South By Southwest festival cancelled because of coronavirus fears
An iconic US festival, expected to draw thousands, has been scuttled amid coronavirus fears - a week out from when it was slated to start.
South By Southwest, an arts, music, film and technology festival held each year in Austin, Texas has been cancelled because of coronavirus fears.
The high profile event, which draws thousands each year, and some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, has been called off a week before its March 13 start date.
While no one in Austin has been found to have the virus, county officials have banned festival gatherings that may attract people from areas where COVID-19 had been found.
South by Southwest was expected to have drawn an international audience into close quarters, posing a serious threat of the disease spreading.
The coronavirus infection rate hit a global milestone on Saturday with latest figures showing 102,230 people worldwide are now affected.
The virus, which has killed more than 3,400 people and emerged in more than 90 countries, has edged into the US, Australia and New Zealand.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) is urging all countries to make containing the outbreak of COVID-19 their top priority, pointing to Iran’s “national action plan” to combat one of the world’s worst outbreaks after a slow start.
WHO’s top official, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called for more global co-operation from the business world and solidarity with the poorest.
“We’re all in this together. We all have a role to play,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
More than 4,990 cases of the coronavirus, known as COVID-19, have been confirmed across the Middle East. Iran and Italy have the world’s highest death tolls outside of China.
6 Mar 20 | 7pm GMT+2
— WHO EMRO (@WHOEMRO) March 6, 2020
# of confirmed #COVID19 cases in the Region
🇦🇫Afghanistan 1
🇧ðŸ‡Bahrain 56
🇪🇬Egypt 15
🇮🇷IR Iran 4747 incl 124 deaths
🇮🇶Iraq 38 incl 2 deaths
🇯🇴Jordan 1
🇰🇼Kuwait 58
🇱🇧Lebanon 16
🇲🇦Morocco 2
🇴🇲Oman 16
🇵🇸OPT 7
🇵🇰Pakistan 6
🇶🇦Qatar 11
🇹🇳Tunisia 1
🇸🇦KSA 5
🇦🇪UAE 29 pic.twitter.com/LMjICMWAgO
IRAN
Iranian authorities warned they may use “force” to limit travel between cities and announced the new coronavirus has killed 124 people amid 4,747 confirmed cases in the Islamic Republic.
A member of the government’s task force has estimated that between 30 and 40 per cent of the capital, Tehran, could contract the coronavirus by the end of this month.
This would equate to more than 1.5 million people.
Accounts from inside Iran describe a country in increasing panic over the coronavirus, which independent research has suggested is out of control.
Hospitals are so full that people with lung infections are being sent home, there are few diagnostic kits and doctors are watching international satellite channels to get extra information on how to treat patients.
Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour offered the figures at a televised news conference. He did not elaborate on the threat to use force, though he acknowledged the virus was now in all of Iran’s 31 provinces.
On Thursday Iran announced it would put checkpoints in place to limit travel between major cities in a bid to stem the spread of the virus.
Straight from the streets of Iran, heartbreaking footage has emerged of a man suspected of having coronavirus being refused medical aid while lying helpless in the streets.
The disturbing vision comes from an Iranian news outlet showing a man lying helpless after falling several times and hitting his head.
Despite several calls by distraught locals, hospitals apparently said they had no ambulances to spare, according to the clip.
The video ends with a bystander taking the injured man to hospital in his own car.
CHINA
In the Chinese province of Hubei – the epicentre of the outbreak – the number of new cases seems to be slowing.
Despite at least 3,015 deaths in China, officials in Wuhan reported no new infections on Friday.
WONDERFUL NEWS: Meet 97-year-old grandmother👵 Fu Guiying from #Wuhan. After being critically ill for a month, she recovered from #COVIDー19 and could return home to her loved ones👨â€ðŸ‘©â€ðŸ‘§â€ðŸ‘¦ #RedCross Society of China's 🇨🇳 volunteer team made sure she got there safely. Well done! ðŸ‘👠pic.twitter.com/SdzjeYBZGg
— IFRC Asia Pacific (@IFRCAsiaPacific) March 6, 2020
Apart from the 126 new cases confirmed on Thursday, the National Health Commission said on Friday there have been no new cases to report.
WONDERFUL NEWS: Meet 97-year-old grandmother👵 Fu Guiying from #Wuhan. After being critically ill for a month, she recovered from #COVIDー19 and could return home to her loved ones👨â€ðŸ‘©â€ðŸ‘§â€ðŸ‘¦ #RedCross Society of China's 🇨🇳 volunteer team made sure she got there safely. Well done! ðŸ‘👠pic.twitter.com/SdzjeYBZGg
— IFRC Asia Pacific (@IFRCAsiaPacific) March 6, 2020
Outside of Hubei, there were 17 new confirmed cases, bringing the total new infections in mainland China to 143 on Thursday, up from 139 cases a day earlier.
Despite originating in China, the virus has since spread rapidly across most parts of Asia.
#SARS2019p The best of us
— Dr. Ali Khan (@UNMC_DrKhan) March 6, 2020
At People's Hospital of Wuhan University, a physician rolled a hospital bed outside so a 87-year-old patient who had been hospitalized for nearly a month could enjoy the sunset. pic.twitter.com/Eq03H6yRNk
A heartwarming moment between a doctor and his elderly charge has been captured on camera, as the number of people infected across the world continues to climb.
