Amid coronavirus scare, countries ban gatherings

Washington/Tokyo: As the outbreak of Covid-19 cuts a deadly swath across China, tens of millions of people are struggling with isolation under quarantine. China on Saturday morning reported 427 new cases over the past 24 hours along with 47 additional deaths.

The country’s monthly purchasing managers’ index fell to 35.7 from January’s 50 on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 indicate activity contracting. The fall was wider than expected due to efforts to contain the virus outbreak shutting down much of the world’s second-largest economy.

Japan shut schools as Germany and other countries imposed quarantines. Iran is preparing for the possibility of “tens of thousands” of people getting tested for the virus as the number of confirmed cases spiked again, an official said. Bahrain has threatened legal prosecution against travellers who came from Iran and hadn’t been tested for the virus, and also barred public gatherings for two weeks.


Saudi Arabia closed off the holy sites to foreign pilgrims.

The list of countries touched by the virus has climbed to nearly 60. More than 85,000 people worldwide have contracted the virus, with deaths topping 2,900.