Media outlets change services over coronavirus epidemic

Prominent media outlets in different countries have altered or suspended regular programmes due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The South China Morning Post has closed its headquarters in Causeway Bay’s Times Square building in Hong Kong after a freelancer working in its newsroom tested positive in preliminary screening for the coronavirus.

As of Wednesday, all employees will be working from home while offices at both Times Square and South Island Place are shut down until further notice for deep cleansing and disinfection, SCMP reported.

The publication’s main online platform would continue to be updated round the clock with the latest news, while its flagship print edition would still hit the news stands daily, it said.

The BBC has announced a number of changes to its news output in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

Programmes including Politics Live and Victoria Derbyshire have been temporarily suspended, allowing the BBC News Channel to focus on "core news".

Question Time, which sees political figures and commentators take questions from the public, will move to a prime time 20:00 slot on BBC One.

However, it will proceed without a studio audience for the time being.

The practicalities of putting questions to the panel during this period is "still being worked on", BBC media editor Amol Rajan said.

As many companies are trying to let employees work from home, there are also those where that's not possible.

In the Philippines, the local CNN channel is off air because of a coronavirus case among its employees.

The broadcaster is among the leading news channels in the country and for now, the outage will be for 24 hours.

"CNN Philippines will go off air for at least 24 hours as the building where the network is housed will be disinfected. Employee of another company in the same building, but on a different floor, tests positive for COVID-19," CNN Philippines tweeted its official statement.