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Releasing Quarantined Americans; Cruise Concerns: Virus Update

The mortality rate from the coronavirus in China is estimated at 1%

Releasing Quarantined Americans; Cruise Concerns: Virus Update
File Photo: Medical workers in protective gear transport a patient believed to be a confirmed case of the Wuhan coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV, at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, China. (Photographer: Justin Chin/Bloomberg)  

(Bloomberg) --

The death toll from the coronavirus exceeded 1,000. Hubei, the province at the center of the outbreak, reported its highest number of fatalities yet and removed top officials. The disease caused by the new coronavirus has been officially named Covid-19.

A first group of Americans evacuated from China are scheduled to be released from quarantine, and the U.S. State Department will allow non-essential personnel in Hong Kong to depart. A top U.S. health official raised questions about ongoing concerns of cruise ships with infections.

Beijing said regions less hit by the disease should accelerate a resumption of industrial output and authorized Airbus SE to restart operations in Tianjin. The U.S. Federal Reserve singled out the crisis as among risks threatening the U.S. and world economy.

Bloomberg is tracking the outbreak on the terminal and online.

Key Developments

  • China death toll at 1,016, up by 108; confirmed cases at 42,638
  • Hong Kong PolyU develops rapid diagnostic system
  • Wireless event hangs by a thread as virus deters more companies
  • Courier services disrupted, wreaking havoc on commodities traders
  • When coronavirus hits a ship, it’s too late to batten down the hatches
Releasing Quarantined Americans; Cruise Concerns: Virus Update

J&J Says It Will Accelerate Vaccine Work (4:34 p.m. NY)

Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson will accelerate work on its attempts to develop a vaccine for the new coronavirus, expanding a collaboration with the U.S. government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the company said in a statement. Under the agreement, J&J and Barda will share some R&D expenses, and J&J will will work to expand production capabilities for a potential vaccine.

U.S. Raises Travel Advisory for Hong Kong (3:20 p.m. NY)

The U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for Hong Kong to level 2, which means travelers should exercise increased caution.

“The Hong Kong government has reported cases of the novel coronavirus in its special administrative region, has upgraded its response level to emergency, its highest response level, and is taking other steps to manage the novel coronavirus outbreak,” the department said.

Last month, the U.S. raised the advisory for mainland China to level 4, the highest designation, which means do not travel.

American Airlines Extends Flight Suspensions (1 p.m. NY)

American Airlines Group Inc. on Tuesday extended the suspension of U.S. flights to Shanghai and Beijing and between Los Angeles and Hong Kong through April 24.

The suspension is about a month longer than planned because of an ongoing decline in demand, said the airline. The carrier also said it won’t fly between Dallas-Fort Worth and Hong Kong until at least April 24, about two months longer than it originally expected, for the same reason.

U.S. Health Official Raises Concerns About Cruise Ship (12:19 p.m. NY)

A top U.S. health official said that quarantining large numbers of people on cruise ships to contain cases of the coronavirus may present issues.

“The increased cases count is making authorities really look critically at what is the safest thing,” said Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a press event Tuesday in Washington.

Several cruise ships have been quarantined or turned away from ports because of concerns about infections on board. Some older cruise passengers can be at particular risk of complications from the virus.

First Quarantined American Evacuees to Be Released (10:30 a.m. NY)

A first group of Americans who were quarantined after being repatriated from the center of the outbreak in China are expected to be released Tuesday, Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press conference Tuesday.

Health workers are doing final checks to make sure none of the people are showing symptoms.

The U.S. has been putting those evaluated from the outbreak into quarantines of at least 14 days, part of a broad set of measures to stop potential spread of the virus by returning Americans and their family members. A first group of about 200 Americans was repatriated last month, and the U.S. has been running quarantine centers at military bases.

State Department to Let Some Hong Kong Staff Depart (10:25 a.m. NY)

The U.S. State Department will let non-essential diplomats and their families based in Hong Kong leave if they want to, amid growing fears about the spread of the coronavirus there.

Hong Kong consular staff and their families aren’t required to leave, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. The move is being taken out of an abundance of caution and the consulate will remain open, the person said. Nevertheless, the decision is likely to be closely reviewed by other countries and businesses as they plan how to gauge their response to the outbreak.

