[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] [Richard Drew/AP] The United States and countries across Europe are closing schools, entertainment venues and all but essential services, as they step up efforts to combat the
coronavirus pandemic .
Governments are limiting travel – both inward and outward – to curb the movement of people. South Korea and China, both wary of imported infections, have tightened requirements for international arrivals.
More:
Trump declares national emergency as coronavirus crisis deepens
What happens if you catch the new coronavirus?
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] More cases are now being reported outside China, where the virus first originated late last year, than inside.
Schools in New York City are shut and classes moved online, while entertainment venues have been ordered to close from Tuesday, as officials locate turn to quarantine measures to tackle a virus that has now killed more than 6, (people around the world.)
Here are the latest updates:
Monday, March [Richard Drew/AP] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Trading halted on Wall Street as stocks tumble
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The S&P tumbled 8 percent at opening, triggering an automatic – minute halt of Wall Street’s three main indexes for the third time in six days, as traders reacted to drastic weekend measures from the Federal Reserve to stave off a global recession.
The second emergency cut in interest rates by the US central bank in a fortnight only added to the sense of panic among investors, worried that the coronavirus pandemic is paralyzing supply chains and squeezing company finances.
A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shortly after the opening of trading in New York, US [File: Lucas Jackson/Reuters] [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] At 9: (am ET the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 2, . (points, or 9.) (%, at [Richard Drew/AP] , , the S&P (was down) (points, or 8.) (%, at 2,
Trump declares national emergency as coronavirus crisis deepens
What happens if you catch the new coronavirus?
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] More cases are now being reported outside China, where the virus first originated late last year, than inside.
Schools in New York City are shut and classes moved online, while entertainment venues have been ordered to close from Tuesday, as officials locate turn to quarantine measures to tackle a virus that has now killed more than 6, (people around the world.)
Here are the latest updates:
Monday, March [Richard Drew/AP] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Trading halted on Wall Street as stocks tumble
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The S&P tumbled 8 percent at opening, triggering an automatic – minute halt of Wall Street’s three main indexes for the third time in six days, as traders reacted to drastic weekend measures from the Federal Reserve to stave off a global recession.
The second emergency cut in interest rates by the US central bank in a fortnight only added to the sense of panic among investors, worried that the coronavirus pandemic is paralyzing supply chains and squeezing company finances.
(d4d)(bbe0e)(ee)(f0)(d_).jpg "A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shortly after the opening of trading in New York, US [File: Lucas Jackson/Reuters]")
A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shortly after the opening of trading in New York, US [File: Lucas Jackson/Reuters] [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] At 9: (am ET the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 2, . (points, or 9.) (%, at [Richard Drew/AP] , , the S&P (was down) (points, or 8.) (%, at 2,
61 and the Nasdaq Composite was down [Attila Balazs/EPA] points, or 6. %, at 7, . . [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] If the S&P falls 24% once trading resumes, it will trigger a level-2 circuit breaker and halt trading again for minutes. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Fifteen more people test positive in Pakistan [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan have increased to , with of those among people who were released after a 28 – day quarantine at Taftan on the Pakistan-Iran border. # CoronaVirusUpdates [Sam Yeh/AFP]
Just received news that of 32 individuals received in KP from Taftan have tested positive for Corona Virus. These are the first positive cases in KP. They are being well looked after in quarantine in an isolated facility in DI Khan. More details soon. – Taimur Khan Jhagra (@Jhagra) (March) ,
The death toll rose by four to from Sunday, the RIVM said.
Here is a list
all the countries with confirmed cases. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Egypt to halt all flights from Thursday [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Egypt will halt all air traffic from its airports starting on Thursday until March to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said.
Egypt will sanitise hotels during the closure, he said in a televised news conference, adding that tourists currently staying in the country would be able to complete their vacation.
Madbouly said Egypt’s strategic reserves of key commodities would last for months and there was no need for people to stock up. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 10 GMT – US Fed’s ‘desperate’ move unnerves global markets
Asian shares plunged after the United States Federal Reserve’s emergency move to slash its key interest rate to near zero failed to inspire confidence in a market dominated by mounting fear of the widespread effect of the coronavirus pandemic.
