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Corona poem

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The poet Michael Rosen is only alive because his wife, Emma-Louise Williams, and a GP friend recognised that his condition was deteriorating and took him to A&E in the nick of time, he told the Observer Magazine in an emotional interview this weekend.

Rosen, 74, who came down with coronavirus in mid-March, returned home last week after spending 48 days in intensive care at the Whittington hospital in north London. He spent a further three weeks on a rehabilitation ward, learning to walk again.

In his first comments to the media since he went into hospital, Rosen said: "I'm only alive because my wife and our friend, who is a GP, had a sense that I was on a downward spiral with coronavirus and got me to A&E. But I've got no recall of being critically ill because I was in an induced coma."

He added: "I'm only finding out now how the NHS saved my life in several different ways as different parts of my body were on the verge of giving out while I was in intensive care for nearly seven weeks."

He paid tribute to the health service workers who looked after him: "The NHS is an incredible feat of the imagination - complete strangers care for you and this means that it is social medicine and social health at its best."

Williams, a radio producer, said: "The past three months have been a strain and it's a great relief to have Michael home now, but I know we are in a new phase of the illness, the after-effects, which is not going to be easy."

He is the kindest, most expressive, hardworking, articulate, laughter-inducing, tear-jerking poet in the business

Lemn Sissay, fellow poet

She described the night their friend, a GP, lent them her pulse oximeter so that they could test Rosen's oxygen levels. That was "the terrible night", recalled Williams, that she and their daughter then took Rosen to A&E.

She said she was "full of admiration and gratitude" to their GP friend, the staff at the Whittington hospital, its Kanitz critical care unit and the rehabilitation department at St Pancras hospital in London "for getting Michael through this".

"When I think of my grandparents and Michael's parents, who lived through the second world war and voted for the founding of the NHS, this crisis has reaffirmed its necessity and worth, so we can't lose it."

Rosen, who has five children and two stepchildren, has not yet fully recovered from his ordeal. "I hobble with a stick and only over a few metres, struggle with stairs, become breathless and dizzy and only have full sight in one eye and full hearing in one ear," he wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

The poet Lemn Sissay, who has known Rosen for about 25 years, called his friend "the reluctant king of poets... the kindest, most expressive, hardworking, articulate, laughter-inducing, tear-jerking poet in the business".

He said he had often wept during the lockdown, worrying that Rosen was dying: "In fact he was living. He was fighting for his life. He has always been fighting for his life in the face of death. Like all heroes."

Rosen, he said, should be given a statue in his home town of Pinner: "Welcome back, Michael Rosen. We love you."

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Michael Rosen: 'I am only finding out now how I was saved from coronavirus'

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The poet Michael Rosen is only alive because his wife, Emma-Louise Williams, and a GP friend recognised that his condition was deteriorating and took him to A&E in the nick of time, he told the Observer Magazine in an emotional interview this weekend.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to shelter in their homes, reduce contacts, and limit all those activities that seemed essential for their daily happiness. The world has shrunk into a small place defined by the confines of our house. Trust in others has been eroded out of fear of a potential contagion. Time has assumed a new dimension and seems suspended. Inevitably, being forced to be distant from friends and family, we are closer to our own thoughts and many of us find difficult to battle with anxiety and concern for a future that looks unfathomable. In these difficult times, words can be a powerful tool to cast bridges between people and make them feel that they are not alone. Poets are masters in expressing with words feelings that we may find difficult to define and even during the current pandemic they have tried to give voice to the sense of unease we all feel. In spring, Italian poet Vivian Lamarque shared her thoughts and poems for one month in The Window on the Courtyard, a daily column in the Mondadori publishing company's Facebook poetry page. With her naif style, Lamarque gently looked at the world from her balcony in Milan finding joy in small things like the hope of seeing a cat pass or the memory of her former vegetable garden. Instead, in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, onetime The New Yorker poetry editor Alice Quinn decided to invite 107 poets from all over the country to share their verses describing how they were feeling during the quarantine. Her initiative has resulted in the collection of poems Together in a Sudden Strangeness: America's Poets Respond to the Pandemic.

To read this article in full you will need to make a payment

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to shelter in their homes, reduce contacts, and limit all those activities that seemed essential for their daily happiness. The world has shrunk into a small place defined by the confines of our house. Trust in others has been eroded out of fear of a potential contagion.

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Unprecedented rise in joblessness

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Spain's unemployment offices are struggling to deal with a flood of jobless claims tied to a temporary layoff scheme meant to soften the economic blow of the coronavirus crisis.

Around three million workers have requested unemployment assistance after companies filed 450,000 ERTEs (or expediente de regulación temporal de empleo, as the temporary layoff plan is called in Spanish). Under the scheme, employers can send workers home without pay for a certain amount of time, but must take them back once this period ends. Workers can claim unemployment during this time, and companies can also put staff on a reduced schedule.

Faced with a surge in ERTE filings, regional governments have expanded their processing staff in a bid to avoid bottlenecks, but government sources said that the real challenge lies in the millions of individual jobless claims, which are handled by the national agency SEPE.

We are processing filings on Saturdays and Sundays

Chakir El Homrani, chief of Catalan department of labor

These sources said that the agency has beefed up its computer system in order to quadruple its ability to process and approve claims. Over 600,000 jobless claims were approved in March, and more than 2.5 million are expected to be greenlighted by late April so that most of the applicants can start collecting their benefits in early May.

The Spanish government decreed a state of alarm exactly one month ago. During this time, the number of workers affected by ERTE filings has soared to more than double of what they were during the entire 2009-2019 period, which included a long economic crisis in Spain.

Public unemployment services, which had already experienced cuts after years of austerity, are now faced with an unprecedented workload. "During the first few days we had a real backlog," said Yago Negueruela, the regional chief of employment for the Balearic Islands.

This official said that before the coronavirus crisis, there was one single government employee handling ERTEs on the islands, and now there are 103 of them.

His counterpart in the Valencia region told a similar story, noting that where there were once 10 workers processing ERTEs, there are now 40. And the situation is similar in the Canary Islands, Aragón, Catalonia and Andalusia, said officials in those regions. "We are processing filings on Saturdays and Sundays," said the head of the Catalan labor department, Chakir El Homrani, at a parliamentary appearance on Thursday.

Slow process

Legal experts who are helping corporate clients file ERTEs complain that the process is too slow. Teresa Aguirre, a labor lawyer, has filed ERTEs in Madrid, the Valencia region and the Basque Country for schools, restaurants and a museum, and she says that so far only one decision has been returned. In Madrid, she cannot even follow up on the status of the applications, which are being filed online. She also reports that numerous technical glitches are affecting webpages and apps.

Maricarmen Barrera, head of social policy at the labor union UGT, talks about "a bottleneck," and says that the years of cuts and lack of investment in public employment services are now becoming evident.

The concentrated effort to cover ERTE-related jobless claims is also delaying other initiatives, such as processing the financial aid for domestic workers introduced by the government as part of its coronavirus relief effort.

"The benefit scheme for domestic workers is currently being designed. It involves a lot of work and when it's ready we will make the announcement," said sources at the Spanish Labor Ministry. Approved on March 31, the aid is expected to reach an estimated 400,000 house workers who are signed up to the Social Security system.

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Spain's public employment services swamped by millions of coronavirus-related jobless claims

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Spain's unemployment offices are struggling to deal with a flood of jobless claims tied to a temporary layoff scheme meant to soften the economic blow of the coronavirus crisis. Around three million workers have requested unemployment assistance after companies filed 450,000 ERTEs (or expediente de regulación temporal de empleo, as the temporary layoff plan is called in Spanish).

