Blog note. Jesus indicated that ‘fearful sights’ (various natural disasters) would occur leading up to the time known as the Tribulation and Great Tribulation (a combined seven year period of great destruction on earth). Although these types of things have occurred in the past for centuries and thousands of years, they could be identified as the ‘season of the times’ due to the ferociousness of these events. They would be occurring in greater intensity, severity, frequency, size, duration, scope … just like the pains that a woman experiences in labor the farther along she is in the labor process. We are in the ‘season of the times’ that comes just before the seven (7) year Tribulation/Great Tribulation period

… And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. (Luke 21:11).

… And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; (Luke 21:25)

… Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken; (Luke 21:26)

… This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2 Timothy 3:1)
Jesus is giving a series of prophecies about what to look for as the age of grace comes to a close. These verses are several of many such prophecies from throughout the Bible. 2017 was the worst year in recorded history for the intensity, frequency, severity, duration and occurrence of a large number of severe natural disasters worldwide. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, torrential flooding, unprecedented wildfires in unusual places, devastating droughts, excessive/scorching heat setting records everywhere, record snowfalls in Europe and Russia. Snow in the Arabia. This list can go on. Most studied Eschatologists believe these ‘fearful sights’ and massive natural disasters are all part of the ‘CONVERGENCE’ of signs that this Biblical and prophetic age is closing. Most people who study prophecy are familiar with the routine reference(s) made that these things will be like a woman having labor.

Coronavirus: Iran to mobilise 300,000 soldiers and volunteers as 23 MPs infected. WHO holds news conference.

Ben Quinn Lucy Campbell Alison Rourke Tue 3 Mar 2020 12.10 EST The Guardian.

Italy is considering setting up a new quarantine red-zone near the northern city of Bergamo given the high number of coronavirus cases in the area, the head of the national health institute said on Tuesday.

The Italian government set up two red-zones on 22 February – one centred on 10 towns in the region of Lombardy, southeast of the country’s financial capital Milan, and another, smaller one in the neighbouring region of Veneto.

Since then, a growing number of cases have emerged near Bergamo, northeast of Milan. “We are considering the possibility of adopting a measure like this one,” health chief Silvio Brusaferro said after being asked if a new red-zone might be created.

6m ago17:34

Factories could be forced to close, Unite warn

Unite is warning that factories could be forced to shut down or cut
working hours because of shortages of parts from China if the
Coronavirus crisis worsens.

Steve Turner, Unite assistant general secretary, called for an urgent
meeting with Alok Sharma, the business secretary, over the threat to
livelihoods if work dries up in the manufacturing sector.

“We are of the view that if the situation in China was not to improve
over the coming three to four weeks, UK automotive plants will be
entering periods of short time working and or enforced production
shutdown,” he said.

He called for the adoption of a UK scheme similar to that of the
German short time working support scheme (Kurzarbeit).

Turner said: “The scheme, in place since 1910, has been adopted by
many European countries, and has served to protect manufacturing
industries from the pressures of short time working by providing for
wage protection during agreed periods of down time.”

Unite – like the TUC, Unison and GMB – is also calling for full sick pay for all workers from day one if they have to take time off with suspected Coronavirus. Currently, up to two million gig economy workers do not necessarily receive sick pay and may be forced to make a choice between losing pay and carrying on in work with symptoms.

9m ago12:32

Car plants could be forced to halt production in a matter of weeks because of the threat of a shortage of essential components from virus-hit China, a leading trade union has warned.

Unite said it wants an urgent meeting with new business secretary Alok Sharma to discuss the prospect of short-time working in the event of production shutdowns.

In a letter to Mr Sharma, Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said:

We are of the view that if the situation in China does not improve over the coming three to four weeks, UK automotive plants will be entering periods of short-time working and/or enforced production shutdown.

11m ago17:30

Routine hospital appointments and surgeries may be postponed if Covid-19 infects large numbers of people, health officials in Northern Ireland said.

An NHS statement said:

The health and social care system is also planning for the possibility of reduced staffing in hospitals and the community as a result of coronavirus in order to mitigate against these risks.

