India extends world's biggest lockdown, ignites protest by migrant workers - Reuters

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - India extended a lockdown on its 1.3 billion people until at least May 3 on Tuesday and Prime Minister Narendra Modi said economic sacrifices were needed to save lives as the number of coronavirus cases exceeded 10,000.

A few hours after Modi spoke, police baton-charged protesting migrant workers in Mumbai.

Sharp downward revisions to economic growth forecasts in the wake of the pandemic point towards surging unemployment, but Modi urged Indians to maintain the discipline shown in the first three weeks of the lockdown.

“That means until May 3, each and every one of us will have to remain in the lockdown,” Modi said in a televised address to the nation.

“From an economic only point of view, it undoubtedly looks costly right now; but measured against the lives of Indian citizens, there is no comparison itself.”

Later in Mumbai, thousands of jobless migrant workers gathered at a railway station, demanding to be allowed to travel to their homes in the countryside.

“Since trains and buses are not operational, they were making noise. To disperse them, police were forced to lathi (baton) charge,” said a senior police official.

Hundreds of thousands fled the big cities for their homes in the hinterland when Modi announced the lockdown last month, many walking great distances with their families on empty highways.

Pakistan, with a population of 205 million, also prolonged its lockdown, due to end on Wednesday, by two weeks. Nepal extended a lockdown of its 30 million people until April 27. Nepal has 16 cases of the virus and no deaths but worries about a spillover from India.

Modi announced the extension as latest government data showed the number of people infected with coronavirus in India had reached 10,363, with 339 deaths.

TESTING

Although the numbers are small compared with some Western nations, health experts fear that is because of India’s low levels of testing and that actual infection levels could be far higher.

Lacking testing kits and protective gear for medical workers, India has only tested 137 per million of its population, compared with 15,935 per million in Italy, and 8,138 in the United States.

Health experts have warned that widespread contagion could be disastrous in a country where millions live in dense slums and the health care system is overstretched.

According to the government, India has about one doctor per 1,500 citizens. The World Health Organization recommends one doctor per 1,000. In rural areas, where two-thirds of Indians live, the ratio is one doctor to more than 10,000 people.

So far, more than three-quarters of India’s cases are concentrated in about 80 of the country’s more than 700 districts, including New Delhi and Mumbai.

Relatives wearing protective gear prepare to bury the body of a man who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a graveyard in New Delhi, India, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

“It is my request and prayer to all fellow citizens, that we must not let coronavirus spread to new areas at any cost,” Modi said. But the shutdown of the $2.9 trillion economy is exacting a heavy toll.

Since the lockdown began in late March, unemployment has almost doubled to around 14.5%, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a Mumbai-based private think-tank.

The shutdown has already sparked an exodus of millions of workers from small industries like textiles and leather, and service industries like retail, tourism, construction and other sectors from cities to the villages

“I am well aware of the problems you have faced - some for food, some for movement from place to place, and others for staying away from homes and families,” Modi said.

For them, he offered the hope that restrictions in parts of the country that are not coronavirus hot spots might be slightly eased next week.

Former finance minister P. Chidambaram said that while the country stood behind Modi in fighting the pandemic, he could do more for the poor.

“There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food,” he said.

Most private economists and the World Bank have revised down India’s growth forecasts for the current year to between 1.5% and 2.8% because of the pandemic. Barclays Bank on Tuesday, forecast zero growth this year.

Official government figures on the spread of the coronavirus in South Asia are as follows:

* India has 10,363 confirmed cases, including 339 deaths

* Pakistan has 5,374 cases, including 93 deaths

* Bangladesh has 803 cases, including 39 deaths

* Afghanistan has 714 cases, including 23 deaths

* Sri Lanka has 219 cases, including 7 deaths

* Maldives has 20 cases and no deaths

* Nepal has 16 cases and no deaths

Slideshow (13 Images)

* Bhutan has five cases and no deaths

Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser

Additional reporting by Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo, Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Nick Macfie and Giles Elgood

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMilAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5yZXV0ZXJzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL3VzLWhlYWx0aC1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1zb3V0aGFzaWEvaW5kaWEtZXh0ZW5kcy13b3JsZHMtYmlnZ2VzdC1sb2NrZG93bi1hcy1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1jYXNlcy1jcm9zcy0xMDAwMC1pZFVTS0NOMjFXMEhJ0gE0aHR0cHM6Ly9tb2JpbGUucmV1dGVycy5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZS9hbXAvaWRVU0tDTjIxVzBISQ?oc=5

2020-04-14 15:07:58Z
52780714361367

India extends world's biggest lockdown, ignites protest by migrant workers - Reuters

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India extended a lockdown for its 1.3 billion people until at least May 3 on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned of economic sacrifices to save lives as the number of coronavirus cases crossed 10,000.

