March 18 Coronavirus Latest Updates: Greece Shuts Borders, Retail Shops

Greece closed its borders to non-EU citizens as of 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday. In measures aiming to contain the spread of coronavirus, a 14-day quarantine is highly recommended for Greeks, EU-citizens and especially those coming from the UK.
In addition to these measures, all retail stores will stay closed beginning on Wednesday.  The exceptions to this rule are listed here.
Technology giants Microsoft and Bing have created an interactive map, where you can select areas and see active, recovered and fatal cases of coronavirus infections. You can also see results by country as well as useful information on the disease. View it here.
Latest Updates
21:53: First two deaths from coronavirus confirmed in Pakistan, one was 36 years old, the other was 50.
21:12: JPMorgan predicts that the second quarter of 2020 could see the American economy go down by as much as 14 per cent. The Eurozone could see a recession of -22%.

Q2 for the euro zone: -22%
Q2 for the UK: -30%
Q2 for China: +57%! (off of a -41% Q1)

Overall global Q2 seen -1.2%, all per JPM https://t.co/Af9ebN5tyT

— Kelly Evans (@KellyCNBC) March 18, 2020

19:59: Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s President, thanked China for its support toward Europe during these crucial times.

19:32: Trading was halted again at the New York Stock Exchange due to its new, heavy losses.
19:29: More shocking news from Italy. 475 new deaths, 4,207 new cases recorded. A total of 35,713 cases and 2,978 deaths.
19:26: No exams will take place in British schools in May and June.
19:20: Schools in the UK will not reopen after Friday, until further notice.
19:15: The US federal government will be dispatching two hospital ships to respond to the crisis.
18:22: 31 more people have now died in England, bringing the total number of deaths in the UK to 104.
18:18: Greece bans all gatherings of more than 10 people. Full story.
18:14: Sotiris Tsiodras, the Health Ministry spokesperson for the Covid19 coronavirus outbreak, said that all countries will soon be announcing only the serious cases and the number of those hospitalized instead of the total number of cases.
18:03: Greek authorities say they have adequate number of tests to cover those in need, according to European and international guidelines.
18:00: Greece confirms 31 new cases. The total number is now 418. 79 are now hospitalized, 13 in serious condition.
17:10: President Katerina Sakellaropoulou spoke with Professor of Pathology and Infectious Diseases Sotiris Tsiodras and other doctors and expressed her unequivocal support, her personal gratitude, as well as that of all Greek citizens, for their efforts.
17:00: Turkey announced that it will shut its land borders with Greece and Bulgaria tonight at midnight Ankara time (GMT+3). Full Story.
16:30: The UK has confirmed 676 new cases of Covid-19 coronavirus in 24 hours. The total number of diagnosed cases rises to 2,626.
16:20: Eerie scenes from one of the world’s most iconic squares, Times Square in New York City, as people for the most part avoid public gatherings, as they have been called to do by the mayor.

16:18: One hundred Greek nationals will be repatriated on Wednesday from Marrakesh, Morocco on an Aegean Airlines flight to Athens.
16:08: The USA and Canada will close their shared border, President Trump said.

We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic. Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2020

16:05: The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China Zhang Qiyue offered 50,000 medical masks to Greece on behalf of the people of China on Wednesday morning.

Είμαστε ευγνώμονες και ευχαριστούμε, μέσω της Πρέσβειρας, την Κίνα, για όλες τις προσπάθειες και φυσικά όλες τις εταιρείες και την κινεζική κοινότητα εδώ, για τη βοήθεια και τη στήριξη. #COVID2019 https://t.co/4iFsg76rNl

— Vassilis Kikilias (@Vkikilias) March 18, 2020

15:28: The Eurovision Song Contest has been cancelled for 2020 due to the covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Full Story.

An official statement from the European Broadcasting Union on the #Eurovision Song Contest 2020. pic.twitter.com/b3h7akxvpF

— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) March 18, 2020

15:25: The nations of Scotland and Wales will close their schools beginning on Friday. It is still unclear what will happen to those in England and Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland has already closed its own schools.
15:15: The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople issued a statement on Wednesday, saying that it suspends all religious rituals in all of its regions until March 31. Among these regions is the entirety of Northern Greece, as well as most of the Greek islands.
14:35: Municipal police in Thessaloniki are seen in the video below, asking residents to stay at home.

