Coronavirus: What every country is doing (J-Z)

Hello. Welcome to Inside The Newsroom. We’re in unprecedented times. The coronavirus pandemic has swept through most of the planet, with total cases at more than 167,000 and deaths at 6,449, as of Monday morning. It’s quickly becoming one of the worst pandemics in history. But even with weeks of warning signs, governments around the world continue to be too lax and do too little. Here in the UK, the government have opted for a “herd immunity” strategy, happy for up to 80 percent of the 66 million population to contract the disease to build immunity while thousands of vulnerable people die in the process. Elsewhere in Europe, Spain has joined Italy in a full lockdown. But what about the rest of the world? For the record, the official numbers of cases and deaths are likely to be far higher due to the lack of tests available and carried out. With that said, let’s take a look at what each country with a confirmed case is doing to stop COVID-19. Due to Substack’s email length limits, I’ve had to divide into two emails. Look out for another email with countries between A and I. And share this post by hitting the below button 👇

Jamaica: 10 cases, 0 deaths 🇯🇲

Prime minister Andrew Holness declared the island a disaster area, meaning the government can do whatever it takes to stem the spread, and has deployed soldiers and police in the streets to restrict movement.

Japan: 839 cases, 22 deaths 🇯🇵

One of the first countries outside of China to have a confirmed case, it’s amazing Japan has even been able to keep its cases to four figures. Still, prime minister Abe says the Olympics will go ahead in July still. I don’t believe him.

Jordan: 8 cases, 0 deaths 🇯🇴

Country will ban all incoming and outgoing flights from tomorrow, and has already banned public gatherings and events. Schools and universities are closed for two weeks, as well as tourist sites and sports facilities.

Kazakhstan: 9 cases, 0 deaths 🇰🇿

State of emergency has been declared which means a nationwide quarantine will restrict entry to and from the country.

Kenya: 3 cases, 0 deaths 🇰🇪

Travelers from any country with a confirmed case have been banned, and schools have been suspended.

Kuwait: 112 cases, 0 deaths 🇰🇼

Commercial facilities, shopping malls and public markets have been closed. No more than five people are allowed in grocery stories at the same time, and everyone is required to keep at least one meter away from each other.

Latvia: 30 cases, 0 deaths 🇱🇻

All travel has been banned as of midnight last night, as well as public gatherings of more than 50 people. Latvians and people with residents will still be allowed back in.

Lebanon: 110 cases, 3 deaths 🇱🇧

Medical state of emergency declared as the country’s financial crisis threatens to risk essential medical supplies. Restaurants and many public venues are already closed, and flights from many corona-infected countries have been halted.

Liechtenstein: 4 cases, 0 deaths 🇱🇮

Little reported out of Liechtenstein.

Lithuania: 12 cases, 0 deaths 🇱🇹

Whole country under quarantine for two weeks. Borders closed to travelers and non-essential stores have been closed.

Luxembourg: 59 cases, 1 death 🇱🇺

Country is in lockdown as number of cases are slowly starting to rise.

Malaysia: 428 cases, 0 deaths 🇲🇾

An 80 percent spike in the number of cases, with most being linked to a religious gathering attended by 16,000 people. Smart stuff. The region is a hotbed for mass outbreaks as attendees return home to neighbouring countries. Cheers Malaysia.

Maldives: 13 cases, 0 deaths 🇲🇻

While most countries are shutting down, the Maldives have been busy building a luxury quarantine resort. The hotel was built in just 10 days by around 50 workers. That sounds sturdy. Don’t go to the Maldives.

Malta: 21 cases, 0 deaths 🇲🇹

Country is on lockdown.

Martinique: 9 cases, 0 deaths 🇲🇶

Little reported on government measures, as the Costa Favolosa cruise ship has been anchored ashore over the weekend.

Mauritania: 1 case, 0 deaths 🇲🇷

First case reported on Saturday. Few reports on government action so far.

Mexico: 41 cases, 0 deaths 🇲🇽

Schools will be closed for a month starting this week, and some public gatherings have been cancelled. Sounds like too little has been done here to stop a mass outbreak.

Moldova: 23 cases, 0 deaths 🇲🇩

One of the few countries to act so early on, Moldova banned all foreigners flying in from affected countries on Tuesday, and closed all kindergartens, schools, colleges and universities for two weeks on Wednesday.

Monaco: 2 cases, 0 deaths 🇲🇨

All non-essential public spaces have been closed, which includes everything except supermarkets and food markets, pharmacies, tobacconists (of course), newsagents, petrol stations, banks and places of worship. So quite a lot then…

Mongolia: 1 case, 0 deaths 🇲🇳

Country has been in lockdown since Tuesday, barring anyone from entering or leaving its cities.

