More countries imposed lockdown
measures as coronavirus cases across the globe ballooned, led by
a sharp rise in infections in Europe. Italy banned travel within
the country, nearly one in three Americans were ordered to stay
home and New Zealand said it will move to its highest alert
level imposing self-isolation.
DEATHS, INFECTIONS
* More than 337 500 people have been infected across the world
and over 14 500 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
EUROPE
* Italy banned travel within the country on Sunday in yet
another attempt to slow the coronavirus' spread, as data showed
a further 651 people had died from the disease, lifting the
number of fatalities to 5 476.
* Britain may need to impose curfews and travel restrictions to
halt the spread of the coronavirus if people do not heed the
government's advice on social distancing, Prime Minister Boris
Johnson warned on Sunday.
* Greece announced a lockdown on Sunday, restricting movement
from Monday morning with only a few exceptions.
* The Spanish government sought to extend until April 11 a state
of emergency that it has imposed to try to control Europe's
second-worst outbreak of coronavirus. Spain's death toll jumped
to over 1 700.
US President Donald Trump speaks as Vice President Mike Pence, left, and FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor look on, during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House. Picture: Patrick Semansky/AP
AMERICAS
* Nearly 1 in 4 Americans were under orders to close up shop and
stay at home on Saturday. At least 23 941 cases of the virus
have been reported in the United States and 306 people have died
as of Saturday evening.
* The Canadian death toll from the outbreak jumped by more than
50% on Sunday, and officials threatened to punish people
refusing to take precautions to fight the spread of the virus.
* Panama health officials reported 68 new coronavirus cases on
Sunday, up 28% from the previous day, bringing the total number
of infected persons in the Central American country to
313.
* Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has denied the country's
healthcare system will collapse next month, contradicting his
own health minister as the number of deaths in the country
jumped 39% and confirmed cases topped 1,500.
Soldiers wear protective masks during a surveillance round, during the nightly curfew to keep people off the streets, to avoid infection, in the midst of the outbreak of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Santiago, Chile.
ASIA
* New Zealand said on Monday it will move to its highest alert
level imposing self-isolation, with all-non-essential services,
schools and offices to be shut over the next 48 hours as the
number of coronavirus cases more than double.
* Mainland China saw a drop in its daily tally of new
coronavirus cases on Sunday, reversing four straight days of
gains, as the capital Beijing ramped up measures to contain the
number of infections arriving from abroad.
* South Korea on Monday reported its lowest number of new
coronavirus cases since the peak so far on February 29 and the
extended downward trend in daily infections that has boosted
hopes that Asia's largest outbreak outside China may be abating.
* Australia started shutting down pubs, clubs, gyms and houses
of worship on Monday after a jump in virus cases and after
thousands disregarded social distancing advice and crowded
beaches, bars and restaurants.
A man pushes his shopping trolley through the car park at a supermarket in central Christchurch, New Zealand. Picture: Mark BakerAP
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Saudi Arabia will impose a nationwide curfew starting on
Monday after reporting a jump of almost a quarter in coronavirus
cases, while the United Arab Emirates will suspend all passenger
and transit flights to and from the country.
* War-ravaged Syria on Sunday confirmed its first case of the
coronavirus after weeks of rejecting opposition allegations that
the disease had already reached a country with a wrecked health
system
* Iraq's government has extended a curfew on travel in and out
of Baghdad until March 28 as part of strict measures to prevent
the coronavirus from spreading, it said in a statement on
Sunday.
* Iran's death toll has reached 1 685 with 129 deaths in the
past 24 hours, the health ministry's spokesman told state TV on
Sunday, adding that the total number of infected people in Iran
had reached 21 638.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
* Partisan battles in the US Senate stopped a $1
trillion-plus coronavirus response bill from advancing on
Sunday, but talks continued over Democrats' demands for more
funding for medical care and state and local efforts to combat
the pandemic.
* Airlines cancelled more flights on Monday as Australia and New
Zealand advised against non-essential domestic travel, the
United Arab Emirates halted flights for two weeks and Singapore
and Taiwan banned foreign transit passengers.
* India's biggest automaker Maruti Suzuki India and
peers including Mahindra & Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz,
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) as well as Hyundai
Motor Co said they will halt car production in the
country due to the coronavirus outbreak.
* The impact of the coronavirus outbreak will put Europe into a
recession but it should be transitory and the region should be
back in positive GDP growth in the second semester, European
Central Bank vice president Luis de Guindos said on Sunday.
A countdown clock for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is reflected in a puddle of water outside Tokyo Station. Picture: Jae C. Hong/AP
SPORTS
* Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said for the first time on
Monday that the Tokyo Olympic Games may need to be postponed if
the event cannot be held in its "complete form" due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
* Multiple sports events have been cancelled or postponed.