Portal:Current events/2020 March 31

March 31, 2020 (Tuesday)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- G20 finance ministers said they will present an action plan to address the debt vulnerabilities, as well as delivering financial aid to emerging economies. (Reuters)
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
  - Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum says that Dubai will provide financial assistance to Emirates Airlines. (Financial Times)

Disasters and accidents

Eighteen firefighters and their guide are killed by a forest fire in Liangshan, Sichuan, China. (BBC News)
2020 Central Idaho earthquake
- A 6.5 magnitude earthquake happens 72 km (45 mi) west of Challis, Idaho, United States. It is the strongest earthquake in the state since 1983. (USGS)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - The government of the Solomon Islands orders all schools closed to combat COVID-19. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    - China reports 48 imported cases of COVID-19. (AP News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar
    - Myanmar reports the country's first death from COVID-19 as confirmed cases rise to 14. The patient was a 69-year-old man with cancer in Yangon. (The Bangkok Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
    - A 12-year-old girl dies from COVID-19 in Belgium, becoming Europe's youngest victim to date. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The Department of Health and Social Care reports 393 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll to 1,789 and 25,150 cases. (The Independent)
    - A 13-year-old boy dies at the King's College Hospital, becoming the UK's youngest victim from the virus to date. (Sky News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New York
      - The total number of cases in New York rises to over 75,000. The state's death toll reaches 1,550. (New York Post)
      - Rep. Max Rose is expected to be deployed with the National Guard to New York as an effort to contain the coronavirus. (Politico)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Guam
      - United States Navy Captain Brett Crozier requests urgent help from The Pentagon following an outbreak of COVID-19 aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, which is currently docked in Guam. Crozier has recommended quarantining almost the entire crew of 4,000. (BBC News)
    - The United States surpasses China in the number of deaths linked to COVID-19, as the death toll rises to 3,416, according to Johns Hopkins University. (The Denver Channel)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in El Salvador
    - El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele confirms the country's first death from COVID-19. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Burundi
    - Burundi reports the country's first cases of COVID-19. The patients are two Burundians, aged 56 and 42, who recently returned from the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring Rwanda. (Andolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone
    - In a televised address, Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio confirms the country's first case of COVID-19, a 37-year-old man who had recently travelled back from France. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal
    - Former President of French association football club Olympique de Marseille, Pape Diouf, dies from COVID-19 in Senegal, becoming the country's first fatality from the virus. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
    - Prominent scientist and HIV/AIDS researcher Gita Ramjee dies from COVID-19 in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. (BBC News)

International relations

United States–Venezuela relations, Venezuelan presidential crisis
- In a policy shift, the United States proposes a "Democratic Transition Framework" which includes that both disputed Presidents, Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó, step aside from the office. (Reuters)

Law and crime

COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Turkmenistan
  - Turkmenistan's government bans the usage of the word "coronavirus" in all public settings and also bans the use of face masks. The government maintains there are no cases in the country. (NPR)

Politics and elections

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin
    - The Wisconsin primary is expected to go as planned for April 7 despite coronavirus concerns. (CNN)
Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam dies of a heart attack in Paris, France. (Reuters)

Science and technology

The World Meteorological Organization will not retire any names from the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, retired names from that season, as well as the upcoming 2020 season, will be announced jointly during next year's annual spring meeting. (Weather)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2019–20 Chinese Basketball Association season, COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
  - The Chinese Basketball Association delays the restart of its season due to the coronavirus pandemic. (ABC News)