Taiwan will spend up to $35 billion on virus stimulus plan and is donating 10 million masks
From Karina Tsui in Hong Kong
People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk on a street in Taipei, Taiwan, on Monday, March 30. Chiang Ying-ying/AP
Taiwan's economic stimulus plan to tackle the coronavirus outbreak could reach as much as $1.05 trillion New Taiwan dollars ($35 billion), President Tsai Ing-wen announced at a news conference today.
Tsai also announced Taiwan will be donating 10 million face masks to countries most in need.
The latest stimulus plan will act as a follow-up to the first round of economic measures introduced in early March to combat a potential coronavirus downturn.
As of Wednesday, the democratic, self-ruled island has reported 322 cases of Covid-19, which has killed five people.
2:22 a.m. ET, April 1, 2020
Wyoming is now the only US state not to have reported a death from the coronavirus
The US state of Wyoming is now the only state in the country that hasn't reported any coronavirus-related deaths, after Hawaii reported its first fatality late Tuesday.
Wyoming, in the West of the country, is the least populated state in the US and known for its natural beauty, with famous national parks such as Yellowstone.
While the state has not reported any deaths, cases have risen in recent days to 120. The White House coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, urged rural communities on Monday to prepare for the spread of Covid-19, "even though you think it's not there.”
These US states have reported the most fatalities:
New York: 1,550
New Jersey: 267
Michigan: 259
Louisiana: 239
Washington: 228
California: 150
Note: The figures are according to CNN Health's tally of US cases that are detected and tested in the United States through US public health systems.
For the most up-to-date US numbers compiled by CNN, please check this map which automatically refreshes every 10 minutes:
Patients leave hospital and medics return home in China
Photos of smiling patients being discharged from hospital in China were shared by state news agency Xinhua on Wednesday.
Xinhua reported that the patients, who were photographed with their thumbs up and cheering, had recovered from Covid-19.
According to China's National Health Commission, the total number of people discharged from hospital in the country is now 76,238. Xinhua reported that 186 patients were discharged on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Xinhua reported that the first group of medical workers who had traveled to Hubei province to help with the coronavirus response have finished their quarantine and could reunite with their families in the northeastern city of Tianjin.
The workers were part of seven teams that included more than 700 medics who had traveled from Tianjin to Hubei -- the province where the pandemic began.
2:04 a.m. ET, April 1, 2020
Supermarket chain Kroger announces $2 "hero bonus" for staff members working during epidemic
Semi-trailers sit parked at a Kroger Co. grocery distribution center in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, March 20. Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The US Kroger supermarket chain announced today it would pay staff members who are still working during the coronavirus epidemic a $2 an hour "hero bonus."
The extra pay will apply to all hours worked between March 29 to April 18 and will be distributed weekly to ensure staff members have extra cash.
It will apply to all front-line grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy and call center staff.
“Our associates have displayed the true actions of a hero, working tirelessly on the front lines to ensure everyone has access to affordable, fresh food and essentials during this national emergency,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s chairman and CEO.
Kroger had previously announced it would be expanding sick leave for all employees who had been diagnosed and quarantined with Covid-19, and paying a one-time bonus to every front-line employee.
Full-time employees were to receive $300 while part-time associates would bank $150.
1:52 a.m. ET, April 1, 2020
China announces 1,367 asymptomatic coronavirus cases under observation
Workers in protective gear wait for arrivals at a train station in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province on Sunday, March 29. Ng Han Guan/AP
China has officially recorded 1,367 asymptomatic infections of the novel coronavirus, the country's National Health Commission said on Wednesday.
In total, 130 new asymptomatic cases were diagnosed on Tuesday, while 302 were released from quarantine.
Thirty-six new cases of the virus were recorded on Tuesday -- all but one imported. That brings the total number of imported cases to 806, according to the NHC
China has recorded 81,554 cases nationwide, as of Tuesday. It is unclear if that figure includes asymptomatic cases.
A total of 76,238 patients have recovered and been released from hospital, according to the NHC.
Seven new deaths were reported on Tuesday, bringing the country's death toll to 3,312. Six of the new fatalities were in Hubei, where the pandemic began.
Britain is racing to convert a convention hall into the country's biggest ICU
From CNN's Mick Krever and Nick Paton Walsh in London
Work continues at the ExCel centre which is being made into a temporary hospital in London on March 31. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via AP
The UK will open the doors this week on what could soon be the biggest intensive care unit in the country -- and it was built in about a week.