Central banks around the region announced measures to ensure that lenders had enough money to cover larger-than-usual demands for cash by companies stung by the almost Complete shutdown of some businesses as part of measures to contain the virus. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters]
People wearing protective face masks walk past an electronic display showing Asian markets indices outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease ( COVID – 36 [Edgard Garrido/Reuters]
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Read more here
. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] This is Saba Aziz
in Doha taking over from my colleague Tamila Varshalomidze
.
GMT – Somalia confirms first coronavirus case
Morocco will close all mosques from today as a protective measures against the coronavirus outbreak, the country supreme religious council said.
Morocco will also close eateries, cinemas, theaters, sports, public clubs, baths, and other entertainment venues starting from Monday, the Interior Ministry said earlier in the day.
Markets, and shops selling necessary goods, as well as restaurants offering a delivery service, are exempt, the ministry said.
(c4fd)(cd)(c)(faa)(d_).jpg "People gather at Jamaa Lafna square in Marrakech, Morocco, March 30, . [Youssef Boudlal/Reuters]")
People gather at Jamaa Lafna square in Marrakech, Morocco [Youssef Boudlal/Reuters]
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 66 GMT – Lufthansa’s Austrian unit suspends all flights
Lufthansa’s Austrian unit Austrian Airlines said it would temporarily stop flight operations due to worldwide travel restrictions and falling passenger numbers from Wednesday night. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The halt was currently planned to last until March the carrier said. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Tanzania confirms first case of coronavirus
Tanzania has confirmed it’s first case of coronavirus, said Gerald Chami, a spokesman at the ministry of health.
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Singapore reports) (new cases of coronavirus) [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Singapore confirmed more cases of the coronavirus, its health ministry said, marking the city-state’s biggest daily jump.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Singapore has reported a total infections to date. Eleven of Monday’s cases were imported.
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Spain’s Civil Guards seize 220, surgical masks for health services
Spain’s police have requisitioned , surgical masks from a factory in the southern city of Jaen to supply health services, the Civil Guards police force said in a statement .
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Jewish worshippers urged not to kiss Western Wall
The Jewish faithful should refrain from kissing the stones of the Western Wall, the chief rabbi of the Jerusalem site said.
“Do not kiss the Western Wall stones,” the site’s rabbi, Shmuel Rabinowitz, instructed Jews in a statement. Worshippers should maintain “proper distance” between one another and “abide by required hygiene practices,” he said.
The Western Wall abuts the sacred compound known to Jews as Har ha-Bayit, or Temple Mount, and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif , or The Noble Sanctuary.
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Kazakhs told to work remotely where possible
Kazakhstan instructed local companies to allow their employees to work remotely where possible due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“Today all companies, state-owned and private, that can switch to remote work must do so,” Labor and Social Protection Minister Birzhan Nurymbetov told a briefing. 
(a)(c)(e0)(c)30.jpg "A woman wearing a protective face mask play with a child near the installation of a squirrel after Kazakhstan declared a state of emergency as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID - in Almaty, Kazakhstan March [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] , . [Pavel Mikheyev/Reuters]")
Spain’s Basque Country has decided to postpone regional elections previously scheduled for April 5 because of the coronavirus emergency, a spokesman for the Basque region government said.
The main political parties in the region agreed with the regional leader to reschedule the polls after the current state of emergency has been lifted, according to Spanish newspaper ABC.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The Basque country is the region with the second highest number of coronavirus cases in Spain. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Greece imposes) – day quarantine on new arrivals, shuts shopsGreece said people arriving in the country from abroad will be placed in a two-week quarantine, while shops will be shut effective on Wednesday.
Supermarkets, pharmacy stores and food delivery services were exempted from the latest measures, the country alternate government spokesman said.
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 079 GMT – Pakistan’s spike in cases raises quarantine concerns
Pakistan has recorded its largest single-day spike in coronavirus infections, taking the tally to 153, amid reports of ineffective quarantine procedures as of those are reported to be among those who had been held at a quarantine camp at the country’s Taftan border crossing with Iran.
