The world in view: march 23

At a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the coronavirus pandemic is "accelerating. It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 cases, and just four days for the third 100,000 cases.”

Africa:
has reported about 1,100 cases spread across 43 countries, with 39 deaths.

Australia

• has a nationwide shut down: pubs, clubs, gyms, cinemas and places of worship.
• Restaurants will now be takeaway only. 
• Long queues of people seeking government assistance have formed outside welfare offices, before the website issuing them had collapsed. The government asked not to goin person for the safety of the workers there, but persist applying online.
• The Australian Olympic Committee has told its athletes to prepare for an Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.
• Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government says schools are open and students should go, but that it’s ultimately up to parents.
  New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian agrees schools should be open,  but at the same time tells parents to keep children at home.
  Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews says schools will be closed from Tuesday as shutting them is inevitable.
  Many families are just not sure what to do.
• A ship with more than 250 sick people and around 1,700 passengers is headed to the  city of Perth. Hundreds on board reported "upper respiratory illness" - none of them have yet been confirmed to have Covid-19.
  The passengers, from Germany, France and Italy will not be allowed off the ship. 
• Last week, hundreds of passengers disembarked off the Ruby Princess in downtown Sydney, despite confirmed cases of the virus on board.

Austria: The number of confirmed cases rose  367 to 3,611 on Monday.

Ischgl, a ski resort in Austria's Tyrol province, has been linked with hundreds of cases of coronavirus.

There will be an investigation whether a business at the resort failed to tell authorities about an infection at the end of February.

Austrian, German and Scandinavian health officials have all traced cases back to the town.

Bangladesh, 25 people have tested positive for Covid-19 and authorities have banned all international flights and shut down schools and colleges.

Belgium

Brussels police has issued 288 penalty fines in just 24 hours - the highest number since confinement rules came into force. 

Borders are closed fornon-essential traffic. Soon esserntialworkers will her vignettes on their cars.

Brazil's President Bolsonaro disagrees with the decision to close businesses. He called São Paulo Governor João Doria a “lunatic” for imposing a 15-day shutdown. 

Canada

Canadian Olympic Committee has called on the IOC to postpone the Tokyo Games for one year.

Team Canada stated it won't send its athletes to Tokyo 2020 due to the coronavirus risk - adding that the world is "in the midst of a global health crisis far more significant than sport".

China, the number of new cases on Sunday has dropped to 39, down from 46 on Saturday

China has diverted all international flights destined for Beijing to other cities to screen passengers. During its most stringent restriction phase, movement in and out of the epicenter, Wuhan, and other cities was completely halted and residents were told to stay at home. Some regional lockdowns are still in place

Denmark 

The nationwide lockdown will be extended until 13 April.

Reported: more than 1,300 coronavirus cases and 13 deaths.

Dubai International, the world's busiest airport, will be shut down from 25 March.

Ecuador introduced a curfew at the weekend from 19:00 to 05:00 local time

Ecuador's military has been permitted to take over the province of Guayas, where almost 80% of the country’s confirmed cases have been found. Three mayors there have tested positive for the virus.

El Salvador has tighthened the curfew and is detaining those who don’t comply. 327 arrests were made up until 22:30 Sunday night.

Ethiopia
There are 11 confirmed cases.

Ethiopia has introduced strict measures, including closing its borders, except for goods coming in.

Security forces are also going to enforce a ban on large gatherings that's already in place.

The PM also said the government would allocate 5bn Birr ($150m; £129m) towards trying to halt the spread of the disease.

Jack Ma, co-foundederof e-commerce site Alibaba, has sent medical supplies to Africa.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the start of distribution: Monday.

France

At least 674 people have died, including a 67-year-old doctor on Sunday.
The national parliament has passed a law declaring a two month health emergency.
Lockdown rules are tightened, raising fines for people caught outside without a legal reason, and putting limits on taking exercise and outdoor markets. The minimum fine is 135 euros, with a max of 1,500 euros for repeat offenders

Authorities in France have issued thousands of fines, and have deployed drones to enforce the strict lockdown rules. 

Germany

Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a ban on all gatherings of more than two people who aren't family. Just days after police in the state of Bavaria shut down a number of public "corona parties".

