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Amazon tells employees to halt 'non-essential' travel as coronavirus death toll risesBy Evening Standard

Amazon has told employees to "defer non-essential travel" as the coronavirus death toll rises.

The multinational tech company has over 750,000 staff around the globe In the UK alone the company has over 22,000 employees.

A spokesperson for Amazon told Standard: “We're asking employees to defer non-essential travel during this time.”

It came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the coronavirus was now the Government’s top priority.

The World Health Organisation has increased the risk assessment of the virus to "very high" across the world.

Meanwhile, the FTSE posted its worse week since the 2008 financial crisis.

On Amazon, the best-selling item in its health and household section is a pack of three cotton masks.

A listing for 100 disposable masks said it would arrive at shoppers’ doorsteps in April or May.

On Friday Mr Johnson told reporters that he had met with the Health Secretary and chief medical officers to discuss the preparations.

He said: “On the issue of coronavirus, which obviously is a great concern to people, I just want to reassure everybody and say that the NHS is making every possible preparation.

“As you can imagine, the issue of coronavirus is something that is now the Government’s top priority.

“I have just had a meeting with the chief medical officer and Secretary of State for Health talking about the preparations that we need to make.”

Earlier, WHO officials said they are increasing the risk assessment of the coronavirus, which has spread to at least 49 countries in a matter of weeks.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/fi1BPlwd-hKY5LbS1.htmlCoronavirus: The confirmed cases around the world

“We are on the highest level of alert or highest level of risk assessment in terms of spread and in terms of impact,” executive director of WHO’s health emergencies program Dr. Mike Ryan, said.

“This is a reality check for every government on the planet: Wake up. Get ready. This virus may be on its way and you need to be ready. You have a duty to your citizens, you have a duty to the world to be ready.”

The global market rout continued on Friday, as traders stampeded away from stocks across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Most major stock exchanges around the world ended the day deep in the red, with European indices leading the way.

In the UK, the FTSE 100, dropped another 3.2%, bringing its weekly losses to almost 13%, and wiping £58 billion off the exchange on Friday alone.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/YNHeyj0M-hKY5LbS1.htmlBritish man from Diamond Princess cruise liner dies from coronavirus

It closed the day down 215.79 points to 6580.61 – its lowest level in more than three-and-a-half years.

Paris index Cac and Germany’s Dax fared worse still, down 3.4% and 3.9% respectively.

In the US, the Dow Jones fell 3% as European markets closed, after falling by more than 1,000 points at one point during the week.

The news brings the FTSE 100 to its lowest level since just after the EU referendum in June 2016.

It is the biggest one-week fall the FTSE has seen since the financial crisis in October 2008.

It follows confirmation that a British tourist from the virus-struck Diamond Princess cruise ship has died from coronavirus.

The Japanese Ministry of Health said the man was the sixth person from the ship, which has been quarantined off the country’s coast amid the outbreak, to have died.

The man is the first Briton to have died from coronavirus, also known as Covid-19.

So far, China has reported nearly 80,000 cases and almost 3,000 deaths, while the virus has reached nearly 60 countries with more than 80 deaths.

Italy has become the worst-affected country in Europe, with at least 650 cases and 15 deaths.

On Friday, easyJet said it will be cancelling flights as a result of the continued spread of coronavirus, in a move which will particularly affect “those into and out of Italy”.

It was confirmed on Thursday that a parent at a primary school in Derbyshire had contracted the virus in Tenerife, where 168 Britons are being kept in a hotel in the south-west of the island.

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Hundreds of guests have been confined to the H10 Costa Adeje Palace after at least four guests, including an Italian doctor, were diagnosed with coronavirus.

Overall, 130 guests from 11 countries have been told by Spanish authorities that they can leave, because they arrived at the hotel on Monday – after those who tested positive had been taken to hospital.

Around 50 of those are thought to be British guests.

Some holidaymakers were seen leaving the hotel wearing face masks on Friday, although it is unknown if any Britons were among those permitted to leave.