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A -Z of the Coronavirus

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Corona poem, “When I was a kid”  by Alex Whitaker

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The coronavirus explained and how you can combat it

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The coronavirus explained and how you can combat it

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At the onset of this disease, it was largely viewed as a problem for someone somewhere else to handle. Even when diagnoses of illness, community transmission, and deaths increased it was still largely considered a faraway problem. Once cases began being reported beyond borders, it was as if a Darwin bomb went off and people began to devolve. As a result, civility and respectful public interaction were replaced with long lines at stores, hoarding, racism, and profiteering. In your opinion, what are the lessons to learn from these behaviours that can be then applied to prevent these problems in the future?

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The coronavirus explained and how you can combat it

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The coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic is impacting every nation on Earth. Whether it is the deadly nature and rapid transmission of this new virus or the life-changing economic impacts being felt around the world, we are being called into action to cure a new disease and to reconsider how we as humans interact.

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Coronavirus explained through animation

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CORONAVIRUS | What Is Coronavirus? | Coronavirus Outbreak | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

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Humor as a way out of tragedy

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Corona Comic

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Updated on March 16 at 1:56 p.m. ET. This comic has been updated. Click here for the newest version.
Kids, this comic is for you.

It's based on a radio story that NPR education reporter Cory Turner did. He asked some experts what kids might want to know about the new coronavirus discovered in China.

To make this comic, we've used his interviews with Tara Powell at the University of Illinois School of Social Work, Joy Osofsky at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and Krystal Lewis at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Print and fold a zine version of this comic here. Here are directions on how to fold it. To read this comic in Chinese, click here.To read it in Spanish, click here.

Malaka Gharib is an NPR editor and the author and illustrator of I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir, about being first-generation Filipino Egyptian American.

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Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus

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You may have heard the word "coronavirus" online or on TV. You probably have a lot of questions. Check out our comic to get some answers - and print out a zine version at home.

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Coronavirus voc glossary

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This glossary of terms related to coronaviruses and in particular is intended for learners of English though it may be of interest to a wider audience. In times of crisis, knowing and understanding the terminology involved may help counter some of the fearmongering and lies that such times breed.

A virus is a micro-organism, too small to be seen without a microscope, that causes infectious disease in animals and humans.

In December 2019 a new disease was identified in China. On investigation, the disease was caused by a "new" virus of the coronavirus family, and has since been officially named COVID-19.

It is believed that COVID-19 originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, though whether zoonotically via a local live animal market or through viral manipulation in a local laboratory using American research and money remains a mystery to the public. It subsequently spread to other countries and was officially pronounced a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.

Peter Heilig, Dr. med. Univ.-Professor
Each of the following terms, listed in alphabetical order, has 1) a basic definition and 2) an example sentence showing how the term may be used in context.

asymptomatic (adjective): showing no symptoms of a particular disease - She had no idea her husband had coronavirus because he was asymptomatic.

carrier (noun): a person or animal that transmits a disease to others, whether suffering from it themselves or not - People who are asymptomatic can still be carriers.

carry (verb): be infected with a disease and able to transmit it to others, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic - Some people may carry coronavirus without knowing it.

community spread (noun): transmission of a disease directly within a community and not by importation from a foreign source - With this many new positive cases, the evidence suggests that we now have community spread right here in our county.

contact tracing (noun): identification and monitoring of people who may have had contact with an infectious person - By insisting on strict contact tracing as soon as someone was potentially infected, they managed to control the spread of the disease.

contagious (adjective): describing a disease that can pass from person to person, usually by direct contact; describing a person with such a disease. See infectious - Patients who are still contagious are kept in isolation.

COVID-19 (noun): official name for the novel coronavirus disease that emerged in China in 2019. COVID-19 = COrona VIrus Disease-20 19 - All countries are requested to report any new confirmed case of COVID-19 within 48 hours.

covid performance art (noun): manifested mostly in the form of high-production-value TikTok videos of nurses with time on their hands mindlessly dancing in often-empty hospitals - The production value is far too high and hospital protocols are likely too strict for this covid performance art to have been made "organically". Someone likely paid to have them produced. The question is why.

epidemic (noun): occurrence of a particular disease in a large number of people in a particular area. See outbreak, pandemic - The city was devastated by an epidemic of cholera in the 19th century.

herd immunity (noun): an indirect protection from a disease resulting from a large percentage of the population gaining immunity (as a result of either recovering from the disease or being vaccinated) - This virus is unlike other coronaviruses because there is currently no herd immunity to it, he said. According to Prof. Sir Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, herd immunity to Covid-19 by vaccination is not possible because it still infects vaccinated individuals.

iatrogenesis (noun): illness or death caused by a doctor or nurse conducting medical treatment - During the Covid panic, and mainly in New York, an estimated 30,000 Americans were killed by ventilators and iatrogenesis in April 2020.

infectious (adjective): describing a disease that can be transmitted through the environment; describing a human or animal capable of spreading an infection. See contagious - Avoid the dogs as they may still be infectious.

isolation (noun): separation of infected people from healthy people for serious contagious diseases like COVID-19 - Travellers arriving from the infected area were immediately put in isolation.

mask (noun): a piece of fibre or cloth that fits over the nose and mouth to protect other people from the wearer's germs and/or the wearer from germs in the air - The World Health Organization have historically offered varying advice on whether or when people should wear masks.

outbreak (noun): a sudden occurrence of a disease (or other unpleasant thing). See epidemic, pandemic - There was another outbreak of the disease in 1993 but the cause was uncertain.

pandemic (noun): occurrence of a particular disease throughout a whole country or the world. See epidemic, outbreak - Just after the First World War there was a pandemic of flu which killed up to 40 million people worldwide.

pandemic amnesty (noun): a proposed official agreement to take no action against people guilty of crimes during the Covid pandemic such as forced vaccination or illegal deprivation of liberty - LET'S DECLARE A PANDEMIC AMNESTY. Let's focus on the future, and fix the problems we still need to solve.

patient zero (noun): the person identified as the first to become infected with a disease in an outbreak - Authoritites usually try to determine who patient zero was in any given outbreak as can help answer important questions about how, when and why it started.

PCR test (noun): test that detects viral particles in blood or other body fluids. (PCR = polymerase chain reaction) - Although the PCR test is widely used to diagnose Covid-19, Kary Mullis, who won the Nobel Prize in connection with his invention of the PCR method, doubted the validity of using the PCR test for this purpose.

quarantine (noun): isolation and monitoring of people who seem healthy but may have been exposed to an infectious disease to see if they develop symptoms - For centuries it's been common for ships arriving from infected areas to be kept in quarantine at the docks, originally for 40 days which is where the term comes from.

SARS-CoV-2 (noun): Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2; final official name for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. (This virus was previously known as 2019-nCoV.) - SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus and COVID-19 is the name of the disease.

self-isolate (verb): isolate oneself; put oneself in quarantine, away from other people - The prime minister's wife has tested positive for COVID-19 and the couple are now self-isolating and working by phone and Skype.

social distancing (noun): practice of encouraging people to minimize contact and closeness, whether by banning large or even small groups/meetings (football matches, nightclubs), or by maintaining a minimum distance between people (for example one metre or two metres) - The government has instructed schools to take social distancing measures to slow the spread of the virus.

superspreader (noun): person infected with a virus etc who transmits or spreads it to an unusually large number of people - One so-called "superspreader" in South Korea infected at least 37 people at her church with the virus.

vax (noun, informal): vaccine, vaccination - Have you had your flu vax this year? | anti-vaxer, anti-vaxxer (noun): a person opposed to vaccines and vaccination on principle - Some anti-vaxxers are against vaccines on religious grounds and others just believe vaccines are dangerous to health.

ventilation (noun): the supply of air to the lungs to support the breathing of an ill or anaesthetized person; used liberally on Covid-19 patients at the start of the pandemic until the practice was found to kill patients - We very very readily would put people on mechanical ventilation...which might have actually caused more harm than good. (Dr Fauci)

ventilator (noun): a device used medically to support the breathing of an ill or anaesthetized person; the use of a ventilator is called ventilation - The early use of ventilators/ventilation "in NY City during the pandemic killed many people" (Dr Kevin Bass).

