels economic uncertainty - CNBC

This is a live blog. Please check back for updates.

All times below are in Eastern time.

Total cases: More than 24,000 as of Wednesday morning.
Total deaths: At least 490 worldwide as of Wednesday morning.

10:03 am: WHO schedules media update

The World Health Organization scheduled a media briefing at 10 a.m. ET as the number of cases rises above 24,000 across the globe, most of them contained in China. Watch the live press conference here. 

9:57 am: Adidas getting hit by outbreak

Adidas confirmed that it has closed a significant number of stores in China because of the coronavirus. The company is currently operating less than 500 stores in China, 4% of the 12,000 locations it has there, including franchise stores. In a statement to CNBC, the company said it is too early to assess the magnitude of the virus' impact. - Miller

9:35 am: Coronavirus infects six-month-old baby in Singapore

Singapore's health ministry confirmed four more coronavirus cases, including a six-month-old baby. Both parents of the infant, a Singapore citizen, have also been infected, the ministry said. On Tuesday, Singapore reported its first cases of citizens and residents who had contracted the virus without recent travel to China, where the outbreak first surfaced in late December. - Reuters

9:30 am: Retailer Capri Holdings takes a hit

Michael Kors owner Capri Holdings said it has taken a $100 million hit to revenue because of the coronavirus. Capri closed 150 of its 225 stores in mainland China and has seen a significantly drop in foot traffic. The company warned that travel restrictions on visitors from China could also put pressure on sales in other regions. "This is going to be a very tough period for luxury brands," said Ben Cavender, managing director at China Market Research Group in Shanghai. "There is going to be a negative long-term effect as well, as many corporate offices are shut down or barely functioning and this is a key time period for planning future seasons." - Miller

9:05 am: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commits $100 million

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said it will spend up to $100 million to improve detection, isolation and treatment efforts for the new coronavirus. It also hopes to accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics. "Multilateral organizations, national governments, the private sector and philanthropies must work together to slow the pace of the outbreak, help countries protect their most vulnerable citizens and accelerate the development of the tools to bring this epidemic under control," Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman said. - Feuer

9 am: Princess Cruises says one person from the US among 10 diagnosed on ship

Princess Cruises confirmed to CNBC that one of the people in its ship near Japan who tested positive for the coronavirus is from the United States. Of the 9 others, there are two passengers from Australia, three from Japan and three from Hong Kong and one Filipino crew member. The 3,700 people on the ship will remain in quarantine for 14 days in total. - Feuer

8 am: ECB chief says outbreak 'adds a new layer of uncertainty' to global growth

The president of the European Central Bank expressed concern that China's coronavirus outbreak is fueling global economic uncertainty. "The short-term uncertainties are mainly related to global risks — trade, geopolitical and now the outbreak of the coronavirus and its potential effect on global growth," Christine Lagarde said during a speech in Paris, according to Reuters. "While the threat of a trade war between the United States and China appears to have receded, the coronavirus adds a new layer of uncertainty."

7:25 am: WHO says there are 'no known' effective drug treatments against coronavirus

The World Health Organization played down reports of a drug breakthrough against the coronavirus. "There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV and WHO recommends enrollment into a randomized controlled trial to test efficacy and safety," WHO said Wednesday. "A master global clinical trial protocol for research and prioritization of therapeutics is ongoing at the WHO." Earlier in the day, Reuters said a Chinese TV media outlet had reported that a research team at Zhejiang University had found an effective drug to treat people with the new coronavirus. The news agency, citing traders, suggested this was a reason for the move higher in stocks. Separately, Sky News reported Wednesday that a scientist from Imperial College London had made a significant breakthrough in the race to develop a vaccine. CNBC has not been able to verify the media reports.

6:20 am: China's Xi says the country must crack down on coronavirus misinformation

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2020-02-05 13:34:00Z
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Avalanche in Turkey kills rescuers who were searching for survivors of previous avalanche - CNN

More than 100 rescue workers had been sent to Van province in eastern Turkey to try and reach two people believed to be still buried after an avalanche on Tuesday evening hit the area, killing five, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said in a statement.