A physician at the People’s Hospital of Wuhan University rolled a hospital bed outside so his 87-year-old patient could catch a glimpse of the sun.
The man, who has been hospitalised for nearly a month, was en route to the ward after a CT scan and follow up.
The touching photo, showing the doctor in full protective clothing standing alongside his patient, was shared to Twitter a day ago and was captioned: “The best of us”.
Social media users who’ve seen the heartwarming post, have said how moved they were by the doctor’s compassion in the face of a difficult situation.
ITALY
Italy has registered the highest number of fatalities, with Friday marking its largest daily toll of 49 virus deaths, bringing the total number to 197.
Classrooms across the country were deserted this week when eight million schoolchildren were sent home in an effort to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has so far infected more than 4,000 people and killed 197.
The education ministry has recruited 7,000 teachers for e-learning courses as it scrambles to keep pupils studying.
The average age of those who have died from the virus in Italy is 81; most were suspected of having underlying medical conditions.
The government plans to distribute vouchers for babysitting and fund home leave for working parents, part of a €7.5 billion package announced on Thursday to mitigate the economic consequences of the virus as well as keep the elderly safe.
SOUTH KOREA
On Friday, South Korea confirmed 518 new infections – up from 438 new cases reported a day earlier, taking the total to 6,284.
Seoul continues to implement a program of mass public testing in a bid to contain the outbreak, which has been centred around Daegu, the country’s fourth-biggest city.
Up to 100 countries have imposed travel restrictions on South Korea, where the number of coronavirus cases has reached 6,284. South Korea’s foreign minister Kang Kyung- met with the foreign diplomatic corps in Seoul yesterday, begging other foreign countries to reconsider relaxing some of the travel bans.
FRANCE
President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged the French to limit visits to elderly people who are most vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus that has already left nine dead in the country and made hundreds ill.
Macron, who shook up his agenda this week to focus on efforts to contain the outbreak, said on a visit to an old people’s home that they were by far the most vulnerable to its effects.
“Our absolute priority is to protect the people who are the most fragile in the face of this virus,” Macron said.
“The nation is behind our old … during this epidemic and we need to limit our visits as much as we can,” he said.
He admitted this could prove “heartbreaking” at times but said the measure was simply one of common sense.
The French health ministry said Friday that the number of cases of coronavirus infection had jumped by a further 154 to 577, with two more deaths bringing the total toll to nine.
Those who died in France so far have been old with pre-existing conditions. Macron said that the situation was likely to last several weeks and that people should show the “spirit of responsibility” without giving in to panic.
INDONESIA
Indonesia’s count doubled – from 2 to 4 – after officials confirmed Friday that two more people had tested positive for COVID-19. The two Indonesians were in their 30s and had been tested after being in contact with the first two confirmed cases, Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto told a news briefing.
MALAYSIA
Malaysia has seen the biggest one-day spike in cases, with 28 people testing positive in just 24 hours. Cumulatively, that brings the number of coronavirus cases in Malaysia to 83 – the country’s largest spike after weeks of numbers hovering below 30.
“Based on our assessment to date, the COVID-19 infection situation is still under control and is in the Early Containment phase,” said Health Ministry director general Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement
SINGAPORE
Singapore reported 13 new cases of the virus on Friday, nine of which attended the same dinner party last month. Authorities said they are investigating the cluster, which was a social event for friends and family, and people were seated at more than one table with movements throughout the dinner.
It brought the total number of cases in Singapore to 130. Of these, 82 have fully recovered while nine are seriously ill in the intensive care unit.
UNITED STATES
The cancellation of SXSW comes after more than 35,000 people signed a petition to call off the event amid fears of a virus outbreak, reports Business Insider Australia.
Festival organisers noted that Austin Public Health had stated as recently as Wednesday that “there’s no evidence that closing SXSW or any other gatherings will make the community safer,” but that the situation evolved rapidly and they respect officials’ decision.
“We are devastated to share this news with you,” the organisers said in their statement. “’The show must go on’ is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place. We are working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation.”
An Update on SXSW 2020. Please read our full statement here: https://t.co/P56nF8KFmE pic.twitter.com/ouJPKM9GNy
— SXSW (@sxsw) March 6, 2020
The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus climbed to 14, with all but one victim in Washington state, while the number of infections swelled to over 200, scattered across at least 18 states. Pennsylvania and Indiana reported their first cases.
On Wall Street, stocks went into another slide as fears mounted over the potential damage to the global economy from factory shutdowns, travel bans, quarantines and cancellations of events big and small. And President Donald Trump signed an $8.3 billion measure to help public health agencies deal with crisis and spur development of vaccines and treatments.
THE VATICAN
The Vatican says a patient in its health services has tested positive for coronavirus, the first in the tiny city-state surrounded by Rome.
A Vatican source said the patient had participated in an international conference hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Life last week in a packed theatre several blocks from the Vatican.
Participants at the three-day conference on Artificial Intelligence included top executives of US tech giants Microsoft and IBM.
The academy issued a separate statement saying it was informing all other participants of the development by email but did not say it was the same person whose case was announced earlier by Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. The discovery worsened the prospects of the virus having already spread further in the capital of Italy, since most Vatican employees live in Rome and those who live in the Vatican frequently enter and leave the city-state. Bruni said the case was diagnosed on Thursday and that services in its clinics had been suspended to sanitise the areas.
- With AP and AAP
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