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The language we use to talk about the new coronavirus disease that started in 2019 - COVID-19. With definitions and example sentences. Vocabulary for ESL learners and teachers.

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Pronunciation guide of coronavirus vocabulary

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https://media.pronunciationstudio.com/2020/04/coronavirus-pronunciation-guide.mp3

Coronavirus /kəˈrəʊnəˌvʌɪrəs/ is the word on everybody's lips at the moment. It's an example in English pronunciation of how the vowel sound /ə/ appears on weak syllables that are spelt with any vowel:

Its full name is Severe Acute Res piratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 /sɪˈvɪə əˈkjuːt rɛsˈpɪrətri ˈsɪndrəʊm kəˈrəʊnəˌvʌɪrəs ˈtuː/. If you don't have time to say that in every sentence, novel /ˈnɒv(ə)l/ coronavirus is considerably shorter; the word 'novel' meaning 'new' .

COVID-19 /ˌkəʊvɪd nʌɪnˈtiːn/ is the disease that develops from novel coronavirus, and it can cause deadly pneumonia /njuˈməʊniə/.

Novel coronavirus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation in March. Having started as an epidemic /ɛpɪˈdɛmɪk/ it spread all over the world creating new epicentres /ˈɛpisɛntəz/ of local contagion /kənˈteɪdʒən/. The initial outbreak /ˈaʊʔbreɪk/ was in Wuhan in China.

The virus is zoonotic meaning that it was passed from animal to human, though it is not yet clear how, or when this occurred. Some symptoms /ˈsɪmptəmz/ of COVID-19 are similar to flu /fluː/:

But many infected people seem to display no symptoms at all - they are asymptomatic /eɪˌsɪmptəˈmatɪk/.

The incubation period /ɪŋkjʊˈbeɪʃ(ə)n ˌpɪərɪəd/ of up to 14 days makes it difficult to diagnose /ˈdʌɪəgnəʊz/ early, and there is currently no vaccine /ˈvaksiːn/, so prevention is the most effective protection. Washing hands is something everybody should do regularly, though you definitely shouldn't:

The elderly and immunocompromised /ɪˌmjuːnəʊˈkɒmprəmʌɪzd/ are particularly at risk from COVID-19 with higher death rates /ˈdɛθ ˌreɪts/ recorded for both groups.

Hospitals have struggled to find enough respirators /ˈrɛspɪreɪtəz/ to protect health workers, and ventilators /ˈvɛntɪleɪtəz/ to help sick patients breathe /briːð/.

Most news shows now feature an epidemiologist - an expert in the control and spread of disease /dɪˈziːz/ who also needs to be an expert in pronunciation to say their job title. Scientist /ˈsʌɪəntɪst/ is a more general, and easier to pronounce alternative.

Reaction by many countries to the rapidly spreading pathogen /ˈpaθədʒən/ has been in the form of compound words (2 words joined together) such as lockdown /ˈlɒkdaʊn/, self-isolation /ˌsɛlf ʌɪsəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ and social distance /ˌsəʊʃ(ə)l ˈdɪstəns/.

We'll end with two curious words of Latin origin that have formed part of many people's daily lives recently. Both start with different pronunciations of the letters QU: q uarantine is from the Italian word for '40 days', and queue is from the French word for 'tail'.

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Coronavirus - a Pronunciation Guide Coronavirus /kəˈrəʊnəˌvʌɪrəs/ is the word on everybody's lips at the moment. It's an example in English pronunciation of how the vowel sound /ə/ appears on weak syllables that are spelt with any vowel: Its full

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Bill Gates’ predicted coronavirus outbreak in 2014

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Bill Gates: The next outbreak? We're not ready

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In 2014, the world avoided a global outbreak of Ebola, thanks to thousands of selfless health workers -- plus, frankly, some very good luck. In hindsight, we know what we should have done better. So, now's the time, Bill Gates suggests, to put all our good ideas into practice, from scenario planning to vaccine research to health worker training.

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Trump’s blindness to foresee and prepare for crisis

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An examination reveals the president was warned about the potential for a pandemic but that internal divisions, lack of planning and his faith in his own instincts led to a halting response.

"Nobody knew there would be a pandemic or epidemic of this proportion," President Trump said last month. He has repeatedly said that no one could have seen the effects of the coronavirus coming. Credit... Erin Schaff/The New York Times

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WASHINGTON - "Any way you cut it, this is going to be bad," a senior medical adviser at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Carter Mecher, wrote on the night of Jan. 28, in an email to a group of public health experts scattered around the government and universities. "The projected size of the outbreak already seems hard to believe."

But dozens of interviews with current and former officials and a review of emails and other records revealed many previously unreported details and a fuller picture of the roots and extent of his halting response as the deadly virus spread:

The National Security Council office responsible for tracking pandemics received intelligence reports in early January predicting the spread of the virus to the United States, and within weeks was raising options like keeping Americans home from work and shutting down cities the size of Chicago. Mr. Trump would avoid such steps until March.

Despite Mr. Trump's denial weeks later, he was told at the time about a Jan. 29 memo produced by his trade adviser, Peter Navarro, laying out in striking detail the potential risks of a coronavirus pandemic: as many as half a million deaths and trillions of dollars in economic losses.

The health and human services secretary, Alex M. Azar II, directly warned Mr. Trump of the possibility of a pandemic during a call on Jan. 30, the second warning he delivered to the president about the virus in two weeks. The president, who was on Air Force One while traveling for appearances in the Midwest, responded that Mr. Azar was being alarmist.

Mr. Azar publicly announced in February that the government was establishing a "surveillance" system in five American cities to measure the spread of the virus and enable experts to project the next hot spots. It was delayed for weeks. The slow start of that plan, on top of the well-documented failures to develop the nation's testing capacity, left administration officials with almost no insight into how rapidly the virus was spreading. "We were flying the plane with no instruments," one official said.

By the third week in February, the administration's top public health experts concluded they should recommend to Mr. Trump a new approach that would include warning the American people of the risks and urging steps like social distancing and staying home from work. But the White House focused instead on messaging and crucial additional weeks went by before their views were reluctantly accepted by the president - time when the virus spread largely unimpeded.

When Mr. Trump finally agreed in mid-March to recommend social distancing across the country, effectively bringing much of the economy to a halt, he seemed shellshocked and deflated to some of his closest associates. One described him as "subdued" and "baffled" by how the crisis had played out. An economy that he had wagered his re-election on was suddenly in shambles.

By the last week of February, it was clear to the administration's public health team that schools and businesses in hot spots would have to close. But in the turbulence of the Trump White House, it took three more weeks to persuade the president that failure to act quickly to control the spread of the virus would have dire consequences.

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The earliest warnings about coronavirus got caught in the crosscurrents of the administration's internal disputes over China. It was the China hawks who pushed earliest for a travel ban. But their animosity toward China also undercut hopes for a more cooperative approach by the world's two leading powers to a global crisis.

