Emergency state for coronavirus, a commissioner for the crisis. China, almost 12 thousand infections, stop flights

2020-02-01T07:16:13.780Z

The Council of Ministers declared the state of emergency for six months for the Chinese coronavirus, allocating 5 million euros. An extraordinary commissioner will manage the calamity, as happened with Sars. He is the head of Civil Protection Borrelli: in case of need, he can requisition hotels and housing facilities, but in the meantime reassures: prevention works and any alarmism is unjustified. Acts of intolerance condemned. The cases ascertained in Italy remain two, a couple of Chinese tourists in 'fair conditions' at Spallanzani in Rome. Stop flights to and from China. Strengthened controls in ports. There is also an emergency in the United States, where Wall Street sells over 2 percent. In China, the latest toll recorded nearly 12,000 infections and 259 deaths. Beijing admits delays in managing the epidemic. And we start to fear for the economic consequences. With 46 new deaths and 2,102 confirmed cases, Friday was the day with the most severe bulletin of the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic. The data provided by the Chinese National Health Commission (NHC) bring the total count of deaths to 259 and that of the infected persons at 11,791. The Ministry of Health of Madrid has confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Spain, in La Gomera, in the Canary islands. This is what emerges from the analyzes conducted by the National Microbiology Center of the Charles III Institute of Health in Madrid. The patient, a German-born tourist, is currently in solitary confinement in a hospital on the island, as stated in the note from the Ministry of Health. Australia launches measures not to allow non-resident foreigners arriving from China to enter the country. Starting today, entry will only be allowed to "Australian citizens, residents of the country, dependents, legal guardians or spouses". This was announced by Premier Scott Morrison. The measures to initiate the blockade "are nearing completion," said the premier. Two planes loaded with Chinese passengers residing in the Hubei province - the epicenter of the coronavirus - landed in the capital Wuhan, as part of the repatriation plan decided by Beijing. One flight, 73 people on board, arrived from Bangkok, the other from Kota Kinabalu, a popular tourist destination in Malaysia. The Beijing Foreign Ministry yesterday announced the government's plan to repatriate Hubei and Wuhan residents to the country "in the face of the problems they faced abroad."