Covid-19 Updates: Minister in Ecuador Quits, Has Covid-19

China registers only one new case locally and 45 in foreign arrivals: China registered 46 new contagions of coronavirus today, only one locally and 45 in travelers arriving from abroad, thus interrupting the trend maintained for three days without any contagion at the local level. , reported the National Health Commission.

Until last local midnight (16.00 GMT on Saturday), the Asian country recorded six new deaths, five of them in Hubei province and four in its capital, Wuhan, the focus of the pandemic.

Bolsonaro calls Sao Paulo governor "lunatic" for decreeing quarantine: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro described this Saturday as "lunatic" the Governor of Sao Paulo, Joao Doria, for having decreed a fortnight of fifteen days in the most populous state of Brazil to to face the crisis generated by the expansion of COVID-19.

In an interview that he gave this Saturday to the CNN Brazil channel, the far-right leader criticized the measures that some regional governors have taken to deal with the coronavirus, such as quarantine or the closure of airports, and insisted that the crisis be treated without "panic" "nor" hysteria ".

"To tell the truth, he is a lunatic. He is taking advantage of the situation to do politics. He is taking advantage to grow politically," said the head of state when asked about the exceptional measures adopted by Doria.

Ecuador's Ministers of Health and Labor resign in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis: The Ecuadorian ministers of Public Health, Catalina Andramuño, and of Labor, Andrés Madero, resigned this Saturday amid the health emergency due to the coronavirus, which has left seven dead and 532 infected in the country, confirmed the Presidency. Also Madero told the public that he had contracted the coronavirus.

"The resignations of officials Andrés Vicente Madero Poveda and Catalina Andramuño Zevallos are accepted; and the gentlemen: Luis Arturo Poveda Velasco are appointed as Minister of Labor; and, Juan Carlos Zevallos López, as Minister of Public Health," said the Secretariat General Communication of the Presidency.
 

Update 5:00 PM:

Indigenous people of Ecuador ask for a health emergency fund for the coronavirus: The indigenous movement of Ecuador this Saturday asked the Government to create a "Health Emergency Fund" to, among other things, face the shocks that the coronavirus has caused in the peasant economy and its impact on city ​​food markets.

The indigenous leader Leonidas Iza explained to Efe that this fund would allow the State to buy directly from the peasants and "transfer free of charge" the production of vegetables to small food distributors in the cities, many of them indigenous people who "live from day to day by day ", to ensure that the supply chain does not suffer from a price increase.

The number of coronavirus cases in Brazil reaches 1,000 and the deaths to twelve:  The number of cases of coronavirus in Brazil reached 1,000 and the number of deaths from the disease was twelve, according to data recorded at noon on Saturday by the regional health secretariats in the country most populated and most affected by the pandemic in Latin America.

The figures show the rapid expansion of the disease in the largest country in the region, since in its last bulletin, on Friday night, the Ministry of Health recorded 904 cases and 11 deaths.

Guatemala orders curfew starting Sunday to contain COVID-19: The President of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, announced this Saturday a curfew that will take effect from tomorrow for eight days to contain the coronavirus, which has already claimed a life after 17 infections. confirmed.

Giammattei explained at a press conference that the measure prohibits free movement in the country from 4.00 in the afternoon to 4.00 in the morning starting on Sunday and for the next eight days.

Update: 10:00

Portugal: the death toll rises to 12 and 1,280 infections are reported​​​​

Health Minister Marta Temido announced that Portugal has 1,280 Covid-19 cases and 12 dead. Her country expects to reach the peak of the pandemic on April 14, which is an estimate based on the evolution of the number of cases to date.

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Three percent of infected cases is "in critical condition" and the mortality rate is currently 0.9 percent, Temido said, adding that next week a "new approach to the patient" will be implemented.

This new procedure will consist of separating the infected from the non-infected in hospital centers and in promoting that the non-seriously ill can stay at home and be treated remotely by professionals.

The safety recommendations for nursing homes were also modified, although the Health Minister launched a warning to young people.

"We need to understand that no one is immune, even though in some age ranges, the disease is relatively harmless. So we should all be careful, "she said.

Netherlands: 125 Indians stranded at Amsterdam airport

A group of 125 Indian nationals was trapped this Saturday in a terminal at Amsterdam Schiphol airport because India closed its airspace to all flights, including those that transport their citizens.

The Indians left Mexico on Friday for New Delhi and with a stopover in Amsterdam. Halfway through the flight, however, the captain informed them that the plane was unable to land in India.

After more than 15 hours of flight, the pilot decided to return to Schiphol-Amsterdam with all passengers, who were also unable to enter the Netherlands and they should have stayed at the international airport terminal.

"We are at Amsterdam's airport. We have been here for hours. The Indian government does not allow the plane to land and has not given any further explanations. We do not know what is there what to do, there are a lot of people waiting here," a woman said through a video posted on social networks.

India's Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Embassy of India in the Netherlands are trying to solve the problem by asking New Delhi that allows the landing of a rescue plane.