Coronavirus wrap: Toll crosses 1,000; 'public enemy number 1', says WHO

The death toll from the novel coronavirus in China jumped to 811 on Saturday, with the number of confirmed cases rising to 34,646. Catch LIVE update

8:35 PM

Coronavirus : Arunachal strengthens surveillance

The Arunachal Pradesh government has strengthened surveillance in all districts of the state in the wake of the outbreak of novel coronavirus in neighbouring China, a government official said here on Tuesday.
 

A 24x7 state control room has been set up at the state surveillance unit (SSU) here, state surveillance officer L Jampa informed.

8:26 PM

UN meeting ponders fast-track drugs, vaccines for coronavirus

The World Health Organisation convened outside experts Tuesday to fast-track promising tests, drugs and vaccines to help slow the outbreak of a new virus that emerged in China that has killed more than 1,000 people and spread to two dozen other countries.
 

The new coronavirus was only identified late last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan and there are no licensed drugs or vaccines.

6:27 PM

Coronavirus outbreak could disrupt supply chains in mid-term: Ind-Ra

India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) on Tuesday said coronavirus outbreak could disrupt supply chains and impact credits in the medium term.
 

The ratings agency, however, said supply chains of Indian companies are unlikely to be materially affected in the near term if the outbreak remains contained in Hubei province.
 

On the other hand, if it spreads over the next three to four months, sectors like pharmaceuticals, textiles and automobiles could face supply disruptions for critical raw materials, Ind-Ra said in a statement.

6:18 PM

WHO warns of 'very grave' global coronavirus threat

The head of the World Health Organisation on Tuesday warned the novel coronavirus was a "very grave threat" for the world as he opened a conference to combat the epidemic.
 

"With 99% of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva.

5:54 PM

Coronovirus outbreak unlikely to impact Indian port operators: Moody's

Coronavirus outbreak in China is expected to have a minimal impact on the Indian ports it rates due to low China-related throughput they handle, ratings agency Moody's Investors Service said on Tuesday.
 

The agency, however, said the outbreak is a "credit negative" for port operators in Asia Pacific.

5:41 PM

China defends Pakistan, Nepal's decision to not to evacuate their nationals from coronavirus-hit Wuhan

China on Tuesday defended Pakistan and Nepal governments' decision to not to evacuate their citizens from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city despite their desperate pleas, saying it has taken "effective measures" to respond to the concerns of the stranded foreign nationals.
 

Hundreds of Pakistani and Nepali students are still held up in Wuhan and some of them have said that they feel abandoned by their governments which were “sacrificing” them in order to keep their relationships with China strong.

5:31 PM

Vivo, Intel, Amdocs pull out of Mobile World Congress 2020

Chinese handset company Vivo, chipset maker Intel and some other global brands on Tuesday announced to have pulled out of international telecom sector event Mobile World Congress 2020 due to novel coronavirus outbreak.

 

"Vivo has been closely monitoring the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (NCP) outbreak and continuously evaluating planned activities. The health and safety of our employees and the public are our top priority. Based on the present situation, we have decided to withdraw from our debut at MWC 2020 and other related events later this month in Barcelona, Spain," Vivo said in a statement.

5:28 PM

Sensex snaps 2-day slide as global markets regain footing despite coronavirus overhang

Markets snapped their two-session slide to close with smart gains on Tuesday, mirroring optimism in the global markets as investors wagered on limited economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
 

Led by gains in index heavyweights RIL, ICICI Bank and HDFC, the 30-share BSE Sensex settled 236.52 points, or 0.58 per cent, higher at 41,216.14.
 

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty rose 76.40 points, or 0.64 per cent, to 12,107.90.

5:09 PM

Thailand yields to virus fears, bars docking of cruise ship

Thai health authorities have barred a cruise ship from docking that has already been turned away by the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan out of concern over a new virus, although no cases have been confirmed on board.

 

The chief of the Department of Disease Control, Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, said Tuesday that the Public Health Ministry had rejected a request from the crew of the MS Westerdam to dock at Laem Chabang in eastern Thailand.

 

He said the ministry will further consider how to deal with the ship's situation. It began its cruise on Jan 16 in Singapore. Shipowner Holland America Line says there are no known cases of the virus on board.

 

4:52 PM

Nepal prepares to evacuate its citizens from virus-hit Wuhan city in China

Nepal is preparing to bring back its 180 nationals struck in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus that has killed over 1,000 people, officials said here.

 

The disease emerged in December in a market in central China's Wuhan city that sold wild animals, and spread rapidly.

 

Outside China, there have been more than 350 infections reported in almost 30 places with two deaths, one in the Philippines and the other in Hong Kong.

 

Nepal government is preparing to bring back Nepalese nationals currently residing in Wuhan city of China through a chartered flight of Nepal Airlines in a few days, official sources said.

4:37 PM

As coronavirus fails to ease, interest in 'force majeure'

With the coronavirus outbreak that originated in Hubei province, China, showing no signs of abating any time soon, some companies that buy and sell goods in the Chinese market are taking interest in the legal defense of "force majeure."

 

The death toll in China from the epidemic continues to climb and now stands above 1,000, more than the SARS epidemic two decades ago, with more than 42,000 confirmed cases in China and 319 cases in 24 other countries.

 

Force majeure refers to unexpected external circumstances that prevent a party to a contract from meeting their obligations.

4:10 PM

China tightens movement restrictions in locked-down

China tightened restrictions at the locked-down epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak on Tuesday, forbidding feverish people in Wuhan from visiting hospitals outside of their home districts.

 

The measure comes a day after authorities sealed off residential compounds in the central city, where the deadly novel coronavirus is believed to have originated in a market selling wild animals.

 

Wuhan has been under effective quarantine since January 23 when the government suspended transport links out of the city in a bid to contain the virus, which has so far killed 1,016 people and infected more than 42,600 across China.

4:10 PM

Smartphone industry feels impact of supply disruption due to coronavirus outbreak in China

The Indian smartphone industry, which relies heavily on China for components and sub-assemblies, has started feeling the impact of supply disruptions in certain products category due to the coronavirus outbreak, market watchers said on Tuesday.

 

The industry is keeping a close watch to see if shuttered factories in China reopen in the coming days and supplies resume sometime this week.

 

"Yes, the industry is already feeling the impact and some products and models have been impacted. It is still early to draw any conclusion as select factories are slated to resume production in a phased manner," India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo told PTI.

3:47 PM

Chinese expert says coronavirus may peak soon as death toll surges past 1,000

China's coronavirus outbreak may peak soon, a prominent Chinese expert said on Tuesday, as the death toll soared past 1,000 and worry grew about the true extent of economic disruption to the world's second-largest economy.

 

Companies struggled to get back to work after an extended Lunar New Year holiday, while hundreds of Chinese firms said they would need loans running into billions of dollars to stay afloat. Layoffs also began, despite assurances by President Xi Jinping that widespread sackings would be avoided.

 

The government's top medical adviser on the outbreak, Zhong Nanshan, held out hope that the epidemic may peak in February and then plateau before easing.

3:46 PM

Coronavirus emergency "holds a very grave threat" for world: WHO

China's coronavirus outbreak poses a "very grave threat for the rest of the world", the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday in an appeal for sharing virus samples and speeding up research into drugs and vaccines.

 

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was addressing the start of a two-day meeting aimed at accelerating research into drugs, diagnostics and vaccines into the flu-like virus amid growing concerns about its ability to spread.

 

To date China has reported 42,708 confirmed cases, including 1,017 deaths, Tedros said.

 

"With 99% of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world," he told more than 400 researchers and national authorities, including some taking part by video conference from mainland China and Taiwan.