France bans
gatherings of 1,000 people to contain coronavirus
The number
of deaths in France from coronavirus has risen to 19.
By JOSHUA
POSANER 3/8/20, 9:51 PM CET
The French
government agreed to ban public events with 1,000 people or more as part of its
efforts to stall the spread of the coronavirus, Health Minister Olivier Véran
said Sunday.
"All
gatherings of more than 1,000 people are now prohibited," said Véran after
a meeting of the national defense council.
However,
authorities will draft a list of events that will be exempt from the ban,
including mass transit and various competitions, Véran added.
As of
Sunday evening, France reported 1,126 confirmed coronavirus cases, including
three in the national parliament.
Earlier
Sunday, Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn called for events with over 1,000
participants to be banned, although the power to implement such restrictions
lies with local authorities. Meanwhile, an effective quarantine across swathes
of northern Italy has been put into effect.
Authors:
Joshua Posaner
German
minister calls for ban on events with over 1,000 people as coronavirus cases
rise
Jens Spahn
says ban on large-scale events should be ‘until further notice.’
By JOSHUA
POSANER AND JUDITH MISCHKE 3/8/20, 6:12 PM CET Updated 3/8/20, 6:31 PM CET
BERLIN —
Germany should cancel public gatherings of more than 1,000 people in a bid to slow
the spread of the coronavirus, Health Minister Jens Spahn said Sunday.
The
minister said local authorities and event organizers should reconsider whether
to go ahead with planned large-scale events "until further notice" as
part of efforts to protect vulnerable citizens. Such a ban would include major
football games and industry fairs, with Spahn calling for quicker
decision-making on canceling such events as the infection rate rises.
Under
Germany's federal system, the decision to implement bans on large events rests
with local authorities across the country's 16 regions.
As of
Sunday evening, there were 902 confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany.
"Our
primary goal is to slow its spread," said Spahn in a statement. "We
will talk about how we will deal with the economic consequences in the next few
days."
The German
government was slated to meet Sunday to discuss the coronavirus situation.
The
Hannover Messe, one of the world's largest trade fairs, has already been
postponed from April until July due to concerns over the spread of the virus,
while a tourism fair in Berlin has been canceled.
Spahn
earlier called for a new European disease management and control center,
arguing the EU's current set-up could not withstand a threat on the scale of
the coronavirus outbreak.
Italy, the
EU country hardest hit by the virus, on Sunday approved emergency measures
limiting movement for over 16 million citizens until April 3 to contain its
spread.
Residents
of the Lombardy region — one of the country's wealthiest and most industrialized
regions, which includes Milan — and 14 other provinces in northern Italy will
only be allowed to leave their homes for urgent health and professional
reasons.
Authors:
Joshua
Posaner and Judith Mischke
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