#0359 – Live Updates: Spanish PM Reportedly Extends State of Emergency as COVID-19 Cases Rise to 124,736

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez that India will continue to stand in solidarity with Spain during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak that has killed more than 11,700 people in the European country, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release on Saturday.

“The Prime Minister assured the Spanish dignitary that India stands in solidarity with the heroic Spanish efforts, and would be ready to extend support to the best of its ability,” the statement read after the two leaders held phone talks.

Modi and Sanchez also agreed on the need to enter a new era of globalization and international cooperation to combat the ongoing global pandemic and to aid recovery efforts, according to the ministry.

On Saturday, Modi also held phone talks with US President Donald Trump, with both parties committing to cooperate in efforts to curb the spread of the disease.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India since the start of the outbreak surpassed 3,000 on Saturday, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday held phone talks, during which the leaders discussed the global situation against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for closer cooperation in the light of the outbreak, the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation today with H.E. Jair Messias Bolsonaro, President of Brazil. The two leaders discussed the global situation in the wake of the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister conveyed his condolences on the loss of lives in Brazil due to COVID-19. He said that the prayers of every Indian were with the friendly people of Brazil at this time. The two leaders stressed the significance of close cooperation between India and Brazil, bilaterally as well as in the multilateral institutional framework, to mitigate the grave crises caused by COVID-19,” the statement said.

Modi pledged his commitment to support Brazil during the outbreak. Moreover, the leaders agreed to regularly update each other on the developments regarding COVID-19.

The number of coronavirus cases in India has reached 3,072 as of Saturday, and 75 people died from the disease. In Brazil, the number of people, who died of COVID-19 has increased by 60 to 359 within the past 24 hours, while the number of cases has risen from 7,910 to 9,056.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) – The number of people who contracted the coronavirus disease in India has reached 3,072 after 170 new patients were diagnosed with the disease earlier in the day, the country’s Health Ministry said on Saturday.

The previous data indicated that there were 2,902 COVID-19 cases across the country.

According to the Health Ministry, 212 people have recovered from the disease, and 75 died.

The western state of Maharashtra is the most affected by the virus — the state now has 490 cases. The capital territory, Delhi, has 445 cases, and Tamil Nadu has so far confirmed 411 cases.

In a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19, India introduced a 21-day lockdown on March 24. People are not allowed to leave their homes unless for exceptional reasons. Thousands of shops and firms are temporarily closed, and the work of public transport is restricted. Traffic between Indian states, and all domestic and international flights have also been suspended.

ATHENS (Sputnik) – The Greek authorities extended the self-isolation regime in the country and upheld restrictions on movement of citizens until April 27, Greece’s Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias said on Saturday.

“Due to the unity and discipline of the vast majority of citizens, we see a picture of the epidemic’s development, which is different from ones in other countries in Europe and the world. This result may change in the coming days and weeks. To ensure it, we must preserve the restrictions with the same patience. The ministers of civil protection, internal affairs and health have unanimously decided to extend the temporary restriction on the movement of citizens until 6 a. m. on April 27 [3 a. m. GMT] to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We have three more weeks of hard work and patience ahead,” Hardalias said.

Earlier in the day, the spokesman for the country’s Health Ministry, Sotiris Tsiodras, said that the number of coronavirus disease cases in Greece reached 1,673 after 60 new patients tested positive for the virus over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, nine people have died from the disease over the past day, bringing the death toll to 68.

According to Tsiodras, 92 infected people have been placed in intensive care units.

CHISINAU (Sputnik) – The overall number of COVID-19 cases in Moldova has increased to 752 after 161 new patients were diagnosed with the disease over the past 24 hours, Prime Minister Ion Chicu said on Saturday, adding that the death toll grew by three to 12 over the given period.

“As of today, we have 161 confirmed cases of coronavirus, thus, the whole number of cases is 752. Unfortunately, three people have died, and the total death toll is 12,” Chicu said at a briefing.

The prime minister added that 215 of those 752 infected were medical specialists.

On March 17, the Moldovan parliament declared an emergency for 60 days. The republic has suspended all international air traffic and closed its land border. Since March 25, people over 63 years old have been asked to refrain from leaving their homes without an urgent reason.

“Scientists have not managed to find out what became a link in the process of the new coronavirus transmission from animals to humans,” Dr Melita Vujnovic, the World Health Organization’s representative in Russia, said.

«It’s very difficult to find out… how this virus was transmitted from the world of animals to the world of humans. There is no final result of this research although Chinese scientists and many other of their colleagues all over the world are working on it,” Vujnovic said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Chief Public Health Official Anna Popova said on Saturday that a significant number of Russian citizens are not violating self-isolation regime amid the coronavirus disease pandemic.

“It is important today … So that everyone knows about prevention measures, everyone knows the risks and threats from today’s coronavirus, and so that everyone can make a conscious decision for themselves. Today, a significant number of Russians have made this decision and do not violate the established rules, although there are other people that pose risks to the rest,” Popova told reporters.