14:20: These are the most affected countries, as measured by the number of diagnosed cases, according to Johns Hopkins:
China: 81,102
Italy 31,506
Iran 16,169
Spain 13,716
Germany 9,877
South Korea 8,413
France 7,696
United States 6,496
Switzerland 2,700
United Kingdom 1,960
14:20: These are the worst-affected countries by deaths, according to Johns Hopkins:
China (Hubei): 3,122
Italy: 2,503
Iran: 988
Spain: 558
France: 175
South Korea, 84
United Kingdom: 71 deaths
United States: 55 deaths
Netherlands: 43
Japan: 29
14:15: The number of coronavirus cases around the world has tipped over the 200,000 mark, according to the John Hopkins University global dashboard.

The global number of cases of confirmed #coronavirus cases has reached 200,000 pic.twitter.com/pJxbtYFZnM

— Alexandra Topping (@LexyTopping) March 18, 2020

14:00: Greece will offer 800 euros in compensation to all workers whose labor contract was suspended because of the suspension of operations of their enterprise, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Wednesday. Full story here.
13:50:  Iran reported its single biggest jump in deaths from the new coronavirus on Wednesday, saying that another 147 people had died, in a nearly 15% spike which raises the death toll to 1,135 people nationwide, the Associated Press reports.
13:00:  The Greek Police on Wednesday announced that there had been 150 arrests linked to the violation of measures for the prevention and containing of the spread of coronavirus since last Thursday. The violations involved the illegal operation of businesses such as hairdressers, cafes, restaurants, tavernas, grill houses, bakeries, pastry shops and others whose operation is temporarily prohibited.
12:15: Belgium becomes the latest country to go into lockdown, with citizens asked to stay at home and limit contact to their closest family.
12:05: Greek scientist Filippos Filippidis, a senior lecturer in Public Health at Imperial College London, says that the coronavirus pandemic is going to be an endurance race for our society as a whole and for each person individually, so we need to prepare. Full story here.
11:20: Greek supermarkets will open at 7:00 and close at 22:00 every day as of Thursday. On Sundays, they will be open between 9:00 and 17:00. Find out which other stores will remain open during the coronavirus crisis.
10:50: Coronavirus is now reported to be in all 50 US states with at least 112 dying from the virus across the country. The total number of cases there stands at 6,135.
10:20: Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on EU leaders to take bolder initiatives to stimulate the economy and allow flexibility in the transfer of funds from the structural funds to the real economy.
During a European leaders’ teleconference he emphasized two issues: greater coordination at the European level such as closure of the European Union’s external borders; and the supply of medical equipment (such as respirators, masks etc.), which will be distributed among the member states.
10:15: The editor of the largest Greek daily Kathimerini, Alexis Papahelas, announced on Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
09:35: 

A pianist in Barcelona went to his balcony during the quarantine, to play a song for the neighborhood.

A sax player in the building next door saw what was happening and joined him.

And it was awesome.pic.twitter.com/XwAgZe0R17

— Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) March 17, 2020

09:30:  The global death toll is nearing 8,000. The number of deaths from coronavirus around the world has risen to 7,948, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. the number of infections, meanwhile, are nearing 200,000: currently, there are 198,006 recorded cases worldwide.
09:25: Those who can still travel to Greece include Greek and EU citizens, but a 14-day quarantine is highly recommended especially for those coming from the UK. Full story on who can still travel to Greece here.
08:30:  Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias spoke with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita on Tuesday evening, to facilitate the repatriation of about 100 Greek citizens in Marrakesh via an emergency Aegean Airlines flight. According to diplomatic sources the Moroccan Foreign Minister assured Dendias that he will make every effort in this direction.
07:45: Nevada governor Steve Sisolak ordered all Las Vegas casinos to shut down on Tuesday night. Even slot machines in convenience stores will no longer be permitted. “America’s playground,” as Las Vegas is known, is usually open 24 hours a day. The last time the casinos locked their doors was on the day of President John F. Kennedy’s funeral in 1963.
07:30: Tom Hanks says he has no fever as he and wife Rita Wilson remain in isolation in an Australian residence after being discharged from a hospital following their coronavirus diagnosis. The actor posted a picture of a “Corona” typewriter on Instagram with the caption:

View this post on Instagram

Hey folks. Good News: One week after testing Positive, in self-isolation, the symptoms are much the same. No fever but the blahs. Folding the laundry and doing the dishes leads to a nap on the couch. Bad news: My wife @ritawilson has won 6 straight hands of Gin Rummy and leads by 201 points. But I have learned not to spread my Vegemite so thick. I travelled here with a typewriter, one I used to love. We are all in this together. Flatten the curve. Hanx

A post shared by Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) on Mar 17, 2020 at 2:19pm PDT

07:00: In Argentina, angry employees at a Buenos Aires shopping mall starting banging objects and chanting “Go home! Go home!” at shoppers who defied government self-isolation measures on Tuesday:

Related
March 17 Coronavirus Updates
March 16 Coronavirus Updates