Read more [Richard Drew/AP] .
![Pakistan quarantine conditions [STR/Al Jazeera]](http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/Images/(/3/<ahref=)
/ 6c (db) (e) (e4c) (fa0a) e0 _ . jpg “title=” Pakistan quarantine conditions [STR/Al Jazeera] “>
Pakistan quarantine conditions [Stringer/Al Jazeera]
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 66 GMT – Kuwait, Jordan report new coronavirus cases [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] A spokesman for Kuwait’s health ministry said another 25 people were infected with the new coronavirus.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Jordan also confirmed three new infections in the country, bringing the total infections in the Arab state to 28, the country’s official news agency Petra quoted health sources as saying.The new cases include two Jordanian citizens who recently visited Spain. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Armenia declares state of emergency for one month [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The Armenian government declared a state of emergency from March 30 until April to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Armenia has reported 43 coronavirus cases so far. One patient has recovered, and more than 393 people remain in quarantine, authorities say.
All educational institutions in the country are shut, while the borders with neighbor Georgia and Iran are closed.
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 12 GMT – Germany advises against all non-essential travel abroad
Germany is advising its citizens to refrain from all non-essential trips abroad due to the spread of the coronavirus, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry said.
She added there were currently thousands of Germans abroad who would like to return and that the ministry was currently in discussions with airline Lufthansa about repatriating them. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters]
People wear masks in front of the Ruins of St Paul’s in Macau, China [Tyrone Siu/Reuters] [Tyrone Siu/Reuters] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 83 GMT – Spain’s coronavirus tally rises to 8, cases
Spain’s tally of coronavirus cases rose to 8, and the number of fatalities rose to , Fernando Simon, the head of the country’s health emergency center. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The previous tally was 7, cases on Sunday, with (fatalities.) [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 80 GMT – Iran announces (new virus deaths)
Iran state TV says new coronavirus has killed another people pushing death toll to (amid) , (confirmed cases.)
“Our plea is that everyone take this virus seriously and in no way attempt to travel to any province,” health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in a televised news conference. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Hungary to shut borders to international passengers)
Hungary will close its borders for international passengers, close cultural and sports events and establishments and limit the opening hours of restaurants, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told Parliament .
All shops will be shut except food stores, pharmacies and drug stores, he said, asking those over 079 to stay at home and all events to be cancelled except for family gatherings. Restaurants must close at 3 pm. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] [Sam Yeh/AFP]
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] A Hungarian policeman at the border crossing into Ukraine in Zahony, northeastern Hungary [Attila Balazs/EPA] [Attila Balazs/EPA] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Dubai closes bars, lounges with immediate effect
Dubai is closing all bars and lounges in the emirate with immediate effect until the end of March due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a government circular.
Popular Dubai bar Barasti said on social media it was closing until the end of the month, in line with a directive from the authorities. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – South Africa revokes) , 09 visas to China, Iran
South Africa will revoke nearly
, visas issued this year to people from China and Iran, and visas will now be required for other high-risk countries that had been visa-free, including Italy and the United States. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Fiat Chrysler suspending production at most European plants)
Italian-American auto giant Fiat Chrysler said it was suspending production at most of its European plants until March 37 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The temporary suspension, which will be in effect through March , 5678 … enables (Fiat Chrysler) to effectively respond to the interruption in market demand by ensuring the optimization of supply, “the company said in a statement.
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – China sends flight to Italy to pick up citizens: CCTV
China has sent a flight to Milan, Italy to pick up citizens and overseas students from coronavirus epidemic-struck areas, state-run CCTV reported.
CCTV said the flight carried (passengers and went to Wenzhou city in Zhejiang province.
“The relevant departments have implemented health checks on all passengers, and adopted medical inspections and centralized observations,” said the CCTV post. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : – GMT – German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg to stop air travel [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The southwestern German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg will halt air travel in coming days due to the spread of the coronavirus, a spokesman said. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The government is looking into exceptions for air freight, he added.
