Corona invades the world ... high deaths, Merkel warns Europe, China offers help

The Italians commit to their homes on Wednesday for the second day of total closure in the country in an effort to stop the spread of the new Corona virus, which has killed more than 600 people so far, while China has offered to send medical teams to Italy to help them fight the virus, amid the high rate of spread of the virus in different countries of the world, especially in Europe .

The death toll from the new Corona (Covid-19) exceeded 1,100 outside mainland China, which alone counted 3,100 deaths, according to a toll compiled by Agence France-Presse based on official figures.

Italy has become the first country to introduce strict measures to stop the spread of the Corona virus, and Italians have rushed since Monday evening to supermarkets to buy essential products.

Italy is getting more isolated, as Austria requires travelers from this country to provide a medical statement, while Slovenia has closed its borders with it, and Spain, as well as British, French and Canadian airlines, have stopped flights to Italian cities.

The Chinese news agency (Xinhua) said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a telephone conversation with his Italian counterpart Luigi de Mayo, that the Chinese people do not forget the support they received from Italy at the beginning of the Corona crisis, and offered to provide assistance to confront Corona.

The Italian minister said that his country was learning from the successful Chinese experience in fighting the virus and had taken strict measures to prevent its spread.

He revealed that there was a shortage of medical supplies and equipment in his country, and he hoped that China would help it meet its urgent needs.

He pointed out that although China itself still needs large quantities of medical materials, it intends to provide assistance to Italy, including face masks, and will speed up and enhance its exports of supplies and equipment to Italy to meet its urgent needs.

He explained that, if Italy requests, China will send medical teams to Italy to help fight the virus.

China controls
In China, the authorities relaxed their measures and President Xi Jinping stressed that the epidemic is "virtually under control."

On Tuesday, the president visited Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, the Corona hotspot, where the authorities announced the partial lifting of the quarantine imposed on the population.

Only 24 new infections were recorded in the last 24 hours in China, a significant slowdown in the spread of the virus, compared to the hundreds of new infections that China recorded daily in February.

The Chinese government of Hubei Province said in a notice today, Wednesday, that the major industries will resume their activities in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak of the Corona virus, which has claimed more than 4000 lives so far.

The notice said that major sectors such as public transportation, medical supplies and institutions producing daily necessities in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, will be allowed to return to work. The notice added that other industries that have an impact on the domestic or global supply chain can also return to work with permission from the relevant authorities.

Three continents
Outside the Chinese borders, the epidemic continues to spread, reaching the threshold of the global epidemic, according to the World Health Organization.

In the United States, where the number of injuries rose to more than 900, it was decided to impose isolation on the city of New Rochelle in the suburb of New York.

Trump confirmed that he was in "very good" health, while also expressing his willingness to undergo a screening test for the emergence of a new corona.

The two Democratic primary candidates, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, canceled their electoral festivals on Tuesday due to the spread of the virus.

There is a significant increase in the number of casualties in many countries such as Iran (more than eight thousand injuries and about 300 deaths), and Spain (more than 1,600 injuries), with the first deaths in Morocco, Lebanon and Panama.

In all, the virus has reached more than 117,000 infections in more than a hundred countries and regions, including 36,000 out of China, according to Agence France-Presse.

In Iran, the Ministry of Health announced today that the number of corona deaths has increased to 354, and injuries to nine thousand.

"We are still at the beginning of this epidemic," said French President Emmanuel Macron, with about 1,800 injuries and 33 deaths recorded in France, and he ruled out strict measures similar to measures in Italy, without completely excluding this possibility.

In Britain, a 62-year-old delegated Minister of Health announced that she had been infected with the virus.

Merkel warns
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stated that between 60% to 70% of Germans are vulnerable to infection with the new Corona virus, and indicated that Germany's struggle against Corona will take a long time.

Merkel said that Europeans should understand that Corona has arrived and must work to slow its spread.

On Wednesday, German Health Minister Jens Span stated that closing the country's borders will not succeed in preventing the spread of the Corona virus, rejecting calls for Germany to follow the example of its neighbor Austria and prevent visitors from Italy.

European Commission President Ursula von der Line confirmed on Tuesday that she would use "all available tools" to support economies affected by the epidemic, at the conclusion of a videoconference held with leaders of the 27 member states.

On Wednesday, the Indonesian authorities announced the first death registration in the country due to the new Corona.

And in Iraq, the Health Department of Karbala Governorate, in southern Iraq, announced on Wednesday that it recorded a new death for a person with corona, taking the number of deaths due to the virus throughout the country to 8.

Iraq also banned entry of foreign arrivals from 11 countries, and prevented its citizens from traveling to it: China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Italy, Kuwait, Bahrain, France, and Spain, until further notice, except for official delegations and diplomatic bodies.

"I reject the American treatment."
The leader of the Iraqi Sadr movement, Muqtada Al-Sadr, expressed his rejection of any corona virus treatment made by American companies.

Al-Sadr wrote, on his Twitter account, "I was stopped by Trump's saying: We do a great job against the Corona virus and the situation will get worse if we do not interfere."

In Israel, there were 26 new cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the total number of infections to 76.

The Israeli authorities have prevented 400 foreigners from entering land crossings with Jordan and Egypt, and according to statistics, more than 197,000 foreigners have left Israel in the past two weeks since the Ministry of Health began implementing strict measures to curb the spread of the Corona virus.

The outbreak of the "Covid-19" virus negatively affected various sporting events around the world, prompting the cancellation or postponement of some of them, or the establishment of other events behind closed doors against fans, especially football matches in Europe.