Depending on the pressures in the system in the months ahead, trusts (which provide health services) may have to consider postponing routine elective appointments and surgeries to focus on the immediate demands associated with coronavirus.

The aim is to “flatten” the main community transmission peak and delay it until summer when services are less stretched.
Medical staff are in a phase of containment, Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer, Dr Michael McBride, said.

12m ago17:30

Major publishers Penguin Random House, Hachette Livre, Pan Macmillan and Curtis Brown parent company Original Talent have pulled out of London Book Fair, one of the largest publishing events in the world, despite the event remaining on schedule to go ahead next week, The Bookseller reports.

Pan Macmillan announced it was pulling out following concerns about the coronavirus. Managing director Antony Forbes Watson said: “The duty of care that we have to everyone who works for us and the news that so many of our customers and partners will no longer be attending the book fair have combined to lead us to this conclusion.”

The developments come after Simon & Schuster’s US team and the Macmillan Trade US team also pulled out of the fair last week over “health and safety fears”.

17m ago17:24

Death toll in Italy rises by 27 to reach 79

The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has risen by 27 over the past 24 hours to 79, the Civil Protection Agency said.

The total number of cases in the country, which has been hardest hit by the virus in Europe, reached 2,502, up from 2,036 on Monday.

The head of the agency said that of those originally infected, 160 people had fully recovered.

The contagion came to light 12 days ago and is focused mainly on a handful of hotspots in the north of Italy. However, cases have now been confirmed in all but one of the country’s 20 regions.

20m ago17:21

About 3.4% of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have died, far above seasonal flu’s fatality rate of under 1%, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

But WHO’s Tedros Adhanom said the novel coronavirus can be contained. Speaking at a Geneva news conference, he said: “To summarise, COVID-19 spreads less efficiently than flu, transmission does not appear to be driven by people who are not sick, it causes more severe illness than flu, there are not yet any vaccines or therapeutics, and it can be contained.”

Tedros said that he had spoken with Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to open in July. “I think deciding now would be too early, it would be good to monitor the situation,” he said.

27m ago17:16

A British guest is the latest person to be diagnosed with coronavirus at a Tenerife hotel. The H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel has been under lockdown due to an outbreak of the virus.

The Briton, who tested positive for the virus on Monday evening, had not been isolated in their room as they had not presented any symptoms, the authorities said.

“The epidemiology team is studying the contacts this person had,” a spokeswoman for the local health services said.

Guests without symptoms have been allowed to circulate around the hotel, making use of facilities like pools and shared dining areas, as long as they wear a mask, wash their hands frequently and submit to regular temperature checks.

All previous cases diagnosed over the past week at the hotel had been restricted to a group of 10 Italian holidaymakers. In total, around 150 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in Spain.

Authorities are monitoring two clusters in Torrejon de Ardoz, a suburban city close to Madrid with a population of around 130,000, and one in the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Around 100 health workers in the Basque Country have been isolated in their homes after coming into contact with people infected with the virus, local health authorities said.

32m ago12:10

A total of 32 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Norway, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Folkehelseinstituttet, FHI) confirmed on Tuesday at a press briefing. Those attending heard about seven additional infections to the most recent update published on its website.

38m ago12:05

Pharmacy chains are limiting the sale of hand sanitiser amid concerns products could be sold for inflated prices online.

A spokeswoman for Boots, the UK’s largest chemist chain, said it had seen an increase in the sale of hand sanitisers, but it still had stock available in its warehouses for online sale and in stores.

She also confirmed that there is currently a limit of two hand sanitisers per customer to ensure as many people as possible have access to the products.

The PA news agency understands that Boots is concerned some of its products could be re-sold online.

The company has seen protective products of the kind it sells, for example face masks, appear on websites such as Amazon at prices far greater than those retailed by Boots.

A spokesman for LloydsPharmacy, which runs over 1,500 UK pharmacies, said it too was limiting the sale of hand gel products to two per person both online and in store.

