Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio. I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

Even before a global pandemic arrived in South America, Colombia faced two crises, a flood

of Venezuelan refugees and a costly war on drugs. We share a helicopter with the soldiers

burning down Cokka almost as fast as the Cokaleros are planting it.

And most of the world's big sporting events have been cancelled for the moment, leaving

fans with even less to do during their time cooped up. We look into the wider costs of

a world without sports and into the possibility of a virus-free All-Star game.

The novel coronavirus is finding its way across the globe, but its grip on Europe seems

particularly tight. In Italy, the death toll stands at nearly five and a half thousand.

The country now has the highest number of fatalities in the world, well beyond the

3,200 deaths reported in China. Third on the list is Spain, where the situation seems

to be deteriorating rapidly, more than 1,800 people have died. As with Italy and France,

Spain is in strict lockdown. Other European governments are stepping up measures. Yesterday,

Germany barred groups of more than two people from gathering, except for families. Meanwhile,

Chancellor Angela Merkel isolated herself after discovering her doctor had tested positive

for the virus. In Britain, much of the population ignored social distancing advice and spent

a sunny Sunday outside. In the evening, Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a veiled threat

of enforcement. We will keep the implementation of these measures under constant review. And

yes, of course, we will bring forward further measures if we think that is necessary.

Italy is simply further ahead in time than most of the world in terms of the virus is spread,

but even still, the situation there seems curiously dire.

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