In this undated photo provided released on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, by the North Korean government, workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant on a bus as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a parking lot in Sinuiju, North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
BANGKOK (AP) — The Latest on the virus outbreak (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
The Louvre did not open as scheduled on Wednesday, and several hundred people who lined up outside were greeted by a sign saying, “Due to exceptional circumstances, the museum will open later.”
The world’s most visited museum has been closed since Sunday because of workers’ worries about the potential spread of the new virus.
Management laid out a series of new measures to prevent contamination, trying to coax the staffers back to work.
The proposed steps include the wider distribution of disinfectant gels and more frequent rotations so staff can wash their hands.
Most of the Paris landmark’s 9.6 million visitors last year came from other countries, and the museum that houses the Mona Lisa and other treasures welcomes tens of thousands of people every day.
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4:15 p.m.
The European Central Bank says it’s restricting all nonessential travel by members of its executive board and employees through April 20 as a precautionary measure amid the global coronavirus outbreak.
The central bank for the 19-nation eurozone said Wednesday that visits to its Frankfurt headquarters and its public visitor center are being suspended for the same period. It is postponing or cancelling conferences that were due to be held at the bank – but says that news conferences after regular policy-setting meetings of its governing council are unaffected, and that the next one will go ahead March 12 as planned.
The ECB stressed that the move was a precaution and there have been no recorded cases yet of bank employees being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.
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3:30 p.m.
India says its number of confirmed coronavirus cases has jumped to 28, up from just five.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan says an earlier COVID-19 patient who had traveled to Italy led to the confirmation of six other infections. Another cluster of cases that emerged centered around a large group of Italian tourists who had entered India on Feb. 21.
India also announced Wednesday that it has imposed universal screening of all passengers on international flights.
Meanwhile, South Korea reported 435 new cases, pushing its total to 5,621 — the second-highest total after China.
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