The Latest: Germany's Merkel not in favor of border closures

The Latest: Germany's Merkel not in favor of border closures

SeattlePI.com

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The Latest on the coronavirus outbreak sweeping the globe:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made clear that Germany doesn’t intend to close its borders in the light of Europe's coronavirus epidemic, arguing that it makes more sense for people arriving from badly hit regions to quarantine themselves at home.

Germany had some 1,300 infections as of Wednesday but, so far, only three deaths — a low rate that experts have put down to rapid testing as the outbreak unfolded.

Merkel said at a rare, hastily convened news conference Wednesday in Berlin that it’s important for European leaders to discuss “what are good and effective measures and what aren’t.”

She said “we in Germany, in any case, are of the opinion that border closures are not an appropriate response to the challenge.”

Germany isn’t a direct neighbour of Italy, the epicenter of Europe’s outbreak. Austria and Slovenia to Italy's north and Malta to the south have largely closed their borders with Italy.

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Spain's coronavirus cases have surpassed 2,000, with roughly half of them in the Madrid region, where two-thirds of the country’s virus deaths have occurred.

The Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 2,002 cases nationally, up by 363 from the previous day. Deaths reached 47, up by 11 from Tuesday.

Fernando Simón, director of Spain's health emergency center, said Wednesday that Madrid’s fatalities are high because much of the contagion there is taking place in nursing homes. The COVID-19 virus is particularly hard on the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

Madrid and two regions in northern Spain are closing schools and universities for two weeks to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Long queues have formed at Madrid area supermarkets amid signs of panic...

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