#3DoorsDown #Adele #Beyonce #BrunoMars #CelineDion #ChristinaAguilera #Eminem #Evanescense #LadyGaga #MariahCarey #Rihanna #TaylorSwift #TheFugees #NeilsGeusebroek #ёлка #Wham #TheCarpenters #ChristinaPerry #LinkinPark #NatalieImbruglia #WhitneyHouston #SunidhiChauhan #TheCranberries #OliviaNewtonJohn #BradleyCooper #MikkyEkko #AlannahMyles #RichardMarx #Nazareth #Foreigner #Roxette #Labrinth #LeonaLewis #JamesArthur #CesariaEvora
NEWS UPDATE:
Europe is now reporting more daily cases than China did at the peak of virus outbreak there. Cases surged 62% in Switzerland, 20% in the U.K. and 17% in Italy.
The head of Massachusetts General Hospital called for a “war-like stance” to fight the outbreak.
Key Developments:
Cases top 160,000 worldwide, as deaths exceed 6,000
The U.S. totals 3,037 cases and 61 deaths
South Africa declares a state of disaster
Ski resorts close in U.S., France and Austria
Ireland asks pubs to close
France tightens controls at German border
South Africa Declares Disaster (2 p.m. NY)
South Africa declared a national state of disaster, closed 35 ports of entry, banned gatherings of more than 100 people and shut schools starting the middle of this week. Flights will be halted from Italy, Iran, the U.S., U.K. and South Korea, the government said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa in a televised speech discouraged citizens from non-essential domestic travel.
N.Y. May Be ‘Overwhelmed’ (1:45 p.m. NY)
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that the state’s health-care system is about to be “overwhelmed,” but he stopped short of ordering schools or businesses to close.
Instead, he asked companies to close voluntarily and let employees work from home. Schools will remain open, he said, because many families rely on them for food and child care.
New York has 729 cases -- the most in the U.S. -- with three deaths.
Ireland Asks Pubs to Close (1:40 p.m. NY)
The Irish government asked pubs to close for at least two weeks after video of bars jammed with drinkers in defiance of guidelines appeared on social media. Industry groups say it’s impossible to police social-distancing guidelines.
The government also pleaded with citizens not to replace pub visits with house parties.
Europe Outpacing China at Peak (1:30 p.m. NY)
Europe is reporting more new cases each day than China did when the disease peaked in that country, the head of the World Health Organization said. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said canceling sporting events can help slow the spread.
The situation will worsen in many countries before it improves, said Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist. While the situation is improving in Asia, countries where the disease has peaked could experience relapses, she said.
SAS Idles 90% of Staff (1:15 p.m. NY)
Scandinavian airline SAS AB is idling up to 10,000 employees, or 90% of staff, to cope with fallout from the coronavirus and related government measures that have restricted international air travel.
The airline will also cancel most flights staerting Monday, according to a statement. SAS said it will maintain certain routes in order to enable flights to return from various destinations.
Dutch Schools, Bars to Close (1:15 p.m. NY)
The Dutch government ordered schools, gyms, restaurants and bars to close until April 6. Suspending classes puts the Netherlands in line with most other European countries, though it’s a reversal from Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s insistence last week that schools will stay open.
Manhattan Project Approach Urged (12:20 p.m. NY)
U.S. hospitals are preparing for a surge in patients as testing becomes more prevalent, revealing the extent of Covid-19’s spread, which led one administrator to urge more action.
“We need to think about this in almost like a war-like stance,” Peter Slavin, president of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
He urged the government to wage a Manhattan Project-type effort, as it did in World War II on the atomic bomb, to spur the health-care industry to make more surgical masks, eye protection gear and gowns.
Portugal Limits Crowds (12:10 p.m. NY)
Portugal is banning events with more than 100 people, Internal Administration Minister Eduardo Cabrita said in a broadcast on SIC Noticias. The government had already blocked events with more than 1,000 people.
U.K. Cases Rise 20% (11:43 a.m. NY)
The U.K. said 1,372 people have tested positive for coronavirus, up from 1,140 a day earlier. An additional 14 deaths brings the total to 35. Health Secretary Matt Hancock defended the government, which hasn’t closed schools or halted mass gatherings as have many other nations.
Hash tags including #CloseTheSchoolsNow and #lockusdown were trending on Twitter in the U.K. Sunday. People over age 70 will be asked to stay home in “the coming weeks,” Hancock told Sky News.