According to the head of the country’s public health institute there are signs Germany's infection curve - reflecting rise in the number of cases - may be becoming less steep. But he will only be able to confirm this trend definitively on Wednesday. 

Restrictions included school closures, hygiene measures and restrictions on public gatherings.

The country now has 22,672 cases of Covid-19 - an increase of 4,062 on the previous day - and 86 people died.

Hong Kong
will ban all tourists and transit travellers to the city.

All bars, pubs and entertainment venues will also be asked to shut.

Hong Kong is already quarantining all people arriving from abroad, and mainland China, for 14 days.

Hong Kong bans all foreign visitors for the next 14 days, starting wednesday.

India

Numbers reaches 415. Seven deaths have been reported.
Cities have begun shutting down.

It includes the capital, Delhi - a city of more than 18 million people, over nearly 1,500 sq km (572 sq miles). It has reported 29 active cases so far.

All shops, schools, offices and factories, and public transport, will be closed until 31 March. and the city closed its borders with neighbouring states.

Only “essential services”, which includes emergency services, groceries, pharmacies, water and power supply, and the media, are allowed to function - and only their employees can use buses or drive their own vehicles.

India grounds all domestic flights from the early hours of Wednesday onwards.

This will bring Indian airports to a standstill as international flights to India have already been cancelled.

Trains across the country have also been cancelled. Regional lockdowns affect millions of people in its over 70 cities and districts, including capital New Delhi and Mumbai. A temporary curfew - 07:00 to 21:00 - was tested out on Sunday. Travel and transport in these areas have been restricted until the end of the month. People must work from home unless they are in an essential field like healthcare. 

Indonesia
Capital Jakarta - more than 10 million people - began shut down measures on Monday.

A state of emergency has been declared, announcing that public entertainment spaces like bars, cinemas and restaurants will be shut on Monday until 2 April.

Public transport operators are also limiting their services.
But many people are still on the streets.

Iraq Total lockdown until Saturday as the number of positives and deaths grow

Iran 
President dismisses a US offer to help it fight the virus as "one of the biggest lies in history"  and urges Washington to lift sanctions instead.

Italy

Tightens the lock down restrictions further, closing down all businesses deemed non-essential.

Around 100 categories of companies can stay open, ranging from food production to chemicals, energy to paper, car parts to the manufacturing of coffins.

Italians are also now banned from travel within the country.
In the northern region of Lombardy, the country's worst hit, all outdoor exercise is prohibited and the distance of dogwalking has been limited.

Officials announced a drop in death of 651 (yesterday 793) which has been welcomed in the world, but it's not clear if this is due to the weekend.
Industrial production has sloweddown and  nearly all private or public offices are shut. 

Mexico
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has ruled out any curfew or troop deployments; they would be too authoritarian.
Mexico City: the mayor is closing museums, gyms, bars, theatres and more, from Monday until 19 April. Shopping malls and restaurants will stay open. Gatherings are limited to 50 people

MoroccoA public health state of emergency went into effect on Friday.

Military vehicles in the streets to order people to stay at home.
Police are enforcing. 

New Zealand
coronavirus alert status level 3 - set to rise to level 4 ,which means all non-essential services will have to close. Starting tomorrow.
People instructed to stay home.
Schools to close entirely.

Non-essential businesses, including bars, restaurants, cafes - must close

Public transport only available for people in essential services

These measures will be in place for at least four weeks.

Nigeria4 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday,  total number of cases 30.

Doctors who had gone on strike indefinitely in Nigeria after not being paid for months have called it off "for the sake of humanity".

North Korea
The state newspaper the Rodong Sinmun has called for "unconditional and absolute" adherence to coronavirus quarantine regulations, saying the rules applied equally to everyone with no exceptions,which seen as a warning to officials against seeking privileges, .

North Korea claims there are no virus cases in the country, though this has been seriously questioned by experts.

Pakistan

Cases were rising to over 700, making it the country in South Asia with most cases.
Prime Minister Imran Khan is still reluctant to declare a country-wide lockdown.
Banned are all international flights
The province of Sindh, which has reported the highest number of cases, is under lockdown.
Two prison inmates have died in Sri Lanka during protests against curbing visitors as a measure to contain the virus.
The island has seen 77 confirmed cases, prompting a temporary curfew.

