VOA NEWS

April 2, 2020

This is VOA news. Via remote, I'm Diane Roberts.



More than 900,000 cases of coronavirus have been officially detected worldwide since the December outbreak in China. Of those cases, more than 45,000 people have died.

The pandemic has reached 205 countries and territories globally. It is spreading fastest in the United States where nearly 4,500 people have died from the more than 203,000 cases. This includes a six-week-old baby who died in Connecticut. Italy has the most fatalities with 13,155.



The U.S. Navy is evacuating thousands of sailors from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in Guam. This after its captain warned a coronavirus outbreak was threatening the lives of its crew.

The Navy says 93 of the 4,800 on board are infected with the COVID-19 virus. One thousand of the crew members are already off the carrier. All 1,700 more should be off in the next couple of days.

Pentagon officials say they are arranging for hotel rooms in the Pacific island for many of the crew while sorting out who can be part of a skeleton crew to keep the ship operational.



Meanwhile, a stranded cruise ship unable to dock because of the coronavirus outbreak will get some help soon.

President Trump said Wednesday authorities will evacuate passengers from the cruise liner that was supposed to dock in Florida after being barred from several Latin American countries because of the outbreak.

The president said the U.S. was sending medical team on board the ship and taking people off. He said foreigners will be sent home.



The White House warns Americans to be prepared. The task force dealing with the coronavirus crisis for the country says as many as 200,000 people could die from COVID-19. That is with American social distancing.



This is VOA news.



Global stocks experienced another rout Wednesday as the human and economic toll from the coronavirus continued to rise.

The Dow dropped 4.4 percent. European equities also fell hard, with London, Frankfurt and Paris all down around 4 percent.



Greece's Holy Synod, the supreme body of the country's Orthodox Church, said Wednesday the coronavirus outbreak would force churches to remain closed over the Easter period. Easter is traditionally the biggest date on the Orthodox calendar but this year's celebrations on April 19 will be very muted.



A climate summit scheduled for Glasgow later this year has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Finland's environment ministry says, "the COP26 climate conference will move from November to next year."

The head of Friends of the Earth Scotland says that without a delay some nations risk being excluded and will be extremely difficult to make proper preparation in time.



The Russian missions to the U.N. said a Russian military plane carrying medical supplies arrived in the United States Wednesday in hard-hit New York City.

The defense ministry has not released much information but did provide video showing boxes on board [carry] the cargo plane said to be carrying medical masks and medical equipment.



Some American lawmakers say the United States has accused China of lying about the extent of its deadly coronavirus outbreak, citing an intelligence report presented to the White House.

Republicans in Congress expressed outrage that Beijing apparently misled the international community on China's infections and deaths that began in late 2019 in the city of Wuhan.



The Wimbledon tennis championship in London is canceled, widely considered to be the world's premier tennis event.

Organizers said the tournament will be rescheduled for 2021. It will be the first time since World War II Wimbledon has been canceled.



A recommendation "wash your hands frequently with soap and water during the coronavirus pandemic" is easier said than done in some places.

One in nine people on the planet lack access to clean water and many live on the continent of Africa. Even in relatively well-developed South Africa, millions of residents lack clean running water at home.

Charitable organizations are stepping in to try to help during the coronavirus outbreak. Living Water International has set up water points and handwashing stations in countries including Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.



And an unlikely sacrifice that you may have to make because of the coronavirus crisis - butter.

Switzerland government warns of a potential butter shortage. It said for the first time in years, butter production might not be able to keep up with demand.



Via remote, I'm Diane Roberts, VOA news.