Coronavirus news: Austria and Croatia report first cases as Tenerife quarantines hotel – live updates

Outbreaks confirmed in new countries as Iran’s deputy health minister reportedly also tests positive for coronavirusFull story: 1,000 guests at hotel quarantinedSouth Korea: 200,000 sect members to be testedStocks fall as virus fears hit global marketsTell us: have you been affected by the coronavirus?What is coronavirus and what should I do if I have symptoms? 1.52pm GMT Here is a summary of what has happened so far today. There have now been 80,000 people affected by the virus around the world. 1.44pm GMT Expatriates in Italy have told of confusion in the north of the country, as it battles to contain the coronavirus that appears to have spread to the south.Jodie, a beautician who has lived in Dolo, between Venice and Padua, for 15 years, said the atmosphere is strange and “no one knows what is going to happen”.Will they block the whole of northern Italy? Surely the virus has had enough time to spread by now as everyone was carrying on with life as normal up until this weekend.We mostly think they won’t quarantine us, even though there has been a case of a person in Mira testing positive – 20 mins away – as it’s too late.”My friend complained of ‘racism’ after the hotel she had booked saw she lived in Dolo and called her to say they had cancelled her stay. Another had a job interview in Padua centre and basically got the job as no one else turned up. Others from different parts of Italy have been calling to check we’re OK and you can’t find any antibacterial products anywhere, handwipes, soap, face masks as they all sold out on Saturday. One of my friends works as an Amazon driver and told us that Amazon has stopped delivering to certain areas. It must be serious.The shelves in Lidl are almost empty and only had about five people going around. Most bars are closing at 6pm but restaurants appear to be open. Many of the streets are empty and Chinatown seems to be in lockdown, though whether it was self-imposed or due to a loss of business is unclear.My husband is the GP in our village, Veronella, so he’s been inundated with communications from the ministry of health since Saturday and has had to impose strict containment procedures. He has to wear a mask when receiving patients and has forms to fill in for suspect cases, no more than one or two people in the waiting room which is kept unheated and well ventilated, no access to patients with flu-like symptoms – only phone contact or home visits as necessary. As soon as I saw what was happening on Friday, and heard the rumours about containment measures, I went to the supermarket and stocked up on food and water filters just in case. Some people here don’t see the point of the precautions, but I think we all have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities, like the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.I wish I didn’t live alone. My friends here live with their partners and have a sounding board, but being at home alone without someone to talk to about my deeper fears is hard. I live next to the Capitolium temple and would expect hoards of tour groups around the afternoon, and there is nobody. I don’t know how this is going to progress, but it feels like the start of a horror movie in many ways.What is surprising is the people panicking and queuing at the supermarkets, emptying the shelves of pasta and almost everything else. The news reports are somewhat sensationalist with no real practical advice of what to do in order to avoid contamination. The media doesn’t seem to want to offer the reassuring notion that the virus is not as devastatingly destructive as many people seem to be making out. Continue reading…
Via: Coronavirus news: Austria and Croatia report first cases as Tenerife quarantines hotel – live updates