The Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating,
the World Health Organization said, with more than 377,000 cases
now recorded and infections reported from nearly every country.
DEATHS, INFECTIONS
* More than 377,400 people have been infected across the world
and over 16,500 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
EUROPE
* Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said a virtual lockdown in
France imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus could last
several more weeks and that his government was tightening
restrictions even further.
* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered stringent
restrictions on people’s movement to slow the spread of the
coronavirus.
* The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy rose
by 602 on Monday, the smallest increase for four days, while the
number of new cases also slowed.
* Unions in Italy's Lombardy region announced strikes on Monday
for tougher shutdown measures to protect the health of workers.
* Spain has nearly 4 000 health workers infected, more than one
in 10 of total confirmed cases.
Operators sanitize each other after service on an ambulance for the transport of Covid-19 patients in Settimo Torinese, Northern Italy. Picture: Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP
AMERICAS
* Several more U.S. governors joined the procession of states
ordering millions of Americans to stay at home to slow the
spread of the coronavirus, while President Trump signaled he's
considering a move in the opposite direction.
* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said people defying
advice to isolate themselves to fight the outbreak should "go
home and stay home" or face sanctions.
* Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was forced to walk back a
decree letting companies suspend pay to workers amid the
coronavirus pandemic, following barbs from congressional leaders
and rising discontent over his handling of the
crisis.
* Mexico had 367 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country
on Monday, up from 316 the day before, deputy health secretary
Hugo Lopez-Gatell said, with a total of four deaths.
US Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Attorney General William Barr hold binders as President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room in Washington. Picture: Alex Brandon/AP
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
* Australia reported a jump in coronavirus cases on Tuesday that
was almost entirely due to passengers who disembarked a cruise
ship in Sydney several days ago.
* Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders on Tuesday
to reduce contacts to a bare minimum to help fight the
coronavirus, as the country prepared for a one-month lockdown.
* Mainland China saw a doubling in new coronavirus cases driven
by a jump in infected travellers returning home from overseas.
* Malaysia is ramping up coronavirus tests in preparation for
the "worst scenario", as it grapples with Southeast Asia's
highest number of infections.
* India could face between around 100,000 and 1.3 million
confirmed cases of the disease caused by the new coronavirus by
mid-May if it continues to spread at its current pace, according
to a team of scientists based mainly in the United States.
* Thailand has recorded 106 new coronavirus cases and three more
deaths.
* South Korea reported 76 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday,
taking its total infections to 9,037, the Yonhap news agency
said, citing health authorities.
A commuter wearing a gas mask uses his mobile device while standing at a train platform after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses and moving toward harsh penalties to enforce self-isolation as the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) reached a "critical stage" in Sydney, Australia. Picture: Loren Elliott/Reuters
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Jordan said on Monday it would extend a curfew indefinitely.
* Iran's President said on Monday the United States should lift
sanctions if it wants to help the country, which has had around
1,800 deaths and over 23,000 cases.
* The presidents of Ivory Coast and Senegal, two of West
Africa's largest economies, declared states of emergency on
Monday, imposing curfews and travel restrictions on their
populations.
* Egypt on Monday reported five new fatalities because of
coronavirus, which brings the total of coronavirus-related
deaths in the country to 19.
* South Africa will impose a nationwide lockdown for 21 days
from midnight on Thursday, as the number of cases jumped by 128
to 402.
* Congo imposed a two-day lockdown in a mining province.
* Nigeria closed its land borders on Monday to curb the spread
of coronavirus as Africa's most populous country recorded its
first death from the pandemic.
A man wearing a mask walks on the street in Tembisa, east of Johannesburg. Picture: Themba Hadebe/AP
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
* Evidence of the devastation wreaked on the global economy by
the coronavirus pandemic mounted on Tuesday as activity surveys
for March from Australia and Japan showed record falls, with
surveys in Europe and the United States expected to be just as
dire.
* The pandemic is taking its toll on aerospace manufacturing, as
Boeing Co announced it would halt production of most widebody
jets and Airbus SE restarted only partial output after a
four-day shutdown as suppliers cut jobs.
* The US Treasury secretary and the Senate Democratic leader
voiced confidence late on Monday for a deal to be reached soon
on a far-reaching coronavirus economic stimulus package that had
been stalled in the US Senate as lawmakers haggled over it.
* Ecuador will use a 30-day grace period on some bonds to delay
making around $200 million in interest payments due this week,
and will devote those funds toward containing the coronavirus
outbreak.
* The US Federal Reserve on Monday rolled out an extraordinary
array of programs to backstop an economy reeling from sweeping
restrictions on commerce that scientists say are needed to slow
the coronavirus pandemic.
A volunteer carries canned food and a bag of carrots at St. Stephen Outreach in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Picture: Wong Maye-E/AP
EVENTS
* Australia's A-League was suspended due to the coronavirus on
Tuesday, with administrators' saying it was no longer tenable
for the country's top-flight soccer competition to continue.
* The United States added its significant weight to calls for
the Tokyo Games to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
* Pope Francis's trip to Malta, scheduled to take place on May
31, has been postponed indefinitely.
* Formula One expects to run a shortened season of 15-18 grands
prix once racing can resume after the coronavirus pandemic.
A queue of people wait outside Sainsbury's supermarket in front of a coronavirus information display as National Health Service staff and social care workers who show their NHS ID are allowed into a branch of Sainsbury's supermarket 30 minutes before other customers. Picture: Matt Dunham/AP