The second avalanche came down at around midday on Wednesday, burying rescue teams. At least 14 rescuers are among the 33 killed, the agency said.

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2020-02-05 15:19:00Z
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Coronavirus: Quarantined British passenger worried about food on cruise - The Telegraph

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2020-02-05 13:16:31Z
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Turkey: Avalanche kills rescuers searching for earlier victims - Al Jazeera English

An avalanche slammed into a mountain road in eastern Turkey 

on Wednesday, wiping out a huge team of rescue workers sent to find two people missing in an earlier avalanche. Officials said 23 rescue workers were killed while others were still buried under the snow.

Wednesday's avalanche increased the overall death toll from the disaster to 28.

Some 300 emergency service workers were called to a highway near the mountain-surrounded town of Bahcesaray in Van province, which borders Iran, after an avalanche struck late Tuesday, killing five people. Around noon on Wednesday, the team was struck by the second avalanche.

Meki Arvas, mayor of Bahcesaray, said eight rescuers' bodies were recovered from the mass of snow on the steep slope. Emergency teams were searching for up to 15 colleagues still buried.

Some 30 emergency workers were either rescued or escaped from underneath the snow and were hospitalised on Wednesday, the interior ministry said. There was no further information on their conditions.

Video from the scene showed at least three overturned vehicles at the bottom of a hill during a snow storm. Some rescuers were climbing a steep incline to get away from the mass of snow while others dug frantically into the snow with shovels and pick-axes. Fog, heavy snow and strong winds were hampering the rescue efforts.

The first avalanche buried a snow-clearing vehicle and a minibus. The vehicle's operator and seven passengers escaped alive.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the operator, Bahattin Karagulle, was trapped beneath the snow for 25 minutes before he managed to break a window and escape. He told the agency he walked towards a village before he was picked up by a vehicle and managed to seek help.

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2020-02-05 13:00:00Z
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Coronavirus Live Updates: Hong Kong Imposes Quarantines as China Death Toll Rises - The New York Times

Here’s what you need to know:

• As deaths near 500, there is no sign of a slowdown in China.
• Looking for the basics? Start here.
• A group of Americans evacuated from Wuhan arrive in California.
• Hong Kong imposes 14-day quarantines on people arriving from China.
• What to eat in a lockdown.

A worker walking among beds in a convention center that has been converted into a temporary hospital in Wuhan, China, on Tuesday.Credit...Chinatopix, via Associated Press

As deaths near 500, there is no sign of a slowdown in China.

The death toll from the monthlong coronavirus outbreak has continued to climb in China, rising to 490. New cases have surged by double-digit percentages in the past 11 days, with no sign of a slowdown.

More people have now died in this epidemic than in the SARS outbreak of 2002-3 in mainland China. During that outbreak, 349 people died in the mainland.

The new figures from China’s Health Commission on Wednesday showed that 65 people died on Tuesday and that 3,887 more people had been infected. So far, 24,324 people are known to have been infected.

Health experts say the death toll is likely to rise because of the large number of infections. The mortality rate of the coronavirus, about 2 percent so far, appears to be far lower than SARS, which has a mortality rate of about 10 percent.

Coronavirus Map: Tracking the Spread of the Outbreak

The virus has sickened more than 24,500 people in China and 24 other countries.

Experts warn they still lack enough data to say definitively how lethal the new coronavirus is. Many residents in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak and the capital of Hubei Province, believe the death toll is much higher than the official tally because people with flulike symptoms are being turned away by overstretched hospitals. The health care system in Wuhan is so overwhelmed that many cases have not been diagnosed because of a shortage of testing kits.

Still, the number of people in China recovering from the virus is rising, suggesting that the treatment plan may be working. On Tuesday, 262 people left hospitals nationwide. The number of suspected cases has dropped for two days in a row. Officials said they were tracking 3,971 suspected cases, compared with 5,173 cases the day before.

On Tuesday, health officials released details of the deaths so far, saying that two-thirds of them were men. More than 80 percent were over 60 years old, and they typically had pre-existing health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.