It was early January, and the call with a Hong Kong epidemiologist left Matthew Pottinger rattled.

Mr. Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser and a hawk on China, took a blunt warning away from the call with the doctor, a longtime friend: A ferocious, new outbreak that on the surface appeared similar to the SARS epidemic of 2003 had emerged in China. It had spread far more quickly than the government was admitting to, and it wouldn't be long before it reached other parts of the world.

Email sent among federal government physicians and former senior pandemic advisers by Dr. James Lawler, an infectious diseases specialist and public health expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Others, including aides toMr. Pence, resisted taking a hard public line, believing that angering Beijing might lead the Chinese government to withhold medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and any scientific research that might ultimately lead to a vaccine.

The chaotic culture of the Trump White House contributed to the crisis. A lack of planning and a failure to execute, combined with the president's focus on the news cycle and his preference for following his gut rather than the data cost time, and perhaps lives.

Stop panicking, Mr. Trump told him.

That sentiment was present throughout February, as the president's top aides reached for a consistent message but took few concrete steps to prepare for the possibility of a major public health crisis.

Dr. Carter Mecher with the Department of Veterans Affairs argued to colleagues in late February for so-called targeted layered containment (TLC) and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), which are measures like closing schools and businesses, to limit the spread of the virus. Mr. Azar and other public health officials came to the same conclusion around that time.

Pandemic experts, including Mr. Trump's own former homeland security adviser, Thomas Bossert, compare notes via the Red Dawn email group, after Mr. Trump's March 11 announcement that he is limiting travel from Europe.

But in the end, aides said, it was Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the veteran AIDS researcher who had joined the task force, whohelped to persuade Mr. Trump. Soft-spoken and fond of the kind of charts and graphs Mr. Trump prefers, Dr. Birx did not have the rough edges that could irritate the president. He often told people he thought she was elegant.

He left the restrictions in place.

Mark Walker contributed reporting from Washington, and Mike Baker from Seattle. Kitty Bennett contributed research.

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He Could Have Seen What Was Coming: Behind Trump's Failure on the Virus

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An examination reveals the president was warned about the potential for a pandemic but that internal divisions, lack of planning and his faith in his own instincts led to a halting response. To hear more audio stories from publishers, like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android .

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"How to be your best in lockdown "by BBC Newsround

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It's music to my ears

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Coronavirus Lockdown: Heartwarming Moments as Spanish Musicians Play Together

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Spanish health care system during coronavirus crisis after a decade of cuts and austerity

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Desperate doctors and nurses have resorted to protecting themselves from infection with bin bags as medical supplies run dangerously low in some hospitals. Samantha Gonzalez, a 52-year-old nurse who works at the Txagorritxu hospitals in Vitoria, said colleagues were forced to find coronavirus patients' pulses and veins by touch as the protective glasses given to them were such poor quality. "This is not the first world anymore - it's a war," she told Bloomberg news.

Healthcare workers have also complained about shortages of other equipment, such as masks and disposable clothing.

The pandemic claimed the first life of a healthcare worker in Spain last week, a 52-year-old nurse in the northern Basque Country.

And doctors, nurses and other support workers have accounted for over 10 percent of all confirmed coronavirus cases, said Fernando Simon, the health ministry's emergency coordinator.

He added: "There will be stress and a problem in some places. The pressure on the system will be high.

"This collapse is being talked about could happen in some places but it will not be generalised."

Spain has witnessed a terrifying increase of cases in recent days, with some 29,909 infections and 1,813 deaths, according to yesterday's figures.

In a desperate attempt to ease the pressure on the Madrid region's hospitals, soldiers have been used to move patients to makeshift field facilities set up at a conference centre in the capital.

The hospital will have 5,500 beds, which would make it the largest coronavirus facility in Europe.

The Spanish government said over the weekend it plans to distribute another 500,000 masks to healthcare workers and 800,000 for patients. It said it had also bought more than 640,000 coronavirus text kits.

Up to 52,000 extra workers have been called up to assist the country's health system, including around 14,000 retired doctors and nurses.

Around 2,850 soldiers have been deployed to disinfect airports, ports, and carry out other tasks to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Prime minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Sunday signalled he will seek parliamentary approval to extend the state of emergency to April 11 after the death toll rose by almost 400 over the weekend.
MUST READ: EU fears: Bloc on brink of worst-ever recession - coronavirus crisis

Spain is now the fourth-worse affected country by the global pandemic, behind Italy, China and the United States.

Mr Sanchez warned: "Unfortunately the number of diagnosed cases is going to rise in the coming days. The worst is yet to come, and it is pushing our capacities to the limit.

"The hardest part remains, and it will put our healthcare system on the ropes."

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In a rallying cry for support, he added: "We have to reach the end of next week very strong. The risk is everywhere, but the damage is concreted in a few places."

The Madrid region has been hit by 60 percent of all of Spain's coronavirus fatalities to date.

Mr Sanchez continued: "The coronavirus is a catastrophe that humanity wasn't prepare for. These seven days have changed us. We look upon all life near to us as life at risk. We have changed how we view our neighbours, who are no longer seen as strangers. This crisis is bringing out the best in us."

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Spain crisis: Coronavirus threatens Spanish healthcare system with collapse as cases soar

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Desperate doctors and nurses have resorted to protecting themselves from infection with bin bags as medical supplies run dangerously low in some hospitals. Samantha Gonzalez, a 52-year-old nurse who works at the Txagorritxu hospitals in Vitoria, said colleagues were forced to find coronavirus patients' pulses and veins by touch as the protective glasses given to them were such poor quality.

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Solidarity and kindness wave over crisis

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Solidarity and kindness wave over crisis

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"The streets are quiet and the shelves are empty. But we're all supporting one another," was the reply I got back from my friend in Wales when checking in on my WhatsApp group. "We're in family lockdown. Arghhh. Thank god for the tips the other moms are sending me": my friend in the United States.

"No one really knows what's going on here, we're staying close and helping those in need": my friend in Chile. "You know, it's really shown me how interconnected we all are," my friend in New Zealand mused. "Coronavirus has made the world seem smaller. We're all going through the same thing and I feel somehow closer to everyone."

The psychological impact of the coronavirus has spread like an emotional Mexican wave from country to country and with it we are seeing an ocean of support and kindness rising up. Take for example:

The "adopt an oldie" initiative launched this week by the Where There's a Will charity in Australia that pairs people in a regional community with elderly citizens, single mothers and others who are vulnerable to help get groceries and medications.

The American chef José Andrés who has temporarily converted his restaurants into community kitchens to offer lunches for those in need of a meal.

The personal trainer from Spain who leads free fitness training sessions from the rooftop of his building for all his neighbours each night to keep people fit and feeling connected while they are stuck in their apartments during lockdown.

Italians singing in solidarity on their balconies to boost their spirits.

Doctors in China donating masks, ventilators and testing kits to Cambodia and Italy.

The Kindness Pandemic facebook group which started on 14 March and already has more than 80,000 followers across the globe who are lifting each other's spirits by sharing small actions of kindness they have done or seen.

Its founder, Dr Catherine Barrett, says: "Kindness won't make Covid-19 go away, but it will make our lives easier and more rewarding."
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She's right. The psychology science shows that acts of kindness provide an emotional win-win where both parties are left with a warm glow.

Win 1: the person on the receiving end gets instrumental help and feels seen and cared for, thus boosting their positive emotions. Win 2: your acts of kindness come back to reward you in myriad ways, and studies show that being kind to others can increase your life satisfaction. Donating money to others increases one's happiness , volunteering increases life expectancy for older people and boosts the immunity of teenagers, adults and senior citizens.