According to Popova, a total of 96 percent of coronavirus infections occur through droplets, and other 4 percent of cases are airborne.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Germany has returned almost 200,000 nationals from abroad over the past 2.5 weeks and is in touch with foreign governments to arrange more repatriation flights amid COVID-19 restrictions on international air traffic, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Saturday.

“Nearly 200,000 travellers were brought back home in two and a half weeks, partly from [regions] with a really critical situation. There were days when we had up to 20 aircraft in the air simultaneously. In terms of logistics, this was a bold venture for all sides,” Maas said in an interview to Rheinische Post, as sent out by the ministry’s press service.

Germany is currently in touch with many countries where arranging repatriation flights is a complicated venture, the minister continued.

“We want to bring German travellers back, that is what matters for us,” Maas said.

According to Rheinische Post, there are an approximate 40,000 Germans still stranded abroad and waiting to return home.

As of Saturday, the German toll of COVID-19 has surpassed 91,000 cases, including 1,275 fatalities, according to statistics compiled by the Johns Hopkins University.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United Kingdom has registered a record daily increase in the COVID-19 death toll for the fifth day in a row, as 708 more people have died after testing positive for the disease, the country’s Department of Health and Social Care reported on Saturday.

As a result of this increase, the number of deaths recorded since the start of the outbreak stood at 4,313 as of 17:00 GMT on Friday, the department reported in Saturday’s statistical bulletin.

The UK’s COVID-19 death toll has steadily risen throughout the week. On Friday, the Department of Health and Social Care reported 684 deaths in the preceding 24 hours. A total of 569 deaths were reported by the department on Thursday.

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK since the start of the outbreak has also surpassed 40,000, after health authorities on Saturday registered 3,735 new cases of the disease, a decrease compared to Friday’s rise of 4,450.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in self-isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus disease on March 27. In a video message posted on social media on Friday, the prime minister said he was still displaying symptoms of the disease and would continue to conduct his duties at home.

According to the recent data, the number of coronavirus cases in India has surpassed 3,000, while the death toll has reached 75.

Health authorities in Australia are beginning to report a fall in the number of new cases of COVID-19, as the country’s Department of Health on Saturday reported 198 positive tests for the disease in the preceding 24 hours, a decrease of 19 new cases compared to figures released on Friday.

A total of 5,548 cases of COVID-19 have now been confirmed in the country since the start of the outbreak, but the number of new cases reported each day is decreasing.

On Friday, Australia’s Department of Health reported 217 new cases of the disease in the preceding 24 hours. A total of 266 new cases were announced on Thursday, indicating the slowing pace of the outbreak.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Russia has reached 4,731, including 43 fatalities, Russia’s COVID-19 response center said on Saturday.

“Over the past 24 hours, 582 new coronavirus infection cases have been confirmed in 32 Russian regions,” the response center said, clarifying that the total is now 4,731 cases in 78 regions of Russia.

Out of total 582 new cases, 434 have been confirmed in the Russian capital of Moscow and another 49 in the Moscow Region, according to the statement.

“Over the past 24 hours, nine COVID-19 patients have died, including seven in Moscow, one in the [western] Kostroma Region, and one in the [far eastern] Primorsky Territory,” the response center said.

There are 67 people older than 65 years and 14 children among those who contracted the disease in Moscow.

The Russian capital recorded 434 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, the Moscow Mayor’s Office said in a statement on Saturday.

“As of 4 April, 2020, 3,357 infection cases have been confirmed in Moscow,” the statement read.

The previous update on Friday stated that a total of 2,923 cases, including 24 fatalities and 168 recoveries, have been recorded in Moscow so far.

Around 600 military servicemen in France have contracted the coronavirus, Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Saturday, adding that it, nevertheless, did not affect the French army’s combat readiness.

“We have about 600 soldiers with COVID-19. This corresponds to the scale [of the outbreak] as it changes. We follow the situation very closely and adapting our practices accordingly. I point out that combat readiness has not been affected,” Parly was quoted as saying by the French Le Progres newspaper.

She said many military servicemen were repatriated to France throughout the past week. Four soldiers, who have tested positive for COVID-19 while on an overseas mission in the Sahel, will be repatriated as soon as their health permits, Parly added.

According the defense minister, a civilian contractor of the French army had died from COVID-19 several days ago.

France has been one of the most severely affected countries from the very beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak on the European continent. As of Saturday, the French toll of COVID-19 has surpassed 83,000 cases, including 6,507 fatalities, according to statistics compiled by the Johns Hopkins University.

“The [Russian COVID-19] response center has decided to temporarily limit all international air traffic. In this regard, effective April 4, S7 Airlines has to temporarily suspend flights for bringing travelers back from Thailand, Vietnam and Japan,” the company said in a press release.

The first death of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been registered in Suriname, media reported.

The deceased person was the seventh patient with diagnosed COVID-19 in Suriname, the DWT Online media outlet reported on late Friday, citing the authorities.

Suriname has confirmed 10 cases of the coronavirus so far. The first one was registered in mid-March, after which the government decided to close the national airspace.