US President Donald Trump presumably hoped to calm America’s coronavirus nerves with his address to the nation yesterday afternoon – but his speech has instead sparked confusion and chaos worldwide.
As President Trump announced the suspension of travel from 26 European countries to the US in a bid to combat the viral pandemic, US stocks – and other markets around the world – plummeted.
Overnight, EU leaders also denounced President Trump’s travel ban, saying the decision was made “unilaterally and without consultation”.
Others criticised his speech for its familiar Trump tactic of blaming foreigners. Time has examined some of the reasons why he wants to frame Covid-19 as a “foreign virus”.
The decision to ban European travellers has also had a knock-on effect in New Zealand , given a large number of Kiwis still transit through the US to get to Europe.
The local industry has found itself in an immediate scramble to reorganise flights for scores of Kiwi travellers.
And there may be more pain to come for the wider tourism industry, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying further travel restrictions into New Zealand could also be expected .
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Canadian PM in isolation
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is quarantining himself at home after his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, returned from the UK with flu-like symptoms.
She is currently being tested for Covid-19, with her husband running the country from home while awaiting those results.
Remembering March 15
Several memorial events are being held today ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks.
Hundreds of people are coming together at the city’s Al Noor and Linwood mosques for Friday prayers, while Canterbury’s students are holding a commemorative ‘colour your day’ event as a sign of solidarity.
A photo exhibition about the mosques at the centre of the attacks also opened last night, with architectural photographer Sarah Rowlands hoping it will demonstrate the “sense of calm and sanctity” that those buildings instil.
And TVNZ’s Breakfast is dedicating its entire show to the mosque commemorations this morning, with presenter John Campbell in Christchurch to see how the city has changed since that tragic day last year.
HIV doesn’t discriminate – but testing can
Re: has an interesting feature this week about the stereotypes associated with HIV. Zoe Madden-Smith writes that the stereotype that associates the virus with gay men can mean New Zealand women aren’t taken seriously when requesting tests. Citing research that found 88 per cent of women with AIDS are diagnosed late, compared to 66 per cent of men, Ms Madden-Smith went to her own GP to test the theory that women are not generally offered HIV testing. You can read about her experience here .
Other news of note this morning:
Ireland says it’s closing all schools and cultural centres in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Government documents show more than one million Kiwis are drinking water that’s not demonstrably safe to drink.
Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has slammed the decision to stage the season-opening Formula One Grand Prix in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
And a new study finds netball fans are more positive than critical when it comes to their favourite sport.
And finally...
Just as President Trump was announcing his ban on travel to the US from Europe, news also broke that beloved American actor Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, had tested positive for coronavirus in Australia. The internet responded to that news in its usual fashion: out-and-out panic . But comedian Whitney Cummings summed up the world’s feelings best when she tweeted : “It’s like [coronavirus] picked the celebrity we cared the most about to make a point.”
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