Southern Sindh province: 15-day lockdown.

Sindh accounts for 352 of the country’s 799 positives.

Of these, 130 cases are located in Karachi - the country’s largest business and industrial hub with a population of 15 million.

Most coronavirus cases in Sindh originated from cross-border travel to Iran, but more than 80 have been found to have been caused by local transmission.

All public parks, main markets and public transport have been ordered to shut, though medical and grocery stores will remain open during certain hours while journalists and newspaper hawkers have been allowed free movement to counter what a government official called “the spread of fake news.”

Beginning Tuesday, the province will also shut down its two main airports – at Karachi and Sukkur – for domestic flights. International traffic has already been shut across the country.

Palestine

The Palestinian territory in the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas, confirms its first two cases 

The first two cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.

The two cases are both men, aged 79 and 63, who returned to Gaza from Pakistan this weekend, travelling via Egypt. They are quarantined in the town of Rafah, on the border with Egypt. Contacts have been isolated.

About two million people live in Gaza's overcrowded refugee camps and cities. If the virus spreads, it would be an additional burden on the territory's already-overstretched health system.

Speaking in the West Bank yesterday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh ordered people to stay at home for two weeks from Sunday night, with the exception of essential workers - medical staff, pharmacists, grocers and bakers. Others are only allowed to leave home to buy essentials.

Saudi Arabia
King Salman has ordered a nationwide curfew starting on Monday after a spike in coronavirus infections. It is from 7pm to 6am for 21 days.

Singapore
New infection wave due to people who caught the virus overseas and entered the country -  returning citizens and residents, and many travelled from the UK.

Like several other Asian countries, Singapore managed to control an initial wave of infections but is now seeing a second wave. The government has now imposed strict measures such as banning all tourists and even some work pass holders from returning.

Airlines are almost all grounded.

Restaurants and shops have to ensure patrons are kept one metre apart, gatherings with more than 250 people are banned, and some public facilities have been shut. Advised to reduce social interaction. 

South Korea
64 new cases taking the total number of infected to 8,961 and 111 people have died.

Reported the lowest number of new coronavirus cases since infection rates peaked four weeks ago. 

But health officials have warned that this is not the time to be complacent and that the country faces a long war against the infection.

The government urged people to stay away from places which encourage mass gatherings such as churches, karaoke rooms, nightclubs and gyms. They also asked religious leaders to check the temperature of followers and keep them at least 2m apart during any services they deemed necessary.

In fact a number of churches are now facing legal action after violating such guidelines.

Its strategy - an aggressive use of technology to trace the virus and the mass testing of all who’ve been in contact with the infection - appears to be working according to some.

The government is urgently reminding everyone to maintain social distance for the next 15 days. Officials are hoping their stark warnings will encourage people to stay in line.

Doctors, meanwhile, are discussing the next possible steps. The trace, test, treat approach will continue. But what happens when classrooms become infected? Do they isolate the entire school? Shut down all schools again? The aim is to re-open schools in two weeks. 

The head of the National Medical Committee, Dr Oh Myoung-don, has told reporters that there could be another spike once schools re-open.

SpainA rise in death from 1,720 on Sunday to 2,182. The total number of confirmed cases has increased to 33,089.

Bodies of Madrid are now going to a morgue in an ice skating stadium.

In the last few years Spain has seen a number of high-profile cases of both domestic and sexual abuse, prompting mass protests.

In Spain's Canary Islands, the authorities have launched a campaign to help victims of domestic abuse. Women in danger can go to a pharmacy and say the words Mascarilla-19, or Mask-19 in English, to alert staff that they need help.

Spain has restricted its borders and imposed a nationwide lockdown which it is working to extend until 11 April. Hotels must close this week. Residents found outside without proof of identification and justification (like a grocery bill) can be fined

Elderly were found dead and abandoned in Spanish care homes

Sri Lanka

Police have arrested nearly 2,000 people for violating a nationwide curfew that was declared on Friday.

With 87 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Sunday, officials are worried that the country's healthcare system will not be able to cope with a full-blown outbreak.

