Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic death toll has exceeded 10,000, AFP reported, citing government official data at 12:30 Bulgarian time, BNR reported.

Of the 10,080 coronavirus casualties reported, the largest number are in Europe (4932), followed by Asia 3431.

Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has proposed an individually-declared emergency rule for Turkish citizens as the coronavirus is infecting more people across the country, urging a strictly implemented self-containment for at least three weeks during which the pandemic could make its peak.

As an international conference speaker, I am often asked, "What keeps you awake at night?" My consistent reply over the years has been: Pandemics. History is littered with catastrophic examples.

The coronavirus pandemic is a collective public health emergency unprecedented in recent history. It is an unbearable human tragedy played out across the world and our thanks go to the dedicated health workers on the frontline of our health systems.

EU's chief negotiator for future relations with the UK, Michel Barnier, tested positive for the coronavirus, DPA reported.

"I would like to inform you that my sample for COVID-19 has turned out to be positive," he said on Twitter, adding that he 'doing well and in good spirits' and announced he was 'following the necessary instructions' along with his staff.

The hour for a great redistribution of wealth has arrived.

The five American technological tech giants - Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Apple should dig deep into their pockets and exhibit palpable solidarity with their global audience.

This is a moral duty because it is that global audience that embraced them, nurtured them, and led to their aggrandisement.

Turkey will start a distance education program for around 18 million students through six channels provided by the state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the education minister has said, stressing that nearly 900 million students cannot go to schools worldwide and there is a need for an effective education system for children.

Singapore, a tiny city-state of less than 6 million people, had one of the earliest and biggest clusters of cases of the coronavirus in early February, before it began its rapid, inexorable expansion around the globe.

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This trend seemed to consolidate by the day, with very few voices trying to argue for a cooperative international approach, multilateralism, win-win solutions and a search for common ground, and community-based policies rather than a purely individualistic vision of society.

China will send more than 2 million protective masks to the European Union after Europe becomes the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. This was announced today by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Layen, quoted by France's press.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Kutsian told Von der Lien in a phone call about sending medical supplies, she announced on Twitter.