As the number of Covid-19 cases in the UK began to rise, the National Health Service (NHS) realized it might be short many thousands of ICU beds.
It hopes the solution is at a massive convention space in London’s East End.
The ExCel Center is more accustomed to showcasing the latest ventilator technology than actually using it.
The coronavirus field hospital will be called NHS Nightingale, after the pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale.
“Oh my goodness, there is no comparison,” says Natalie Forrest when asked about the hospital’s scale.
She is the operational guru responsible for transforming empty halls into a functioning hospital.
When fully running, it will have 4,000 beds. At the moment, just a few dozen that CNN saw were ready.
“Obviously we don’t want to use those beds,” Forrest says.
It’s staff, rather than equipment, that medical director Dr. Alan McGlennan says he’s most nervous about running out of.
“Critical care nurses are in very short supply,” he said.
It won’t be a hospital in a traditional sense. There will be no front door, no waiting rooms. “We will be receiving patients from ICUs across London,” Forrest says.
“So not all types of patients -- just patients who are sedated and ventilated, and need to be cared for in an ICU.”
Britain has more than 25,400 coronavirus cases, with nearly 1,800 deaths, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
1:25 a.m. ET, April 1, 2020
Carnival seeks $6 billion as Covid-19 pandemic devastates cruise industry
From CNN's Sherisse Pham
The Costa Cruise ship Favolosa is shown, Thursday, March 26, off the coast of Miami Beach, Florida. Wilfredo Lee/AP
Carnival Corporation is seeking at least $6 billion to weather an unprecedented crisis that has decimated business, after coronavirus outbreaks aboard its cruise ships killed several passengers and sickened hundreds more.
The cruise operator announced on Tuesday that it intends to raise $3 billion of secured notes and $1.75 billion of convertible notes -- both due in three years -- and $1.25 billion of new shares.
Carnival is suffering "a monthly cash burn of approximately $500 million" and the fresh injection of cash should keep the company afloat for the next 12 to 13 months, Wedbush analyst James Hardiman said on Tuesday.
Carnival is the world's largest cruise operator: It runs flagship line Carnival Cruise, Costa Cruises, the Holland America Line and the Princess Cruises brand, whose fleet includes the Diamond Princess -- a ship that became a floating quarantine zone off the coast of Yokohama in February. More than 700 people contracted the virus onboard the ship, 10 of whom died.
Hong Kong has issued 50,000 mandatory quarantine orders and conducted 90,000 lab tests
From Sarah Faidell, Karina Tsui, Eric Cheung, and Vanesse Chan in Hong Kong
A medical worker stands at a site for Covid-19 tests in Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital on March 31 in Hong Kong. Qin Louyue/China News Service via Getty Images
Hong Kong is currently seeing a second wave of infections from imported coronavirus cases, after an initial outbreak was mostly brought under control in the city.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Hong Kong has reported 714 cases, up from 407 a week ago on March 25.
To date, 50,000 mandatory quarantine orders have been issued for travelers returning to the city, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced during a regular news briefing on Tuesday.
The city has also conducted 90,000 laboratory tests for the virus -- a rate of 12,000 tests per million people -- making it one of the highest test rates in the world, according to Dr. Wong Ka-hing, director of the Centre for Health Protection.
The government has identified at least 70 people who have breached their mandatory self-isolation orders, Lam said, forcing the government to adopt a "zero-tolerance" policy.
Offenders risk being sent to a mandatory government quarantine center. They could also face fines of up to 25,000 Hong Kong dollars ($3,225) and six months in prison.
1:00 a.m. ET, April 1, 2020
Hyundai turns training institutes into treatment centers amid South Korea epidemic
From CNN's Sophie Jeong in Seoul
Hyundai Motor Group has provided two of its training institutes as treatment centers for coronavirus patients with mild symptoms, according to information shared by the South Korean auto giant.
Hyundai also donated 5 billion won ($4.1 million) to the Korea Disaster Relief Association to help support efforts to fight coronavirus in the country.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor India has ordered coronavirus diagnostic kits from South Korea for 25,000 people and plans to deliver them to hospitals in India. Hyundai Motor America plans to donate a total of $2 million to 10 hospitals with drive-through coronavirus testing facilities.
South Korea has recorded more than 9,800 coronavirus cases, including 165 deaths.
