International COVID-19 Megathread

[parochial boy]

re-Euro 2020, I spoke to a friend who works for UEFA yesterday and his comment was that there is a meeting of all the federations on Tuesday, final decision is up to the federations themselves rather than UEFA and he didn't know how the meeting would go but figures most likely is they push to hold the thing in December.

Extremely sensible plan, can't see any obstacles to that at all

They've made so many terrible decisions about this tournament that it would be a shame to stop making them now...

[Velasco]

Madrid premier Isabel Díaz Ayuso wants to implement harsher measures and go beyond the emergency decree issued by the Spanish government. Hairdressers are allowed to keep open, in order to service elderly people or persons with disabilities unable to wash their hair alone. Díaz Ayuso tweeted that's too risky and she prefers  ''dirty haired but healthy'' elders

EDIT,: Health minister phoned Madrid premier and told her they had an agreement and she lacks the competences under the State of Alarm. However,  hairdressers will close nationwide


 

[Sir Mohamed]

This is just awful. Their #s of infected people must be many times higher than offically reported cases.

https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/1239243558349090817

[Velasco]

Right now people around home are clapping hands from their windows and balconies, in support of the workers of our national health system. This is one of the consequences of universal healthcare in Spain: people feel prouder and safer

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

Went grocery shopping for the first time in a week and a half.

No panic buying, just that certain shelves in certain aisles were looking weirdly sparser than normal. I asked the cashier at my local grocery store if it was busy, she said yes, but just busier than normal. Apparently people aren't hoarding but just buying a little more than usual. Some reports of stores in the city center having some problems keeping shelves full, but that's probably more a result of them being in the city center and high-traffic than anything else.

Swedes are known for many things, but panicking is not one of them.

Most restaurants are open but are very empty, people are being seated one table apart from each other, seems like most people are just doing take-out. Overall not a sense of panic, but a sense of uncertainty, dread, annoyance, and sadness :/

[President Johnson]

Another factor with regard to Italy: In Southern European countries, family bounds are much closer than in Middle or Northern Europe as well as parts of the US. Very often, two or three generations are living in the same house, everybody is meeting everybody. As half-Greek, I know that from my own family, and in contrast to Germany.

Taking this into account, it explains in parts why the Italian situation is so dramatic.

[Mike88]

Closure of borders between Portugal and Spain almost certain as the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, is considering declaring State of Emergency.

Tourist entries from Spain to Portuguese territory are banned also.

[Tender Branson]

I think I’m shifting into Libertarian hoarding/prepper mode tomorrow ...

[Velasco]

Death toll increases dramatically in Spain: 152 dead today, totalling 288. Casualties in Madrid rise from 86 to 213

Spanish government seizes private hospitals, that will be at the disposal of the regional healthcare systems

Military is deployed in several locations, including Madrid downtown. Army units will assist in security and disinfection tasks

Spanish and Portuguese PMs agreed to close common border via videoconference

[President Johnson]

Hopefully this won't come true:

https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1239288683578249216

[Velasco]

When I started reading and hearing comments on the Boris Johnson's approach to the coronavirus crisis, I could not believe it. What's the problem with this man?

I feel overloaded and overwhelmed by the news in my country, but I fear for the Brits

[Omega21]

Serbia has declared a state of emergency and completely closed the borders. Serbs returning from infection hotspots must enter quarantine, failure to do so can result in a up to 3-year prison sentence according to the President.

[It’s so Joever]

Gotta love how China actually almost ended the outbreak (after starting it), and then it flared in Italy and SK for a second round.

[Storebought]

Gotta love how China actually almost ended the outbreak (after starting it), and then it flared in Italy and SK for a second round.

And Iran, which is the worst-case scenario for countries with underdeveloped health care systems.

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

Some quite bad news -

23:20: 79 new cases in Brazil.

That brings Brazil up to 200 cases, it was previously 121.

The fact that they suddenly found so many new cases and seem to be increasing rapidly now is very bad, because Brazil is in the Southern hemisphere... So if they keep finding new cases there, that (along with the exponential growth we have seen recently in Australia) would seem to make it much less likely that summer/heat will slow down the pandemic to any reasonable degree in the Northern Hemisphere as we enter Spring/Summer.

[Helsinkian]

Finland goes into state-of-emergency. While the official number of Covid-19 cases is 272, the National Institute of Health has conceded that the real number is likely to be 20 to 30 times that number.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

When I started reading and hearing comments on the Boris Johnson's approach to the coronavirus crisis, I could not believe it. What's the problem with this man?

I feel overloaded and overwhelmed by the news in my country, but I fear for the Brits

The government's actual policies are basically a modification of a standard plan for a deviant flu strain pandemic: a reasonable enough idea under the circumstances although (inevitably) there will be bits that won't work out so well. But the government's communication of this last week was hideously bad (for a mixture of political reasons - a desire to stress differences with other countries because of Brexit jfc - and intellectual vanity) and has led to... well... confusion.

[CumbrianLefty]

And with a "giant brain" pseudo-eugenicist lurking in the background.

Small wonder that conspiracy theories have thrived.

[Tender Branson]

And with a "giant brain" pseudo-eugenicist lurking in the background.

Small wonder that conspiracy theories have thrived.

I’m sure that a Chinese millennial hipster intern at a bioweapon facility leaked it outside to kill Boomers.

[parochial boy]

We've joined the cool kids club. Going into lockdown. Everything must close except food shops, pharmacies, healthcare practioners, and banks. This is Switzerland after all.

And with a "giant brain" pseudo-eugenicist lurking in the background.

Small wonder that conspiracy theories have thrived.

Well you've got to admire his genius plan to kill off his own electorate.

[Mike88]

Portugal update: 1st death reported as cases rose to 331.

[Tender Branson]

The EU commission says that the economy will shrink by between 1% and 3% this year, depending on how long the virus lasts until it is contained.

The same is likely true for the US.

[Santander]

Meanwhile, Japan and the IOC are still saying the Olympics will go on. LOL

[Tirnam]

France is on lockdown for at least 15 days.
You can only leave your house for health issues, groceries and work, if you can't work at home.

[President Johnson]

Here we go: Germany will shut down all nonessential stores and gatherings. Restaurants must close at 6 pm. Supermarkets, grocery stores, pharmacies, cosmetics stores, craft businesses, newspaper stores and gas stations remain open. Supermarkets are even permitted remain open on Sundays as well, which is usually not the case.

All nighclubs, fitness centers, sports clubs, public swimming pools and churches will be closed. Hotel stays are largely banned, especially for tourism. Schools and universities have already been shut down.