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Vietnam reported no new cases this morning.
To date, the number of infections in our country remains at 240, of which 149 are imported cases and 61 are from domestic outbreaks. The number of patients declared recovered and discharged from the hospital is 90, with the 4 most recent cases in Ho Chi Minh City being declared recovered on April 4th.
On the evening of April 4th, the Ministry of Health also announced the good news that the most severely ill patient among the 240 Covid-19 patients in Vietnam (the uncle of patient number 17) had been taken off ECMO after more than two weeks, and his health had improved significantly.
Da Nang imposes a quarantine fee on people returning from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
From April 5th, all individuals traveling to or returning to Da Nang from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will be required to undergo a 14-day medical quarantine, with fees for food and accommodation.
Da Nang's fee structure is based on Resolution 37, which includes 80,000 VND for food and 40,000 VND per day for other living expenses (soap, masks). For accommodation, the city will find the lowest hotel rates available. Those quarantined in the dormitory in the western part of the city (Lien Chieu district) will be exempt from accommodation fees.
Those not subject to medical quarantine must have a certificate confirming completion of quarantine in other localities; those traveling for official duties must provide a request letter from their agency or unit and a health certificate. Exceptional cases require the approval of the City Steering Committee.
Cambodia extends visas for foreign tourists stranded due to COVID-19.
On April 4, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced to all recognized diplomatic agencies and missions in Cambodia the automatic extension of tourist visas for all foreign nationals who arrived in Cambodia after January 1, 2020, and are unable to return to their home countries due to the lack of flights caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Cambodian government has decided to automatically extend tourist visas for foreign nationals and waive overstay penalties until they are able to leave Cambodia.
In related developments on the same day, the Jakarta capital authorities in Indonesia decided to extend the closure of tourist sites until April 19th to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Dubai imposes a two-week lockdown.
The city of Dubai has imposed a two-week lockdown, starting at 8 PM local time on April 4th. Dubai warned that travel would be restricted and penalties would be imposed on violators. Supermarkets, pharmacies, and food and medicine delivery services are permitted to operate as usual.
The UAE has so far recorded 1,505 cases of infection.
The US is deploying troops to the states.
"We will be bringing in a large number of troops to provide additional assistance," Trump announced during his regular press briefing.
He also added that 1,000 soldiers had been sent to New York City, including military doctors and nurses.
The US Navy also announced on the same day that the number of new coronavirus infections on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt had increased by 13% in 24 hours, to 155 cases.
The number of people receiving intensive care for COVID-19 in Italy has decreased for the first time.
For the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak, Italy reported a drop in the number of critically ill patients requiring intensive care from 4,068 to 3,994. Angelo Borrelli, head of the Civil Protection Agency, called this a significant milestone in the fight against the pandemic, as it allows hospitals to "breathe a little" after a long period of intense focus on combating the disease.
The Italian Civil Protection Agency reported that the daily number of new infections in the country on April 4th increased from 119,827 to 124,632, a rise of only about 4%. An additional 681 people died from the coronavirus, lower than the 760 deaths reported the previous day and the lowest daily increase in two weeks.
The death toll in Italy has continued to fall in recent days, following the "deadliest day" of March 27th, when 969 people died from the novel coronavirus.
British Prime Minister's fiancée tests positive for COVID-19.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's pregnant fiancée, Carrie Symonds (32), announced that she had been bedridden for the past week with symptoms of the novel coronavirus, but is now feeling better and recovering.
On April 3, Mr. Johnson announced that he was still in isolation and experiencing mild symptoms, including a fever, after testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus about a week earlier.
France: "It's not yet time for everyone to wear masks"
The Director General of Health in France, Jérôme Salomon, said the country is at the beginning of a phase where the impact of travel restrictions can be assessed. He stressed that it might one day be possible to "ask everyone to wear masks, but we haven't reached that stage yet."
He also asserted that cloth masks, currently being mass-produced by French textile and fashion companies, could be "an addition" but should certainly not create a "false sense of security" in the public, causing people to neglect other effective preventive measures such as frequent handwashing and social distancing.
France currently has 68,605 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, an increase of 4,267 cases in the past 24 hours.
44 African countries have imposed bans on gatherings.
The African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) – the specialized health agency of the African Union (AU) – said that 44 AU member states have imposed bans on large gatherings and closed public places to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
According to the ACDC, at least 12 AU member states have implemented full curfews to restrict non-essential movement nationwide. Meanwhile, 17 countries have only applied partial curfews (at night).
As of April 4th, Africa had recorded 8,220 positive cases of SARS-CoV-2, with 372 deaths.
Australia extends the length of stay for foreign workers.
Australian Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said that foreign workers on working holidays and seasonal work will be allowed to extend their stay by up to one year if they are working in agriculture or healthcare, are elderly, or wish to stay to help Australia weather the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the same time, upon the expiration of their working period under the Working Holiday Program, if foreign workers are unable to return to their home country, they will be assisted in transitioning to a new job in the agricultural sector.
Mr. Littleproud emphasized that any worker moving to a new area must self-isolate for 14 days before starting work to prevent the spread of disease.