44m ago12:00

Spain’s health minister Salvador Illa has recommended that sporting events with a high expected attendance from zones designated as high-risk for coronavirus, such as northern Italy, should be held behind closed doors.

Such events include the return leg of the Champions League fixture between Valencia and Italy’s Atalanta scheduled for March 10 and a Europa League match between Getafe and Inter Milan on March 19.

51m ago11:53

The spread of coronavirus appears to have led many to stockpile toilet paper, with social media images showing low supplies around the world.

Shoppers have begun to buy up items in bulk due to the spread of the virus, despite authorities insisting it would not be necessary to do so.

Sharon Reilly photographed a shop in Massachusetts, United States, noting that toilet paper stocks were running low while “all the bleach was gone too”.

She told the PA news agency: “It did not make me feel like I needed to stockpile. It made me sad that people are clearly scared.”

Franziska Heintel shared photos of empty supermarket shelves in Berlin. She told PA: “I’m not sure if it’s an accurate representation and I don’t want to make people panic even more. There’s probably plenty of stores here that didn’t sell out of stuff yet.

Many more similar scenes were spotted in various parts of Australia, where “toilet paper” began trending.

1h ago11:39

England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, will appear before MPs on Thursday to give evidence on how well prepared the UK is for a possible coronavirus global pandemic.

Jeremy Hunt, former health secretary and chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, said: “We’re seeing a daily global increase in fatalities and spread of the coronavirus.

“It’s crucial that the government acts urgently to ensure that the NHS is well prepared to deal with a major outbreak here in the UK.

“Lives will be saved in future by the planning that’s happening now. The Health and Social Care Committee is losing no time in calling in the chief medical officer to scrutinise emergency plans that would halt and contain the spread of the virus.”

1h ago11:23

British woman at virus-hit Tenerife hotel tests positive for Covid-19

A British woman in the coronavirus-hit Tenerife hotel has tested positive for COVID-19, officials have confirmed.

The woman arrived at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace on 23 February, it has been reported. She was not part of the initial group of 10 Italians where the first case was identified.

Sky news said the woman is believed to be asymptomatic and in good health, and has now been isolated in hospital. Authorities are trying to track down anyone who may have been in close contact with her.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not commented. A total of seven people have now been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Tenerife.

1h ago11:18

Hospitals are being told to ramp up their plans for treating coronavirus patients.

In a letter to the chief executives of NHS trusts and other leaders, NHS strategic incident director Professor Keith Willett and incident director Stephen Groves set out a series of measures for more widespread cases in the UK.

The letter says that, to date, Covid-19 has been managed as a high consequence infectious disease through specialist centres. But “it is now appropriate to begin to manage some patients within wider infectious disease units and, in due course if the number of cases continues to grow, we will need to use all acute units”, the document adds.

It says acute hospitals must look at the support offered to people with respiratory illness and “consider the impact that a possible surge in medical patients might have on services and stocks”.

The document says they must “clearly identify how your organisation will implement the sequence of segregation of clinical areas (in emergency departments (ED), wards, critical care) and diagnostic and intervention suites to support the continued response in the event of a significant escalation in Covid-19 cases”.

The letter says trusts must establish a Covid-19 incident management team, led by an accountable emergency officer (AEO).

The letter warns against stockpiling, saying: “Medicines, medical devices and clinical consumables should not be stockpiled by organisations or patients as this may put a strain on the supply chain and exacerbate any potential shortages.

The document also reminds trusts that any staff members who need to self-isolate receive full pay. Managers should also “refresh business continuity plans for the maintenance of essential services”.

Ambulance trusts are also reminded to look at the “safe transfer” of coronavirus patients to hospitals.

2h ago10:41

The first coronavirus case has been confirmed in Ukraine. The country’s health ministry confirmed the case in the western city of Chernivtsi on Tuesday.

The deputy health minister, Viktor Lyashko, told reporters in Kyiv that a man exhibiting symptoms of the virus was admitted to hospital on Saturday, three days after returning from holiday in Italy.

Lyashko said the man, whose condition was confirmed late on Monday, was in a stable condition and his wife was quarantined in their home.