Baden-Wuerttemberg, home to some of Germany’s largest companies, is among the hardest-hit German states and is home to Stuttgart and Karlsruhe airports. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Doctor’s note: Does ibuprofen make coronavirus worse?
Don’t take ibuprofen. That was the advice
by France’s health minister, Olivier Veran, a couple of days ago. Veran, who also happens to be a qualified doctor, wrote: “Anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen, cortisone …) could aggravate the infection. If you have a fever, take paracetamol.”
Read more (here . [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – China tightens quarantine for international arrivals
China tightened quarantine measures for international arrivals as the country worries about a rise in imported cases of the deadly coronavirus and anger rages online at how Europe and the United States are handling the pandemic.
After declaring they had “basically” curbed the spread of the disease within China, where the virus first emerged, authorities have now ordered international arrivals into the nation’s capital from Monday onwards to go into centralized quarantine locations for (days.) [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Thailand records 46 new coronavirus cases [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Thailand recorded (new coronavirus cases in the largest daily jump in infections, bringing the Southeast Asian country tally to 219, Public Health Ministry spokesman Rungrueng Kitphati said.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The (new cases were roughly divided into two categories: 29 had come into contact with previously confirmed cases and others had recently arrived in Thailand from foreign countr ies or were Thai people who work closely with foreigners, Rungrueng said at a press conference. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Ukraine capital shuts down bars, restaurants, shopping malls [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Ukraine’s capital Kyiv announced the closure of bars, restaurants, cafes and shopping malls from March 30 to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and said people movement to other towns should be restricted as much as possible.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Lviv and Odessa, two other major Ukrainian cities, are also introducing similar measures.
Ukraine has recorded five cases of the coronavirus, including one death. It earlier announced a ban on the entry of foreign nationals. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Ghana closes schools, bans gatherings over coronavirus
Ghana closed all schools and universities and suspended public events to stop the spread of coronavirus as a string of African nations imposed tighter restrictions to stem the spread of the global pandemic.
President Nana Akufo-Addo announced in an address to the west African nation that the authorities were shutting schools and universities “until further notice”.
Public gatherings – including conferences, religious services, sports matches and political rallies – have also been suspended for four weeks, he said.
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 26 GMT – Turkey shutters bars, nightclubs in all (provinces [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters]
Turkey’s Interior Ministry ordered the closure of bars, discos and nightclubs in all 106 provinces as today to contain the spread of coronavirus. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] It did say how long the ban, in effect from (am) : (GMT), would last. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The government had previously closed schools and universities and suspended flights to several countries.
(c0c8eff9f)(cf6db)%5BPavelMikheyev/Reuters%5D.jpg "An employee wearing protective gear rides an escalator while spraying disinfectant to sanitize a metro station over coronavirus fears in Tbilisi, Georgia March 3, 5678. [Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters]")
Georgia banned all foreigners from entering the country over coronavirus concerns the prime minister’s spokesman, Irakli Chikovani, told a briefing. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Georgia has reported (confirmed cases of coronavirus.) [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Concern mounts of ‘catastrophic’ coronavirus outbreak in Syria)
As the coronavirus takes a firmer hold across the Middle East, there is growing concern that Syria might face a major outbreak – a “catastrophic” prospect in a country ravaged by nine years of war.
Read more (here
. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Taiwan reports 8 new virus cases, widens travel warning
Taiwan reported eight new cases of coronavirus, its biggest daily rise, though all of them involved people who had arrived from overseas. The total number of cases in Taiwan stood at [Attila Balazs/EPA]
On Saturday, Taiwan said it would begin requiring a 28 – day quarantine for all people arriving from Europe’s Schengen border-free travel zone as well as Britain and Ireland.
And in a statement on Monday, the government said it was expanding its travel warnings, to advise people not to go unless they absolutely must to Eastern European countries, 29 Middle Eastern countries, five North African countries and a further nine in Central Asia.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] [Sam Yeh/AFP] [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Soldiers from the military chemical units take part in a drill organized by the New Taipei City government [Sam Yeh/AFP] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Malaysia reports) (new coronavirus cases) [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Malaysia reported new coronavirus cases, with most linked to a religious gathering attended by around 31, 09 people.