Sharp downward revisions to economic growth forecasts in the wake of the pandemic point towards sickening levels of unemployment, but Modi urged Indians to maintain the discipline shown in the first three weeks of the lockdown.

“That means until May 3, each and every one of us will have to remain in the lockdown,” Modi said in a televised address to the nation.

“From an economic only point of view, it undoubtedly looks costly right now; but measured against the lives of Indian citizens, there is no comparison itself.”

India’s neighbour, Pakistan, with a population of 205 million, extended its lockdown, due to end on Wednesday, by two weeks. Nepal extended the lockdown of its 30 million people until April 27. Nepal has 16 cases of the virus and no deaths but worries about a spillover from India.

Modi spoke as latest government data showed the number of people infected with coronavirus in India had reached 10,363, with 339 deaths.

Although the numbers are small compared with hard-hit Western nations, health experts fear that is because of India’s low levels of testing and that actual infection levels could be far higher.

Lacking testing kits and protective gear for medical workers, India has only tested 137 per million of its population, compared with 15,935 per million in Italy, and 8,138 in the United States.

Health experts have warned that widespread contagion could be disastrous in a country where millions live in dense slums and the health care system is overstretched.

According to the government, India has about one doctor per 1,500 citizens. The World Health Organization recommends one doctor per 1,000. In rural areas, where two-thirds of Indians live and rely almost solely on government hospitals, the ratio is one doctor to more than 10,000 people.

So far, more than three-quarters of India’s cases are concentrated in about 80 of the country’s more than 700 districts, including the two big cities, New Delhi and Mumbai.

“It is my request and prayer to all fellow citizens, that we must not let coronavirus spread to new areas at any cost,” Modi said. But the shutdown of the $2.9 trillion economy is exacting a heavy toll.

Since Modi first imposed the lockdown in late March, the unemployment rate has almost doubled to around 14.5%, according data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), a Mumbai based private think-tank.

Members of Rapid Action Force (RAF) patrol an empty street after India extended a nationwide lockdown to slow the spreading of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Ahmedabad, India, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Amit Dave

The shutdown sparked an exodus of millions of workers from small industries like textiles and leather, and service industries like retail, tourism, construction and other sectors from cities to the villages.

“I am well aware of the problems you have faced - some for food, some for movement from place to place, and others for staying away from homes and families,” Modi said.

For them, he offered hope of a slight easing of some curbs in parts of the country which are not hotspots next week.

Former finance minister P. Chidambaram said while the country stood behind Modi in fighting the pandemic, he could have done more for the millions of poor by opening its coffers.

“There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food,” he said.

Most private economists and the World Bank have revised down India’s growth forecasts for the current year to between 1.5% to 2.8% as a result of the pandemic. Barclays Bank, in a note to clients on Tuesday, forecast zero growth in 2020.

Official government figures on the spread of the coronavirus in South Asia are as follows:

* India has 10,363 confirmed cases, including 339 deaths

* Pakistan has 5,374 cases, including 93 deaths

* Bangladesh has 803 cases, including 39 deaths

* Afghanistan has 714 cases, including 23 deaths

* Sri Lanka has 219 cases, including 7 deaths

* Maldives has 20 cases and no deaths

Slideshow (11 Images)

* Nepal has 14 cases and no deaths

* Bhutan has five cases and no deaths

Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser

Additional reporting by Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo, Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Nick Macfie

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMilAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5yZXV0ZXJzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL3VzLWhlYWx0aC1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1zb3V0aGFzaWEvaW5kaWEtZXh0ZW5kcy13b3JsZHMtYmlnZ2VzdC1sb2NrZG93bi1hcy1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1jYXNlcy1jcm9zcy0xMDAwMC1pZFVTS0NOMjFXMEhJ0gE0aHR0cHM6Ly9tb2JpbGUucmV1dGVycy5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZS9hbXAvaWRVU0tDTjIxVzBISQ?oc=5

2020-04-14 14:45:55Z
52780714361367

IMF says the world will 'very likely' experience worst recession since the 1930s - CNBC

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Bronze statues that depict the Great Depression, Waiting in a bread line by George Segal, Washington D.C, United States.