Hubei Province has been hardest hit by the virus, and is home to the bulk of deaths (479) and infections (16,678). Wuhan in particular has borne the brunt of the deaths and infections.

The government said it has put 252,154 people under surveillance.

Aerial footage shows a quiet and desolate picture of Wuhan, China. The city, which has been at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, has been sealed off since Jan. 23.

Looking for the basics? Start here.

What is a coronavirus, and how dangerous is it? Read up on the basics, including its symptoms and how it is transmitted.

How bad could the outbreak be? Here are the six key factors that will determine whether it can be contained.

Where has the virus spread? You can track its movement with this map.

How is the United States being affected? There were 11 confirmed cases as of Tuesday. American citizens and permanent residents who fly to the United States from China are now subject to a two-week quarantine.

What if I’m traveling? Several countries, including the United States, have discouraged travel to China, and several airlines have canceled flights. Many travelers have been left in limbo while looking to change or cancel bookings.

How do I keep myself and others safe? Washing your hands is the most important thing you can do.

A group of Americans evacuated from Wuhan arrive in California.

Two planes full of American citizens evacuated from Wuhan, China, the center of the coronavirus outbreak, arrived in California on Wednesday, just before dawn.

Hundreds of Americans who had been in Wuhan as the outbreak worsened and routes from China grew rarer were flown out overnight on two government-arranged planes.

They were expected to spend days in quarantine on military bases as part of a strict protocol put in place by federal officials.

Passengers from the evacuation flights were expected to be accommodated at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif., and at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.

The first group of American evacuees was flown from Wuhan on Jan. 29, and stopped in Anchorage to refuel the plane and conduct initial health screenings. The Boeing 747 then continued to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif.

Hong Kong imposes 14-day quarantines on people arriving from China.

Hong Kong said that it will begin requiring people who arrive from mainland China to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine, as it tries to reduce the potential for imported cases of the coronavirus.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s top official, has resisted demands from some lawmakers and medical workers to completely close off the border, calling it discriminatory and not in line with World Health Organization guidelines.

But she has enacted a series of measures, including closing all but three border crossings, which have resulted in a sharp drop in entries from the mainland.

Mrs. Lam said that Hong Kong now had 21 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including three that were transmitted locally.

The government will also allocate $1.3 billion to help fight the outbreak, she said.

One of the confirmed cases involved someone working at the Kowloon Commerce Center, a hub of multinational firms, according to an internal note sent to employees at the Bank of America, which has an office in one of the towers.

The building’s management office did not respond to a request for comment, and Bank of America declined to comment.

Separately, Taiwan said that beginning on Thursday it would temporarily suspend entry by Chinese citizens who live on the mainland. It previously announced that foreigners who had been to mainland China over the previous 14 days would not be allowed to enter Taiwan.

What to eat in a lockdown.

From Amy Qin, a China correspondent, and Elsie Chen, a researcher, on the ground in Wuhan:

We came prepared, bringing with us two bags full of masks, hand sanitizer, goggles and disinfectant wipes to protect us as we went around reporting in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak.

But after arriving last Friday, my colleague Elsie Chen and I quickly realized we had overlooked an important question: What do you eat when covering the coronavirus outbreak?

Since the government imposed a lockdown in this city of 11 million two weeks ago, most of the restaurants have been shut. Grocery stores are still open, and many residents have stockpiled food to cook at home. But back at our hotel, we didn’t even have a microwave, let alone a stovetop.

Exhausted from a long day of travel, we realized there was only one answer: instant noodles.

Two days and four bowls of sodium-packed instant noodles later, my stomach felt as if it had deteriorated into a churning sack of MSG, salt and dehydrated beef cubes.

Knowing it could be days or weeks before we were able to leave Wuhan, Elsie and I made an executive decision: It was time for an upgrade.

We went to one of the large supermarkets and bought a small electric cooktop, groceries and some basic utensils. Stir-fried tomato and egg, the most basic of Chinese dishes, has never tasted so good.

