Travel Bans, Collapsed Markets in Reaction to Coronavirus
2020-03-13
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1The coronavirus outbreak has led to travel bans around the world, walling off countries, closing businesses and keeping people inside their homes.
2The situation collapsed financial markets.
3The New York Stock Exchange was forced to stop trading for a second time this week to avoid a crash.
4Late Wednesday, American President Donald Trump announced strong measures to limit travelers from Europe.
5A 30-day ban will limit the entry to the U.S. for travelers coming from every European country except Britain and Ireland.
6The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Robert Redfield, noted that most of the new cases of the COVID-19 illness are linked to Europe.
7He called it "the new China."
8But Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said that the United States is behind other countries in testing for the virus to learn how widespread it really is.
9The virus first appeared late last year in Wuhan, China.
10It has since spread to 114 countries.
11 More than 127,000 people have been infected and 4,700 have died. Most of the infected are in just four countries: China, South Korea, Iran and Italy.
12On Wednesday, the World Health Organization officially called it a "pandemic."
13Later that day, organizations and businesses across the U.S. started taking stronger action.
14The National Basketball Association in the U.S. canceled its season after a player was confirmed to have the virus.
15The upcoming college-level basketball tournament will not be held.
16And, more American colleges and universities started sending students home and moving their classes online.
17Television shows announced they would be taped without audiences.
18Crowds in New York City's usually busy subway cars have disappeared.
19And huge St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country have been canceled.
20Late on Wednesday, Hollywood actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who are married, announced on social media that they had tested positive for the virus.
21Dr. Jeff Duchin is a top public health official in Seattle, Washington.
22The area has one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the United States.
23He compared the effects of the new coronavirus to "a major earthquake that's going to shake us for weeks and weeks."
24In Italy, restaurants and cafes closed this week after the prime minister established a nationwide lockdown on personal movement.
25Only stores selling food, medicine and newspapers are permitted to open.
26Store keeper Rosanna Farina said, "So few people are out and about. People are terrorized...I'd rather be home. I'm worried, even if I'm keeping a distance."
27Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Lithuania, Algeria and Slovakia joined a growing list of countries and closed their schools.
28The Czech government set border checks.
29It has also barred entry to people from 13 high-risk countries.
30Slovakia closed its international airports and ground transportation centers.
31Real Madrid, Europe's most successful football team, put its whole team into quarantine after one player tested positive for the virus.
32Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was self-isolating at home after his wife showed flu-like signs after her return from Britain.
33As the outbreak continues to spread in Europe and the United States, it appears to be slowing down in China.
34China's Hubei province only recorded eight new infections on Wednesday.
35The rest of mainland China had just seven new cases the same day.
36"The peak of the epidemic has passed for China," said Mi Feng, who is with the country's National Health Commission.
37The Chinese government's senior medical adviser, Zhong Nanshan, said the worldwide crisis could be over by June.
38He is known for fighting the SARS outbreak in 2003.
39"If all countries could get mobilized, it could be over by June," he said.
40"But if some countries do not treat the infectiousness and harmfulness seriously, and intervene strongly, it would last longer."
41Most people infected by the new virus have only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.
42Older people may develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia.
43The WHO says recovery for more serious cases can take between two to six weeks.
44I'm Dorothy Gundy.
1The coronavirus outbreak has led to travel bans around the world, walling off countries, closing businesses and keeping people inside their homes. 2The situation collapsed financial markets. The New York Stock Exchange was forced to stop trading for a second time this week to avoid a crash. 3Late Wednesday, American President Donald Trump announced strong measures to limit travelers from Europe. A 30-day ban will limit the entry to the U.S. for travelers coming from every European country except Britain and Ireland. 4The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Robert Redfield, noted that most of the new cases of the COVID-19 illness are linked to Europe. He called it "the new China." 5But Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said that the United States is behind other countries in testing for the virus to learn how widespread it really is. 6The virus first appeared late last year in Wuhan, China. It has since spread to 114 countries. More than 127,000 people have been infected and 4,700 have died. Most of the infected are in just four countries: China, South Korea, Iran and Italy. 7On Wednesday, the World Health Organization officially called it a "pandemic." 8Later that day, organizations and businesses across the U.S. started taking stronger action. The National Basketball Association in the U.S. canceled its season after a player was confirmed to have the virus. The upcoming college-level basketball tournament will not be held. And, more American colleges and universities started sending students home and moving their classes online. 9Television shows announced they would be taped without audiences. Crowds in New York City's usually busy subway cars have disappeared. And huge St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country have been canceled. 10Late on Wednesday, Hollywood actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who are married, announced on social media that they had tested positive for the virus. 11Dr. Jeff Duchin is a top public health official in Seattle, Washington. The area has one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the United States. He compared the effects of the new coronavirus to "a major earthquake that's going to shake us for weeks and weeks." 12Around the world 13In Italy, restaurants and cafes closed this week after the prime minister established a nationwide lockdown on personal movement. Only stores selling food, medicine and newspapers are permitted to open. 14Store keeper Rosanna Farina said, "So few people are out and about. People are terrorized...I'd rather be home. I'm worried, even if I'm keeping a distance." 15Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Lithuania, Algeria and Slovakia joined a growing list of countries and closed their schools. The Czech government set border checks. It has also barred entry to people from 13 high-risk countries. Slovakia closed its international airports and ground transportation centers. 16Real Madrid, Europe's most successful football team, put its whole team into quarantine after one player tested positive for the virus. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was self-isolating at home after his wife showed flu-like signs after her return from Britain. 17Signs of improvement in China 18As the outbreak continues to spread in Europe and the United States, it appears to be slowing down in China. 19China's Hubei province only recorded eight new infections on Wednesday. The rest of mainland China had just seven new cases the same day. 20"The peak of the epidemic has passed for China," said Mi Feng, who is with the country's National Health Commission. 21The Chinese government's senior medical adviser, Zhong Nanshan, said the worldwide crisis could be over by June. He is known for fighting the SARS outbreak in 2003. 22"If all countries could get mobilized, it could be over by June," he said. "But if some countries do not treat the infectiousness and harmfulness seriously, and intervene strongly, it would last longer." 23Most people infected by the new virus have only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. Older people may develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia. The WHO says recovery for more serious cases can take between two to six weeks. 24I'm Dorothy Gundy. 25Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on Associated Press and Reuters news reports. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 26_________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28tournament - n. a sport competition that involves many teams for several days 29positive - n. showing the presence of a particular germ or virus 30quarantine - n. the situation of being kept away from others to prevent a disease from spreading 31isolate - v. to keep someone in a place that is separate from others 32epidemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people 33mobilize - v. to come together for action 34symptom - n. a change in the body which indicates that a disease is present 35pneumonia - n. a serious disease that affects the lung and makes it difficult to breath