UniversalImagesGroup | Getty Images

The global economy will this year likely suffer the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday, as governments worldwide grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Washington-based organization now expects the global economy to contract by 3% in 2020. By contrast, in January it had forecast a global GDP (gross domestic product) expansion of 3.3% for this year.

"It is very likely that this year the global economy will experience its worst recession since the Great Depression, surpassing that seen during the global financial crisis a decade ago," Gita Gopinath, the IMF's chief economist, said in the latest World Economic Outlook report.

In January, the IMF had estimated 3.4% growth for global GDP in 2021; this has now been revised up to 5.8% (although growth is expected to be coming from a lower base following 2020's projected contraction).

"A partial recovery is projected for 2021, with above trend growth rates, but the level of GDP will remain below the pre-virus trend, with considerable uncertainty about the strength of the rebound," Gopinath said.

The dramatic downgrade in this year's growth expectations comes as other institutions also warn that the coronavirus outbreak is bringing massive economic challenges. The World Trade Organization said last week that global trade will contract by between 13% and 32% this year. The Organization for Economic Coordination and Development has also warned the economic hit from the virus will be felt "for a long time to come."

To contain the spread of the virus, many governments have implemented lockdown measures, only allowing people to leave their houses to purchase groceries, medicines and, in some cases, to exercise. As a result, business activity has stalled in many countries.

The magnitude and speed of collapse in activity that has followed (the lockdown) is unlike anything we’ve experienced in our lifetimes.

Gita Gopinath

IMF chief economist

The IMF, which dubbed the current crisis "the Great Lockdown," said "this is a crisis like no other." Speaking at a press conference, Tuesday, Gopinath explained "the magnitude and speed of collapse in activity that has followed (the lockdown) is unlike anything we've experienced in our lifetimes."

There's severe uncertainty about the duration and intensity of the economic shock, it added, and stimulating economic activity is more challenging given the required social distancing and isolation policies. 

The IMF said it had received "an unprecedented number of calls for emergency funding." Out of its 189 members, more than 90 of them have asked for financial support.

The fund, which provides financing to members which are struggling economically, has $1 trillion in lending capacity. 

Euro zone to be hit the hardest

The latest forecasts from the IMF suggest that the U.S. economy will contract by 5.9% this year. In comparison, the euro zone is expected to shrink by 7.5%, but China is seen growing by 1.2% in 2020.

The economic situation will be particularly difficult in Italy and Spain, where GDP is set to contract by 9.1% and 8%, respectively. These two countries are the worst hit in Europe by Covid-19. Both have higher numbers of infections and deaths than China, where the virus first emerged in late 2019.

How should governments react?

The IMF is advising countries to focus on the health crisis first, by spending on testing, medical equipment and other health care related costs.

It also said that governments should provide tax deferrals, wage subsidies and cash transfers to the most-affected citizens and firms; as well as to prepare for the lifting of lockdown measures.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNuYmMuY29tLzIwMjAvMDQvMTQvaW1mLWdsb2JhbC1lY29ub215LXRvLWNvbnRyYWN0LWJ5LTNwZXJjZW50LWR1ZS10by1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy5odG1s0gFmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25iYy5jb20vYW1wLzIwMjAvMDQvMTQvaW1mLWdsb2JhbC1lY29ub215LXRvLWNvbnRyYWN0LWJ5LTNwZXJjZW50LWR1ZS10by1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy5odG1s?oc=5

2020-04-14 13:41:38Z
52780724102469

UK charities say death statistics 'airbrushing' out elderly coronavirus victims - Fox News

Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.

Five U.K. charities sent a letter to the government Monday raising the alarm that the country's care system for elderly people is being overwhelmed, arguing that care staff doesn't have enough personal protective equipment and that the coronavirus deaths of older people in homes are not being counted in the government's official statistics.