The State Department move comes as the number of cases in Hong Kong continues to grow, with at least 49 confirmed infections and one death. The U.S. shut its consulate in Wuhan, China, the center of the outbreak, and has allowed diplomats and family members to leave other outposts in China if they wish.

Disease Is Officially Named Covid-19, WHO Says (10:10 a.m. NY)

The disease cause by the new coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China, has been officially named Covid-19, the World Health Organization said at a press conference Tuesday in Geneva.

The pathogen itself has gone by the designation 2019-nCoV. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that naming the disease it causes was important, and that the group had been conscious about not picking a name that could be inaccurate or stigmatizing.

Powell Says Risks to Outlook Remain as Fed Monitors Coronavirus (8:30 a.m. NY)

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the bank is monitoring the fallout from the deadly outbreak, “which could lead to disruptions in China that spill over to the rest of the global economy.“

Airbus to Restart Production in Tianjin (7:50 a.m. NY)

European planemaker says it has been authorized by Chinese authorities to restart operations at its final-assembly line in Tianjin. The company said this will allow it to gradually increase production “while implementing all required health and safety measures for Airbus employees.”

Airbus had said Wednesday the assembly line was closed following government advice. The Tianjin plant produces about six narrow-body aircraft per month, or about 10% of Airbus’s total narrow-body output.

Under Armour, Moncler Warn on Coronavirus Impact (7:27 a.m. NY)

Moncler, the Italian maker of down jackets, and Under Armour became the latest companies to feel the effects of the coronavirus, echoing comments from Canada Goose Holdings Inc. and Burberry Group Plc.

Milan-based Moncler said it has taken “significant and urgent” measures to deal with the epidemic -- including postponing some projects and investments -- but warned it was difficult to forecast the effects on 2020 results.

Under Armour said the virus would lead to $50 million to $60 million in lost sales in the first quarter of 2020 and warned of a larger impact beyond the period.

H.K. PolyU Develops Rapid Diagnostic System (6:17 p.m. HK)

The system can identify 30 to 40 pathogens including the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome in one single test and in about an hour, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University said.

China Lets Local Governments Sell More Debt Early (6:08 p.m. HK)

China will allow local governments to sell another 848 billion yuan ($122 billion) of debt before March, as authorities seek to offset the economic shock of the coronavirus.

The new quota includes 558 billion yuan of local government debt as well as 290 billion yuan of so-called special debt, according to a Ministry of Finance statement Tuesday. The latter is mainly used to finance local infrastructure projects like highways and health facilities.

The second batch of early-approved local debt quota by the Chinese authorities indicates a strong government intention to accelerate the recovery of economic activity amid the coronavirus. We now see a higher chance of the overall fiscal deficit widening while more stimulus measures get launched to cushion the impact.

-- David Qu and Chang Shu, Bloomberg Economics; Click here to view the research

China May Delay U.S. Farm Purchase Target (5:23 p.m. HK)

The coronavirus outbreak may delay the implementation of U.S. farm good purchases as part of the phase one trade deal, but they will likely be fulfilled by the end of the year, according to China’s agriculture ministry outlook committee.

Two Japan Evacuees Get Virus After First Testing Negative (5:12 p.m. HK)

Two Japanese men who were evacuated from Wuhan late last month have tested positive for the novel coronavirus after initially being cleared of the deadly disease, the health ministry said.

The cases bring total infections in Japan to 28, excluding 135 on a cruise ship under quarantine in Yokohama. Both men had tested negative on Jan. 30 after they returned from the Chinese city on a government-chartered flight.

China Urges Farmers to Wear Masks While Planting (5:11 p.m. HK)

China is asking its farmers to wear face masks to prevent the spread of the virus while urging them not to miss the spring planting season.

Releasing Quarantined Americans; Cruise Concerns: Virus Update

The agriculture ministry issued a notice on Monday advising farmers to wash hands and wear masks, but still prepare for planting. It also asked local villages not to block roads to ensure the timely arrival and transport of seeds, pesticides and other farming equipment.

