Thursday Morning Briefing: Coronavirus – the new normal for everyday life in Italy

Coronavirus

There are now over 95,300 coronavirus cases worldwide and more than 3,200 people have died, a Reuters tally shows. Everyday life for Italians is about to be turned on its head after the death toll there rose to 107 and cases totaled almost 3,090. The decision to shut all schools and universities until March 15 will have massive knock-on effects for working parents - and their employers. Leisure won't be the same either: a government decree calls for the closure of cinemas and theaters and tells Italians not to shake hands or hug each other, and to avoid "direct physical contact with all people."

Italy's bishops have meanwhile ordered Masses not be held during the week in churches in areas of the north of the country affected by the coronavirus outbreak - a step thought to be unprecedented. And to cap it all, top flight Serie A soccer matches are to be played in empty stadiums

California declared a state of emergency after its first coronavirus fatality, the first in the United States outside Washington state. The U.S. death toll from coronavirus infections rose to 11 on Wednesday as new cases emerged around the New York City and Los Angeles areas.

An ocean liner that previously carried two passengers who contracted the coronavirus has been barred from returning to its home port of San Francisco from a voyage to Hawaii after at least 20 people aboard fell ill. For now, the Grand Princess cruise ship has been told to remain at sea until further tests. What of course no one wants is a repeat of last month's saga involving another ocean-bound princess - when the Diamond Princess cruiser was quarantined off the coast of Japan and was for a time the largest concentration of virus cases outside China.

The epidemic could cost passenger airlines up to $113 billion in lost revenue this year, the IATA industry body has said in a new a forecast more than three times a projection it made just two weeks ago.

Scientists in China studying the disease caused by the new coronavirus say they have found that two main strains of the virus are circulating in humans and causing infections.

Among public events to be canceled or postponed is the global release of Daniel Craig's last outing as James Bond. The world premiere of "No Time to Die", planned for March 31 in London, with 5,000 attendees, has now been postponed till November.

A delivery truck carrying toilet paper caught fire after its engine exploded in the Australian city of Brisbane, adding to a sense of panic about the availability of the product after the coronavirus outbreak prompted panic buying.

Japan’s Olympics minister signaled on Thursday the Summer Games would go ahead as planned from July even as the coronavirus outbreak spread to new parts of the country.

See a selection of curated coronavirus coverage here

Graphic: Tracking coronavirus cases by country

Top News

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday issued an unusual rebuke of “dangerous” comments by top U.S. Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer about two conservative Supreme Court justices appointed by President Donald Trump and how they might rule in a major abortion case. Schumer earlier on Wednesday assailed Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, saying they “won’t know what hit” them if they rule in favor of abortion restrictions.

Judges at the International Criminal Court on Thursday ruled that an investigation into alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan by the Taliban, Afghan military and U.S. forces may proceed. Afghanistan is a member of the Hague-based court, though the United States is not and U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration imposed travel restrictions and other sanctions against ICC employees a year ago.

The U.S. government said on Wednesday it had charged a Defense Department linguist with transmitting classified intelligence to a foreign national linked to the Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah, saying she revealed the names of key American assets and put their lives at risk.

Greece has repulsed nearly 35,000 migrants trying to cross onto its territory illegally since Turkey opened its border nearly a week ago, government sources said on Thursday, as it prepares to deport hundreds of others who made it through. Turkey’s change in policy toward the migrants on its soil came after at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed by Russian-backed Syrian government forces in an air strike in Syria.

Before coronavirus, China bungled swine epidemic with secrecy. When the deadly virus was first discovered in China, authorities told the people in the know to keep quiet or else. Fearing reprisal from Beijing, local officials failed to order tests to confirm outbreaks and didn’t properly warn the public as the pathogen spread death around the country. Read the Special Report.

Business

OPEC seen backing big oil output cut, but awaits Russian support

OPEC ministers are expected to approve on Thursday the outlines of a deal for a significant cut in oil production to shore up prices hammered by the coronavirus outbreak but they are still waiting for Russia to indicate whether it will back such a move.

4 min read

Purell for $400? U.S. lawmaker urges Amazon to tamp down price gouging

Amazon.com should stop third-party sellers from price gouging for items like Purell hand sanitizer as people seek to protect themselves from the coronavirus, U.S. Senator Edward Markey said in a letter to the online retailer on Wednesday.

2 min read

British airline Flybe collapses as coronavirus deals final blow

British regional airline Flybe collapsed on Thursday after a plunge in travel demand, making the long-struggling carrier one of the first big corporate casualties of the coronavirus outbreak.

5 min read

Exclusive: Mexican private sector pitches $92 billion in energy investment

Mexico’s private sector has drawn up a broad package of proposed energy investments for the government worth almost $92 billion, according to a document seen by Reuters on Wednesday, providing a potential lift to the country’s misfiring economy.

4 min read

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