Leaders of the U.K. Alzheimers Society; Marie Curie; Age UK; Care England; and Independent Age all signed on to the Monday letter, pleading with the government to step up its efforts in caring and accounting for COVID-19 cases in those living in assiste-living facilities and the like in the U.K., arguing that "[o]lder people's lives are not worth less."

"A lack of protective equipment means staff are putting their own lives at risk while also carrying the virus to highly vulnerable groups," the letter reads. "Care England estimates that there have been nearly a thousand deaths already, yet deaths from coronavirus in care homes are not being officially recorded or published, social care is the neglected frontline."

CORONAVIRUS: WHAT TO KNOW

CORONAVIRUS MAY HAVE SPREAD FROM DEAD BODY: REPORT

The government, according to BBC, has been primarily counting coronavirus deaths that are happening in hospitals because it is easy to get an accurate daily number.

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey told the BBC the government is publishing weekly figures for deaths taking place in care facilities as those deaths are certified -- a process that takes much longer than counting deaths in hospitals.

"The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they don't matter," Age UK Director Caroline Abrahams told the BBC.

The letter from the charities provides a list of requests for government relief for care homes, including PPE for caretakers who currently are dealing with a shortage, stepped-up testing, support to maintain communication between older people and their families, help on palliative care for those who do die and a better count of older people who die because of the coronavirus.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The letter asks for "[a] daily update on coronavirus deaths in the care system, just like deaths in the NHS, so that as a society we can understand the scale of the challenge we face."

According to BBC, there have been coronavirus outbreaks at upwards of 2,000 assisted-living facilities in England alone.

As of Tuesday, the U.K. has seen more than 87,500 positive coronavirus cases and more than 11,000 deaths.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiU2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL3BvbGl0aWNzL3VrLWNoYXJpdGllcy1haXJicnVzaGluZy1lbGRlcmx5LWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXRhbGx50gFXaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZm94bmV3cy5jb20vcG9saXRpY3MvdWstY2hhcml0aWVzLWFpcmJydXNoaW5nLWVsZGVybHktY29yb25hdmlydXMtdGFsbHkuYW1w?oc=5

2020-04-14 11:05:21Z
52780726619681

Putin Warns That Russia's COVID-19 Pandemic Is Getting Worse - NPR

Enlarge this image

Russian police officers, wearing face masks to guard against the coronavirus, descend into a pedestrian underpass as they patrol to enforce a self-isolation regime in Moscow. Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

After insisting less than a month ago that COVID-19 in Russia was "under control," President Vladimir Putin on Monday squarely acknowledged the opposite, with the largest day-to-day increase in cases to date and the head of the coronavirus task force warning that the country is "nowhere near" peak infections.

"We see that the situation is changing almost daily and, unfortunately, not for the better," Putin said in a video conference with health officials, according to The Moscow Times. "The number of people who are getting sick is increasing, with more cases of severe illness."

Today, Russia's coronavirus response center reported more than 2,700 new cases and 22 new deaths, bringing the total number of infections to more than 21,000 and 170 deaths. The capital, Moscow, has been hardest-hit, with more than 11,500 cases.

During the video conference with Putin on Monday, Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow and the head of Russia's coronavirus task force, said Russia is "nowhere near" its peak number of cases and his deputy acknowledged that Moscow's hospitals and ambulances were already stretched to the limit, the Times reports.

In mid-March, Putin told a government meeting that authorities were able to control the spread of the disease and that "the situation is generally under control despite high risk level."

However, by the end of the month, the country was seeing a spike in cases and had implemented a no-work order in an effort to contain the spread of the virus.

In early April, the government extended the no-work directive, and by last week the number of cases in Russia had topped 10,000.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMikAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5ucHIub3JnL3NlY3Rpb25zL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWxpdmUtdXBkYXRlcy8yMDIwLzA0LzE0LzgzMzg1NTAzMi9wdXRpbi13YXJucy1vZmZpY2lhbHMtdGhhdC1ydXNzaWFzLWNvdmlkLTE5LXBhbmRlbWljLWlzLWdldHRpbmctd29yc2XSAQA?oc=5

2020-04-14 09:20:49Z
52780723912637

China tightens Russian border checks, approves experimental coronavirus vaccine trials - Reuters

SUIFENHE, China (Reuters) - China has approved early-stage human tests for two experimental vaccines to combat the new coronavirus as it battles to contain imported cases, especially from neighbouring Russia, the new “front line” in the war on COVID-19.