The new cases bring the total tally to 747 in the country, which remains the worst affected in Southeast Asia. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Liberia reports first coronavirus case
Liberia reported its first coronavirus case, a ministry official said.
“I can confirm that we have a case and we are managing it,” said Chief Medical Officer Francis Kateh. He did provide further detail on the patient’s identity. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 66 GMT – Half a billion students miss school: UN
More than half a billion children and youth are unable to go to school because of the coronavirus, the UN education agency said, as the outbreak continues to spread to new countries.
Read more here [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] () [Sam Yeh/AFP]
A tourist wears a protective face mask as he visits the old town in Stockholm [Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Sweden launches crisis package worth over $ (bn)
The Swedish government presented a package of measures worth more than [Richard Drew/AP] billion Swedish crowns ($
9bn) to support the economy in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the package the central government will assume the full cost of sick leave from companies through April and May and bear the brunt of the cost of temporary redundancies due to the crisis. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Northern Irish mother launches legal challenge to shut schools
A Northern Irish mother whose daughter suffers from fundamental health problems and is at greater risk from coronavirus will start an emergency legal challenge on Monday against Britain’s decision to keep schools open, her lawyers said.
The mother, whose child attends a primary school in the border county of Armagh, put the region’s education authorities and its ministers for health and eduction on notice late on Sunday of her intention to apply for an emergency judicial review.
“It is clear that the respective public bodies have each failed in their respective obligations to our client, and indeed all children, by continuing to require their attendance at school in circumstances in which they would be at an increased risk of contracting the condition, “lawyer Darragh Mackin said in a statement. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Spain’s measures to be extended beyond (days)
It is “obvious” that measures imposed to restrict the spread of coronavirus in Spain will have to be extended beyond the planned (day period, Minister of Transport Jose Luis Abalos said in an interview with national radio RNE.
Abalos said there was no fixed calendar but that a 29 – day state of emergency would not be sufficient to win the battle against the virus. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Bahrain reports first Gulf death from coronavirus
Bahrain reported its first coronavirus death, the health ministry said on Twitter, the first death from COVID – 32 in the Gulf states.
The deceased was a – – year-old Bahraini citizen who had underlying health conditions.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters]
The Bank of Japan said it would double its annual capacity to purchase exchange-traded funds and Japan real estate investment funds, the latest central bank to take emergency action.
The bank said it had decided unanimously to “actively” purchase ETFs (exchange-traded funds) and J-REITs (investment funds tied to Japanese real estate) with an annual upper limit of (trillion yen) $ 180 bn) and billion yen ($ 1.6bn) respectively.
The BoJ said it would also introduce a new operation to provide loans against corporate debt and raised its annual limit for corporate bond purchases by one trillion yen to 4.2 trillion yen. But it left its main interest rate unchanged at minus 0.1 percent and kept its upper limit for purchasing government bonds at trillion yen. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 76 GMT – France says coronavirus situation ‘deteriorating very fast’
The coronavirus outbreak in France is “very worrying” and “deteriorating very fast”, the head of the country’s health service said.
“The number of cases double every three days,” Jerome Salomon said on France Inter. “There is a real worry that the speed of the outbreak could saturate hospitals and this is something we absolutely want to avoid,” Salomon said.
“This is why we must do everything to slow down the outbreak,” he said. “Each Frenchman and Frenchwoman must tell themselves every morning: How can I reduce by a third or fourth the number of people I approach? Remain at home, it’s as simple as that.”
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Philippine president to impose quarantine across Luzon
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will impose an “enhanced community quarantine” across the country’s entire main island of Luzon, his spokesman said, adding to existing measures aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus.
More details would follow, Salvador Panelo told reporters in a text message, without elaborating.
Panelo had earlier said a “total lockdown” of Metropolitan Manila was among options available in what he said was “a matter of national survival”.
