Business districts around the world began to empty and stock markets tumbled on Friday as the number of coronavirus infections neared 100,000 and the economic damage wrought by the outbreak intensified.
An increasing number of people faced a new reality as many were asked to stay home from work, schools were closed, large gatherings and events were cancelled, stores cleared of staples like toiletries and water, and face masks became a common sight.
In London, Europe’s financial capital, the Canary Wharf district was unusually quiet. S&P Global’s large office stood empty after the company sent its 1,200 staff home, while HSBC asked around 100 people to work from home after a worker tested positive for the illness.
In New York, JPMorgan (JPM.N) divided its team between central locations and a secondary site in New Jersey while Goldman Sachs (GS.N) sent some traders to nearby secondary offices in Greenwich, Connecticut and Jersey City.
The outbreak, which has killed more than 3,300 people globally, has radiated across the United States, surfacing in at least four new states plus San Francisco.
More than 2,000 people were stranded on the Grand Princess cruise ship after it was barred from returning to port in San Francisco because at least 35 people aboard developed flu-like symptoms. Test kits were delivered at sea to the vessel.
Moves by some major economies including the United States to cut interest rates and pledge billions of dollars to fight the epidemic have done little to allay fears about the spread of the virus and the economic fallout with supply chains crippled around the world, especially in China.
reporters at a Keraniganj event on Wednesday. He was being briefed on the current operations at Padma Bridge and Padma Rail link projects being implemented by a subsidiary company of China Railway Group Limited.
The envoy also criticised the screening process and termed it “unscientific”. Li Jiming also urged Bangladesh authorities to screen everyone entering the country and discouraged the government against holding large gatherings.
Until now no Chinese national in Bangladesh has been infected with coronavirus, he added, according to UNB.
Currently, Bangladesh needs to pay more attention to strengthening the precaution for personnel exchange with other epidemic-stricken countries.
“We firmly believe that the COVID-19 epidemic will not have a decisively negative impact on China and the global economy,” the ambassador said accoridng to UNB.
