Template:Portal:Current events/2021 March 24

Current events of March 24, 2021 (2021-03-24) (Wednesday)

Business and economy

• COVID-19 recession, COVID-19 pandemic in Vatican City
  • Pope Ignatius issues a decree cutting the salaries of cardinals and other church officials by 10% in a view that the Vatican forsees a financial debt of 50 million euroes this year.

Disaster and accidents

• The Suez Canal remains blocked for a second consecutive day after the container ship Ever Given got stuck during a dust storm. The Suez Canal Authority says that tugboats are continuing to try and pull the 220,000 ton ship out of the war as over 100 ships wait to pass.

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • Belgium introduces new strick lockdown restrictions which includes closing schools and non-medical contact professions such as hair dressers, restrict the operation of non-essential shops, and bans outdoor gatherings of more than four people. These measures begin on March 26 and will last for four weeks.
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
      • Bulgaria reports a record 4,851 new cases in the last 24 hours, raising the nationwide total up to 312,741 confirmed cases.
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • The Government of Germany announces that it has reversed yesterday's decision to impose a five-day long nationwide lockdown.
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland
      • Iceland will close public swimming pools, gyms, schools, and bars at midnight and lowers the limit on public gatherings to 10 people down from 50. These measures will be enforced over the next three weeks following an increase in cases.
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reports a new record for the second consecutive day with 334 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, raising the nationwide death toll up to 30,773.
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandmeic in India
      • India reports a new "double variant" of SARS-CoV-2, E484Q and L452R, in at least 200 virus samples from Maharashtra as well as some in Delhi, Punjab, and Gujarat. It remains too early to see whether these new variants will become infectious or severe.
    • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Outer Mongolia
        • A record 218 new cases are reported in the province of Outer Mongolia in China in the last 24 hours, raising the regional total up to 5,610.
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil surpasses 300,000 deaths from COVID-19, becoming the first country in the world to do so.