Of course, we couldn’t leave out the chili oil goddess, savior to Chinese students around the world when they’re missing a taste of home: Lao Gan Ma, or Old Godmother.

Tech company pulls out of a major telecom conference.

One of the world’s largest technology conferences, the annual MWC Barcelona, previously known as Mobile World Congress, has been impacted by the virus, with companies beginning to pull out of the gadget showcase.

On Wednesday, LG Electronics, the South Korean electronics giant, said it would no longer attend the event, expected to draw more than 100,000 people from 198 countries and territories for the unveiling of new smartphones, tablets and other mobile technology.

The move shows how the coronavirus epidemic is scrambling the plans of some of the world’s largest companies, as stores are shuttered, airlines cancel flights and business trips have been put on hold.

MWC is one of the world’s most anticipated telecom conferences, and companies spend months preparing and huge amounts on flashy presentations and extravagant booths.

“This decision removes the risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel which has already become more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders,” LG Electronics said in a statement.

The company may not be the only one to pull out of the event. Huawei, the Chinese tech company, hasn’t announced any changes to its schedule, but said that it is monitoring the situation. European employees may end up playing a larger role in the event rather than those from China, a spokesman said.

GSM Association, the wireless industry group organizing the event, said this week that there had been “minimal impact” thus far as a result of the coronavirus, but that it was taking several precautions.

Trump pledges to work with China on the outbreak.

In a reflection of the mounting international concern over the coronavirus epidemic, President Trump said the United States was coordinating with China on the response to the outbreak — though he also offered a trade-related barb as well.

“Protecting Americans’ health also means fighting infectious diseases,” Mr. Trump said during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. “We are coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China. My administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat.”

He did not elaborate.

Eleven cases have been confirmed in the United States. To stem the problem, the United States government said last week it would bar entry into the country by any foreign national who has traveled to China in the past 14 days. It also told Americans not to travel to China.

Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines all said last week that they were temporarily suspending all service to mainland China as concerns about the coronavirus spread internationally.

Mr. Trump, who made China a rhetorical punching bag during his 2016 presidential campaign, still took time to criticize Beijing’s trade practices. Last month, the two countries signed an interim trade pact that cooled but did not end an economic conflict between them.

“For decades, China has taken advantage of the United States,” he said. “Now we have changed that, but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we’ve ever had with China, including with President Xi.”

Drugs to fight H.I.V. and the flu show promise in treatment, China says.

Chinese scientists are reporting preliminary success with a new approach for treating the coronavirus: an antiviral drug used for treating influenza and an anti-H.I.V. drug.

The researchers found that Arbidol, an antiviral drug used in Russia and China for treating influenza, could be combined with Darunavir, the anti-H.I.V. drug, for treating patients with the coronavirus, according to ChangJiang News, a state-backed newspaper in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.

The researchers did not say how many patients they had treated with the combination therapy. It could be too soon to assess its effectiveness. The findings have not been reviewed by outside experts.

With no proven cure in sight, the race is on to find a treatment for the coronavirus.

Li Lanjuan, the lead researcher on the team who belongs to an expert group linked to China’s Health Commission, said she would propose the combination of Arbidol and Darunavir for the sixth version of the government’s treatment plan.

The authorities have tried other treatments. Dr. Li said the anti-H.I.V. drug Kaletra, which was prescribed in the current treatment plan, had toxic side effects.

The Chinese authorities have turned to other types of treatments as well. In its treatment plan for the coronavirus released last week, the National Health Commission of China listed traditional Chinese medicine remedies to be used in conjunction with antiviral H.I.V. drugs.

Cruise ships in Japan and Hong Kong are scrutinized after infections.

Nine passengers and one crew member on a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama, Japan, have tested positive for the coronavirus, the cruise line, Princess Cruises, said on Wednesday.

The ship, carrying 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members, arrived in Yokohama on Tuesday, but the authorities did not allow anyone off. An 80-year-old Hong Kong resident who had disembarked earlier in his home city was found to be infected.

In all, 273 passengers were tested for the virus after everyone on board underwent an initial health screening. Twenty-one people were cleared, and officials were awaiting the other results.

