EU agrees to close external borders for 30 days

AP News — European Union  leaders have agreed to prevent foreigners from entering the European bloc for 30 days as they fight to contain the deadly coronavirus.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the proposal “got a lot of support by the member states. It’s up to them now to implement. They said they will immediately do that.”

At a press briefing , Hans Henri P. Kluge, the World Health Organizations regional director for Europe, said that 152 countries were now affected by COVID-19, creating a “new reality” for millions of people across the world.

“Europe is the epicenter of the first pandemic of coronavirus and every country, with no exceptions, need to take their boldest actions to stop or slow down the virus spread. Boldest action should include community action. Thinking that “this does not concern me” is not an option,” he said.

Italy now has nearly a third of the world’s deaths from coronavirus as Rome announced 345 more fatalities on Tuesday, taking the countries death toll to more than 2,500.

Global deaths from the outbreak – the epicentre of which has moved from China to Europe – are around 7,800.

Italy’s civil protection agency said there had been a further 3,500 new infections and that intensive care beds were full in Bergamo, a city in the worst-hit region of Lombardy.

Italy, which has the world’s second-oldest population after Japan, has been blindsided by a virus that appears to be deadlier for the elderly and infirm. The entire country remains on a strict lockdown, but it has so far failed to stem the flow of new infections.

France began its own lockdown on Tuesday, joining its neighbour Spain.

The UK – which saw 400 new cases in just 24 hours – has urged Britons to socially distance and stay away from bars, clubs and restaurants. But, unlike some other European countries, they remain open, as do schools.

The UK announced €360 billion in loans and credit to British businesses to protect them against any fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Madrid announced its own €200 billion euro stimulus package.

Meanwhile, tests on an experimental vaccine to protect against the new coronavirus have begun in the United States, the first of many efforts around the world to create a vaccine as cases continue to grow. But experts warn it could take a year to 18 months to approve it.

The first participants in a clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine at a research institute in Seattle received doses on Monday.

The US National Institutes of Health is funding the trial, taking place at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle.

In Europe, the EU announced a large investment in a German company, CureVac, which is working on a vaccine. The investment follows reports the US was looking to buy the company.

Helge Braun, Angela Merkel’s chief of staff, told the German newspaper Bild that officials had “very intensive contact” with CureVac “when there were thoughts of enticing it to the United States”.

The Commission said it will provide up to €80 million in support.

EU leaders are to hold their second summit in two weeks in an attempt to forge a joint response, with Europe now the epicentre of the disease.

More than 50,000 people are confirmed to have contracted the virus in Europe, and more than 2,000 have died, the majority in Italy.

Spain and France have followed Italy in locking down to halt the spread, while several member states have reintroduced border ID checks

Six of the 10 countries with the highest numbers of reported virus cases worldwide are in Europe: Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland and the UK.

Photo : Piazza del Duomo, Milan: The Piazza del Duomo, featuring the Milan’s iconic Duomo cathedral, occupied by pigeons rather than people.  Nur Photo – Getty Images

March 17 , 2020