LONDON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The number of people infected with the new coronavirus across the world surpassed 100,000 on Friday as the economic damage intensified, with business districts beginning to empty and stock markets tumbling.
A man is seen wearing a protective face mask at Waterloo station in London, Britain, March 6, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
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 all