People wearing face masks cross a road after the lockdown against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was lifted in Wuhan, Hubei province, China April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song

Russia has become China’s largest source of imported cases, with a total of 409 infections originating in the country, and Chinese citizens should stay put and not return home, the state-owned Global Times said in an editorial.

“Russia is the latest example of a failure to control imported cases and can serve as a warning to others,” said the paper, which is run by the Communist Party’s People’s Daily.

“The Chinese people have watched Russia become a severely affected country... This should sound the alarm: China must strictly prevent the inflow of cases and avoid a second outbreak.”

China’s northeastern border province of Heilongjiang saw 79 new cases of imported coronavirus cases on Monday. All the new cases were Chinese citizens travelling back into the country from Russia, state media said on Tuesday. They formed the bulk of new cases on the Chinese mainland, which stood at 89.

Heilongjiang’s provincial authority said on Tuesday that it had established a hotline to reward citizens for reporting illegal immigrants crossing into the province.

According to a notice, people supplying verified information about illegal cross-border crimes will be granted 3,000 yuan. Those who apprehend the illegal immigrants themselves and hand them over to the authorities will be given 5,000 yuan.

As of Tuesday, China had reported 82,249 coronavirus cases and 3,341 deaths. There were no deaths in the past 24 hours.

Mongolia’s health ministry also confirmed 13 new cases on Tuesday, all imported from Russia.

VACCINE TRIALS

As China fights to prevent a second wave of COVID-19, two experimental vaccines will be trialed on humans, state media Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

The experimental vaccines are being developed by a Beijing-based unit of Nasdaq-listed Sinovac Biotech (SVA.O), and by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, an affiliate of state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group.

In March, China gave the green-light for another clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by military-backed China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences and HK-listed biotech firm CanSino Bio (6185.HK), shortly after U.S. drug developer Moderna (MRNA.O) said it had begun human tests for their vaccine with the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

At a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, China’s coronavirus task force decided to deploy more health resources on its borders.

It said it would build hospitals and establish isolation points in border regions, and would also strengthen cooperation with neighbouring countries.

However, officials on Monday acknowledged that China’s long border and its large number of country roads, paths, ferry crossings and mountain passes made it very difficult to control.

To ensure no infected people slip across the Russian-China border, China has put in stringent measures in Suifenhe a small city in Heilongjiang which shares a checkpoint with Russia.

Piao Minghua, deputy head of Harbin customs, which oversees Suifenhe border control, told Reuters that everyone entering Suifenhe has to be tested for the coronavirus, give detailed contact tracing, and then undergo quarantine.

Slideshow (14 Images)

Samples from inbound travellers are taken inside well-ventilated containers set up at the checkpoint so as to minimise cross-infection. Testing is being down round the clock to minimise waiting time.

Though the northeast border remains China’s priority, state media also reported late on Monday that more than 100 people had been arrested in March for illegally entering China through its southwestern border in Yunnan province. Yunnan police have promised to step up controls over the border.

Thousands of people, mostly Chinese workers and traders, were flooding back into Yunnan from Laos and Myanmar earlier this month, putting huge pressures on border regions like Xishuangbanna.

Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Huizhong Wu in Suifenhe, Lusha Zhang in Beijing; Additional reporting by Tom Balmforth in Moscow, Emily Chow in Shanghai, and Anand Tumurtogoo in Ulaanbaatar; Writing by David Stanway; Editing by Michael Perry

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMinwFodHRwczovL3d3dy5yZXV0ZXJzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL3VzLWhlYWx0aC1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1jaGluYS9jaGluYS10aWdodGVucy1ydXNzaWFuLWJvcmRlci1jaGVja3MtYXBwcm92ZXMtZXhwZXJpbWVudGFsLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXZhY2NpbmUtdHJpYWxzLWlkVVNLQ04yMVcwOE7SATRodHRwczovL21vYmlsZS5yZXV0ZXJzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL2FtcC9pZFVTS0NOMjFXMDhO?oc=5

2020-04-14 07:51:08Z
52780719833126

China tightens Russian border checks, approves experimental coronavirus vaccine trials - Reuters

SUIFENHE, China (Reuters) - China has approved early-stage human tests for two experimental vaccines to combat the new coronavirus as it battles to contain imported cases, especially from neighbouring Russia, the new “front line” in the war on COVID-19.