Beyond the benefits of kindness between two people, what has motivated this global outpouring of kindness during the coronavirus crisis? Psychology research shows that shared adversity often brings out the best in us, motivating us to be adaptable and creative.

On top of that, when we suffer we are motivated to help others who also suffer. Sure there are the some who are opportunistic or self-interested and, yes, we saw some of this in the early waves of coronavirus when it came to consumer actions (the empty shelf syndrome) but as the implications of the virus settles in, and as more people are suffering, we have seen a surge in global kindness and people taking proactive steps to generate solutions that will work for everyone.

A psychology professor, Dacher Keltner of UCLA Berkeley, suggests that kindness has always been a central aspect of human nature going right back to our ancestors because it helped us survive. Out on the harsh savannah it was kindness that prompted close bonds and cooperation among our early descendants, allowing them to band together to share food, defend themselves against predators, solve problems and raise children.

This is equally true today and has becomes strikingly evident in this time of crisis. Shelly Taylor, another psychology professor at UCLA, suggests that "we are fundamentally a nurturant species" and that times of threat trigger an instinctive response that she calls " tending and befriending " where we step in protect others (tend) and band together against the threat (befriend).
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Our brains are hard-wired for compassion, and survival of the kindest must outweigh survival of the fittest now.

Now is a time where we all must "tend and befriend". Here are some simple things you can do to the global wave of kindness.

1. . Drop a note in your neighbours' letter boxes inviting them to be part of a Street WhatsApp group so you can check in on each other and let people know if you're doing a supermarket run or see if someone needs a friend to talk to.

2. . Support local and online business: the coronavirus is having huge economic fallouts. Support your local restaurants through take-away orders, get fresh fruit from your grocer, have flowers delivered to a friend who is struggling, put your family holiday snaps into an album with an online store, spend money on books, kits, crafts or activities that you can read/do with your new spare time during social distancing.

3. . Share positive stories on social media: research shows that when you share a story that makes someone happy this positive emotion spreads on to others in the social network.

4. . Give blood. Right now the Red Cross has a severe blood shortage and donors are needed urgently. The Red Cross assures us that giving blood is safe and does not put you at risk of contracting the coronavirus.

5. . Sit down and write a thank you letter to someone who has made a positive difference in your life. Send them the letter or better yet call them and read the letter to them.

6. . Wash your hands and practise social distancing. This is still the most effective thing you can do and is a way of showing kindness by not risking the spread of infection to others.

Kindness can come in the intentional actions above and it can come through your small daily gestures. When getting pulled into several battles with my two teenage kids today over e-learning and the fact that school closure does not mean brain closure, I had to remind myself "sometimes it's better to be kind than to be right", take a deep breath, disengage and find a more constructive way of talking to them. It took effort, but then all the good things do.

The pace, intensity and magnitude of the coronavirus has the whole world reeling. By committing yourself to be kinder during the crisis you are helping others, helping yourself and helping the world. Now more than ever, we must pause, be patient and choose kindness.

Lea Waters AM, PhD, is a psychology professor at the University of Melbourne and executive board member of the International Positive Psychology Association

Topics

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'Like an emotional Mexican wave': how coronavirus kindness makes the world seem smaller

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"The streets are quiet and the shelves are empty. But we're all supporting one another," was the reply I got back from my friend in Wales when checking in on my WhatsApp group. "We're in family lockdown. Arghhh. Thank god for the tips the other moms are sending me": my friend in the United States.

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The EU faces unprecedented challenges created by the coronavirus including emergency measures giving states sweeping powers. The Global Conversation discussed Europe's response to these issues with Věra Jourová, Vice President of the European Comm...

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Watch Coronavirus: an unprecedented challenge to democracy? on Channel 24

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The EU faces unprecedented challenges created by the coronavirus including emergency measures giving states sweeping powers. The Global Conversation discussed Europe's response to these issues with Věra Jourová, Vice President of the European Comm...

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Coronavirus hit refugees camps

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As the number of coronavirus cases in refugee camps starts to rise around the world, experts are sounding the alarm over the vulnerabilities of displaced people during the pandemic.

A report released this week by Amnesty International finds that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency's detention facilities "have failed to adequately provide soap and sanitizer or introduce social distancing." The report also found that ICE has continued to receive and detain families amid the pandemic, with some cases of families being detained who were already symptomatic of illness.

Meanwhile, confirmed coronavirus cases are turning up in refugee camps. In Greece, authorities announced on April 2 that a migrant camp had been quarantined after 23 asylum seekers tested positive for the coronavirus - the first such facility in the country to be hit since the outbreak, according to Reuters. Bangladesh imposed a lockdown on March 24 after the first case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, was reported in the refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Reuters reported. The camps at Cox's Bazar house more than 1 million Rohingya.

A combination of population density, a lack of information and access to basic human services make refugees particularly vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus, according to Refugees International.

A released on March 30 by the advocacy group details the conditions that the world's approximately 70 million refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people and other forced migrants are facing as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 increases exponentially.

"In this time of global pandemic, we must not lose sight of the world's most vulnerable populations," Hardin Lang, Refugees International's vice president for programs and policy, said in a written statement. "Governments are rightly focused on protecting their own populations. But the global response to COVID-19 must be inclusive if it is to be effective."

The spread of the coronavirus could have disastrous implications for other locations around the world. David Smolansky, a coordinator for the Working Group on the Crisis of Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees at the Organization of American States, noted concerns for the 5 million people who have fled Venezuela, which he described as the "largest migration in Latin American history" during an online panel in March hosted by the Council of the Americas.

Smolansky said that 75% of the migrants are in six neighboring countries, and the "vast majority of borders are closed in the region" due to the spread of the coronavirus. These people are thus "one of the most vulnerable populations in the region," he added.

Chris Boian, a senior communications officer with the U.N. Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, says that there have been "relatively low numbers of suspected or confirmed cases among refugees" overall.

"National governments are leading the response to coronavirus around the world and our organization, working really closely with our other U.N. agencies and our local partners around the world, are there to support those governments in leading those responses to this public health challenge," he adds.

Boian notes, however, that a "vast majority" of refugees - more than 85%, he says - live in low- or middle-income countries "where health systems may not be as strong as they are in other parts of the world."

"That's something to keep in mind, too," Boian says. "It's important that they be fully included and integrated in all of these responses to make sure that the response is comprehensive."

Boian also says that "the majority of the world's refugees don't live in camps," but in urban environments.

"They're an integral part of the communities that they live in, which illustrates why it is so important to make sure that they have access to health facilities and services and information," he adds.

"Governments have an obligation to take care of the health of their populations. That's understandable, we support them in doing that."

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As the number of coronavirus cases in refugee camps starts to rise around the world, experts are sounding the alarm over the vulnerabilities of displaced people during the pandemic. A report released this week by Amnesty International finds that the U.S.

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Poverty

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LONDON (Reuters) - The fallout from the coronavirus spread that has killed more than 83,000 people and wreaked havoc on economies around the world could push around half a billion people into poverty, Oxfam said on Thursday.

The report released by the Nairobi-based charity ahead of next week's International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank annual meeting calculated the impact of the crisis on global poverty due to shrinking household incomes or consumption.

"The economic crisis that is rapidly unfolding is deeper than the 2008 global financial crisis," the report found.

"The estimates show that, regardless of the scenario, global poverty could increase for the first time since 1990," it said, adding that this could throw some countries back to poverty levels last seen some three decades ago.

