1.

Posted at 22:2022:20

Trump says virus will 'go away'

US President Donald Trump has urged Americans to stay calm and said the virus would "go away".

He was speaking, Reuters news agency reports, after meeting Republican senators to discuss the
coronavirus outbreak in Washington DC.

He said the meeting had focused on stimulus plans for the economy in the midst of the outbreak, without
giving any further details.

He told journalists he had no symptoms of the virus and felt no reason to get tested, and that he felt
good. It has emerged that he came into contact with Republican congressmen who placed themselves in
isolation after being in contact with someone who had tested positive for the virus.

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2. Posted at 22:1522:15

Romanian theatre to live-stream its productions

Stephen McGrath, Romania

Eleven new cases of people infected with coronavirus have been confirmed in Romania, bringing the
total number of infections to 28 since the outbreak began. So far there have been no fatalities.

Of the 28 infected persons so far, five have been declared “cured” and discharged from hospital,
according to a statement by Romania’s ministry of health. A further 107 people are reported to be in
quarantine while 11,505 people are being home monitored.

In a hope to contain the virus from spreading, the Romanian government declared on Monday that all
pre-university education facilities would be closed from 11 to 22 March. Public events with more than
1,000 people will also be banned and smaller events may need approval.

Authorities have also imposed a ban on flights, buses and trains to and from Italy, where Romania has a
large diaspora and where most cases of infection in Romania are thought to have been transmitted.

Meanwhile, a popular independent theatre in Bucharest, Unteatru, will “continue to play, without
endangering spectators” by live-streaming its performances online rather than suspending them.

Italy has extended its emergency coronavirus measures, which include travel
restrictions and a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country.
On Monday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte ordered people to stay home and seek
permission for essential travel.

He said the measures were designed to protect the most vulnerable. "There is no more
time," he said in a TV address.

Italy's coronavirus death toll jumped from 366 to 463 on Monday. It is the worst-hit
country after China.

The number of confirmed infection also increased by 24% from Sunday, official figures
showed.

Cases of the virus have been confirmed in all 20 Italian regions.

 Latest updates here

What did Mr Conte say?

Mr Conte said the best thing was for people to stay at home. "We're having an
important growth in infection... and of deaths," he said in an evening address.

"The whole of Italy will become a protected zone," he added.

 EASY STEPS: What can I do?

 A SIMPLE GUIDE: What are the symptoms?
 IMMUNITY: Are women and children less affected?
 MAPS AND CHARTS: Visual guide to the outbreak
 VIDEO: How to self isolate

"We all must give something up for the good of Italy. We have to do it now.

"This is why I decided to adopt even more strong and severe measures to contain the
advance... and protect the health of all citizens."
 'Italy lockdown cut me off from my husband'
In an earlier interview with La Repubblica newspaper, Mr Conte said of the outbreak: "I
have been thinking about the old speeches of [Winston] Churchill - it is our darkest
hour, but we will make it".

Image copyrightEPAImage captionItalians have been ordered to stay at home in an

attempt to contain the spread of the virus

What are the restrictions?

Mr Conte described the measures as "I stay home" - with people forbidden to gather in
public. "No more nightlife; we can't allow this anymore since they are occasions for
contagion," he said.

All sporting events - including football matches - are suspended nationwide. Schools and
universities will remain closed until 3 April.
 Coronavirus symptoms 'take five days to show'
The government said only those with a valid work or family reason that cannot be
postponed will be allowed to travel.

Passengers departing on flights will have to justify themselves, as will all those who
arrive by plane.

There are controls at train stations to check the temperatures of passengers. Cruise
ships are also forbidden to dock at various ports.

How have people reacted?

Earlier on Monday, seven inmates died amid riots at prisons across the country after
authorities suspended all visits as part of attempts to control the spread of the disease.

The trouble began in the northern city of Modena at the Sant'Anna prison.

It is thought that at least two of the dead lost their lives to drug overdoses after they
raided a prison hospital for the heroin substitute methadone.
Image copyrightEPAImage captionRelatives of inmates at the Rebibbia prison in Rome
protest at being denied entry

At San Vittore prison in Milan, detainees set fire to a cell block, then climbed onto the
roof through windows and started waving banners, officials said.

At a prison in the southern city of Foggia, dozens of inmates broke out of the building
during protests. Many were quickly recaptured, Italy's Ansa news agency reported. Nine
are still missing.

There were also riots at other prisons in northern Italy and at facilities in Naples and
Rome.
Image copyrightEPAImage captionOfficers guard the entrance of the Sant'Anna prison in
Modena as prisoners' relatives protest

How about the rest of the world?

The number of infections worldwide is now more than 111,000, with about 3,890
deaths.
Everyone arriving in Israel will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced.
Iran has reported 43 new deaths related to the disease in the past 24 hours. At least
237 people have died and 7,161 have been infected across the country since mid-
February, although the real figures are believed to be far higher.
China, which has recorded the highest number of fatalities, reported just 40 new cases
of Covid-19, the lowest since 20 January.
Although this indicates that the spread there is slowing, senior officials warned against
reducing vigilance.

In other developments:
 The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the threat of a
pandemic is "very real"
 Canada has confirmed the first death related to the virus - an elderly male
patient in a care home in Vancouver, British Columbia
 In France, Culture Minister Franck Riester has become the first member of the
government to be infected with the virus. His team said he had spent several days of
the past week in parliament, where a number of other cases have been confirmed
 In the US, the number of confirmed cases now exceeds 500
 A cruise ship carrying thousands of people who were stranded for days due to a
coronavirus outbreak has docked at the port of Oakland, near San Francisco
 Shares around the world had their worst day since the financial crisis amid
concerns about the economic cost of the outbreak

Have you or someone you know been affected by coronavirus? Share your
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