Australia on Sunday announced anyone arriving into the country will face mandatory 14-day self-isolation, in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
"We are going to have to get used to some changes in the way we live our lives," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, adding the measure will come into effect from midnight (1300 GMT Sunday).

Australia to isolate all international arrivals to tackle virus

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Estonia and Lithuania said Saturday they will shut their borders to most foreign visitors while fellow Baltic EU member Latvia imposed security measures of its own to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
"The government has decided to temporarily reintroduce border controls on the whole border," Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said in a government statement.
The measure will apply starting Tuesday in the country of 1.3 million people which has registered 115 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Only citizens, individuals with residence permits and foreigners with a family member in Estonia will be allowed in but will have to undergo two weeks of isolation.
Foreigners will still be able to pass through Estonia to get to their country provided they show no symptoms of the virus. The same goes for cargo transporters.
There are no restrictions on leaving the country.
The government had earlier decided to close down all schools, museums, cinemas, leisure centres, sports clubs and banned ...

Estonia, Lithuania shut borders to foreign visitors

Georgia has become the second US state to delay its presidential primary election over fears of the novel coronavirus.
The southern state had been scheduled to hold its vote on March 24, but has pushed it back nearly two months, as authorities across the country grapple with whether or not to postpone their states' primary elections.
The move comes just a day after four other states -- Florida, Ohio, Illinois and Arizona -- said they would go ahead with their votes, which are scheduled for next week.
Louisiana, meanwhile, became the first state to announce a postponement on Friday, when it declared an official disaster and an 11-week postponement of its vote, originally scheduled for April 4.
The delays come amid fears that the coronavirus pandemic could wreak havoc on the Democrats choosing a candidate to challenge President Donald Trump in the November election.
"Events are moving rapidly and my highest priority is protecting the health of our poll workers, their families, and the ..

US state of Georgia delays primary election over virus fears

China on Sunday reported 16 new imported cases of the coronavirus, the highest in over a week, as domestic cases dwindle in the country.
The National Health Commission said infections involving people arriving from overseas were reported in five provinces and cities including Beijing and Shanghai.
Only four new domestic cases were detected, all in Hubei province's capital Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December.
There have now been 111 imported infections, with regions outside of Hubei reporting no new indigenous cases for the third day in the row, prompting fears that China's measures to contain the virus domestically could be undone by reintroduced outbreaks.
Another 10 people died, all in Wuhan, bringing the national toll from the disease in mainland China to 3,199.
More than 80,000 people have been infected.
Central Hubei was locked down in January, placing some 56 million people under quarantine, but the number of cases has declined in recent weeks.
Provincial ...

China reports 20 new virus cases, jump in 'imported' infections

A worn-out nurse slumps over her keyboard in a widely shared image symbolic of the extreme fatigue that Italian healthcare workers are facing as they battle Europe's worst outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The picture is of Elena Pagliarini, a nurse in the northern region of Lombardy which has been worst hit by the disease.
Nationwide Italy has more than 1,400 deaths from the virus and 21,000 infections, with a quarter of the country's intensive care beds taken up by those with the illness.
In normal times Lombardy is the economic heart of Italy, equipped with one of the world's best health systems.
But those who staff it -- like Pagliarini -- have been put under enormous strain.
"On one hand I was annoyed to see my photo everywhere, I was ashamed of showing my weakness," Pagliarini told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
"But then I was happy because I got beautiful messages from people who empathised with my story," she said.
"I actually don't feel physically tired, I can .

Italy's health workers on edge of exhaustion in virus fight

Police began closing off access to the Philippines' sprawling and densely populated capital Manila on Sunday, imposing a quarantine that officials hope will curb the nation's rising number of coronavirus cases.
Officers armed with rifles blocked off main roads into the city of some 12 million as domestic flights to and from Manila were halted early Sunday for a month-long isolation of the capital.
Mass gatherings and school at all levels have also been called off, but delays and exceptions have led public health experts to question how effective President Rodrigo Duterte's measures will be.
Though the Philippines has detected a fraction of the infections seen in hot spots like China or Italy, its confirmed cases nearly doubled in recent days to 111, with eight deaths.
"People are advised to stay home and not do anything," Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told reporters Saturday.
"We were like Italy two months ago. They were arguing whether to impose a lockdown or not," he said, adding ..

