March 5 coronavirus news

At least 215 people came into contact with a group of Italian tourists in India, some of whom have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a Rajasthan government official said on Thursday.

According to Govind Pareek, the Joint Director of Public Relations, officials have identified the people the tourists came into contact with while in the region, including the cities of Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur and Jaipur. 

Ninety-three samples have been tested so far. Of these, 60 tested negative for the novel coronavirus. The Rajasthan government is in the process of testing the remaining 122 suspected cases across the state.

Hotel rooms where the Italians stayed have been closed for sanitation, which is still underway, Pareek added. 

India's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan announced on Wednesday that 16 of the 22 Italians on the trip have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The group landed in New Delhi on February 21 and traveled to Rajasthan by bus. 

Two of the Italian citizens with the virus are being treated in Rajasthan and the remaining 14 are receiving treatment in the city of Gurugram just outside New Delhi.

The group’s driver, who is an Indian citizen, also tested positive.

T United Arab Emirates urged its citizens and residents on Thursday against travel abroad, the Emirati health ministry said.

The Dubai Health Authority also said that customers travelling to Dubai from Beijing, Beirut, Rome, Milan, Venice, Bologna, Bangkok and Phuket will have to a coronavirus test at the airport.

The UAE has 27 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to state media.

Face masks produced in South Korea will no longer be exported abroad as of tomorrow, the country's vice finance minister said today.

This move comes amid the largest coronavirus outbreak outside China, and after much public criticism of the government for severe shortages of face masks, resulting in citizens waiting long hours at designated locations to purchase them in limited numbers.

The government had previously restricted the export of face masks, allowing up to 10% of those produced to be exported until April 30.

South Korea has reported more than 5,700 cases of the virus and 35 deaths.

Face mask supply: South Korea is aiming to increase its daily mask output from 10 million to at least 13 million, authorities said.

Masks will be distributed mainly to pharmacies, post offices, and government locations for citizens to purchase.

Starting from Monday, each citizen can purchase up to two masks per week. The government will monitor sales through a computerized system, to prevent people from buying more than their share.

The government will also designate certain days of the week for citizens to purchase masks after presenting their identification cards, to avoid big crowds of shoppers.

Mask price: The finance ministry will also price all masks distributed by the government at $1.27 (1,500 Korean won), and it may set a maximum price limit for private sellers.

The government will reward anyone who reports on illegal business transactions of mask sales.

Netflix is pulling out of the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference over concerns about the coronavirus, a Netflix spokesperson confirmed to CNN.

The spokesperson said Netflix did not have a statement regarding the decision. The news was first reported by Variety.

SXSW is an annual conference combining technology, music, media, and film that takes place in Austin, Texas. It is set to take place from March 13-22.

Austin public health officials announced Wednesday that the conference would continue as planned despite concerns about the coronavirus.

Iran has begun work on developing a coronavirus vaccine and is ready to start producing test kits, the head of the Medical Sciences University of Iran told state news agency ILNA. 

Kouhpayezadeh added that proper personal sanitation and home quarantines are among the most important ways to control the spread of the virus, and called on citizens to observe the safety protocols. 

Iran is one of the worst hit countries by the coronavirus outbreak and has officially recorded 2,922 cases, including 92 deaths.

The European Broadcast Union (EBU) says it is proceeding with planning this year’s edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, scheduled for May.

This comes after reports suggested it was considering an online format due to the coronavirus threat.

In a statement to CNN, the EBU said:

The EBU had already imposed a travel ban after one of its staff in Geneva tested positive for the coronavirus.

What is Eurovision? The singing competition takes place once a year, and is hosted by the previous edition's winning country. There are two semi-finals, and a grand final.

Eurovision attracts hundreds of millions of viewers, and has given the world acts including Abba, Celine Dion and Olivia Newton-John.

Health authorities in Spain have confirmed a second death from the coronavirus.

The patient was an 82-year-old man with preexisting chronic conditions, "who also had pneumonia," said the Basque Country Heath Department in a statement yesterday.

Iran’s Ministry of Health has launched a coronavirus self-assessment website that provides information about the virus, according to Iran’s state news agency ILNA.

After logging on and answering a number of questions, an individual suspected of being infected will receive a follow up from the health ministry, ILNA reported.

Citizens can access the questionnaire and enter their phone number at salamat.gov.ir, through which they will receive a text message about their current health condition. 

“I hereby request all my fellow citizens to visit the website and participate in the self-assessment process, as soon as possible,” said Ali Reza Reisy, director of health services at the Ministry of Health, in the ILNA report.

Iran’s Ministry of Health is planning to open specially equipped hospitals in all regions of the country to treat coronavirus patients, World Health Organization representative Richard Brennan told Iranian state media.