People wearing face masks cross a road after the lockdown against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was lifted in Wuhan, Hubei province, China April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song

Russia has become China’s largest source of imported cases, with a total of 409 infections originating in the country, and Chinese citizens should stay put and not return home, the state-owned Global Times said in an editorial.

“Russia is the latest example of a failure to control imported cases and can serve as a warning to others,” said the paper, which is run by the Communist Party’s People’s Daily.

“The Chinese people have watched Russia become a severely affected country... This should sound the alarm: China must strictly prevent the inflow of cases and avoid a second outbreak.”

China’s northeastern border province of Heilongjiang saw 79 new cases of imported coronavirus cases on Monday. All the new cases were Chinese citizens travelling back into the country from Russia, state media said on Tuesday. They formed the bulk of new cases on the Chinese mainland, which stood at 89.

Heilongjiang’s provincial authority said on Tuesday that it had established a hotline to reward citizens for reporting illegal immigrants crossing into the province.

According to a notice, people supplying verified information about illegal cross-border crimes will be granted 3,000 yuan. Those who apprehend the illegal immigrants themselves and hand them over to the authorities will be given 5,000 yuan.

As of Tuesday, China had reported 82,249 coronavirus cases and 3,341 deaths. There were no deaths in the past 24 hours.

Mongolia’s health ministry also confirmed 13 new cases on Tuesday, all imported from Russia.

VACCINE TRIALS

As China fights to prevent a second wave of COVID-19, two experimental vaccines will be trialed on humans, state media Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

The experimental vaccines are being developed by a Beijing-based unit of Nasdaq-listed Sinovac Biotech (SVA.O), and by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, an affiliate of state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group.

In March, China gave the green-light for another clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by military-backed China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences and HK-listed biotech firm CanSino Bio (6185.HK), shortly after U.S. drug developer Moderna (MRNA.O) said it had begun human tests for their vaccine with the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

At a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, China’s coronavirus task force decided to deploy more health resources on its borders.

It said it would build hospitals and establish isolation points in border regions, and would also strengthen cooperation with neighbouring countries.

However, officials on Monday acknowledged that China’s long border and its large number of country roads, paths, ferry crossings and mountain passes made it very difficult to control.

To ensure no infected people slip across the Russian-China border, China has put in stringent measures in Suifenhe a small city in Heilongjiang which shares a checkpoint with Russia.

Piao Minghua, deputy head of Harbin customs, which oversees Suifenhe border control, told Reuters that everyone entering Suifenhe has to be tested for the coronavirus, give detailed contact tracing, and then undergo quarantine.

Slideshow (14 Images)

Samples from inbound travellers are taken inside well-ventilated containers set up at the checkpoint so as to minimise cross-infection. Testing is being down round the clock to minimise waiting time.

Though the northeast border remains China’s priority, state media also reported late on Monday that more than 100 people had been arrested in March for illegally entering China through its southwestern border in Yunnan province. Yunnan police have promised to step up controls over the border.

Thousands of people, mostly Chinese workers and traders, were flooding back into Yunnan from Laos and Myanmar earlier this month, putting huge pressures on border regions like Xishuangbanna.

Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Huizhong Wu in Suifenhe, Lusha Zhang in Beijing; Additional reporting by Tom Balmforth in Moscow, Emily Chow in Shanghai, and Anand Tumurtogoo in Ulaanbaatar; Writing by David Stanway; Editing by Michael Perry

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMinwFodHRwczovL3d3dy5yZXV0ZXJzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL3VzLWhlYWx0aC1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1jaGluYS9jaGluYS10aWdodGVucy1ydXNzaWFuLWJvcmRlci1jaGVja3MtYXBwcm92ZXMtZXhwZXJpbWVudGFsLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXZhY2NpbmUtdHJpYWxzLWlkVVNLQ04yMVcwOE7SATRodHRwczovL21vYmlsZS5yZXV0ZXJzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL2FtcC9pZFVTS0NOMjFXMDhO?oc=5

2020-04-14 07:39:04Z
52780719833126