Philippines closes off capital to fight virus

The wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, his office said.
The announcement came late Saturday, just hours after he announced a near total lockdown nationwide.
Both Begona Gomez and her husband were well, and were at their official residence following the new measures introduced by the health authorities, said a government statement.

Wife of Spanish PM Sanchez has coronavirus: PM's office

At least five Brazilians who travelled with President Jair Bolsonaro on a US visit including meetings with his counterpart Donald Trump, have tested positive for COVID-19, officials and media reports have said.
The far-right leader's four-day trip to south Florida, which included a swanky dinner last Saturday at a Trump golf resort, had a surprise outcome: it appears to have become an infection cluster in the coronavirus pandemic.
At least six people involved -- the five Brazilians, plus Miami Mayor Francis Suarez -- have now tested positive for COVID-19.
That has led Trump and Bolsonaro, who had both been criticised for downplaying the gravity of the outbreak, to get tested themselves.
Other top officials have meanwhile gone into self-quarantine.
After the Brazilian government revealed Thursday that Bolsonaro's communications chief, Fabio Wajngarten, had been infected, a string of others on the trip tested positive.
Bolsonaro's lawyer, Karina Kufa, and Senator Nelsinho Trad announced 

Surprise end to Trump-Bolsonaro visit: a COVID-19 cluster

Spain has followed Italy and imposed a near total nationwide lockdown to fight the spread of coronavirus by banning people from leaving home except to go to work, get medical care or buy food.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the restrictions on movement on Saturday following a huge spike in the number of infections in this nation of some 46 million people.
They are among the measures introduced as part of a 15-day state of emergency officially declared by his government on Saturday.
Spain confirmed more than 1,500 new cases of coronavirus since Friday evening, raising its total to 5,753 cases, the second-highest number in Europe after Italy.
The disease has so far claimed 183 lives in Spain.
"The prohibition to circulate in the streets... must be followed starting today," he said in a televised address after a cabinet meeting that lasted more than seven hours.
Spaniards may leave home to go to work, "buy bread", go to the pharmacy and get medical care but "not to go have dinner 

Spain imposes near total lockdown to fight virus

Ottawa has urged all Canadians abroad to return home while they still can, as nations around the world moved to restrict travel to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.
The guidance followed aggressive measures and money to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus announced by the federal government a day earlier, including asking Canadians to avoid all but essential foreign travel.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, however, has so far resisted growing calls to limit incoming travelers after the United States banned flights from Europe.
"We recommend that Canadian travelers return to Canada via commercial means while they remain available," Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne tweeted on Saturday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed Europe as the epicentre of the pandemic after a dramatic slump in new cases in China, where the virus first emerged in December last year.
Airlines have cancelled thousands of flights worldwide and some airports have shut .

Coronavirus: Ottawa urges all Canadians to come home while they can

Colombia expelled two French nationals and two Spaniards for violating coronavirus quarantine rules, immigration officials have said.
The two couples separately took tourist trips in defiance of restrictions imposed on visitors from the worst-affected countries to try to limit the pandemic.
Colombia's President Ivan Duque on Wednesday ordered travelers from France, Spain, Italy and China to be isolated on arrival in the country.  Immigration authorities said the couples had been expected to remain in isolation in their hotels for 14 days.
The French couple in their 60s, who arrived in the country on March 11, instead left their accommodation to take a tour to Mongui, about 150 miles away.
The Spanish couple, aged 30 and 27, landed in Bogota on a flight from Madrid on March 12 but quickly left their hotel to tour the capital.
The Colombian immigration authority did not say if any of the four were suspected of carrying the coronavirus.
It said in a statement on Saturday they were taken .

