Blogroll

Countries around the world on Saturday continued to close borders, impose strict entry and quarantine requirements and restrict large gatherings in efforts to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

Thailand reported 32 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday in the largest daily jump in infections since the outbreak began, bringing its total tally to 114, health officials said.

The number of coronavirus infections in Japan rose to 1,484 on Sunday, increasing by a faster pace than the previous day, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Taiwan reported six new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, all imported and marking the biggest daily rise in infections, in people who had returned to the island from countries including Spain and Japan, bringing its total tally to 59.

Spain and France imposed stringent measures to combat the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak, the death toll kept climbing in China and the United States extended a travel ban.

Mexico warned on Saturday that the coronavirus outbreak could last all year as it began rolling out tougher measures to contain the spread, calling for an end to large gatherings and extending Easter school holidays.

Apple Inc said it is closing all its retail stores, except those in Greater China, for the next two weeks to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission, a move that was followed by several U.S. retailers on Saturday.

The number of coronavirus infections in Japan rose to 1,484 on Sunday, increasing by a faster pace than the previous day, public broadcaster NHK reported.

South Korea on Sunday reported 76 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths, a fall in new cases to double-digits for the first time in over three weeks.

Alphabet's Google said on Saturday that it was working with the U.S. government to develop a nationwide website that would help Americans with questions about coronavirus symptoms, risk factors and testing.

In Mexico 33 million students will head into earlier and longer Easter vacations at the end of next week after Education Minister Esteban Moctezuma on Saturday announced measures to help avoid the spread of the coronavirus.

Mexico has registered a rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 41 from 26 a day earlier, the Mexican health ministry said on Saturday.

Central American countries Panama, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador on Saturday took further steps to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus in the region with measures ranging from bans on large gatherings to travel restrictions.

Colombia will expel four Europeans for violating compulsory quarantine protocols designed to halt the spread of coronavirus, just hours after it closed its border with Venezuela, the government said on Saturday.

A 78-year-old Canadian who was on a cruise ship isolated in Brazil's northeastern port of Recife tested positive for coronavirus, Brazilian TV network Globo reported on Saturday, citing a press conference.

The number of new coronavirus cases that came to mainland China from overseas surpassed the number of locally transmitted new infections for the second time on Saturday, data released by the National Health Commission (NHC) showed on Sunday.

Estonia will stop foreign traveler from entering the country from March 17, in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the country's government said in a statement on Sunday.

Major sports events around the world that have been hit by the coronavirus outbreak:

Mainland China had 20 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on March 14, the country's National Health Commission said on Sunday, up from 11 cases a day earlier.

Congo Republic on Saturday confirmed its first case of the coronavirus, a 50-year-old man who had traveled to the country on March 1 from Paris, the government said.