Syria
First case - a 20-year-old woman whom the health ministry says came into the country from abroad

Taiwan

Tens of thousands of overseas Taiwanese, including an estimated 70,000 students who were studying in Europe, are expected to return in the coming days  There are worries they may significantly raise the number of confirmed cases here. so they face 14 days of mandatory quarantine.

Still, with 169 cases and two deaths as of Sunday, Taiwan is doing far better than many countries, especially given its proximity to China and high rate of travel among its population.

A man was fined $33,000 for breaking Taiwan quarantine

Tunisia89 confirmed cases and 3 deaths.
army deployed to enforce lockdown. People are to stay at home except to buy necessities.

Turkey

Turkish Airlines has said it will halt all its international flights by Friday, except those to Hong Kong, Moscow, Ethiopia, New York and Washington. 85% of its passenger planes were not currently in use.

Turkey banned flights from more than 60 countries.

United Arab Emirates
All passenger and transit flights in and out of the country suspended.

All shopping centres will shut and restaurants will only do delivery services.

It will suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country for two weeks, starting from 25 March.

Dubai international airport saw 86.4 million passengers in 2019. It's also home to Emirates - one of the world's biggest airlines. Emirates has now also announced that it will suspend all passenger flights by 25 March.

It comes as all shopping and commercial centres are set to close in the next 48 hours. However stores selling essential goods,including supermarkets and pharmacies, will remain open.

Restaurants will have their service limited to deliveries.

UK

A further 46 people in England have died, 101 new UK deaths. Total 281.  The patients were aged between 47 and 105 years old and all had underlying health conditions, and a person aged 18 with an underlying health condition

Total UK death toll to 335, with four deaths announced in both Scotland and Wales.

Many mainly young people ignored the guideliness, while those with risk isolated themselves.

All jury trials in England and Wales are to be put on hold to allow courthouses to put in place measures to aid social distancing

Letters and texts will be sent to 1.5 million people in England who are most at risk of coronavirus to stay at home. 

Train operators will be operating a reduced timetable from today

Teachers unions pleading for workers to send their children to school or nursery only if absolutely necessary

Under the proposed legislation, airports could be shut and people held on public health grounds

UK rail users entitled to ticket refunds

Fewer services are operating from Monday. 

Ticket holders should contact their operator for details, the Department for Transport says.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned that "life should not feel normal" 

She said 14 people in Scotland had died of causes related to the virus, while the number of people who've tested positive had risen to 499.

Shops for non essental items should close.

British bus operators announce reduced timetables

Operators in north-east England and Scotland will reduce services from Monday, while there will be fewer services in the West Midlands from Wednesday. 

British travellers have been ordered to return home by the UK's foreign secretary.

But many are currently stranded after the countries they are visiting closed their borders in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Around 400 UK nationals are currently stuck in Peru, where all flights have been suspended. The Foreign Office has said rescue flights will begin this week.

People in Britain will be allowed to leave their homes for only “very limited purposes” - shopping for basic necessities; for one form of exercise a day; for any medical need; and to travel to and from work when “absolutely necessary”

People are warned not to meet friends or family members who they do not live with

Shopping is only permitted for essentials like food and medicine, and people are advised to do it “as little as you can”

Police have powers to enforce the rules, including through fines and dispersing gatherings

All shops selling non-essential goods, such as clothing and electronic stores, are ordered to close

Libraries, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and places of worship are to close

All gatherings of more than two people in public - excluding people you live with - are banned

All social events, including weddings and baptisms are banned

Funerals are not included in the new restrictions

Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed

Restrictions “under constant review” and will be checked again in three weeks. They will be relaxed “if the evidence shows we are able to”

USA

The city of New York has more than 15,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus - accounting for roughly 5% of the cases worldwide.

New York governor orders hospitals to expand capacity

The Jacob Javits Convention Center on Manhattan's West Side will be converted into a field hospital
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he will issue an order demanding state hospitals increase their capacity by at least 50%.

There are at least 20,875 confirmed cases in New York state - making up almost 6% of cases worldwide. Mr Cuomo echoed concerns from officials throughout the country about states competing against each other for supplies amid widespread shortages.

There's a hugeneed for medical supplies.

“If we don’t get the equipment, we’re literally going to lose lives,” he said.