NORTH KOREA’S SILENT AUTHORITIES TO BEGIN FOR INDIA’S LABOURERS, WEDNESDAY STRUGGLE AGAINST SAMPLE COVID-19 TESTING CORONAVIRUS APRIL 01, 2020 COVID-19 TO CHECK COMMUNITY LOCKDOWN IS AN VOL: 4 - ISSUE 336 TRANSMISSION ORDER TO STARVE HOT TOPICS REALITY CHECK 30. PAGE 02 PAGE 03 GLOCAL PAGE 04 Registered in the Department of Posts of Sri Lanka under No: QD/146/News/2020 COVID-19 and curfew in Sri Lanka • Sri Lanka recorded its biggest jump in COVID-19 confirma- tions with 20 patients testing positive by 7:30 p.m. yesterday (March 31), raising the tally to 142. • The districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Puttalam, Kandy and Jaffna continue to be under indefinite police cur- few. • Curfew in other areas will be lifted at 6:00 a.m. and re-im- posed at 2.00 p.m. today (April 1). • Traveling to and from all districts is completely prohibited except for the purpose of providing essential services. • Government requests the public to strictly adhere to the curfew guidelines in a responsible manner, warning those misusing facilities provided to ensure the smooth function- ing of essential services will be severely dealt with. • Police Headquarters warn motorists found on main roads and by-roads, except those with proper curfew permits, will be arrested without a warrant, prosecuted under the Quar- antine Regulations and the Criminal Law, produced before courts and are liable to jail sentences and fines. • Vehicles taken into custody will be kept in police stations until the epidemic situation subsides. • Atalugama in the Kalutara District and Akurana in the Kandy District have been declared completely isolated areas. Coronavirus toll 38,466 deaths at 1100 GMT yesterday PARIS - The worldwide number of officially confirmed fa- talities from the novel coronavirus rose to 38,466 yesterday -STR / AFP (March 31), according to a tally compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT from official sources. A wild deer, from a herd used to mingle with and Though both the State and the private sector have their regular medicines due to a government ban More than 791,000 declared cases have been registered be fed by the local population, roams in a deserted launched delivery services to provide essential food on privately owned pharmacies from selling drugs. in 185 countries and territories since the epidemic first street during a government-imposed nationwide and grocery items to the grounded public, there Patients are now required to purchase their drugs emerged in China in December. Of these cases, at least lockdown against the COVID-19 novel coronavi- have been complaints of mismanagement and inef- solely from the State-run Osu Sala outlets and rec- 163,300 are now considered recovered. rus, in the port city of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, yes- ficiency. Many have also said they do not have the ognized pharmacies via WhatsApp orders. In the The tallies, using data collected by AFP offices from na- terday (March 31). With the number of confirmed cash to pay for delivered groceries as they’re not government’s defence, however, large scale viola- tional authorities and information from the World Health COVID-19 cases rising to 132 yesterday, curfew permitted to visit even the nearest ATM. Mean- tions of the COVID-19 curfew occurred when many Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the continued to be imposed in different parts of the while, a medical crisis appeared to be looming on abused a loophole in the curfew regulations that actual number of infections. country – indefinitely in some areas – bringing top of the ongoing pandemic, as non-COVID pa- allowed the use of a prescription as a curfew pass, Many countries are only testing cases that require hospi- life to a virtual standstill in nearly every aspect. tients are finding it increasingly difficult to acquire forcing the government to ban it altogether. talization.Italy, which recorded its first coronavirus death at the end of February, has 11,591 fatalities, with 101,739 infections and 14,620 people recovered. Spain has recorded 8,189 fatalities, including 849 in the past 24 hours, and 94,417 infections. WHO urges Asia-Pacific to brace for China -- excluding Hong Kong and Macau -- has to date declared 3,305 deaths and 81,518 cases, with 76,052 recov- eries. It has recorded 48 new infections and one new death since Monday (March 30). France has reported 3,024 deaths and 44,550 cases. long-term battle against COVID-19 The United States has the highest number of infected people with 164,610 diagnosed cases, 3,170 deaths and MANILA - Asia-Pacific countries "Let me be clear – the epidemic is the studies to help produce output COVID-19 fight will continue," Ka- 