U.S. Limits Evacuation Flight, China Vows Stimulus: Virus Update
Fears continue to grow as much of the world shifts its attention to cruise ships infected with the coronavirus.
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and other nations are ready to fly home hundreds of passengers stuck on a quarantined ship in Japan, but infected travelers are staying behind. The Diamond Princess had 355 confirmed coronavirus cases, including at least 40 Americans.
Malaysia stopped admitting passengers from the Westerdam luxury liner docked in Cambodia after an American traveler fell ill in Kuala Lumpur. Taiwan had its first death, a taxi driver in his 60s.
China will act to cut corporate taxes and unnecessary government expenses as the virus hurts production. China has 68,500 total cases and 1,665 deaths. The global infection total is nearing 70,000.
Key Developments
- Taiwan reports first death from the virus, a taxi driver
- China pledges more economic stimulus
- Malaysia Bars Westerdam Cruise Passengers From Entry
- Cases soar aboard Diamond Princess in Japan
- Singapore, U.A.E. report new cases
- Hubei had 1,843 new cases, down from 2,420 a day earlier.
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China, Asia Bulk Up Against Virus (3 p.m. NY)
China, Hong Kong and Singapore are pledging extra fiscal stimulus to counter the economic hit from the coronavirus.
China will enact more-efficient stimulus measures, including lower corporate taxes. Hong Kong faces “tsunami-like” shocks that may lead to a record budget deficit. Singapore, which is losing as many as 20,000 tourists a day to travel curbs, will get a “strong” package of budget measures this week.
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U.S., Canadian Planes Set for Evacuation Flights (1:30 p.m. NY)
A pair of aircraft chartered by the State Department is ready to fly back home Americans evacuated from a ship in Japan, but more than 40 U.S. citizens infected by the virus will stay behind in hospitals.
The planes are headed to Travis Air Force Base in California and Kelly Field at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The passengers -- quarantined on the ship -- will be kept in quarantine for 14 days, separate from other travelers who, because they visited China, are isolated at the U.S. bases.
Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on CBS said 40 Americans were infected on the ship. Later, he told the Washington Post 44 became ill. Anybody who shows symptoms will not be on the evacuation flight, he said.
In addition to the U.S., Canada is using a chartered plane to repatriate Canadians from the ship. The Canadians are heading Cornwall, Ontario, to undergo a further 14-day period of quarantine, Global Affairs Canada said.
Hong Kong is also planning to send a plane to bring back its nationals from the cruise ship. An estimated 330 Hong Kong residents are on board, the Japan Times reported.
U.A.E. Reports Ninth Case (12:10 p.m. NY)
A 37-year-old Chinese man in the United Arab Emirates has been confirmed with the coronavirus, the Ministry of Health & Prevention said Sunday, becoming the nation’s ninth case. His condition is stable, the ministry said in a Facebook post.
40 Americans Infected on Japan Liner (10:45 a.m. NY)
Forty U.S. passengers from the Diamond Princess liner are infected and will go to a Japanese hospital rather than take a State Department evacuation flight, a top U.S. health official said.
Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said anybody from the ship, docked in Yokohama, showing symptoms virus will be kept off the flight, which is due to leave Japan early Monday morning.
Fauci said the outbreak that began in China last month and has spread to more than two dozen nations is on the verge of becoming a global pandemic if containment steps fail to show more success.
He dismissed President Donald Trump’s suggestion the virus will diminish in warmer weather, saying on “Face the Nation” on CBS, “we do not know what this particular virus is going to do.” Trump has linked weather and the virus in a tweet.
Malaysia Says Westerdam Passengers Negative for Virus (9:42 a.m. NY)
Six passengers who were quarantined after arriving in Malaysia from the Westerdam cruise ship in Cambodia have tested negative for the virus, Malaysia’s health ministry said. The two Americans and four Dutch nationals arrived on a flight with an 83-year-old woman who tested positive for the coronavirus twice after arrival.