Morocco: 28 cases, 1 death 🇲🇦

All international flights have been suspended, while many tourists have been unable to leave.

Namibia: 2 cases, 0 deaths 🇳🇦

Capital city of Windhoek in lockdown as the country's Independence Celebrations scheduled for March 21 have been suspended.

Nepal: 1 case, 0 deaths 🇳🇵

Mount Everest has been closed until April 30. Not much else.

Netherlands: 1,135 cases, 20 deaths 🇳🇱

Dutch government will close all schools, bars and restaurants as number of cases passes one thousand over the weekend.

New Zealand: 8 cases, 0 deaths 🇳🇿

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern has ordered everyone entering the country must self-isolate, and no cruise ships will be allowed to dock until June 30.

Nigeria: 2 cases, 0 deaths 🇳🇬

First case was detected on February 25, as cases remain surprisingly low.

North Macedonia: 14 cases, 0 deaths 🇲🇰

Travelers from high-risk countries have been banned, as have public gatherings. Elections on April 12 are still due to go ahead.

Norway: 1,211 cases, 3 deaths 🇳🇴

All schools, kindergartens and universities have closed. Bars and restaurants will be closed except for those that are able to keep customers at least one meter apart. Good luck with that. Supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open

Oman: 22 cases, 0 deaths 🇴🇲

Will ban all non-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries tomorrow and will place anyone entering into quarantine. Public parks and all public gatherings will be closed.

Pakistan: 53 cases, 0 deaths 🇵🇰

Closed all educational institutions across the country for three weeks, and will shut borders with neighbouring Iran and Afghanistan today.

Panama: 43 cases, 1 death 🇵🇦

Short-term suspension of public and private schools in force on Wednesday, but not much else.

Paraguay: 6 cases, 0 deaths 🇵🇾

Has suspended public schools for 15 days. Not much else.

Peru: 71 cases, 0 deaths 🇵🇪

Borders will be closed and all citizens to self-quarantine for 15 days. Start of school year has been pushed back two weeks to March 30, and will spend 165 million soles ($47 million) to supply schools with hygiene kits. Travelers arriving from France, Italy, Spain and China will be quarantined for two weeks.

Philippines: 140 cases, 11 deaths 🇵🇭

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a lockdown of the entire metro Manila region yesterday until April 14, leaving more than 12 million residents with almost no time to find enough food, water, and medical care.

Poland: 119 cases, 3 deaths 🇵🇱

Borders have been sealed and returnees will be quarantined for 14 days.

Portugal: 245 cases, 0 deaths 🇵🇹

State of alert has been declared which will allow civil protection, police and the army to be mobilized. All schools, nurseries and universities will be closed as of today.

Qatar: 401 cases, 0 deaths 🇶🇦

Non-citizens have been banned from entering the country, as a $23 billion stimulus package has been announced.

Republic of Congo: 1 case, 0 deaths 🇨🇬

Not much reported, first case confirmed over weekend.

Romania: 131 cases, 0 deaths 🇷🇴

Romania’s giant population of workers in other countries are set to return. Indoor gatherings of more than 100 people have been banned, as have cultural, artistic institutions and museums. Malls and supermarkets are exempted, and so are parliamentary gatherings.

Russia: 63 cases, 0 deaths 🇷🇺

Land borders with Poland and Norway have been closed, and travel has been limited.

Rwanda: 1 case 0 deaths 🇷🇼

Churches and schools have been closed as country records first case over the weekend.

Saint Lucia: 2 cases, 0 deaths 🇱🇨

Advice on how to cough and sneeze, but not much else.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 1 case, 0 deaths 🇻🇨

Not much reported in way of government action.

San Marino: 101 cases, 5 deaths 🇸🇲

Not much reported, but due to proximity with Italy and other highly-infected European countries, expect to hear more out of San Marino imminently.

Saudi Arabia: 103 cases, 0 deaths 🇸🇦

Malls, restaurants, coffee shops and public parks and gardens were ordered to close yesterday. Supermarkets, pharmacies and food delivery still allowed.

Senegal: 24 cases, 0 deaths 🇸🇳

All schools and universities closed for the next three weeks. Religious festivals also cancelled.

Serbia: 48 cases, 0 deaths 🇷🇸

State of emergency declared as kindergartens, schools and universities will be closed until the end of the semester.

Seychelles: 2 cases, 0 deaths 🇸🇨

Contact tracing in place, as cruise chips have been blocked.

Singapore: 226 cases, 0 deaths 🇸🇬

Country can be hailed as a model to follow as cases remain low relative to closeness to China and earliness of first case. Recoveries are starting to catch up with active cases.

Slovakia: 54 cases, 0 deaths 🇸🇰

State of emergency declared yesterday, as all shops except food stores, pharmacies, banks, petrol stations and post offices will be closed from 6 am today.

