Beijing tells Pompeo it is futile to smear China over virus
Top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi has told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by telephone that attempts to smear China’s efforts to control the coronavirus “will not succeed”, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.
Duterte puts Philippines under quarantine, says ‘we are in the fight of our lives’
The Philippines announced strict home quarantine measures on Monday for half of its population, shut down transport networks and ordered businesses to close or operate remotely in a bid to quell rising coronavirus cases.
Starbucks shifts to ‘to go’ format in U.S., Canada as virus spreads
Starbucks Corp has closed its dine-in areas and switched to a “to go” format for at least two weeks to help control the rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States and Canada.
Turkey suspends mass prayers in mosques over coronavirus fears: religious authority
Turkey suspended mass prayers in mosques until the risk of coronavirus outbreak passes, the head of Turkey’s religious directorate, Ali Erbas said on Monday.
Egypt to halt flights from Thursday to stem spread of coronavirus
Egypt will halt all air traffic at its airports from Thursday until March 31 to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Monday.
Regional leader of Spain’s Catalonia says he has coronavirus
The regional leader of Spain’s Catalonia, Quim Torra, said on Monday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and that he was going into self-isolation in a government building.
Cyberattack hits U.S. health department amid coronavirus: Bloomberg
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a key part of the federal response to the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak, was hit by a cyberattack on Sunday night, prompting a response from the National Security Council, Bloomberg said on Monday…
No plans to delay Poland’s elections due to coronavirus: PM
Poland does not plan to change the date of the May 10 presidential elections due to the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday.
EU executive warns against border closures as way to curb coronavirus
European Union countries must take care not to damage food and medicine supply lines as they slap on border restrictions in the drive to curb the spread of coronavirus, the EU’s executive arm said on Monday.
Only 50 people per show, please, says theater-operator AMC
AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc said on Monday it will limit attendance at its U.S. theaters to a maximum of 50 people per show, effective immediately, due to the spread of coronavirus, sending its shares down 21%.
