CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - 29 MARCH 2020 - MORE THAN 662 700 PEOPLE INFECTED WITH DEATHS OF OVER 30 751 REPORTED GLOBALLY

U.S. deaths from coronavirus could reach 200,000 with millions of cases, the government’s top infectious diseases expert warned on Sunday as New York, New Orleans and other major cities warned they would soon run out of medical supplies.



DEATHS, INFECTIONS
* More than 662,700 people have been infected across the world and 30,751 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

EUROPE
* Italy’s government will “inevitably” extend beyond April 3 the containment measures it had approved to stem the outbreak, the regional affairs minister said on Sunday.

* The death toll in Italy surged past 10,000 on Saturday. Confirmed cases rose by about 6,000 to 92,472, the second-highest number of cases in the world behind the United States.

* Spain prepared to enter its third week under near-total lockdown on Sunday, as the government approved a strengthening of measures and the death toll rose to 6,528.

* Prime Minister Boris Johnson is warning Britons in a letter to 30 million households that things will get worse before they get better, as he himself self-isolates in Downing Street to recover from the coronavirus.

* Britain has reported 17,089 confirmed cases of the disease and 1,019 deaths and the peak of the epidemic in the country is expected to come in a few weeks.

* Germany’s health system could face strains similar to those in Italy if the outbreak in the country worsens, the head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the federal agency responsible for disease control, told a newspaper.

AMERICAS
* President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would issue a travel warning for the hard-hit New York area to limit the spread of the coronavirus, backing off from an earlier suggestion that he might try to cut off the region entirely.

* The U.S. death count crossed 2,100 on Saturday, more than double the level from two days ago. The United States has now recorded more than 123,000 cases, the most of any country in the world.

* The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a $2.2 trillion aid package and Trump quickly signed it into law.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
* Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the nation’s poor for forgiveness as the economic and human toll from his 21-day nationwide lockdown deepens and criticism mounts about a lack of adequate planning ahead of the decision.

* The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese organisers are in final stages of talks to set the opening date for the Tokyo Games in July next year, Japanese media said.[nL4N2BM012

* Doctors, politicians and human rights commissioners are calling on Indonesia’s government to enact tighter movement restrictions as the death toll from coronavirus rose in the world’s fourth most populous country.

* A growing number of imported coronavirus cases in China risked fanning a second wave of infections when domestic transmissions had “basically been stopped”, a senior health official said on Sunday.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* The United Arab Emirates on Saturday extended to April 5 a nightly curfew to sterilise public places to combat the spread of coronavirus as neighbouring Qatar reported its first death from the disease.

* To stem the spread of the virus in crowded jails, Iran’s judiciary on Sunday extended furloughs for 100,000 prisoners. On March 17, Iran said it had freed about 85,000 people from jail temporarily, including political prisoners.

* Turkey halted all intercity trains and limited domestic flights on Saturday. The number of cases jumped to 7,402, with 108 dead.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT
* Stocks across the globe fell on Friday after a historic three-day run-up, as skittish investors kept indices on track for their worst monthly and quarterly performances since 2008, while the dollar fell by the most in any week since 2009. [MKTS/GLOB]

* Qatar Airways will have to seek government support eventually, Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker told Reuters on Sunday, warning that the Middle East carrier could soon run out of the cash needed to continue flying.

* Egypt’s central bank said it has instructed banks to put temporary limits on daily withdrawals and deposits amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

* South Africa may approach the International Monetary Fund and World Bank for funding, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said in the Sunday Times newspaper.

* Investors rushed into cash and out of bonds at a record pace over the past week, BofA’s weekly fund flow data showed on Friday.

via - REUTERS