Colombia expels French, Spanish couples for flouting isolation rule

Lithuania has said it would shut its borders to most foreign visitors while fellow Baltic EU members Estonia and Latvia imposed security measures of their own to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said on Saturday the country of 2.8 million people has decided to reinstate checks on its borders with Latvia and Poland, becoming the fifth nation to do so within the bloc's zone of free travel.
Foreigners will be banned from entering the country starting 1000 GMT on Sunday, with the exception of individuals with a residence permit, diplomatic workers and NATO troops.
Freight transport will not be affected, he added.
"Our goal is to delay the spread of the virus as long as possible inside the country and to reduce the negative consequences," Skvernelis said.
Lithuania, which has eight confirmed COVID-19 cases, has been on partial lockdown since Friday after the government shut down all schools, kindergartens and universities and banned ...

Lithuania shuts borders to foreign visitors as Balts expand virus fight

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel would shut down eateries, shopping centres and gyms in a bid to halt the spread of novel coronavirus.
"Everything pertaining to leisure activities will be halted tomorrow morning," he said in a televised address on Saturday.
A treasury official speaking after Netanyahu said that besides a shutdown of restaurants, shopping malls, cafes, hotels and gyms, a school closure announced Thursday would be expanded to include kindergartens.
Netanyahu also said he would ask the government's approval -- at a cabinet meeting to be held via video conference -- to allow "technologies used in the war against terror" to be used to track the movements of Israelis with coronavirus.
The new instructions also prohibit gatherings of over 10 people and advise people to stay at least two metres (six feet) away from one another.  The army meanwhile told combat soldiers set to return from a weekend at home to prepare to stay in their bases for a month.
Israel's 

Israel halts leisure, culture activities to stem virus

Indonesia's transport minister is in intensive care after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, an official has said, as schools and tourist attractions were ordered to close over the health threat.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi was receiving treatment at an army hospital in Jakarta, State Secretary Pratikno said on Saturday.
A hospital spokesman said Sumadi was encountering difficulty breathing but that his condition was improving.
Pratikno said Sumadi was involved in virus mitigation efforts, particularly the evacuation of Indonesians from epicenters of the outbreak, and that President Joko Widodo had called for tests to be carried out on other ministers.
Cases of the virus in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, have jumped from zero two weeks ago to 96, with five deaths, according to government spokesperson Achmad Yurianto.
He also said the virus has spread outside Greater Jakarta to Bandung in West Java, Solo in Central Java, Manado in North ...

Indonesian minister tests positive for coronavirus

Italian luxury carmaker Ferrari said Saturday it was suspending production for two weeks at two of its factories, citing "serious difficulties" related to Italy being in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Production will stop immediately at the Maranello and Modena factories until March 27, Ferrari said in a statement.
"This measure has been taken in the interest of employees and following a series of rigorous measures already taken to ensure onsite security," the firm said.
The company's home region of Emilia-Romagna is after Lombardy the region worst hit by the crisis, with around 200 deaths and some 2,200 cases, according to local authorities.
Ferrari had attempted to carry on even as Italy found itself the most affected country other than China. The Italian government ordered a nationwide lockdown last week.
But supply chain problems have emerged to the degree that the automaker "cannot ensure continued production," although operations not linked to production will ...

Ferrari suspends production over coronavirus

The United States announced Saturday that a travel ban imposed on European nations over the coronavirus pandemic will be extended to the United Kingdom and Ireland.
President Donald Trump has decided to "suspend all travel from the United Kingdom and Ireland. That will be effective midnight Monday night EST (0400 GMT Tuesday)," Vice President Mike Pence told a White House news conference.
"Americans in the UK or Ireland can come home. Legal residents can come home," Pence said, adding that such people would be "funneled through specific airports and processed." Trump's sweeping travel ban has drawn an angry response from European officials, who have called for cooperation to fight the pandemic.
The 30-day US ban on travel from the 26 countries of Europe's Schengen border-free zone took effect on Saturday, but notably excludes Britain and Ireland.
The move caused widespread consternation among travelers, with even exempted American citizens uncertain about their status after the ...