Taiwan Victim Worked as Taxi Driver (9:23 a.m. NY)
The deceased was a taxi driver, Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control said in a statement late Sunday. He carried three passengers returning to Taiwan from China, Hong Kong and Macau, who later visited doctors for respiratory symptoms. CDC is tracking the three people and all close contacts of the man who died.
Singapore Reports Three New Cases (9 a.m. NY)
Singapore’s Ministry of Health said in a statement it has verified three additional cases of COVID-19 infection. Two are linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God and the other to a previous case.
Hospital Head Says Coronavirus Turning Point Reached (8:45 a.m. NY)
The turning point for the novel coronavirus epidemic has been reached and the number of new outbreaks is declining, the state-run China Central Television reports, citing Wang Xinghuan, head of Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital.
The number of people with a fever has been sliding steadily and has never rebounded, Wang was cited as saying.
Some Positive Economic Signs From Epidemic, Xinhua Says (8:05 a.m. NY)
The novel coronavirus epidemic had some temporary impact on China’s economy but won’t overwhelm it, the official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary on its website. The Chinese economy is a sea, not a small pond, it said.
U.S. Charter Flights Are Last Chance to Leave for Weeks (7 a.m. NY)
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo told Americans on the Diamond Princess that the charter flights leaving today are the only opportunity to fly to the U.S. until March 4 at the earliest. No symptomatic or infected passengers will be allowed to board. Passengers who remain on the ship until Feb. 19 will be subject to a 14-day quarantine before they can board commercial flights to the U.S.
Taiwan Confirms First Death From Coronavirus (6:13 a.m. NY)
Taiwan reported the first death from coronavirus on Sunday, and added two more confirmed cases, bringing the total to 20, according to a statement from the country’s Centers for Disease Control via text message. The man in his 60s had a history of hepatitis B and diabetes, the CDC said in a statement on its website. He went to the hospital on Feb. 3 with shortness of breath and died from pneumonia and sepsis on Feb. 15.
Israel Sends Doctor to Japan to Oversee Treatment (6:10 a.m. NY)
Israel will bring back most of its 15 citizens on the Diamond Princess, Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu said. Those who haven’t been infected will be brought to Israel and placed in quarantine. Israelis who were infected will remain in Japan, and Israel has sent a doctor there to oversee their treatment, the prime minister said. Israel’s Health Ministry announced earlier that there were two confirmed Israeli cases on the ship. There are no known cases of the virus in Israel, Netanyahu said.
Italy to Evacuate Diamond Princess Passengers (5:16 p.m. HK)
Italy joined South Korea, Canada, the U.S. and Hong Kong in saying it would evacuate its citizens or residents from the stricken ship. The country plans to evacuate 35 Italians onboard the luxury liner, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said in a Facebook post on Sunday. A plane will be sent to evacuate the Italians after discussing the matter yesterday with government officials. Greece is also looking to bring back two of its nationals who are on the ship.
Malaysia Cancels Repatriation Flights (Correct)
(Malaysian health ministry corrects who chartered the flights in item published at 4 p.m. HK.)
Malaysia won’t let any more passengers from the cruise ship Westerdam enter the country and canceled three flights chartered by Holland America Line to bring passengers from Cambodia, where the ship docked on Feb. 13, the Southeast Asian nation’s health ministry said in a statement. An 83-year-old American woman who tested positive for the virus in Malaysia was among 145 cruise passengers who arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 14.
U.K. Makes Preparations for Epidemic (3:30 p.m. HK)
U.K. officials plan to use 24 hospitals to treat patients in the event of a surge in infections, the Sunday Times reported, without saying where it got the information. The contingency plans call for hospitals to prepare airtight isolation rooms. The U.K. government is working on the assumption that up to half of the population, or 33 million, could be hit by the virus, the Times said. Anyone suffering flu-like symptoms could be ordered to self-isolate at home for 14 days, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
More Fiscal Support in China (3:15 p.m. HK)
China pledged to roll out more effective stimulus despite a widening fiscal gap as the coronavirus hits an already slowing economy. Authorities will further perfect and implement measures this year to reduce corporate taxes and cut unnecessary government expenses as the virus takes a toll on production, Finance Minister Liu Kun wrote in the Communist Party’s flagship magazine on Sunday.
