Deserted streets, ghost supermarket shelves, schools, empty public places ... It was in Wuhan that the very first containment measure was issued on January 23 for the 11 million inhabitants of the city in central China where the epidemic of viral pneumonia started in December. The balance sheet reached there this Sunday 2442 dead, after the announcement of 97 additional deaths.
This weekend, Italy became the first country in Europe to put cities in quarantine by isolating 11 municipalities to fight against the coronavirus, while the epidemic continues to spread in South Korea, Iran and its Chinese cradle. Update on countries that have implemented quarantines.
52,000 people confined to Italy
In Italy, where around 100 cases have now been recorded, the outbreak is in Codogno, near Milan. In the north of the country, around 52,000 people woke up this Sunday in areas where "neither entry nor exit will be allowed unless there is a specific exemption," as Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced.
Closure of businesses and schools, cancellation of cultural and sporting events, postponement of football matches: the Italian government is trying to shut down part of Lombardy and Veneto and curb the epidemic.
Giuseppe Conte warned that he could use the military to monitor the checkpoints. The legislative decree issued on Saturday provides for sanctions of up to three months' imprisonment for offenders.
Schools closed in 14 provinces Iran
Iran has taken drastic measures after recording fifteen new cases, bringing the total number of infected people to 43. Eight deaths are to be deplored. The Islamic Republic announced on Saturday the closure of educational institutions in 14 provinces, including Tehran.
Similarly, all cinemas will be closed until Friday across the country and all cultural events and concerts canceled. All sports competitions have been canceled for the next ten days.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned about the speed at which the virus has spread in this country. "We have seen a very rapid increase [of cases] in a few days," says Sylvie Briand, director of the Global Preparedness for Infectious Risks department at WHO.
In South Korea, 9,300 members of a confined sect
South Korea has raised its alert level for the new coronavirus “to the highest level” after several consecutive days of worrying increase in cases of contamination. Of the 169 new cases reported on Sunday, 95 are related to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the city of Daegu.
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In total, more than 300 infected people have a link with this Christian sect. Some 9,300 members of the church have been quarantined or have to stay at home, said Jung Eun-kyeong, director of KCDC, adding that nearly 1,240 worshipers are showing signs of the viral epidemic.
A second source of contamination is located about forty kilometers from Daegu, in Cheongdo (south-east). These two cities were declared Friday "special administration zones" by the South Korean authorities.
200 cloistered Israeli schoolchildren
Nearly 200 Israeli schoolchildren were called to stay cloistered for 14 days from Sunday after being in contact with South Korean tourists who contracted the new coronavirus, the Israeli Ministry of Education said.
These schoolchildren, 180 in number and schooled in three establishments across the country, recently met during educational excursions with Christian pilgrims from South Korea, 18 of whom were diagnosed with coronavirus upon their return to their country, a said the ministry on Sunday in a series of press releases. The Ministry of Education also ordered 18 teachers and a security guard to stay at home.
The Israeli Ministry of Health published on Saturday the details of the wanderings of South Korean tourists, asking the Israelis who had been in contact with them to remain in quarantine and to contact the health authorities.
1000 staff members on board the Diamond Princess
The Diamond Princess cruise ship, off the coast of Japan, remains the largest source of contagion outside of China. Out of 3,711 people initially on board, more than 630 contracted the coronavirus. This Sunday, a third infected passenger died.
While the nightmare of a long quarantine has ended for most passengers, the isolation is far from over for more than 1,000 crew members: they are in turn subjected to a quarantine of 14 days.
Because if the passengers on board were confined to their cabins almost 24 hours a day, most of the on-board staff were not subject to the same constraints. They had to prepare and carry meals to the cabins, bring towels, deliver newspapers. The fact that these tasks were carried out by the original crew was met with strong criticism, with some believing that they could have become, despite themselves, agents of the virus.
In France, returnees in quarantine in Calvados
The 35 people, who had been repatriated from Wuhan on February 9, left this Sunday the training center for firefighters in Aix-en-Provence, where they had been placed in quarantine. They were given a certificate of "non-contagiousness" by the prefecture. There are now only around thirty French people in quarantine in Calvados. They are the last returnees from Wuhan, they were settled in Brandille (Calvados).