BEIJING — Cruise ships looked for safe harbor on four continents Saturday amid fears they’re spreading the new coronavirus that has infected more than 100,000 people and tightened its grip on day-to-day life around the world.
Iran declared a “sacred jihad” against the virus, while virus tensions saw riot police mobilized on the east Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Italy saw its biggest one-day jump in infections, and the Vatican decided to livestream the pope’s Sunday blessing to prevent people gathering at St. Peter’s Square.
As the outbreak has moved beyond its epicenter in China, cruise ships have been in the spotlight. On Saturday, they faced trouble in waters off California, Malaysia, Egypt and Malta as those aboard were tested or confined to cabins, and questions grew about the future of the whole industry.
Around the world, more and more countries are getting ready for a big increase in virus cases. But new trouble struck China on Saturday, where a hotel holding people who had contact with the virus collapsed, trapping 70 people inside, according to local news reports.
Rescue workers with flashlights climbed over debris, and rubble covered cars outside. There were no immediate reports of deaths, and at least 33 people were reported rescued.
Western countries are increasingly imitating China – where the virus first emerged late last year, and which has suffered the vast majority of infections — by imposing travel controls and shutting down public events.
After the city of Venice canceled its cherished Carnival and governments warned citizens against travel to Italy, the epicenter of Europe’s outbreak, the country is facing a possible recession. Hotel occupancy rates in the lagoon city are down to 1%-2%.
“‘The surface of the Grand Canal is like glass because the boats that transport merchandise are not there. On the vaporetti (water buses), there are only five or six people,” Stefania Stea, vice president of the Venice hoteliers association, said.
Passenger-packed cruise ships confronted their own virus problems.
Officials in California were deciding Saturday where to dock the Grand Princess cruise ship, after 21 tested positive for the virus. There is evidence the ship now idling off San Francisco was the breeding ground for a deadly cluster of almost 20 cases during an earlier voyage.
“Those that will need to be quarantined will be quarantined,” U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said. “Those who will require medical help will receive it.” President Donald Trump said he would have preferred not to let the passengers disembark onto American soil but would defer to medical experts.
In Egypt, a cruise ship on the Nile with more than 150 aboard was under quarantine in the southern city of Luxor after 12 positive tests.
Also Saturday, the port of Penang in Malaysia turned away the cruise ship Costa Fortuna because 64 of the 2,000 aboard are from Italy. The ship had already been rejected by Thailand, and is now heading to Singapore.
And in Malta, which reported its first case of the virus Saturday, the MSC Opera ship agreed not to enter the Mediterranean country’s port amid local worries — even though there are no infections suspected on board. The ship continued to Messina, Sicily, where passengers were allowed to disembark after officials reviewed medical records.
Transmission of the virus is now going in every direction.
While the global death toll has risen past 3,400, more people have now recovered from the virus than are sickened by it. As of Saturday, nearly 90,000 cases have been reported in Asia; more than 8,000 in Europe; some 6,000 in the Mideast; about 400 in North America; about 50 in Latin America and the Caribbean, and fewer than 50 cases reported so far in Africa.
While many scientists say the world is clearly in the grips of a pandemic — a serious global outbreak – the World Health Organization isn’t calling it that yet, saying the word might spook the world further.
The virus is still much less widespread than annual flu epidemics, which cause up to 5 million severe cases around the world and up to 650,000 deaths annually, according to the WHO.
In Iran, fears over the virus and the government’s waning credibility has become a major challenge to leaders already reeling from American sanctions. More than 1,000 infections were confirmed overnight, bringing the country’s total to 5,823 cases, including 145 deaths.
South Korea, the hardest-hit country outside China, reported 448 new cases, taking the total to 7,041, with 48 deaths overall.
Italy has seen its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases since the outbreak broke out in the north of the country on Feb. 21. In its daily update, Italy’s civil protection agency said the number of people with the coronavirus rose by 1,247 in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 5,883. Another 36 people also died as a result of the virus, taking the total to 233.
China reported 99 new cases on Saturday, its first daily increase of less than 100 since January, and 28 new fatalities.
Countries outside Asia stepped up efforts to control the outbreak.
Saudi Arabia banned spectators at any sports competitions starting Saturday. The NBA and British sports teams are considering the same.
“I ain’t playing if I ain’t got the fans in the crowd,” Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said. “That’s who I play for.”
Spain deployed police to enforce a quarantine. Austria confiscated 21,000 disposable masks that a Turkish company smuggled aboard a tour bus, seeking to profit from soaring demand. Turkish police, meanwhile, threatened legal action against social media accounts accused spreading false virus information.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging older adults and people with severe medical conditions to “stay home as much as possible” and avoid crowds.
Most people who get the virus have mild cases, though the elderly face greater risks. Among the many new cases in Europe on Saturday was a doctor in Slovenia who was in contact with more than 100 people in a nursing home after a ski trip to neighboring Italy.
Global markets are enjoying a weekend respite from market panic, but the world economy faces mounting damage. China, the world’s biggest trader, reported Saturday its exports tumbled 17.2% from a year earlier in January and February.
A total of 78 million migrant workers have since returned to work in China, and manufacturers are reopening. But they aren’t expected to return to normal production until at least April, and most people in Wuhan still are barred from leaving their homes.
Off the California coast, Grand Princess passengers Steven and Michele Smith are waiting to hear their fate. The couple from Paradise, California went on the cruise to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Crew members wearing masks and gloves have been delivering food outside their doors, while the Smiths have been watching television, reading and looking out the window.
“Thank God, we have a window!” Steven said.
Charlton reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Colleen Barry in Milan; Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea; Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Samy Magdy in Cairo; Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Joe Wilson in Barcelona; Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade; Karel Janicek in Prague; David Rising in Berlin; and researcher Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report.
Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
