Coronavirus cases grow outside China as deaths mount

Emirates Group has offered its staff the option of taking voluntary paid or unpaid leave because of the coronavirus.

In an internal email to employees, it said: “A particular challenge for us right now is dealing with the impact of Covid-19.

‘We’ve seen a measurable slow-down in business across our brands and a need for flexibility in the way we work.”

The Emirates group, which includes the Emirates airline, has more than 100,000 employees.

Emirates stressed that the leave it was asking its employees to take was voluntary. “It is at the employee’s discretion if they want to take it or not.”

The Chinese government is using a system of colour codes in an
attempt to classify individuals – in the name of fighting the
virus.

The AliPay system has been piloted in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, with each resident assigned a QR code representing their health status.

The colours – green, yellow or red – indicate whether they should be allowed out into public spaces or quarantined at home.

But a report by the New York Times found that the software also appears to share information with the police – raising concerns about privacy and data security.

The New York Times report said this was the equivalent of the US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) using apps from Amazon to track the virus, then sharing information with local police.

If you’re just tuning in now, here’s a quick summary of today’s developments:

• Australia has confirmed its first case of person-to-person transmission
• Nike has temporarily shut its European HQ in the Netherlands
• Indonesia has now reported its first two cases of the virus
• South Korea’s new number of cases is 476, making it the worst affected country outside of China. The leader of a religious sect linked to most of the country’s cases has apologised and fallen to his knees in a news conference

• A healthcare worker in the UK’s Hertfordshire is confirmed to have the virus
• The US state of New York has confirmed its first case. Two people in Washington state have now died

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has said the impact of the coronavirus will be greater than previous estimates.

The effect will be “much more significant” than the 0.1% reduction in growth the finance ministry had forecast two weeks ago, he said on France2 television.

Mr Le Maire said he expects “coordinated action” from the G7 nations and the eurozone.

Lee Man-hee, the leader of a religious sect that has been linked to the majority of South Korea’s coronavirus cases says he “seeks the forgiveness of the government [and] the people”.

The 88-year-old, who spoke at a news conference on Monday, is head of the religious fringe group the Shincheonji Church.

“Although it was not intentional, many people have been infected,” said the leader, who got down his on his knees.

“We put our utmost efforts but were unable to prevent it all.”

Mr Lee claims he is the second coming of Jesus Christ and identifies as “the promised pastor” mentioned in the Bible.

His followers believe he will take 144,000 people to heaven with him.

Hugh Pym

BBC News Health Editor

A healthcare worker in the UK county of Hertfordshire is one of 13 new cases that have emerged in the UK, bringing the total number of cases to 36.

All those who were in contact with the clinician from the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre have been identified.

The NHS said in a statement that the “risk to patients and staff is very low” adding that “it remains safe for patients to attend [the centre].”

Shincheonji Church is at the centre of South Korea’s coronavirus outbreak, with a majority of the country’s cases linked to the group.

Kim Shin-chang, the director of ministry of international missions, said the church had now supplied members’ names to authorities – and explained why they were previously kept secret.

Laura Bicker

BBC News, Seoul

The second MotoGP race of the season – the grand prix of motorcycling – has been postponed indefinitely, the Thai deputy prime minister has said.

It was due to be held in the country later this month.

New South Wales’ health minister Brad Hazzard has urged people to stop shaking hands as a greeting, and instead to pat each other on the back.

Australia earlier confirmed its first case of person-to-person transmission.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Algeria has confirmed two new
cases of coronavirus infections, in a 53-year-old woman and her 24-year-old daughter.

They have been placed in isolation in Blida province south of the capital, Algiers, the health ministry said on Sunday.

It said the pair had hosted a man and his daughter from France who tested positive for coronavirus after their return.

It means there are now three people in Algeria confirmed as having the virus.

The country’s first case was confirmed last week in an Italian national, who authorities deported to Italy.

The leader of a South Korean religious sect that has been linked to a majority of the country’s coronavirus cases has apologised for the spread of the disease.

“I would like to offer my sincere apology to the people on behalf of the members”, said Lee Man-hee, who was pictured bowing with his head to the floor.

The scene in one Sydney supermarket, as captured by a journalist:

US sportswear giant Nike has closed its European headquarters after an employee tested positive for the virus.

The HQ, which is located in Hilversum city in the Netherlands, is currently being deep-cleaned.

It is not clear when it might re-open.

A man has been sentenced to death by a Chinese court for killing two officers at a checkpoint which was set up to control the spread of the virus, reported news agency AFP.

On 6 February, 23-year-old Ma Jianguo, together with a passenger, had been driving a minivan through a checkpont in Yunnan when they were stopped.

Ma refused to co-operate with checkpoint officials – though it is not clear what exactly was demanded of him. His passenger began trying to remove the checkpoint roadblock, leading the officer to begin filming them on his phone.

Ma then stabbed the official – and another who came to his aid. Both men died from their wounds in a killing the court described as “extremely vicious”.

Sameer Hashmi

BBC World reporter

Emirates
Group has offered its staff the option of taking voluntary paid or unpaid
leave.

In an internal email to employees the airline said: “A particular
challenge for us right now is dealing with the impact of Covid-19.

‘We’ve
seen a measurable slow-down in business across our brands and a need for
flexibility in the way we work.”

The Emirates group, which
includes the Emirates airline, has over 100,000 employees.

An Emirates spokesman said: “We can confirm
the email was sent to our employees around paid and unpaid leave.

“Point to note
– the leave we are asking employees to take is voluntary. It is at the
employee’s discretion if they want to take it or not.”

Australia has confirmed its first case of person-to-person transmission, according to ABC.

It is believed to have been transmission from a patient to a doctor in New South Wales.

Previous patients with the virus had caught it overseas.

At the weekend, Australia had 29 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with one death.

Thailand has reported one new virus case, bringing the total number of cases to 43.

The new patient is a 22-year-old woman who was in contact with a driver – who later tested positive for the virus.

Thailand also announced that it would postpone the MotoGP race that was scheduled for 20 -22 March.