Key Points:
- Confirmed cases 110 276
- Deaths 3840
- Italy’s massive coronavirus quarantine provokes panic; stock markets tank 11%
- China reports 40 new confirmed cases and 22 additional deaths as of Mar. 8, bringing the total number of cases in the mainland to 80,735 and the cumulative death toll to 3,119.
- At least 11 people have died after a quarantine hotel in China’s Fujian province collapsed on Saturday evening, according to state media, citing data as of Monday afternoon.
- Following the discharge of most patients, 11 of the 14 makeshift hospitals in Wuhan that were built for treatment of the new coronavirus have closed, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.
- In the U.S., the number of confirmed cases now stands at 511, according to data compiled by NBC News, and there are at least 21 deaths attributable to the virus.
- Cruise ship rejected by Thailand and Malaysia to dock in Singapore tomorrow
- Foreign diplomats finally allowed to leave Pyongyang after long quarantine
- Oil prices and stock markets fall
- Pacific nation the Marshall Islands bans all incoming flights for two weeks
- Disney resort in Shanghai partially reopens
Italy’s massive coronavirus quarantine provokes panic; stock markets tank 11%
Italy’s extended quarantine measures restricting the movement of people in the northern regions have provoked panic among residents and accentuated the country’s north-south divide.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a decree imposing restrictions to the movement of people in the northern region of Lombardy — the epicenter of the outbreak in Italy — and 14 other provinces across the north, until April 3. The measures affect more that 16 million people, banning them from moving in and out of those areas.
The publication of a draft decree Saturday afternoon by a newspaper revealing the forthcoming, wider quarantine measures prompted panic among residents trying to get out before the restrictions came into force after midnight.
Media reports said bars and restaurants emptied out with thousands of people trying to leave the region in cars and trains where there were reports of shoving and pushing by passengers. There was reportedly a riot in a prison in Modena when inmates were informed that prison visits from relatives had been banned to prevent the spread of infection.
Italian stocks on the blue-chip FTSE MIB initially failed to open Monday along with other European markets. When the index did open, stocks were trading down around 2,290 points, or around 11% lower.
Story from CNBC
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