All arrivals to New Zealand must self-isolate: PM

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday that everyone entering the country from midnight Sunday must self isolate for 14 days in an effort to contain the spread of the virus, according to Reuters.

Ardern said these were “far-reaching and unprecedented” measures to tackle a global pandemic. She also said that all cruise ships will also be told not to come to the country until June 30.

New Zealand has six confirmed cases as of Saturday and has not recorded any deaths.

Also in the region, the Australian government minister who was diagnosed with a coronavirus infection just a week after meeting Ivanka Trump and Attorney General William Barr said Saturday that he was “feeling much better.”

Peter Dutton told Sydney radio station 2GB that his fever had come down but that his throat was still sore. He added that he did not start exhibiting symptoms until March 13. Dutton met people at the White House on March 6.

Manila to impose month-long curfew

The Philippines will impose a month-long curfew in the capital region of Metro Manila which, if implemented fully, would be among the strictest in in Asia.

The nighttime curfew will take effect on March 15 to April 14 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Manila authorities announced at a news conference Saturday. Some employees, however, will be exempt from the lockdown.

Mayors will issue local ordinances for the temporary closure of malls — some of the largest in the world — and establishments, exempting shops offering essential services like groceries, banks and pharmacies.

This comes as the Philippines reported its sixth death on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte tested negative for the virus an official said Friday.

Latin American states take new measures as first cases confirmed

Guatemala will ban arrivals from the United States and Canada starting Monday in order to fight the spread of coronavirus, the country’s president, Alejandro Giammattei, said in a televised address Friday. Earlier in the week, the country banned arrivals from European countries, China, Iran, South Korea

Guatemala announced its first case of confirmed coronavirus infection on Friday.

Elsewhere the region, Venezuela confirmed its first two cases of the coronavirus Friday prompting neighboring Colombia to close its shared border from Saturday morning.

Colombian President Ivan Duque also said late Friday that the country, which has 16 confirmed cases as of Saturday, would not allow visitors who have been in Europe or Asia from entering the country.

Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru all suspended European flights in the past week.

Apple closing all stores outside China

Apple is closing all its retail stores outside China until March 27 in order to protect workers and help stop the spread of the coronavirus illness COVID-19, the company announced early Saturday. The company is also committing $15 million to help with the worldwide response to the crisis, CEO Tim Cook said. 

Apple’s stores in China have already re-opened. The company said it learned lessons about best practices and the situation in China, which is where the coronavirus outbreak began.

“One of those lessons is that the most effective way to minimize risk of the virus’s transmission is to reduce density and maximize social distance,” Apple said.

“All of our hourly workers will continue to receive pay in alignment with business as usual operations,” Apple said.

Montana has first presumptive cases

Four people in Montana have presumptively tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the governor said Friday.

The four people – three men and a woman, in Gallatin, Yellowstone, Silver Bow, and Lewis and Clark counties – appear to be the first reported within the state. They were described as being in their 40s and 50s.

Montana’s health department previously said that a Montana resident had tested positive but that the patient got the coronavirus illness COVID-19 out of state and has not yet returned.

Tests are considered presumptively positive until they are confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Montana’s cases mean that 49 out of 50 states and Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, have reported confirmed or presumptively positive cases, according to an NBC News count of reports. As of Friday, West Virginia’s health department has not reported any positive cases, but said tests were pending for five people.

President’s doctor says Trump doesn’t need to be tested

The president does not need to take a test to determine if he’s positive for coronavirus because two interactions he had with known patients were “low risk,” a White House doctor said in a memo released Friday.

The memo was made public hours after Trump said he would be tested.

“Not for that reason, but because I think I will do it anyway,” the president said Friday when asked about his interaction at his Mar-a-Lago resort last weekend with an aide to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Fabio Wajngarten, who turned up positive.

Physician to the president, Sean P. Conley, argued that because Trump’s interaction was minimal, including a handshake, and because Wajngarten and another patient were not exhibiting symptoms at the time they socialized with the president, Trump’s unlikely to get the virus.

Read more here. 

Pentagon halts all domestic travel starting Monday

In response to the global coronavirus pandemic, the Pentagon is imposing new travel restrictions on employees, including service members and their families. The limits will start Monday, the Department of Defense announced Friday night.

All domestic travel will be stopped as of next week. This includes domestic travel, permanent change of station and temporary duty. Civilian hiring at Department of Defense installations will also be halted.

Read more here.