Author: News Desk

New York. Gov Andrew Cuomo said all voters in the state will be able to cast their votes by absentee ballot this year. Cuomo had previously moved the state’s primary from April 28 until June 23. “I’ve seen lines of people on television voting in other states. This is totally nonsensical,” Cuomo said. “All New Yorkers can vote absentee on June 23.”

The United States on Wednesday surpassed 400,000 novel coronavirus cases, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The pandemic has now claimed the lives of at least 12,936 people in the United States, which leads the world in the number of confirmed infections with 401,116, by the Baltimore-based school’s count. The 300,000-case milestone was passed on Saturday.

The Belgian Ministry of Health announced that the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus, COVID-19, has increased to 2240 after 205 new deaths were registered during the last 24 hours. The Ministry added that in the past 24 hours, 487 patients with coronavirus have been hospitalised and 524 people have left the hospital.

Britain on Wednesday reported a record 938 new COVID-19 deaths in its daily update, 152 more than its previous highest toll, as the total number of deaths passed 7,000. “As of 5 pm on 7 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 7,097 have sadly died,” the health ministry tweeted, up from 6,159 on Tuesday.

Turkey will monitor the mobile phones of those diagnosed with the new coronavirus to ensure they do not break quarantine, authorities said on Wednesday, marking the latest measure to stem an outbreak that has surged over the last month. Turkey will start tracking citizens and send them a message and call them each time they leave their homes, the presidency’s Communications Directorate said. They will be asked to return home and police will penalise those who continue to violate quarantine rules, it said, adding that Turkish law allows for processing of personal data without consent for “exceptional aims”. Since the…

The Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO), the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) and Engineering Services at the Ministry of Defense today provided and transported various sets of support equipment and necessary requirements.    The move comes to equip the sheltering centers for the Relief and Shelter sector in the Governorate of Muscat and to reinforce efforts of the medical system in the Sultanate.  Such measures aim to control the spread of the (COVID-19) that would support health measures taken by the medical sector and other relevant units. This comes within the framework of the continued activation of the plans of…

Oman will ban movement into and out of the governorate of Muscat from April 10 until April 22, the high committee for combating the coronavirus outbreak said in a tweet on Wednesday. Oman has registered 419 cases of the novel coronavirus, including 48 in the last 24 hours. The Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, pardoned 599 prisoners jailed for various offenses on Wednesday, including 336 foreigners, the state-run Oman News Agency said on Twitter. The tweet did not say if the release was related to the coronavirus outbreak or the holy month of Ramadan, which starts later this month.

Coronavirus lockdowns may make or break relationships, but in Dubai marriages and divorces have been suspended “until further notice” to avoid gatherings that could spread the disease. Dubai’s justice department said Wednesday that the decision was among the “measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic” rolled out in the emirate which is under strict lockdown. Justice Khaled al-Hawsni of the family court also said on the department’s website that couples who have already completed marriage formalities must not organize wedding parties “even among their immediate circles.” The United Arab Emirates confirmed on Wednesday 300 new coronavirus cases over the past 24…

Bahrain’s government will spend $570 million in salaries for 100,000 private-sector workers from April to June to help with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the labor ministry said on Wednesday. The government will also pay electricity and water bills for all Bahraini citizens and businesses and will extend some tax breaks on properties and tourism, it said in a statement. The initiative is part of a $11 billion stimulus package announced by the government for the private sector to mitigate the impact on the economy from the outbreak.

The United Arab Emirates confirmed 300 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours bringing the total to 2,659, the health ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, 12 died and 239 recovered so far. Dr. Farida al-Hosani continued to urge everyone to follow the precautionary measures implemented to help slow the spread of the deadly virus. The UAE has completed 539,195 screenings over the past several weeks, according to Health Minister Abdul Rahman al-Owais. He added test numbers will double over the coming period. The number reflects the strength of the healthcare system and shows the country’s dedication to fighting…