VI
EN
Some activities in Ho Chi Minh City have been temporarily suspended.
Based on the conclusions of the City Steering Committee on Covid-19 prevention and control at the meeting on March 23, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee issued a directive: temporarily suspend the operation of entertainment venues, restaurants, beer clubs; food and beverage service establishments (with a capacity of 30 people or more); billiard clubs, gyms, beauty salons, hair salons, etc. in the city. This requirement is in effect from 6 PM on March 24 to March 31, 2020.
Warning: Self-medicating with malaria drugs to treat COVID-19 can be life-threatening.
On March 23, the Drug Administration Department (Ministry of Health) issued a warning that people self-medicating with drugs containing Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine to treat or prevent Covid-19 could be life-threatening due to the drug's serious side effects.
These are prescription medications that should only be used under the guidance and supervision of a doctor for the prevention or treatment of acute malaria, extermination of extraintestinal amoebiasis, treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, photosensitivity reactions, etc. These medications have not been approved by the Ministry of Health for the treatment of Covid-19; therefore, people should absolutely not buy, stockpile, or use them to treat or prevent Covid-19.
Previously, Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi) received and treated a male patient, approximately 40 years old, who had ingested about 15 malaria pills based on information circulating on Facebook.
51 United Nations staff members worldwide have contracted COVID-19.
The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said on March 24 that 51 UN staff members worldwide had tested positive for Covid-19.
Mr. Stephane also stated that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has decided to reduce his working hours at UN headquarters in New York City and to perform some of his duties remotely.
India imposes lockdown on 1.3 billion people.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has issued a nationwide lockdown order, effective from midnight on March 25th and lasting 21 days. The Indian government was forced to impose stricter new measures after recording a rapid increase in coronavirus infections in recent days.
India currently has 536 confirmed cases of the virus and 10 deaths.
"To save India, to save every citizen, you, your family... every road, every neighborhood will be placed under lockdown," Modi said. However, Prime Minister Modi also warned that if India does not "handle the 21-day lockdown well, our country will regress 21 years."
"This is a curfew. We will pay an economic price for this, but it is everyone's responsibility," Modi affirmed.
Indonesia opens more field hospitals.
On March 24, representatives from Indonesia's Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) announced that the project to transform a sports village in Jakarta into a COVID-19 treatment hospital will be replicated in other provinces and cities across the country. BUMN will also collaborate with the Ministry of Religious Affairs to convert dormitories at Islamic educational institutions in several areas into field hospitals.
Previously, on March 23, BUMN completed the conversion of four apartment towers in the Wisma Atay Kemayoran sports village (Jakarta), which had been used during the 2018 Asian Games, into a hospital to meet the anticipated surge in demand for COVID-19 patients in the coming days.
Scientists recently warned that Indonesia could see 71,000 cases of Covid-19 by the end of April if the government does not take drastic measures to curb the spread of the disease.
The pandemic has spread to at least 22 of the country's 34 provinces.
On the same day, Malaysia held discussions with the Chinese government, requesting that Beijing send medical experts to help the Southeast Asian nation cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Singapore closes entertainment venues.
Singapore announced it will close all bars, cinemas, and other entertainment venues from March 26 to April 30, as the island nation enters a new phase in its fight against Covid-19 with imported cases from overseas.
Additionally, all Singapore residents returning from the UK and the US from March 25th onwards will be required to stay in designated hotels for 14 days of quarantine. Those who evade quarantine will face fines of up to US$10,000 or imprisonment for up to six months, or both.
Cuba closes schools, quarantines foreign tourists.
On March 24, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced that Cuban citizens would not be allowed to leave the country or travel between provinces, and declared the closure of schools at all levels nationwide until April 20.
With over 32,000 tourists still in Cuban territory, authorities say they will implement quarantine at their hotels. In addition, more than 9,400 tourists currently staying in private accommodations (homestays) will be transported free of charge to hotels designated by local authorities.
To date, Cuba has recorded 48 cases of Covid-19 and one death, all of which were traced back to overseas sources or individuals who had direct contact with those infected.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been officially postponed by one year.
The 32nd edition of the world's biggest sporting event – the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – will be postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound announced on March 24. Previously, Great Britain, Australia, and Canada had all indicated they would not send athletes to compete in Tokyo this summer due to concerns about the Covid-19 outbreak.
Wuhan will lift its lockdown from April 8th.
According to an announcement posted on the Hubei provincial government's website, Wuhan will lift its lockdown starting April 8th. The announcement also stated that travel restrictions in other Hubei cities will end on March 25th. The lifting of these measures aims to restore production and promote social and economic development in Hubei province.
On March 24, China continued to report no new COVID-19 infections among its own citizens.
Israel is testing an application that analyzes the voices of patients.
On March 24, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced it is testing a research project that analyzes the voices of patients to detect symptoms of those who test positive for Covid-19. The project is currently being conducted by the Israeli startup Vocalis Health in collaboration with hospitals and universities, testing the voices of positive patients through a mobile application.
Voice patterns will be analyzed using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to determine if a patient is infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which affects the respiratory system and causes signs of exhaustion. All of these factors will be reflected in the patient's voice and breathing.
Tal Wenderow, CEO of Vocalis Health, said the algorithm will be used to diagnose and monitor patients remotely. Accordingly, Israeli hospitals will be able to use the data to differentiate which patients need hospitalization and which can be treated at home.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense says the application could help prevent the spread of disease and reduce the burden on the healthcare system. Results from the trials are expected within six weeks.
Several German states have offered to accept patients from Italy.
German media reported on March 24 that the governments of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria are planning to accept and treat severely ill Covid-19 patients from Italy.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Armin Laschet said the state plans to accept 10 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients from northern Italy – the region most severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr. Laschet emphasized that, through this action, the government of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia wants to send a message to the Italian people: "You are not alone. We will stand by you through this difficult period."
Several other German states are also ready to accept and treat Italian patients, and this issue will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the German Council of Ministers.
Donald Trump warns lockdown measures could destroy the country.
In an effort to ease the lockdown measures currently in place in the US, President Donald Trump warned on March 24 that the measures could destroy the country. "Many people agree with me. Our country wasn't built to shut down," he told FOX News.
President Trump said that next week he will assess whether to lift lockdown measures and maintain social distancing in order to get the struggling US economy back on track. In addition, Trump hopes that American businesses will reopen by Easter, April 12th.
The virus remained on the Diamond Princess cruise ship for more than 17 days.
On the same day, March 24th, a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can survive on certain surfaces for much longer than previously thought.
A study published on the CDC website found that the virus causing COVID-19 was found to survive on surfaces on the Diamond Princess cruise ship for up to 17 days after passengers disembarked. "SARS-CoV-2 was identified on numerous surfaces in the cabins of both symptomatic and asymptomatic passengers, up to 17 days after passengers disembarked the Diamond Princess."
However, researchers say this data should not be used to determine whether transmission occurs from contaminated surfaces.
The King of Saudi Arabia will chair the G20 conference on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saudi Arabia announced that King Salman will chair a special online conference with leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) leading developed and emerging economies on March 26 to promote global coordination in responding to the COVID-19 respiratory disease outbreak.
Last week, Saudi Arabia, which holds the G20 presidency this year, called on leaders to hold the summit online amid criticism that the G20 has been slow to respond to the global crisis.
Many G20 members agree that to address this unprecedented challenge, G20 member countries need to work together to share a positive and consistent message, support other nations, and contribute collectively to global public health security.
Source: Government Information