Hong Kong Protests Against Some Quarantine Centers (3 p.m. HK)
In Hong Kong, rallies are taking place in Sai Kung and Cheung Sha Wan against a government order to set up quarantine center and designated clinic respectively in the areas.
A district chancellor of Sai Kung said the government shouldn’t set up quarantine centers near residential areas and should have closed its borders earlier. Another rally will take place later in Fo Tan to oppose to setting up a quarantine center in that region.
Hong Kong Facing ‘Tsunami-Like’ Shocks (1 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong is facing “tsunami-like” shocks, and may incur a record budget deficit in the next fiscal year as the city counts the costs of the outbreak after months of social unrest, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said a blog post Sunday. The impact of the epidemic on the Hong Kong economy is being felt beyond retail, food and beverage and tourism-related industries, he said.
New Cruise Patients to Be Sent to Hospitals (11:30 a.m. HK)
Japan’s health ministry said the 70 people most recently detected with the virus aboard the Diamond Princess would be sent to hospitals and facilities that have medical wards able to handle the disease, as the number of cases aboard the Diamond Princess climbed to 355. The vessel is the largest infection cluster outside China.
Canada Steps In (9:35 a.m. HK)
Canada will evacuate nationals from the Diamond Princess. Healthy passengers will be brought to Canadian Forces Base Trenton, after which they will be assessed and transported to the NAV Canada Training Institute in Cornwall, Ontario, for a 14-day quarantine, the government said in a statement. Passengers showing any symptons of the virus will instead be transferred to the Japanese health system to receive appropriate care.
China Reports Additional Saturday Cases (9:10 a.m. HK)
China reported an additional 2,009 cases for Saturday, as it updated the number of coronavirus cases nationwide.
Singapore Budget Stimulus to Counter Virus (8 a.m.)
Singapore is set to deliver an expansionary budget this week to offset the damage to the economy from the coronavirus. The city-state, which has more than 70 confirmed infections, is losing as many as 20,000 tourists a day amid the outbreak, and the economic impact is already more severe than during the 2003 SARS pandemic, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was cited as saying Friday.
There are currently no plans for Singapore to raise its alert response level to the highest, which is red and signifies a disease is spreading widely, its health minister said Friday, dispelling rumors. The level is currently at the second-highest.
Rate of New Cases Slows in Hubei (7 a.m. HK)
Hubei province had fewer new infections for a second consecutive day, government data showed early Sunday. New cases reached 1,843, a 24% drop from the 2,420 of the previous day and well below the 4,823 reported for Feb. 13.
The province had 139 new deaths for two days in a row, the second-highest daily total for the province. Wuhan, the province’s main city, accounted for three quarters of all the deaths, and 70% of the infections.
Hawaii Officials Downplay Risks (6:30 a.m. HK)
The risk of contracting the coronavirus remains low in Hawaii, state officials said after married Japanese couple in their 60s tested positive for the coronavirus after returning home from a Hawaiian vacation on Feb. 7, health officials said Saturday, according to the New York Times.
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Hong Kong to Evacuate Residents on Cruise (1 a.m. HK)
Hong Kong’s government said it would organize a chartered flight to bring residents quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess back home free of charge. They will then be placed in a 14-day quarantine, it said.
--With assistance from Shiho Takezawa, Yudith Ho, Jing Jin, Dong Lyu, Ryan Beene and Abeer Abu Omar.
To contact the reporters on this story: Karen Leigh in Hong Kong at kleigh4@bloomberg.net;Steve Geimann in Washington at sgeimann@bloomberg.net;Cindy Wang in Taipei at hwang61@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Sara Marley, Andrew Davis
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