World hunkers down at home, stranded travellers scramble

Tens of millions of people hunkered down in government-ordered isolation on Tuesday as borders slammed shut, schools and businesses closed and increasingly drastic restrictions on movement took effect. Others were scrambling to get home, caught up in widespread travel restrictions that aimed to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

From Southeast Asia to Europe to the Americas, people found their lives upended by lockdowns and social distancing.

Shoppers in Malaysia stood in long lines to stock up at picked-over supermarkets. Commuters in the Philippines waited in huge traffic jams at checkpoints set up to take their temperatures before entering the capital of Manila.

Spain, now the fourth-most infected country, saw infections rise on Tuesday by more than 2,000 in one day to 11,178 and virus-related deaths jump by almost 200 to 491. Only China, Italy and Iran had more infections.

With the number of cases worldwide topping 183,000, a surge of patients in Madrid's hospitals has fuelled worries across Europe of what lies ahead. Pleas went out to send masks and ventilators to places like Italy and Spain that are struggling with soaring caseloads.

"There is no easy or quick way out of this extremely difficult situation," Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said in the first televised speech by a Dutch leader since 1973.

Iran state TV warned the virus could kill "millions" in the Islamic Republic if the public keeps on travelling, ignoring health guidance. World Health Organization officials have said the number of cases there - nearly 15,000 with 853 deaths - have been sharply underreported.

Airlines across the world have slashed flights due to a plunge in demand but also because many countries have been barring foreign arrivals.

Turkey planned to evacuate 3,614 citizens stranded in nine European countries after flights were suspended, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

Germany launched a 50 million-euro effort to bring home thousands of tourists stranded in popular winter vacation spots across the globe, including up to 5,000 in Morocco alone.

"Even if we will do everything humanly possible, we cannot in every case provide a solution within 24 hours," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned.

In Lithuania, trucks seeking to enter Poland backed up in a line 60 kilometers long after Poland closed its border to foreigners due to the new coronavirus. German police organized a convoy to help stranded citizens from Baltic states get back home by ferry after the Poland closure.

Italy reported another jump in infections, up to 27,980. With 2,158 deaths, Italy now accounts for well over a quarter of the global death toll.

The cascade of event cancellations continued, with Thailand calling off its water festival in April and the Kentucky Derby reportedly prepared to delay the famous US horse race for the first time since World War II. India shut down the Taj Mahal.

Some bright spots emerged. Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus was first detected late last year and which has been under lockdown for weeks, reported just one new case on Tuesday.

The virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, for most people, but severe illness is more likely in the elderly and people with existing health problems. COVID-19 has killed over 7,100 people so far but more than 79,000 have recovered.

The economic toll from the crisis to both companies and individuals was only escalating. Shares reversed early losses in Asia on Tuesday after the US stock market plunged to its worst day in more than three decades.

A senior South Korean health official, Kwon Jun-wook, urged people to take the virus seriously.

"In a similar way to how the September 11 attacks completely changed people's perception about security, quarantine authorities like us believe the daily lives of all the people around the world will be changed because of COVID-19, Kwon told reporters Tuesday. "From now on, if you are sick, you should voluntarily rest to prevent a spread to others."