5,764 recoveries. Since 1900 GMT on Monday, Tanzania need to brace for a long-term battle far from over in Asia and the Pacific," that can be analyzed. sai added. "There are people around and Ivory Coast have announced their first deaths, while against the coronavirus, warned the he told an online press conference While research was moving at a the world working 24 hours, seven South Sudan reported its first case. World Health Organization (WHO) from the regional office in Manila. "remarkable speed," Kasai said coun- days, they're doing their best to fight Europe has listed 429,362 cases and 27,740 deaths to yesterday (March 31), stressing the "This is going to be a long-term battle tries need to practice "common tac- COVID-19. But it's unlikely this virus date, Asia 108,143 cases and 3,878 deaths, the US and Can- need for nations not to let their guard and we cannot let down our guard." tics" of finding, isolating and testing will disappear next week or even next ada together have 171,896 cases with 3,240 deaths, the Mid- down even if case counts taper off. Kasai said there are currently 50 cases early as well as putting physical month.” dle East 54,642 cases and 2,999 deaths, Latin America and "This is a pandemic unlike the candidate vaccines against COV- distance between members of com- According to the WHO, there are the Caribbean 16,399 cases with 417 deaths, Africa 5,343 cas- world has ever seen, and it has ID-19, with several already undergo- munities to help stop or slow down 103,775 confirmed COVD-19 cases, es with 170 deaths and Oceania 5,224 cases with 22 deaths. changed our system and put a strain ing clinical trials. the transmission in the meantime. including 3,649 deaths from the dis- - Agence France-Presse on people’s lives in an unprecedented He added that the WHO is con- "These measures can buy us valu- ease in the Western Pacific region, way," said Takeshi Kasai, WHO re- ducting trials to test the safety and able time to prepare for large-scale which covers 37 countries with a gional director for the Western Pa- effectiveness of treatment protocols, community transmission," he said. combined population of almost 1.9 cific region. and urged countries to take part in "We still don’t know how long this billion. -dpa Captain of US aircraft carrier pleads for help In COVID crisis Huge forest fire kills As virus cases increase on board 18 firefighters in China WASHINGTON — The captain of a US aircraft carrier de- Europe launches long-awaited ployed to the Pacific Ocean has pleaded with the Pentagon BEIJING - Eighteen firefighters and one forestry guide for more help as a coronavirus outbreak aboard his ship con- have died while fighting a huge forest fire in south-western tinues to spread, officials said yesterday (March 31). Military Iran barter mechanism China. officials said dozens of sailors have been infected. State television footage showed flames shooting into the In a four-page letter, first reported by The San Francisco BERLIN/TEHRAN - France, Germany and President Hassan Rowhani said yesterday sky from the mountains above the city of Xichang in Si- Chronicle yesterday, Capt. Brett E. Crozier of the USS Theo- Britain have made the first use of a bartering the country's state of emergency - which has chuan province, turning the sky orange. Heavy clouds of dore Roosevelt laid out the dire situation unfolding aboard mechanism set up to circumvent US sanc- closed schools, shuttered stores and restrict- smoke billowed above the buildings and roads of the city, the warship, with more than 4,000 crew members, and tions against Iran, so they could send medical ed movement - could be extended beyond its which has a population of about 700,000. what he said were the Navy’s failures to provide him with supplies to the crisis-hit country, the German current April 8 expiry date. The blaze started at about 3:00 p.m. local time on Mon- the proper resources to combat the virus by moving sailors Foreign Office said yesterday (March 31). He described the pandemic as the third day (March 30), “directly threatening the safety of Xichang off the vessel. The delivery is a breakthrough in long-run- crisis to hit Iran in the last four decades. The city”, the city government said in a Weibo statement yester- “We are not at war,” Crozier wrote. “Sailors do not need ning European attempts to activate the Instex first was the eight-year war against neigh- day (March 31) morning. to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take mechanism, aimed at enabling legitimate More than 140 fire engines, four helicopters and nearly care of our most trusted asset — our sailors.” bouring Iraq (1980-88) and the second was The carrier is currently docked in Guam.