What's Happening: Bed shortage in S Korea, firms cut travel

As the new coronavirus continues spreading, South Korea is hopeful it can curb its outbreak but struggles to find enough hospital beds and companies worldwide halt business travel

These are some of the latest developments Wednesday:

SOUTH KOREA CITY RUNNING OUT OF HOSPITAL BEDS

A man wearing a face mask walks past an entrance sign for Bank underground train station backdropped by the Royal Exchange building in London, Wednesday, March 4, 2020. British authorities laid out plans Tuesday to confront a COVID-19 epidemic, saying that the new coronavirus could spread within weeks from a few dozen confirmed cases to millions of infections, with thousands of people in the U.K. at risk of death. (AP PhotoMatt Dunham)

The South Korean city of Daegu is short thousands of hospital beds for sick patients with the virus. Still, Prime Minister Chung Se-Kyun is expressing confidence that the the country can cope with the outbreak as new infection numbers Wednesday almost halved compared to the day before.

CONCERN OVER NORTH KOREA VIRUS NUMBERS

North Korea claims no one in the country is infected with the new virus, but experts aren't convinced. The reclusive nation shares a nearly 1,450-kilometer (900-mile) border with China, where the virus first appeared, and a dismal health system. The government views public reports on infectious disease to be a matter of state secrecy, raising concerns that North Korea might be hiding cases, harming global efforts to contain the outbreak

South Korean army soldiers wearing protective gears spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus on a street in Gyeongan, South Korea, Wednesday, March 4, 2020. (Kim Hyun-taeYonhap via AP)

CHINESE SCHOOLS HIT BY CENSORSHIP

With schools and universities across China shut because of the virus outbreak, many instructors are teaching online to keep courses going and students from falling behind. But China's pervasive internet censorship is hampering those efforts when the topics turn to subjects that are considered sensitive.

COMPANIES CURB BUSINESS TRAVEL

South Korean army soldiers wearing protective gears move to spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus in Gyeongan, South Korea, Wednesday, March 4, 2020. (Kim Hyun-taeYonhap via AP)

Many companies are cutting back on business travel, with some even stopping all staff trip. Online retailer Amazon told its 800,000 workers to postpone any non-essential travel, while Swiss food giant Nestle instructed its 291,000 employees to halt international travel until mid-March. Many companies and organizations are opting instead for virtual meetings and even making major announcements online about topics such as new product presentations.

LOUVRE REMAINS SHUT AMID WORKER FEARS

Workers at the Louvre museum in Paris stayed off work for another day Wednesday amid concerns about catching the coronavirus. The world-famous museum, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” painting, has been shut since Sunday while management tries to convince workers to return by pledging anti-virus measures such as distributing sanitizing gel more widely and scheduling more frequent rotations so employees have time to wash their hands.

Follow all AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s motorcade took a different route than usual to the airport as he was departing Florida on Sunday due to a “suspicious object,” according to the White House.

The object, which the White House did not describe, was discovered during security sweeps in advance of Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport.

“A further investigation was warranted and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday.

The president, when asked about the package by reporters, said, “I know nothing about it.”

Trump left his Palm Beach, Florida, club, Mar-a-Lago, around 6:20 p.m. for the roughly 10-minute drive to the airport, but took a circular route around the city to get there.

During the drive, police officers on motorcycles created a moving blockade for the motorcade, at one point almost colliding with the vans that accompanied Trump.

Air Force One was parked on the opposite side of the airport from where it is usually located and the lights outside the plane were turned off.

Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman for U.S. Secret Service, said the secondary route was taken just as a precaution and that “that is standard protocol.”

President Donald Trump departs Trump International Golf Club in the presidential limousine, known as The Beast, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)