Major global disruption as Corona impact hits countries
Eric Wainaina @EWainaina
The world is experiencing a major disruption in almost all spheres of life as the full impact of the coronavirus hits home.
Yesterday, US President Donald Trump suspended travel from 26 European countries for next 30 days as the pandemic threatened to ground normal activities in many across the globe.
“This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history,” Trump said in a prime-time televised address from the White House.
The impact of the acute viral respiratory disease that has killed more than 4,000 people and affected thousands globally is severe and cuts across all sectors—travel, trade, sports and education—drastically affecting economies as nations fight to prevent infections.
The World Health Organisation (WHO on Wednesday declared coronavirus a global pandemic with its chief Dr Tedros Adhanom saying the organisation was “deeply concerned” by “alarming levels of inaction”.
As Kenya raises its level of preparedness to confront the virus, disruptions are already being felt especially in sports where a number of key events have either been cancelled or are threatened. Already the government has banned elite athletes from participating in foreign races, key launch pads for major competitions including the upcoming Olympic games in Japan.
“Following a directive from the Government of Kenya and due to the global outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, Athletics Kenya has suspended all clearance and travel to international events for athletes and athlete support personnel until further notice,” a statement from Athletics Kenya said.
Earlier, the Kenya Open Golf Championship, the first leg of the European first tour that was scheduled to start yesterday at the Karen Country Club was cancelled as well as a football match between Harambee Stars and Morocco.
Following is a summary of the impact of coronavirus across the globe.
Business operations in Asia, Europe and the US are experiencing a double whammy after being disrupted by factory closures, quarantined workers and shortages of components, crimping the availability of goods and services.
Trade shows
Key conferences, trade shows and events around the world have been cancelled or postponed as attendees and organisers voice concerns about the virus. In Europe, at least 260 conferences have been cancelled.
On education, there are school closures in 22 countries on three continents with hundreds of millions of students around the world facing upheaval, including 13 countries that have shut schools nationwide.
Currently, school closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak have disrupted the education of at least 290.5 million students worldwide, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
In Italy which is hardest hit country outside China, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the country.
All shops except food stores and pharmacies have closed. “We want to guarantee the health of our citizens. We understand that these measures will impose sacrifices, sometimes small and sometimes very big,” Conte said while announcing the closure.
And in Australia renounced actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for the virus. Hanks and Wilson, both 63, sought medical advice after experiencing the symptoms of a cold in Queensland, the actor wrote on Instagram. They are now isolated in stable condition at an Australian hospital, officials said.
The measures, the most radical taken outside China, and which saw all sporting events including Serie A and Rugby cancelled until April 3.
The suspension of Serie A amounts to the postponement of two rounds of matches, in a league which has already been hit by delays, with four previous matches yet to be played.
Italy has seen the largest number of coronavirus infections in Europe, with the number of confirmed cases jumping by more than 1,200 to 5,883 on Saturday.
Businesswise, global oil prices have been on a downward trend, hitting their lowest levels in the past five years as giant producer Saudi Arabia slashed its export oil prices last week following the risks posed by the virus.
Brent crude, the international marker, dropped from $45 a barrel to $31.02 a barrel on Friday, the biggest single-day plunge recorded since the Gulf War of early 1990s.
In Kenya, supermarkets have hinted at plans to increase prices of commodities later this month, citing disruptions in the supply chain in the wake of the virus.
This came days after four big cargo ships that supply goods from China failed to dock at Mombasa Port for the second consecutive month following the outbreak.
There is therefore an expected surge in the prices of goods, majorly electronics mobile phones, TVs, fridges, furniture, clothing and some fast moving small household items.
Meanwhile, games in Spain’s La Liga and France’s Ligue 1 and the second divisions in each country will have no fans for at least the next two weeks.
The virus has also hit the UEFA Champions League, with Italian side Atalanta qualifying for the quarter-finals at Valencia on Tuesday in an empty stadium, while Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Borussia Dortmund was also played without spectators.
New date
The French League Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon was called off, with no new date yet fixed, as has the Spanish Copa del Rey final between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao.
The Six Nations rugby match between Italy and England in Rome on March 14 as well as the Ireland v Italy duel in Dublin on March 7 were postponed.
The prestigious ATP and WTA Indian Wells tournament was cancelled as California health officials declared a public health emergency in the Indian Wells-Palm Springs area after there was a confirmed case of the coronavirus, the first major sports event in the US to be shelved because of the outbreak.