The report authors played through a number of scenarios, taking into account the World Bank's various poverty lines - from extreme poverty, defined as living on $1.90 a day or less, to higher poverty lines of living on less than $5.50 a day.

Under the most serious scenario - a 20% contraction in income - the number of people living in extreme poverty would rise by 434 million people to nearly 1.2 billion worldwide. The same scenario would see the number of people living below the $5.50 a day threshold rise by 548 million people to nearly 4 billion.

Women are at more risk than men, as they are more likely to work in the informal economy with little or no employment rights.

"Living day to day, the poorest people do not have the ability to take time off work, or to stockpile provisions," the report warned, adding that more than 2 billion informal sector workers worldwide had no access to sick pay.

The World Bank last week said poverty in East Asia and the Pacific region alone could increase by 11 million people if conditions worsened.

To help mitigate the impact, Oxfam proposed a six point action plan that would deliver cash grants and bailouts to people and businesses in need, and also called for debt cancellation, more IMF support, and increased aid. Taxing wealth, extraordinary profits, and speculative financial products would help raise the funds needed, Oxfam added.

Calls for debt relief have increased in recent weeks as the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has roiled developing nations around the world.

In total, governments around the world would need to mobilise at least $2.5 trillion to support developing nations.

"Rich countries have shown that at this time of crisis they can mobilize trillions of dollars to support their own economies," the report said.

"Yet unless developing countries are also able to fight the health and economic impacts the crisis will continue and it will inflict even greater harm on all countries, rich and poor."

(This story corrects number in paragraph six to nearly 1.2 billion from 922 million.)

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Coronavirus crisis could plunge half a billion people into poverty: Oxfam

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LONDON (Reuters) - The fallout from the coronavirus spread that has killed more than 83,000 people and wreaked havoc on economies around the world could push around half a billion people into poverty, Oxfam said on Thursday.

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UK claps for NHS, carers and key workers

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People around the UK did a round of applause for all of the people working in the fight against coronavirus.

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Shortage of seasonal agricultural workers

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Tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce and other fruits and vegetables are emerging as collateral damage of the coronavirus crisis, European farm groups are warning.

They say border restrictions and quarantines across the continent have created a sudden shortage of seasonal workers just ahead of the spring planting season. The workers are employed extensively in Europe's wealthy regions for farm production, with some of the bigger countries granting short-term work visas every year to hundreds of thousands of agricultural labourers, most of them from Eastern Europe.

The high-cost Scandinavian countries in particular are worried about the labour shortages.

"We are in need of a lot of foreign workers," Eystein Ruud, a greenhouse farm owner and chairman of the Norwegian Horticultural Association, told The Globe and Mail. "If we cannot get these workers in the coming weeks, our farmers won't risk putting a lot of plants in the soil. That may affect the food supply."

He said Norway, with a population of 5.4 million, typically relies on 30,000 or more seasonal workers, mostly from Ukraine and other Eastern European countries, for the planting and harvesting of fruits and vegetables. Only a small number are already in Norway.

Other countries use far more seasonal labour. Germany alone grants visas for about 300,000 workers each year. Britain takes in 90,000, and Switzerland 33,000. Even less wealthy European countries rely extensively on seasonal workers; Spain, where much of the continent's citrus fruits and olive oil are produced, recruits 15,000 from Morocco alone.

Canada banned foreign farm workers shortly after COVID-19 hit the country, then relented. The government is working on plans to allow the workers into Canada as long as they are quarantined for two weeks. Canada takes in about 60,000 farm workers a year, mostly from the Caribbean, Mexico and Guatemala.

The shortage of workers was inevitable once European governments put their citizens in lockdowns of varying degrees of severity earlier this month and largely closed airports and border crossings. On Monday easyJet, one of Europe's biggest airlines and the operator of an extensive network in Eastern Europe, shut down the last of its flights, meaning farm workers would find it hard to travel even if they were allowed to leave their countries.

How many coronavirus cases are there in Canada, by province, and worldwide? The latest maps and charts

Coronavirus guide: Updates and essential resources about the COVID-19 pandemic

By last week, farm lobby groups and agriculture ministries were scrambling to come up with solutions to ensure seasonal workers were not entirely shut out of the Western and Northern European agriculture industry. The European Union's umbrella group for agricultural organizations, COPA-COGECA, said in a statement: "We urge the [European] Commission to work with member states to monitor the potential lack of workers, including seasonal workers, and the knock-on impact on production, and to prepare contingency plans."

The coronavirus threatens to disrupt food supply chains everywhere, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said last week. "The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting food systems and all dimensions of food security across the world," said FAO director-general Qu Dongyu. "No country is immune."

A few of the large British and German farms have chartered planes to bring in workers from the small number of EU and non-EU countries, notably Bulgaria, that have classified their farm workers as "key" labourers, allowing them to travel. In Norway, Mr. Ruud is pressing the government to extend the visas of the farm workers who were already in the country before the travel restrictions hit the continent.

On March 24, French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume urged French citizens who found themselves out of work because of the coronavirus crisis "to take to the fields" to help farmers. "I am issuing a call to the men and women who are not working, who are confined to their homes - the waiter, the hotel receptionist, the barber in my neighbourhood whose businesses are closed - and I ask them to join France's great agricultural army," Mr. Guillaume said.

He estimated that 200,000 farm jobs are available in France.

Recruiting local workers is not always ideal because they lack agricultural experience and the pay is fairly low, said farm groups in Nordic countries. "We hope Finnish men and women can help us if we don't get foreign workers," said Jyrki Jalkanen, chief executive of the Finnish Glasshouse Growers' Association. "But working on farms is not trendy here. It's low pay and hard work."

He said the next few weeks will be crucial for farms in Finland and elsewhere. "If farmers think labour will not arrive, they will not even grow some crops this year," he said.
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Abrupt shortage of seasonal farm workers threatens to create food shortages in Europe

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Tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce and other fruits and vegetables are emerging as collateral damage of the coronavirus crisis, European farm groups are warning. They say border restrictions and quarantines across the continent have created a sudden shortage of seasonal workers just ahead of the spring planting season.

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European Song Contest cancelled

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It is with deep regret that we have to announce the cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam.

Over the past few weeks, we have explored many alternative options to allow the Eurovision Song Contest to go ahead.

However, the uncertainty created by the spread of COVID-19 throughout Europe - and the restrictions put in place by the governments of the participating broadcasters and the Dutch authorities - means the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has taken the difficult decision to not continue with the live event as planned. The health of artists, staff, fans and visitors, as well as the situation in the Netherlands, Europe and the world, is at the heart of this decision.

We are very proud that the Eurovision Song Contest has united audiences every year, without interruption, for the past 64 years and we, like the millions of you around the world, are extremely saddened that it can not take place in May.

Jon Ola Sand, Executive Supervisor: "We are very proud of the Eurovision Song Contest, that for 64 years has united people all around Europe. And we are deeply disappointed about this situation. The EBU, together with the Host Broadcaster NPO, NOS, AVROTROS and the City of Rotterdam will continue to talk to see if it's possible to stage the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam in 2021. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the process of staging a great Eurovision Song Contest this year. Unfortunately, that was not possible due to factors beyond our control. We regret this situation very much, but I can promise you: the Eurovision Song Contest will come back stronger than ever."

