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Britain on Emergency Footing for First Time Since WWII
Britain is on an emergency footing for the first time since World War II.
The move means the British government is setting up what it calls strategic coordination centers across the U.K. to distribute supplies to citizens to help combat the coronavirus outbreak.
There are more than 22,000 British confirmed cases of coronavirus – Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince Charles are among them. More than 1,200 have died. The government's deputy chief medical officer says the lockdown could last as long as six months but says if people do as they're told and conditions improve, the lockdown and other restrictions can start to be eased.
In Moscow, the lockdown is just getting started. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin says beginning Monday, people will be allowed out of their homes only to shop for food and medicine, takeout the garbage, walk the dog, or for urgent medical care.
Police will issue special passes to those who cannot work from home. Moscow reports 1,000 cases and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church is telling worshippers to pray at home "before someone dies."
While the number of cases in Italy – the European epicenter – slowed slightly for the second straight day Sunday, Spain's death toll rose 838 overnight Sunday – a record climb for that country which, like Italy, remains on total lockdown.
In Asia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked that country's poor to forgive him for the difficulties that country's lockdown is causing them. He acknowledged the steps he ordered are harsh and knows people are angry with him.
"But these tough measures were needed to win this battle," he said Sunday.
With a population of 1.3 billion, India's lockdown is by far the world's largest, leaving countless millions with no food or homes.
Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, is banning public gathering of more than two people. The state government says people should leave their homes only under "exceptional circumstances." Australia's nationwide death toll stands at 4,000.
Syria Sunday reported its first confirmed coronavirus death, but human rights groups warn of a looming catastrophe, saying the country's war-torn health care system is ill-equipped to handle an outbreak among refugees.
Also Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump has extended the government's recommended guidelines for social distancing for another 30 days. The U.S. has the world's biggest number of confirmed cases.
Finally, in Brazil, a federal judge has banned the government's social media campaign that downplayed the coronavirus threat.
President Jair Bolsonaro's "Brazil Can't Stop" campaign said there was no need for most Brazilians to lock down inside their homes.
"I'm sorry, some people will die, they will die, that's life," Bolsonaro said in a television interview.
March 30, 2020 at 12:32PM