Princess Cruises said the infected passengers were from Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and the United States, in addition to one crew member from the Philippines.

The passengers who tested positive were being transported by a Japanese Coast Guard ship to a hospital. The other passengers are to remain quarantined on board the ship, the Diamond Princess, for two weeks.

Separately, a cruise ship that left Hong Kong on Sunday was turned around by the authorities in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Wednesday, after three passengers on a previous trip were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus.

The World Dream left the mainland Chinese city of Guangzhou on Jan. 19, returning from Vietnam five days later. Three passengers on that journey were confirmed on Monday to have the new coronavirus, the company, Star Cruises, said in a statement.

Hong Kong’s Department of Health has begun checking temperatures and taking health declaration forms from 1,800 passengers and 1,800 crew members now on the ship. Passengers will not be allowed to disembark without approval from the department.

At least 30 crew members reported having symptoms of illness, Dr. Leung Yiu-hong, the chief port health officer of the Department of Health, said on Wednesday. They were all being tested for the coronavirus, and three who previously had fevers were under isolation, he said.

Of the passengers, 90 percent are Hong Kong residents and the rest foreign nationals, none of whom are from mainland China. Dr. Leung said the passengers now on the ship had not come into contact with those who took the January cruise.

Cathay Pacific asks its workers to take unpaid leave.

Cathay Pacific is asking its 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave in an emergency move as Hong Kong’s flagship carrier struggles with a financial blow from the coronavirus outbreak in China.

In recent days, the airline has cut nearly all flights to and from mainland China and has said it will pare back flights across its network as it faces its biggest emergency since the depths of the financial crisis in 2009.

“The situation now is just as grave,” Augustus Tang Kin-wing, the chief executive of the airline, said in a taped video recording.

The outbreak of the coronavirus has decimated large parts of the global travel network. Health experts have warned that the fast-moving virus could become a pandemic, and multinational companies have banned nonessential travel to China. The authorities have announced widespread bans on travel for Chinese citizens.

Cathay was already fighting for survival before the outbreak, besieged by the political turmoil that has gripped Hong Kong. Last summer, it found itself caught between Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters and the Chinese government as China demanded loyalty from businesses that depend on it for business. Cathay fired some employees for being openly supportive of the protesters.

After traveling to China, some Americans are staying indoors.

As United States officials impose new restrictions on travelers from China, many people who have returned to the country in recent days have hunkered down in their homes to make sure they were not carrying or spreading the disease.

Some were checking in regularly with local public health departments, taking their temperatures at regular intervals and receiving deliveries of food and water. Others were not conferring with the authorities, but choosing on their own to stay indoors, away from work, away from friends and, in some cases, away from everyone.

All were counting down the days since they left China, waiting anxiously to see if symptoms develop — and whether they can get their lives back to normal.

“It’s pretty scary,” said a woman in Massachusetts whose husband and 18-month-old son have been holed up in the family’s basement since returning from China last week.

The woman, a medical researcher who asked not to be named, said her family’s self-imposed quarantine was a necessary step to protect others, especially since she feared her family had traveled on the same flight as a man who was later diagnosed with coronavirus.

“If people are responsible people,” she said, “they are willing to do this.”

Reporting was contributed by Daniel Victor, Sui-Lee Wee, Yiwei Wang, Ben Dooley, Elaine Yu, Austin Ramzy, Alexandra Stevenson, Ezra Cheung, Jack Ewing, Neal E. Boudette, Geneva Abdul, Mitch Smith, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Farah Stockman and Vanessa Swales.

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2020-02-05 12:59:55Z
52780579291157

Coronavirus Live Updates: Hong Kong Imposes Quarantines as China Death Toll Rises - The New York Times

Here’s what you need to know:

• As deaths near 500, there is no sign of a slowdown in China.
• Looking for the basics? Start here.
• Hong Kong imposes 14-day quarantines on people arriving from China.
• What to eat in a lockdown.
• Trump pledges to work with China on the outbreak.