NPO chairwoman Shula Rijxman: "This decision by the EBU was inevitable, given the circumstances currently affecting all of Europe as a result of the coronavirus and all the measures that governments must now take. This is a big disappointment for the Dutch audience, the fantastic team behind the scenes, the presenters and the artists. In recent months, a large group of people have worked hard on the Song Contest. We thank them for their great commitment and regret that the results of the efforts will not be visible in the short term. We would particularly like to mention the municipality of Rotterdam, which has proven itself as the ideal partner in this project in the past year. This edition was an excellent opportunity to understand each other differently in a period of uncertainty in Europe, but above all an opportunity to really bring Europe together. Music is universally binding and - I am sure - it will stay that way. Even after this corona crisis."

Sietse Bakker, Executive Producer Event, understands that many people are disappointed that the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 will not take place: "For the artists from 41 participating countries, our opening and interval acts that put their hearts and souls into their performance. For the fans who have always supported us and have kept confidence until the last moment. And not least, for the fantastic team, which has worked very hard in recent months to make this 65th edition a great success. We understand and share that disappointment. Some perspective is appropriate because, at the same time, we also realize that this decision and its consequences don't compare to the challenges faced by people affected, directly or indirectly, by the coronavirus and the difficult but necessary measures."

We ask some patience as we work through the ramifications of this unprecedented decision and patiently await further news in the coming days and weeks. During that time, we would like to pay tribute to all the Host Broadcaster team in the Netherlands and our 41 public service broadcasters who have worked so hard planning this year's event.

We are all heartbroken that the Eurovision Song Contest will not be able to be staged in May but feel confident that the whole Eurovision family, across the world, will continue to provide love and support for each other at this difficult time.
We are answering some of your questions about this cancellation here (FAQ).

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Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam is cancelled

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It is with deep regret that we have to announce the cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam. Over the past few weeks, we have explored many alternative options to allow the Eurovision Song Contest to go ahead.

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Tokyo 2020 Oympic Games postponed over coronavirus

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Tokyo 2020 Oympic Games postponed over coronavirus

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The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been postponed, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Tuesday.

Abe said Japan and the International Olympic Committee came to an agreement during a phone call with the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, following growing calls for the games to be delayed or canceled because of the concerns around coronavirus pandemic.

The Japanese leader told reporters after the call that they agreed that the games would not be canceled and will be held, at the very latest, by the summer of 2021.

"Considering the current situation, in regards to the Tokyo Games, as the host nation, in order to ensure that athletes from all over the world are able to compete in their best condition, and also in order to ensure the utmost safety for the spectators, I have asked him to consider postponing the games by about a year," Abe added.
Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
The prime minister said Japan will fulfill its responsibility as the host nation "to prove that humanity has beaten the novel coronavirus."

The virus has forced millions of people around the world into lockdowns to help curb its spread and claimed more than 17,000 lives.

The Olympics is the biggest event yet to be affected by the growing global pandemic. The games were set to run July 24 to Aug. 9, and the Paralympics Aug. 25 to Sept. 6.

"The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present," the IOC said in a joint statement with the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.

NBCUniversal, which is the parent company of NBC News, paid $4.4 billion for U.S. media rights to the four Olympics from 2014 to 2020.

This is the first major disruption to the Olympics since World War II, when the 1944 Summer Olympics, were canceled. The 1940 Summer Olympics, which were also to be held in Tokyo, were also canceled.

The IOC has dealt with potential health threats in the recent past, but none so serious that they affected the scheduled timeline.

There were concerns about the bird flu ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, Zika during the 2016 Rio Olympics and swine flu before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

But despite growing concerns about the coronavirus epidemic in recent weeks, Japanese officials insisted the games will go ahead as planned. Abe acknowledged for the first time on Monday that the Olympics could be delayed due to the coronavirus as countries began threatening to keep their athletes at home.

The Olympic flame arrived in Japan on March 20 for a journey that would have led to the opening ceremony.

But following Abe's announcement, the torch relay, which was supposed to start on Thursday, was canceled, Yoshiro Mori, the organizing committee president, said. However, the Olympic flame will stay in Japan, the IOC has confirmed.

The IOC's move follows the suspension of many major sporting events and seasons around the world.
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Regions hit hard by the outbreak in Asia and Europe have canceled sporting events, including the Hong Kong Marathon and Italy's Serie A soccer matches.

In mid-March, the NBA suspended its season after a player on the Utah Jazz preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

That decision by the NBA was quickly followed by similar announcements from other pro leagues. Within hours, the NHL, Major League Soccer and MLB announced they would be pausing or postponing their seasons.

By the end of that week, the NCAA made the decision to cancel its men's and women's college basketball tournaments, known as March Madness. The cancellation extended to all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships.

Since then several other events have been postponed, including the French Open, the Invictus Games and the London Marathon.

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Tokyo 2020 Olympics postponed over coronavirus concerns

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The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been postponed, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Tuesday. Abe said Japan and the International Olympic Committee came to an agreement during a phone call with the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, following growing calls for the games to be delayed or canceled because of the concerns around coronavirus pandemic.

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There might be a few extra endangered sea turtles in the ocean one day thanks to the novel coronavirus after lockdowns in Brazil left nearly 100 new hatchlings with a clear path across the beach and into the waves.

Wildlife officials were the only humans on the beach in the town of Paulista last week when 97 endangered hawksbill sea turtles hatched in front of their eyes, according to a news release from the city.

The tiny turtles are extremely vulnerable in their first mad dash to the ocean, and many fall prey to hungry birds or over-curious humans who interfere in the process.

However, this latest batch got to make their journey to the water without facing human interruptions, as much of the country has hunkered down to avoid spreading COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

A total of 87 green turtles and 204 hawksbill turtles have been born on the beach this year, but the latest batch of hawksbills enjoyed an easier path than the others, according to Herbert Andrade, environmental manager for the city of Paulista.

"This time, due to preventive measures against the new coronavirus, the [human] population was unable to closely monitor the hatching," Andrade said in the news release.

Hawksbill sea turtle hatchlings are only about five centimetres (two inches) long, but they can grow to be up to 0.8 metres (2.5 feet) long if they survive the treacherous first few years of their lives.

The endangered species lives in tropical waters around the globe and ranges from the coasts of Texas and South Florida down to Brazil, according to the U.S. National Wildlife Foundation.

Hawksbill sea turtles lay their eggs on sandy beaches. Those eggs incubate for about 60 days before hatching dozens of tiny turtles that flop toward the beach, using the night sky to navigate their way to the water.

The turtles are critically endangered because of the wildlife trade, according to the World Wildlife Foundation.
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Fish and wildlife officials in many countries are trying to save the turtles through a variety of measures, including protecting their eggs on busy human beaches.

That job just got a little easier - at least for now.

-
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing - very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

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Coronavirus clears beach for endangered sea turtle hatchlings in Brazil

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There might be a few extra endangered sea turtles in the ocean one day thanks to the novel coronavirus after lockdowns in Brazil left nearly 100 new hatchlings with a clear path across the beach and into the waves.

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In Spain, the Easter holidays are traditionally one of the biggest events in the calendar and the most important celebrations take place during Holy Week. The famous Semana Santa is so much more than chocolate eggs on the Iberian Peninsula; it is a commemoration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, celebrated with somber processions. Semana Santa 2020, however, will be somewhat different.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak across Spain, the country remains in state of alarm status and will do until at least 11th April 2020. This means that Easter processions that should be taking place all over Spain from 5th - 12th April will not go ahead, as the period of confinement at home for all residents continues where all members of the population must obey strict lockdown rules and regulations.

The Spanish dioceses have clearly stated that they do not yet know what will happen with this year's Easter celebrations: nothing is clear, apart from the fact that the religious acts and processions that should be taking place from 5th - 12th April are suspended. One of the possible options would be to follow the Vatican's proposal and hold the processions at a later date, on 14th and 15th September 2020. However, it has been stated Spanish archbishops, such as those in Granada, Seville, Cádiz, Mallorca or Zaragoza where the biggest celebrations are held, will not make any decision until the COVID-19 health emergency has dramatically improved.

