What's Happening: WHO calls for action, dog tested
Factories are gradually reopening in China months after the new coronavirus that first emerged there upended daily routines. While China looked for signs that life would return to normal, other parts of the world started to experience what the country and its people went through.
These are some of the latest developments on Thursday:
LONG ROAD AHEAD
Around the world, people are preparing for months of potential disruptions as the virus continues spreading and upending daily life. The World Health Organization said there are about 17 times as many new cases outside China as in it, with widening outbreaks in South Korea, Italy and Iran accounting for the majority of fresh infections. The WHO's director-general appealed to world governments to take decisive steps and not to stop efforts to contain the virus. "Your actions now will determine the course of the outbreak in your country.”
CRUISE ON HOLD In the United States, a cruise ship is being held off the California coast to await testing of those aboard after a passenger on an earlier voyage died and at least one other became infected. A Coast Guard helicopter is expected to deliver test kits to the Grand Princess once it reaches the waters off San Francisco Thursday. Princess Cruises says fewer than 100 of those aboard have been identified for testing.
DOG TEST RESULTS
Pet cats and dogs can test positive for low levels of the pathogen if they catch it from their owner, according to Hong Kong agricultural officials and other experts. But they said the animals cannot pass the virus to humans. The findings come after a dog tested weakly positive for the virus in samples from its nose and mouth. Hong Kong's agricultural department said it found no evidence pets were a source of infection or could get sick themselves with the COVID-19 illness. But it suggested pets from a household of an infected person be quarantined.
NATIVITY CHURCH IN BETHLEHEM TO CLOSE
Palestinian authorities said the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built atop the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born, will close indefinitely due to coronavirus concerns. The church was expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors and worshippers during the Easter holiday next month. The Palestinian Health Ministry meanwhile said it was preventing all tourists from entering the West Bank, where Bethlehem is located.
IRAN FIGHTS SPREAD WITH CHECKPOINTS
Iran will set up checkpoints to limit travel between major cities and urged citizens to reduce their use of paper money to fight the country's outbreak. COVID-19 so far has killed at least 107 people across the Islamic Republic, which has 3,513 confirmed virus cases.
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