Indonesia’s Jokowi Orders Spending Spree (4:50 p.m. HK)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has called for fiscal stimulus to be accelerated in a bid to shield Southeast Asia’s biggest economy from the coronavirus crisis.

While Indonesia is yet to record a single case of the deadly virus, officials have become increasingly worried about the economic impact. China is Indonesia’s biggest trading partner and its top export destination.

China Starts Handing Out ‘Force Majeure’ Slips (4:49 p.m. HK)

Huida Manufacturing (Huzhou) Co. became one of the earliest known companies to obtain a “force majeure” certificate in China that may help it avoid penalties for breaching contractual obligations.

The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade said it issued the certificate on Feb. 2. More companies have since received the document.

China Pushes Big Companies to Meet Output Targets (4:15 p.m. HK)

China is urging the nation’s biggest companies to meet production targets despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus epidemic, as firms begin to restart plants that have been idled for weeks.

Regions that are less hit should accelerate the resumption of production, according to a nationally televised conference held by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The ministry said it was “very urgent” to resume industrial production and stabilize expectations.

The impact to China’s economy from the coronavirus will be short-term and won’t derail its longer term improvement, CCTV reported Monday, citing President Xi Jinping. China will strengthen controls on economic operations and monitor employment to avoid large-scale layoffs, it said.

Xi told local officials during a Feb. 3 meeting of the Politburo’s Standing Committee that efforts to contain the virus had gone too far and threatened its economy, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing unidentified people familiar with the meeting.

Dalio Says Market Impact Is ‘Exaggerated’ (3:57 p.m. HK)

Investor concerns over the pandemic “probably had a bit of an exaggerated effect on the pricing of assets because of the temporary nature of that, so I would expect more of a rebound,” Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates, said at a conference in Abu Dhabi. “It most likely will be something that in another year or two will be well beyond what everyone will be talking about.”

Virus Likely Cost China’s Retail and Food Sectors Billions (3:54 p.m. HK)

The outbreak of coronavirus may have cost China’s retail and food service sectors billions of dollars in sales during the Lunar New Year week, according to a leading food and agricultural bank.

Revenue lost in both retail and food services during the Lunar New Year week could range from 20% to 80%, representing a fall of $31 billion to $124 billion, as major chains shuttered stores across the country, Rabobank said in a report.

Chipmakers Skip Premier Mobile Show on Virus Fears (3:27 p.m. HK)

Intel Corp. and MediaTek Inc. have pulled out of Mobile World Congress, joining a list of marquee names skipping the wireless industry’s biggest annual showcase because of concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Fellow tech giants Ericsson AB, Sony Corp. and LG Electronics Inc. have already withdrawn from the conference scheduled to kick off in Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via on Feb. 24. The growing number of cancellations has called into question an event at which smartphone and networking companies from Huawei Technologies Co. to Samsung Electronics Co. show off their wares and launch new products.

The GSMA, which organizes the gathering, said it’s going ahead irrespective of the cancellations, though it’s requiring attendees to prove they’ve not set foot in mainland China in the two weeks prior to showing up.

China Stats Bureau to Survey Economic Impact (3:23 p.m. HK)

China’s National Bureau of Statistics will conduct a special survey on the economy amid the coronavirus epidemic and analyze the outbreak’s impact, according to a statement. The bureau will use data from the survey to advise the government on the resumption of production as well as the success of coronavirus control efforts.

South Korea Advises Avoiding Japan, Singapore (2:48 p.m. HK)

South Korea’s health ministry advised citizens to minimize travel to countries with confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, including Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan, according to a ministry statement. South Korea will strengthen quarantine screening on entrants from Hong Kong and Macau.

China Home Sales Plunge Due to Virus (1:29 p.m. HK)

Home sales in China have been dealt a huge blow by the spreading coronavirus, with figures showing transactions plunged in the first week of February. New apartment sales dropped 90% from the same period of 2019, according to preliminary data on 36 cities compiled by China Merchants Securities Co. Sales of existing homes plummeted 91% in eight cities where data is available.

CDC Confirms 13th Case in the U.S. (11:38 a.m. HK)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed another case of coronavirus in California, bringing the number in the U.S. to 13.

