More school closures and the suspension of business travel are among the steps being taken around the world to fight the spread of the new coronavirus.
These are some of the latest developments Wednesday:
SCHOOLS, PRAYER DISRUPTED
Italy is closing schools nationwide after reporting more than 3,000 cases of the new virus and more than 100 deaths. In the United States, some schools in Washington are considering the possibility of having to teach students online as the state’s death toll reached 10. In the Middle East, religious practices are being disrupted. Saudi Arabia banned pilgrimages to the holy city of Mecca. Iran canceled Friday’s Islamic prayers in major cities. In Israel, the chief rabbi is urging observant Jews to refrain from kissing mezuzot, small items encasing a prayer scroll that are posted by Jews on doorposts.
DEATH-RATE MATH
The World Health Organization says 3.4% of people known to have had the new virus globally have died so far. But it’s too early to know if the death rate for the virus is really that high. When viruses pop up in new places, the first to get counted are often the sickest. Health authorities need a better handle on how many people have mild cases of COVID-19, and they think many are going uncounted right now. With SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, about 10% of patients died. On average, the seasonal flu’s death rate is about 0.1%.
SOUTH KOREA SEEKS HOSPITAL BEDS, NORTH KOREA CLAIMS ZERO CASES
The South Korean city of Daegu is short of thousands of hospital beds for patients but Prime Minister Chung Se-Kyun is expressing confidence the country can cope with the outbreak. Neighboring North Korea says it doesn’t have any cases, despite sharing a porous border with China, where the virus first appeared. But experts say the virus may already be circulating in the country. Meanwhile, tiny Liechtenstein and the remote Faroe Islands off Europe reported their first cases Wednesday.
COMPANIES CURB TRAVEL
Global companies are cutting back on business travel. Online retailer Amazon told its 800,000 workers to postpone non-essential travel, and Swiss food giant Nestle instructed its 291,000 employees to halt international travel until mid-March. Other companies including Starbucks Corp. are going virtual. The coffee chain said Wednesday its annual meeting at a theater in Seattle, typically a party-like affair, will be held online.
MONA LISA SMILES AGAIN
The Louvre Museum in Paris has reopened after managers promised measures to ease workers’ fears about catching the virus from visitors who come from around the world. The measures include distributing more disinfectant gels and giving staff more time to wash their hands. Additionally, staff will only need to stand at the entrance to the room where Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” is displayed, rather than inside. The museum will also stop accepting cash payments because of worries banknotes could harbor the virus
PROOF’S IN THE PIZZA
France’s ambassador to Italy wolfed down a Neapolitan pizza Wednesday in a gastronomic apology of sorts after a French satirical program poked fun at Italy with a sketch featuring a “corona pizza.” Ambassador Christian Masset told reporters that “we French love pizza” as he arrived for lunch at the Gino Sorbillo pizzeria. The owner also had a message for those who would attack the Italian tradition: “Don’t mess with our cuisine,” Sorbillo said. “It’s one of the last things we have.” Italy’s large number of infections has caused tourism to tank across the country.
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