LAGOS MARCH 16TH (NEWSRANGERS)-South Africa declared a national state of disaster over the coronavirus outbreak and announced the continent’s most drastic measures yet to curb its spread. Stocks slumped to a six-year low, bonds fell and the rand weakened. The government is imposing travel bans on some nationals, shutting schools and banning public gatherings of…
LAGOS MARCH 13TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who recently called the coronavirus pandemic a “fantasy,” has tested positive for the illness days after dining alongside President Trump, according to a local report. “He waits for the result of the counter-proof this Friday (13) to confirm the contamination. There is tension in the air. Despite spending…
LAGOS MARCH 13TH (NEWSRANGERS)-China’s Foreign Ministry has implied that the U.S. Army “might be” responsible for taking the coronavirus to Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak first emerged late last year. In a tweet on Thursday, foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, wrote: “When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected?…
LAGOS MARCH 12TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Coronavirus was declared a pandemic Wednesday by the World Health Organization as cases spread to at least 114 countries. “WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction,” WHO Director Tedros…
LAGOS MARCH 11TH (NEWSRANGERS)-A Big Apple conference about the coronavirus has been canceled – because of the coronavirus, according to a report. The Council of Foreign Relations was due to hold a roundtable titled “Doing Business Under Coronavirus” on Friday, but decided to cancel it amid fears that it could lead to a spread of…
LAGOS MARCH 8TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Thousands of people rushed to flee Northern Italy after plans by the government for a 16-million-person quarantine were leaked to the media ahead of time. Italy on Sunday shut down its Northern Lombardy region, which includes Milan, and 14 nearby provinces, a lockdown that is due to last until at least April…
LAGOS MARCH 9TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The world’s faltering effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak hammered stocks and crude oil on Sunday, as new cases surfacing across the U.S. amplified fears of a global downturn. Brent crude (BZ=F) prices collapsed, falling by as much as 31% on Sunday evening in what was the largest single-day drop since the…
LAGOS MARCH 5TH (NEWSRANGRS)-The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is denied reports from the media stating that Director General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu is in ‘quarantine over coronavirus’. A press statement made available to NewsRangers described the publication as false. “This is false. Between the 16th and 24th of February 2020, the World Health Organization deployed…