Spain's largest and most famous Easter celebrations undoubtedly take place in Seville, but the Coronavirus outbreak and paralysis of activity across Spain means that for the first time since 1933 there will be no Semana Santa processions in Seville. The huge event will be an emotional and economic loss for the Andalusian city, with the weeklong Easter celebrations usually contributing some 400 million euros to the economy.

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Spain's 2020 Semana Santa celebrations cancelled

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In Spain, the Easter holidays are traditionally one of the biggest events in the calendar and the most important celebrations take place during Holy Week. The famous Semana Santa is so much more than chocolate eggs on the Iberian Peninsula; it is a commemoration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, celebrated with somber processions.

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Worst economic crisis since Great Depression 1929

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The global coronavirus pandemic is causing an economic crisis unlike any in the past century and will require a massive response to ensure recovery, International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said today.

She warned that "global growth will turn sharply negative in 2020," with 170 of the International Monetary Fund's 180 members experiencing a decline in per capita income.

"In fact, we anticipate the worst economic fallout since the Great Depression," Ms Georgieva said in a speech previewing next week's spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank.

The meetings will be held virtually due to the restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19.

Even in the best case the IMF expects only a "partial recovery" next year, assuming the virus fades later this year, allowing normal business to resume as the lockdowns imposed to contain its spread are lifted.

But "it could get worse," and "there is tremendous uncertainty around the outlook" and the duration of the pandemic.

Countries already have taken steps worth a combined $8 trillion.

But Ms Georgieva urged governments to do more to provide "lifelines" for businesses and households to "avoid a scarring of the economy that would make the recovery so much more difficult."

The IMF will release its World Economic Outlook next Tuesday with grim forecasts for its members for this year and next.

In January, the IMF had projected global growth of 3.3% this year and 3.4% in 2021. But that was a different world.

"The bleak outlook applies to advanced and developing economies alike. This crisis knows no boundaries. Everybody hurts," Ms Georgieva said.

She noted that about $100 billion in investments already had fled emerging markets - more than three times the capital exodus seen in the 2008 global financial crisis.

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IMF warns of worst recession since Great Depression

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The global coronavirus pandemic is causing an economic crisis unlike any in the past century and will require a massive response to ensure recovery, International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said today. She warned that "global growth will turn sharply negative in 2020," with 170 of the International Monetary Fund's 180 members experiencing a decline in per capita income.

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Living in lockdown

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Seven-year-old Evan has been at home for three weeks now and it's business as usual for him and his sister.

Although lots is going on in the outside world, at home Evan continues with this homework and really enjoys being at home with his family.

He does get some time to relax and watch his favourite TV programs too.

But at night time just like lots of children in the UK he also makes sure he claps for the doctors and nurses working to keep us safe from the coronavirus.

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Lockdown: What's it like living in Madrid? - CBBC Newsround

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Seven-year-old Evan has been at home for three weeks now and it's business as usual for him and his sister. Although lots is going on in the outside world, at home Evan continues with this homework and really enjoys being at home with his family.

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Coronavirus: What's life like in Ireland with no school? - CBBC Newsround

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11-year-old Eabha from Ireland is off school due to coronavirus and her parents are working from home. So what is she doing all day and how is it affecting her life?

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Cleaner air

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Levels of air pollutants and warming gases over some cities and regions are showing significant drops as coronavirus impacts work and travel.

Researchers in New York told the BBC their early results showed carbon monoxide mainly from cars had been reduced by nearly 50% compared with last year.

Emissions of the planet-heating gas CO2 have also fallen sharply.

But there are warnings levels could rise rapidly after the pandemic.

With global economic activity ramping down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it is hardly surprising that emissions of a variety of gases related to energy and transport would be reduced.

Scientists say that by May, when CO2 emissions are at their peak thanks to the decomposition of leaves, the levels recorded might be the lowest since the financial crisis over a decade ago.

While it is early days, data collected in New York this week suggests that instructions to curb unnecessary travel are having a significant impact.

Traffic levels in the city were estimated to be down 35% compared with a year ago. Emissions of carbon monoxide, mainly due to cars and trucks, have fallen by around 50% for a couple of days this week according to researchers at Columbia University.

They have also found that there was a 5-10% drop in CO2 over New York and a solid drop in methane as well.

"New York has had exceptionally high carbon monoxide numbers for the last year and a half," said Prof Róisín Commane, from Columbia University, who carried out the New York air monitoring work.

"And this is the cleanest I have ever seen it. It's is less than half of what we normally see in March."

Although there are a number of caveats to these findings, they echo the environmental impacts connected to the virus outbreaks in China and in Italy.

An analysis carried out for the climate website Carbon Brief suggested there had been a 25% drop in energy use and emissions in China over a two week period. This is likely to lead to an overall fall of about 1% in China's carbon emissions this year, experts believe.

Both China and Northern Italy have also recorded significant falls in nitrogen dioxide, which is related to reduced car journeys and industrial activity. The gas is a serious air pollutant and also indirectly contributes to the warming of the planet.

With aviation grinding to a halt and millions of people working from home, a range of emissions across many countries are likely following the same downward path.

While people working from home will likely increase the use of home heating and electricity, the curbing of commuting and the general slowdown in economies will likely have an impact on overall emissions.

"I expect we will have the smallest increase in May to May peak CO2 that we've had in the northern hemisphere since 2009, or even before," said Prof Commane.

This view is echoed by others in the field, who believe that the shutdown will impact CO2 levels for the whole of this year.

"It will depend on how long the pandemic lasts, and how widespread the slowdown is in the economy particularly in the US. But most likely I think we will see something in the global emissions this year," said Prof Corinne Le Quéré from the University of East Anglia.

"If it lasts another three of four months, certainly we could see some reduction."

What's likely to make a major difference to the scale of carbon emissions and air pollution is how governments decide to re-stimulate their economies once the pandemic eases.

Back in the 2008-09, after the global financial crash, carbon emissions shot up by 5% as a result of stimulus spending that boosted fossil fuel use.

In the coming months, governments will have a chance to alter that outcome. They could insist, for instance, that any bailout of airlines would be tied to far more stringent reductions in aviation emissions.

"Governments now have to be really cautious on how they re-stimulate their economies, mindful of not locking in fossil fuels again," said Prof Le Quéré.

"They should focus those things that are ready to go that would lower emissions, like renovating buildings, putting in heat pumps and electric chargers. These are not complicated and can be done straight away, they are just waiting for financial incentives."

However, some argue that if the pandemic goes on a long time, any stimulus would more likely focus on promoting any economic growth regardless of the impact on the environment.

"I certainly think climate could go on the back burner, and in this case, I don't think there is much hope that stimulus goes to clean energy," said Prof Glen Peters from the Centre for International Climate Research.

"Any stimulus will help those with job losses such as tourism and services. I think this is very different to the global financial crisis. The only silver linings could be to learning new practices to work remotely, and buying a few years of lower growth allowing solar and wind to catch up a bit, though, these may be rather small silver linings."

Follow Matt on Twitter.

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Coronavirus: Air pollution and CO2 fall rapidly as virus spreads

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Levels of air pollutants and warming gases over some cities and regions are showing significant drops as coronavirus impacts work and travel. Researchers in New York told the BBC their early results showed carbon monoxide mainly from cars had been reduced by nearly 50% compared with last year.