One of the advisors to Irans supreme leader has died after contracting coronavirus, a state radio station has reported.
Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, became the first top official to succumb to the illness that is affecting members of Irans leadership. The country currently has the second highest confirmed death toll from COVID-19, which continues to spread across the globe.
The death toll in Italy has risen to 34, amid a surge in cases in the most affected country in Europe.
There have been a total of 1,694 cases of the virus to date since the beginning of the crisis in Italy, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
The rise in cases prompted travel restrictions against regions in the north, with the country linked to several new international cases.
While China, the source of the outbreak, reported on Sunday the lowest number of new cases in the country since January 21, there were sharp rises elsewhere, including South Korea. The death toll has now passed 3,000 worldwide.
Millions of Japanese children stayed home from school on Monday, with schools following through on Prime Minister Shinzo Abes plan to close them for more than a month.
Indonesia confirmed its first cases on Monday, in two people who contracted the illness from a foreign traveler.
In the US, where two new deaths have been confirmed, airlines have taken drastic action, with Delta and American stopping direct flights from New York to Milan following a raising of travel advisories for the region.
There are eleven towns in Italy locked down to prevent further spread.
Elsewhere in Europe, countries are preparing for the worst:
France announced on Saturday strict prevention measures that include banning public gatherings of more than 5,000 people. Staff at Paris iconic Louvre Museum forced it to close on Sunday over fears of the virus outbreak.
Paris half marathon was cancelled as a result of the new measures after the number of cases in the country rose to 130 on Saturday following outbreaks in the department of lOise and in la Balme-de-Silligny in Haute Savoie.
"With the objective of limiting the spread of the virus through population mixing, the government has decided to adopt a stricter prevention policy with regard to gatherings," said health minister Olivier Véran at a press conference on Saturday.
Véran previously warned people not to shake hands as cases mounted in Europe.
The Geneva Motor Show was cancelled after the Swiss government banned all public and private events involving more than 1,000 people in order to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
In other COVID-19 updates:
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Total cases worldwide are now over 89,000, with deaths over 3,000
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France confirms 130 cases of coronavirus, Germany reported at least 117 cases
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Spain has 76 cases of coronavirus, public media reported
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Coronavirus has now spread to more than 60 countries
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The family of jailed British woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe suspects she has coronavirus in Iran
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The UK confirmed 12 new cases of the virus in the country, bringing total to 35
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The US is banning any foreign national who has travelled to Iran in the last 14 days
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Irans health ministry said the death toll from the virus was now 54 from 978 infections
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Wall Street had its worst week since October 2008 due to coronavirus fears
Global risk level at its highest
The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the global risk level from COVID-19 from "high" to "very high" on Friday as the virus continued to spread rapidly outside China, with 67 deaths in 49 countries.
The international body urged people not to travel at all if they have a fever or cough, and said the "window of opportunity" to contain the coronavirus was "slowly closing".
"Very high" is the highest possible level of risk assessment, although it makes little practical difference in tackling the epidemic.
WHO health emergencies Executive Director Mike Ryan told the Geneva news conference that it was still possible to contain COVID-19 with "aggressive containment".
"This thing can go in any direction [but] we can stop it," he said. "That’s what we believe."
He said his message to governments is: Wake up! Get ready. You have a duty to the world to get ready."
“Every country must be ready for its first case, its first cluster," WHO secretary-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference in Geneva earlier this week. "This virus does not respect borders."
He added: "This virus is not influenza. With the right measures, it can be contained. This is not a time for fear, this is a time for taking action now to prevent infections and save lives. Fear and panic doesn’t help."
Markets plummet as cases overseas rise
Global markets have taken a hit due to coronavirus fears, with Wall Street reportedly having its worst week since 2008.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 12% this past week, having dropped nearly 1,200 points on Thursday. The UKs FTSE 100 fell 11.1% this past week.
European stocks were down significantly with both the French CAC 40 and the DAX falling roughly 4%, raising fears over slow global economic growth. The IMF said earlier this week that the monetary body would adjust their estimates for global growth.
SOURCE: euronews
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/14373
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