Slovenia: 219 cases, 1 death 🇸🇮

Public transport has been suspended, and taxi drivers will still be allowed to operate so long as they sanitize after every ride. Bars and restaurant will be closed as well.

South Africa: 51 cases, 0 deaths 🇿🇦

State of disaster declared as schools have been closed, and public gatherings of more than 100 people have been banned. Financial package to be announced shortly.

South Korea: 8,162 cases, 75 deaths 🇰🇷

Another one of the first countries to be hit, South Korea has tested about 10,000 people a day for the virus, and has subsequently been able to keep the mortality rate below one percent. As a result, cases and deaths are slowing down.

Spain: 7,798 cases, 289 deaths 🇪🇸

Spain is Europe’s worst-hit country after Italy and has banned its people from leaving their homes for 15 days except for buying essential supplies and medicines, or for work.

Sri Lanka: 18 cases, 0 deaths 🇱🇰

Borders have been shut to UK visitors after the country postponed the two-Test cricket series.

Sudan: 1 case, 1 death 🇸🇩

Schools and universities have been closed for one month, and public gatherings have been banned.

Suriname: 1 case, 0 deaths 🇸🇷

Borders and airports were closed over the weekend as the country’s first case was reported. That’s the way to do it.

Sweden: 1,022 cases, 3 deaths 🇸🇪

Not much reported on government measures.

Switzerland: 2,200 cases, 14 deaths 🇨🇭

Schools throughout the country are closed and public gatherings of more than 100 people banned. Parliament is also cutting short the ongoing work in its two chambers.

Taiwan: 59 cases, 1 death 🇹🇼

Another of the countries first hit by the virus, it’s amazing to see just 53 cases confirmed and one death. The island is just 81 miles and a short flight away from mainland China, and on December 31, the same day China notified the WHO that it had several cases of an unknown pneumonia, Taiwan’s CDC immediately ordered inspections of passengers arriving on flights from Wuhan. Great job, Taiwan.

Thailand: 114 cases, 1 death 🇹🇭

Another of the countries first hit by the pandemic, cases were still in double figures until 32 new cases were confirmed Sunday, the largest single day jump since the outbreak started. Visas have been suspended from 19 countries included China.

Togo: 1 case, 0 deaths 🇹🇬

Only case is in stable condition. Not much reported on government measures.

Trinidad and Tobago: 2 cases, 0 deaths 🇹🇹

Contact tracing initiated, not much else.

Tunisia: 18 cases, 0 deaths 🇹🇳

First confirmed case on March 2, the country has done well to limit total cases to 18.

Turkey: 6 cases, 0 deaths 🇹🇷

Schools and universities have closed, public events have been banned, foreign visits postponed and spectators at sports events banned. Public has been urged to self-quarantine.

Ukraine: 3 cases, 1 death 🇺🇦

All air traffic to be closed tomorrow, and borders will soon follow.

United Arab Emirates: 98 cases, 0 deaths 🇦🇪

Major tourism and cultural venues closed and a $27-billion fiscal plan has been announced.

United Kingdom: 1,144 cases, 21 deaths 🇬🇧

Oh boy, where to start. While almost every other country around the world closes schools and shuts borders, thousands of people were allowed to run a half marathon in Bath. Boris Johnson has opted for “herd immunity”. Yes, the prime minister of the UK has decided to let the entire population contract the disease in order to build up immunity. Meanwhile, thousands, if not tens of thousands of Britons could die as a result. I need to sign off soon before my blood boils so much it evaporates.

Uruguay: 4 cases, 0 deaths 🇺🇾

Health emergency declared, but schools will only be closed once they have confirmed cases.

United States: 3,499 cases, 63 deaths 🇺🇸

The CDC advised Sunday evening that all public gatherings of more than 50 people should be banned, and Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf announced a ban of all dine-in facilities at bars and restaurants in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Allegheny Counties for the next 14 days. Too little too late as cases in the U.S. will likely be in the tens, if not, hundreds of thousands within the ext few weeks.

Uzbekistan: 1 case, 0 deaths 🇺🇿

First case confirmed yesterday. Around 8,000 people are under quarantine.

Venezuela: 10 cases, 0 deaths 🇻🇪

President Nicolas Maduro ordered businesses to close and citizens to remain in their homes in a “social quarantine starting today. The deterioration of its public health system after years of economic crisis has raised alarm about whether Maduro’s government is in a position to control its spread.

Vietnam: 56 cases, 0 deaths 🇻🇳

All passengers coming from or through China, South Korea, the UK and Schengen countries will be compulsorily quarantined starting today. All people including are required to wear face masks in public places. Schools remained shut nationwide. Cinemas, clubs and bars, massage parlours, karaoke shops and online game centres in urban cities are required to close until the end of March.

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