US extends travel ban to UK, Ireland

France on Saturday drastically stepped up its measures against the spread of the coronavirus, announcing the closure of all non-essential public places including restaurants and cafes from midnight.
"I have decided on the closure until further notice from midnight of places that receive the public that are non-essential to the life of the country. This includes notably cafes, restaurants, cinemas and discos," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told reporters.
Top health official Jerome Salomon meanwhile announced that the death toll from COVID-19 had risen by 12 over the last day in France to 91, with the total number of infected standing at 4,500.

France to shut 'non-essential' public places: PM

Syria said Saturday its parliamentary elections scheduled for next month would be postponed as part of measures to protect the war-battered country against the coronavirus epidemic.
The president's office said on its official social media accounts that the vote will be pushed back to May 20, from the original date of April 13.  In other "social distancing" steps adopted by Damascus, which has not to date reported any case of the disease, weekly Friday prayers in mosques have been suspended as well as prayer gatherings.
The polls, to be held across government-run areas, are the third such elections in Syria since the March 2011 start of its nine-year war that has killed at least 384,000 people.
Assad's forces today hold more than 70 percent of Syrian soil following Russian-backed victories against rebels and jihadists since 2015.  On Friday, the government closed schools, universities and technical colleges until April 2. Sports and cultural events have been cancelled and the smoking ..

Syria elections postponed over coronavirus

Chile has quarantined more than 1,300 people aboard two cruise ships after an elderly Briton aboard one of them tested positive for the coronavirus, the health ministry announced Saturday.
Both ships are cruising the Chilean fjords in Patagonia.
The 85-year-old man showed symptoms of the virus after getting off the Silver Explorer ship in the far southern port of Caleta Tortel, 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) from Santiago.
The man was later transferred to a hospital in the city of Coyhaique where he tested positive for the virus.
"The ship is in quarantine off the port of Castro. The British citizen is in good condition but has tested positive for coronavirus," said Health Minister Jaime Manalich told a press conference.
The other ship, the Azmara Pursuit -- with 665 passengers and nearly 400 crew -- had earlier crossed into Chilean waters from the southern Argentine port of Ushuaia.
Manalich said it was currently near the port of Chacabuco after authorities banned it from landing ...

Chile quarantines 1,300 aboard two cruise ships

Denmark on Saturday recorded its first coronavirus death as it closed its borders to foreigners in order to slow the spread of the disease.
The fatality "was a person aged 81 years who was hospitalised for other serious illnesses," said officials at the hospital where the patient was treated.  The death is the fifth COVID-19 fatality in the Nordic countries. Two people have already died in Sweden and two in Norway.
Denmark also became the latest country to take dramatic steps to stop the spread of the COVID-19 disease, closing its borders to all non-resident foreigners for a month.
"All tourists and foreigners who cannot prove that they have a valid reason to come to Denmark will not be allowed to enter," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Friday when the ban was announced.
Police said that around 20 people were refused entry after the measure came into effect at noon Saturday (1100 GMT).
At Copenhagen airport, passengers said that strict controls were in place  for those entering .

Denmark announces first coronavirus death, closes borders

Moscow police detained dozens of people at a protest against "political repressions" near the headquarters of the Russian security service, including a well-known human rights activist.
The protest demanding to free political prisoners was called by supporters of men convicted this year on terrorism charges, many of whom said in court they had been tortured by the FSB security service.
Mostly young protesters turned up to participate in picketing near the FSB building, with some unfurling signs calling the security service the "Federal Service of Lawlessness" while others shouted "Shame!" The OVD Info website, which tracks detentions at political protests, listed 49 people as detained by police, adding that some were hurt in the altercations.
An AFP correspondent at the scene saw about 30 detentions.  Some at the protest spoke out against the planned constitutional reforms currently in process of being adopted, which will give President Vladimir Putin a chance to run for two more ...

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