The latest patient is in San Diego, and was among citizens evacuated from Wuhan to the U.S. and under quarantine. The CDC said it is conducting an investigation to determine the patient’s contacts and assess if they had high risk exposure.

Hong Kong Won’t Enact Mask Laws (11:12 a.m. HK)

Hong Kong authorities have no plans to enact laws regulating the city’s supply of surgical masks, Chief Executive Carrie Lam told reporters at a weekly briefing.

Lam has faced criticism from the public in recent days as a mask shortage sent people scrambling to form long lines at pharmacies, while residents distrustful of her administration after months of pro-democracy protests staged a run on toilet paper. She urged Hong Kongers to reduce their number of social interactions as the city works to ward off a wider outbreak.

Releasing Quarantined Americans; Cruise Concerns: Virus Update

Lam said the government wasn’t calling for compulsory closures, “because Hong Kong is a free society” and business operators were already taking strong precautionary measures.

Singapore Sees Up to 30% Drop in Tourism (10:32 a.m. HK)

Singapore could see a 25% to 30% decline in tourist arrivals and spending this year because of the coronavirus outbreak, as the industry braces for a worse impact than the 2003 SARS pandemic, the city’s tourism chief said.

Releasing Quarantined Americans; Cruise Concerns: Virus Update

The city-state is losing about 18,000 to 20,000 tourists a day, and the figures could plummet further if the situation persists for longer, Keith Tan, chief executive of Singapore Tourism Board, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

China accounts for about 20% of Singapore’s tourism intake, the biggest source of visitors ahead of Indonesia and India. China’s ban on outbound tour groups and Singapore’s move to bar Chinese nationals from entering has led to an “evaporation” of a key source of revenue, Tan said.

China’s Hubei Province Removes Top Health Officials (9:04 a.m. HK)

China’s Hubei province at the center of the virus outbreak has removed health commission head Liu Yingzi and party chief Zhang Jin from their posts, state-run CCTV reported.

Criticism has mounted over China’s transparency and speed in handling the epidemic. The government’s struggle to stem the outbreak has fueled concerns about President Xi Jinping’s efforts to centralize power since taking office, with officials pointing fingers over who’s to blame for the spread of the illness.

The death last week of a 34-year-old doctor, Li Wenliang, who was sanctioned by local authorities after warning about the disease, unleashed a torrent of grief and anger on social media.

Thailand Says Ship Won’t Be Allowed to Disembark (8:56 a.m. HK)

Passengers from a ship that has been blocked from other ports due to virus concerns won’t be given permission to disembark in Thailand. The Westerdam cruise ship, operated by Carnival Corp.’s Holland America, has been refused entry by a number of nations over fears that passengers may be carrying the coronavirus.

The ship departed Hong Kong on Feb. 1 with 1,455 passengers and 802 crew. It is set to arrive at a port near Bangkok on Thursday, and checks with health authorities indicate there is “no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on board the ship,” Holland America said in a statement Monday.

China Death Toll at 1,016 (8:17 a.m. HK)

The death toll in China from the coronavirus rose to 1,016, with the addition of 108 fatalities for Feb. 10, according to the National Health Commission. Hubei, the province at the center of the outbreak, reported 103 more deaths, its highest daily count so far.

While the total confirmed cases in mainland China climbed to 42,638, Hubei reported 2,097 new infections, the smallest daily increase since Feb. 1.

Two additional deaths have occurred outside of mainland China: one in Hong Kong and the other in the Philippines.

--With assistance from Isabel Reynolds, Dominic Lau, Simon Lee, Cecilia Yap, Josh Wingrove, Karen Leigh, Nicolas Parasie, Ainslie Chandler, Ian King, Stephen Tan, John Lauerman and Nick Wadhams.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Michelle Fay Cortez in Minneapolis at mcortez@bloomberg.net;Robert Langreth in New York at rlangreth@bloomberg.net;Li Liu in Beijing at lliu255@bloomberg.net;Drew Armstrong in New York at darmstrong17@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rachel Chang at wchang98@bloomberg.net, ;Drew Armstrong at darmstrong17@bloomberg.net, Jeff Sutherland, Mark Schoifet

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

With assistance from Bloomberg