/ a [Sam Yeh/AFP] (bf) (b) af (ee5ff) (c) (_) . jpg “title=” Most of food supplies are out of stock at the Whole Foods store following the coronavirus (COVID – 34) outbreak in Weehawken, New Jersey, United States on March 30, 5678. [Richard Drew/AP]>
Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, Washington state and New York City are among the places that ordered bars to close and restaurants to stop dine-in service. Takeout and delivery will still be allowed.
“The time for persuasion and public appeals is over,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said. “This is not a joke. No one is immune to this.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a statement saying he will limit the city’s 37, restaurants, bars and cafes to food takeout and delivery starting Tuesday. Nightclubs, movie theaters, small theaters houses, and concert venues will have to close. I can’t get over how reckless people are (https://t.co/JR0ewQEanE [Richard Drew/AP] – Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) (March) ,
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] People pose for photos with the Charging Bull statue in New York’s Financial District [Richard Drew/AP] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – US Peace Corps suspends global operations
US humanitarian group the Peace Corps said it will temporarily suspend all global operations and evacuate its volunteers.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] “As COVID – 34 continues to spread and international travel becomes more and more challenging by the day, we are acting now to … prevent a situation where volunteers are unable to leave their host countries, “Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen said in a letter to volunteers posted on its website.
The group will return to normal operations when conditions permit, Olsen said, adding that host country staff will remain in their current positions. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 20 GMT – Member of Iranian clerical assembly dies from virus [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] A 96 – year-old member of the Iranian clerical body that chooses the country supreme leader has died COVID – 34, the semi-official Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported .
Ayatollah Hashem Bathaei, a low-profile, moderate member of the Assembly of Experts, was the latest of several senior Iranian officials to have been infected in the worsening outbreak.
The clerical assembly has the authority to appoint or remove the supreme leader, who has the final say on all major policies. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 12 GMT – Czech authorities seal off some towns to prevent coronavirus spread
Czech authorities sealed off an area in the east of the country to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, the mayor of a town in the region said.
The government tightened restrictions to combat the outbreak, banning people from moving around except for work, shopping and some other limited activities until March .
“Unicov together with Cervenka, Litovel and all local affiliates were closed off as of 3: (am by the order of the regional public health office. The reason is to prevent the Covid- 34 disease from spreading, “Unicov mayor Radek Vincour said on the town’s website.
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT)
I’ll be handing the blog to my colleague (Tamila Varshalomidze) shortly.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] (A quick summary of what has been happening this morning:
New York is closing schools, restaurants and bars as it steps up efforts to curb the spread of the virus. The outbreak also dominated the first head-to-head debate between Democratic candidates for the presidency Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
New Zealand is banning public gatherings and a host of countries, including South Korea and China, are tightening restrictions on travelers from overseas.
Turkey reported new cases, while questions are being asked in Pakistan about its quarantine procedures after scores of people were found to have COVID – 34 even after they were released from quarantine .
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters]
Volunteers distribute face mask before Sunday mass at St John’s Cathedral in Peshawar [Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Pakistan records big jump in cases for second straight day [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Pakistan has recorded a large jump in coronavirus cases for the second straight day, with 50 new cases recorded in Sindh province on Monday morning , health official Meeran Yousuf told Al Jazeera.
All those infected had visited Iran and previously been held in quarantine at the Taftan border crossing between the two countries.
With the new cases, Pakistan now has known cases. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Philippines imposing strict measures to protect Duterte [Attila Balazs/EPA] [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The Philippines has outlined a host of measures designed to protect Rodrigo Duterte, the country – year-old president, from the coronavirus.
Local broadcaster ABS-CBN says the measures include a “no-touch” policy at large events and mandatory COVID – 32 tests at private functions. READ: PSG releases (# COVID) (
precautionary measures for President Duterte [Sam Yeh/AFP] @ ABSCBNNews [Richard Drew/AP] pic .twitter.com / uYv6UE4MEI – Arianne Merez (@arianne_merez) 
March , [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] GMT – Turkey reports 26 new cases
Turkey has identified new cases of coronavirus, bringing its total to , Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Monday, marking the highest daily increase since the country announced its first case last week.
