(AP) — The novel coronavirus has infected more than 428,000 people and killed more than 19,000. Here are reports from around the world as the pandemic continues.
LONDON
Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, has tested positive for the new coronavirus.
The prince's Clarence House office said the 71-year-old is showing mild symptoms of Covid-19 and is self-isolating at a royal estate in Scotland.
It said his wife Camilla has tested negative.
The palace said Charles "has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual."
Britain's Parliament will shut down for at least four weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic as well.
Despite the spread of Covid-19, which has reached 8,077 confirmed cases and 422 deaths in the United Kingdom, lawmakers have continued to attend, albeit in smaller numbers. Visitors have been banned from Parliament buildings and some staff have been working from home.
With Britons ordered to stay home and all but essential shops shut, Parliament is expected to shut down once lawmakers approve an emergency law on Wednesday giving the government more powers to fight the coronavirus.
Lawmakers will vote on a motion suspending Parliament until April 21. They had been due to take an Easter break from April 1-20.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "Parliament has to lead by example, follow the guidelines wherever it can, and ensure that we protect the staff that work in Parliament as well."
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BRUSSELS
A renowned Belgian university is launching a cross-border study in three European countries to assess the nefarious psychological effects of lockdown measures on people.
Researchers from the Louvain university say they want to find out to what extent the quarantine measures imposed to fight the novel coronavirus epidemics have changed people's way of life, and to analyze their impact on mental health.
Fearing a rise in the number of suicides, health sociologist Vincent Louvain said governments are often overlooking the side effects of the quarantine measures as they try to stop the spread of the deadly virus.
"Governments are currently putting their energy on managing the epidemic. As a result, other risks are forgotten," he said, adding that a large part of the population is psychologically fragile and in need of health care. "The situation could deteriorate in terms of mental health".
The survey will analyze data collected in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. It will be piloted by the Louvain university in collaboration with a French institute specializing in health economy and the Antwerp university.
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With a soaring infection rate, steadily growing death toll and enforced quarantine, it's hard to see the positive side of the coronavirus, but the European Environment Agency says that air quality is improving.
The EEA said Wednesday that new data confirm "large decreases in air pollutant concentrations — of nitrogen dioxide concentrations in particular — largely due to reduced traffic and other activities, especially in major cities under lockdown measures."
Nitrogen dioxide is mainly emitted by vehicles, and the agency says levels of the pollutant in northern Italy, the epicenter of the country's coronavirus outbreak, are ranging from 21% to 47% lower this month than in March 2019.