A worker walking among beds in a convention center that has been converted into a temporary hospital in Wuhan, China, on Tuesday.Credit...Chinatopix, via Associated Press

As deaths near 500, there is no sign of a slowdown in China.

The death toll from the monthlong coronavirus outbreak has continued to climb in China, rising to 490. New cases have surged by double-digit percentages in the past 11 days, with no sign of a slowdown.

More people have now died in this epidemic than in the SARS outbreak of 2002-3 in mainland China. During that outbreak, 349 people died in the mainland.

The new figures from China’s Health Commission on Wednesday showed that 65 people died on Tuesday and that 3,887 more people had been infected. So far, 24,324 people are known to have been infected.

Health experts say the death toll is likely to rise because of the large number of infections. The mortality rate of the coronavirus, about 2 percent so far, appears to be far lower than SARS, which has a mortality rate of about 10 percent.

Coronavirus Map: Tracking the Spread of the Outbreak

The virus has sickened more than 24,500 people in China and 24 other countries.

Experts warn they still lack enough data to say definitively how lethal the new coronavirus is. Many residents in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak and the capital of Hubei Province, believe the death toll is much higher than the official tally because people with flulike symptoms are being turned away by overstretched hospitals. The health care system in Wuhan is so overwhelmed that many cases have not been diagnosed because of a shortage of testing kits.

Still, the number of people in China recovering from the virus is rising, suggesting that the treatment plan may be working. On Tuesday, 262 people left hospitals nationwide. The number of suspected cases has dropped for two days in a row. Officials said they were tracking 3,971 suspected cases, compared with 5,173 cases the day before.

On Tuesday, health officials released details of the deaths so far, saying that two-thirds of them were men. More than 80 percent were over 60 years old, and they typically had pre-existing health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.

Hubei Province has been hardest hit by the virus, and is home to the bulk of deaths (479) and infections (16,678). Wuhan in particular has borne the brunt of the deaths and infections.

The government said it has put 252,154 people under surveillance.

Aerial footage shows a quiet and desolate picture of Wuhan, China. The city, which has been at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, has been sealed off since Jan. 23.

Looking for the basics? Start here.

What is a coronavirus, and how dangerous is it? Read up on the basics, including its symptoms and how it is transmitted.

How bad could the outbreak be? Here are the six key factors that will determine whether it can be contained.

Where has the virus spread? You can track its movement with this map.

How is the United States being affected? There were 11 confirmed cases as of Tuesday. American citizens and permanent residents who fly to the United States from China are now subject to a two-week quarantine.

What if I’m traveling? Several countries, including the United States, have discouraged travel to China, and several airlines have canceled flights. Many travelers have been left in limbo while looking to change or cancel bookings.

How do I keep myself and others safe? Washing your hands is the most important thing you can do.

Hong Kong imposes 14-day quarantines on people arriving from China.

Hong Kong said that it will begin requiring people who arrive from mainland China to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine, as it tries to reduce the potential for imported cases of the coronavirus.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s top official, has resisted demands from some lawmakers and medical workers to completely close off the border, calling it discriminatory and not in line with World Health Organization guidelines.

But she has enacted a series of measures, including closing all but three border crossings, which have resulted in a sharp drop in entries from the mainland.

Mrs. Lam said that Hong Kong now had 21 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including three that were transmitted locally.

The government will also allocate $1.3 billion to help fight the outbreak, she said.

One of the confirmed cases involved someone working at the Kowloon Commerce Center, a hub of multinational firms, according to an internal note sent to employees at the Bank of America, which has an office in one of the towers.

The building’s management office did not respond to a request for comment, and Bank of America declined to comment.

Separately, Taiwan said that beginning on Thursday it would temporarily suspend entry by Chinese citizens who live on the mainland. It previously announced that foreigners who had been to mainland China over the previous 14 days would not be allowed to enter Taiwan.

What to eat in a lockdown.

From Amy Qin, a China correspondent, and Elsie Chen, a researcher, on the ground in Wuhan:

We came prepared, bringing with us two bags full of masks, hand sanitizer, goggles and disinfectant wipes to protect us as we went around reporting in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak.