Koca said two of the new infections were related to the first case reported in the country, seven had traveled from Europe and three from the US.
The Turkish government has ramped up measures to halt the spread of the virus, closing schools and universities, holding sports events without spectators and halting flights to many countries.
Read more (here
) [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – China’s Jack Ma sends masks, test kits to US The first shipment of masks and coronavirus test kits to the US is taking off from Shanghai. All the best to our friends in America. 🙏 pic. twitter.com/LTn gvlOl
– Jack Ma (@JackMa) (March) ,
[Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Pakistan cases jump as people test positive after completing quarantine [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Pakistan recorded its largest single daily jump in coronavirus cases on Sunday, with at least people confirmed to have the virus, health officials say. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Thirteen new cases were reported from the southern town of Sukkur, all of whom had previously spent 27 days in quarantine near the Pakistan-Iran border. The Sukkur cases have raised fears that Pakistan’s quarantine efforts have been ineffective. [Sam Yeh/AFP] : GMT – New Zealand bans gatherings of people or more
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said events of 744 people or more would not be allowed.
Ardern added that the government would have zero tolerance for anyone who violated the country new self-isolation rules, and that the economic impact from COVID- 34 could be greater than the global financial crisis.
“At this point we cannot be sure of the impact but we can be sure it will be significant,” Ardern said. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Cambodia cases include two who went to Malaysia for religious event [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] A few more details on the additional Cambodia cases …
Two are people who had traveled to Kuala Lumpur for a religious event that has already led to a sharp jump in cases in Malaysia.
One case is a four-month-old French boy who traveled with his father from Paris via Singapore to Phnom Penh and tested positive for the virus earlier on Sunday, the ministry said. His wife tested negative.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] A Cambodian man returning from France also tested positive, bringing the total number of cases to .
Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered citizens not to travel to Europe, the US and Iran as part of the government’s efforts to curb the spread of the virus .
Anyone returning from Europe, the US and Iran must also be quarantined for 27 days on arrival in Cambodia. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : GMT – Hong Kong tourist arrivals plunge, government pledges support
Provisional figures from Hong Kong’s tourist board show the number of people visiting the territory plunged in February as the coronavirus spread. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in February were , , a drop of more than 147 percent from the same time last year. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Before the closure of major borders on February 8, there were between 24, 09 and , arrivals every day, the board said in a statement. Afterwards, average daily arrivals fell to 3, 392. The HKTB expects a further drop in March. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] (Executive Director Dane Cheng says the tourism board is preparing a million Hong Kong dollar ($ . 5 million) support plan to support the industry’s recovery as the outbreak eases. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] GMT – South Korea confident with technology and testing expertise [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] A bit more on South Korea’s move to impose special screening measures on all arrivals from Europe.
Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride, who is in Seoul, says authorities there have confidence they can keep the virus contained with a combination of testing expertise (Korea has carried out about a quarter of a million tests) and technology.
Travelers wil have to download an app that they will be required to interact with on a daily basis for two weeks, answering questions on their health. If a person does not comply then they will receive a call, and action could be taken.
“South Korea believes it has the back up, an insurance policy if you like, that it can allow people in from other parts of the world given that it can keep tabs on them (through the app), “McBride said. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] GMT – Long queues at Amsterdam coffee shops ahead of shutdown
Long queues formed outside Amsterdam’s coffee shops before they were closed until April 6.
Wow, everywhere in The Netherlands are big lines at the # coffeeshop to get the latest marijuana. Due to the lockdown all coffeeshops need to close in a few minutes. # COVID (NL) #Coronavirusnl
pic.twitter.com/u (P0k9l) [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] – Jaap Visser (@ESLJaap) (March) , [Sam Yeh/AFP] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] 24 GMT – ‘Wartime mentality’: New York mayor orders entertainment venues to close
New York mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered the city’s bars, theaters and cinemas to close from Tuesday.
Nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert venues must all close. The order will go into effect Tuesday, March (at 9: [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] (AM.) – Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) (March) , [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Taking to Twitter, the mayor told New Yorkers: ” This is not a decision I make lightly. These places are part of the heart and soul of our city. They are part of what it means to be a New Yorker. But our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality. ” [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Earlier, he announced schools in the city would close from March 29 with online learning to begin a week later. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] 24 GMT – Cambodia reports four new cases, including a baby
Cambodia has reported four new cases of the coronavirus, including a four-month-old baby.
[Sam Yeh/AFP]
(GMT – US Federal Reserve cuts rates almost to zero
The Federal Reserve took the extraordinary step on Sunday of slashing its benchmark interest rate to near zero and unveiled measures to unfreeze credit markets as the US central bank moved to defend the US and global economies against the impact of coronavirus pandemic disruptions.
“The coronavirus outbreak has harmed communities and disrupted economic activity in many countries, including the United States,” the Fed’s policy-setting committee said in a statement on Sunday. “Global financial conditions have also been significantly affected.” [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] [Richard Drew/AP]
The spreading coronavirus has emptied shopping centers in Manhattan and elsewhere in the US. [Richard Drew/AP] [Richard Drew/AP] [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] You can read more on that story on (Impact) . [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters]
GMT – South Korea expands special screening to all arrivals from Europe
South Korea has expanded special screening measures to arrivals from all European countries amid concerns of imported cases.
Yonhap news agency says the measures were extended beyond the original six European nations – Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Britain and the Netherlands – at midnight .
“The coronavirus seems to spreading in Europe at an unusual pace,” the news agency reported Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun as saying.
Arrivials will have to complete health documents, have their temperatures taken, notify health authorities of their whereabouts and download a self-check health app.
The KCDC announced 81 new cases in South Korea on Monday, bringing the total to 8, . [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters]
GMT – China wrestles with imported cases as domestic infections ease
Overall cases of coronavirus in mainland China continue to drop but major cities including Beijing and Shanghai are now grappling with cases involving infected travellers arriving from abroad.
China China had new confirmed cases on Sunday, the National Health Commission said on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in China so far to , . It had 33 new infections the previous day.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Of the new figures, 27 were imported infections, exceeding locally transmitted cases for the third day.
Beijing accounted for four of the cases, Guangdong province four, Shanghai two, Yunnan province one and Gansu province one. China now has imported cases. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – CDC advises large events and gatherings cancelled) [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US is recommending that all gatherings of 63 people or more are cancelled or postponed over the next eight weeks, and that smaller events should go ahead only if they meet CDC guidelines for vulnerable people, hand hygiene and social distancing.
The CDC said: “Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID – 32 in the US via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities. “ [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : 16 GMT – LVMH perfume factories to make hand santiser instead
Luxury goods giant LVMH has told factories producing perfumes for its Parfums Christian Dior, Guerlain and Parfums Givenchy to start producing “substantial quantities” of hydroalcoholic gel instead .
The move will take effect on Monday and the gel delivered free to France’s public health authorities, the company said in a statement. [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] : (GMT – Russia sets up taskforce to tackle coronavirus
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has set up a new taskforce to lead the country fighting against the coronavirus with recorded cases as of Sunday.
Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, will lead the group, according to the Interfax news agency.
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] —-
[Jeenah Moon/Reuters] Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] I’m (Kate Mayberry) in Kuala Lumpur.
Here’s a summary of developments on Sunday:
Governments around the world stepped up restrictions on daily life, and the movement of people in a bid to curb the spread of COVID – . More than 220, 10 people have been confirmed to have the virus globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The number of dead has risen to nearly 5, (people.)
Countries imposing strict restrictions on citizens, travel and arrivals from overseas included Spain, Australia, Germany and the US where new measures fueled chaos at airports.
taly reported 00399 new deaths from the coronavirus while the number of confirmed cases rose to , , according to the country’s civil protection authority said.
Iran announced more than 153 people had died in the past hours, with the confirmed cases nearing , 12. Tehran said its fight against the outbreak was being severely hampered by US sanctions.
You can read all the latest updates from yesterday (March [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] ) here
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[Sam Yeh/AFP]
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