Rattled world ‘at war’ with coronavirus as cases pass 200,000

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide were adjusting on Wednesday to unprecedented measures undertaken to battle the coronavirus crisis that is not only killing the old and vulnerable but also threatening prolonged economic misery.

“This is a once-in-a-hundred-year type event,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, warning the crisis could last six months as his nation became the latest to restrict gatherings and overseas travel.

The fast-spreading disease that jumped from animals to humans in China has now infected over 200,000 people and caused nearly 8,500 deaths in 164 nations, triggering emergency lockdowns and injections of cash unseen since World War Two.

“We have never lived through anything like this,” Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a parliament chamber nearly empty with more than 90% of lawmakers staying away and a masked and gloved cleaner wiping handrails between speeches.

“And our society, which had grown used to changes that expand our possibilities of knowledge, health and life, now finds itself at war to defend all we have taken for granted.”

There was particular alarm in Italy, which has experienced an unusually high death rate – 2,503 from 31,506 cases – and was calling on student and retired doctors to help an overwhelmed health service.

Around the world, rich and poor alike saw lives turned upside down as events were cancelled, shops stripped, workplaces emptied, streets deserted, schools shut and travel minimised.

“Cleanliness is important, but here it’s not easy,” said Marcelle Diatta, a 41-year-old mother of four in Senegal, where announcements rang from loudspeakers urging people to wash hands but water was often cut off in her suburb.

The crisis has created a wave of solidarity in some countries, with neighbours, families and colleagues coming together to look after the most needy, including dropping supplies at the doors of those forced to stay inside.

Police officers in protective suits detain a migrant who is suspected of having coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the infection clinic in Belgrade, Serbia, March 17, 2020. ReutersPolice officers in protective suits detain a migrant who is suspected of having coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the infection clinic in Belgrade, Serbia, March 17, 2020. ReutersAround Spain, applause and the banging of pots ring out in evenings at 8 p.m. as self-isolated neighbours express gratitude to health services. In several countries, stores began reserving special times for elderly shoppers.
The United States sent its two military hospital ships – Comfort and Mercy – to the New York harbor and the West Coast, while the Swedish military is setting up a field hospital near Stockholm.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the country was on wartime footing and invoked special powers through the Defense Production Act to rapidly expand manufacturing of masks and protective equipment.

LONG RECESSION OR BOUNCE BACK?

Spooked by a seemingly inevitable global recession, rich nations are unleashing billions of dollars in stimulus to bolster economies, aid health services, provide loans to tottering businesses, and help individuals with mortgages and other routine payments.

Extra cash from governments and central banks failed to calm markets: stocks and oil prices reeled again, with European shares down nearly 5% to approach seven-year lows and major US indexes off by 7%