But after arriving last Friday, my colleague Elsie Chen and I quickly realized we had overlooked an important question: What do you eat when covering the coronavirus outbreak?

Since the government imposed a lockdown in this city of 11 million two weeks ago, most of the restaurants have been shut. Grocery stores are still open, and many residents have stockpiled food to cook at home. But back at our hotel, we didn’t even have a microwave, let alone a stovetop.

Exhausted from a long day of travel, we realized there was only one answer: instant noodles.

Two days and four bowls of sodium-packed instant noodles later, my stomach felt as if it had deteriorated into a churning sack of MSG, salt and dehydrated beef cubes.

Knowing it could be days or weeks before we were able to leave Wuhan, Elsie and I made an executive decision: It was time for an upgrade.

We went to one of the large supermarkets and bought a small electric cooktop, groceries and some basic utensils. Stir-fried tomato and egg, the most basic of Chinese dishes, has never tasted so good.

Of course, we couldn’t leave out the chili oil goddess, savior to Chinese students around the world when they’re missing a taste of home: Lao Gan Ma, or Old Godmother.

Trump pledges to work with China on the outbreak.

In a reflection of the mounting international concern over the coronavirus epidemic, President Trump said the United States was coordinating with China on the response to the outbreak — though he also offered a trade-related barb as well.

“Protecting Americans’ health also means fighting infectious diseases,” Mr. Trump said during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. “We are coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China. My administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat.”

He did not elaborate.

Eleven cases have been confirmed in the United States. To stem the problem, the United States government said last week it would bar entry into the country by any foreign national who has traveled to China in the past 14 days. It also told Americans not to travel to China.

Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines all said last week that they were temporarily suspending all service to mainland China as concerns about the coronavirus spread internationally.

Mr. Trump, who made China a rhetorical punching bag during his 2016 presidential campaign, still took time to criticize Beijing’s trade practices. Last month, the two countries signed an interim trade pact that cooled but did not end an economic conflict between them.

“For decades, China has taken advantage of the United States,” he said. “Now we have changed that, but, at the same time, we have perhaps the best relationship we’ve ever had with China, including with President Xi.”

Drugs to fight H.I.V. and the flu show promise in treatment, China says.

Chinese scientists are reporting preliminary success with a new approach for treating the coronavirus: an antiviral drug used for treating influenza and an anti-H.I.V. drug.

The researchers found that Arbidol, an antiviral drug used in Russia and China for treating influenza, could be combined with Darunavir, the anti-H.I.V. drug, for treating patients with the coronavirus, according to ChangJiang News, a state-backed newspaper in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.

The researchers did not say how many patients they had treated with the combination therapy. It could be too soon to assess its effectiveness. The findings have not been reviewed by outside experts.

With no proven cure in sight, the race is on to find a treatment for the coronavirus.

Li Lanjuan, the lead researcher on the team who belongs to an expert group linked to China’s Health Commission, said she would propose the combination of Arbidol and Darunavir for the sixth version of the government’s treatment plan.

The authorities have tried other treatments. Dr. Li said the anti-H.I.V. drug Kaletra, which was prescribed in the current treatment plan, had toxic side effects.

The Chinese authorities have turned to other types of treatments as well. In its treatment plan for the coronavirus released last week, the National Health Commission of China listed traditional Chinese medicine remedies to be used in conjunction with antiviral H.I.V. drugs.

Cruise ships in Japan and Hong Kong are scrutinized after infections.

Nine passengers and one crew member on a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama, Japan, have tested positive for the coronavirus, the cruise line, Princess Cruises, said on Wednesday.

The ship, carrying 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members, arrived in Yokohama on Tuesday, but the authorities did not allow anyone off. An 80-year-old Hong Kong resident who had disembarked earlier in his home city was found to be infected.

In all, 273 passengers were tested for the virus after everyone on board underwent an initial health screening. Twenty-one people were cleared, and officials were awaiting the other results.

Princess Cruises said the infected passengers were from Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and the United States, in addition to one crew member from the Philippines.

