Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

17 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

17 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

17 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

18 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

21 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

22 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

22 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

22 hours ago
What’s Happening? Virus Forges On, as World Hunts Solutions
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
February 27, 2020

Share

One by one, more and more countries are reporting cases of the new coronavirus. Governments and doctors on the front lines are scrambling for solutions and everyday life around the globe is being disrupted in a manner that’s not been seen in recent times.
The spread of the virus is having an impact all round the world. Here are some of the latest developments:

Hunting for Patient Zero

From California to Italy and beyond, more cases are popping up with no clear origin. These are people who did not travel abroad, or were not linked to another known case. Health authorities in all these places are working hard to find the original source, or “patient zero,” using what’s called contact tracing, or finding all the people the patients were in contact with them. In a highly mobile world, that’s increasingly difficult.

Photo of people wearing face masks as they ride an escalator in China
People wear face masks as they ride an escalator at the Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. Face masks sold out and temperature checks at airports and train stations became the new norm as China strove Tuesday to control the outbreak of a new coronavirus that has reached four other countries and territories and threatens to spread further during the Lunar New Year travel rush. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Stay Away, Foreign Pilgrims

Saudi Arabia has responded to the fears by banning foreign pilgrims from visiting Islam’s holiest shrines. That will change the face of this year’s annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, and disrupt plans for millions of faithful from around the world who come to the kingdom to pray together. The decision illustrates how tense the situation is across the Gulf region and the wider Middle East as a whole largely as a result of the spike in deaths and infections in Iran. Iran has now seen more virus deaths than anywhere except China, where it first emerged at the end of 2019.

Japan Skips School

Japan, too, is increasingly worried, and made a decision Thursday that’s sure to have its 12.8 million schoolchildren secretly celebrating. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he wants all elementary, middle and high schools nationwide to remain closed until spring holidays in late March. Japan now has more than 900 cases, including hundreds from a quarantined cruise ship. France, Germany, Monaco and other countries near Italy are telling parents to keep their kids home from school if they’ve been anywhere near the growing number of zones worldwide hit by virus outbreaks. One reason for the school warnings: growing concern about the rise in the number of untraceable cases of the virus.

Beefing Up Borders

Germany has a new way of trying to retroactively track down everyone who may have been exposed to an infected person. It’s introducing new landing cards for people arriving from countries most hit by the virus. That’s among measures around the world by authorities trying to keep the virus from spreading in their own countries. Pakistan halted flights to and from neighboring Iran. Prague suspended flights from South Korea. Cyprus is adding more police and health workers at crossing points between the internationally recognized state in the south and a self-declared Turkish Cypriot state in the north. But EU officials insisted that the virus doesn’t stop at borders, saying that if a case is identified at the border, it’s probably too late and the spread is likely anyway.

Trump’s Intervention

U.S. President Donald Trump is under fire for the government’s response to the crisis — he’s voiced his unhappiness at how concerns over the virus’ spread has hit the stock market hard. But given how acute the concerns are, Trump has sought to defend his administration’s record as the number of cases in the U.S. are expected to pick up. He has put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of coordinating the efforts. But that hasn’t made everyone happy, nor has it calmed the mood. Health officials stressed that schools, businesses and individuals need to get ready.

Photo of President Donald Trump with Vice President Mike Pence, left, and members of the president's coronavirus task force
President Donald Trump with Vice President Mike Pence, left, and members of the president’s coronavirus task force speaks during a news conference at the Brady press briefing room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

China’s Growing Confidence

Now that there are more cases being reported outside China than inside, Chinese authorities are eager to shed the virus stigma and questions about its early handling of the epidemic. President Xi Jinping said Thursday: “We have the confidence, the ability and the certainty to win this war against the epidemic.” And famed Chinese respiratory disease specialist Zhong Nanshan predicted China’s outbreak should be “basically under control” by the end of April. He credited strong measures taken by the government and the work of medical workers for helping curb the spread.
[activecampaign form=29]

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

DON'T MISS

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

DON'T MISS

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

DON'T MISS

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

DON'T MISS

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

DON'T MISS

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

DON'T MISS

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

DON'T MISS

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

UP NEXT

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

UP NEXT

Colombia President Recalls Ambassador to US

UP NEXT

US-Backed 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire Envisions Gradual Return of Hostages, Official Says

UP NEXT

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

UP NEXT

US Paves Way to Resume Ethane Exports to China Amid Trade Truce

UP NEXT

US Imposes New Sanctions Targeting Iran Oil Trade, Hezbollah, Treasury Dept Says

UP NEXT

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

UP NEXT

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

UP NEXT

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

UP NEXT

Iran Enacts Law Suspending Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

14 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

15 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

15 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

15 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

15 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

16 hours ago

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

16 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

17 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

17 hours ago

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

17 hours ago

July 4th Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Founding Fathers

In the muggy summer of 1776, 56 men met in Philadelphia and pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to America’s future with the D...

53 minutes ago

53 minutes ago

July 4th Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Founding Fathers

A crash causes a traffic jam in northwest Fresno on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
13 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned 52,593 acres with 5% containment, prompting evacuation orders in several San Luis Obispo County zones as of Thursday, July 3, 2025, afternoon. (CalFire)
14 hours ago

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

14 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

15 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

An ICE agent talks with migrants about their scheduled appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Father’s Day, to learn about their immigration status, in Chicago, Illinois., U.S., June 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

Boeing logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

15 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend