BEIJING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The world is now in a battle against COVID-19, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 190 countries and regions.
The following are the updates on the contagious illness.
RIYADH -- Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies on Thursday vowed to inject over 5 trillion U.S. dollars to boost the global economy as part of their joint efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The leaders made the pledge in a joint statement released after Saudi Arabia convened an extraordinary summit by video-link to coordinate multilateral response to the pandemic.
"We are injecting over 5 trillion U.S. dollars into the global economy, as part of targeted fiscal policy, economic measures, and guarantee schemes to counteract the social, economic and financial impacts of the pandemic," the statement said.
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RIYADH -- Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies on Thursday vowed to keep their markets open to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
"We reiterate our goal to realize a free, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent, predictable and stable trade and investment environment, and to keep our markets open," the leaders said in a joint statement released after Saudi Arabia convened an extraordinary summit by video-link.
As part of multilateral response to the pandemic, G20 leaders also committed to continue working together to facilitate international trade and coordinate responses in ways that avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade, according to the statement.
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KIGALI -- The number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Rwanda has jumped from 41 to 50, Rwanda's Ministry of Health said on Thursday in a statement.
The nine newly registered patients include five travellers from the United Arab Emirates and one from the United States, who were all isolated upon arrival, said the statement.
The other three are contacts of previously confirmed positive travellers, it said.
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WELLINGTON -- New Zealand on Friday confirmed 76 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed and probable cases to 368.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told a press conference that 85 new confirmed and probable cases were reported in the last 24 hours, which include 76 confirmed and nine probable cases.
He said 37 people have recovered, and eight people are in hospital.
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YANGON -- Two more imported cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Myanmar early Friday, bringing the total of infection cases of this disease in the country to five, said a release from the Health and Sports Ministry.
The newly confirmed cases include a Myanmar-born U.S. citizen aged 33 who was living in Mandalay region. He arrived from the United States on March 19.
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SUVA -- Fiji announced on Friday a nationwide curfew from next Monday night as part of its efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Making the announcement in parliament, Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said that the curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time every day will be in force as part of the preventative measures over COVID-19.
Currently, there are five confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Fiji. To curb the spread of the virus, Fiji has taken stricter measures including the lockdown of Lautoka, the second largest city of Fiji, and the establishment of more than 20 fever clinics to screen people for possible COVID-19.
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KINSHASA -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)'s capital city Kinshasa on Thursday evening announced an order for its over 11 million residents to stay at home for three weeks with certain intervals in an effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
According to the decree by Governor Gentiny Ngobila of Kinshasa, administratively equivalent to a province, the movement restrictions to be effective on Saturday allows intervals on designated days.
The decision was made after 54 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the capital city, where the majority of the infections are now locally transmitted, and where the country's first case was reported on March 10.