The passengers who tested positive were being transported by a Japanese Coast Guard ship to a hospital. The other passengers are to remain quarantined on board the ship, the Diamond Princess, for two weeks.

Separately, a cruise ship that left Hong Kong on Sunday was turned around by the authorities in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Wednesday, after three passengers on a previous trip were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus.

The World Dream left the mainland Chinese city of Guangzhou on Jan. 19, returning from Vietnam five days later. Three passengers on that journey were confirmed on Monday to have the new coronavirus, the company, Star Cruises, said in a statement.

Hong Kong’s Department of Health has begun checking temperatures and taking health declaration forms from 1,800 passengers and 1,800 crew members now on the ship. Passengers will not be allowed to disembark without approval from the department.

At least 30 crew members reported having symptoms of illness, Dr. Leung Yiu-hong, the chief port health officer of the Department of Health, said on Wednesday. They were all being tested for the coronavirus, and three who previously had fevers were under isolation, he said.

Of the passengers, 90 percent are Hong Kong residents and the rest foreign nationals, none of whom are from mainland China. Dr. Leung said the passengers now on the ship had not come into contact with those who took the January cruise.

A second evacuation of Americans from Wuhan has begun.

The United States has begun its second airlift of American citizens out of China.

“Two planes have departed Wuhan en route to the United States,” the State Department said in a statement Tuesday night.

Little information was immediately available on the planes’ destination.

But it was believed that like the first Americans evacuated from Wuhan, the passengers will be taken to a military base and directed to remain there pending medical tests.

The first evacuees were flown from Wuhan on Jan. 29, and their plane stopped in Anchorage to refuel and for the passengers to be given initial screenings. The Boeing 747 then continued on to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif.

Cathay Pacific asks its workers to take unpaid leave.

Cathay Pacific is asking its 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave in an emergency move as Hong Kong’s flagship carrier struggles with a financial blow from the coronavirus outbreak in China.

In recent days, the airline has cut nearly all flights to and from mainland China and has said it will pare back flights across its network as it faces its biggest emergency since the depths of the financial crisis in 2009.

“The situation now is just as grave,” Augustus Tang Kin-wing, the chief executive of the airline, said in a taped video recording.

The outbreak of the coronavirus has decimated large parts of the global travel network. Health experts have warned that the fast-moving virus could become a pandemic, and multinational companies have banned nonessential travel to China. The authorities have announced widespread bans on travel for Chinese citizens.

Cathay was already fighting for survival before the outbreak, besieged by the political turmoil that has gripped Hong Kong. Last summer, it found itself caught between Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters and the Chinese government as China demanded loyalty from businesses that depend on it for business. Cathay fired some employees for being openly supportive of the protesters.

After traveling to China, some Americans are staying indoors.

As United States officials impose new restrictions on travelers from China, many people who have returned to the country in recent days have hunkered down in their homes to make sure they were not carrying or spreading the disease.

Some were checking in regularly with local public health departments, taking their temperatures at regular intervals and receiving deliveries of food and water. Others were not conferring with the authorities, but choosing on their own to stay indoors, away from work, away from friends and, in some cases, away from everyone.

All were counting down the days since they left China, waiting anxiously to see if symptoms develop — and whether they can get their lives back to normal.

“It’s pretty scary,” said a woman in Massachusetts whose husband and 18-month-old son have been holed up in the family’s basement since returning from China last week.

The woman, a medical researcher who asked not to be named, said her family’s self-imposed quarantine was a necessary step to protect others, especially since she feared her family had traveled on the same flight as a man who was later diagnosed with coronavirus.

“If people are responsible people,” she said, “they are willing to do this.”

Reporting was contributed by Daniel Victor, Sui-Lee Wee, Yiwei Wang, Ben Dooley, Elaine Yu, Austin Ramzy, Alexandra Stevenson, Ezra Cheung, Jack Ewing, Neal E. Boudette, Geneva Abdul, Mitch Smith, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Farah Stockman and Vanessa Swales.

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2020-02-05 12:31:00Z
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