(Bloomberg) — Austria is shutting down flights to and from Iran, South Korea, and Italy’s Milan and Bologna starting next week. Georgia halted flights to and from Italy and will impose a mandatory quarantine on travelers returning from high-risk areas. Norwegian Air suspended service between Oslo and Milan.
Newly elected Iranian lawmaker Fatemeh Rahbar, 55, died Saturday, the first coronavirus fatality among 23 infected members of Parliament in the country. Korea, Afghanistan and Thailand confirmed new cases Saturday morning. The number of cases globally climbed past 101,300.
The week-long South by Southwest music, arts and technology festival in Austin, Texas, was canceled, and the Milken Institute Global Conference postponed its annual gathering, known as “Davos of the West,” until July.
Key Developments:
Cases surpass 101,000 worldwide; deaths top 3,400Chinese exports fell 17.2% in the first two months of the yearU.S. health system faces supply, test shortage as cases spreadColombia, Costa Rica and Peru reported their first casesAir travel poised for worst year on recordPence reports 21 cases on Grand Princess off California coast
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Philippines Declares State of Emergency (4:37pm HK)
President Rodrigo Duterte has agreed to declare a state of national public health emergency in the Philippines after a local transmission of coronavirus, CNN Philippines reports, citing Senator Bong Go.
The Philippines health department reported the country’s sixth infection Saturday, a 59-year-old woman who is married to the country’s fifth patient, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said at a press briefing in Manila. The woman is stable; her husband, 62, is in critical condition.
Officials are bracing for an increase in cases as the government repatriates hundreds of citizens from affected areas abroad, including tourists, overseas workers and undocumented migrants.
Vietnam Air Crew Put in Quarantine (3:45pm HK)
All air crew and ground staff working on a Vietnam Airlines’ flight from London to Hanoi on March 1 are being quarantined after a passenger tested positive for coronavirus, according to a release from the country’s health minister.
The 26-year-old woman is the country’s 17th confirmed case, the first in Hanoi. City officials are trying to contact about 30 people who traveled in business class with the patient.
Milken Conference Postponed to July (11:20 a.m. HK)
The Milken Institute Global Conference, originally scheduled for early May in Beverly Hills, California, is being postponed until July. Nicknamed “Davos of the West,” the annual event run by billionaire financier Michael Milken’s think tank brings together some of the world’s most influential people for discussions of global trends in finance, health care, immigration and politics.
The Milken conference joins Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley and Oaktree Capital Management on the growing list of finance industry gatherings that are rescheduling, moving events online or canceling outright as the spreading coronavirus brings new concerns about travel and big public gatherings.
U.S. Reports New Deaths in Florida, Washington (8:15 a.m. HK)
Florida health officials confirmed the state’s first two deaths from coronavirus as well the first pair of cases in the Miami metropolitan area. The health agency for Seattle and King County said a man in his 60s died on Thursday, the ninth fatality associated with the outbreak at an area nursing home.
Nebraska and Kentucky reported their first cases. A person in Alameda County, California, who had been on a cruise ship last month tested positive for the virus, as did a Chicago school aide and a Starbucks barista at one of the coffee chain’s downtown Seattle stores.
G-20 Ready to Take Further Measures (7:40 a.m. HK)
G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors in a statement said they are closely monitoring the evolution of new coronavirus, including its impact on markets and economic conditions.
The officials said they are ready to take further action, including fiscal and monetary steps — as appropriate — to aid in the response, support the economy and maintain the resilience of the financial system.
“We reiterate our commitment to use all available policy tools to achieve strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, and safeguard against downside risks,” according to the statement.
Princess Cruise Ship Near California Has 21 Cases (7:04 a.m. HK)
At least 19 passengers and two crew members on Carnival Corp.’s Grand Princess, currently off the coast of California, tested positive for the virus, Vice President Mike Pence said.
Forty-six people on the ship have been tested, Pence said at a news conference in Washington. The Grand Princess will be brought to shore and everyone will be tested and quarantined as needed. He said cruise ships “represent a unique challenge for health officials” and advised elderly Americans to carefully consider whether to to take cruises.
New York Infections Jump (5:06 p.m. NY)
New York state reported 11 new cases, bringing the total to 44, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter. Eight of the new cases are in Westchester County, three in Nassau.
“We want to keep testing and finding more people who are testing positive because that’s how you contain the outbreak — find the person who got infected, quarantine them and reduce the infection rate,” Cuomo said Friday at a news briefing.
Latin America Nations Report First Cases (4:30 p.m. NY)
Colombia, Peru and Costa Rica all reported their first cases of the new coronavirus.
The case in Peru is a 25-year-old man who contracted it on vacation in Europe, RPP reports. In Colombia, a test on a 19-year-old female student from Milan was confirmed Friday, Bogota’s mayor said on Twitter. A 49-year-old American tourist to Costa Rica tested positive, the nation’s health minister said.
Brazil and Chile have also reported cases. No deaths have been reported in the region.
Italy Studying Quarantine for Milan Region (1:50 p.m. NY)
Italy is evaluating new steps to contain the coronavirus contagion in Lombardy, the area around Milan, Silvio Brusaferro, head of Italy’s National Institute of Health, said at a press briefing. Health authorities are evaluating some measures for the region and other areas at risk in the country, which has 4,636 cases and almost 200 deaths.
–With assistance from Justin Sink and Lizette Chapman.
To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Steve Geimann in Washington at [email protected]
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew G. Miller at [email protected], Janet Paskin, Stanley James
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